• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.64-67
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• 2014

Esophageal cancer has a poor prognosis, because the progression rate is faster compared to that of other cancers, Up to 30-40% of cases are inoperable at diagnosis, and most cases occur in the elderly. By this time, surgery has been regarded as the treatment of choice in patients suffering esophageal cancer and recent improvements in surgical techniques and perioperative management have significantly increased the resection rate and reduced the operative mortality. And Although the combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy has been reported to be an effective treatment for esophageal cancer, most cases show only partial remission. Moreover, radiation therapy alone or chemotherapy alone has limited efficacy. We report a rare case of an 80-year-old man who presented with a chief complaint of dysphasia and was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer, with a review of the literature. Considering his advanced age, generally poor performance status, and the risk of fistula development after radiation therapy due to indentation of esophageal cancer into the main bronchus, palliative, rather than therapeutic, chemotherapy was performed, and complete remission was obtained.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.104-107
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• 2013

Gallbladder (GB) cancer is highly malignant neoplasm found in advanced stage and chemotherapy commonly plays a palliative role in GB cancer. We report a case of unresectable GB cancer treated with chemotherapy followed by extended cholecystectomy. Fifty-six-year-old male visited our hospital with weight loss and dyspnea on exertion. Computed tomography detected pulmonary embolism and diffuse GB wall thickening with para-aortic lymph node enlargement. The length of common channel was 23mm at magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography which stands for anomalous union of the pancreaticobiliary duct. Anticoagulation was started for pulmonary embolism. GB wall mass was regarded as unresectable GB cancer with distant lymph node metastasis. Gemcitabine and cisplatin combination chemotherapy was carried out for 6 cycles. Primary tumor was stationary but multiple enlarged lymphnodes were almost completely disappeared. Extended cholecystectomy with hepaticojejunostomy was performed. Post-operative tumor stage was T3N1 (stage IIIB) and R0 resection was achieved. After operation he has no evidence of disease recurrence for 6 months.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.689-696
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• 2024

Objective: Our study examined the impact of propriety blends of Bacillus strain probiotics on the performance, egg quality, and faecal microflora of laying hens. Methods: A total of 183 Institut de selection Animale (ISA) brown laying hens aged 23 weeks with an average body weight of 1,894±72 g were randomly allocated into 3 groups as control (corn-soybean meal based diet, CON), 0.5 g/kg Enterosure probiotics (ET1, 3×10⁸ colony-forming unit [CFU]/kg feed), and 5 g/kg Enterosure probiotics (ET2, 3×10⁹ CFU/kg feed) administered in mashed form. At the completion of each phase hen day egg production (HDEP), average egg weight (AEW), feed intake, and faecal microbiota were evaluated. Results: HDEP and AEW were higher (p<0.05) in the ET2-supplemented diet in phase 3 (week 9 to 12) compared with CON. Egg mass (EM) was higher (p<0.05) in phase 2 at ET2, and also higher (p<0.05) in phase 3 at the ET1 and ET2-supplemented diets compared with CON. Feed conversion ratio was lower (p<0.05) in phase 3 at the ET1 and ET2-supplemented diets, with ET2 being the lowest compared with ET1 and CON. Yolk colour was higher (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets at phase 3 compared with CON. Bifidobacterium spp. was higher (p<0.05) in the ET2- supplemented diet compared with CON in phase 2, while in In phase 3, Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. were higher (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets compared with CON. Coliforms were lower (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets compared with CON in phase 3. Conclusion: The propriety blends of Bacillus strain probiotics supplements at 0.5 g/kg and 5 g/kg could improve the production and quality of eggs with more significance at 5 g/kg for HDEP, AEW and EM, which was achieved via the increase of beneficial microbiomes such as Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and the decrease of pathogenic microbiomes like Escherichia coli and Coliforms which was speculated to improve gut barrier function and the reproductive hormone.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2024

Objectives : Ulcerative colitis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. However, there are some drawbacks to long-term drug therapy such as the risk of opportunistic infections. Recently, there was an increasing interest on the use of khorasan Kamut wheat because of their higher value of selenium and fiber than modern wheat. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of Kamut brand wheat enzyme (Kamut WE) diet on colon health in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Methods : Female C57BL/6J mice were divided into 6 groups. (1) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (2) control (1.25% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (3) Kamut WE (1.25% DSS and Kamut WE diet), (4) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (5) control (2.50% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (6) Kamut WE (2.50% DSS and Kamut WE diet). Dietary intake, body weight change, disease activity index (DAI), colon length and spleen weight were monitored. Results : Kamut WE group alleviated colitis symptom, including dietary intake loss, DAI (weight loss, loose stools, bleeding), colon length shortening and spleen swelling. Further, Kamut WE diets showed a significant effect against pathological damage by the increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in DSS 1.25% as well as DSS 2.50%. Conclusions : Our study provides evidence that Kamut WE diet increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in intestinal inflammation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.705-711
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• 2022

A 46-year-old male with alcoholic liver cirrhosis underwent a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for refractory ascites. On the 9th day after the procedure, he presented with melena and decreasing hemoglobin levels. Hemobilia due to fistula formation between the right intrahepatic bile duct and right hepatic artery was suspected on computed tomography. Angiography revealed a fistula of the small branches of the hepatic segmental arteries, and right intrahepatic bile duct was confirmed; embolization was successfully performed with a coil for the eighth segmental hepatic artery, a glue-lipiodol mixture for the fifth segmental hepatic artery, and gelfoam slurry for the right anterior hepatic artery. However, 2 days after embolization, the patient died owing to aggravated disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. When gastrointestinal bleeding occurs after TIPS, careful evaluation is immediately required, and hemobilia should be considered.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.1013-1018
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• 2020

Ascariasis is an intestinal disease caused by Ascaris lumbricoides. Most patients with ascariasis are asymptomatic; however, the presence of many larvae in the bowel can cause gastrointestinal complications, such as intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice, cholangitis, cholecystitis, and pancreatitis. Herein, we report a case of ascariasis presenting as hematoma and active bleeding in the sigmoid mesocolon of a 74-year-old man on computed tomography (CT). Sigmoid colon perforation was also detected on follow-up CT. Laparoscopic low anterior resection was performed; there was a large hematoma in the sigmoid mesocolon. Roundworms were microscopically identified in the mesenteric adipose tissue. The clinical and CT findings of this unusual presentation of ascariasis revealed serial complications during parasite migration from the intestinal lumen to the peritoneal cavity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.6
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• pp.1389-1396
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• 2020

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze several technical and clinical factors associated with the successful management of postoperative leakage by percutaneous Foley catheter placement. Materials and Methods Thirty-two patients were included in this retrospective study. Postoperative gastrointestinal leakage was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) and the patients underwent percutaneous Foley catheter placement into the leakage site through Jackson-Pratt tubes or imaging-guided methods. Clinical success was defined as successful Foley catheter removal without symptom recurrence within 1 week and the risk factors for clinical failure were analyzed. Results In all patients, percutaneous Foley catheter placement was successfully achieved without complications. Foley catheter was placed at a median of 10 days (range, 1-68) after the confirmation of leakage on CT. Clinical success was achieved in 26 of the 32 patients (81%). Systemic comorbidity (p < 0.001) and failed oral intake (p = 0.015) were the statistically significant risk factors for clinical failure. Conclusion Percutaneous Foley catheter placement can be considered an effective approach for the management of postoperative bowel leakage. The presence of systemic comorbidity and successful oral diet after Foley catheter placement are significant factors for successful clinical recovery.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1093-1101
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• 2023

Objective: Cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a noninvasive method to quantitatively assess bowel motility. However, its accuracy in measuring various degrees of small bowel motility has not been extensively evaluated. We aimed to draw a quantitative small bowel motility score from cine MRI and evaluate its performance in a population with varying degrees of small bowel motility. Materials and Methods: A total of 174 participants (28.5 ± 7.6 years; 135 males) underwent a 22-second-long cine MRI sequence (2-dimensional balanced turbo-field echo; 0.5 seconds per image) approximately 5 minutes after being intravenously administered 10 mg of scopolamine-N-butyl bromide to deliberately create diverse degrees of small bowel motility. In a manually segmented area of the small bowel, motility was automatically quantified using a nonrigid registration and calculated as a quantitative motility score. The mean value (MV) of motility grades visually assessed by two radiologists was used as a reference standard. The quantitative motility score's correlation (Spearman's ρ) with the reference standard and performance (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC], sensitivity, and specificity) for diagnosing adynamic small bowel (MV of 1) were evaluated. Results: For the MV of the quantitative motility scores at grades 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3, the mean ± standard deviation values were 0.019 ± 0.003, 0.027 ± 0.010, 0.033 ± 0.008, 0.032 ± 0.009, and 0.043 ± 0.013, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the quantitative motility score and the MV (ρ = 0.531, P < 0.001). The AUROC value for diagnosing a MV of 1 (i.e., adynamic small bowel) was 0.953 (95% confidence interval, 0.923-0.984). Moreover, the optimal cutoff for the quantitative motility score was 0.024, with a sensitivity of 100% (15/15) and specificity of 89.9% (143/159). Conclusion: The quantitative motility score calculated from a cine MRI enables diagnosis of an adynamic small bowel, and potentially discerns various degrees of bowel motility.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.16.1-16.20
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• 2022

The gastrointestinal tract is the first organ directly affected by fasting. However, little is known about how fasting influences the intestinal immune system. Intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) capture antigens, migrate to secondary lymphoid organs, and provoke adaptive immune responses. We evaluated the changes of intestinal DCs in mice with short-term fasting and their effects on protective immunity against Listeria monocytogenes (LM). Fasting induced an increased number of CD103⁺CD11b^- DCs in both small intestinal lamina propria (SILP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN). The SILP CD103⁺CD11b^- DCs showed proliferation and migration, coincident with increased levels of GM-CSF and C-C chemokine receptor type 7, respectively. At 24 h post-infection with LM, there was a significant reduction in the bacterial burden in the spleen, liver, and mLN of the short-term-fasted mice compared to those fed ad libitum. Also, short-term-fasted mice showed increased survival after LM infection compared with ad libitum-fed mice. It could be that significantly high TGF-β2 and Aldh1a2 expression in CD103⁺CD11b^- DCs in mice infected with LM might affect to increase of Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells. Changes of major subset of DCs from CD103⁺ to CD103^- may induce the increase of IFN-γ-producing cells with forming Th1-biased environment. Therefore, the short-term fasting affects protection against LM infection by changing major subset of intestinal DCs from tolerogenic to Th1 immunogenic.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.395-404
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• 2024

Background: Ginsenoside Rg₁ (Rg₁) is one of the main active components in Chinese medicines, Panax ginseng and Panax notoginseng. Research has shown that Rg₁ has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, including anti-myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, anti-apoptosis, and promotion of myocardial angiogenesis, suggesting it a potential cardiovascular agent. However, the protective mechanism involved is still not fully understood. Methods: Based on network pharmacology, ligand-based protein docking, proteomics, Western blot, protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis (UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra) techniques, potential targets and pathways for Rg₁ against myocardial ischemia (MI) were screened and explored. Results: An important target set containing 19 proteins was constructed. Two target proteins with more favorable binding activity for Rg₁ against MI were further identified by molecular docking, including mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) and adenosine kinase (ADK). Meanwhile, Rg₁ intervention on H9c2 cells injured by H₂O₂ showed an inhibitory oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The inhibition of Rg₁ on MAPK1 and OXPHOS pathway was confirmed by Western blot assay. By protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis, the binding reaction between ADK and Rg₁ was also evaluated. Conclusion: Rg₁ can effectively alleviate cardiomyocytes oxidative stress injury via targeting MAPK1 and ADK, and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The present study provides scientific basis for the clinical application of the natural active ingredient, Rg₁, and also gives rise to a methodological reference to the searching of action targets and pathways of other natural active ingredients.