• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.44-49
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• 2017

Background: Recently, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node dissection, named ESN or endoscopic full-thickness gastric resection with laparoscopic sentinel lymph node dissection, named Hybrid-natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) was suggested the possibility of minimally invasive treatment for patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) who were beyond the indication of ESD. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of ESN or Hybrid-NOTES. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients treated with these therapies from January 2009 to May 2013 in terms of short- and long-term outcomes. Each patient was diagnosed with EGC but was not included in ESD indications and had the high risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM). Results: A total of 42 patients with EGC treated by ESN or Hybrid-NOTES. Of the 21 patients who underwent ESN, a total of 4 patients underwent additional gastrectomy, 1 with LNM, 1 with surgical complication, and 2 with noncurative resection. Of the 21 patients who underwent Hybrid-NOTES, a total of 5 patients underwent additional surgery, 1 with LNM, 2 with surgical complication, and 2 with noncurative resection. Overall survival was 100% over a mean follow-up of 75 months, but 3 patients underwent ESD or gastrectomy with metachronous lesion. And 1 patient who had received ESN was found to have a metastatic lymph node and undergo palliative chemotherapy. Conclusion: ESN or Hybrid-NOTES showed favorable short-and long-term outcomes. These methods may be utilized as a bridge between ESD and gastrectomy in the case of EGC which is more likely to have LNM beyond the ESD indications.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2017

Background: Cachexia is a multi-factorial syndrome presenting with chronic illness, decreases in body weight, and loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, mostly in patients with advanced cancer and chronic wasting disease. Even after years of intensive researches, there remains no convincing therapy to prevent cancer cachexia. Methods: In this in vivo study, we have established C26 adenocarcinoma-induced cancer cachexia model in mice to explore the underlying core changes in cytokine, signal transduction, and muscle wasting. The ultimate aim of establishing animal model is to find optimal therapeutics to mitigate cancer cachexia. Results: We have administered C26 adenocarcinoma cells onto BALB/c mice and observed 4 weeks to assess the progression of cancer cachexia. Significant loss of weight accompanied with loss of appetite was noted. As C26 adenocarcinoma xenograft progressed, mortality was started from 3 weeks, accompanied with significant sarcopenia and decreased mice movement. Surges in TNF-α and IL-6 were noted with the commencement of cancer cachexia. Conclusion: Using C26 adenocarcinoma cancer cachexia model, we can screen the optimal therapeutics to mitigate cancer cachexia, in which agents to modulate IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB were essential.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.75-77
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• 2014

Ampulla of Vater (AOV) cancer is rare malignant tumor which arises within the vicinity of the AOV. Metastatic AOV adenocarcinoma has poor prognosis, with an overall survival rate at 2 years ranging from 5 to 10%. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute indicated that lymph node metastasis was present in as many as half of patients which were associated with poor prognosis and liver was the second most common site of distant metastasis in AOV cancer. In this case report, we describe a case of complete resolution of AOV cancer, which was already spread to retroperitoneal lymph node and liver. The patient underwent gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemotherapy for palliative aim. After 12 month of chemotherapy, image study showed partial remission, so intraoperative radiofrequency ablation therapy and pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was done. AOV cancer was completely resected and the patient was followed up without recurrence for 7 months.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.689-696
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• 2024

Objective: Our study examined the impact of propriety blends of Bacillus strain probiotics on the performance, egg quality, and faecal microflora of laying hens. Methods: A total of 183 Institut de selection Animale (ISA) brown laying hens aged 23 weeks with an average body weight of 1,894±72 g were randomly allocated into 3 groups as control (corn-soybean meal based diet, CON), 0.5 g/kg Enterosure probiotics (ET1, 3×10⁸ colony-forming unit [CFU]/kg feed), and 5 g/kg Enterosure probiotics (ET2, 3×10⁹ CFU/kg feed) administered in mashed form. At the completion of each phase hen day egg production (HDEP), average egg weight (AEW), feed intake, and faecal microbiota were evaluated. Results: HDEP and AEW were higher (p<0.05) in the ET2-supplemented diet in phase 3 (week 9 to 12) compared with CON. Egg mass (EM) was higher (p<0.05) in phase 2 at ET2, and also higher (p<0.05) in phase 3 at the ET1 and ET2-supplemented diets compared with CON. Feed conversion ratio was lower (p<0.05) in phase 3 at the ET1 and ET2-supplemented diets, with ET2 being the lowest compared with ET1 and CON. Yolk colour was higher (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets at phase 3 compared with CON. Bifidobacterium spp. was higher (p<0.05) in the ET2- supplemented diet compared with CON in phase 2, while in In phase 3, Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. were higher (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets compared with CON. Coliforms were lower (p<0.05) in the ET-supplemented diets compared with CON in phase 3. Conclusion: The propriety blends of Bacillus strain probiotics supplements at 0.5 g/kg and 5 g/kg could improve the production and quality of eggs with more significance at 5 g/kg for HDEP, AEW and EM, which was achieved via the increase of beneficial microbiomes such as Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and the decrease of pathogenic microbiomes like Escherichia coli and Coliforms which was speculated to improve gut barrier function and the reproductive hormone.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.395-404
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• 2024

Background: Ginsenoside Rg₁ (Rg₁) is one of the main active components in Chinese medicines, Panax ginseng and Panax notoginseng. Research has shown that Rg₁ has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, including anti-myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, anti-apoptosis, and promotion of myocardial angiogenesis, suggesting it a potential cardiovascular agent. However, the protective mechanism involved is still not fully understood. Methods: Based on network pharmacology, ligand-based protein docking, proteomics, Western blot, protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis (UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra) techniques, potential targets and pathways for Rg₁ against myocardial ischemia (MI) were screened and explored. Results: An important target set containing 19 proteins was constructed. Two target proteins with more favorable binding activity for Rg₁ against MI were further identified by molecular docking, including mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) and adenosine kinase (ADK). Meanwhile, Rg₁ intervention on H9c2 cells injured by H₂O₂ showed an inhibitory oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The inhibition of Rg₁ on MAPK1 and OXPHOS pathway was confirmed by Western blot assay. By protein recombination and spectroscopic analysis, the binding reaction between ADK and Rg₁ was also evaluated. Conclusion: Rg₁ can effectively alleviate cardiomyocytes oxidative stress injury via targeting MAPK1 and ADK, and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway. The present study provides scientific basis for the clinical application of the natural active ingredient, Rg₁, and also gives rise to a methodological reference to the searching of action targets and pathways of other natural active ingredients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.172-184
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• 2024

Purpose: The original eCura system was designed to stratify the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) after endoscopic resection (ER) in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). We assessed the effectiveness of a modified eCura system for reflecting the characteristics of undifferentiated-type (UD)-EGC. Materials and Methods: Six hundred thirty-four patients who underwent non-curative ER for UD-EGC and received either additional surgery (radical surgery group; n=270) or no further treatment (no additional treatment group; n=364) from 18 institutions between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively included in this study. The eCuraU system assigned 1 point each for tumors >20 mm in size, ulceration, positive vertical margin, and submucosal invasion <500 ㎛; 2 points for submucosal invasion ≥500 ㎛; and 3 points for lymphovascular invasion. Results: LNM rates in the radical surgery group were 1.1%, 5.4%, and 13.3% for the low-(0-1 point), intermediate- (2-3 points), and high-risk (4-8 points), respectively (P-fortrend<0.001). The eCuraU system showed a significantly higher probability of identifying patients with LNM as high-risk than the eCura system (66.7% vs. 22.2%; McNemar P<0.001). In the no additional treatment group, overall survival (93.4%, 87.2%, and 67.6% at 5 years) and cancer-specific survival (99.6%, 98.9%, and 92.9% at 5 years) differed significantly among the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, respectively (both P<0.001). In the high-risk category, surgery outperformed no treatment in terms of overall mortality (hazard ratio, 3.26; P=0.015). Conclusions: The eCuraU system stratified the risk of LNM in patients with UD-EGC after ER. It is strongly recommended that high-risk patients undergo additional surgery.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.6
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• pp.1290-1308
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• 2023

Purpose To compare the diagnostic performance of rectal CT with that of high-resolution rectal MRI and histopathology in assessing rectal cancer. Materials and Methods Sixty-seven patients with rectal cancer who underwent rectal CT with rectal distension using sonographic gel and high-resolution MRI were enrolled in this study. The distance from the anal verge/anorectal junction, distance to the mesorectal fascia (MRF), extramural depth (EMD), extramesorectal lymph node (LN) involvement, extramural venous invasion (EMVI), and T/N stages in rectal CT/MRI were analyzed by two gastrointestinal radiologists. The CT findings of 20 patients who underwent radical surgery without concurrent chemoradiotherapy were compared using histopathology. Interclass correlations and kappa statistics were used. Results The distance from the anal verge/anorectal junction showed an excellent intraclass correlation between CT and MRI for both reviewers. For EMD, the distance to the MRF, presence of LNs, extramesorectal LN metastasis, EMVI, T stage, and intermodality kappa or weighted kappa values between CT and MRI showed excellent agreement. Among the 20 patients who underwent radical surgery, T staging, circumferential resection margin involvement, EMVI, and LN metastasis on rectal CT showed acceptable concordance rates with histopathology. Conclusion Dedicated rectal CT may be on par with rectal MRI in providing critical information to patients with rectal cancer.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.246-256
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• 2024

Purpose: Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) presents a major challenge in the treatment of late-stage, solid tumors, with traditional therapies limited by poor drug penetration. We evaluated a novel hyperthermic pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (HPIPAC) system using a human abdominal cavity model for its efficacy against AGS gastric cancer cells. Materials and Methods: A model simulating the human abdominal cavity and AGS gastric cancer cell line cultured dishes were used to assess the efficacy of the HPIPAC system. Cell viability was measured to evaluate the impact of HPIPAC under 6 different conditions: heat alone, PIPAC with paclitaxel (PTX), PTX alone, normal saline (NS) alone, heat with NS, and HPIPAC with PTX. Results: Results showed a significant reduction in cell viability with HPIPAC combined with PTX, indicating enhanced cytotoxic effects. Immediately after treatment, the average cell viability was 66.6%, which decreased to 49.2% after 48 hours and to a further 19.6% after 120 hours of incubation, demonstrating the sustained efficacy of the treatment. In contrast, control groups exhibited a recovery in cell viability; heat alone showed cell viability increasing from 90.8% to 94.4%, PIPAC with PTX from 82.7% to 89.7%, PTX only from 73.3% to 74.8%, NS only from 90.9% to 98.3%, and heat with NS from 74.4% to 84.7%. Conclusions: The HPIPAC system with PTX exhibits a promising approach in the treatment of PC in gastric cancer, significantly reducing cell viability. Despite certain limitations, this study highlights the system's potential to enhance treatment outcomes. Future efforts should focus on refining HPIPAC and validating its effectiveness in clinical settings.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.381-395
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• 2024

Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients complaining of indigestion after COVID-19 infection (CI) or COVID-19 vaccination (CV) and to confirm the effectiveness and safety of Korean medical treatment. Methods: We retrospectively collected and investigated the medical records of 39 patients admitted to the Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital with a chief complaint of dyspepsia from January 1, 2020 to February 29, 2024 who reported the onset or significant exacerbation of dyspepsia after CV or CI. Patients were divided into vaccination and infection groups, and their demographic characteristics, Ryodoraku results, presenting symptoms, traditional Korean medicine treatments, and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: When comparing the groups with dyspepsia after CV and after CI, it was observed that the CI group had significantly lower average body weight, and the measurements of LH6, LF1, and LF6 in the Ryodoraku test were significantly lower. Additionally, compared to the CV group, the CI group showed significantly more abdominal distension, nausea, and abdominal pain. Significant relief of upper gastrointestinal symptoms was observed in both the CV and CI groups after treatment. No adverse reactions were observed during the course of treatment. Conclusion: The CI group tended to complain more severely of various dyspeptic symptoms and had a tendency to lower body weight than the CV group, as was also reflected in the results of the Ryodoraku test. Korean medical treatment can be effective and safe in treating these patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.519-531
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• 2024

Objectives: This case study reports the effectiveness of Korean medical treatment in a patient with cyclic vomiting syndrome. Methods: A 29-year-old female Korean patient with cyclic vomiting syndrome received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion for 2 weeks in hospital. Changes in symptoms were evaluated using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Index for Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), Nausea Severity Scale (NSS), Nepean Dyspepsia Index-Korean version (NDI-K), quality of life using the Functional Dyspepsia Related Quality of Life questionnaire (FD-QoL), and gastric motility using electrogastrography (EGG). Results: Post-treatment, the patient showed high satisfaction and improvement in symptoms of nausea and vomiting. The following changes were observed in scores: GSRS: 23 to 19; VAS of nausea: 88 to 95; VAS of dyspepsia: 95 to 12; INVR: 13 to 1; NSS: 17 to 5; NDI-K: 107 to 78; and FD-QoL 84 to 27. We also found positive results in Channel 3 of EGG parameters, implying the improvement of gastric motility disorder. Conclusion: Korean medical treatment can be a therapeutic option for cyclic vomiting syndrome.