• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.286-297
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• 2024

Purpose: Liver cirrhosis is a major cause of hospital admission and mortality among children. Understanding the factors that influence disease severity is essential for preventing and reducing mortality. This study explored the association between hemoglobin levels and liver disease severity in children with cirrhosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 326 children with cirrhosis admitted to Namazi Teaching Hospital between 2015 and 2020. Clinical data, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores, and pediatric end-stage liver disease/model for end-stage liver disease (PELD/MELD) scores were collected to assess disease severity. Anemia was defined based on age, sex, and hemoglobin levels. Results: Among the children with cirrhosis, 275 (84.4%) were anemic, with a mean age of 5.4±4.8 years. The overall mean hemoglobin level was 9.2±2.1 g/dL. A significant inverse correlation was observed between hemoglobin levels and CTP and PELD/MELD scores in children with anemia (p<0.001). Moreover, lower hemoglobin levels were associated with more higher CTP classes (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the data analysis, a significant correlation was observed between hemoglobin level and the severity of liver disease, and hemoglobin level decreased with increasing severity of liver disease. According to CTP class, the mean hemoglobin level decreased progressively as the disease progressed. A comparison of the mean CTP scores between children with and those without anemia revealed that those with anemia had more severe disease than those without anemia.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.938-941
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• 2009

In spite of abundant clinical resources of stroke patients, the objective and logical data analyses or diagnostic systems were not established in oriental medicine. In the present study we tried to develop the statistical diagnostic tool discriminating the subtypes of oriental medicine diagnostic system, syndrome differentiation (SD). Discriminant analysis was carried out using clinical data collected from 1,478 stroke patients with the same subtypes diagnosed identically by two clinical experts with more than 3 year experiences. Numerical discriminant models were constructed using important 61 symptom and syndrome indices. Diagnostic accuracy and prediction rate of 5 SD subtypes: The overall diagnostic accuracy of 5 SD subtypes using 61 indices was 74.22%. According to subtypes, the diagnostic accuracy of "phlegm-dampness" was highest (82.84%), and followed by "qi-deficiency", "fire/heat", "static blood", and "yin-deficiency". On the other hand, the overall prediction rate was 67.12% and that of qi-deficiency was highest (73.75%). Diagnostic accuracy and prediction rate of 4 SD subtypes: The overall diagnostic accuracy and prediction rate of 4 SD subtypes except "static blood" were 75.06% and 71.63%, respectively. According to subtypes, the diagnostic accuracy and prediction rate was highest in the "phlegm-dampness" (82.84%) and qi-deficiency (81.69%), respectively. The statistical discriminant model of constructed using 4 SD subtypes, and 61 indices can be used in the field of oriental medicine contributing to the objectification of SD.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2 s.70
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• pp.137-154
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• 2007

Objective : This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the GYZB hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on the Alzheimer's disease model induced by amyloid ${\beta}$ protein (${\beta}A$). Method : We measured the effects of the GYZB hot water extract on expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 mRNA and production of IL-6, $TNF-{\alpha}$ in the BV2 microglial cell line treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The effects of the GYZB hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on (1) the behavior, (2) expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$, (3) glucose in serum, (4) the infarction area of the hippocampus, and brain tissue injury in mice induced with Alzheimer's diseased by ${\beta}A$ were investigated. Results : The GYZB hot water extract suppressed the expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ and IL-6 mRNA and significantly suppressed the production of IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ in the BV2 microglial cell line treated with LPS. The GYZB hot water extract & ultra-fine powder showed a significant inhibitory effect on the memory deficit of the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}A$ in the Morris water maze experiment, which measured stop-through latency and distance movement-through latency. The GYZB ultra-fine powder significantly suppressed the expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$ protein, and the GYZB hot water extract significantly suppressed the expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$ protein in the microglial cell of mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}A$. The GYZB hot water extract & ultra-fine powder reduced the infarction area of hippocampus in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}A$. Conclusions : These results suggest that GYZB hot water extract & ultra-fine powder may be effective for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Investigation into the clinical use of GYZB for Alzheimer's disease is suggested for future research.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2020

For the successful execution of an ODA project, it is necessary to know what areas are weak and necessary to the country of demand exactly. The health sector is also a top priority in most of developing countries. This study was carried out to introduce non-communicable disease (NCD) in Fiji for ODA projects planning. The major causes of death in Fiji in 2016 are diabetes, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, lower respiratory infect, asthma in ranking. The major causes of death in Korea in same year are cancer, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia, suicide, diabetes in the order of ranking. The chronic disease as non-communicable disease (NCD) has been increasing continuously due to changes in lifestyle and consumption patterns and population aging in prevalence rate. This global trend is also apparent in Fiji and Korea, reflected in increasing mortality and personal costs for the treatment and management of NCD. The need for a sustained comprehensive treatment tailored for individual patients has suggested from many studies and the development of a systematic program to manage NCD patients to provide such care have been recommended. The Fiji government developed Non-communicable Diseases Strategic Plan 2015-2019 and has tried to reduce the prevalence rate of non-communicable diseases by factors. The WHO global action plan guiding national-level NCD policies requires an NCD prevention and control model at the community level, presenting strategic goals and detailed options for the introduction and application of the approach to communities. It is necessary to develop an NCD prevention and control model, consisting of a strategy of community intervention, education for students and NCD patients, and the legal enactment of NCD that adequately meets the needs of community members.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.533-542
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• 2012

Objectives : We try to compared the efficacy of six herbal medicines, Rhizoma Alismatis (RA), Fructus Crataegi (FC), Fructus Lycii (FL), Radix Curcumae (RC), Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (RSM), and Herba Artemisiae Scopariae (HAS), constituting KHchunggan-tang which was previously proven to be hepatoprotective on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with combined properties of cellular steatosis, ROS production, and cytoprotection. Methods : HepG2 cells were pretreated with aqueous extracts of the six herb medicines at concentrations of 1, 10, 50 and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ each, and treated with 0.5 mM palmitate consecutively. After 21 hrs, cell viability was assessed using MTT assay, and the percentage of cells with sub-G1 DNA content was measured using fluorescence-activated cell sorting after propidium iodide staining. Results : The first three extracts, RA, FC, and FL restored cell viability reduced by palmitate in MTT assay, and RA, FC, FL and RC inhibited palmitate-induced apoptosis in sub-G1 analysis. FL showed relatively weak potential only at tested maximal dose, and RA showed the greatest higher efficacy on this experimental cellular model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Conclusions : According to this comparative experiment, Rhizoma Alismatis seems to have the most powerful potential among the six herbs constituting KHchunggan-tang, and consecutive further study seems to be required for more standardized and effective clinical application of KHchunggan-tang for treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5451-5454
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• 2012

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of MDR1 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 689 HCC patients and 680 cancer-free subjects were enrolled. Human MDR1 gene polymorphisms were investigated by created restriction site-polymerase chain reaction (CRS-PCR) and DNA sequencing methods. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to estimate the association between MDR1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to HCC. Results: We detected a novel c.4125A>C polymorphism and our findings suggested that this variant was significantly associated with susceptibility to HCC. A significantly increased susceptibility to HCC was noted in the homozygote comparison (CC versus AA: OR=1.621, 95% CI 1.143-2.300, ${\chi}^2$=7.4095, P=0.0065), recessive model (CC versus AC+AA: OR=1.625, 95% CI 1.167-2.264, ${\chi}^2$=8.3544, P=0.0039) and allele contrast (C versus A: OR=1.185, 95% CI 1.011-1.389, ${\chi}^2$=4.4046, P=0.0358). However, no significant increase was observed in the heterozygote comparison (AC versus AA: OR=0.995, 95% CI 0.794-1.248, ${\chi}^2$=0.0017, P=0.9672) and dominant model (CC+AC versus AA: OR=1.106, 95% CI 0.894-1.369, ${\chi}^2$=0.8560, P=0.3549). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the c.4125A>C polymorphism of the MDR1 gene might contribute to susceptibility to HCC in the Chinese population. Further work will be necessary to clarify the relationship between the c.4125A>C polymorphism and susceptibility to HCC on larger populations of diverse ethnicity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4493-4497
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• 2014

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can predict the clinical response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. However, EGFR mutations may be different in primary tumors (PT) and metastatic lymph nodes (MLN). The aim of this study was to compare EGFR mutations between PT and the corresponding MLN in NSCLC patients, and provide some guidelines for clinical treatment using TKI therapy. Materials and Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed with several research databases. Relative risk (RR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to investigate the EGFR mutation status between PT and the corresponding MLN. A random-effects model was used. Results: 9 publications involving 707 patients were included in the analysis. It was found that activation of EGFR mutations identified in PT and the corresponding MLN was 26.4% (187/707) and 19.9% (141/707), respectively. The overall discordance rate in our meta-analysis was 12.2% (86/707). The relative risk (RR) for EGFR mutation in PT relative to MLN was 1.33 (95%CI: 1.10-1.60; random-effects model). There was no significant heterogeneity between the studies ($I^2$=5%, p=0.003). Conclusions: There exists a considerable degree of EGFR mutation discrepancy in NSCLC between PT and corresponding MLN, suggesting that tumor heterogeneity might arise at the molecular level during the process of metastasis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2511-2515
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• 2014

Objective: Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with greatest morbidity and mortality around the world. The keys to targeted therapy are discovery of lung cancer biomarkers to facilitate improvement of survival and quality of life for the patients with lung cancer. Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is one of the most overexpressed proteins in human lung cancer cells by comparison to the normal cells, suggesting that it might be a good biomarker for lung cancer. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the targeted efficacy of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on TCTP expression in the A549 lung cancer cell model was explored. Results and Conclusions: DHA could inhibit A549 lung cancer cell proliferation, and simultaneously up-regulate the expression of TCTP mRNA, but down-regulate its protein expression in A549 cells. In addition, it promoted TCTP protein secretion. Therefore, TCTP might be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancers.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.129-132
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• 2003

Fusarium wilt of cucumber caused by Fusarium oxy-sporum f. sp. cucumerinum is a serious vascular disease worldwide. Biological control of Fusarium wilt in several crops has been accomplished by introducing non-pathogenic Fusarium sup. and other biocontrol agents in soil or in infection courts. In this study, quantitative models were used to determine the biocontrol efficacy of inundatively applied antagonist formulations and the length of their effectiveness in controlling Fusarium wilt of cucumber. Quantitative model of the form [Y=L (1${-exp}^{-kx}$)] best described the relationship between disease incidence (Y, %) and inoculum density (X) of isolates F51 and F55. Isolate F51 was selected as a more virulent isolate based on the extent of its effectiveness in causing the wilt disease. The degree of disease control (Xi/X) obtained with the density of the biocontrol agent (Z), was described by the model [Xi/X=A (1${-exp}^{-cz}$)]. The zeolite-based antagonist formulation amended with chitosan (ZAC) was better at lower rates of application and peaked at around 5 g/ kg of the potting medium, whereas the peat-based antagonist formulation (PA) peaked at around 10 g/kg of the potting medium. ZAC formulation provided significantly better suppression of Fusarium wilt as described by the curvilinear relationship of the type Y= a+bX+c$X^2$, where Y represents percent disease incidence and X represents sustaining effect of the biocontrol agent.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.3
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• pp.240-249
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• 2006

Recently, dispersion of damaged forest by pine wilt disease has been regarded as a serious social issue. Damages by pine wilt disease have been spreaded by natural area expansion of the vectors in the damaged area, while the national wide damage spread has induced by human-involved carrying infected trees out of damaged area. In this study, damaged trees were detected and located on the digital map by aerial photograph and terrestrial surveys. The spatial distribution pattern of damaged trees, and the relationship of spatial distribution of damaged trees and some geomorphological factors were geostatistically analysed. Finally, we maked natural spread pattern map of pine wilt disease using geostatistical CART(Classification and Regression Trees) model. This study verified that geostatistical analysis and CART model are useful tools for understanding spatial distribution and natural spread pattern of pine wilt diseases.