Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2013
Urinary biomarkers for early detection of recovery in patients with acute kidney injury.
Urinary biomarkers of acute kidney injury (AKI) have been revealed recently to be useful for prior prediction of AKI. However, it is unclear whether these urinary biomarkers can also detect recovery from established AKI. Urinary biomarkers, including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C, were measured every 2 days for 8 days in 66 patients with AKI. ⋯ In contrast, there were significant differences in urine NGAL between the two groups starting on day 0 (297.2 ± 201.4 vs 407.6 ± 190.4 ng/mL, P = 0.025) through the end of the study (123.7 ± 119.0 vs 434.3 ± 121.5 ng/mL, P < 0.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that urine NGAL could independently predict recovery from AKI. Conclusively, this prospective observational study demonstrates that urine NGAL can be a highly versatile marker for early detection of the recovery phase in established AKI patients.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2013
Screening of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase genetic variants by direct sequencing in different ethnic groups.
Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) is an enzyme that regulates the rate-limiting step in pyrimidine metabolism, especially catabolism of fluorouracil, a chemotherapeutic agent for cancer. In order to determine the genetic distribution of DPYD, we directly sequenced 288 subjects from five ethnic groups (96 Koreans, 48 Japanese, 48 Han Chinese, 48 African Americans, and 48 European Americans). As a result, 56 polymorphisms were observed, including 6 core polymorphisms and 18 novel polymorphisms. ⋯ Additional in silico analysis was performed to predict the function of novel SNPs. One nonsynonymous SNP (+199381A > G, Asn151Asp) was predicted to change its polarity of amino acid (Asn, neutral to Asp, negative). These findings would be valuable for further research, including pharmacogenetic and drug responses studies.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2013
The impact of inosine triphosphatase variants on hemoglobin level and sustained virologic response of chronic hepatitis C in Korean.
rs1127354, rs7270101) gene cause ITPA deficiency and protect against the hemolytic toxicity of ribavirin. We investigated the clinical significance of ITPA variants in Korean patients treated with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin. Of the 133 patients, 108 were CC and 25 were non-CC at rs1127354 (groups A and B, respectively). ⋯ Regarding ITPA variants, SVR was achieved by 66% and 80% of genotype 1 (P=0.282), and by 78% and 71% (P=0.726) of non-genotype 1. SVR was not significantly different in groups A and B. In conclusion, non-CC at rs1127354 without involvement of rs7270101 is strongly associated with protection from ribavirin-induced anemia, however, ITPA genotype is not associated with SVR.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2013
The model for end-stage liver disease score-based system predicts short term mortality better than the current Child-Turcotte-Pugh score-based allocation system during waiting for deceased liver transplantation.
To adopt the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score-based system in Korea, the feasibility should be evaluated by analysis of Korean database. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the MELD score-based system compared with the current Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) based-system and to suggest adequate cut-off to stratify waiting list mortality among Korean population. We included 788 adult patients listed in waiting list in Seoul National University Hospital from January 2008 to May 2011. ⋯ However, in Status 2A patients whose MELD score less than 24 (n=82), 86.6% of patients survived until 6 month. Furthermore, patients with high MELD score (≥31) among Status 2B group showed poorer survival rate (45.8%, 3-month) than Status 2A group. In conclusion, MELD score-based system can predict short term mortality better and select more number of high risk patients in Korean population.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2013
Antinociceptive effects of amiloride and benzamil in neuropathic pain model rats.
Amiloride and benzamil showed antinocicepitve effects in several pain models through the inhibition of acid sensing ion channels (ASICs). However, their role in neuropathic pain has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effect of the intrathecal amiloride and benzamil in neuropathic pain model, and also examined the role of ASICs on modulation of neuropathic pain. ⋯ Intrathecal amiloride and benzamil significantly increased the paw withdrawal threshold in spinal nerve-ligated rats (87%±12% and 76%±14%, P=0.007 and 0.012 vs vehicle, respectively). Spinal nerve ligation increased the expression of ASIC3 in the spinal cord dorsal horn (P=0.01), and this increase was inhibited by both amiloride and benzamil (P<0.001 in both). In conclusion, intrathecal amiloride and benzamil display antinociceptive effects in the rat spinal nerve ligation model suggesting they may present an alternative pharmacological tool in the management of neuropathic pain at the spinal level.