• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2011

Purpose: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory, reactive dermatosis marked by painful cutaneous ulcer. The causes of pyoderma gangrenosum remain unclear. Gastrointestinal, hematological, rheumatological, and immmune disorders may be associated with pyoderma gangrenosum. The appearance of this disease may range from mild skin ulcers to life-threatening conditions. Generalized multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum is very rare. Here we report our experience with a case of multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum accompanied by ulcerative colitis. Methods: A 67-year-old man had cutaneous ulcers at multiple sites including the scalp, face, chest, abdomen, hands, and buttocks. He also developed gastrointestinal symptoms such as intermittent dyspepsia and bloody excrement. Debridement and irritation aggravated the disease progress. We gave a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum with ulcerative colitis based on the clinical appearance and biopsy. The patient was treated with systemic intravenous steroid therapies and careful wound cares. Ulcers of the scalp and buttocks were treated with split thickness skin grafts. Results: Most of the multiple cutaneous ulcers were treated by systemic intravenous steroid therapies and wound cares. The rest of the ulcers were treated with skin grafts. Systemic intravenous steroid therapy was used to treat the ulcerative colitis. Conclusion: Generalized multiple ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum is very rare. Without making an accurate diagnosis, hasty surgical treatments could aggravate the progression of the disease. Additionally, care should be taken to systemically treat underlying disease as well as administrating local treatments for the skin lesions. Intravenous systemic steroid therapy and skin grafts are useful treatments for generalized pyoderma gangrenosum.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.9.1-9.12
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• 2018

Endometriosis is a disease characterized by implants of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and is strongly associated with infertility. Focal adhesion of endometrial tissue to the peritoneum is an indication of incipient endometriosis. In this study, we examined the effect of various cytokines that are known to be involved in the pathology of endometriosis on endometrial cell adhesion. Among the investigated cytokines, transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ ($TGF-{\beta}1$) increased adhesion of endometrial cells to the mesothelium through induction of ${\alpha}2-6$ sialylation. The expression levels of ${\beta}$-galactoside ${\alpha}2-6$ sialyltransferase (ST6Gal) 1 and ST6Gal2 were increased through activation of $TGF-{\beta}RI/SMAD2/3$ signaling in endometrial cells. In addition, we discovered that terminal sialic acid glycan epitopes of endometrial cells engage with sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-9 expressed on mesothelial cell surfaces. Interestingly, in an in vivo mouse endometriosis model, inhibition of endogenous sialic acid binding by a $NeuAc{\alpha}2-6Gal{\beta}1$-4GlcNAc injection diminished $TGF-{\beta}1$-induced formation of endometriosis lesions. Based on these results, we suggest that increased sialylation of endometrial cells by $TGF-{\beta}1$ promotes the attachment of endometrium to the peritoneum, encouraging endometriosis outbreaks.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.52
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• pp.331.1-331.17
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• 2018

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is associated with the development of cervical cancer. The purpose of this report is to provide the literature evidences on selecting the HPV vaccine for national immunization program (NIP) in Korea. To complete these tasks, we reviewed domestic and foreign literature on the current status of HPV infection, efficacy and effectiveness of HPV vaccine, safety of vaccine and cost effectiveness analysis of vaccination business. Given that the median age of first sexual intercourse is continuing to fall, this may have serious implications for HPV infection and cervical cancer incidence at the age of 20s. The World Health Organization recommends that the HPV vaccination should be included in the NIP being implemented in each country. Both the bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines have a 90% or greater preventive efficacy on cervical intraepithelial lesion 2-3 and cervical cancer by the HPV 16 or HPV 18. In the future, if HPV vaccination rate as part of NIP increases, it is expected that the incidence of HPV infection, genital warts, and cervical precancerous lesions will be decreased in the vaccination age group. Therefore, in order to increase the HPV vaccination rate at this point in Korea, social consensus and efforts such as the introduction and promotion of HPV vaccine to the NIP according to appropriate cost-effectiveness analysis are required.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.367-376
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The blue honeysuckle berry (Lonicera caerulea var. edulis L.) is a small deciduous shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family that is native to Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. The berry of this shrub is edible, sweet and juicy and is commonly known as the blue honeyberry (BHB). This study examined the anti-diabetic potential of BHB on high-fat-diet-induced mild diabetic mice. The hypoglycemic, and nephroprotective effects of the 12-week oral administration of blue honeyberry extract were analyzed. MATERIALS/METHODS: The hypoglycemic effects were based on the observed changes in insulin, blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Furthermore, the changes in the weight of the pancreas, including its histopathology and immunohistochemical investigation were also performed. Moreover, the nephroprotective effects were analyzed by observing the changes in kidney weight, its histopathology, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine levels. RESULTS: The results showed that the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced control mice showed a noticeable increase in blood glucose, insulin, HbA1c, BUN, and creatinine levels. Furthermore, growth was observed in lipid droplet deposition related to the degenerative lesions in the vacuolated renal tubules with the evident enlargement and hyperplasia of the pancreatic islets. In addition, in the endocrine pancreas, there was an increase in the insulin-and glucagon-producing cells, as well as in the insulin/glucagon cell ratios. On the other hand, compared to the HFD-treated mice group, all these diabetic and related complications were ameliorated significantly in a dose-dependent manner after 84 days of the continuous oral administration of BHBe at 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg, and a dramatic resettlement in the hepatic glucose-regulating enzyme activities was observed. CONCLUSIONS: By assessing the key parameters for T2DM, the present study showed that the BHBe could act as a potential herbal agent to cure diabetes (type II) and associated ailments in HFD-induced mice.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.207-219
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• 2019

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is associated with the development of extrinsic skin aging. We performed in vivo assays in order to investigate the protective effect of a combination of grapefruit and rosemary extracts (cG&Re) on UVB-induced skin aging. The results indicated that cG&Re displayed elastase inhibitory activity in a dose-dependent manner. Topical application of cG&Re mitigated photo-aging related lesions such as skin erythema and thickening in photo-aged BALB/c mice dorsal skin, by preventing UVB-induced collagen degradation. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that cG&Re stimulated SIRT-1 expression, and suppressed MMP-1 and $IL-1{\beta}$ expression. It was observed that expression of MMP-1 and -13 mRNA was downregulated in the cG&Re-treated group. Furthermore, cG&Re treatment drastically suppressed protein expression of MMP-1 and regulated the phosphorylation of p-38 kinase. As expected, oral administration of cG&Re resulted in the same SIRT-1, MMP-1, and $IL-1{\beta}$ expression patterns observed upon topical application of cG&Re in the UV-induced mice model. Overall, the current results demonstrated that cG&Re attenuated both the downregulation of MMP-1 expression and up-regulation of SIRT-1 expression, as well as decreased phosphorylation of MAPK in UVB-induced skin ageing mice model, suggesting that cG&Re might be used as an internal food ingredient for beauty-purposes as well as a functional food material.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.192-199
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• 2019

Objectives: KCHO-1(Mecasin), also called Gamijakyakgamchobuja-tang originally, is a combination of some traditional herbal medicines in East Asia. This medicine has been used mainly for alleviating neuropathic pains for centuries in Korean traditional medicine. KCHO-1 was developed to treat pain, joint contracture and muscular weakness in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study was carried out to investigate the chronic toxicity of KCHO-1 oral administration in rats for 26 weeks. Methods: Sprague-Dawely rats were divided into four groups and 10 rats were placed in the control group and the high-dose group, respectively. Group 1 was the control group and the remaining groups were the experimental groups. In the oral toxicity study, 500 mg/kg, 1,000 mg/kg, and 2,000 mg/kg of KCHO-1 were administered to the experimental group, and 10 ml/kg of sterile distilled water was administered to the control group. Survival rate, body weight, feed intake, clinical signs, and visual findings were examined. Urinalysis, ophthalmologic examination, necropsy, organ weight, hematologic examination, blood chemical examination and histopathologic examination were performed. Results: Mortality and toxicological lesions associated with the administration of test substance were not observed in all groups. Conclusion: NOAEL(No observed adverse effect level) of KCHO-1 is higher than 2000 mg/kg/day. And, the above findings suggest that treatment with KCHO-1 is relatively safe.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1077-1088
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• 2018

Objective: To correlate CT parameters on detector-based dual-energy CT enterography (DECTE) with Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) and externally validate quantitative CT parameters. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients with CD were retrospectively enrolled. Two radiologists reviewed DECTE images by consensus for qualitative and quantitative CT features. CT attenuation and iodine concentration for the diseased bowel were also measured. Univariate statistical tests were used to evaluate whether there was a significant difference in CTE features between remission and active groups, on the basis of the CDAI score. Pearson's correlation test and multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the correlation between quantitative CT parameters and CDAI. For external validation, an additional 33 consecutive patients were recruited. The correlation and concordance rate were calculated between real and estimated CDAI. Results: There were significant differences between remission and active groups in the bowel enhancement pattern, subjective degree of enhancement, mesenteric fat infiltration, comb sign, and obstruction (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between CDAI and quantitative CT parameters, including number of lesions (correlation coefficient, r = 0.573), bowel wall thickness (r = 0.477), iodine concentration (r = 0.744), and relative degree of enhancement (r = 0.541; p < 0.05). Iodine concentration remained the sole independent variable associated with CDAI in multivariate analysis (p = 0.001). The linear regression equation for CDAI (y) and iodine concentration (x) was y = 53.549x + 55.111. For validation patients, a significant correlation (r = 0.925; p < 0.001) and high concordance rate (87.9%, 29/33) were observed between real and estimated CDAIs. Conclusion: Iodine concentration, measured on detector-based DECTE, represents a convenient and reproducible biomarker to monitor disease activity in CD.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.989-999
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• 2018

Background and Objectives: We aimed to compare outcomes of complete revascularization (CR) versus culprit-only revascularization for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease (MVD) in the $2^{nd}$ generation drug-eluting stent (DES) era. Methods: From 2009 to 2014, patients with STEMI and MVD, who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a $2^{nd}$ generation DES for culprit lesions were enrolled. CR was defined as PCI for a non-infarct-related artery during the index admission. Major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) was defined as cardiovascular (CV) death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization, or heart failure during the follow-up year. Results: In total, 705 MVD patients were suitable for the analysis, of whom 286 (41%) underwent culprit-only PCI and 419 (59%) underwent CR during the index admission. The incidence of MACE was 11.5% in the CR group versus 18.5% in the culprit-only group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.86; p<0.01; adjusted HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.40-0.99; p=0.04). The CR group revealed a significantly lower incidence of CV death (7.2% vs. 12.9%; HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.31-0.86; p=0.01 and adjusted HR, 0.57; 95% CI; 0.32-0.97; p=0.03, respectively). Conclusions: CR was associated with better outcomes including reductions in MACE and CV death at 1 year of follow-up compared with culprit-only PCI in the $2^{nd}$ generation DES era.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.154-161
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• 2019

Background: The market for vitamin drinks is expanding both in Korea and worldwide. However, it was difficult to find studies regarding the possibility of tooth erosion induction due to vitamin drinks. The purpose of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of tooth erosion caused by a few commercial vitamin beverages on bovine teeth enamel in terms of erosion depth and fluorescence loss. Methods: Three experimental groups (vitamin drinks), a positive control group (Coca-Cola), and a negative control group (mineral water) were established. Each group consisted of 5 specimens obtained from sound bovine teeth. The pH and titratable acidity of beverages were measured. Specimens were immersed in the beverages and artificial saliva for 6 and 18 hours, respectively. This cycle was repeated for 5 days. The depth of the tooth loss caused by tooth erosion (erosion depth) and maximum loss of fluorescence (Max ${\Delta}F$) were measured using the microscope and quantified light-induced fluorescence-digital, respectively. For the statistical analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test and ANOVA were used to compare the erosion depth and Max ${\Delta}F$ of the enamel surfaces. In addition, Spearman correlations were estimated. Results: The pH of the three vitamin beverages ranged from 2.65 to 3.01, which is similar to that of the positive control group. All beverages, except mineral water, had sugar and acidic ingredients. Vitamin drinks and the positive control, Coca-Cola, caused tooth erosion lesions, and showed significant differences in erosion depth compared to mineral water (p<0.05). The vitamin beverages with low pH were associated with high erosion depth and Max ${\Delta}F$. Conclusion: Vitamin drinks have the potential to cause tooth erosion.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.827-837
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• 2019

The present study was conducted with the aim to investigate the ameliorative effects of a new soybean product (cheonggukjang) fermented with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SCGB1 (SFBA) in atopic dermatitis (AD) mouse model. Visual evaluation of AD induction in the mice indicated the remarkable control of SFBA in reducing the pathological severity of AD-like skin lesions reported as the SCORAD score of AD clinical symptoms. The results revealed that SFBA reduced dorsal skin and epidermal thickness to a similar extent with prednisolone. Further analysis revealed the dominance of SFBA in restraining mast cell infiltration in the dermis; immunoglobulin-E expression in serum; and TH2 IL-4 cytokine and itch-related IL-31 cytokine in the mice skin and serum. SFBA also suppressed scratching behaviours in mice induced by compound 48/80. Further histological findings also revealed the alleviation of collagen fiber deposition in dermal skin of the AD mice model. These actions of SFBA were examined to be mediated by its suppression of the phosphorylation activation of key signalling molecules such as $NF-{\kappa}B$ and MAPK responsible for the induction of cytokine production. Thus, SFBA can be considered as a promising functional food for managing clinical, histological and immunological spectra associated with AD.