• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.391-398
• /
• 2022

Polyploidization is a process by which cells are induced to possess more than two sets of chromosomes. Although polyploidization is not frequent in mammals, it is closely associated with development and differentiation of specific tissues and organs. The liver is one of the mammalian organs that displays ploidy dynamics in physiological homeostasis during its development. The ratio of polyploid hepatocytes increases significantly in response to hepatic injury from aging, viral infection, iron overload, surgical resection, or metabolic overload, such as that from non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLDs). One of the unique features of NAFLD is the marked heterogeneity of hepatocyte nuclear size, which is strongly associated with an adverse liver-related outcome, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation, and liver-related death. Thus, hepatic polyploidization has been suggested as a potential driver in the progression of NAFLDs that are involved in the control of the multiple pathogenicity of the diseases. However, the importance of polyploidy in diverse pathophysiological contexts remains elusive. Recently, several studies reported successful improvement of symptoms of NAFLDs by reducing pathological polyploidy or by controlling cell cycle progression in animal models, suggesting that better understanding the mechanisms of pathological hepatic polyploidy may provide insights into the treatment of hepatic disorders.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.103-111
• /
• 2022

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease caused by some risk factors, including smoking, viral infection, toxic substances, and radiation, that decline lung function of fresh oxygen and blood delivery throughout the body. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis have suffered from breathing and cough and the average survival rate is only 3 years after diagnosis. Therefore, it is significant to diagnose IPF and start treatment in enough time. Usually, lung biopsy is available to diagnose localized pulmonary fibrotic sites directly. However, it is insufficient to visualize whole lung tissue, and also it has a risk of infection for patients. In the clinic, medical imaging systems can diagnose pulmonary fibrosis non-invasively without infection. In this review, we introduce current medical imaging systems used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis, including CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine. Further, we introduce several molecular imaging probes targeting specific biomarkers which are expressed in pulmonary fibrosis. Through this paper, it is expected that it would be helpful to understand the latest knowledge and research trends on pulmonary fibrosis diagnostic imaging.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.188-192
• /
• 2023

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy (AHEI) is a rare, benign, vascular condition that primarily affects infants, and is possibly associated with respiratory viral infections. A case involving a 47-day-old male infant, who was admitted with a 1-day history of fever, is presented. Initially, the patient developed an erythematous macular rash and patches on the hands and feet, along with swelling. The fever subsided after the first day of hospitalization, and the patient remained in generally good condition with normal oral intake. Timely recognition of AHEI is crucial to avoid unnecessary medical investigations or therapies, and to promptly identify any rare but potentially severe complications that may arise.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.1789-1794
• /
• 2015

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver problem in diabetes, is a risk factor for liver cancer. Diabetes, high body mass index (BMI) and old age can all contribute to NAFLD progression. Transient elastography (TE) is used for non-invasive fibrosis assessment. Objectives: To identify the prevalence of NAFLD and significant hepatic fibrosis in diabetic patients and to assess associated factors. Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty-one diabetic and 60 normal subjects were screened. Fatty liver was diagnosed when increased hepatic echogenicity and vascular blunting were detected by ultrasonography. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) representing hepatic fibrosis was assessed by TE. LSM ${\geq}7$ kPa was used to define significant hepatic fibrosis. Results: Four cases were excluded due to positive hepatitis B viral markers and failed TE. Diabetic patients had higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference and fasting glucose levels than normal subjects. Fatty liver was diagnosed in 82 (60.7%) diabetic patients but in none of the normal group. BMI (OR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.02-1.69; p=0.038) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(OR: 1.14; 95%CI: 1.05-1.23; p=0.002) were associated with NAFLD. Diabetic patients with NAFLD had higher LSM than those without [5.99 (2.4) vs 4.76 (2.7) kPa, p=0.005)]. Significant hepatic fibrosis was more common in diabetic patients than in normal subjects [22 (16.1%) vs 1 (1.7%), p=0.002]. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)(OR: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.07-1.42; p=0.003) was associated with significant hepatic fibrosis. Conclusions: Sixty and sixteen percent of diabetic patients were found to have NAFLD and significant hepatic fibrosis. High BMI and ALT levels are the predictors of NAFLD, and elevated AST level is associated with significant hepatic fibrosis.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.219-229
• /
• 2014

The occurrence trends and moleculargenetic characteristics of noroviruses detected from gastroenteritis patients in Jeju from 2008 to 2010 were investigated. In addition, the norovirus contamination and its characteristics of groundwaters in Jeju were examined. The incidence caused by norovirus in viral gastroenteritis patients has increased every year and was higher in male than in female. The patients caused by norovirus occurred throughout all months. The incidences started to increase from November, were very high from December to February, started to decrease from March, and were very low from June to September. The patients caused by norovirus occurred throughout all ages, however, the infants below 5 years were the most susceptible to norovirus infection and the age group from teens to forties were the most insensitive to norovirus infection. The sequencing analysis showed that 18 genotypes (8 genogroup I (GI) and 10 genogroup II (GII)) were detected, the incidences caused by GI and GII were 11.5% and 88.5%, respectively, and predominant genotype was GII-4 (70.5%), which was the major genotype giving rise to norovirus incidences in Jeju, together with GII-3 (6.1%) and GI-4 (4.1%). Among 20 groundwaters sampled at 9 wells (4 non-drinking water wells and 5 drinking water wells), noroviruses were detected from 2 groundwaters sampled at one non-drinking water well and their genotypes were GI-5 and GI-8.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.3555-3559
• /
• 2013

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of HBV genetic variation and the R249S mutation of the p53 gene, a marker of AFB1-induced HCC, in Thai patients chronically infected with HBV. Sixty-five patients with and 89 patients without HCC were included. Viral mutations and R249S mutation were characterized by direct sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in serum samples, respectively. The prevalences of T1753C/A/G and A1762T/G1764A mutations in the basal core promotor (BCP) region were significantly higher in the HCC group compared to the non-HCC group. R249S mutation was detected in 6.2% and 3.4% of the HCC and non-HCC groups, respectively, which was not significantly different. By multiple logistic regression analysis, the presence of A1762T/G1764A mutations was independently associated with the risk of HCC in Thai patients.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.85-92
• /
• 2004

Immortalization of primary corneal cells has influence on pharmacy, medical and biological fields. Especially, investigation of immortalization mechanism using viral oncoproteins is useful for medical treatments, and these cell lines will be useful materials for toxic test of medical supplies and cell biological experiments. Rabbit corneal fibroblasts in culture undergo a finite number of divisions before they reach a terminally non-proliferating state known as replicative senescence. Therefore, we attempted to induce immortalization of rabbit corneal fibroblasts with SV 40 large T antigen. As a result of experiment, expression of SV 40 large T antigen was confirmed, and expression of proteins related to cell cycle repressor was decreased in the transfection group compared with non-transfection group. According to the results of cell cycle phase distribution test, SV 40 large T antigen-transfected cells had obtained higher proliferation rate than primary cells. It was confirmed that during induction of immortalization, SV 40 large T antigen was not able to increase telomerase activity. In conclusion, we made a rabbit corneal fibroblast cell line with SV40 large T antigen. This cell line will be useful for further studies of mammalian fibroblast biology, particularly with regard to angiogenesis and malignant transformation. In addition, this cell line offers opportunity for testing potential therapeutics and can be used for toxicity tests of materials or cosmetics. In the future, our cell line can potentially be utilized in a wide range of biology related fields.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7433-7438
• /
• 2013

Aim: To identify new biomarkers for NPC diagnosis with an anti-EBV Western blot test kit. Methods: Serum samples from 64 NPC patients and healthy subjects with four specific VCA-IgA/EA-IgA profiles were tested with an anti-EBV Western blot test kit from EUROIMMUN AG. Proteins were quantified with scores of intensity visually assigned to the protein bands. The markers which showed statistical differences between the NPC and non-NPC subjects were further evaluated in another 32 NPC patients and 32 controls in comparison with established biomarkers including VCA-IgA, EA-IgA, EBV-related protein IgG, and EBV DNA. Results: Among the markers screened, EA-D p45-IgG showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between NPC and non-NPC subjects with VCA-IgA positivy. In 32 VCA-IgA positive NPC patients and 32 control subjects, the diagnostic accuracy of EA-D p45-IgG was 78.1% with a positive predictive value of 77.8% and a negative predictive value of 78.6%. In the verification experiment, the specificity and sensitivity of EA-D p45-IgG were 75.0% and 90.6 %, respectively. Conclusions: EA-D p45-IgG might be a potential biomarker for NPC diagnosis, especially among VCA-IgA positive subjects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2017.06a
• /
• pp.134-134
• /
• 2017

Recently, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) system has been successfully applied into development of resistant crops against insects, fungal and viral pathogens. To test HIGS-mediated resistance in rice against rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, we first tested possibility of movement of small non-coding RNA from rice cells to rice blast fungus. The rice blast fungus expressing GFP transgene were inoculated to transgenic rice plants ectopically expressing dsRNAi construct targeting fungal GFP gene. Expression of dsRNAi construct for GFP gene in transgenic plants significantly suppressed GFP expression in infected fungal cells indicating that small RNAs generated in plant cells can move into infected fungal cells and efficiently suppress the expression of fungal GFP gene. Consistent with these results, expression of dsRNAi constructs against 3 fungal pathogenic genes of M. oryzae in transgenic rice specifically and efficiently suppressed not only the expression of fungal pathogenic genes, but also fungal infection. The conidia of M. oryzae applied on leaf sheath of transgenic rice expressing dsRNAs against 3 fungal pathogenic genes showed abnormal development of primary hyphae and malfunction of appressorium, which is consistent with the phenotypes of corresponding fungal knock-out mutants. Taken these results together, here, we suggest a novel strategy for development of antifungal crops by means of HIGS system.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.133-137
• /
• 2020

Diarrhea is the most common cause of death in calves, and remains a major health challenge. Although there are many studies on the related pathogens, the understanding of the clinicopathological changes is limited. This study aimed to identify the pathogens and observe the clinicopathological changes in electrolytes and acute phase proteins (APPs) associated with diarrhea. Blood samples and fecal samples were collected from 141 calves for the determination of APPs, electrolyte and acid-base status and identification of enteropathogens, respectively. Single or co-infections with enteropathogens, including virus (bovine viral diarrhea virus, coronavirus, and rotavirus), Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, and Escherichia coli K99 were detected in both non-diarrheic and diarrheic calves. Levels of APPs such as serum amyloid A, haptoglobin and fibrinogen were comparable between diarrheic and non-diarrheic calves. Hypoglycemia, high blood urea, electrolytes and acid-base imbalance (hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and decreased bicarbonate), and strong ion difference (SID) acidosis showed a significant association in diarrheic calves (p < 0.01). Particularly, significant hyponatremia, bicarbonate loss, SID acidosis, hypoglycemia, and elevated blood urea nitrogen were found in rotavirus-infected calves. Monitoring the clinicopathological parameters of APPs and electrolyte levels could be vital in the clinical management of diarrheic calves.