• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.295-303
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• 2023

Immune and metabolic systems are important factors in maintaining homeostasis. Immune response and metabolic regulation are highly associated, so, when the normal metabolism is disturbed, the immune response changed followed the metabolic diseases occur. Likewise, obesity is highly related to immune response. Obesity, which is caused by an imbalance in energy metabolism, is associated with metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver diseases, atherosclerosis and hypertension. As known, obesity is characterized in chronic low-grade inflammation. In obesity, the microenvironment of immune cells became inflammatory by the unique activation phenotypes of immune cells such as macrophage, natural killer cell, T cell. Also, the immune cells interact each other in cellular or cytokine mechanisms, which intensify the obesity-induced inflammatory response. This phenomenon suggests the possibility of regulating the activation of immune cells as a pharmacological therapeutic strategy for obesity in addition to the common pharmacological treatment of obesity which is aimed at inhibiting enzymes such as pancreatic lipase and α-amylase or inhibiting differentiation of preadipocytes. In this review, we summarize the activation phenotypes of macrophage, natural killer cell and T cell, and their aspects in obesity. We also summarize the pharmacological substances that alleviates obesity by regulating the activation of immune cells.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 1998

The anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct union (APBDU) might cause the formation of choledochal cyst and malignancies of hepatopancreaticobiliary system. The purpose of this study is to make an experimental animal model of APBDU similar to that of human. One to two-month-old Mongrel dogs (n=12) were divided into two groups; the control group (n=2) had a sham operation performed, and in the experimental group (n=10) the end of distal ' common bile duct (CBD) was anastomosed to the side of the dorsal pancreatic duct making APBDD. Serum was obtained for chemical analysis on the 10th postoperative day. The dogs were sacrificed at the 5th week (n=3), the 6th week (n=3), the 7th week (n=2), the 8th week (n=2) and the 6th month (n=2) after the experimental surgery. With sacrifice, operative cholangiogram was taken, and bile juice was obtained for chemistry and bacterial culture. The en-bloc specimens of the hepatopancreaticobiliary system were removed for microscopic examination. Serum and bile juice amylase levels were elevated in the experimental group(n=10), but not in the control group(n=2). Operative cholangiograms of control group revealed no evidence of bile duct dilatation.. On the other hand, the bile duct in the experimental group was markedly dilated without any evidence of stenosis at the anastomosis site (n=10). Histologic examination of the hepatopancreaticobiliary system in the experimental group resembled the findings of choledochal cyst in human. The APBDU of this animal model can produce bile duct dilatation by pancreaticobiliary reflux. We think that this animal model can be potentially promising for the research about the APBDU associated hepatopancreaticobiliary diseases.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2006

The purposes of this study were to investigate the symptoms, diseases and deaths of residents living near the municipal solid waste landfill site, and to compare the relative risk ratio of their adverse health effects with control group. In self-evaluation, the scores were especially severe lowest in residents of v2 and v3 villages(which were located about 500 m toward under the landfill site) such as 32.2 and 16.7 for village-environment, 24.8 and 16.0 for management of landfill site, and 23.5 and 16.5 for confidence of environmental policy, respectively. On symptoms, relative risk ratios were also highest as 3.53 and 3.55 for breathing difficulty, and 3.36 and 3.00 for respiratory symptom in v2 and v3 villages, respectively. On morbidity, they were slightly high as much as 1.39 and 1.24 in v5 and v2 villages, respectively. On mortality, relative risk ratios were $1.15{\sim}2.46$ in experimental villages. They were especially high as much as 2.46 in v3 village where located near under the landfill site, and also 2.14 in v5 village where located at area affected with the landfill site, but near the sea. The rate of cancer causing death was average 35.2% of total deaths. It was very highest as much as 61.1 % in v2 village, where was closely located near under the landfill site. Cancers causing death in this village were lung cancer(3 cases), larynx cancer(2 cases), stomach cancer(2 cases), pancreatic cancer(1 case), thryoid cancer(1 case), leukemia(1 case) and other(1 case). Our data, although based on limited number of cases and geographical coverage, suggest that residents living near landfill site have the increasing relative risks of various symptoms and mortality causing cancer. No causal mechanisms are available to explain these findings. But the possibility of a causal association between the increased adverse health effects and the municipal solid waste landfill site cannot be fully excluded.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.223-231
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• 2014

Purpose: With previous methods based on only age and location, there are many difficulties in identifying the etiology of acute abdominal pain in children. We sought to develop a new systematic classification of acute abdominal pain and to give some helps to physicians encountering difficulties in diagnoses. Methods: From March 2005 to May 2010, clinical data were collected retrospectively from 442 children hospitalized due to acute abdominal pain with no apparent underlying disease. According to the final diagnoses, diseases that caused acute abdominal pain were classified into nine groups. Results: The nine groups were group I "catastrophic surgical abdomen" (7 patients, 1.6%), group II "acute appendicitis and mesenteric lymphadenitis" (56 patients, 12.7%), group III "intestinal obstruction" (57 patients, 12.9%), group IV "viral and bacterial acute gastroenteritis" (90 patients, 20.4%), group V "peptic ulcer and gastroduodenitis" (66 patients, 14.9%), group VI "hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease" (14 patients, 3.2%), group VII "febrile viral illness and extraintestinal infection" (69 patients, 15.6%), group VIII "functional gastrointestinal disorder (acute manifestation)" (20 patients, 4.5%), and group IX "unclassified acute abdominal pain" (63 patients, 14.3%). Four patients were enrolled in two disease groups each. Conclusion: Patients were distributed unevenly across the nine groups of acute abdominal pain. In particular, the "unclassified abdominal pain" only group was not uncommon. Considering a systemic classification for acute abdominal pain may be helpful in the diagnostic approach in children.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.75-79
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• 2008

Blunt trauma, drugs, infection, congenital anomalies of the pancreaticobiliary system, and multisystem diseases are the main causes of acute pancreatitis in children. Various viruses can cause acute pancreatitis, but varicella-induced pancreatitis is unusual and generally observed in adults or immunocompromised patients. We report a rare case of acute pancreatitis associated with varicella-zoster virus infection in a 6-year-old immunocompetent girl. The patient initially presented complaining of severe abdominal pain and repetitive vomiting. The patient had multiple cutaneous crusts that has been caused by preceding varicella infection and had elevated values of serum amylase and lipase. Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated swelling of the pancreas and pancreatic duct dilatation, findings which were compatible with acute pancreatitis. The patient's clinical and laboratory abnormalities were completely normalized through conservative treatment consisting of fasting, total parenteral nutrition, and analgesic therapy.

• 한국인삼전략화협의회:학술대회논문집
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• v.2003 no.09
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• pp.77-88
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• 2003

"Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been a popular herbal remedy used in eastern Asian cultures for thousands of years, and a number of health claims are made for it. Modern therapeutic claims for ginseng refer to vitality, immune function, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and sexual function. These claims are mostly based on uncontrolled or non-randomized studies. Among modern therapeutic claims, however, therapeutic effects for diabetes can reasonably be accepted. Following experiment was done recently in our lab: this study was designed to compare the antidiabetic activities between Ginseng Radix Alba (GRA), Ginseng Radix Rubra (GRR) and Panax Quinquefoli Radix (PQR) in multiple low dose (MLD) streptozotocin (STZ) (20mg/kg i.p injection for 5 days) induced diabetic rats. In the glucose tolerance test, 500mg/kg of each ginseng ethanol extract was admoinistered intraperitoneally 30min before glucose challenge. While GRA failed to lower blood glucose level, GRR and PQR both significantly prevented the hyperglycemia when compared with the control group. In the MLD STZ-induced diabetic rats, 300 mg/kg of each ginseng ethanol extract was administered intraperitoneally for 2 weeks. Plasma glucose and insulin levels were markedly improved in all treatment groups. While GRR showed the highest antidiabetic activity, and GRA and PQR revealed somewhat equipotent antidiabetic activities, but less than that in GRR-treated group as for as blood parameters and diabetic symptoms such as polydipsia are concerned. Blood glucose levels were closely associated with plasma insulin levels, and this result may suggest that ginseng ethanol extracts showed the activity to enhance insulin secretion as well as preventing destruction of pancreatic islet cells. To elucidate the relationship between antidiabetic activity and ginsenoside profiles, seven major ginsenoside were quantified by HPLC. We figured out the fact that protopanaxatriol (PPT) : proptopanaxadiol (PPD) ratio might play an important role in its hypoglycemia effects."

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5741-5745
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• 2013

Background: Heat-shock protein70 (HSP70) are intracellular protein chaperones, with emerging evidence of their association with various diseases. We have previously reported significantly elevated plasma-HSP70 (pHSP70) in pancreatic cancer. Current methods of pHSP70 isolation are ELISA-based which lack specificity due to cross-reactivity by similarities in the amino-acid sequence in regions of the protein backbone resulting in overestimated HSP70 value. Materials and Methods: This study was undertaken to develop a methodology to capture all isoforms of pHSP70, while further defining their tyrosine and serine phosphorylation status. Results: The methodology included gel electrophoresis on centrifuged supernatant obtained from plasma incubated with HSP70 antibody-coupled beads. After blocking non-specific binding sites, blots were immunostained with monoclonal-antibody specific for human-HSP70, phosphoserine and phosphotyrosine. Conclusions: Our novel immunocapture approach has distinct advantages over the commercially available methods of pHSP70 quantification by allowing isolation of molecular aggregates of HSP70 with additional ability to precisely distinguish phosphorylation state of HSP70 molecules at serine and tyrosine residues.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2005

Objective : To compare the mortality rate of Korean medical doctors to that of the general Korean population for the period 1992-2002. Methods : The membership records of the Korean Medical Association were linked to the 1992-2002 death certificate data of Korea s National Statistical Office using 13-digit unique personal identification numbers. The study population consisted of 61,164 medical doctors with a follow-up period of 473,932 person-years. Standardized mortality ratios(SMRs) were calculated to compare cause-specific mortality rates of medical doctors to those of the general population. Results : We confirmed 1,150 deaths at ages from 30 to 75 years from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2002. The SMR for all-cause of death was 0.47(95% CI : $0.44{\sim}0.50$). The SMRs for smoking-related diseases such as cerebrovascular accidents and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were smaller than the SMR of all-cause of death. However, the SMRs for colorectal and pancreatic cancers were not significantly lower than those of the general population. Transport accidents and suicides accounted for 72% (94 of 131) of external causes of death. The SMR for suicide was 0.51 (95% CI : $0.38{\sim}0.68$). Conclusions : The mortality rate of South Korean medical doctors was less than 50% that of the general population of South Korea. Cause-specific analysis showed that mortality rates in leading causes of death were lower among medical doctors although differences in mortality rates between medical doctors and the general population varied with the causes of death. These health benefits found among medical doctors may be attributable to the lower level of health damaging behaviors (e.g., lower smoking rates) and better working conditions.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2019

Aster Yomena (AY) has been used in traditional medicine to treat diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes and osteoarthritis. However, protective effect of AY on acute pancreatitis (AP) has not been reported. The present study examined the anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol extract of AY on cerulein-induced AP. AP was induced in mice by intraperitoneally injecting cerulein ($50{\mu}g/kg$) hourly for 6 times. 70% ethanol extract of AY (0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g/kg) was orally administered for 1 week before acute pancreatitis induction. The mouse was killed at 6 hours after the final cerulein injection. The pancreas and lung were rapidly removed for histological examination and myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay. Blood samples were taken to determine serum amylase and lipase activity. In addition real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was also performed to investigate mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as $TNF-{\alpha}$. $IL-1{\beta}$, and IL-6. Administration of AY significantly ameliorated pancreatic weight to body weight ratio, histological damages and MPO activity during AP. In addition, AY inhibited the serum amylase and lipase activity during AP. Also, mRNA expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$ and IL-6 were inhibited by AY against AP. Our results revealed that pre-treatment of AY reduces the severity of cerulein-induced AP. Therefore, AY may have a protective effect drug against AP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.365-377
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• 2022

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase member of the cellular phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, which is involved in multiple biological functions by transcriptional and translational control. mTOR is a downstream mediator in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and plays a critical role in cell survival. In cancer, this pathway can be activated by membrane receptors, including the HER (or ErbB) family of growth factor receptors, the insulin-like growth factor receptor, and the estrogen receptor. In the present work, we congregated an electronic network of mTORC1 built on an assembly of data using natural language processing, consisting of 470 edges (activations/interactions and/or inhibitions) and 206 nodes representing genes/proteins, using the Cytoscape 3.6.0 editor and its plugins for analysis. The experimental design included the extraction of gene expression data related to five distinct types of cancers, namely, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, hepatic cirrhosis, cervical cancer, glioblastoma, and anaplastic thyroid cancer from Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI GEO) followed by pre-processing and normalization of the data using R & Bioconductor. ExprEssence plugin was used for network condensation to identify differentially expressed genes across the gene expression samples. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to find out the over-represented GO terms in the network. In addition, pathway enrichment and functional module analysis of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were also conducted. Our results indicated NOTCH1, NOTCH3, FLCN, SOD1, SOD2, NF1, and TLR4 as upregulated proteins in different cancer types highlighting their role in cancer progression. The MCODE analysis identified gene clusters for each cancer type with MYC, PCNA, PARP1, IDH1, FGF10, PTEN, and CCND1 as hub genes with high connectivity. MYC for cervical cancer, IDH1 for hepatic cirrhosis, MGMT for glioblastoma and CCND1 for anaplastic thyroid cancer were identified as genes with prognostic importance using survival analysis.