• 농업과학연구
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.447-454
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• 2018

Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium in food and feed, causes serious damage to the health of humans and livestock. Therefore, we compared the metabolomic profiles in the liver, serum, and urine of piglets fed a ZEN-contaminated diet using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H-NMR$) spectroscopy. The spectra from the three different samples, treated with ZEN concentrations of 0.8 mg/kg for 4 weeks, were aligned and identified using MATLAB. The aligned data were subjected to discriminating analysis using multivariate statistical analysis and a web server for metabolite set enrichment analysis. The ZEN-exposed groups were almost separated in the three different samples. Metabolic analysis showed that 28, 29, and 20 metabolites were profiled in the liver, serum, and urine, respectively. The discriminating analysis showed that the alanine, arginine, choline, and glucose concentrations were increased in the liver. Phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolites showed high concentrations in serum, whereas valine showed a low concentration. In addition, the formate levels were increased in the ZEN-treated urine. For the integrated analysis, glucose, lactate, taurine, glycine, alanine, glutamate, glutamine, and creatine from orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were potential compounds for the discriminating analysis. In conclusion, our findings suggest that potential biomarker compounds can provide a better understanding on how ZEN contaminated feed in swine affects the liver, serum, and urine.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.108-113
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• 2013

Objectives: Although several cases of lung diseases caused by indium have been reported in Japan, the United States and China, South Korea, which is estimated to have been the world's largest consumer of indium, has not yet established a criteria for the diagnosis of lung diseases caused by indium exposure. In this study, we tried to determine the applicability of the Krebs von den lungen-6, which has been widely recognized for its use with interstitial lung disease in Japan, as a biological exposure index for indium. Methods: Methods: The analysis of indium in serum was conducted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and the analysis of KL-6 in serum was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: The indium levels in serum were distributed from below the detection limit to a peak of $125.78{\mu}g/L$, and the values of the KL-6 were distributed from 104.5 U/mL to 2162.2 U/mL. The serum indium and KL-6 showed good correlation ($R^2$=0.389,pfortrend=0.000) and smoking did not affect the KL-6. Conclusions: The usefulness of KL-6 as a specific biomarker for interstitial lung disease has been recognized. In addition, it is expected that effective prevention of health problems can be achieved by determining the lung-damage progress at an early stage according to individual susceptibility.

• 한국어병학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.35-43
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• 2020

Hypoxia is a serious problem in the marine ecosystem causing a decline in aquatic resources. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the expression of genes through binding to the corresponding sequences of their target mRNAs. Especially, miRNAs in the cytoplasm can be secreted into body fluids, which called circulating miRNAs, and the availability of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for hypoxia has been demonstrated in mammals. However, there has been no report on the hypoxia-mediated changes in the circulating miRNAs in fish. miR-210 is known as the representative hypoxia-responsive circulating miRNA in mammals. To know whether fish miR-210 also respond to hypoxia, we analyzed the change of circulating miR-210 quantity in the serum of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in response to hypoxia. The expression of hypoxia related genes, hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and the heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) was also analyzed. Similar to the reports from mammals, miR-210-5p and miR-210-3p were significantly increased in the serum of olive flounder in response to hypoxia, suggesting that circulating miR-210 levels in the serum can be used as a noninvasive prognostic biomarker for fish suffered hypoxia. The target genes of miR-210 were related to various biological processes, which explains the major regulatory role of miR-210 in response to hypoxia. The expression of HIF-1α and HSP90α in the tissues was also up-regulated by hypoxia. Considering the critical role of HIF-1α in miR-210 expression and HSP90 in miRNAs function, the present up-regulation of HIF-1α and HSP90α might be related to the increase of circulatory miR-210, and the interaction mechanism among HIF-1α, HSP90α, and hypoxia-responsive microRNAs in fish should be further studied.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권22호
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• pp.9927-9931
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• 2014

The objectives of this study were to examine serum periplakin expression in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder and in normal controls, and to examine relationships with clinicopathological findings. Detection of serum periplakin was performed in 50 patients and 30 normal controls with anti-periplakin antibodies using the automatic dot blot system, and a micro-dot blot array with a 256 solid-pin system. Levels in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder were significantly lower than those in normal controls (0.31 and 5.68, respectively; p<0.0001). The area under the receiver-operator curve level for urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder was 0.845. The sensitivity and specificity, using a cut-off point of 4.045, were 83.7% and 73.3%, respectively. In addition, serum periplakin levels were significantly higher in patients with muscle-invasive cancer than in those with nonmuscle-invasive cancer (P = 0.03). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, none of the clinicopathological factors was associated with an increased risk for progression and cancer-specific survival. Examination of the serum periplakin level may play a role as a non-invasive diagnostic modality to aid urine cytology and cystoscopy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권7호
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• pp.347-354
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• 2021

Background: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has emerged as a valuable biomarker of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of urinary NGAL (uNGAL) with those of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count for predicting UTI and acute pyelonephritis (APN) in febrile children. Methods: The medical charts of children undergoing uNGAL measurements between November 2017 and August 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with a suspected or diagnosed UTIs were included. The diagnostic accuracies of uNGAL, serum CRP, and WBC count for detecting UTI and APN were investigated. Independent predictors of UTI and APN were investigated using multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 321 children were enrolled in this study. The uNGAL levels were higher in the UTI group (n=157) than in the non-UTI group (n=164) (P<0.05). Among children with a UTI, uNGAL levels were higher in the APN group (n=70) than, the non-APN group (n=87) (P<0.05). In the multivariate analysis, uNGAL was independently associated with UTI and APN (both P<0.05). Serum CRP and WBC count were not correlated with the presence of UTI and APN. Receiver operating curve analyses showed that the uNGAL level had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for predicting UTI and APN, respectively (AUC, uNGAL vs. CRP vs. WBC count, 0.860 vs. 0.608 vs. 0.669 for UTI; 0.780 vs. 0.680 vs. 0.639 for APN, all P<0.05, respectively). The predictive values and likelihood ratios of uNGAL were superior to those of serum CRP and WBC count for detecting UTI and APN at each cutoff level. Conclusion: UNGAL may be more useful than serum CRP and WBC count for identifying and assessing UTI in febrile children.

• 고신대학교 의과대학 학술지
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.337-346
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• 2018

Objectives: Serum procalcitonin (PCT) is a specific biomarker that rises after bacterial infection, and levels of PCT are known to correlate with the severity and mortality of patients with pneumonia and sepsis. However, the usefulness of PCT levels in acute pyelonephritis is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using the PCT level as a predictive test for bacteremia in acute pyelonephritis. Methods: Between January 2012 and June 2013, 140 patients diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis were admitted to Haeundae Paik Hospital. Serum PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) levels at pre- and post- treatment were measured. Blood and urine cultures were obtained from all patients. The levels of PCT, CRP, and WBCs were each compared between the blood culture-positive and blood culture-negative groups to assess their effectiveness in predicting bacteremia. Results: Pre-treatment PCT level was 0.77 ng/mL (95% CI: 0.42-1.60 ng/mL) in the blood culture-negative group and 4.89 ng/mL (95% CI: 2.88-9.04 ng/mL) in the blood culture-positive group, and the increase between the two groups was statistically significant. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of PCT level for prediction of bacteremia was 0.728. A cut-off value of 1.23 ng/mL indicated a sensitivity of 79.0 % and specificity of 60.0 % for PCT level. Conclusions: Serum PCT level is a useful predictive test for bacteremia in acute pyelonephritis. Through the early detection of bacteremia, serum PCT level can help estimate the prognosis and predict complications such as sepsis.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.85-91
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• 2014

목적: 만성 신질환 진행의 위험 요소 중 하나인 소아 요로감염에서 Cystatin C의 관련성에 대해서는 알려진 바가 없으며, 본 연구는 소아 요로감염에서 혈청 Cystatin C 측정의 임상적 유용성에 대하여 알아보고자 하였다. 방법: 2012년 6월부터 2014년 5월까지 요로감염으로 입원한 소아 137명을 대상으로 하였다. 신결손 유무에 따라 비 신결손군과 신결손군으로 나누어 각 군에서 혈청 Cystatin C를 포함한 다른 변수들의 평균치를 비교분석 하였으며, Cystatin C와 혈청 및 임상 변수들간의 상관분석을 시행하였고, 입원 당시와 치료 후 혈청 Cystatin C의 변화를 분석하였다. 결과: 비 신결손군과 신결손 군에서 혈청 Cystatin C는 유의한 차이가 없었다. 혈청 Cystatin C는 연령이 증가함에 따라 감소하는 경향을 보였고(P<0.05), 혈청 크레아티닌과는 뚜렷한 양의 상관관계를 보였으며(P<0.05), 이외의 변수들과는 상관성이 없었다. 항생제 투여 4-5일 후 재시행한 혈청 Cystatin C는 입원 당시에 비하여 치료 후 비 신결손군과 신결손 군에서 유의하게 증가하였다(P<0.001). 결론: 혈청 Cystatin C는 소아 요로감염에서 신결손 유무를 감별하는 데 있어 유용하지 않을 것으로 사료되며, 향후 혈청 Cystatin C가 소아 요로감염에서 신기능의 저하를 예견하고 지속적인 추적관찰을 하는 데 유용할 수 있을지에 대한 추가 연구가 필요할 것으로 생각된다.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.78-87
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• 2009

위암 발생률이 높은 우리나라에서는 위암이 발생할 가능성이 높은 고위험군에서 위암 발생 여부를 알 수 있는 생물학적 인자(biological marker)의 개발이 매우 중요한데 가장 많이 연구되는 인자로 혈청 펩시노겐(Pepsinogen)이 있다. 이에 소화기질환을 가지고 있는 환자군과 건강검진센터 수진자를 대상으로 한두 가지 연구에서 혈청 펩시노겐 검사에 영향을 주는 인자를 알아보고 위축성 위염이나 위암 진단에 있어 혈청 펩시노겐 검사의 역할을 알아보았다. 혈청 펩시노겐 검사에 영향을 주는 인자로는 H. pylori 감염이 가장 컸고, 다음으로 성별, 연령이 있었다. 이를 고려한 결과 한국인에서의 내시경적 위축성 위염 진단에 있어서 PG I/II ratio 기준은 H. pylori 감염 여부에 따라 달랐는데 H. pylori 감염이 없는 경우는 PG I/II ratio 6이, H. pylori 감염이 있는 경우는 국제적 기준인 PG I/II ratio 3이 예민도와 민감도에서 우수했다. 또한 한국인에서의 위암이나 위축성 위염 진단에 있어 PG I이나 PG II는 별로 유용하지 않은 반면 PG I/II ratio는 비교적 유용함을 알 수 있었고, 특히 H. pylori 감염이 있는 경우 PG I/II ratio $\leq3$ 이하가 위암 발생위험도 예측에 도움이 되었다. 결과적으로 혈청 펩시노겐을 위암이나 위축성 위염 진단 biomarker로 사용할 때는 기존의 국제적인 기준도 중요하지만 각 나라의 현실에 맞는 기준치 적용을 위해 validation study를 시행하고 사용하는 것이 바람직한 것으로 보인다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권8호
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• pp.3369-3375
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• 2014

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), considered as a prototypical inflammatory cytokine, has been proposed to be involved in tumor progression through inflammation. Recent studies have indicated CRP as a progostic predictor for urological cancers, but the results remain controversial. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Library was performed to identify eligible studies published between Jan 1, 2001 and Sep 1, 2013. Outcomes of interest were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients with elevated CRP levels and those having lower levels. Studies were pooled, and combined hazard ratio (HR) of CRP with its 95% confidence interval (CI) for survival were used for the effect size estimate. Results: A total of 43 studies (7,490 patients) were included in this meta-analysis (25 for RCC, 10 for UC, and 8 for PC). Our pooled results showed that elevated serum CRP level was associated with poor OS (HR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.22-1.30) and RFS (HR: 1.38 95%CI: 1.29-1.47), respectively. For CSS the pooled HR (HR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.28-1.39) for higher CRP expression could strongly predict poorer survival in urological cancers. Simultaneously, elevated serum CRP was also significantly associated with poor prognosis in the subgroup analysis. Conclusions: Our pooled results demonstrate that a high serum level of CRP as an inflammation biomarker denotes a poor prognosis of patients with urological cancers. Further large prospective studies should be performed to confirm whether CRP, as a biomarker of inflammation, has a prognostic role in urological cancer progression.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.240-248
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• 2014

Background: Open heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is considered one of the most frequent surgical procedures in which acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious complication. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early AKI biomarker after CPB in cardiac surgery (CS). Methods: Thirty-seven adult patients undergoing CS with CPB were included in this retrospective study. They had normal preoperative renal function, as assessed by the creatinine (Cr) level, NGAL level, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Serial evaluation of serum NGAL and Cr levels was performed before, immediately after, and 24 hours after the operation. Patients were divided into two groups: those who showed normal immediate postoperative serum NGAL levels (group A, n=30) and those who showed elevated immediate postoperative serum NGAL levels (group B, n=7). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 18. Results: Of the 37 patients, 6 (6/37, 16.2%) were diagnosed with AKI. One patient belonged to group A (1/30, 3.3%), and 5 patients belonged to group B (5/7, 71.4%). Two patients in group B (2/7, 28.5%) required further renal replacement therapy. Death occurred in only 1 patient (1/37, 2.7%), who belonged to group B. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that postoperative plasma NGAL levels can be used as an early biomarker for the detection of AKI following CS using CPB. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our results.