Soo-Ung Lee

Seven cases of Diphyllobothrium latum infection

Seven cases of Diphyllobothrium latum infection were proved by collection of worms after praziquantel treatment between October, 1986 and July, 1987. The patients were all males aged 20-44 years residing in Seoul or Ulungdo, Kyungpook Province. All of them had the history of eating several kinds of raw marine fishes, and they had never been to abroad. One of them experienced abdominal pain and 6 experienced natural discharge of a chain of worm segments, but none revealed any sign of anemia. Total 12 worms (1-3/patient) were collected after praziquantel treatment. The worms were 85-423 cm in length, and revealed the characteristic rosette-shape uterus in their gravid proglottides. The average egg size varied 61.0-65.3 x 41.7-46.1 microns. The eggs were yellowish-brown, and ovoid to elliptical. Including the present 7 cases, the total number of human D. latum infections proven by worms in Korea becomes 28 cases.

Efficacy and safety of combination therapy with mirodenafil and α1-blocker for benign prostatic hyperplasia-induced lower urinary tract symptoms accompanied by erectile dysfunction: a multicenter, open-label, prospective study.

This study was conducted to determine whether mirodenafil 100 mg, when administered on demand to patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who are receiving α1-blocker therapy, is safe with regard to the cardiovascular system and whether it improves lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and sexual function. The study involved 121 LUTS/BPH patients who had been treated for at least 3 months with α1-blockers before being administered with mirodenafil 100 mg on demand. Before the start of mirodenafil administration, the blood pressure, heart rate, international prostate symptom score (IPSS)/quality of life (QoL), peak urine flow rate (Qmax), post-voiding residual urine volume (PVR), and international index of erectile function-5 (IIEF-5) of each patient were measured. At 4 and 8 weeks after commencing mirodenafil administration, the blood pressure and heart rate were measured again, any adverse effects of mirodenafil were assessed, and sexual function and voiding symptoms were re-evaluated. Of the 121 patients, 73 (60.3%) completed the 8-week clinical trial. Significant changes in blood pressure and heart rate were not observed during the study. Significant improvements in the IIEF-5 and the IPSS/QoL, but not the Qmax or PVR, were observed. The results of this study suggest that the administration of mirodenafil 100 mg on demand may induce few hypotensive interactions and may be acceptably effective with regard to improving LUTS and sexual function.

Identification and characterization of a putative basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor interacting with calcineurin in C. elegans

Calcineurin is a Ca2+/Calmodulin activated Ser/Thr phosphatase that is well conserved from yeast to human. It is composed of catalytic subunit A (CnA) and regulatory subunit B (CnB). C. elegans homolog of CnA and CnB has been annotated to tax-6 and cnb-1, respectively and in vivo function of both genes has been intensively studied. In C. elegans, calcineurin play roles in various signaling pathways such as fertility, movement, body size regulation and serotonin-mediated egg laying. In order to understand additional signaling pathway(s) in which calcineurin functions, we screened for binding proteins of TAX-6 and found a novel binding protein, HLH-11. The HLH-11, a member of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, is a putative counterpart of human AP4 transcription factor. Previously bHLH transcription factors have been implicated to regulate many developmental processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation, sex determination and myogenesis. However, the in vivo function of hlh-11 is largely unknown. Here, we show that hlh-11 is expressed in pharynx, intestine, nerve cords, anal depressor and vuvla muscles where calcineurin is also expressed. Mutant analyses reveal that hlh-11 may have role(s) in regulating body size and reproduction. More interestingly, genetic epistasis suggests that hlh-11 may function to regulate serotonin-mediated egg laying at the downstream of tax-6.

Cryptosporidium parvum: radiation-induced alteration of the oocyst proteome.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a waterborne protozoan parasite that is found intracellularly in host animals, including humans, and causes severe diarrhea, which can lead to the death of an immunocompromised individual. Previously, we found that this organism is highly radioresistant as it can productively infect mice after exposure to a 10-kGy dose of γ-radiation. To understand how C. parvum avoids radiation damage, we characterized its protein expression patterns 6, 24, and 48 h after a 10-kGy dose of γ-radiation using two-dimensional PAGE. The gels showed 10 silver-stained spots that increased or decreased in size following γ-irradiation. Five proteins contained in these spots were identified using MALDI-TOF MS peptide fingerprinting, and two of these showed an increase in expression after γ-irradiation. These proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS as proteasome subunit alpha type 4 (NTN hydrolase fold) and thioredoxin peroxidase-like protein. The roles of these two upregulated proteins as related to the radioresistance of C. parvum remain to be evaluated.

Quantitative Evaluation of Infectivity Change of Cryptosporidium parvum after Gamma Irradiation

Cryptosporidium parvum is a well-known waterborne and opportunistic intracellular protozoan parasite that causes diarrheal illness. In this study, we quantitatively investigated reduction of the infectivity of C. parvum after gamma irradiation and repair of the infectivity during incubation time after irradiation. C. parvum oocysts were subjected to gamma irradiation at various doses (1, 5, 10, and 25 kGy), and the in vitro infectivity was measured by real-time PCR every day up to 7 days after irradiation. The in vitro infectivity of C. parvum on human ileocecal adenocarcinoma cells (HCT-8) was effectively reduced (> 2 log(10)) by irradiation at 10 kGy or more. However, in the experiment to find out repair of the infectivity, recovery was not noted until day 7 post-incubation.

Rejoining of gamma-ray-induced DNA damage in Cryptosporidium parvum measured by the comet assay.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a well-known waterborne intracellular protozoan that causes severe diarrheal illness in immunocompromised individuals. This organism is highly resistant to harsh environmental conditions and various disinfectants, and it exhibits one of the highest known resistances to gamma irradiation. We investigated rejoining of gamma-ray-induced DNA damage in C. parvum by neutral comet assay. Oocysts were gamma irradiated at various doses (1, 5, 10, and 25kGy) and were incubated for various periods (6-96h) after exposure to 10kGy. The comet tail moment showed that the number of DNA double-strand breaks increased concomitantly with the gamma irradiation dose. When investigating rejoining after irradiation at 10kGy, double-strand breaks peaked at 6h postirradiation, and rejoining was highest at 72h postirradiation. The observed rejoining pattern suggests that repair process occurs slowly even when complex DNA double-strand breaks in C. parvum were induced by high dose irradiation, 10kGy.

Ultrastructural localization of Toxocara canis larval antigen reacted with a seropositive human serum.

Excretory-secretory products of Toxocara canis larvae have been considered as a major functional antigen in immune responses against toxocariasis. We studied ultrastructural localization of T. canis second-stage larval antigen using a seropositive human serum under immunogold electron microscopy. High-density gold particles were observed in the secretory cells, excretory duct, intestinal epithelium, and cuticle of the larval worm sections. The distribution of the positive reactions in the larval worms suggests that the nature of the antigen is excretory-secretory antigen including waste metabolites and secretory enzymes.

Efficacy and safety of a newly developed polylactic acid microsphere as an injectable bulking agent for penile augmentation: 18-months follow-up

Polylactic acid (PLA) fillers are widely used for cosmetic volume augmentation. But, no study has evaluated the use of PLA filler in penile augmentation (PA No. 4). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a newly developed PLA filler for PA during a 18-month follow-up period. A total of 23 healthy adult men were prospectively enrolled between June and November 2012. Penile girth was measured at proximal-, mid- and distal-shaft at baseline, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months following injection. Subjects’ satisfaction was assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS). Adverse events (AEs) were also reported. Mean injected volume was 20 ml. The circumference of proximal-, mid-, and distal-shaft increased by a mean of 2.2±0.2, 2.7±1.0 and 2.7±1.0 cm at 3 months, respectively (each P<0.001). No significant differences were noted in girth circumference between 3 and 18 months post-injection (each P>0.05). VAS score increased from 51.6±14.7 at baseline to 64.8±19.3 and 74.3±14.6 at 3 and 6 months, respectively (each P<0.05). Six cases of mild, transient treatment-emergent AEs were reported in 5 subjects. Serious AEs were not reported. In conclusion, penile injection of a newly developed PLA filler led to significant penile augmentative effects for up to 18 months and was well tolerated without serious AEs.

Effects of Fermented Water Extracts from Ligularia fischeri on Hepatotoxicity in Ethanol-Induced Rats

This study was conducted to determine the effects of fermented water extracts from Ligularia fischeri (LAF) on reduction of hepatotoxicity induced by ethanol in rats. Ethanol-treated Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the following eight groups: ethanol-treated group (control), ethanol and ursodeoxycholic acid-treated group (positive control), ethanol and non-fermented water extracts from Ligularia fischeri (LA)-treated groups (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW (body weight)), ethanol and LAF-treated groups (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW). γ-Glutamyl transferase activities of the ethanol+LA-treated (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW) groups and ethanol+LAF-treated (400 mg/kg BW) group decreased significantly compared to those in the control group (P<0.05). Aspartate aminotransferase activities of the ethanol+LAF-treated (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW) groups and ethanol+LA-treated (200 and 400 mg/kg BW) groups decreased significantly compared to those in the control group (P<0.05). Alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities of all groups significantly decreased compared to those in the control group (P<0.05). The total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of all groups tended to decrease compared to those in the control group, but the differences were not significant. Superoxide dismutase activity of liver tissues was enhanced in the ethanol+LAF-treated (400 mg/kg BW) group (P<0.05). The contents of malondialdehyde in liver tissues decreased in the ethanol+LAF-treated groups (P<0.05). All treated groups showed well preserved lobular archi- tectures with no evidence of steatosis or liver damage compared to the control group. As the results of this study, LAF may improve the plasma lipid profile and alleviate hepatic damage by ethanol.