• CELLMED
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.22.1-22.7
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• 2015

Depression is an important medical problem in today's world. Despite its high prevalence, treatment of depression remains problematic, as its cause is still not fully understood. Of the ways recommended to tackle this problem is implementing the potentials of various medical schools. A medical school which has played an important role in the history of medicine in the world is Persian medicine. This study was intended to identify non-pharmacological interventions for depression in the most reliable references on Persian medicine, classify these interventions and compare them with the latest medical findings. The study was set to review the most reliable references on Persian medicine. In addition, relevant keywords were used to search the PubMed and Scopus databases. In Persian medicine sources, melancholia is categorized into three main types. One type is regarded as cerebral melancholia, which resembles modern psychiatry's depression closely. Therefore, some key points put forth by Persian medicine scholars regarding melancholia can be used to answer questions concerning depressive disorders and their etiology and treatment. Although recent studies have confirmed most approaches offered by Persian medicine physicians in ancient Persia, it is imperative to design and conduct clinical trial studies according to these approaches.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2008

Purpose: The aim of this study is to report the efficacy of infliximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against tumor necrosis factor alpha which is used for both treatment of refractory pediatric Crohn disease (CD) and induction of remission. Methods: Among pediatric patients who were diagnosed with CD at Samsung Medical Center between March 2001 and August 2007, a total of 16 patients were given infliximab to treat conventional therapyresistant refractory CD and severe active CD for induction of remission. Patients needing maintenance therapy were treated with an infliximab infusion every 8 weeks, and fistulizing CD patients occasionally received the infusion upon the condition that a fistula developed. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by comparing the Pediatric Crohn Disease Activity Index (PCDAI), Hct, ESR, CRP, and serum albumin levels using paired t-test. Results: The male/female ratio was 13:3, and the median age was 13 years (range, 21 months~15 years). The patients included 7 cases of therapy-resistant refractory CD, 7 cases of severe active CD, and 2 cases of fistulizing CD. Mean PCDAI before infliximab therapy was 34.19${\pm}$14.96, and mean follow-up PCDAI within 2 to 4 weeks after the last infusion was significantly lower, at 6.88${\pm}$10.31 (p=0.000). Hematological markers such as ESR (p=0.000), serum albumin (p=0.016), and CRP (p=0.009) also improved significantly after infusion. Remission was achieved in 2 of 4 patients refractory to conventional therapy. Among 3 steroid-dependent patients, 2 were able to discontinue steroid therapy, and dose reduction was possible in 1 patient. Remission after top-down therapy without prior use of other immunomodulators was achieved in 6 weeks in all 7 of the patients who had severe CD. Nine of ten refractory fistulizing CD patients also showed improvement after infliximab therapy. Conclusion: Infliximab was effective in pediatric refractory CD for induction of remission and maintenance therapy, as well as in severe CD for top-down induction therapy. Furthermore, infliximab has contributed to steroid cessation and dose reduction. Long-term follow-up evaluation is needed to determine safety and efficacy of infliximab in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3509-3514
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• 2013

The prognostic value of the fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR), western blot assays and immunohistochemistry analysis were here performed in order to compare Fn14 expressios in paired liver samples of HCC and normal liver tissue. Most of the tumor tissues expressed significantly higher levels of Fn14 compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues, with Fn14High accounting for 54.6% (142/260) of all patients. The Pearson ${\chi}^2$ test indicated that Fn14 expression was closely associated with serum alpha fetal protein (AFP) (P=0.002) and tumor number (p=0.019). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that along with tumor diameter and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT ) type, Fn14 was an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (OS) (HR=1.398, p=0.008) and recurrence (HR=1.541, p=0.001) rates. Fn14 overexpression HCC correlated with poor surgical outcome, and this molecule may be a candidate biomarker for prognosis as well as a target for therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 1999

This study was prospectively conducted to investigate any relationship of nutritional status at the time of admission to length of hospital stay and mortality. All patients admitted to the Asan Medical Center between October 13 and November 12, 1997 who met the study criteria were included in the study. Patients were classified as Not-at-risk, At-risk Ⅰ or At-risk Ⅱ based on the levels of serum albumin and total lymphocyte count in a computerized nutrition screening program. Sixty three percent of the patients were classified as Not-at-risk Group, 29% as At-risk Group Ⅰ and 8% as At-risk Group Ⅱ. Significant correlation was observed between nutritional status and LOS (P＜0.01) as well as mortality rate (P＜0.05). The more the patient had the nutritional risk factors, the longer the LOS and the higher the mortality rate were. Further studies have to be done in order to demonstrate cost-effectiveness of medical therapy for the malnourished hospitalized patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2007

An unconscious 5-year-old girl was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. She was neglected by her parents; she suffered from inadequate nutritional, medical and emotional care. The girl appeared to be emotionally detached, dehydrated and malnourished; she had edematous extremities, moderately bruised skin and brittle coarse hair. Laboratory testing showed electrolyte imbalance, anemia, pneumonia, copper deficiency, and liver dysfunction in addition to severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Medical intervention was followed by improvement of most of the symptoms. During the rehabilitation phase, the patient showed a voracious appetite and gained weight too fast. The liver became enlarged and the patient developed a mild fever due to excessive nutrition. The microcytic anemia with severe PEM did not responded to iron supplementation possibly due to the copper deficiency. Addition of copper without zinc and iron helped to improve the anemia. The patient was discharged to a childcare center where she received cognitive and psychosocial therapy.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.211-221
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• 2009

The study investigated medical treatment features of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, their further complications, levels of diet therapy education and the status of dietary compliance. The subjects were patients who came to oriental medicine clinics in Daejon. The percentage of male was 37.5% and female was 62.7% in the subject group's sex distribution. The outbreak of the disease was most common in the age of 50's. Also 40% of the subjects had been suffering for more than 5 years. 35.7% of men and 53.7% of women had family history. All the subjects had further complications, among them hypertension was the most common. Kidney, hepatic, vascular heart diseases were followed. 85.3% of the subjects answered they already had educations about diet therapy. Those educations were given in the public health center, general and private hospitals. 32% of subjects were not practicing diet therapy. The difficulties with which patients can be faced when they take dietary education were exchange(?exchanging?) food and calculating calories. Most of the subjects tend to overlook the importance of dietary habits and show low understanding to diet therapy, which leads to low participation rate of diabetes patients. Based on these results, therefore, we can conclude that diet therapy education to the patients should be more organized and easily practicable for them. To develop educational methods which can draw patients' attention and also be more effective is the most important task.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.345-355
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to develop a software program for nutritional counseling by assessment of nutrients intake status and health degree by using semi-quantitative frequency food intake method and the questionnaire of Cornell Medical Index(CMI) and farmers' syndrome. This program is composed with three parts, nutrients intake, health status with body complaints, and nutrition counseling contents for diet therapy of each body condition states. First, nutrient intakes with percentage of Korean Recommended Dietary Allowances, and quantities of other nutrients intake were calculated and presented in an out-put screen. Second, the different body complaints(farmers' syndrome, anemia, hypertension, gastrointestinal problem, and cardiovascular complaints) were divided 3 groups of health status as normal. suspected and ailment. The contents of nutritional counseling with recommended food kinds. intake quantities. and recommended preparation methods were shown by button click of each health state of body complaints. And also this program could serve several times for one person to compare nutrition education and counseling effect by use of pre and post presentation results. This programs would be effect to home extension workers of rural development administration for farmers' nutrition counseling.

• 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.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.450-454
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• 2011

The beneficial effects of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in improving the nutritional status of malnourished patients during hospital stays have been well established. However, recent randomized trials and meta-analyses have reported an increased rate of TPN-associated complications and mortality in critically ill patients. The increased risk of complications during TPN therapy has been linked to the development of hyperglycemia, especially during the first few days of TPN therapy. This retrospective study was conducted to determine whether the amount of dextrose from TPN in the 1st week in the intensive care unit (ICU) was related to the development of hyperglycemia and the clinical outcome. We included 88 non-diabetic critically ill patients who stayed in the medical ICU for more than two days. The subjects were 65 ${\pm}$ 16 years old, and the mean APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II score upon admission was 20.9${\pm}$7.1. The subjects received 2.3${\pm}$1.4 g/kg/day of dextrose intravenously. We divided the subjects into two groups according to the mean blood glucose (BG) level during the 1st week of ICU stay: <140 mg/dl vs ${\geq}$ 140 mg/dl. Baseline BG and the amount of dextrose delivered via TPN were significantly higher in the hyperglycemia group than those in the normoglycemia group. Mortality was higher in the hyperglycemia group than in the normoglycemia group (42.4% vs 12.8%, P=0.008). The amount of dextrose from TPN was the only significant variable in the multiple linear regression analysis, which included age, APACHE II score, baseline blood glucose concentration and dextrose delivery via TPN as independent variables. We concluded that the amount of dextrose delivered via TPN might be associated with the development of hyperglycemia in critically ill patients without a history of diabetes mellitus. The amount of dextrose in TPN should be decided and adapted carefully to maintain blood glucose within the target range.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.481-488
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• 2022

Purpose: Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative treatment for acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). In high-volume therapeutic plasma exchange (HV-TPE), extracorporeal liver support filters accumulate toxins and improve the coagulation factor by replacing them. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HV-TPE in pediatric patients with ALF and ACLF. Methods: We reviewed the records of children waiting for LT at Severance Hospital who underwent HV-TPE between 2017 and 2021. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total and direct bilirubin (TB and DB), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), ammonia, and coagulation parameter-international normalized ratio (INR) were all measured before and after HV-TPE to analyze the liver function. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26.0 (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Nine patients underwent HV-TPE with standard medical therapy while waiting for LT. One had neonatal hemochromatosis, four had biliary atresia, and the other four had ALF of unknown etiology. Significant decreases in AST, ALT, TB, DB, GGT, and INR were noted after performing HV-TPE (930.38-331.75 IU/L, 282.62-63.00 IU/L, 11.75-5.59 mg/dL, 8.10-3.66 mg/dL, 205.62-51.75 IU/L, and 3.57-1.50, respectively, p<0.05). All patients underwent LT, and two expired due to acute complications. Conclusion: HV-TPE could remove accumulated toxins and improve coagulation. Therefore, we conclude that HV-TPE can be regarded as a representative bridging therapy before LT.