• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• 제33권52호
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• pp.346.1-346.11
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• 2018

Background: To evaluate the therapeutic benefits of the treat-to-target (T2T) strategy for Asian patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Korea. Methods: In a 1-year, multicenter, open-label strategy trial, 346 patients with early RA were recruited from 20 institutions across Korea and stratified into 2 groups, depending on whether they were recruited by rheumatologists who have adopted the T2T strategy (T2T group) or by rheumatologists who provided usual care (non-T2T group). Data regarding demographics, rheumatoid factor titer, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody titer, disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28), and Korean Health Assessment Questionnaire (KHAQ) score were obtained at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. In the T2T group, the prescription for disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs was tailored to the predefined treatment target in each patient, namely remission (DAS28 < 2.6) or low disease activity (LDA) ($2.6{\leq}DAS28$ < 3.2). Results: Data were available for 163 T2T patients and 162 non-T2T patients. At the end of the study period, clinical outcomes were better in the T2T group than in the non-T2T group (LDA or remission, 59.5% vs. 35.8%; P < 0.001; remission, 43.6% vs. 19.8%; P < 0.001). Compared with non-T2T, T2T was also associated with higher rate of good European League Against Rheumatism response (63.0% vs. 39.8%; P < 0.001), improved KHAQ scores (-0.38 vs. -0.13; P = 0.008), and higher frequency of follow-up visits (5.0 vs. 2.0 visits/year; P < 0.001). Conclusion: In Asian patients with early RA, T2T improves disease activity and physical function. Setting a pre-defined treatment target in terms of DAS28 is recommended.

• BMB Reports
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.2-11
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• 2024

Advancements in gene and cell therapy have resulted in novel therapeutics for diseases previously considered incurable or challenging to treat. Among the various contributing technologies, genome editing stands out as one of the most crucial for the progress in gene and cell therapy. The discovery of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) and the subsequent evolution of genetic engineering technology have markedly expanded the field of target-specific gene editing. Originally studied in the immune systems of bacteria and archaea, the CRISPR system has demonstrated wide applicability to effective genome editing of various biological systems including human cells. The development of CRISPR-based base editing has enabled directional cytosine-to-thymine and adenine-to-guanine substitutions of select DNA bases at the target locus. Subsequent advances in prime editing further elevated the flexibility of the edit multiple consecutive bases to desired sequences. The recent CRISPR technologies also have been actively utilized for the development of in vivo and ex vivo gene and cell therapies. We anticipate that the medical applications of CRISPR will rapidly progress to provide unprecedented possibilities to develop novel therapeutics towards various diseases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.41-47
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• 2023

The rapid development of mRNA vaccines has contributed to the management of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, suggesting that this technology may be used to manage future outbreaks of infectious diseases. Because the antigens targeted by mRNA vaccines can be easily altered by simply changing the sequence present in the coding region of mRNA structures, it is more appropriate to develop vaccines, especially during rapidly developing outbreaks of infectious diseases. In addition to allowing rapid development, mRNA vaccines have great potential in inducing successful antigen-specific immunity by expressing target antigens in cells and simultaneously triggering immune responses. Indeed, the two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have shown significant efficacy in preventing infections. The ability of mRNAs to produce target proteins that are defective in specific diseases has enabled the development of options to treat intractable diseases. Clinical applications of mRNA vaccines/therapeutics require strategies to safely deliver the RNA molecules into targeted cells. The present review summarizes current knowledge about mRNA vaccines/ therapeutics, their clinical applications, and their delivery strategies.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.16-24
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• 2018

위암은 최근에 균일한 성격의 단일 질환이 아니라, 매우 이질적인 질환으로 인식되고 있다. 수술이 불가능한 진행성 또는 전이성 위암의 경우 일반적으로 완치가 불가능하며 항암치료를 하지 않는 경우 중앙 생존기간이 3-6개월 정도로 알려져 있다. 따라서 항암치료를 하는 경우가 최선의 지지 치료에 비하여 삶의 질이나 생명연장의 측면에서 우월함을 이미 여러 연구를 통해서 확인되고 있다. 지난 기간 동안 다양한 항암치료가 진행성 위암의 치료에 적용되었고, 최근에 여러 표적 치료와 면역치료가 도입되고 있으나, 여전히 다른 암종에 비하여 진행성 위암환자에서는 현저한 생명연장은 아직 저조하고 답보 상태에 있다. 그러나 향후 위암의 분자생물학적인 특성이 자세히 알려지면서 이러한 어려움들은 극복될 것으로 기대된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.1241-1245
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• 2014

Cinobufacin is used clinically to treat patients with many solid malignant tumors. However, the mechanisms underlying action remain to be detailed. Our study focused on miRNAs involved in cinobufacin inhibition of GC cell proliferation. miRNA microarray analysis and real time PCR identified miR-494 as a significant cinobufacin-associated miRNA. In vivo, ectopic expression of miR-494 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of BGC-823 cells on CCK-8 and flow cytometry analysis. Further study verified BAG-1 (anti-apoptosis gene) to bea target of miR-494 by luciferase reporter assay and Western blotting. In summary, our study demonstrated that cinobufacin may inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of BGC-823 cells. Cinobufacin-associated miR-494 may indirectly be involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting BAG-1, pointing to use as a potential molecular target of cinobufacin in gastric cancer therapy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제62권3호
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• pp.272-287
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• 2019

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway coordinates the metabolic activity of eukaryotic cells through environmental signals, including nutrients, energy, growth factors, and oxygen. In the nervous system, the mTOR pathway regulates fundamental biological processes associated with neural development and neurodegeneration. Intriguingly, genes that constitute the mTOR pathway have been found to be germline and somatic mutation from patients with various epileptic disorders. Hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway due to said mutations has garnered increasing attention as culprits of these conditions : somatic mutations, in particular, in epileptic foci have recently been identified as a major genetic cause of intractable focal epilepsy, such as focal cortical dysplasia. Meanwhile, epilepsy models with aberrant activation of the mTOR pathway have helped elucidate the role of the mTOR pathway in epileptogenesis, and evidence from epilepsy models of human mutations recapitulating the features of epileptic patients has indicated that mTOR inhibitors may be of use in treating epilepsy associated with mutations in mTOR pathway genes. Here, we review recent advances in the molecular and genetic understanding of mTOR signaling in epileptic disorders. In particular, we focus on the development of and limitations to therapies targeting the mTOR pathway to treat epileptic seizures. We also discuss future perspectives on mTOR inhibition therapies and special diagnostic methods for intractable epilepsies caused by brain somatic mutations.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권9호
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• pp.622-630
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• 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a high mortality rate among cancers worldwide. To reduce this mortality rate, chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) or targeted therapy (bevacizumab, cetuximab, and panitumumab) has been used to treat CRC. However, due to various side effects and poor responses to CRC treatment, novel therapeutic targets for drug development are needed. In this study, we identified the overexpression of EHMT1 in CRC using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data derived from TCGA, and we observed that knocking down EHMT1 expression suppressed cell growth by inducing cell apoptosis in CRC cell lines. In Gene Ontology (GO) term analysis using RNA-seq data, apoptosis-related terms were enriched after EHMT1 knockdown. Moreover, we identified the CHOP gene as a direct target of EHMT1 using a ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) assay with an anti-histone 3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) antibody. Finally, after cotransfection with siEHMT1 and siCHOP, we again confirmed that CHOP-mediated cell apoptosis was induced by EHMT1 knockdown. Our findings reveal that EHMT1 plays a key role in regulating CRC cell apoptosis, suggesting that EHMT1 may be a therapeutic target for the development of cancer inhibitors.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.241-256
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• 2023

Although chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) is a promising immunotherapy in hematological malignancies, there remain many obstacles to CART cell therapy for solid tumors. Identifying appropriate tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) is especially critical for success. Using a bioinformatics approach, we identified common potential TAAs for CAR-T cell immunotherapy in solid tumors. We used the GEO database as a training dataset to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and verified candidates using the TCGA database, obtaining seven common DEGs (HM13, SDC1, MST1R, HMMR, MIF, CD24, and PDIA4). Then, we used MERAV to analyze the expression of six genes in normal tissues to determine the ideal target genes. Finally, we analyzed tumor microenvironment factors. The results of major microenvironment factor analyses showed that MDSCs, CXCL1, CXCL12, CXCL5, CCL2, CCL5, TGF- β, CTLA-4, and IFN-γ were significantly overexpressed in breast cancer. The expression of MST1R was positively correlated with TGF- β, CTLA-4, and IFN-γ. In lung adenocarcinoma, MDSCs, Tregs, CXCL12, CXCL5, CCL2, PD-L1, CTLA-4, and IFN-γ were significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues. The expression of MST1R was positively correlated with TGF- β, CTLA-4, and IFN-γ. In bladder cancer, CXCL12, CCL2, and CXCL5 were significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues. MST1R expression was positively correlated with TGF- β. Our results demonstrate that MST1R has the potential as a new target antigen for treating breast cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and bladder cancer and may be used as a progression indicator for bladder cancer.

• 생약학회지
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.70-75
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• 2018

Acer tegmentosum Maxim (ATM) has been used to treat hepatic disorders in traditional oriental medicine. However, there is little information about phytochemical constituents for quality control of ATM. In this study, we developed and established a simultaneous analytical method of the 10 marker compounds (three coumarins, 3 flavonoids, 1 lignan, 3 phenolics) in ATM using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation of ten target analytes was achieved with a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ analytical column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $1.7{\mu}m$), using a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and acetonitrile with gradient elution. Identifications and quantitation of all analytes were performed using a Q-Exactive UPLC-MS/MS system. Correlation coefficients of the calibration curve for all analytes were ${\geq}0.9986$. The values of limits of detection and quantification of all analytes were 0.5-10.0 and 5.0-50.0 ng/mL, respectively. The established UPLC-MS/MS method successfully identified all target analytes in ATM, and the phytochemicals were 0.01-67.98 mg/g in its lyophilized water extract.

• 약학회지
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.347-351
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• 2012

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) catalyzes the formation of two major groups of leukotrienes, LTB4 and cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLT), and it has been implicated as a promising drug target to treat various inflammatory diseases. Since its role in mature osteoclasts (mOCs) had not been reported, we investigated the effect of 5-LO inhibitors on mOCs. We showed that 5-LO inhibitors dose-dependently decreases the number of mOCs. The effects of 5-LO inhibitors were reversible, suggesting that they did not cause any cellular damages in mOCs. We further demonstrated that the suppression of mOCs by 5-LO inhibitors was caused mainly by disruption of the actin ring formation. Similar effects were shown with CysLT receptor (CysLTR)1 antagonist in mOCs. The mRNA expression of CysLTR1 and the production of CysLT were increased in mOCs. These results indicate that CysLTR1 mediates the suppression of mOCs by 5-LO inhibitors. Taken together, this study demonstrated that 5-LO plays important role in mOCs and possibly a novel therapeutic target for bone resorption diseases.