• 대한한의학회지
• /
• 제30권3호
• /
• pp.106-110
• /
• 2009

Objective : To study the Oriental Medicine-based strategies or therapeutics for chronic HBV infection. Methods : A chronic HBV carrier was treated with only oriental therapies. Then, serum biochemical parameters were serially chased, and change of HBV-DNA level was evaluated. Result : The biochemical indicators (AST, ALT, gamma-GTP, bilirubin) fluctuated during the treatment period. After one episode of drastic elevation of serum aminotransferase, HBV-DNA disappeared from the blood along with normalization of biochemical parameters within two years of beginning treatment. Conclusion : Oriental Medicine-based therapeutics could be an alternative strategy against chronic infection of HBV.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.529-538
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this case study is to report the efficacy and safety of treatment with Korean medicine of a patient with HBeAg-positive chronic viral hepatitis B.Methods: The patient took Korean medicine (mainly Injinchunggan-tang-gamibang) from July 20th, 2010, to March 14th, 2016, without any antiviral or interferon therapy. Changes to laboratory records, abdomen ultrasonography, and clinical symptoms were reviewed.Results: The laboratory records showed that AST, ALT, and HBV DNA had decreased to normal ranges, and HBeAg showed seroconversion. Clinical symptoms also improved after taking Korean medicine.Conclusion: The results suggest that treatment with Korean medicine and without antiviral or interferon therapy could be effective for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.131-139
• /
• 2001

Lamivudine, an oral nucleoside analogue, effectively inhibits hepatitis B virus replication and reduces hepatic necroinflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Although lamivudine has shown a promise in patients with chronic hepatitis B, a long-term data on Korean patients with hepatitis B are lacking. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects and safety of 52-week lamivudine therapy in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B, A total of twenty-nine patients (27 male and 2 female) who had received 100 mg of oral lamivudine daily for 52 weeks were evaluated, retrospectively. The mean age of 29 patients in the study group was 37.7 $\pm$ 8.9 years (range 19-54). Pretreatment HBV PCR and HBsAg were positive in all 29 patients, and HBeAg were positive in 25 patients (86%). The serum HBV DNA of 28 patients (97%) significantly fell to undetectable levels (<5 pg/ml) within 12 weeks of therapy and it remained undetectable in 24 patients (83%) by the end of 52-week therapy (p<0.001). Mean serum ALT levels of 29 patients declined to the normal range within 12 weeks and remained within the normal range during the evaluative period (p<0.05). The proportions of patients with HBeAg seroconversion (loss of HBeAg, development of antibody to HBeAg, and undetectable HBV DNA) were 42% after 52-week therapy. The differences of response to lamivudine therapy in HBeAg- positive and HBeAg-negative patients were negligible (p>0.05). Furthermore, the study showed that pretreatment serum HBV DNA and ALT levels have no effect to the efficacy of lamivudine therapy (p>0.05). Further comparison of lamivudine's efficacy showed that lamivudine is just as efficacious in patients with cirrhosis as without cirrhosis (p>0.05). In conclusion, lamivudine is an effective and safe therapy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in Korean patients.

• 약학회지
• /
• 제57권1호
• /
• pp.43-54
• /
• 2013

Viral hepatitis is the inflammation of liver cells caused by viruses, and still one of the major health-care problems worldwide. A number of viruses to cause hepatitis are type A, B, C, D, E or G. Among these viruses leading to hepatitis, B and C are more troublesome being more prone to chronic illness which can cause the potentially fatal conditions of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and/or liver failure. If immediate treatment is not initiated, liver transplant is the only option left. Over the past few decades there has been remarkable progress in diagnose and monitor all hepatitis virus infections for treatment and prevention. Nonetheless, important challenges remain to develop more effective and safe vaccines for prevention as well as antiviral agents to reduce viremia/viral load by inhibiting viral replication. The development and evaluation of antiviral agents through carefully designed clinical trials over the last 25 years has heralded a new dawn in the treatment of patients chronically infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses, but not so for the D virus. The introduction of Direct Acting Antivirals (DDAs) for the treatment of HBV carriers has permitted the long term use of these compounds for the continuous suppression of viral replication. This review aims to summarize the current status and development approaches of antiviral drugs for the treatment of viral hepatitis and future perspectives.

• 한국임상약학회지
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.191-203
• /
• 2022

Background: Direct-acting antivirals are recommended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus in Korea. However, evaluation of direct-acting antiviral regimens in a real-world setting is limited. The aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral treatment in Korean patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b or 2 at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted with patient data obtained between August 2015 and August 2019 at Jeonbuk National University Hospital. The primary effectiveness endpoint was sustained virological response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) via intention-to-treat (ITT) and modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analyses. Results: Of the 270 patients, 47.0% were infected with genotype 1b and 53.0% with genotype 2. ITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 78.9% of all patients, 77.2% in genotype 1b patients, and 80.4% in genotype 2 patients. Of the 21.1% of all patients who did not achieve SVR12, the majority of treatment failures were non-virologic failures (19.7%). mITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 98.2% of all patients, 98.0% in genotype 1b patients, and 98.3% in genotype 2 patients. Almost half of all patients experienced one or more adverse events (43.3%), leading to 2.6% discontinuing scheduled treatment. The most common adverse event was anemia. Conclusions: Direct-acting antiviral-based treatment regimens showed high effectiveness and safety. Non-virological factors, such as premature treatment discontinuation due to adverse events or loss of follow-up, were the major disruptors in achieving SVR12.

• 대한의생명과학회지
• /
• 제9권4호
• /
• pp.209-214
• /
• 2003

To determine the clinical usefulness of Immuno Blot test, 160 samples from the patients with chronic HCV infection were analyzed. And serotyping and line probe assay were performed to evaluate the distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes in Korean isolates. In this group, as a result of genotyping type 1 band 2a, the serotype I and II were the most common source of HCV infection. There were no significant difference in response to the alpha-interferon HCV infection treatment with the subtype 1 b or 2a. And the serotypes of NS4 peptides were compared with the genotypes to evaluate their clinical usefulness. Among 49 cases studied for genotypes and serotype, genotype 1 b, 1 b/2b, 2a, 2a/2c and 2b were 51.0％, 2.0％, 34.6％, 8.1％ and 4.0％, respectively. The serotypes I and II were 57.1％ and 42.8％, respectively; they were matched with genotypes in 85.7％ and seemed to be easy to perform. To monitor their performing progress or treatment response, serotype test was made before the genotype test. The Result showed that there was no significant difference in response to the alpha-interferon HCV infection treatment with the subtype 1 b or 2a in Korea.

• 대한핵의학회지
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 1981

Serum HBsAg and Anti-HBs obtained by radioimmunoassay were studied in 109 cases of various liver diseases who visited or were admitted to National Medical Center from December, 1980 to July, 1981. The results were as follows; 1) HBsAg was detected in 67.0% of total 109 cases; 71.9% of 32 cases with acute viral hepatitis, 71.4% of 14 cases with chronic hepatitis, 65.2% of 46 cases with liver cirrhosis and 58.8% of 17 cases with hepatoma. 2) Anti-HBs was detected in 32.1% of total 109 cases; 37.0% of 46 cases with liver cirrhosis, 29.4% of 17 cases with hepatoma, 28.6% of 14 cases with chronic hepatitis, 28.1% of 32 cases with acute viral hepatitis. 3) HBsAg or Anti-HBs, the markers of Hepatitis B virus was detected in 89.0% of total 109 cases; 93.6% of 32 cases with acute viral hepatitis, 89.1% of 46 cases with liver cirrhosis, 85.7% of 14 cases with chronic hepatitis and 82.4% of 17 cases with hepatoma, which strongly suggested that the various liver diseases were associated with hepatitis B virus infection.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• 제8권2호
• /
• pp.202-212
• /
• 2005

목 적: Transfusion-transmitted virus는 간염과의 연관성이 아직 명확하지 않지만 특정 유전형이 원인불명의 간염 병원체로 작용하거나 다른 간염 바이러스와 중복 감염되어 임상 경과에 영향을 줄 가능성에 대한 연구가 필요하다. 본 연구는 국내 소아 B형 간염, C형 간염 및 원인 불명의 간염 환자의 TTV DNA 양성률과 유전형의 분포를 알아보기 위해 시행하였다. 방 법: 간 기능이 정상인 소아 88명을 대조군으로 하였으며 B형 간염 환자 14명, C형 간염 환아 12명, 2001년 6월부터 2004년 6월까지 인제의대 상계백병원을 방문한 원인 불명의 간염 환자 25명을 대상으로 하였다. 환아의 혈청 검체를 대상으로 N22 시발체를 이용한 PCR과 5'NCR 시발체를 이용한 PCR을 시행하였다. 또한 TLMV DNA 검출을 위한 seminested PCR을 시행 하였다. N22 primer를 이용한 PCR 양성 산물을 대상으로 염기서열의 직접 분석이 시행되었다. 결 과: 1) N22 시발체를 이용한 TTV DNA 양성률은 대조군에서 11.3%, 간염군에서 19.6%였다(p=0.105). B형 간염의 28.5%, C형 간염의 25%, 원인 불명의 간염 24%에서 TTV DNA가 양성이었으며 대조군에 비해 유의한 차이는 없었다. 2) 5'NCR 부위 시발체를 이용한 TTV DNA 양성률은 대조군에서 32.9%, 간염군에서 54.9%였다. B형 간염의 71.4%, C형 간염의 50%, 원인 불명의 간염 48%에서 TTV DNA가 양성이었다. B형 간염 환자군에서 양성률이 대조군에 비해 높았다(p=0.008). 3) 5'NCR 부위 시발체를 이용한 TLMV DNA양성률은 간염 환자군과 정상 대조군에서 각각 29.4% (15/51명), 48.9% (43/88명)였다. B형 간염 21.4% (3/14), C형 간염 16.6% (2/12), 원인 불명의 간염 환자에서 40% (10/25)였다. 4) 염기 서열 분석: N22 시발체를 이용해서 PCR 반응 산물 중 총 29예(간염 환자 8명, 대조군 11명)의 염기서열을 분석한 결과 G1 유전형은 10예(52%)였고 이 중 G1a형이 7예였다. G2 유전형은 3예, G3 유전형은 2예였으며 나머지는 정확한 분류가 되지 않았다. 결 론: 국내 소아에 감염된 TTV 유전형 중 가장 흔한 것은 G1형이었다. TTV DNA 양성률은 대조군과 원인 불명의 간염군 간에 차이는 없었으며, B형 간염군에서 대조군에 비해 높았다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제34권2호
• /
• pp.233-239
• /
• 2024

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation has recently emerged as a significant co-transcriptional modification involved in regulating various RNA functions. It plays a vital function in numerous biological processes. Enzymes referred to as m6A methyltransferases, such as the methyltransferase-like (METTL) 3-METTL14-Wilms tumor 1 (WT1)-associated protein (WTAP) complex, are responsible for adding m6A modifications, while m6A demethylases, including fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), can remove m6A methylation. The functions of m6A-methylated RNA are regulated through the recognition and interaction of m6A reader proteins. Recent research has shown that m6A methylation takes place at multiple sites within hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNAs, and the location of these modifications can differentially impact the HBV infection. The addition of m6A modifications to HBV RNA can influence its stability and translation, thereby affecting viral replication and pathogenesis. Furthermore, HBV infection can also alter the m6A modification pattern of host RNA, indicating the virus's ability to manipulate host cellular processes, including m6A modification. This manipulation aids in establishing chronic infection, promoting liver disease, and contributing to pathogenesis. A comprehensive understanding of the functional roles of m6A modification during HBV infection is crucial for developing innovative approaches to combat HBV-mediated liver disease. In this review, we explore the functions of m6A modification in HBV replication and its impact on the development of liver disease.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• 제6권1호
• /
• pp.20-26
• /
• 2006

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease that is characterized by invasive synovial hyperplasia, leading to progressive joint destruction. Recent studies have described that RA is caused by virus, bacteria or outside material. Approximately 2 to 20% of RA cases arc reported to be associated with infected hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the mechanisms underlying virus-induced RA are still unknown. Moreover, few molecular studies have addressed the inflammatory aspects of HCV-associated autoimmune RA. In this study, we aimed to determine whe ther or not another HCV core protein transactivates the IL-8 gene expression, prototypic chemokine, in synovial cell. Methods: To establish the HCV core expressing stable synovial cell line, pCI-neo-core, a plasmid encoding HCV core protein, were transfected to HIG-82 cell line that is an established cell line from rabbit periaricular soft tissue. We examined the morphological changes and cell cycle distribution of HIG-82 cells with expression of HCV core protein by inverted microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Also, we determined the mRNA levels of Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 related to the inflammation by RT-PCR and then analyzed regulation of IL-8 expression by the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway. Results: Our study showed no significant differences in morphology and cell cycle between HIG-82 control cell line and HIG-82 expressing HCV core protein. However, expression of HCV core protein induces the IL-8 mRNA expression in HIG-82 core cells via activated NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway. Conclusion: These results suggest that HCV core protein can lead to enhanced IL-8 expression. Such a proinflammatory role may contribute to the etiologic pathogenesis in RA patients with HCV infection.