Hyperspectral reflectance imaging for nondestructive evaluation of root rot in Korean ginseng ( Meyer).

Root rot of caused by , a soil-borne fungus is typically diagnosed by frequently checking the ginseng plants or by evaluating soil pathogens in a farm, which is a time- and cost-intensive process. Because this disease causes huge economic losses to ginseng farmers, it is important to develop reliable and non-destructive techniques for early disease detection. In this study, we developed a non-destructive method for the early detection of root rot.

Clinical Significance of Combined Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Markers Expression and Role of Rac1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated in cancer progression, invasion, and metastasis. We aimed to evaluate the correlations between clinicopathological characteristics and EMT markers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent surgical resection and to identify the key regulator in EMT process. Fresh-frozen HCC tissues and adjacent nontumor liver tissues from 30 patients who underwent surgical resection were provided by the Gachon University Gil Medical Center Bio Bank.

Automated Differentiation of Atypical Parkinsonian Syndromes Using Brain Iron Patterns in Susceptibility Weighted Imaging.

In recent studies, iron overload has been reported in atypical parkinsonian syndromes. The topographic patterns of iron distribution in deep brain nuclei vary by each subtype of parkinsonian syndrome, which is affected by underlying disease pathologies. In this study, we developed a novel framework that automatically analyzes the disease-specific patterns of iron accumulation using susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI).

High-Throughput Phenotyping Approach for the Evaluation of Heat Stress in Korean Ginseng ( Meyer) Using a Hyperspectral Reflectance Image.

has been used as a traditional medicine to strengthen human health for centuries. Over the last decade, significant agronomical progress has been made in the development of elite ginseng cultivars, increasing their production and quality. However, as one of the significant environmental factors, heat stress remains a challenge and poses a significant threat to ginseng plants' growth and sustainable production.

Phenological growth stages of Korean ginseng () according to the extended BBCH scale.

Background: Phenological studies are a prerequisite for accomplishing higher productivity and better crop quality in cultivated plants. However, there are no phenological studies on that improve its production yield. This study aims to redefine the phenological growth stages of based on the existing Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale and proposes a disease control reference.

Retrospective analysis of current guidelines for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI in at-risk patients.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of the updated HCC guidelines using gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI.

Methods: In this study, patients at risk of HCC who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI following US/CT surveillance were retrospectively recruited from 3 centers. Three radiologists independently evaluated hepatic nodule imaging features relevant to the diagnostic criteria outlined in each guideline.

[Seroreversion and Acute Decompensation in Chronic Hepatitis B after Discontinuation of Oral Nucleotide Analog in the Patients Achieving HBsAg Loss].

Although rare patients with chronic hepatitis B can achieve HBsAg loss on oral nucleos(t)ide analog (NA), the optimal timing of stopping oral NAs safely has been considered when HBsAg and HBV DNA are negative in the serum because HBsAg loss induced by nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) appears to be durable if immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy are not done. On the other hand, the author experienced a case of HBsAg seroreversion and acute decompensation after the discontinuation of NA in a patient with HBsAg loss. This rare case highlights the need for the close monitoring of patients who achieved HBsAg loss and stopped NA.

Partial Virological Response after 2 Years of Entecavir Therapy Increases the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Cirrhosis.

Background/aims: : The clinical significance of partial virological response (PVR) in patients undergoing antiviral therapy is not well known. This study investigated whether PVR after 2 years of entecavir (ETV) therapy is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in cirrhotic patients.

Methods: A total of 472 naïve patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cirrhosis who were treated with ETV for at least 2 years were retrospectively enrolled.

Magnetic Resonance-Based Assessments Better Capture Pathophysiologic Profiles and Progression in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Several noninvasive tools are available for the assessment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) including clinical and blood biomarkers, transient elastography (TE), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, such as proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether magnetic resonance (MR)-based examinations better discriminate the pathophysiologic features and fibrosis progression in NAFLD than other noninvasive methods.

Methods: A total of 133 subjects (31 healthy volunteers and 102 patients with NAFLD) were subjected to clinical and noninvasive NAFLD evaluation, with additional liver biopsy in some patients (n=54).

Gene Signature for Sorafenib Susceptibility in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Different Approach with a Predictive Biomarker.

Background/aim: Uniform treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with molecular targeted drugs (e.g., sorafenib) results in a poor overall tumor response when tumor subtyping is absent.

Exogenous 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine ameliorates liver fibrosis through the inhibition of Rac1-NADPH oxidase signaling.

Background And Aim: Exogenous 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was suggested as an inhibitor of Rac1 and NADPH oxidase (NOX). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the exogenous 8-OHdG on hepatic fibrogenesis in vitro and in vivo model of liver fibrosis.

Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to sham-operated rats (n = 7), rats that underwent bile duct ligation (BDL) (n = 6), and BDL rats treated with 8-OHdG (60 mg/kg/day by gavage, n = 6).

Durability of Sustained Virologic Response and Improvement of Fibrosis Markers after Daclatasvir and Asunaprevir Treatment in Genotype 1b Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients: a Real Life and Multicenter Study.

Background: The long-term data with direct acting antiviral agents were rare. This study investigated the durability of a sustained virologic response (SVR) and the improvement of fibrosis after daclatasvir and asunaprevir (DCV/ASV) treatment in genotype 1b (GT1b) hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients.

Methods: A total of 288 HCV GT1b patients without baseline non-structural 5A (NS5A) resistance-associated substitution (RAS) treated with DCV/ASV were enrolled.

Characteristics of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in distinguishing small (≤3 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is highly accurate in depicting the vascularity of liver nodules. The aim of this study was to verify the characteristics of CEUS in distinguishing small (≤3 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).A total of 65 patients with a liver nodule (HCC, n = 58; ICC, n = 7) smaller than 3 cm who underwent liver CEUS and pathologic confirmation were retrospectively reviewed.

Chronic Hepatitis B Infection Is Significantly Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease: a Population-based, Matched Case-control Study.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection leads to hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations including chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the association between HBV and CKD is not clear. This study investigated the association between chronic HBV infection and CKD in a nationwide multicenter study.

[Primary Hepatic Schwannoma].

A primary benign schwannoma of the liver is extremely rare. Only 30 cases have been reported in the medical literature worldwide, and only one case has been reported in Korea previously. A 56-year-old man was admitted to Gil Medical Center with incidental findings of a hepatic mass by abdominal computed tomography.

A Model to Predict 1-Month Risk of Transplant or Death in Hepatitis A-Related Acute Liver Failure.

Acute liver failure (ALF) caused by hepatitis A is a rare but fatal disease. Here, we developed a model to predict outcome in patients with ALF caused by hepatitis A. The derivation set consisted of 294 patients diagnosed with hepatitis A-related ALF (ALFA) from Korea, and a validation set of 56 patients from Japan, India, and United Kingdom.

[Spontaneously Resolving of Huge Simple Hepatic Cyst].

Simple hepatic cysts are common benign liver lesions that usually have no malignant capability. They are generally asymptomatic and are often found incidentally by abdominal imaging procedures. Treatment becomes necessary, however, when huge hepatic cysts cause symptoms and develop complications, such as hemorrhage, adjacent organ damage, and infection.

Effect of Rifaximin on Hepatic Fibrosis in Bile Duct-ligated Rat Model.

Background/aims: The translocation of bacteria and their lipopolysaccharides from the gut can promote fibrosis in cirrhotic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rifaximin on hepatic fibrosis in a bile duct-ligated rat model.

Methods: The bile duct ligation (BDL) was carried out for eight days (acute injury model: sham-operated rats [G1], BDL rats [G2], and BDL rats treated with rifaximin [G3]) or 22 days (chronic injury model: sham-operated rats [G4], BDL rats [G5], and BDL rats treated with rifaximin [G6]).

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation in inconspicuous hepatocellular carcinoma on B-mode ultrasound.

Background/aims: B-mode ultrasound (US) has difficulty targeting small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with poor conspicuity during radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can improve visualization of small or inconspicuous HCCs. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of CEUS-guided RFA electrode insertion during the arterial phase in inconspicuous HCCs.

Peritumoral decreased uptake area of gadoxetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and tumor recurrence after surgical resection in hepatocellular carcinoma: A STROBE-compliant article.

Recently, it has been suggested that peritumoral decreased uptake area (PDUA) in the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) of gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was associated with vascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to investigate correlations between microvascular invasion and PDUA, and elucidate the predictability of PDUA for tumor recurrence after resection.We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological and radiological data from 126 consecutive patients with single HCC ≤5 cm without macrovascular invasion who underwent preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and surgical resection.

Characterization of small (≤3 cm) hepatic lesions with atypical enhancement feature and hypointensity in hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI in cirrhosis: A STARD-compliant article.

It is difficult to characterize the nodular lesions in cirrhotic liver if typical enhancement pattern is not present on dynamic contrast-enhanced imagings. Although the signal intensity of the hepatobiliary phase in gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful for characterization of the lesions, some dysplastic nodules may also exhibit low signal intensity in the hepatobiliary phase. We aimed to assess the usefulness of gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for differentiation between atypical small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and dysplastic nodules showing low signal intensity (SI) in the hepatobiliary phase, and to evaluate the MRI findings in determining the histological grade of atypical HCCs in patients with cirrhosis.

Rapid Alanine Aminotransferase Normalization with Entecavir and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Cirrhosis.

Background: Sustained abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels can increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Aim: This study is aimed to confirm the impact of rapid ALT normalization (≤30 IU/L) on HCC risk in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cirrhosis after entecavir (ETV) commencement.

Methods: A total of 578 treatment-naïve patients with HBV-associated cirrhosis (mean age 51 ± 9 years, male sex 63.

Improvement of liver function and non-invasive fibrosis markers in hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhosis: 2 years of entecavir treatment.

Background And Aim: Entecavir (ETV) induces biochemical and histologic improvement of the liver in patients with chronic hepatitis B. This study aimed to confirm that 2 years of ETV treatment improves liver function and non-invasive fibrosis markers in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cirrhosis.

Methods: A total 472 naïve patients with HBV-associated cirrhosis was treated with ETV for at least 2 years, between March 2007 and December 2012.

Characteristics of Korean ginseng varieties of Gumpoong, Sunun, Sunpoong, Sunone, Cheongsun, and Sunhyang.

Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is an important medicinal herbs in Asia. However, ginseng varieties are less developed.

Method: To developed ginseng varieties, a pure line selection method was applied in this study.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the differentiation of small atypical hepatocellular carcinomas from dysplastic nodules in cirrhosis.

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is highly accurate in depicting the vascularity of liver nodules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the differentiation of hepatocellular carcinomas from dysplastic nodules in cirrhotic patients with small liver nodules showing atypical or not coincidental typical vascular pattern on two dynamic imaging techniques (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging).

Methods: A total of 46 patients with cirrhosis and a liver nodule smaller than 3cm showing an atypical or non-coincident typical vascular pattern on two dynamic imaging techniques, who underwent liver contrast-enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound-guided liver biopsy, were retrospectively reviewed.