• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Liver organoids have gained much attention in recent years for their potential applications to liver disease modeling and pharmacologic drug screening. Liver organoids produced in vitro reflect some aspects of the in vivo physiological and pathological conditions of the liver. However, the generation of liver organoids with perfusable luminal vasculature remains a major challenge, hindering precise and effective modeling of liver diseases. Furthermore, vascularization is required for large organoids or assembloids to closely mimic the complexity of tissue architecture without cell death in the core region. A few studies have successfully generated liver organoids with endothelial cell networks, but most of these vascular networks produced luminal structures after being transplanted into tissues of host animals. Therefore, formation of luminal vasculature is an unmet need to overcome the limitation of liver organoids as an in vitro model investigating different acute and chronic liver diseases. Here, we provide an overview of the unique features of hepatic vasculature under pathophysiological conditions and summarize the biochemical and biophysical cues that drive vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in vitro. We also highlight recent progress in generating vascularized liver organoids in vitro and discuss potential strategies that may enable the generation of perfusable luminal vasculature in liver organoids.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.663-669
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• 2006

This study was done to investigate the effect of Ganyangsanghang-bang(GYSHB) on hypertension. After administering GYSHB extract to SHR for 5 weeks, changes in blood pressure, pulse rate, aldosterone and catecholamine levels in plasma were examined, and immunohistochemical changes were observed, and liver function test was done. The following results were obtained; blood presure decreased significantly as well as levels of aldosterone and norepinephrine in SHR. But levels of dopamine were unaffected. No capillary vessel dilation in adrenal cortex was observed. Safety against hepatic toxicity was showed. These results support a role for GYSHB might be usefully applied in treatment of hypertension.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.131-137
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• 2006

This study was done to investigate the effect of Gamisamool-tang(GMSMT) on hypertension. After administering GMSMT extract to SHR for 5 weeks, changes in blood pressure, pulse rate, aldosterone and catecholamine levels in plasma were examined, and immunohistochemical changes were observed, and liver function test was done. The following results were obtained; blood presure decreased significantly as well as levels of aldosterone, norepinephrine and epinephrine in SHR, But levels of dopamine were unaffected. No capillary vessel dilation in adrenal cortex was observed. Safety against hepatic toxicity was showed. These results support a role for GMSMT might be usefully applied in treatment of hypertension.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.442-447
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• 2001

A 2-year-old 4.0-kg female Shih Tzu with history of hematemesis and melena was referred to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Seoul national University for further evaluation and treatment. During physical examination, the dog revealed mild depression, dry mucous membrane and abdominal pain. Hematologic values were normal and serum chemical values showed increased serum bile acid (53.47 umol/l, preprandial), fasting serum ammonia concentration (184 g/dl), alanine transferase (98 U/L), alkaline phosphatase (871 U/L) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (21 U/L), and decreased blood urea nitrogen (4 mg/dl), total protein (4.1 g/dl) and albumin (1.2 g/dl). Microhepatica was shown in abdominal radiography. During the ultrasound examination, dilated tortuous vein communicating with caudal vena cava ws observed near the stomach. Intraoperative jejunal vein portography was performed during laparotomy to confirm the location and size of shunt vessel. According to history taking, physical examination, hematologic and serum chemical examination and radiographic study, it was diagnosed as single extrahepatic portosystemic shunt. The anomalous vessel (7 mm, o.d.) that enter the caudal vena cava from the left gastric vein, near the level of the diaphragm, was identified. A Ameroid constrictor (5 mm, i.d.) was applied to the shunting vessel near the caudal vena cava. Hematologic and serum chemical values recovered gradually and were revealed normal values 4 months after surgery. Four month after surgery serum bile acids concentrations were 0.56 $\mu$mol/l (preprandial) and 18.45 umol/l (postprandial). Abdominal radiograph showed normal gastric axis and it revealed normal size of the liver. Fine texture and increased echogenecity of liver and enlargement of portal vein were shown in ultrasonography. Single extrahepatic portosystemic shunt might be treated surgically using Ameroid constrictor.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 1998

Five kinds of packed column and two kinds of capillary column were used to get optimum condition for ethanol analysis by using fifteen different volatile, low molecular weight organic substances. Only two columns, Gaskuropack 54 and DB-1, showed good separation efficiency. In the adding salt-effect experiment 0.6N - perchloric acid, 1M - meta-phosphoric acid and saturated NaCl solution were used for alcohol concentration measurement of biological fluids and tissue specimens. Among adding salt experiment, adding saturated NaCl solution showed the most stable value of alcohol concentration. This fact might be due to the increased vaporization of alcohol in the saturated NaCl solution. In the time-course of blood alcohol concentration, the alcohol level was lineary decreased to the diameter of vessel containing specimens. This result was interpreted in view of ethanol level, weight, water content, and hematocrit value. The ethanol distribution levels were measured from samples of blood and tissue obtained from 25 postmortems cases investigated by NISI. This study showed that the distribution level was decreased in order of brain, blood, kidney, spleen, liver, and lung.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.365-373
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• 2006

The present study was designed to characterize the effects of estrogen receptor agonist (4,4',4'-(4-Propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl) trisphenol, PPT) on liver and kidney in male mouse using a light microscopic analysis. PPT was subcutaneously given to adult male mice at a weekly dosage of 178.6mg/kg in a volume 0.08 ml of vehicle for 3, 5 and 8 weeks. There were differences in body and organ weights between control and the treated groups. Body and kidney weights were decreased in treated group whereas, liver weight was increased. In microscopic observations, sinusoidal diameter in liver of treated group was increased 156%, 216% and 255% on week 3, 5 and 8 respectively. Compared to the control, diameter of proximal convoluted tubules in kidney was increased 37% and 43% or week 5 and 8 in treated group. Whereas, height of epithelial cells in the proximal tubules was reduced at all time points. These results suggest that microstructure of liver and kidney was changed by treatment of estrogen receptor agonist PPT in the male mice.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.475-484
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• 2023

This study aimed to compare filters for reducing speckle noise in ultrasound images using clinical liver images. We acquired the clinical liver ultrasound images, and noisy images were obtained by adding 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.50 intensity levels of speckle noise to the liver images. The Wiener filter, median modified Wiener filter, gamma filter, and Lee filter were designed for the noisy images by setting window sizes at 3×3, 5×5, and 7×7. The coefficient of variation (COV) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were calculated to evaluate noise reduction and various filters. Moreover, the filter with the highest image quality was selected and quantitatively compared to a noisy image. As a result, COV and CNR showed the noise improved result when the Lee filter was applied. Furthermore, the Lee filter image with a window size of 7×7 was noted to possess approximately a minimum of 1.28 to a maximum of 3.38 times better COV and a minimum of 2.18 to a maximum of 5.50 times better CNR than the noisy image. In conclusion, we confirmed that the Lee filter was effective in reducing speckle noise and proved that an appropriate window size needs to be set considering blurring.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.510-518
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• 2005

In this study, we investigated whether PLGA microspheres in combination with hyaluronic acid (HA) gel have appropriate properties as a bulking agent for urologic injection therapies and whether the implantation of PLGA microspheres and HA gel induces angiogenesis in the newly formed tissues. In order to investigate whether this bulking agent is injectable, this material was injected through 24-gauge needles into the subcutaneous dorsum of the mouse. The bulking agent was easily injected without needle obstruction. Histological analyses of the hybrid tissues at 2 weeks showed that host cells at the surrounding tissues migrated into the spaces between the implanted PLGA microspheres and formed tissue-like structures. An inflammatory response to the implants was mild at 2 weeks and diminished at 8 weeks. Importantly, extensive ingrowth of blood vessels was observed in the hybrid tissues formed by the injection of PLGA microspheres and HA, whereas blood vessels rarely formed in the hybrid tissues formed by the injection of PLGA microspheres only. The implant volume was conserved for almost the entire implantation period. Histological analyses of the distant organs of the bulking agent-implanted animals, such as the lungs, liver, heart, brain, kidney, and spleen, showed no evidence of the injected microsphere migration. These results show that PLGA microspheres in combination with HA possess the appropriate characteristics for a bulking agent for urologic injection therapies and induce extensive blood vessel formation in the hybrid tissues.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.229-235
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• 2017

In abdominal Ultrasonography, the fatty liver is diagnosed through hepatic parenchymal echo increased parenchymal density and unclear blood vessel boundary, and according to many studies, abdominal Ultrasonography has 60~90% of sensitivity and 84~95% of specificity in diagnosis of fatty liver, but the result of Ultrasonography is dependent on operators, so there can be difference among operators, and quantitative measurement of fatty infiltration is impossible. Among examinees who same day received abdominal Ultrasonography and chest computed tomography (CT), patients who were diagnosed with a fatty liver in the Ultrasonography were measured with liver Hounsfield Units (HU) of chest CT imaging to analyze the accuracy of the fatty liver diagnosis. Among 720 subject examinees, those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver through abdominal Ultrasonography by family physicians were 448, which is 62.2%. The result of Liver HU measurement in the chest CT imaging of those who were diagnosed with a fatty liver showed that 175 out of 720 had the measured value of less than 40 HU, which is 24.3%, and 173 were included to the 175 among 448 who were diagnosed through Ultrasonography, so 98.9% corresponded. This indicates that the operators' subjective ability has a great impact on diagnosis of lesion in Ultrasonography diagnosis of a fatty liver, and that in check up chest CT, under 40 HU in the measurement of Liver HU can be used for reference materials in diagnosis of a fatty liver.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.261-271
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• 2006

Purpose : Dysmenorrhea which repeat every menstrual phase give complaints like pain, vomiting, nasal bleeding and etc. But in many textbooks pathogenesis and treatment process of dysmenorrhea obscure. So the purpose of this study is to identify the conception, pathogenesis and treatment process of dysmenorrhea. Methods : After catching the limitations of preexistence theory about dysmenorrhea, I show a meaningful argument of dysmenorrhea. Results : The conception, pathogenesis and treatment process of dysmenorrhea are like this. Dysmenorrhea which occurs for menstrual phase can make deficiency of blood. There are intimate relations between uterine function and the five Zang-organs, especially heart, spleen and liver, so menstruation induces the weakness of those organs. And the insufficiency of kidney and conception-thorough vessel which have control over the uterine function can make dysmenorrhea. Conclusion : The deficiency of kidney which is responsible for holding Qi breaks down the balance of Zang-organs Yin-Yang, then dysmenorrhea appears through Zang-organs weakness of heart, spleen and liver. For the treatment of dysmenorrhea, we should consider preferentially the deficiency of kidney, afterward Bianzheng Lunzhi of the Zang-fu organs.