• Applied Microscopy
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.59-76
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• 1994

Fine structure of the distal femoral epiphysis of growing mouse was studied by electron microscopy. The first morphological evidence of developing secondary center of ossification in the distal femoral epiphysis was found at newborn mouse. Ossification center was in the form of multiple foci of calcification and its cells were represented by remnant of degenerated cells within large lacunae that were separated by mineralized cartilaginous septa. Endochondral ossification beneath the articular cartilage proceeded in a less orderly manner than metaphyseal endochondral ossification. Columns of hypertrophied chondrocytes were not distinctly parallel to intercellular mineralized septa in all direction. Hypertrophied chondrocytes in the inner zone of the epiphseal center of ossification showed disintegrated. Resorption of mineralized cartilaginous septa was undertaken by perivascular cells and multinucleated chondroclasts. Resorption of the calcified cartilage was restricted to the region of ruffled border of the chondroclast. Growth along the metaphyseal side of the epiphyseal center of ossification was different from that along the articular surface. As the secondary center expanded toward the metaphyseal side, many vascular buds penetrated unmineralized cartilaginous septa and invaded viable chondrocytes. Many hypertrophied chondrocytes bodering the metaphyseal side of bone center remained viable after they became embedded in mineralized cartilaginous septa. This result suggested that the hypertrophied.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2021

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and it results in a high rate of death worldwide, with an increased prevalence with age despite advances in lifestyle management and drug therapy. Atherosclerosis is a chronic progressive inflammatory process, and it mainly presents with lipid accumulation, foam cell proliferation, inflammatory response, atherosclerotic plaque formation and rupture, thrombosis, and vascular calcification. Therefore, there is a great need for reliable therapeutic drugs or remedies to cure or alleviate atherosclerosis and reduce the societal burden. Ginsenosides are natural steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins obtained mainly from the plant ginseng. Several recent studies have reported that ginsenosides have a variety of pharmacological activities against several diseases including inflammation, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This review focuses on describing the different pharmacological functions and underlying mechanisms of various active ginsenosides (Rb1,-Rd, -F, -Rg1, -Rg2, and -Rg3, and compound K) for atherosclerosis, which could provide useful insights for developing novel and effective anti-cardiovascular drugs.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.48-51
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• 2020

Background: The etiopathogenesis of late preterm (LPT) birth is undetermined. Placental histopathology, which reflects an adverse intrauterine environment and is reportedly associated with preterm labor and neonatal morbidities, has not been studied in LPT infants. Purpose: We investigated placental pathological lesion as markers of an adverse intrauterine environment during LPT labor. Methods: This retrospective case-control study compared placental histopathological and clinical variables between LPT and term neonates. Placental variables included chorioamnionitis, funisitis, hemorrhage, abruption, infarction, calcification, and syncytial knots. Maternal variables included age, substance abuse, pregnancyassociated diabetes mellitus and hypertension, duration of rupture of membrane, antibiotic use, and magnesium sulfate, whereas, those of neonates included gestational age, birth weight, race, sex, and Apgar scores. Standard statistical proedures were applied to analyze the data. Results: Chorioamnionitis (50% vs. 17.8%, P<0.001) and funisitis (20% vs. 4.4%, P=0.002) were more common in term infants. Placental infarction rate was insignificantly higher in LPT infants (25.6% vs. 14.3%, P=0.08). The mothers in the LPT group were older (30.4 years vs. 28.1 years, P=0.05; odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.998-1.12, P=0.056) and more often suffered from hypertension (28.9 vs. 12.9 %, P=0.02), and received magnesium sulfate (48.9 vs. 20%, P< 0.001; OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.12-7.29, P<0.05). Duration of rupture of membrane was higher in term infants (13.6 hours vs. 9.1 hours, P<0.001). Chorioamnionitis (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.79; P<0.05) was associated with a lower risk of LPT delivery. Conclusion: Placental infection is not a risk factor for LPT births. There is a nonsignificant predominance of vascular anomalies in LPT placentas. Higher maternal age, magnesium sulfate therapy, and maternal hypertension are clinical risk factors for LPT labor.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2011

Background: In cardiac surgery, especially in the reconstruction of vascular structures and intracardiac defects, glutaraldehyde has usually been used as the reagent for fixing porcine or bovine pericardial tissues. But the well-known problem of calcification or cytotoxicity of glutaraldehyde motivates the search for a replacement. The aim of this study is to investigate the physical, mechanical, and biochemical characteristics of bovine pericardial tissues fixed with genipin, which is known to be a less toxic and more natural fixing reagent. Materials and Methods: Bovine pericardial tissues were fixed with different concentrations and conditions of glutaraldehyde and genipin. To determine the physical, mechanical, and biochemical differences among different concentrations and conditions, we divided the tissue into 18 groups by concentration, the addition of organic solvents, and the timing of adding the organic solvents, and compared the characteristics of each group. Results: Tensile strength, physical activity, and thermal stability tests revealed that the tissues fixed with glutaraldehyde were better with regard to mechanical strength and biochemical durability. However, the difference was not significant statistically. Conclusion: Genipin can be used as an alternative crosslinking agent for pericardial tissue, considering given its physical, mechanical, biochemical characteristics and low cytotoxicity comparable to glutaraldehyde. However, further studies are needed on the immune reaction and the long term changes in genipin-fixed tissues in the human body.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.762-770
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• 2011

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays a core role in bone reformation by antagonizing the effect of receptor activator of nuclear factor ${\kappa}$-B ligand (RANKL), and mediates vascular calcification in cardiovascular disease patients. Thus, we aimed to examine the relationship between serum OPG levels and cardiovascular factors and inflammatory markers in metabolic syndrome patients (MS). This cross-sectional study included 96 men who visited the diet clinic between May and July 2011. Patients were classified into 2 groups based on NCEP-ATP guidelines: normal and with MS (n = 50 and 46, respectively). Physical measurements, biochemical assay were measured. Serum OPG and IL-6, diponectin and hs-CRP were assessed. MS were aged $50.02{\pm}10.85$ years, and normal patients $52.07{\pm}9.56$ years, with no significant differences. Significant differences were not observed in BMI between the 2 groups. Moreover, significant differences were not observed in serum OPG, however, the serum OPG level ($4.41{\pm}1.86pmol/L$) differed significantly between an overweight MS (BMI > 25) and normal patients. OPG was correlated to age (r = 0.410, p = 0.000), HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.209, p = 0.015), and log adiponectin (r = 0.175, p = 0.042). Multiple regression analyses using the enter method showed that age (${\beta}$ = 0.412, p = 0.000) and BMI (${\beta}$ = 0.265, p = 0.000) considerably affected OPG. In conclusion, out study showed that serum OPG levels are correlated with cardiovascular risk factors, such as BMI, HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in MS and adiponectin, suggesting that serum OPG has potential as a cardiovascular disease indicator and predictor.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.53
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• pp.322.1-322.14
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• 2018

Background: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays protective roles against the development of vascular calcification (VC) which greatly contributes to the increased cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study aimed to find the non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors correlated to serum OPG and the effect of serum OPG on the arterial stiffness measured by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients with the pre-dialysis CKD. Methods: We cross-sectionally analyzed the data from the patients in whom baPWV and the serum OPG were measured at the time of enrollment in a prospective pre-dialysis CKD cohort study in Korea. Results: Along with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as age, diabetes mellitus, pulse pressure, and baPWV, non-traditional, kidney-related factors such as albuminuria, plasma level of hemoglobin, total $CO_2$ content, alkaline phosphatase, and corrected calcium were independent variables for serum OPG in multivariate linear regression. Reciprocally, the serum OPG was positively associated with baPWV in multivariate linear regression. The baPWV in the 3rd and 4th quartile groups of serum OPG were higher than that in the 1st quartile group after adjustments by age, sex and other significant factors for baPWV in linear mixed model. Conclusion: Non-traditional, kidney-related cardiovascular risk factors in addition to traditional cardiovascular risk factors were related to serum level of OPG in CKD. Serum OPG level was significantly related to baPWV. Our study suggests that kidney-related factors involved in CKD-specific pathways for VC play a role in the increased secretion of OPG into circulation in patients with CKD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.958-964
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• 2022

Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH) is a rare vascular tumor of borderline or low-grade malignancy, and its prognosis is unpredictable. Herein, we describe the case of a 47-year-old asymptomatic female with a diagnosis of multinodular PEH. During a 7-year follow-up, the nodules with large size and high ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the initial study showed progression with increasing sizes; however, most small nodules (size < 1 cm) demonstrated spontaneous regression with peripheral rim or nodular calcification. The patient underwent surgical resection for an enlarged nodule. Of note, it is unusual for an individual to have mixed progression and regression concomitantly, which may be helpful in predicting the prognosis.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.148-159
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• 2024

Background/Aims: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of denosumab treatment in severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with osteoporosis. We also investigated whether the treatment affects the coronary artery calcifications. Methods: Twenty-seven postmenopausal women with Stage 3b-4 CKD and osteoporosis were enrolled. Twenty patients received denosumab plus calcium carbonate and vitamin D, and seven controls received calcium carbonate and vitamin D for 1 year. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring computed tomography were performed before and after treatment. Hypocalcemic symptoms and serum calcium levels were evaluated. Results: After 1 year of treatment, the percent changes of femur neck (3.6 ± 3.2% vs. -0.7 ± 4.4%, p = 0.033) and total hip (3.4 ± 3.8% vs. -1.9 ± 2.1%, p = 0.001) bone mineral density (BMD) were significantly increased in the denosumab treated group compared to the control group. However, the percent change of lumbar spine BMD did not differ between two groups (5.6 ± 5.9% vs. 2.7 ± 3.9%, p = 0.273). The percent change of bone alkaline phosphatase was significantly different in the denosumab-treated group and control group (-31.1 ± 30.0% vs. 0.5 ± 32.0%, p = 0.027). CAC scores did not differ between groups. No hypocalcemic events occurred in both groups. Conclusions: If carefully monitored and supplemented with calcium and vitamin D, denosumab treatment for 1 year provides significant benefits in patients with Stage 3b-4 CKD and osteoporosis. However, denosumab treatment did not affect coronary artery calcifications in these patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.3 s.272
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• pp.180-192
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• 2007

Background: As determined from the recent investigations of discordant cardiac xenotransplantation, hyperacute rejection occurs mainly at the endothelial cells in donor microvascular systems, but this does not occur at cardiac valve leaflets or at medium-to-large caliber vessels. On the basis of this background, this study was performed to look into the biocompatibility for transplantation of a middle or large diameter xenogenic blood vessel by conducting xenogenic arterial transplantation with the carotid artery in a pig-to-goat model. Material and Method: The experimental group was composed of 10 pairs of pig-to-goat combinations. They were divided into each period of 1 week, and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Four carotid artery grafts obtained through collection of the bilateral carotid arteries from two pigs were preserved at $-70^{\circ}C$ without other treatment, and then they were transplanted into the bilateral carotid arteries of two goats. Doppler ultrasonography was done on a periodic basis after transplantation to evaluate the patency of the grafted blood vessel. At the ends of a predetermined period, the grafts were explanted from the goats and they underwent gross examination. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome staining were conducted. In addition, in order to examine the immunological rejection of the grafted xenogenic blood vessel, immunohistochemical staining was conducted with T-lymphocyte indicator and von Willebrand factor. Result: Two goats at the each one-week period and the one-year period died during the experimental period because of a reason unrelated to the experimental procedure, and the remaining 8 goats survived until the end of each experiment period. On Doppler ultrasonography, unilateral carotid artery occlusion was found in a goat, whose period was specified as 3 months, among the 8 survived goats. However, the vascular patency was maintained well and there was no graft that formed aneurysms in the other goats. On gross examination, the region of vascular anastomosis was preserved well, and calcification of the grafted blood vessel was not shown. Histologically, the endothelial cells of the graft disappeared one week after transplantation, and then there was progressive spread of the recipients' endothelial cells from the anastomotic site. The reendothelialization occurred over the whole graft at one month after transplantation. The neointimal thickening and adventitial inflammation became severe by 3 months after transplantation, but this lessened at 6 months and 12 months, respectively. The rate of CD3 positive cells was very low among the infiltrated inflammatory cells. Conclusion: The fresh-frozen xenogenic artery kept its patency without being greatly influenced by xenogenic immune reaction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2010

Background: The commercially used vascular xenografts have some problems such as calcification, fibrosis and tissue degeneration that are associated with inflammatory and immunologic reactions. We compared two methods of xenograft preservation (fresh cryopreservation versus acellularized cryopreservation) of goat aorta. Material and Method: Aortic valved xenografts were harvested from adult pigs, and these were preserved using fresh cryopreservation (FC group, n=4) or acellularized crypreservation (AC group, n=4). These xenografts were implanted into adult goats. There were 2 short-term survivors (less than 100 days) and 2 long-term survivors in each group. These xenografts were explanted and they underwent microscopic examination. Result: The goats survived 31, 40, 107 and 411 days in the FC group and the other goats survived 5, 40, 363 and 636 days in the AC group. All the short-term survivors in each group expired because of rupture at the proximal anastomosis site. Marked neutrophil infiltration was observed in the FC group FC and lymphocytes were observed in the AC group. There were no differences in the occurrence of calcification, fibrosis and thrombosis among the groups. Conclusion: Some goats survived more than 100 days after the xenograft implantation irrespective of the methods of preservation. Because severe tissue degeneration developed in both groups, we think these methods are not appropriate for xenograft preservation of aorta. It was worth a preliminary trial for improving the preservation method or to modify the processing of xenografts.