• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.17-20
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• 2019

A stray female cat of unknown age, presenting bright red watery diarrhea, was submitted to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for diagnosis. In the small intestines extracted from the necropsied cat, numerous white oval-shaped organisms were firmly embedded in the mucosa and there was thickening of intestinal wall. Histopathological analysis revealed severe necrotizing enteritis, together with atrophied intestinal villi, exfoliated enterocytes, and parasitic worms. Recovered worms were identified as Pharyngostomum cordatum by morphological observation and genetic analysis. Although P. cordatum is known to occur widely in Korea, this is the first clinical description of an infection by P. cordatum causing severe feline enteritis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2012

Intestinal giant-cystic disease (IGCD) of the Israel carp (Cyprinus carpio nudus) has been recognized as one of the most serious diseases afflicting inland farmed fish in the Republic of Korea, and Thelohanellus kitauei has been identified as the causative agent of the disease. Until now, studies concerning IGCD caused by T. kitauei in the Israel carp have been limited to morphological and histopathological examinations. However, these types of diagnostic examinations are relatively time-consuming, and the infection frequently cannot be detected in its early stages. In this study, we cloned the full-length 18S rRNA gene of T. kitauei isolated from diseased Israel carps, and carried out molecular identification by comparing the sequence with those of other myxosporeans. Moreover, conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) using oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of 18S rRNA gene fragment were established for further use as methods for rapid diagnosis of IGCD. Our results demonstrated that both the conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR systems applied herein are effective for rapid detection of T. kitauei spores in fish tissues and environmental water.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.222-230
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• 2019

Intestinal barrier dysfunction always accompanies cirrhosis in patients with advanced liver disease and is an important contributor facilitating bacterial translocation (BT), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and its complications. Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of Vitamin D on intestinal barrier function. However, severe cholestasis leads to vitamin D depletion. This study was designed to test whether vitamin D therapy improves intestinal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 50% sterile $CCl_4$ (a mixture of pure $CCl_4$ and olive oil, 0.3 mL/100 g) twice a week for 6 weeks. Next, $1,25(OH)_2D_3$ ($0.5{\mu}g/100g$) and the vehicle were administered simultaneously with $CCl_4$ to compare the extent of intestinal histologic damage, tight junction protein expression, intestinal barrier function, BT, intestinal proliferation, apoptosis, and enterocyte turnover. Intestinal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and oxidative stress were also assessed. We found that vitamin D could maintain intestinal epithelial proliferation and turnover, inhibit intestinal epithelial apoptosis, alleviate structural damage, and prevent BT and intestinal barrier dysfunction. These were achieved partly through restoration of HO-1 and inhibition of oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that vitamin D ameliorated intestinal epithelial turnover and improved the integrity and function of intestinal barrier in $CCl_4$-induced liver cirrhotic rats. HO-1 signaling activation was involved in these above beneficial effects.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.3-10
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Previously, Sasa quelpaertensis leaves have been shown to mediate anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects, although it remains unclear whether Sasa leaves are able to attenuate inflammation-related intestinal diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract (SQE) using an in vitro co-culture model of the intestinal epithelial environment. MATERIALS/METHODS: An in vitro co-culture system was established that consisted of intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce inflammation. RESULTS: Treatment with SQE significantly suppressed the secretion of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), IL-6, and IL-$1{\beta}$ in co-cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ were down-regulated in response to inhibition of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation by SQE. Compared with two bioactive compounds that have previously been identified in SQE, tricin and P-coumaric acid, SQE exhibited the most effective anti-inflammatory properties. CONCLUSIONS: SQE exhibited intestinal anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting various inflammatory mediators mediated through nuclear transcription factor kappa-B (NF-kB) activation. Thus, SQE has the potential to ameliorate inflammation-related diseases, including IBD, by limiting excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.714-717
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• 2003

Although the incidence of tuberculosis has been reduced recently because of the advance of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, improvements of public health, and early diagnosis, it is still high in developing countries. Intestinal tuberculosis can occur at any age, but young adults and female are more affected. Early diagnosis of childhood intestinal tuberculosis is difficult, largely because of vague symptoms and nonspecific signs. Recently, tuberculosis of the larynx combined with pulmonary tuberculosis has become quite a rare disease since anti-tuberculous chemotherapy and preventive activities are prevalent. Laryngeal tuberculosis, while relatively well recognized in the adult population, is a rare disease in chidren and adolescents. There are few reports of intestinal tuberculosis combined with endobronchial and laryngeal tuberculosis in children. We have experienced a case of intestinal tuberculosis which concurred with endobronchial and laryngeal tuberculosis in an 18-year-old girl who presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, a brassy cough, and anemia, which was diagnosed by a colonoscopy and bronchoscopy with biopsy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.7
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• pp.217-220
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• 2018

Purpose: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic and immune-mediated disease, which is characterized by the progressive destruction of pancreatic beta cells. T1DM precipitates in genetically susceptible individuals through environmental factors. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of autoimmunity and intestinal colonization of Candida albicans on the development of T1DM. Methods: Forty-two patients newly diagnosed with T1DM and 42 healthy subjects were included in this monocentric study. The basic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded. T1DM-, thyroid-, and celiac-associated antibodies were evaluated. Stool cultures for C. albicans were performed to assess whether or not gut integrity was impaired in patients with T1DM. Results: The evaluation of T1DM- and thyroid-associated antibodies showed that the prevalences of islet cell antibodies and antithyroperoxidase positivity were higher in the study patients than in the patients in the control group. Furthermore, the direct examination and culture of fresh stool samples revealed that 50% of the patients with T1DM and 23.8% of the control subjects had fungi (C. albicans). Conclusion: Through this study, we suggest that the presence of intestinal C. albicans colonization at the time of the diagnosis of T1DM may indicate impairment of normal intestinal microbiota. We also suggest that there may be a tendency of T1DM in patients with a high prevalence of intestinal C. albicans.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.190-196
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• 2005

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is uncommon in developed countries, yet is common in underdeveloped and developing countries. Infection rate of H. pylori is minimally influenced by economic, environmental, and public health status and genetic factors. Korea is a developing country with a high incidence of H. pylori infection and gastric carcinoma, which is one of the leading causes of death. For this reason, accurate clinical and pathologic data on H. pylori-associated disease are very important. Intestinal metaplasia accompanies chronic gastritis and increases the risk of gastric carcinoma. For this reason, the relationship between H. pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia is very closely linked. Because of this, as the antecedent condition is guessed, it examines the relationship of the H. pylori and the intestinal metaplasia. Intestinal metaplasia is thought to be the basis in the development of intestinal type gastric carcinomas. Recent investigations showed that inflammatory reaction in the gastric fundus affect the development of gastric carcinogenesis. To verify neutrophilic activity in the gastric fundus and development of intestinal metaplasia in both gastric fundus and antral mucosa, their relationship was studied using 159 healthy patients who had undergone gastric endoscopic biopsies without any identifiable pathologic disesaes. When neutrophilic activity accompanied, incidence of intestinal metaplasia was significantly increased (p<0.05). H. pylori infection was statistically and significantly associated with the presence of intestinal metaplasia (p<0.05). These results suggest that H. pylori infection affected the development of intestinal metaplasia in the stomach. These results will help our understanding of H. pylori infection in the pathogenesis of intestinal metaplasia, a preneoplastic condition of the stomach. To reduce the incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma, eradication treatment of H. pylori is recommended when there's a neutrophilic activity in the gastric fundus.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.218-227
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• 2022

Purpose: To analyze the characteristics of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over the past three decades in Argentina and determine if there are differences between the first two decades and the past decade. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter analytical study in children with IBD between 0 and 18 years of age diagnosed between 1987 and 2017 in three tertiary health centers in Argentina. The evaluation included clinical characterization, endoscopy, histology, and imaging data together with therapeutic strategies. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1, diagnosed between 1987 and 2007, and Group 2, diagnosed between 2008 and 2017. Results: Of the 756 patients included, 409 (54%) had ulcerative colitis (UC), 250 (33%) had Crohn's disease (CD), and 97 (13%) had IBD-unclassified (IBD-U). The positive family history was 3.8%, which was more frequent among children under two years of age (6.7%). There were no significant differences in clinical presentation and extraintestinal manifestations between periods, with hepatic manifestations being the most frequent. In the last decade, we found an upward trend in CD, a downward trend in UC/IBD-U, even after adjustment for socioeconomic status, and a decrease of 50% in surgical treatments coinciding with the advent of biological therapy. Conclusion: This is the first multicenter cohort study in a Latin American country to describe clinical, endoscopic, and therapeutic data across the past 30-year period. Although CD was responsible for the overall increase in incidence, UC was still prevalent in this region.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2004

In late summer of 2001, a new disease "overturn disease" occurred among mud loach (Misgurnus mizolepis) cultured in a farm Chonbuk Province. The fish exhibited a lethargic, erratic and spiral swimming at the water surface. Affected fish showed swollen abdomen with accumulation of air bubbles in the intestinal canal. The bubbles were much larger in the anterior part than in the posterior part. Hematological and histopathological examinations were done. No significant differences were found in RBC count, Ht value and Hb concentration between the diseased and the healthy fish. Gill filaments showed proximal hyperplasia of the respiratory epithelia and fusing of the gill lamella. Hemorrhage and necrosis occurred in the intestinal epithelia and within the lamina propria, and the mucosal epithelia were separated from the muscularis. Hepatocytes underwent atrophy. In the fish experimentally tied between the annal fin and the anus by a thread to confirm accumulation of air bubbles within intestine, accumulation of air bubbles was confirmed. This disease in mud loach appeared to be induced by circulatory disturbances in the intestinal wall owing to accumulation of air bubbles in the alimentary canal after fed high protein diet throughout all culturing period.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.131-144
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• 1999

Coccidiosis, an intestinal infection caused by intracellular protozoan parasites belonging to several different species of Eimeria seriously impairs the growth and feed utilization of livestock and poultry. Due to complex life cycle of organism and intricate host immune responses to Elmeria, coccidia vaccine development has been difficult. Understanding of basic imunobiology of pertinent host-parasite interactions is necessary for the development of novel control strategy. Although chickens infected with Eimeria spp. produce parasite-specific antibodies in both the circulation and mucosal secretions, antibody mediated responses play a minor role in protection gainst coccidiosis. Rather, increasing evidence show that cell-mediated immunity plays a major role in resistance to coccidiosis. T-lymphocytes appear to respond to coccidiosis both through cytokine production and a direct cytotoxic attack on infected cells. The exact mechanisms by which T-cells eliminate the parasites, however, remain to be investigated. Since it is crucial to understand the intestinal immune system in order to develop an immunological control strategy against any intestinal immune system in order to develop an immunological control strategy against any intestinal diseases, this presentation will summarize our current understanding of the avian intestinal immune system and mucosal immune responses to Eimeria, to provide a conceptual overview of the complex molecular and cellular events involved in intestinal immune responses to enteric pathogens.