A scoring system for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis from liver biopsy.

Background: Liver biopsy is the essential method to diagnose non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but histological features of NASH are too subjective to achieve reproducible diagnoses in early stages of disease. We aimed to identify the key histological features of NASH and devise a scoring model for diagnosis.

Methods: Thirteen pathologists blindly assessed 12 histological factors and final histological diagnoses ('not-NASH,' 'borderline,' and 'NASH') of 31 liver biopsies that were diagnosed as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or NASH before and after consensus.

Bee Venom Inhibits Porphyromonas gingivalis Lipopolysaccharides-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines through Suppression of NF-κB and AP-1 Signaling Pathways.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to destruction of tooth supporting tissues. (), especially its lipopolysaccharides (LPS), is one of major pathogens that cause periodontitis. Bee venom (BV) has been widely used as a traditional medicine for various diseases.

Interobserver Agreement on Pathologic Features of Liver Biopsy Tissue in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: The histomorphologic criteria for the pathological features of liver tissue from patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain subjective, causing confusion among pathologists and clinicians. In this report, we studied interobserver agreement of NAFLD pathologic features and analyzed causes of disagreement.

Methods: Thirty-one cases of clinicopathologically diagnosed NAFLD from 10 hospitals were selected.

Microenvironmental interactions and expression of molecular markers associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in colorectal carcinoma.

The tumor microenvironment is known to play a critical role in tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is understood as a process of tumor invasion and metastasis. Therefore, we investigated the relation between the EMT and the microenvironment of colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Transcription factors related to epithelial mesenchymal transition in tumor center and margin in invasive lung adenocarcinoma.

The tumor microenvironment has many roles involving tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. The tumor cells at the tumor border loose epithelial properties and acquire mesenchymal features. This, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been suggested to be an important process for tissue and lymphovascular invasion.

Immunohistochemical study for the origin of ductular reaction in chronic liver disease.

The appearance of proliferating bile ductular structures, which is called the "atypical ductular reaction" is frequently observed in various chronic liver diseases associated. However, the origin of these increased bile ductules has been a matter of controversy. In this study, we investigated the origin of ductular cells as an aspect of relation between epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and epithelial members of liver parenchyme, such as hepatocyte and cholangiocyte by immunohistochemical staining of human liver.

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid brain tumor in an infant with ring chromosome 22.

Reports of constitutional ring chromosome 22, r(22) are rare. Individuals with r(22) present similar features as those with the 22q13 deletion syndrome. The instability in the ring chromosome contributes to the development of variable phenotypes.

Fascin expression predicts lymph node metastasis and worse survival in small intestinal carcinoma.

Fascin expression has been associated with clinicopathological parameters and clinical outcome in many carcinomas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of fascin expression in small intestinal carcinomas (SICs). We constructed tissue microarrays for evaluation of immunohistochemical expression of fascin in a total of 194 SICs.

The differential expression of TGF-β1, ILK and wnt signaling inducing epithelial to mesenchymal transition in human renal fibrogenesis: an immunohistochemical study.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process for fully differentiated epithelial cells to undergo a phenotypic change to fibroblasts via diverse intracellular signaling pathways. While the pivotal role of fibroblasts in renal fibrosis is widely accepted, their origin remains undefined. In addition, although a large number of studies have provided evidence of EMT in human kidney diseases, specific signaling pathways leading to EMT have not yet been discovered in humans.

Glomerular and tubular C4d depositions in IgA nephropathy: relations with histopathology and with albuminuria.

Background: C4d has been used as an evaluation marker for antibody-mediated rejection for solid organ transplantation. Although some studies have proposed that complement activation is involved in renal diseases, very little information is available on pathogenesis. This study was conducted to investigate C4d deposition in IgA nephropathy and to find its relations with histopathology and albuminuria.

Incidental Finding of Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma in F-18 FDG PET/CT for Health Screening.

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) that simultaneously offers anatomic and metabolic information is widely used and has become an effective modality in many clinical fields, especially oncology, and also may detect an unexpected primary cancer. Appendiceal carcinoma is relatively uncommon and not associated with characteristic symptoms. We report the case of a 53-year-old man with appendiceal adenocarcinoma, who had only mild fever.

Expression of hMLH1, hMSH2 and hMSH6 in small intestinal carcinomas.

Background/aims: Although primary small intestinal carcinoma (SIC) is morphologically similar to colorectal carcinoma and shares many of the genetic changes of carcinogenesis, little is known about the role of defective mismatch repair (MMR) genes involved in the SIC. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of defective MMR genes and correlation between clinicopathological factors and loss of MMR protein in SIC.

Methodology: A total of 195 SIC cases were collected from 20 institutions in Korea and tissue microarrays (TMA) were made.

Intratumoral electroporation of IL-12 cDNA eradicates established melanomas by Trp2(180-188)-specific CD8+ CTLs in a perforin/granzyme-mediated and IFN-γ-dependent manner: application of Trp2(180-188) peptides.

Intratumoral electroporation (IT-EP) with IL-12 cDNA (IT-EP/IL12) can lead to the eradication of established B16 melanoma tumors in mice. Here, we explore the immunological mechanism of the antitumor effects generated by this therapy. The results show that IT-EP/IL12 applied only once resulted in eradication in 70% animals with large established B16 tumors.

Physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation for the heat level (hot taste) of korean red pepper powder.

This study investigated the heat level rating of several varieties of Korean red peppers. The chemical constitution of Korean red pepper samples were as follows: 0.54∼290.

Antitumor therapeutic and antimetastatic activity of electroporation-delivered human papillomavirus 16 E7 DNA vaccines: a possible mechanism for enhanced tumor control.

DNA vaccines are known to be lacking in immunogenicity in humans. Presently, electroporation (EP) is thought to overcome this limitation. Here, we investigate whether human papillomavirus 16 E7 DNA vaccines delivered by EP might elicit potent antitumor activity in animal cervical cancer models, with a focus on the underlying mechanism(s).

Current trends in the epidemiological and pathological characteristics of gastrointestinal stromal tumors in Korea, 2003-2004.

Despite remarkable progress in understanding and treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) during the past two decades, the pathological characteristics of GISTs have not been made clear yet. Furthermore, concrete diagnostic criteria of malignant GISTs are still uncertain. We collected pathology reports of 1,227 GISTs from 38 hospitals in Korea between 2003 and 2004 and evaluated the efficacy of the NIH and AFIP classification schemes as well as the prognostic factors among pathologic findings.

Prognostic significance of MAGE in peritoneal washes in gastric carcinoma patients without peritoneal metastasis: results of a 5-year follow-up study.

Goals: The RT-PCR assay of peritoneal washes has been used to predict peritoneal metastasis of gastric carcinoma. We used melanoma associated gene (MAGE) RT-PCR to detect peritoneal metastasis of gastric carcinoma after curative surgery and evaluated its clinical significance.

Method: Eighty-four peritoneal washes and 23 tumor and normal tissues were obtained from 84 gastric carcinoma patients.

Adenocarcinoma of the small intestine: a multi-institutional study of 197 surgically resected cases.

Small intestinal adenocarcinoma is a rare malignant neoplasm, and its clinicopathologic characteristics have not been well elucidated. A total of 197 small intestinal adenocarcinoma cases were collected from 22 institutions in South Korea and were evaluated for clinicopathologic factors that affect the prognosis of small intestinal adenocarcinoma patients using univariate and multivariate analyses. The mean patient age was 59 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.

Antifibrotic effect through the regulation of transcription factor using ring type-Sp1 decoy oligodeoxynucleotide in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis.

Background: Liver fibrosis is characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Recent advances in the knowledge about the cellular, molecular and genetic aspects of fibrosis have opened a new era of research on liver cirrhosis. A transcription factor, Sp1, originally described as a ubiquitous transcription factor, is involved in the basal expression of ECM genes and may be important in the fibrotic processes.

Suppressive effects of bee venom on the immune responses in collagen-induced arthritis in rats.

The effect of bee venom (BVA) on the development of type II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats has been studied. Male rats were immunized with an emulsion of 200 microg of CII and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The rats were then given intraperitoneally (i.

Disulfiram suppresses invasive ability of osteosarcoma cells via the inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression.

Cancer cells, characterized by local invasion and distant metastasis, are very much dependent on the extracellular matrix. The expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been implicated in the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. In this study, we reported the effects of disulfiram, a clinically used anti-alcoholism drug, on tumor invasion suppression, as well as its effects on the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human osteosarcoma cells (U2OS).

Antifibrotic effect via the regulation of transcription factor Sp1 in lung fibrosis.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the antifibrotic effect of ring-type Sp1 decoy oligonucleotides (ODNs) through blocking the transcription of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and its downstream target genes. In this experiment, the expression of TGF-beta1, metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, and fibronectin was decreased in the group with the treatment of the ring-type Sp1 decoy ODNs. Also, alpha-smooth muscle actin positive bronchial lining cells and alveolar epithelial cells were observed, especially around the lesions of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition.

Increased sensitivity of radiated murine cervical cancer tumors to E7 subunit vaccine-driven CTL-mediated killing induces synergistic anti-tumor activity.

The development of therapeutic vaccines has important implications for the treatment of cancer patients. Here we investigate whether human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 subunit vaccines can enhance tumor radioresponse using an established cervical cancer animal model. Radiation plus E7 subunit vaccines improved complete response, cure, and recurrence rates of tumors dramatically compared with single therapy alone.