Hyeran Yang
Seoul National University · Medicine
About the Lab
Professor Hyeran Yang's research lab specializes in pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, with a focus on noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including the validation of fibrosis scores like APRI and FIB4. The lab also investigates functional gastrointestinal disorders such as cyclic vomiting syndrome and pediatric feeding disorders, emphasizing their clinical diagnosis, pathophysiology, and long-term impact on growth and neurocognitive development. Additionally, the lab explores pediatric Helicobacter pylori infection, particularly its unique endoscopic and histopathological features in children, and the need for age-specific diagnostic thresholds in tests like the 13C-UBT to improve accuracy. The research integrates clinical diagnostics, body composition analysis (e.g., DXA), and biomarker evaluation to enhance early detection and management of pediatric gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15APRI and FIB4 might be useful noninvasive hepatic fibrosis scores for predicting hepatic fibrosis in children with NAFLD.
Feeding is an interaction between a child and caregiver, and feeding difficulty is an umbrella term encompassing all feeding problems, regardless of etiology, severity, or consequences, while feeding disorder refers to an inability or refusal to eat sufficient quantities or variety of food to maintain adequate nutritional status, leading to substantial consequences, including malnutrition, impaired growth, and possible neurocognitive dysfunction. There are 6 representative feeding disorder subty
Helicobacter pylori infection is acquired mainly during childhood and causes various diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and iron deficiency anemia. Although H. pylori infection in children differs from adults in many ways, this is often overlooked in clinical practice. Unlike adults, nodular gastritis may be a pathognomonic endoscopic finding of childhood H. pylori infection. Histopathological findings of gastric tissues are also
Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that can occur in both children and adults. Clinical courses of CVS manifesting recurrent severe vomiting episodes and interval illness may affect the long-term quality of life in children with CVS. Therefore, we should be careful in accessing a patient suggestive of CVS. Accurate diagnosis based on diagnostic criteria for CVS and the exclusion from other organic diseases mimicking clinical manifestations of cyclic vomiting
The cut-off value of the (13)C-UBT recommended regardless of age must be adjusted in preschool children to reduce the false positive results.
Body fat, especially abdominal fat, influences the development of insulin resistance and subsequent NAFLD in obese children. Therefore, body composition measurement using DXA, in conjunction with biochemical tests, may be beneficial in evaluating obese children with NAFLD.
Primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is common in childhood, and dual positivity of serum EBV IgM and cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgM antibodies occur in some cases. This study aimed to evaluate the cause of EBV and CMV IgM dual positivity to determine whether it represents a false-positive finding or a true coinfection.A total of 494 children diagnosed with primary EBV infection, manifesting as infectious mononucleosis, were recruited. The diagnosis was based on positive EBV viral capsid antige
Our results indicate that cancer treatment is related to significant body composition changes and rapid body fat gain, particularly during the first month after initiating cancer treatment, in children with hematologic malignancies. Therefore, individualized dietary strategies to prevent excessive fat gain are needed in pediatric cancer patients for better outcomes.
Our study suggests NG may present as a significant gastric manifestation of childhood H pylori infection that indicates gastric MALT. Thorough histologic investigation may be useful in the evaluation of gastric MALT in children infected with H pylori that manifests as severe NG in the antrum.
Zinc supplementation in NOFTT infants improves serum zinc status, regardless of gestational age at birth. Zinc supplementation in NOFTT infants born at term may improve serum IGF-1 levels and growth, but it does not in NOFTT infants born preterm. Overall nutritional support rather than supplementation of a single nutrient may be more effective for catch-up growth in NOFTT infants born preterm.
The (13)C-UBT is a noninvasive method exhibiting high diagnostic accuracy with both UHR as well as DOB. However, high false-positive results for (13)C-UBT were noted in children below 6 years on applying both UHR as well as DOB. Thus, this may not only be due to the effects of endogenous CO(2) production but also due to other factors.
Because nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can progress towards cirrhosis even in children, early detection of hepatic fibrosis and accurate diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are important. Although liver biopsy is regarded as the gold standard of diagnosis, its clinical application is somewhat limited in children due to its invasiveness. Noninvasive diagnostic methods, including imaging studies, biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, hepatic apoptosis, hepatic fibrosis, and
The incidence of pediatric acute inflammatory gallbladder (GB) disease without gallstone such as acute acalculous cholecystitis has increased with the development of improved diagnostic modalities. Although Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is common in general population, only few cases of GB diseases caused by EBV infection have been reported. This study analyzed ultrasonographic characteristics of primary EBV infection in children and evaluated the influence of EBV-associated GB disease on c
Research Areas
Dive deeper into Hyeran Yang's research on Nubint
Open this lab's papers in the app to read with AI, summarize, and cite in your writing.