• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2017

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a critical condition with high morbidity and mortality. Although several medications are available, there are no definite treatments. However, recent advances in the understanding of stem and progenitor cells in the lung, and molecular changes during re-alveolization after pneumonectomy, have made it possible to envisage the regeneration of damaged lungs. With this background, numerous studies of stem cells and various stimulatory molecules have been undertaken, to try and regenerate destroyed lungs in animal models of COPD. Both the cell and drug therapies show promising results. However, in contrast to the successes in laboratories, no clinical trials have exhibited satisfactory efficacy, although they were generally safe and tolerable. In this article, we review the previous experimental and clinical trials, and summarize the recent advances in lung regeneration therapy for COPD. Furthermore, we discuss the current limitations and future perspectives of this emerging field.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
• /
• v.26 no.1_2
• /
• pp.355-364
• /
• 2008

Under pathological stress stimuli, dynamics of a biological system can be changed by alteration of several components such as functional proteins, ultimately leading to disease state. These dynamics in disease state can be modeled using differential equations in which kinetic or system parameters can be obtained from experimental data. One of the most effective ways to restore a particular disease state of biology system (i.e., cell, organ and organism) into the normal state makes optimization of the altered components usually represented by system parameters in the differential equations. There has been no such approach as far as we know. Here we show this approach with a cardiac hypertrophy model in which we obtain the existence of the optimal parameters and construct an optimal system which can be used to find the optimal parameters.

• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
• /
• 2004.06a
• /
• pp.274-274
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of in vitro differentiated human embryonic stem (MB03) cells expressing Nurr1 in relief of symptomatic motor behavior of Parkinson's disease (PD) animal models. MB03 cell was genetically modified to express Nurr1 protein (Nr#24/MB03) and was induced to differentiate according to 2- /4+ protocol using retinoic acid and ascorbic acid. (omitted)

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.130-143
• /
• 2019

Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and periodontal disease are bone destructive diseases mainly caused by inflammation. Various studies are being conducted to develop treatments for inflammatory bone destructive diseases. Many of these studies involve plant-derived natural compounds. In these studies, cell differentiation, signal transduction pathways, and bone resorption were measured at the cellular level. In disease-induced animal models, the amount of inflammatory mediators or matrix destructive enzymes and serum metabolic markers were measured. This study examined the effects of plant-derived natural compounds, such as flavonoids, on inflammatory bone destructive diseases. In addition, we structurally classified various substances used to maintain bone health and summarized the biological effects and related mechanisms of the components.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.261-267
• /
• 2003

The periodontal diseases are infections caused by bacteria in oral biofilm, a gelatinous mat commonly called dental plaque, which is a complex microbial community that forms and adhere to tooth surfaces. Host immune-pathogen interaction in periodontal disease appears to be a complex process, which is regulated not only by the acquired immunity to deal with ever-growing and -invading microorganisms in periodontal pockets, but also by genetic and/or environmental factors. However, our understanding of the pathogenesis in human periodontal diseases is limited by the lack of specific and sensitive tools or models to study the complex microbial challenges and their interactions with the host's immune system. Recent advances in cellular and molecular biology research have demonstrated the importance of the acquired immune system in fighting the virulent periodontal pathogens and in protecting the host from developing further devastating conditions in periodontal infections. The use of genetic knockout and immunodeficient mouse strains has shown that the acquired immune response, in particular, $CD4^+$ T-cells plays a pivotal role in controlling the ongoing infection, the immune/inflammatory responses, and the subsequent host's tissue destruction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 2001.11a
• /
• pp.41-76
• /
• 2001

Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable chronic inflammatory and destructive arthopathy that affects 1% of the population world-wide. It has substantial personal, social and economic costs. The long-term prognosis is poor: 80 percent of affected patients will become disabled within 20 years after onset of disease. Medical costs of rheumatoid arthritis average ∼$ 6000 (US) per patient (1), Current antirheumatic drugs have limited efficacy and many side effects and more importantly they do not improve the long-term prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (2). After a decade of few notable advances in therapy, several biological response modifiers that target pathophysiological processes in the disease have now emerged in the clinic. These new drugs are termed biological agents, and although information about their use in the clinic is still limited to short term treatment, they appear to have the ability to modify disease progress. In addition, COX-2 selective agents have now been approved that have comparable efficacy with standard NSAIDs, but fewer gastrointestinal side effects (3). Thus today many more therapeutic options are suddenly open to patients that even five years ago had little hope of relief from chronic pain and inflammation.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.40-45
• /
• 2017

This data mining technique was used to extract useful information from percutaneous coronary intervention data obtained from the US public data homepage. The experiment was performed by extracting data on the area, frequency of operation, and the number of deaths. It led us to finding of meaningful correlations, patterns, and trends using various algorithms, pattern techniques, and statistical techniques. In this paper, information is obtained through efficient decision tree and cluster analysis in predicting the incidence of percutaneous coronary intervention and mortality. In the cluster analysis, EM algorithm was used to evaluate the suitability of the algorithm for each situation based on performance tests and verification of results. In the cluster analysis, the experimental data were classified using the EM algorithm, and we evaluated which models are more effective in comparing functions. Using data mining technique, it was identified which areas had effective treatment techniques and which areas were vulnerable, and we can predict the frequency and mortality of percutaneous coronary intervention for heart disease.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.177-190
• /
• 2006

The aim of this study is to propose a Bayesian model for fitting mortality rate of colon cancer. For the analysis of mortality rate of a disease, factors such as age classes of population and spatial characteristics of the location are very important. The model proposed in this study allows the age class to be a random effect in addition to its conventional role as the covariate of a linear regression, while the spatial factor being a random effect. The model is fitted using Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Posterior expected predictive deviances, standardized residuals, and residual plots are used for comparison of models. It is found that the proposed model has smaller residuals and better predictive accuracy. Lastly, we described patterns in disease maps for colon cancer.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.7-21
• /
• 2019

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a common chronic glomerular disease in children characterized by significant proteinuria with resulting hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia. Renal biopsy findings of diffuse foot processes effacement on electron microscopy and minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), or diffuse mesangial proliferation on light microscopy. It has been speculated that circulating permeability factors would be implicated in the pathogenesis of NS because they have been reportedly detected in the sera of patients and in experimental models of induced proteinuria. Moreover, a substantial portion of the patients with primary FSGS recurrence shortly after transplantation. This report reviews the current knowledge regarding the role of circulating permeability factors in the pathogenesis of proteinuria in NS and suggests future targeted therapeutic approaches for NS.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.299-310
• /
• 2023

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a complex disorder characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption. It is one of the most common liver diseases worldwide, affecting approximately 25% of the global population. It is closely associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, NAFLD can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which can cause liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there are no approved drugs for the treatment of NAFLD. Therefore, the development of effective drugs is essential for NAFLD treatment. In this article, we discuss the experimental models and novel therapeutic targets for NAFLD. Additionally, we propose new strategies for the development of drugs for NAFLD.