• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.257-268
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• 2002

Chronic infection and inflammation have recently been implicated as important etiologic agents of atherosclerosis. Several agents have been suggested as possible candidates including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex vims type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Helicobacter pylori. We evaluated the relationship between cytornegalovirus infection and atherosclerosis by in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We examined 23 subjects with atherosclerosis and 10 matched control subjects without atherosclerosis. CMV was detected by in situ hybridization in 60.9% (14/23) of aorta and 42.9% (9/21) of coronary arteries in subjects with atherosclerosis. It was also detected by PCR in 65.2% (15/23) of aorta and 52.4% (11/21) of coronary arteries. CMV was detected on areas showing early or advanced atheromatous changes. Cells morphologically identical to smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and Schwann cells were positively reacted with the CMV probe. However. none of the cells to which the probe hybridized contained inclusion bodies, thus strongly suggesting that the arterial wall may be a site of CMV latency. This result Indicates that CMV may potentially play a direct or indirect role in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.236-240
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• 2003

Human immune system acts to protect the host from infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and from other noxious insults. However, immune diseases are sometimes caused by the impairment of immune system leading to abnormal immune response. Especially, autoimmune diseases are very diverse and often bring serious damage Although many active investigations to reveal the etiological mechanisms concerning the autoimmune diseases, it still remains unclear. After proposing a HERV (human endogenous retrovirus) as a candidate autoimmune gene in type I diabetes, it is newly attracting our attention for demonstrating that an endogenous human retroviral superantigen can be transactivated by interferon-$\alpha$ (IFN- $\alpha$) or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. These might provide us with powerful clues to carry out further studies to overcome autoimmune diseases as the presentation of a relatively clear connection between endogenous superantigens and human diseases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 2009

EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are used as a resource for human genetic, immunological, and pharmacogenomic studies. We investigated the biological activity of 20 LCL strains during continuous long-term subculture up to a passage number of 160. Out of 20 LCL strains, 17 proliferated up to a passage number of 160, at which point LCLs are generally considered as "immortalized". The other three LCL strains lost the ability to proliferate at an average passage number of 41, during which these LCLs may have undergone cellular crisis. These non-immortal LCL strains exhibited no telomerase activity, decreased EBV gene expression, and a lower copy number of the EBV genome and mitochondrial DNA when compared with immortal LCLs. Thus, this study suggests that sustained EBV viral activity as well as telomerase activity may be required for complete LCL immortalization.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2015

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is an angiocentric and angiodestructive neoplastic proliferation of B and T lymphocytes commonly involving the lungs. Epstein-Barr virus is commonly detected in lesional cells. We report a case of a 54-year-old female with underlying monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance who presented with a 4 week history of dyspnea and cough. Computed tomography scan of the chest showed multiple lung nodules as well as endobronchial narrowing causing atelectasis at the left upper lobe. Bronchoscopic findings revealed obstruction at the lingula segment due to endobronchial mass as a rare presentation. Bronchoscopic biopsy was diagnosed with LYG grade 1. After treatment, the endobronchial mass and lung lesions were completely resolved. However, the patient eventually evolved to malignant lymphoma after 1 year.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.82-85
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• 2015

Pyothorax-associated lymphoma is a relatively rare type of lymphoma that occurs in patients who have long histories of tuberculous pleuritis or induced pneumothorax. It is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of mainly the B-cell phenotype and is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. A majority of these cases have been reported in Japan, although some cases have occurred in Western countries. Here, we describe a case of pyothorax-associated lymphoma in a patient with a 30-year history of chronic tuberculous empyema. The patient underwent decortication under the impression of chronic empyema with fistula. The histopathologic diagnosis was a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated chronic inflammation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2021

Laryngeal lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) is a rare tumor with only 34 cases in the published literature. Epidemiologically, laryngeal LEC is extremely rare in Asian. Originally, LEC is a common type of carcinoma in nasopharynx. Laryngeal LEC resembles nasopharyngeal LEC, except that most cases of laryngeal LEC are not associated with Epstein-Barr virus. We present a case of laryngeal LEC which developed at the left false cord extending to true vocal cord, para-glottic space and pre-epiglottic space. Total laryngectomy with bilateral neck dissection was performed. LEC was reported as biopsy confirmation result. The patient underwent postoperative radiotherapy and showed no evidence of recurrence during follow-up period of 42 months. In consideration that LEC in larynx have not been reported in South Korea yet, we introduce the clinical features and treatment outcomes of laryngeal LEC with literature review.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-56
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• 2024

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the molecular profiling of gastric cancer. This progress has led to the development of various molecular classifications to uncover subtype-specific dependencies that can be targeted for therapeutic interventions. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a crucial biomarker for advanced gastric cancer. The recent promising results of novel approaches, including combination therapies or newer potent agents such as antibody-drug conjugates, have once again brought attention to anti-HER2 targeted treatments. In HER2-negative diseases, the combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy and programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors has become the established standard of care in first-line settings. In the context of gastric cancer, potential biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, Epstein-Barr virus, microsatellite instability, and tumor mutational burden are being considered for immunotherapy. Recently, promising results have been reported in studies on anti-Claudin18.2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 treatments. Currently, many ongoing trials are aimed at identifying potential targets using novel approaches. Further investigations will be conducted to enhance the progress of these therapies, addressing challenges such as primary and acquired resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and clonal evolution. We believe that these efforts will improve patient prognoses. Herein, we discuss the current evidence of potential targets for systemic treatment, clinical considerations, and future perspectives.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.48
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• pp.49-57
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• 2003

There is much evidence suggesting that compounds present in soybean can prevent cancer in many different organ systems. Especially, soybean is one of the most important source of dietary saponins, which have been considered as possible anticarcinogens to inhibit tumor development and major active components contributing to the cholesterol-towering effect. Also they were reported to inhibit of the infectivity of the AIDS virus (HIV) and the Epstein-Barr virus. The biological activity of saponins depend on their specific chemical structures. Various types of triterpenoid saponins are present in soy-bean seeds. Among them, group B soyasaponis were found as the primary soyasaponins present in soybean, and th e 2, 3-dihydro-2, 5-dihydroxy-6- methyl-4H-pyran-4-one(DDMP)-conjugated soyasaponin $\alpha\textrm{g}$, $\beta\textrm{g}$, and $\beta$ a were the genuine group B saponins, which have health benefits. On the other hand, group A saponins are responsible for the undesirable bitter and astringent taste in soybean. The variation of saponin composition in soybean seeds is explained by different combinations of 9 alleles of 4 gene loci that control the utilization of soyasapogenol glycosides as substrates. The mode of inheritance of saponin types is explained by a combination of co-dominant, dominant and recessive acting genes. The funtion of theses genes is variety-specific and organ specific. Therefore distribution of various saponins types was different according to seed tissues. Soyasaponin $\beta\textrm{g}$ was detected in both parts whereas $\alpha\textrm{g}$ and $\beta$ a was detected only in hypocotyls and cotyledons, respectively. Soyasaponins ${\gamma}$g and $\gamma\textrm{g}$ were minor saponin constituents in soybean. In case group A saponins were mostly detected in hypocotyls. Also, the total soyasaponin contents varied among different soy-bean varieties and concentrations in the cultivated soy-beans were 2-fold lower than in the wild soybeans. But the contents of soyasaponin were not so influenced by environmental effects. The composition and concentration of soyasaponins were different among the soy products (soybean flour, soycurd, tempeh, soymilk, etc.) depending on the processing conditions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1705-1712
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• 2016

Background: The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the association of different viral infections, with hepatitis B and C viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and human herpes virus-8 (HBV, HCV, EBV, CMV, HHV-8) with the risk of lymphomas (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) among Egyptian patients, and correlate with the histopathological staging and typing as well as the prevalence of combined infections. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 newly diagnosed lymphoma patients with 100 healthy age and sex matched normal controls were assayed for viral infection using enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) followed by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Our results showed a high statistical significant difference between cases and controls as regards clinical and laboratory findings (P<0.001 and=0.003). A high statistical difference was seen for the association of most viruses and lymphoma cases (p<0.001) except for positive HBs Ag, positive CMV IgG and HHV-8 (p=0.37, 0.70 and 1.0 respectively). No statistical significant difference was found between Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin (NHL) as regards viral prevalence except HCV antigen, 57.1% for HL and 26.5% for NHL (p = 0.03). Only, HBV DNA showed a high significant value among infiltrated bone marrow cases (p=0.003) and finally, a high significant association of 2 combined viral infections with infiltrated bone marrow lymphoma cases (p=0.04). Conclusions: Our results showed that infection with HBV, HCV, CMV and EBV were associated with increased risk of lymphoma among the Egyptian population. Detection of new associations between infectious agents and risk of cancer development will facilitate progress in elaboration of prophylactic measures, early diagnostic methods and, hopefully, novel therapy of malignant tumours.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.176-179
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• 2015

Rituximab (RTX), a monoclonal antibody against the B-cell marker CD20, is commonly used as a treatment for antibody-mediated diseases or B-lymphocyte-mediated diseases. Destruction of B cells may reverse the disease course in many conditions; however, patients who are treated with RTX cannot respond appropriately to de novo infection due to lack of B lymphocytes. Here, we report one such case. A 7-year-old renal allograft recipient presented with severe anemia due to parvovirus infection after RTX treatment. The patient had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and had received cadaveric kidney transplantation 6 months previously. She was treated with high-dose steroid for acute rejection and RTX for Epstein Barr Virus infection 3 months previously. At presentation, her hemoglobin level was 5.4 g/dL and leukocyte and platelet counts were normal. She had microcytic normochromic anemia and high viral load of parvovirus B19(70,578 copies/mL). Intravenous immunoglobulin ($200mg/kg{\cdot}d$) treatment controlled the progression of anemia and parvovirus infection. De novo parvovirus infection during the B lymphocyte-depletion period may have precipitated the severe anemia in this case. Close monitoring of infection is required after RTX therapy.