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Chan-Hee Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Chan-Hee Lee.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of fenofibrate in combination with urate lowering agents in patients with gout.

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy of fenofibrate treatment in combination with urate lowering agents in patients with gout. METHODS: Fourteen male patients with chronic tophaceous or recurrent acute attacks of gout were evaluated in an open-label pilot study of the hypolipidemic agent, fenofibrate (Lipidil Supra 160 mg/d). Patients were stable on urate lowering agents (allopurinol or benzbromarone) for > or = three months without acute attack for the most recent one month before participating. All patients were being treated with established doses of urate lowering agents without modification throughout the study. Clinical and biochemical assessments including serum uric acid, creatinine, liver function test and fasting serum lipid were measured at (1) baseline (2) after two months of fenofibrate treatment and (3) two months after fenofibrate was withdrawn. RESULTS: Serum uric acid was lowered by 23% after two months of fenofibrate treatment (6.93 +/- 2.16 vs. 5.22 +/- 1.16 mg/dL; p = 0.016). Triglyceride levels were also reduced after fenofibrate treatment (p = 0.001). However, this effect was reversed after the withdrawal (p = 0.002) of the drug. Alkaline phosphatase was reduced after fenofibrate treatment (p = 0.006), but increased 21% after the withdrawal of the drug (p = 0.002). By contrast, serum levels of high density lipoprotein and creatinine were increased 9% (p = 0.018) and 12% (p = 0.006), respectively; however, both levels were significantly decreased to the baseline levels upon withdrawal of fenofibrate. CONCLUSIONS: Fenofibrate can effectively reduce uric acid levels in addition to its known hypolipidemic effect. Fenofibrate may be used as a potential urate lowering agent in patients with gout, especially in those with coexisting hyperlipidemia.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 vif gene from Korean isolates.

Phylogenetic studies of nef, pol, and env gene sequences of HIV-1 isolated from Koreans suggested the presence of a Korean clade in which Korean sequences are clustered to the exclusion of foreign sequences. We attempted to identify and characterize the Korean clade using all vif gene sequences isolated from Koreans registered in the NCBI GenBank database (n = 233). Most (77 %) of the Korean isolates belonged to the Korean clade as a large subcluster in subtype B, designated the Korean clade subtype B (KCB). KCB sequences were relatively homogenous compared to Korean subtype B sequences that did not belong to the KCB (non-Korean clade subtype B; NKCB). Comparison of amino acid frequencies of KCB and NKCB sequences revealed several positions where the amino acid frequencies were significantly different. These amino acid residues were critical in separating KCB from NKCB or from foreign sequences, since substitution of these amino acids in KCB with the NKCB amino acids relocated the KCB sequences to NKCB, and vice versa. Further analyses of KCB will help us to understand the origin and evolutionary history of KCB.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Use of time-saving flow cytometry for rapid determination of resistance of human cytomegalovirus to ganciclovir.

There are two ways to assess the susceptibility of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) to ganciclovir (GCV): one is a genotypic test that detects resistance-related mutations and the other is a phenotypic test that actually assesses susceptibility. The advantages of genotyping the UL 97 gene are its rapidity and accuracy. However, to detect novel mutations or mutations affecting the UL 54 DNA polymerase, a phenotypic test such as the plaque reduction assay (PRA) is also required. To avoid the shortcomings of PRA such as its time-consuming nature and labor-intensiveness, we developed a time-saving fluorescence-activated cell sorting (TS-FACS) technique. We obtained a GCV 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) from five clinical isolates and an HCMV laboratory strain (AD169) and compared the results with those from the PRA. The laboratory strain and three clinical isolates were sensitive to GCV. Although there was a minor discrepancy in the case of one of the three isolates, the GCV IC(50) values obtained by TS-FACS analysis correlated well with the results of the PRA. The remaining two isolates were resistant to GCV; one was GCV resistant due to the mutation M 460 V, and the GCV IC(50) results obtained by TS-FACS analysis and by PRA were also comparable. The advantages of TS-FACS analysis are the shorter time required, the possibility of automation, and its comparability to PRA, considered the gold standard. Thus, TS-FACS analysis may be useful as an alternative to PRA in the clinic.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Telomerase regulation and progressive telomere shortening of rat hepatic stem-like epithelial cells during in vitro aging.

Rat hepatic stem-like epithelial cells, LE/2, LE/6, and WB-F344, share some phenotypic properties with oval cells, observed in the early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis. Here, we describe regulations of telomerase and telomere length during in vitro aging of LEs and WB-F344. These cells displayed no apparent aging phenotypes for over 140 passages. Telomerase activity and telomere length of these cells progressively decreased with the passages, and at the late passages, telomere shortening appeared to be reduced as telomerase activity increased. Regulation of TERT and TR, key components of telomerase, was similar to that of the telomerase activity. LEs possessed weak telomerase activity with a slow rate of proliferation compared to WB-F344, and were not tumorigenic, whereas WB-F344 was transformed in vitro from intermediate passage. In conclusion, LEs and WB-F344 have different biochemical properties, and telomerase activation and short telomeres are unlikely necessary for the transformation of WB-F344. TERT and TR seem to be the regulators of the telomerase activity. The relationship between telomere length and telomerase activity suggests that telomerase contributes to the regulation of telomere length in these cells. Our findings provide a better understanding of mechanisms in neoplastic transformation of rat hepatic stem-like epithelial cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Monostotic Paget's disease of the tibia in Korea.

The incidence of Paget's disease has been estimated to be about 3%, but it is extremely rare in Asia, especially in Korea. In addition, monostotic involvement seems to be far less frequent. In this report, we describe a case of monostotic Paget's disease localized in the right tibia.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed2003

Tuberculous fasciitis in scleroderma.

A 25-year old woman visited the hospital because of a painful swelling for 20 days in the midposterior portion of her right thigh. She had been diagnosed with systemic sclerosis and treated for 10 months. An MRI scan of the right thigh showed diffuse fascial thickening and involved the superficial portion of thigh muscles, which were hyperintense on the T(2)-weighted image. A biopsy of the involved muscles revealed chronic granulomatous inflammation with several acid-fast bacilli on a Ziehl-Neelsen stain. We here report a case of tuberculous fasciitis manifest with painful swelling of the midposterior muscles of the right thigh without pulmonary tuberculosis in a patient with scleroderma.

Adult↗