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Yu-Ho Yoo

Kyung Hee University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Yu-Ho Yoo's research lab focuses on renal pathophysiology, particularly in diabetic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease progression. The lab investigates cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and fibrotic remodeling in renal tubules, with an emphasis on identifying non-invasive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Key research directions include the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in preserving renal function, the clinical significance of physical performance in hemodialysis patients, and the immunological microenvironment in transplant and native kidney diseases.

diabetic nephropathyrenal fibrosisSGLT2 inhibitorsbiomarkerschronic kidney disease

Research Overview

Papers
132
Total Citations
1,298
Papers (5y)
56
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
56total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
251total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|183 citations·2019
Empagliflozin attenuates diabetic tubulopathy by improving mitochondrial fragmentation and autophagy
Yu Ho Lee, Sang Hoon Kim, Jun Kang, Jin Hyung Heo, Dong-Jin Kim, Seon Hwa Park, Min Ji Sung, Jaehee Kim, Jisu Oh, Dong Ho Yang, Sang Ho Lee, Sang Ho Lee
American Journal of Physiology-Renal PhysiologyOA

We examined the effects of empagliflozin, a selective inhibitor of Na + -glucose cotransporter 2, on mitochondrial quality control and autophagy in renal tubular cells in a diabetic environment in vivo and in vitro. Human renal proximal tubular cells (hRPTCs) were incubated under high-glucose conditions. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in male C57BL/6J mice. Improvements in mitochondrial biogenesis and balanced fusion-fission protein expression were noted in hRPTCs after treatment with

SurgeryMedicine
2
Article|70 citations·2020
Gait speed and handgrip strength as predictors of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients
Yu Ho Lee, Jin Sug Kim, Su Woong Jung, Hyeon Seok Hwang, Ju-Young Moon, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Sang Ho Lee, So‐Young Lee, Gang Jee Ko, Dong-Young Lee, Hong Joo Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim
SJR Q2BMC NephrologyOA

BACKGROUND: Low physical performance in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis is associated with a high mortality rate. We investigated the clinical relevance of gait speed and handgrip strength, the two most commonly used methods of assessing physical performance. METHODS: We obtained data regarding gait speed and handgrip strength from 277 hemodialysis patients and evaluated their relationships with baseline parameters, mental health, plasma inflammatory markers, and major adverse clini

NephrologyMedicine
3
Article|44 citations·2017
Clinicopathological features of diabetic and nondiabetic renal diseases in type 2 diabetic patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria
Yu Ho Lee, Ki-Pyo Kim, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Su Woong Jung, Eun-Ji Park, Jin Sug Kim, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Tae Won Lee, Chun-Gyoo Ihm, Young-Il Jo, Hoon-Young Choi
SJR Q3MedicineOA

Heavy proteinuria with or without features of nephrotic syndrome is associated with many primary and systemic diseases. For diabetic patients, distinguishing nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD) from diabetic nephropathy (DN) is important in choosing treatment modalities and determining renal prognosis. However, clinical relevance of heavy proteinuria is inconsistent with clinical DN assessments. This study investigated the clinicopathological features and renal outcomes of DN and NDRD in type 2 dia

NephrologyMedicine
4
Article|35 citations·2016
Systematic biomarker discovery and coordinative validation for different primary nephrotic syndromes using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
Jung Eun Lee, Yu Ho Lee, Yu Ho Lee, Se-Yun Kim, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Tae Won Lee, Chun-Gyoo Ihm, Sooah Kim, Kyoung Heon Kim, Dong Ki Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Chromatography A
NephrologyMedicine
5
Article|31 citations·2022
Advanced Tertiary Lymphoid Tissues in Protocol Biopsies are Associated with Progressive Graft Dysfunction in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Yu Ho Lee, Yuki Sato, Mitsuru Saito, Shingo Fukuma, Masaya Saito, Shigenori Yamamoto, Atsushi Komatsuda, Nobuhiro Fujiyama, Shigeru Satoh, Sang Ho Lee, Peter Boor, Tomonori Habuchi
Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)OA

[Background:] Tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs) are ectopic lymphoid tissues found in chronically inflamed organs. Although studies have documented TLT formation in transplanted kidneys, the clinical relevance of these TLTs remains controversial. We examined the impacts of TLTs on future graft function using our histological TLT maturity stages and the association between TLTs and Banff pathologic scores. We also analyzed the risk factors for the development of TLTs. [Methods:] Serial protocol bi

TransplantationMedicine
6
Article|29 citations·2019
Urinary chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 16 and endostatin as predictors of tubulointerstitial fibrosis in patients with advanced diabetic kidney disease
Yu Ho Lee, Ki Pyo Kim, Sun-Hwa Park, Dong-Jin Kim, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Su Woong Jung, Jin Sug Kim, Kyung Hwan Jeong, So‐Young Lee, Dong Ho Yang, Sung-Jig Lim
SJR Q1Nephrology Dialysis TransplantationOA

BACKGROUND: Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) is a well-recognized risk factor for poor renal outcome in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, a noninvasive biomarker for IFTA is currently lacking. The purpose of this study was to identify urinary markers of IFTA and to determine their clinical relevance as predictors of renal prognosis. METHODS: Seventy patients with biopsy-proven isolated DKD were enrolled in this study. We measured multiple urinary inflammatory

NephrologyMedicine
7
Article|27 citations·2016
Plasma endocan level and prognosis of immunoglobulin A nephropathy
Yu Ho Lee, Jin Sug Kim, Se-Yun Kim, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Tae Won Lee, Chun-Gyoo Ihm, Sang-Ho Lee
SJR Q1Kidney Research and Clinical PracticeOA

This study suggested that plasma endocan might be useful as a prognostic factor in patients with IgAN.

ImmunologyImmunology and Microbiology
8
Article|23 citations·2017
Diabetes Aggravates Post-ischaemic Renal Fibrosis through Persistent Activation of TGF-β1 and Shh Signalling
Dong-Jin Kim, Jun Kang, Seon Hwa Park, Hyuk‐Kwon Kwon, Seok-Jong Song, Haena Moon, Su-Mi Kim, Jung-Woo Seo, Yu Ho Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Soyoung Lee
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Abstract Diabetes is a risk factor for acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Diabetic patients are easy to progress to CKD after AKI. Currently, activation of fibrotic signalling including transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β 1 ) is recognized as a key mechanism in CKD. Here, we investigated the influence of diabetes on CKD progression after AKI by using a unilateral renal ischaemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) model in diabetic mice. IRI induced extensive tubular injury, fibr

NephrologyMedicine
9
Article|19 citations·2019
Endocan as a marker of microvascular inflammation in kidney transplant recipients
Yu Ho Lee, Se-Yun Kim, Haena Moon, Jung-Woo Seo, Dong-Jin Kim, Seon Hwa Park, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Jin Sug Kim, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Sung-Jig Lim, Chan‐Duck Kim
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Endocan is a water-soluble proteoglycan exclusively secreted by vascular endothelium. Endocan levels may be elevated in kidney transplant recipients experiencing antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR), which is characterized by vascular inflammation in transplanted kidney. We evaluated the clinical relevance of endocan as markers of microvascular inflammation in patients who underwent kidney transplantation. Plasma and urinary endocan levels were measured in 203 kidney transplant recipients and were

ImmunologyImmunology and Microbiology
10
Article|17 citations·2023
Clinical implications of changes in metabolic syndrome status after kidney transplantation: a nationwide prospective cohort study
Yu Ho Lee, Sang Heon Song, Seung Hwan Song, Ho Sik Shin, Jaeseok Yang, Myoung Soo Kim, Hyeon Seok Hwang, the KOTRY Study Group, Curie Ahn, Jaeseok Yang, Jin Min Kong, Oh Jung Kwon
SJR Q1Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is prevalent in patients with end-stage kidney disease, and kidney transplantation is expected to modify the metabolic status. However, whether changes in metabolic status at the time of transplantation affect recipient outcomes remains unclear. METHODS: We analyzed 4187 recipients registered in a nationwide prospective cohort from 2014 to 2020. MetS was defined as the presence of three or more components of the metabolic syndrome. Patients were classified b

TransplantationMedicine
11
Article|16 citations·2021
Urinary mRNA Signatures as Predictors of Renal Function Decline in Patients With Biopsy-Proven Diabetic Kidney Disease
Yu Ho Lee, Jung-Woo Seo, Miji Kim, Donghyun Tae, Junhee Seok, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Sang Ho Lee, Jin Sug Kim, Hyeon Seok Hwang, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Ju-Young Moon
SJR Q1Frontiers in EndocrinologyOA

The clinical manifestations of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are more heterogeneous than those previously reported, and these observations mandate the need for the recruitment of patients with biopsy-proven DKD in biomarker research. In this study, using the public gene expression omnibus (GEO) repository, we aimed to identify urinary mRNA biomarkers that can predict histological severity and disease progression in patients with DKD in whom the diagnosis and histologic grade has been confirmed b

NephrologyMedicine
12
Article|14 citations·2023
Plasma Interleukin-6 Level Predicts the Risk of Arteriovenous Fistula Dysfunction in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis
Jihyun Baek, Hyeyeon Lee, Taeyoung Yang, So‐Young Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Jin Sug Kim, ShinYoung Ahn, Kipyo Kim, Seok Hui Kang, Min Jeong Lee, Dong-Young Lee, Hye Yun Jeong
SJR Q2Journal of Personalized MedicineOA

Systemic inflammation has been proposed as a relevant factor of vascular remodeling and dysfunction. We aimed to identify circulating inflammatory biomarkers that could predict future arteriovenous fistula (AVF) dysfunction in patients undergoing hemodialysis. A total of 282 hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this prospective multicenter cohort study. Plasma cytokine levels were measured at the time of data collection. The primary outcome was the occurrence of AVF stenosis and/or thrombosis

Emergency Medical ServicesHealth Professions
13
Article|13 citations·2020
Effects of online hemodiafiltration on anemia and nutritional status in chronic hemodialysis patients
Yu Ho Lee, Yoon Soo Shin, So‐Young Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Sang Ho Lee, Ju-Young Moon, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Hyeon Seok Hwang, Shin Young Ahn, Hong Joo Lee, Dong-Young Lee, Eun-Jung Ko
SJR Q1Kidney Research and Clinical PracticeOA

OL-HDF treatment over more than 12 months was associated with no harmful effects on anemia and nutritional status.

NephrologyMedicine
14
Review|13 citations·2016
Genetic Variations of Tyrosine Hydroxylase in the Pathogenesis of Hypertension
Yu Ho Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Jin Sug Kim, Kyung-Hwan Jeong, Tae Won Lee, Chun‐Gyoo Ihm, Sang Ho Lee
SJR Q2Electrolytes & Blood PressureOA

One of the major pathophysiological features of primary hypertension is an inappropriate activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is mediated by excessive synthesis and secretion of catecholamine into the blood. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamine, has been highlighted because genetic variations of TH could alter the activity of the sympathetic nervous system activity and subsequently contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. Here,

BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|11 citations·2019
Genome-wide association study identifies new susceptible loci of IgA nephropathy in Koreans
Representing the KNOW-CKD Study Group, Kyung Hwan Jeong, Jin Sug Kim, Yu Ho Lee, Yang‐Gyun Kim, Ju-Young Moon, Su Kang Kim, Sun Woo Kang, Tae Hee Kim, Sang Ho Lee, Yeong Hoon Kim, Yeong Hoon Kim
SJR Q3BMC Medical GenomicsOA

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Recent evidence suggests that genetic factors are related to the pathogenesis of IgAN. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify novel genetic susceptibility loci for IgAN in a Korean population. METHODS: We enrolled 188 biopsy-confirmed IgAN cases and 455 healthy controls for the discovery stage and explored associations between IgAN and single nucleotide polymorphisms

NephrologyMedicine

Research Areas

NephrologyTransplantationMolecular BiologyPhysiologyPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthImmunology

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