• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2021

Objective: Chronic reflux esophagitis (CRE), characterized by esophageal mucosa ulcer, is caused by continuous backflow of gastric acid and consequent inflammation due to unstable gastroesophageal sphincter. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of an Arecae Semen and Coptidis Rhizoma mixture (AC-mix) on CRE. Methods: CRE was surgically induced in SD rats with three experimental groups used: normal; CRE control; and CRE treatment (200 mg/kg AC-mix). Blood and esophageal tissue were collected after two weeks of drug administration. The anti-oxidant activity of the AC-mix was measured by total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents as well as by radical scavenging activity with protein levels evaluated using western blotting. Results: CRE damage to the esophageal mucosa was significantly reduced in the AC-mix group as compared with the controls, and administration of the AC-mix was seen to inhibit NF-κBp65 activity. Consequently, the inactivation of NF-κBp65 significantly inhibited inflammatory mediators such as COX-2 and iNOS. Moreover, the anti-oxidant enzyme HO-1 significantly increased through activation of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), which can break down collagen from the basement membrane and extracellular matrix, was decreased following AC-mix treatment, and elevated levels of MMP-2 were regulated by its tissue inhibitor. Conclusions: These results show that AC-mix can alleviate esophageal mucosa ulcer though inhibition of the NF-κBp65 inflammatory pathway and enhancement of the anti-oxidant Nrf2-Keap1 pathway.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.2 s.61
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• pp.167-182
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to identify the major health components and measurements to be conducted in National Health Examination Survey(KNHES). The prevalence and severity of disease, acceptability of population and the possibility of standardization of measurement were considered as guideline for selecting the components. On the base of magnitude and severity of disease, chronic liver disease, hepatic cancer, gastric ulcer, stomach cancer, essential hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, DM, breast cancer, cervical cancer, arthritis and intervertebral disc disorder were selected as the preliminary target diseases. Questionnaire survey for 648 persons in 'K' city and medical specialists in five clinical societies were conducted for evaluation the acceptability of general population for the measurements and the possibility of standardization for the procedures. In conclusion, the major target diseases were chronic liver disease, hypertension and DM and the total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, hemoglobulin, hematocrit, platlet count, anti-HBs, HBsAg, height and weight were selected for basic physical components.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.345-357
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• 1990

Accumulated data on medical care utilization among the insured in Korea Medical Insurance Corporation can explain the health status of the population. The purpose of this study was to analyze a change of the disease-mix and utilization pattern by controlling the size of the population enrollment. Major findings of the study are as follows : 1. The changes of inpatient disease-mix a. Utilization rate was 139.2% in 1988 against 1980. b. Disease groups higher than the average utilization rate included neoplasms, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders, mental disorders etc. Meanwhile, disease groups seen less often were infections and parasistic diseases, diseases of blood and bloodforming, diseases of the digestive system etc. c. Utilization rate was up 106.3% in 1988 compared to 1985, and diseases above that average level were ill-defined intestinal infections, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, essential hypertension, etc. d. The disease-mix by institution in 1988 compared to 1985 shows that chronic disorders rank high in general hospitals whereas opthalmologic, obstetric, and orthopedic diseases rank high in private clinics. 2. The changes of outpatient disease-mix a. Utilization rate was up 175.2% in 1988 compared to 1980. b. Disease groups higher than the average utilization rate included neoplasms, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders, mental disorders etc. And disease groups seen less often were infections and parasistic diseases, diseases of the respiratory system, diseases of the genitourinary system. etc. c. Utilization rate was up 104.0% in 1988 compared to 1985, and diseases above that average level were gastric ulcer, diseases of hard tissues of teeth, etc. And diseases seen below that average level were acute nasopharyngitis(common cold). acute upper respiratory infections of multiple or unspecified sites, etc. It was concluded that medical care utilization level was increased, and that, from 1980 to 1988, disease-mix shifted to the chronic disorders. Chronic disorders accounted for more medical care utilization in general hospitals.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.146-149
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• 2016

Heterotopic bone formation in the gastrointestinal tract is a rare phenomenon. Most reported cases were associated with benign and malignant neoplasms, except for a case in which heterotopic bone formation was found in a patient with Barrett's esophagus. The exact pathogenesis of the disease has not yet been established. However, most heterotopic bones found in the gastrointestinal tract were associated with mucinproducing tumors of the appendix, colon, and rectum. Inflammation may also play a role in osseous metaplasia in a case with bone formation at the base of an ulcer in Barrett's esophagus. Here, we report on a patient with heterotopic bone formation in normal gastric cardiac mucosa. A 50-year-old female visited our hospital for a routine health examination. She had no gastrointestinal symptoms, and her physical examination, blood test, X-ray, urine, and stool examination results were normal. A 0.3 cm sized polypoid lesion located just below the squamocolumnar junction was observed on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. A piece of biopsy was taken. Histologically, a lamella bone trabecula and chronic inflammatory cells were observed in the gastric cardiac mucosa. The follow-up endoscopy performed one month later showed no residual lesion.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5219-5223
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• 2015

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection as a serious problem in both adults and children can induce chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and possibly gastric cancer. The aim of the current study was to survey antibiotic resistance and also to determine influence of PPAR$\gamma$ polymorphism in patients with H. pylori infection. During an 11-month-period, 98 H. pylori isolates were collected from 104 biopsy specimens. In vitro susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to 4 antimicrobial agents metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin and tetracycline were assessed by quantitative method according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guideline. PPAR$\gamma$ polymorphism was determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. The frequency of H. pylori infection in our study was 94.2%. In vitro susceptibility data showed that highest level of resistance was related to metronidazole (66.3%), and the majority of H. pylori isolates were highly susceptible to amoxicillin and tetracycline (94.9% and 96.9%, respectively). Genotypic frequencies were 25.5% for CC (Pro12Pro), 40.8% for GC (Pro12Ala) and 33.7% for GG (Ala12Ala). In our study, CG genotype had highest distributions among infected patients with H. pylori. The study suggests that the PPAR-$\gamma$ Pro12Ala polymorphism could be evaluated as a potential genetic marker for susceptibility to gastric cancer in the presence of H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.368-379
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• 2021

Two virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori, cagA and vacA, have been known to play a role in the development of severe gastric symptoms. However, they are not always associated with peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. To predict the disease outcome more accurately, it is necessary to understand the risk of severe symptoms linked to other virulence factors. Several other virulence factors of H. pylori have also been reported to be associated with disease outcomes, although there are many controversial descriptions. H. pylori isolates from Koreans may be useful in evaluating the relevance of other virulence factors to clinical symptoms of gastric diseases because the majority of Koreans are infected by toxigenic strains of H. pylori bearing cagA and vacA. In this study, a total of 116 H. pylori strains from Korean patients with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancers were genotyped. The presence of virulence factors vacAs1c, alpA, babA2, hopZ, and the extremely strong vacuolating toxin was found to contribute significantly to the development of severe gastric symptoms. The genotype combination vacAs1c/alpA/babA2 was the most predictable determinant for the development of severe symptoms, and the presence of babA2 was found to be the most critical factor. This study provides important information on the virulence factors that contribute to the development of severe gastric symptoms and will assist in predicting clinical disease outcomes due to H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.23-34
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• 2017

Objectives : The aim of this study was to survey the present utilization of pattern identification(PI) by chronic disease and using PI system in the clinical field among Korean medicine doctors. Methods : This survey was conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, 2014 by face-to-face interview using structured questionnaire. The subjects were 400 Korean medicine doctors who worked in hospitals or clinics. The questionnaire consisted of whether use clinical experience by chronic disease and the utilization of PI, the utilization of PI systems, the PI utilization rate, and the correlation between utilization PI and so on. General elements consisted of sex, age, clinical experience, place of work, district and so on. Results and Conclusions : This study revealed that clinical experience by chronic disease used 24.0-90.8%. The most chronic diseases were chronic fatigue and chronic pain, and least disease was cancer. Experience of the utilization of PI among Korean medicine doctors who have clinical experience was 87.8-97.1%. Also, the most utilized disease was chronic gastritis & gastric ulcer, and least disease was dyslipidemia. In this case, the most common cases were using the one PI between the utilization of PI systems, and the utilization ratio of Visceral PI was the highest. Phi coefficient between the PI systems in chronic diseases divided into positive correlation and negative correlation. The correlation of dementia between Triple energizer PI and Six excesses PI was the highest at positive correlation, and the frequency of occurrence between Defense, Qi, Nutrient and Blood PI was the highest at positive correlation. The correlation of osteoarthropathy between Meridian and Collateral PI and Sasang Constitutional Medicine was the highest at negative correlation. Also the frequency of occurrence between Qi, Blood, Fluid and Humor PI and Sasang Constitutional Medicine was the highest at negative correlation. We hope that additional studies on systematic PI research of chronic disease which needed to be in korean oriental medicine and meet the needs of clinical consumer continue based on this study.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of higher than normal mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and lower than normal mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in 20 patients. The hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC,), red cell distribution width (RDW), serum ferritin, serum iron (Fe) and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were measured and the transferrin saturation were calculated. 18 (90.0%) cases were categorized as chronic diseases. Chronic renal failure, malignancy, and bleeding were all related to the cases. The mean values of hemoglobin was $9.5{\pm}2.14g/dL$; the MCV was $29.0{\pm}2.8fL$; the MCH was $30.9{\pm}1.0pg$; the MCHC was $31.2{\pm}0.5%$; the RDW was $17.0{\pm}3.6%$; serum Fe was $39{\pm}21{\mu}g/dL$; the TIBC was $219.7{\pm}108.8{\mu}g/dL$; transferrin saturation was $19.2{\pm}9.9%$ and ferritin was $445.5{\pm}499.6{\mu}g/L$ in the patients. The WHO criteria for hemoglobin of patients confirms anemia in 18 of the 20 (90.0%) cases. Anemia of chronic disease was shown in 11 (73.3%) cases; acute gastric ulcer with hemorrhage in 1 (6.7%) case; iron deficiency anemia in 1 (6.7%) case; 2 patients (13.3%) were of normal cases. There were changes in the baseline Hb level results of the 19 (95.0%) cases while no change was shown in 1 case. As a result, diseases associated with anemia and bleeding where the MCV is higher than the normal range and MCHC is lower than normal range are considered relevant findings.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 1982

Stomachs from 3,354 fattening pigs were examined at slaughter during the period from September 1980 to August 1981. Pigs of both sexes and $Landrace{\times}Hampshire$ crossbreds were included in the present studies, and they weighed about 60-120kg. Gross pathologic alterations of the stomach were classified as normal, epitnelial change, erosion, ulcer and scar formation. Representative tissue sections were taken from the stomach lesions at random and fixed in 10% buffered formalin. Cut sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and examined histopathologically. The results obtained in the present studies were as follows. 1. In the seasonal prevalence of gastric ulceration, severe ulceration with erosion was shown during the Autumn and Winter, whereas mild ulceration was mainly shown during the Spring and Summer. 2. Of the 3,354 stomachs of the pigs, 20.8% were found to be normal. Of the rest, 40% had epithelial changes, followed by erosion (24.7%), ulcer (13.6%) and scar formation (0.9%), respectively. 3. In the prevalence of ulcers in the different regions of the stomach, the fundic region had the highest rate (61.6%) of ulceration, followed by cardiac (21.7%), esophageal (15.0%) and pyloric region (1.7%). 4. The principal gross changes were severe epithelial changes with keratotic proliferation in the esophageal region, and in the fundic region severe folding of the stomach wall was covered with bloody mucous exudates. 5. Main histopathological changes were inflammatory cell infiltrations in most cases, hemorrhages in acute ulcers and prominent proliferation of granulation tissues in chronic ulcers.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.25-36
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• 2020

Objective : Reflux esophagitis is a disease caused by the reflux of gastric acid and inflammation due to unstable gastroesophageal sphincter. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of Phellodendri Cortex (PC) on chronic reflux esophagitis (CRE) in rats. Methods : The anti-oxidant activity of PC was measured by total polyphenol, total flavonoid contents, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2, 2'-azinobis-3-ethyl-enzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity. A CRE was established surgically in SD rats. And then CRE rats were treated with water or PC 200 mg/kg body weight for 14 days. Besides, the anti-oxidant and inflammatory protein levels were evaluated using western blotting. Results : PC reduced esophagus tissues injury. The total polyphenol (36.05 ± 0.25 mg/g) and total flavonoid (72.90 ± 0.61 mg/g) of PC showed a high content. PC strongly reduced radical scavenging activities (DPPH IC₅₀ 43.58 ± 1.54 ㎍/㎖; ABTS IC₅₀ 36.75 ± 0.35 ㎍/㎖). Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxynitrite (ONOO^-) levels in serum, the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS) were significantly reduced. In addition, the protein expression of NADPH oxidases related to oxidative stress were significantly reduced in PC compared to CRE control. PC effectively reduced inflammatory factors including, TNF-α, and IL-6 via NF-κBp65 inactivation through the inhibition of p-IκBα and increased anti-oxidant enzyme such as HO-1, SOD, catalase, and GPx-1/2 via Nrf2 activation. Conclusions : Taken together, these results show that PC can alleviate the esophageal mucosal ulcer though the inhibition of NF-κB inflammatory and the enhancement of Nrf2 anti-oxidant pathway.