• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.278-286
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• 2008

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels, is essential for preparing a closed circulatory system in the body, and for supplying oxygen and nutrition to tissues. Major diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis include pathological angiogenesis in their malignant processes, suggesting anti-angiogenic therapy to be a new strategy for suppression of diseases. However, until the 1970s, the molecular basis of angiogenesis was largely unknown. In recent decades, extensive studies have revealed a variety of angiogenic factors and their receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-VEGFRs, Angiopoietin-Tie, Ephrin-EphRs and Delta-Notch to be the major regulators of angiogenesis in vertebrates. VEGF and its receptors play a central role in physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis, and functional inhibitors of VEGF and VEGFRs such as anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody and small molecules that block the tyrosine kinase activity of VEGFRs have recently been approved for use to treat patients with colorectal, lung, renal and liver cancers. These drugs have opened a novel field of cancer therapy, i.e. anti-angiogenesis therapy. However, as yet they cannot completely cure patients, and cancer cells could become resistant to these drugs. Thus, it is important to understand further the molecular mechanisms underlying not only VEGF-VEGFR signaling but also the VEGF-independent regulation of angiogenesis, and to learn how to improve anti-angiogenesis therapy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.76 no.6
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• pp.295-298
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• 2014

Pulmonary systemic arterialization to normal basal lung without sequestration is a rare congenital anomaly. In this rare abnormality, arterialization of the left lower lobe is the most common type. In general, surgical treatments have been performed. Recently, for reducing the complications and risks of surgery, embolization is mainly attempted by using coils. We report a case of 22-year-old male patient with a 10 mm anomalous arterial supply to his normal lung, which is being successfully treated by transcatheter embolization when using the Amplatzer Vascular Plug that has been adapted for the treatment of high-flows and large artery occlusions.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2008

The kidney toxicities of BDR-29 used for improvement of the vascular diseases, was examined using male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. The male and female rats were divided into 4 groups for intragastrical treatment with doses of 0, 5, 50, and 500 mg/kg/day for 13 weeks, respectively. In all male and female rats treated with BDR-29, no mortality and gross pathological findings were shown for 13 weeks. There substantially was no change in body weight in all rats with treatment of BDR-29. The renal functional parameters including urinary volume, urine osmolality, electrolytes excretory rate, creatinine clearance, and solute-free water reabsorption were not exchanged in all rats treated with BDR-29. Taken together, these results suggest that BDR-29 has no toxicity on kidney in all male and female rats.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.538-543
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• 2020

Cardiovascular diseases are a rapidly growing epidemic with high morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need to develop nutraceutical-based therapy with minimum side effects to reduce cardiovascular risk. Panax ginseng occupies a prominent status in herbal medicine for its various therapeutic effects against inflammation, allergy, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer, with positive, beneficial, and restorative effects. The active components found in most P. ginseng varieties are known to include ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, alkaloids, polyacetylene, and phenolic compounds, which are considered to be the main pharmacologically active constituents in ginseng. P. ginseng is an adaptogen. That is, it supports living organisms to maintain optimal homeostasis by exerting effects that counteract physiological changes caused by physical, chemical, or biological stressors. P. ginseng possesses immunomodulatory (including both immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive), neuromodulatory, and cardioprotective effects; suppresses anxiety; and balances vascular tone. P. ginseng has an antihypertensive effect that has been explained by its vasorelaxant action, and paradoxically, it is also known to increase blood pressure by vasoconstriction and help maintain cardiovascular health. Here, we discuss the potential adaptogenic effects of P. ginseng on the cardiovascular system and outline a future research perspective in this area.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.655-660
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• 1997

Hemangiopericytoma is a rare vascular tumor arising from pericytes. The tumor usually develops in the skin or subcutaneous tissue, particularly in the extremities. A pulmonary origin of hemangiopericytoma is known to be quite rare. It has the potential to become a highly malignant lesion, so wide excision is the treatment of choice. We present a case of primary malignant hemangiopericytoma of the lung and discuss the clinical symptoms, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis within the context of a brief review.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.284-291
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• 2018

The role of androgens in the development of cardiovascular diseases remains controversial. The current study therefore sought to determine the changes in the histomorphology of the common carotid artery of the male rat in orchidectomy-induced hypogonadism. Twenty-two Rattus norvegicus male rats aged 2 months were used. The rats were randomly assigned into baseline (n=4), experimental (n=9), and control (n=9) groups. Hypogonadism was surgically induced in the experimental group by bilateral orchiectomy under local anesthesia. At experiment weeks 3, 6, and 9, three rats from each group (experimental and control) were euthanized, their common carotid artery harvested, and routine processing was done for paraffin embedding, sectioning, and staining. The photomicrographs were taken using a digital photomicroscope for morphometric analysis. Orchidectomy resulted in the development of vascular fibrosis, with a significant increase in collagen fiber density and decrease in smooth muscle and elastic fiber density. Moreover, there was development of intimal hyperplasia, with fragmentation of medial elastic lamellae in the common carotid artery of the castrated rats. Orchidectomy induces adverse changes in structure of the common carotid artery of the male rat. These changes may impair vascular function, therefore constituting a possible structural basis for the higher incidences of cardiovascular diseases observed in hypogonadism.

• Journal of Interdisciplinary Genomics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.31-34
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• 2022

Background: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare diseases comprising abnormally dilated arteries and veins with an absence of a capillary network. Since these diseases are intractable after diagnosis, various treatment strategies have been examined, with continuous efforts to identify target genes. Here, we report relevant new target genes selected via gene microarray. Methods: Endothelial cells were isolated from samples collected from three patients with AVM and three healthy individuals, followed by microarray analysis. Additionally, quantitative PCR was performed to select genes highly relevant to AVM. Results: In the vascular endothelial cells derived from the tissues of patients with AVM, the expression of ANGPT1, ANGPT2, DLL4, IL6, NRG1, TGFBR1, and VEGFA was typically higher compared to those derived from normal tissues. Conclusion: Seven candidate genes were selected to analyze the pathophysiological mechanism of AVM. These results may aid in future directions of diagnosis and treatment.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.303-312
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate severe periodontitis with tooth loss as a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer dementia (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and mixed dementia (MD) using the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Retrospective Cohort database with long-term follow-up over 14 years. Methods: Multivariate Cox hazards regression analysis was applied to a longitudinal retrospective database, which was updated in 2018, to evaluate the association between severe periodontitis with few remaining teeth and dementia after adjusting for potential risk factors, including sociodemographic factors and comorbid diseases. Results: Among 514,866 individuals in South Korea, 237,940 (46.2%) participants satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected. A total of 10,115 age- and sex-matched participants with severe periodontitis and 10,115 periodontally healthy participants were randomly selected and evenly assigned. The results showed that the risks of AD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.08), VaD (HR, 1.24), and MD (HR, 1.16) were significantly higher in patients with severe periodontitis with 1-9 remaining teeth after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, anthropomorphic measurements, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Conclusions: Severe periodontitis with few remaining teeth (1-9) may be considered a modifiable risk factor for the development of AD, VaD, and MD in Korean adults.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.469-478
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• 2006

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, a major regulator for angiogenesis, binds and activates two tyrosine kinase receptors, VEGFR1 (Flt-1) and VEGFR2 (KDR/Flk-1). These receptors regulate physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis. VEGFR2 has strong tyrosine kinase activity, and transduces the major signals for angiogenesis. However, unlike other representative tyrosine kinase receptors which use the Ras pathway, VEGFR2 mostly uses the Phospholipase-$C{\gamma}$-Protein kinase-C pathway to activate MAP-kinase and DNA synthesis. VEGFR2 is a direct signal transducer for pathological angiogenesis including cancer and diabetic retinopathy, thus, VEGFR2 itself and the signaling appear to be critical targets for the suppression of these diseases. VEGFR1 plays dual role, a negative role in angiogenesis in the embryo most likely by trapping VEGF-A, and a positive role in adulthood in a tyrosine kinase-dependent manner. VEGFR1 is expressed not only in endothelial cells but also in macrophage-lineage cells, and promotes tumor growth, metastasis, and inflammation. Furthermore, a soluble form of VEGFR1 was found to be present at abnormally high levels in the serum of preeclampsia patients, and induces proteinurea and renal dysfunction. Therefore, VEGFR1 is also an important target in the treatment of human diseases. Recently, the VEGFR2-specific ligand VEGF-E (Orf-VEGF) was extensively characterized. Interestingly, the activation of VEGFR2 via VEGF-E in vivo results in a strong angiogenic response in mice with minor side effects such as inflammation compared with VEGF-A, suggesting VEGF-E to be a novel material for pro-angiogenic therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.705-713
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• 2020

Arteriosclerosis is a disease in which blood circulation is impaired due to loss of elasticity as blood vessels become narrower, and is a potential cause of recently increasing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Carotid ultrasound is used as a predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by evaluating the degree of atherosclerosis. Therefore, this paper attempted to investigate the correlation between the increase in the thickness of the inner media and various clinical variables in carotid ultrasound. Patients with carotid ultrasound findings were classified into three stages: mild intima thickening, sclerosis, and significant stenosis. CAVI (Carotid Ankle Vascular Index: vascular age) data measured in the degree and physical characteristics of the carotid artery(gender, age, body mass index, blood pressure), blood test(total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, creatine phosphokinase, fasting blood sugar), and arteriosclerosis test were collected. It was confirmed that the carotid intima thickness was correlated with variables such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and BMI, and also correlated with the risk factors of cardiovascular disease as CAVI increased.