Hong Ko

BACKGROUND: In patients with biliary atresia (BA), liver fibrosis and cirrhosis commonly occur even after Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy. Although liver biopsy is the gold standard to evaluate liver fibrosis, it is invasive and may result in life-threatening complications. The aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) is a safe and simple method to assess liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases. To use APRI as a postoperative follow-up tool, we validated the diagnost

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the incidence and characteristics of cholangitis after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) in patients with biliary atresia. We also examined the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the causative pathogens, which were isolated in sterile specimens, such as blood and ascites. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed in patients with biliary atresia who underwent KPE at Severance Children's Hospital in Korea from 2006 to 2015. The Kaplan-Meier

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To assess fecal retention, plain abdominal radiography is frequently used to complement the clinical history and physical examination, and three scoring systems have been proposed by Barr, Blethyn, and Leech on a single abdominal radiography. The aim of the present study was to find simple and useful diagnostic tools for an approach to fecal retention by correlation of the three scoring systems with the clinical characteristics. METHODS: This study included 76 children (5.6-1

Currently, there are a few reports on viral coinfection that causes an acute watery diarrhea in Korean children. So, to evaluate the features of coinfectious viral agents in children with acute watery diarrhea, we enrolled 155 children with acute watery diarrhea from July 2005 to June 2006. Fecal samples were collected and evaluated for various viral infections such as rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus and astrovirus. The mean (+/-standard deviation) age of the children was 2.71+/-2.37 yr. The de

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide in adolescents. Metabolic syndrome is a systemic disease that is likely to be associated with other diseases. Studies have shown a relationship between muscle strength, muscle quality, and metabolic syndrome. Handgrip strength is known as a simple tool to measure muscle strength. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between handgrip strength and metabolic syndrome and each metabolic syndrome features in adolescents. Data

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is complicated disease and increasing worldwide. Previously, many studies of NALFD prevalences have used alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of > 40 U/L to define NAFLD, although that is too high to be reliable among adolescents. This study aimed to define the upper normal limit of ALT among Korean adolescents, and use it to estimate the prevalence of NAFLD, based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). M

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the pathologic characteristics of nodular gastritis in children and young adults infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 328 patients were enrolled in this study, and the diagnosis of H. pylori infection was done with gastroduodenal endoscopy concomitant with a CLO(TM) test and pathologic analysis of the biopsy specimens. Diagnoses of normal, superficial gastritis, nodular gastritis, and peptic ulcer disea

The LSM value of 3 months after Kasai HPE can be a useful predictor of LRE development.

Biliary atresia (BA) results in severe bile blockage and is caused by the absence of extrahepatic ducts. Even after successful hepatic portoenterostomy, a considerable number of patients are likely to show progressive deterioration in liver function. Recent studies show that mutations in protein-coding mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes and/or mitochondrial genes in nuclear DNA (nDNA) are associated with hepatocellular dysfunction. This observation led us to investigate whether hepatic dysfunctions

Chronic liver disease including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease is one of the most common diseases worldwide. The gut-liver axis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver disease. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, dysbiosis, leaky bowel, bacterial translocation, and imbalanced metabolites are related to the progression of chronic liver disease. Recently, novel therapeutic approaches for microbiota modulation such as personalized diet, probiotic

OBJECTIVES: With the introduction of smaller probes (S1, S2), the use of transient elastography has been expanded to children. Accordingly, we aimed to address points of consideration in probe choice and interpretation of measured liver stiffness by applying and comparing FibroScan S and M probes in biliary atresia. METHODS: Using S1, S2, and M probes, 3 liver stiffness measurements, success rates, and interquartile ranges were obtained from 100 patients. Patients were assigned to 2 groups accor

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with imbalance of gut microbiome, indicating participation of gut environment in hepatic health status. Therefore, modulating gut environment via fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapeutic procedure for NASH patients. However, the effect and mechanism of the FMT remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the gut-liver axis to understand the FMT-mediated hepatic improvement in NASH. Feces from specific pathogen free mice

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the pathologic characteristics of nodular gastritis in children and young adults infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Materials and Methods: A total of 328 patients were enrolled in this study, and the diagnosis of H. pylori infection was done with gastroduodenal endoscopy concomitant with a CLOTM test and pathologic analysis of the biopsy specimens. Diagnoses of normal, superficial gastritis, nodular gastritis, and peptic ulcer disease

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS), a common form of inherited hemolytic anemia, is a heterogeneous group of disorders with regard to clinical severity, protein defects, and mode of inheritance. Causal mutations in at least five genes have been reported so far. Because multiple genes have been associated with HS, clinical genetic testing that relies on direct sequencing will be a challenge. In this study, we used whole exome sequencing to identify a novel nonsense mutation in ANK1 (p.Q1772X, NM_02047

Lamivudine therapy had a significant effect on HBeAg seroconversion and HBV-DNA disappearance, and ALT normalization for Korean children with chronic hepatitis B.