• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.1157-1168
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• 2002

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient involved in many functions. Humans are unable to synthesize vitamin C de novo, because they lack the last enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. Previous Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamin C were based on prevention of deficiency with a margin of safety. However preventing deficiency may not be equivalent to ideal nutrient intake. Recommendation should be based on vitamin function in relation to concentration. For this goal, data set of the relationship between wide-range of vitamin C dose and resulting concentrations in plasma and tissues and characterization of functional outcomes in relation to these concentrations should be acquired. This article reviews the current knowledge in these areas and suggest how this knowledge may contribute toward establishing dietary guideline for ideal vitamin C intake.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.54-70
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• 2002

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient involved in many functions. Humans are unable to synthesize vitamin C do novo, because they lack the last enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. Previous Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamin C were based on prevention of deficiency with a margin of safety. However preventing deficiency may not be equivalent to ideal nutrient intake. Recommendation should be based on vitamin function in relation to concentration. For this goal, data set of the relationship between wide-range of vitamin C dose and resulting concentrations in plasma and tissues and characterization of functional outcomes in relation to these concentrations should be acquired. This article reviews the current knowledge in these areas and suggest how this knowledge may contribute toward establishing dietary guideline for ideal vitamin C intake.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2581-2584
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• 2020

Boron has been considered to play a nutritionally important role in humans and animals, but its biochemical functions are not clearly understood. Though there are signs that boron affects the mineral and hormone metabolisms, there is no comprehensive epidemiological evidence establishing a relationship between a boron intake and osteoporosis due to the excretion of calcium in the bones. In this study, we investigated the influence of boron intake on the calcium excretion of old female mice in the menopause. The concentrations of calcium in backbone, thigh bone, blood, kidney, liver, and spleen were investigated by using instrumental neutron activation analysis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.314-319
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• 2005

Adenosine, as a ubiquitous metabolite, mediates many physiological functions via activation of plasma membrane receptors. Mechanisms of most of its physiological roles have been studied extensively, but research on adenosine-induced apoptosis (AIA) has only started recently. In this study we demonstrate that adenosine dose-dependently triggered apoptosis of cultured baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. Adenosine-induced apoptotic cell death was characterized by DNA laddering, changes in nuclear chromatin morphology and phosphatidylserine staining. Apoptosis was also quantified by flow cytometry. Results suggest the involvement of adenosine $A_1$ and $A_3$ receptors as well as equilibrative nucleoside transporters in apoptosis induced by adenosine. These results indicate a receptor-transporter co-signaling mechanism in AIA in BHK cells. The involvement of $A_1$ and $A_3$ receptors also implies a possible apoptotic pathway mediated by G protein-coupled receptors.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

The production of concentrated urine is achieved by countercurrent multiplication in the renal medulla. The single effect of the outer medulla is the active NaCl reabsorption in the thick ascending limb, while the single effect of the inner medulla is the passive efflux of NaCl through the thin ascending limb. The passive mechanism in the inner medulla requires a high interstitial urea concentration which is maintained by intrarenal recycling of urea. During the past decade, many transport proteins involved in the urine concentrating mechanism have been cloned, which has enabled us to understand the countercurrent multiplication mechanism on a molecular basis. This review will summarize the locations and functions of the renal medullary transport proteins, and the recent insights that have been acquired into the long term regulation of urea transporters.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.65-70
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• 2023

Prominin-1 (PROM1), also called CD133, is a penta-span transmembrane protein that is localized in membrane protrusions, such as microvilli and filopodia. It is known to be expressed in cancer stem cells and various progenitor cells of bone marrow, liver, kidney, and intestine. Accumulating evidence has revealed that PROM1 has multiple functions in various organs, such as eye, tooth, peripheral nerve, and liver, associating with various molecular protein partners. PROM1 regulates PKA-induced gluconeogenesis, TGFβ-induced fibrosis, and IL-6-induced regeneration in the liver, associating with Radixin, SMAD7, and GP130, respectively. In addition, PROM1 is necessary to maintain cancer stem cell properties by activating PI3K and β-Catenin. PROM1-deficienct mice also show distinct phenotypes in eyes, brain, peripheral nerves, and tooth. Here, we discuss recent findings of PROM1-mediated signal transduction.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.203-208
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• 1999

Purpose: The information on the change of the relative renal function after operation is essential to set the initial treatment plan in unilateral hydronephrosis. So we analyzed the preoperative and postoperative relative renal function, and observed the functional changes by operation and reliability of the various factors in those changes. Materials and Methods: A retrospective trial was done of 81 patients, 35 ureteropelvic junction(UPJ) obstruction and 46 vesicoureteral reflux(VUR), among 393 patients undergoing operations at our institution from March. 1992 to February. 1997. The patients who had infravesical abnormalities, abnormal contralateral kidney and insufficient research data were excluded. We determined the relative renal functions using DTPA and MAG3 scan in UPJ obstruction and DMSA scan in VUR. The mean observation period after operation was 2.01(0.25-4) years. Results: A. UPJ Obstruction 1. The relative renal function was improved significantly after operation(P=0.0007). 2. The kidneys which have preoperative functions between 20% and 40% improved significantly in relative renal function comparing to the kidneys of the other functions(P=0.0046). B. VUR 1. The renal functions didn't improve significantly after operation(P>0.05). 2. There was no significant factor affecting the prognosis in renal functions. Conclusions: 1. The kidneys with UPJ Obstruction show the difference in functional improvement after operation according to the degree of the preoperative renal function, but more investigations about the exact value are needed. 2. In VUR there was no difference between preoperative and postoperative functions, the theoretical basis on objectives of the operation could be the symptoms or factors except the operation.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 2017

Purpose: Thin glomerular basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN) is, along with the IgA nephropathy, the most common cause of asymptomatic hematuria in Korean children. TBMN is usually a benign renal disease not requiring treatment and is associated with a good prognosis, but some cases hematuria is indicative of a state of progressive renal insufficiency. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate clinical manifestations and renal prognosis of patients with TBMN. Methods: Among the 428 renal biopsies performed on children at Yeungnam University Hospital between January 2000 and February 2017, 167 patients were diagnosed as having TBMN. We retrospectively investigated 167 pediatric patients and identified 59 children with follow-up duration >3 years. Results: Among 59 patients, there were 33 boys and 26 girls. Mean age of onset of hematuria was $7.18{\pm}2.64$ years, and mean time from onset of disease until a renal biopsy was performed was $2.48{\pm}2.10$ years. There were no clinical features or laboratory findings among studied children to indicate decreased renal function during follow-up; however, one case progressed to chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to an unknown cause. There were seven patients among these related a positive family history of hematuria or renal insufficiency. Concluson: Although almost all patients had normal renal functions during follow-up, there were one patient who progressed to CKD and seven patients with family history of hematuria or renal insufficiency. Moreover, four among the 428 patients over 17 years underwent repeat renal biopsies, which showed results different from their earlier biopsies.Thus, large-scales studies may be required to determine long-term prognosis of TBMN in children, and further evaluation for Alport syndrome in TBMN cases is essential.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.259-267
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• 1995

The renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure and in body fluid homeostasis. There is increasing evidence for generation of endogenous angiotensin II in many organs and for its role in paracrine functions. Studies were designed to investigate whether hemorrhage produces rapid changes in the gene expression of angiotensinogen in peripheral and brain tissues. Wistar rats received saline drinking water for 7 days, were bled at a rate of $3\;ml\;kg^{-1}\;min^{-1}$ for 7 min, and then decapitated 0, 2, 4, 8, or 24 hr after hemorrhage. Hemorrhage produced a produced hypotension with tachycardia at $2{\pm}8\;hr$, but blood pressure and heart rate had not fully recovered to the basal level at 24 hr. Plasma renin concentration was significantly increased at 2, 4, and 8 hr (maximum sixfold increase at 4 hr) and had returned to the basal level at 24 hr. Renal renin content was significantly increased only at 4 hr after hemorrhage. Angiotensinogen mRNA in both the kidney and liver were stimulated at 2 to 8 hrs, but recovered to the basal level at 24 hr. On the other hand, angiotensinogen mRNA levels il the hypothalamus and brainstem were continuously increased from 2 to 24 hrs. The present study demonstrates the presence of angiotensinogen mRNA in both hepatic and extrahepatic tissues, and more importantly, their up-regulation after hemorrhage. These results suggest that the angiotensinogen-generating systems in the liver, kideny and brain are, at least in part, under independent control and play a local physiological role.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.28-30
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• 2012

A 48-year-old male visited the emergency room of the authors' hospital due to nausea, vomiting, and myalgia for four days. Acute hepatitis A was identified from the serologic marker of the hepatitis A virus. Mild elevation of the serum creatinine and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) suggested rhabomyolysis, which was confirmed with the serum aldolase, myoglobin, and urine myoglobin. With supportive care, both the liver and renal functions were recovered gradually and fully. This case shows that rhabdomyolysis can be one of the mechanisms of renal complication in cases of acute symptomatic hepatitis A.