Young Yoo

TGF-beta 1 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of liver disease. The high frequency of detection of the hepatitis B virus X (HBx) antigen in liver cells from patients with chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer suggested that expression of HBx and TGF-beta 1 may be associated. To test this possibility, we examined the expression of TGF-beta 1 in the liver of transgenic mice expressing the HBx gene. We show that the patterns of expression of TGF-beta 1 and Hbx protein are similar in t

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible adverse effects of Asian dust events on respiratory health in asthmatic children. Fifty-two children with mild asthma were studied for eight consecutive weeks in the spring of 2004 (March 8 to May 2). During the study period, five Asian dust days were identified; we included a lag period of two days following each of the events. Subjects recorded their respiratory symptom diaries and peak expiratory flow (PEF) twice daily during the study per

Persistent accumulation of DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is proposed to be a major contributor toward the aging process. Furthermore, an increase in age-associated ROS is strongly correlated with aging in various species, including humans. Here we showed that the enforced expression of the ROS modulator 1 (Romo1) triggered premature senescence by ROS production, and this also contributed toward induction of DNA damage. Romo1-derived ROS was found to originate in the mitocho

To search for a marker that predicts the efficacy of radiation therapy in human cervical cancer, gene expression profiles between parental SiHa cervical cancer cells and radiation-resistant SiHa/R cells have been compared by the microarray technique. Microarray and Northern blot analyses demonstrated that the ICAM-3 expression was upregulated in SiHa/R cells. This increased expression of ICAM-3 in SiHa cells enhanced cell survival by about 34.3% after a 2 Gy dosage of radiation. In addition, SiH

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta) inhibits cell-cycle progression of many types of cells by arresting them in G(1)/S phase through inhibition of the active cyclin-Cdk complexes that lead to inhibition of Rb phosphorylation. In gastric-cancer cells, SNU16, TGF-beta treatment induced enhanced expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) (p21), which inhibited the kinase activity of cyclin-D- and cyclin-E-associated Cdks and blocked p130 phosphorylation. TGF-beta also enhanced the stability of p130, sugg

근래 서구화된 주거환경의 변화로 인해 만성 환경성질환이 증가하고 있으며, 이에 대한 예방과 치료에 있어숲이 가진 기능에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있다. 연구진은 소아의 대표적인 만성 환경성질환인 천식과 아토피피부염 환자를 대상으로 산음자연휴양림에서 각각 2박3일간의 숲치유 캠프 프로그램을 실시하였다. 프로그램 내용은 숲체험,질환에 대한 교육, 강의, 심리치료 및 운동 등의 활동으로 구성하였다. 의료진들은 대상환자들의 폐기능을 측정하고 아토피피부염 중증도 평가 및 알레르기 피부반응검사를 실시하였다. 숲치유 캠프 참가 전, 후에 증상의 변화, 교육 효과,소아심리불안척도 변화, 혈중 면역관련 사이토카인의 농도를 측정하였다. 숲치유 캠프 활동은 천식과 아토피피부염 환자의 증상의 호전을 보이고, 심리적 불안정은 감소하였고, 질환에 대한 올바른 인식을 가지는데 긍정적인 효과가 있었으며, 특히 아토피피부염 환자의 면역불균형은 다소 개선된 효과를 보였다. 향후 숲치유의 긍정적인 효과를 널리 홍보하고,

Paclitaxel induces a cell cycle block at G2-M phase by preventing the depolymerization of microtubules and induces p53-independent apoptosis in many cancer cells. We observed that gastric cancer cells treated with paclitaxel have shown a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4 down-regulation. This paclitaxel-induced CDK4 down-regulation resulted in a cell cycle arrest at G1-S phase. To confirm this observation, we prepared stable transfectants that overexpressed CDK4 and analyzed the cell cycle progress

Acute mycoplasma pneumonia may be accompanied by wheeze in some children considered not to have asthma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate cytokine secretion in children with acute mycoplasma pneumonia and wheeze. We studied 58 patients with mycoplasma pneumonia (12 with wheeze, Group 1; 46 without wheeze, Group 2) and 36 patients of non-mycoplasma pneumonia (Group 3). Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were m

The performance of the SD Bioline rapid antigen test kit for influenza virus detection was evaluated with 295 respiratory specimens during the influenza season. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the SD Bioline test were 61.9% and 96.8% for the influenza A virus antigen and 54.5% and 100% for the influenza B virus antigen, respectively. The results were consistent with peak influenza activities.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggested that dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is associated with childhood allergic diseases. Oral administration of probiotic formulations may improve the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) by restoring imbalanced gut microbiota and reducing intestinal inflammation in children. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a probiotic mixture on the clinical severity of AD, gut inflammatory markers and alterations in microbiome dysbiosis in childre

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to compare the degree of airway inflammation in cough-variant asthma (CVA) with that in classic asthma (CA), and to examine the relationship between airway inflammation and airway hypersensitivity or maximal airway response to methacholine in both conditions. METHODS: Sputum was induced in 41 CVA patients, in 41 methacholine PC(20)-matched CA patients, and in 20 healthy children. The sputum samples were analyzed for total and differential cell counts, and