• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제26권12호
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• pp.1067-1073
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• 2003

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a non-toxic, hydrophilic bile acid in widespread clinical use mainly for acute and chronic liver disease. Recently, treatment with UDCA in hepatic graft-versus-host disease has been given in immunosuppressive therapy for improvement of the biochemical markers of cholestasis. Moreover, it has been reported that UDCA possesses immunomodulatory effects by the suppression of cytokine production. In the present study, we hypothesized that UDCA may inhibit the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1$\beta$, and nitric oxide (NO) in microglia. In the study, we found that 100 $\mu$ g/mL UDCA effectively inhibited these two pro-inflammatory factors at 24 hand 48 h, compared to the $A\beta$42-pretreated groups. These results were compared with the LPS+UDCA group to confirm the UDCA effect. As microglia can be activated by several stimulants, such as $A\beta$42, in Alzheimers brain and can release those inflammatory factors, the ability to inhibit or at least decrease the production of IL-1$\beta$ and NO in Alzheimers disease (AD) is essential. Using RT-PCR, ELISA and the Griess Reagent System, we therefore found that UDCA in $A\beta$42 pre-treated cultures played a significant role in suppressing the expression or the production of IL-1$\beta$ and NO. Similarly, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not activate microglia in the presence of UDCA. Moreover, we found that UDCA exhibits a prolonged effect on microglial cells (up to 48 h), which suggests that UDCA may play an important role in chronic cell damage due to this long effect. These results further imply that UDCA could be an important cue in suppressing the microglial activation stimulated by massive AD peptides in the AD progressing brain.

• 대한두경부종양학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.64-68
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• 2008

Purpose：The chronic use of immunosuppressive therapy in transplant recipients can increase the long-term risk of carcinoma. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, biological behaviors, and treatment outcomes in PTC(papillary thyroid carcinoma) in renal allograft recipients. Material and Methods：The present study examined the incidence and biological behavior of PTCs in RA recipients. A total of 1,739 RA patients treated between January 1986 and December 1999 were followed-up for a median 137(84-238) months. During the follow-up period, 129(7.4%) recipients were identified as having posttransplant malignancies. Of those, 12(0.7%) had PTCs, and these comprised six male and six female patients with a median age of 41(23-57) years. Results：Nine cases(incidentalomas) were diagnosed based on ultrasonography(US) screening. Eight of those nine were TNM stage I, and two of the three clinical carcinomas were TNM stage IVa. During a median follow-up of 94(18-159) months, two(16.7%) PTC patients developed loco-regional recurrence, but no patients showed distant metastasis. Posttransplant PTC showed no gender bias, and was often associated with aggressive lymphatic metastasis. However, most incidentalomas showed a favorable treatment outcome. Conclusion：In conclusion, routine surveillance of the thyroid gland using US screening is recommended to ensure early detection, treatment and favorable prognosis in RA patients with PTC.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제82권4호
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• pp.285-297
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• 2019

Connective tissue disease (CTD) is a collection of disorders characterized by various signs and symptoms such as circulation of autoantibodies in the entire system causing damage to internal organs. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) which is associated with CTD is referred to as CTD-ILD. Patients diagnosed with ILD should be thoroughly examined for the cooccurrence of CTD, since the treatment procedures and prognosis of CTD-ILD are vary from those of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. The representative types of CTD which may accompany ILD include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjogren's syndrome, mixed CTD, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and systemic lupus erythematous. Of these, ILD most frequently co-exists with SSc. If an ILD is observed in the chest, high resolution computed tomography and specific diagnostic criteria for any type of CTD are met, then a diagnosis of CTD-ILD is made. It is challenging to conduct a properly designed randomized study on CTD-ILD, due to low incidence. Therefore, CTD-ILD treatment approach is yet to been established in absence of randomized controlled clinical trials, with the exception of SSc-ILD. When a patient is presented with acute CTD-ILD or if symptoms occur due to progression of the disease, steroid and immunosuppressive therapy are generally considered.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.61.1-61.10
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• 2022

Background: Although there are growing demands for stem cell-based therapy for companion animals in various diseases, a few clinical trials have been reported. Moreover, most of them are the results from only one or a few times of stem cell injection. Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe a long-term treatment with allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in a dog with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a rare canine disease. Methods: The dog with RA received intravascular injection of allogeneic ASCs derived from two healthy donors once a month for 11 months. To assess therapeutic effects of ASCs, orthopedic examination and clinical evaluation was performed. Cytokines of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in the plasma were measured using ELISA analysis. Results: Despite this repeated and long-term administration of allogeneic ASCs, there were no side effects such as immunorejection responses or cell toxicity. The orthopedic examination score for the dog decreased after ASCs treatment, and the clinical condition of the dog and owner's satisfaction were very good Conclusions: Although ASCs has been suggested as one of the options for RA treatment because of its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive functions, it has never been used to treat RA in dogs. The present report describes a case of canine RA treated with allogeneic ASCs for long-term in which the dog showed clinical improvement without adverse effects.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.574-581
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• 2023

Nocardiosis is an uncommon opportunistic bacterial infection which becomes a significant health problem due to its increasing incidence and high mortality rate. However, many nocardiosis patients are underdiagnosed by physicians. To summarize the clinical characteristics and management of nocardiosis would help with better diagnosis and prognosis of nocardiosis. This retrospective study was conducted based on the medical records of nocardiosis patients between January 2015 and December 2021 in a tertiary hospital in China. Overall, 44 nocardiosis patients with 54 specimens were included. The patients consisted of 26 males and 18 females with a mean age of 50.4 ± 13.2 years. Among 44 patients, 26 (59.1%) were previously given immunosuppressive therapy. Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) were the most common underlying disease (16/44). The most frequent infection sites were the lungs (17/44) and skin or soft tissues (8/44). Common symptoms included cough (23/44), expectoration (18/44), fever (15/44), and subcutaneous abscesses (15/44). Forty-five out of 54 specimens (83.3%) required over 48 hours of culture time for nocardiosis detection. Thirty-six patients were cured or improved, 5 patients were discharged from the hospital due to poor prognosis, and 1 patient died. The average diagnosis time of poor prognosis cases was 19.7 days, which was significantly longer than those of improved or cured patients (7.3 days). Immunosuppressed patients comprise a large part of nocardiosis cases, which is worth attention in clinical practice. Early diagnosis, specifically through prolonged cultivation time of specimen, could help achieve better prognosis of nocardiosis patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.104-112
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• 2024

Purpose: Immunosuppressive therapy is frequently administered to patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which may make them more susceptible to infections like hepatitis B. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients aged 5-18 years diagnosed with IBD who visited a gastroenterology clinic along with controls who were the same age as the patients with IBD and were healthy overall. A logistic regression analysis using the independent variables of age, sex, race, disease phenotype, surgery, and medications and the dependent variable of adequate hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) titers (>10 mIU/mL) was performed on quantitative serum HBsAb titers. Results: The study enrolled 62 patients, including 37 males and 25 females. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and indeterminate colitis were diagnosed in 16, 22, and 24 patients, respectively. Thirty-nine patients were taking corticosteroids at the time of the study, 42 were taking immunomodulators, and four were taking biologics. Compared to 44.7% of the control group, 9.3% of the patients had protective titers. Only 12 out of 62 patients had HBsAb titers greater than 10 million IU/mL. None of the patients who received biologics or corticosteroids and 3.2% of those who received immunomodulators were found to be seroimmuned. Conclusion: The younger patients had the highest titers. Patient-specific factors that may impact these low titers include the length of the patient's illness and the use of immunosuppressants.

• 대한영상의학회지
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• 제84권5호
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• pp.1140-1145
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• 2023

대뇌 아밀로이드 혈관병증 관련 염증은 베타 아밀로이드가 혈관에 침착되어 혈관 주위의 급성 염증성 반응으로 발생하는 뇌병증이다. 이 질환은 주로 고령자에게서 발생하는 드문 질환으로, 급격히 진행하는 치매, 두통, 발작, 국소 신경학적 결손을 동반한 증상으로 나타나며 특징적인 뇌자기공명영상 소견을 보인다. 또한 스테로이드 또는 기타 면역억제요법에 반응하는 가역적인 질병이다. 대뇌 아밀로이드 혈관병증 관련 염증을 처음에는 아급성 경색으로 오진하였다가 추적 관찰 중 뇌 자기공명영상 소견을 분석하면서 대뇌 아밀로이드 혈관병증 관련 염증이 진단되었고, 자연 관해가 이뤄진 대뇌 아밀로이드 혈관병증 관련 염증 증례를 보고한다.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.549-554
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• 2011

FK506은 말기 간암환자의 간이식 후 널리 사용되는 면역억제제이다. Dexamethasone은 세포독성 암 치료에서 오심 방지, 정상세포의 보호와 기타 이유 등의로 빈번하게 병용처치된다. 본 연구의 목적은 간암세포주(Hep3B)에서 FK506의 항암효과와 FK506에 의한 항암효과에 대한 dexamethasone의 억제효과를 알아보기 위함이다. 세포의 손상은 세포 생존성 평가와 LDH 및 세포내 ROS 양의 측정으로 평가 하였다. 세포내 칼슘 농도([$Ca^{2+}$]i)와 JNK, Bax 단백질의 발현 정도도 평가하였다. FK506의 처치는 Hep3B의 세포사를 유도하였으며 세포생존성의 감소와 LDH, ROS 및 [$Ca^{2+}$]i 를 증가시켰다. FK506은 Bax와 JNK 의 활성을 증가시켰으며 Bcl-2의 활성을 억제하였다. Dexamethasone 처치 그 자체는 세포생존성, LDH와 ROS에 영향을 주지 않았다. 그러나 dexamethasone과 FK506의 병용처치는 FK506에 의한 LDH 방출, ROS 생성 및 JNK의 활성을 감소시켰다. 이 결과는 간암세포주에서 FK506은 항암효과를 가지지만 dexamethasone의 병용처치는 FK506에 의한 항암효과를 길항한다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제31권10호
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• pp.1004-1008
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• 1998

본 논문은 동맥관개존증으로 인한 Eisenmenger 증후군 환자에서 시행된 심장-폐이식 수술에 대한 증례 보고이다. 동맥관 개존증으로 인한 Eisenmenger 증후군인 32세의 여자 수혜자는 1996년 6월 이후 심부전으로 심한 호흡곤란을 겪고 있었으며, 1997년 7월초에 빈맥, 호흡곤란, 하지부종을 주소로 응급실을 통하여 입원한 후 호흡곤란, 저산소증, 상심실성 빈맥, 전해질 이상 등으로 치료받으면서 퇴원하지 못하고 심장-폐 이식 대상자로 등록되었다. 수술전에 시행한 심초음파검사에서 우-좌단락의 동맥관개존증, 우심실 및 우심방의 심한 확장, 100 mmHg의 우심실 수축기압 소견을 보였다. 폐동맥압이 체동맥압보다 높게 역전되어 있었고 심한 이산화탄소 정체 및 저산소증의 소견을 보여서 중환자실에서 인공호흡기로 호흡기능을 보조받고 있었다. 공여자는 교통사고로 두부손상을 입고 뇌사판정을 받은 1 8세 남자였다. 공여자 및 수헤자의 혈액형은 모두 AB(+)형이었다. 1997년 10월 26일 심장-폐이식을 시행하였다. 심장 -폐분절은 공여자가 있던 타병원에서 구득하여 냉장보존 상태로 본원으로 이송하였다. 이식된 심장 및 폐의 총 허혈 시간은 각각 249분 및 270분이었다. 면역억제요법은 cyclosporine, azathioprine을 수술전부터 투여하였으며 steroid 는 기관 문합부위의 치유와 감염예방을 위하여 수술후 3주 이후부터 사용하였다. 환자는 수술후 31일째에 특별한 합 병증없이 퇴원하였으며 심장-폐이식후 4개월이 지난 현재, 심폐기능의 이상소견과 거부반응의 증거없이 NYHA funct ional class I의 상태로 지내고 있으며 면역억제제와 예방적 항생제, 소량의 이뇨제 및 항고혈압제를 복용하고 있다.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.84-91
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• 2009

저자들은 선천성 가로막 탈장을 동반한 선천성 신증후군 신생아에서 WT1 유전자 돌연변이와 범발성맥관막 경화증으로 진단하였기에 문헌 고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다. 본 여아는 출생 직후 선천성 가로막 탈장이 발견되어 응급 교정수술을 받았고 전신부종, 핍뇨, 단백뇨, 저알부민혈증, 고뇨소질소혈증, 고크레아티닌혈증이 지속되어 선천성 신증후군에 의한 조기 신부전으로 진단되었다. 생후 22일째부터 복막투석 시작하였으나 뇌출혈과 다기관부전으로 생후 34일째 사망하였다. 사후 신생검에서 범발성 맥관막 경화증으로 확인되었다. 염색체 검사에서 정상소견(46,XX) 보였고 사후 유전자 검사에서 Arg366Hisin WT1 과오 돌연변이를 보였다. 본 예는 선천성 신증후군에 선천성 가로막 탈장이 동반된 드문 예로 WT1 유전자의 Arg366His 과오 돌연변이가 DDS와 CDH의 발생에 병인으로 관여할 것이라는 가설을 지지하는 4번째 증례라는 점에서 중요한 의미가 있다.