Biomedical subjects

Eun-Kyung Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Eun-Kyung Lee.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Smad6 negatively regulates interleukin 1-receptor-Toll-like receptor signaling through direct interaction with the adaptor Pellino-1.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent cytokine with pleiotropic effects, including anti-inflammatory activity. Here we show that the signaling protein Smad6 bound to Pellino-1, an adaptor protein of mammalian interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R)-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1), and thereby promoted TGF-beta-mediated anti-inflammatory effects. Smad6-Pellino-1 interaction abrogated signaling mediated by a complex of IRAK1, Pellino-1 and adaptor protein TRAF6 that formed after stimulation by IL-1beta treatment. Blockade of IRAK1-Pellino-1-TRAF6 signaling prevented degradation of the inhibitor IkappaBalpha and subsequent nuclear translocation of transcription factor NF-kappaB and thus expression of proinflammatory genes. 'Knockdown' of endogenous Smad6 expression by RNA interference reduced anti-inflammatory activity mediated by TGF-beta1 or the TGF-beta family member BMP-4. Thus Smad6 is a critical mediator of the TGF-beta-BMP pathway that mediates anti-inflammatory activity and negatively regulates IL-1R-Toll-like receptor signals.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed2006

arrayQCplot: software for checking the quality of microarray data.

UNLABELLED: arrayQCplot is a software for the exploratory analysis of microarray data. This software focuses on quality control and generates newly developed plots for quality and reproducibility checks. It is developed using R and provides a user-friendly graphical interface for graphics and statistical analysis. Therefore, novice users will find arrayQCplot as an easy-to-use software for checking the quality of their data by a simple mouse click. AVAILABILITY: arrayQCplot software is available from Bioconductor at http://www.bioconductor.org. A more detailed manual is available at http://bibs.snu.ac.kr/software/arrayQCplot CONTACT: tspark@stats.snu.ac.kr.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Hybrid photocatalysis/membrane treatment for surface waters containing low concentrations of natural organic matters.

Since the mid-1990s, numerous studies on the treatment of drinking water by photocatalysis have been reported. Once optimised, the photocatalytic process can completely degrade numerous natural and artificial organic compounds. In this study, a hybrid photocatalysis/membrane process was used as a polishing treatment of surface water containing a small concentration of natural organic matters (i.e. total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of around 3mg/L) which may be difficult to remove using conventional filtration or coagulation. An optimum pH of 4.5 and a TiO(2) concentration of 0.1g/L were found to lead to the highest removal efficiencies. The relative effect of the individual processes featuring in the hybrid system (UV radiation, TiO(2) adsorption and membrane filtration) was also assessed for different pH values. The membrane separation process was accounted to remove around 18% of the initial TOC concentration, while TiO(2) adsorption alone was generally responsible for less than 5% of TOC removal during the 120 min of the experiments. However, when the natural water was only radiated by UV light, up to 70% of TOC was removed. A synergetic effect was observed when the three processes (TiO(2), UV and membrane) were used together. Comparison of removal efficiencies obtained during real and model (International Humic Substance Society) waters treatment by photocatalysis is also presented, revealing the importance of the nature of the feed in this type of treatment.

Catalysis↗

PubMed2005

Sonographic evaluation of neonates with early-stage necrotizing enterocolitis.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency in neonatal intensive care units. Ultrasonographic findings in early-stage NEC have not been described. OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of ultrasonography for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with NEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the sonographic findings of early stages of NEC in 40 neonates who were clinically diagnosed with NEC when they were 2-28 days old. Their average gestational age was 32 weeks, and their mean weight was 1,850 g. All of the patients showed signs of bowel distention on abdominal radiography, with no evidence of pneumatosis intestinalis. We performed bowel sonography in all patients (n = 40), as well as in ten healthy neonates who served as a control group. The studies were conducted with a 10-MHz linear transducer from February 2003 to January 2004. We evaluated the echogenicity of the bowel wall, involved region, ascites, and portal venous gas at both initial and follow-up examinations. We divided the patients into two groups according to the bowel wall echogenicity pattern, group I with echogenic dots in the bowel wall and group II with dense granular echogenicities in the bowel wall. In order to identify any correlations between the ultrasonography and clinical findings, we evaluated the duration of parenteral feeding (NPO) in each group and compared two groups by means of a statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney test). RESULTS: All of the neonates in the control group (n = 10) presented normal bowel wall echogenicity; the patients with NEC presented echogenic dots in 16 patients (40%) and dense granular echogenicities in 24 patients (60%). Portal venous gas was absent in all patients. On the follow-up examinations, the echogenicity of the bowel wall and ascites decreased in 37 patients (93%). The duration of NPO was 11.1 +/- 6.6 days in group I and 16.5 +/- 7.2 days in group II (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Echogenic dots or dense granular echogenicities in the bowel wall can be seen in patients with early-stage NEC. Bowel sonography can be helpful for the early diagnosis and monitoring of patients with NEC.

Enterocolitis, Necrotizing↗

PubMed2005

Muscle tension dysphonia in children: Voice characteristics and outcome of voice therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The main object of this study is to elucidate the voice characteristics and the efficacy of voice therapy in children with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). METHODS: A retrospective file review was undertaken of eight Korean male children diagnosed as having MTD. All subjects received perceptual, acoustical and laryngoscopic evaluation before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Markedly strained and breathy voices were detected in all patients. Pitch breaks and/or inadequately high or low speaking fundamental frequencies were noticed in five subjects. Laryngoscopic evaluation revealed anteroposterior contraction, false vocal fold approximation, decreased vibration of true vocal folds and incomplete glottal closure. Notably, seven out of eight subjects had bilateral vocal nodules. Voice therapy was focused on the awareness, relaxation, respiration and easy-onset phonation to reduce the tension around the laryngeal muscles. A few sessions of voice therapy resulted in dramatic improvement of their voice quality and pitch adjustment. Hyper-contraction of the supraglottic structures was also relieved. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the proper diagnosis of MTD in children warrants prompt and favorable responses to voice therapy regardless of coexistence of vocal nodules.

Child↗

PubMed2004

Gender differences in the corpus callosum of neonates.

The gender difference of corpus callosum is a long standing controversy. Some investigators have reported that adult females have a more bulbous splenium and larger area relative to brain size, but others failed to replicate this. Few studies have reported on sexual dimorphism during development. Midsagittal ultrasonographs were obtained through the anterior fontanelle of healthy Korean neonates (100 males, 100 females) and were analyzed with NIH Image. The total area of corpus callosum and sub-regions of corpus callosum showed no gender differences. However, the male corpus callosum had significantly more height than that of the female whereas there was no difference in width of the corpus callosum. The estimated average thickness of corpus callosum was greater in the female splenium.

Corpus Callosum↗

PubMed2003

Pilomotor seizures in frontal lobe epilepsy: case report.

We report a 27-year-old man with pilomotor seizures originating in the right frontal lobe. Subtracted ictal SPECT coregistered with MRI showed multifocal hyperperfused areas in the anterior medial frontal area, mainly involving the cingulate gyrus. Chronic electrocorticography with subdural electrode arrays during the piloerection demonstrated that the pilomotor seizures were originating in the anterior medial frontal region. After resection of the focus, the patient became seizure free.

Adult↗