• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6293-6299
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• 2013

Background: A number of clinicopathologic factors have been found to be associated with pathological lymph node metastasis (pLNM) in rectal cancer; however, most of them can only be identified by expensive high resolution imaging or obtained after surgical treatment. Just like the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores which have been widely used in clinical practice, our study was designed to assess the pre-operative factors which could be obtained easily to predict intra-operative pLNM in rectal cancer. Methods: A cohort of 469 patients who were treated at our hospital in the period from January 2003 to June 2011, and with a pathologically hospital discharge diagnosis of rectal cancer, were included. Clinical, laboratory and pathologic parameters were analyzed. A multivariate unconditional logistic regression model, areas under the curve (AUC), the Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) and the Cox regression model were used. Results: Of the 469 patients, 231 were diagnosed with pLNM (49.3%). Four variables were associated with pLNM by multivariate logistic analysis, age<60 yr (OR=1.819; 95% CI, 1.231-2.687; P=0.003), presence of abdominal pain or discomfort (OR=1.637; 95% CI, 1.052-2.547; P=0.029), absence of allergic history (OR=1.879; 95% CI, 1.041-3.392; P=0.036), and direct $bilirubin{\geq}2.60{\mu}mol/L$ (OR=1.540; 95% CI, 1.054-2.250; P=0.026). The combination of all 4 variables had the highest sensitivity (98.7%) for diagnostic performance. In addition, age<60 yr and direct $bilirubin{\geq}2.60{\mu}mol/L$ were found to be associated with prognosis. Conclusion: Age, abdominal pain or discomfort, allergic history and direct bilirubin were associated with pLNM, which may be helpful for preoperative selection.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.365-369
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• 2011

This study investigated the preventive effect of Saururus chinensis Baill against renal damage induced by a high-fructose diet in rats. The rats (n = 30) were fed either a cornstarch-based (65%), high-fructose (65%), or high-fructose (64.5%) diet with 0.5% S. chinensis Baill extract for 10 weeks. Twenty-four hour urine collections were obtained and the animals were sacrificed after an overnight fast. Serum urea and creatinine and urine albumin were measured using colorimetric methods, and creatinine clearance was determined. In addition, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the kidney were determined. Kidney samples were also examined histologically. The fructose-fed rats showed renal dysfunction, indicated by decreased creatinine clearance, increased albumin in the urine, and increased urea and creatinine in the serum. These renal function parameters were comparable to control levels in rats that consumed S. chinensis Baill. Fructose consumption increased renal TBARS and reduced GSH and SOD activity, whereas these levels were near-normal in the rats consuming S. chinensis Baill The kidneys of fructose-fed rats showed glomerular basement membrane thickening, mesangial matrix expansion, and tubule dilation. These pathological changes were not seen in the rats that consumed S. chinensis Baill. Therefore, S. chinensis Baill effectively alleviated fructose-induced renal damage in these rats, at least partially due to antioxidant activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1557-1561
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• 2012

Objective: To investigate the promoter methylation status of the E-cadherin gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with clinical pathological parameters, and to explore the relationship between downregulation of E-cadherin gene expression and the methylation status of its promoter region. Methods: Nested methylation-specific PCR was performed to examine CpG methylation within the 5' CpG island of the E-cadherin gene in lung cancer and para-cancerous tissue from 37 patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to measure the level of E-cadherin mRNA. Results: Of thirty-seven cases, 12 (32.4%) samples showed aberrant CpG methylation in tumor tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues. In addition, a reduction in E-cadherin mRNA levels was observed in 11 of the 12 (91.7%) tumor tissues carrying a methylated E-cadherin gene. However, only 10 (43.5%) cases displayed reduced mRNA levels in tumor tissues from the remaining 23 cases (excluding 2 samples from which mRNA was unavailable) without methylation events. Downregulation of E-cadherin gene expression significantly correlated with the promoter methylation status of this gene. Conclusion: These results provide strong evidence that the methylation status of E-cadherin gene contributes to a reduction in the expression of E-cadherin mRNA, and may play a role in the development and progression of NSCLC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2787-2793
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• 2016

Background: Urinary bladder cancer is a common malignancy in the West and ranks as the $7^{th}$ most common cancer in our region of Kashmir, India. FGFR3 mutations are frequent in superficial urothelial carcinoma (UC) differing from the RAS gene mutational pattern. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and association of FGFR3 and RAS gene mutations in UC cases. Materials and Methods: Paired tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens of 65 consecutive UC patients were examined. DNA preparations were evaluated for the occurrence of FGFR3 and RAS gene mutations by PCR-SCCP and DNA sequencing. Results: Somatic point mutations of FGFR3 were identified in 32.3% (21 of 65). The pattern and distribution were significantly associated with low grade/stage (p<0.05). The overall mutations in exon 1 and 2 in all the forms of RAS genes aggregated to 21.5% and showed no association with any clinic-pathological parameters. In total, 53.8% (35 of 65) of the tumors studied had mutations in either a RAS or FGFR3 gene, but these were totally mutually exclusive in and none of the samples showed both the mutational events in mutually exclusive RAS and FGFR3. Conclusions: We conclude that RAS and FGFR3 mutations in UC are mutually exclusive and non-overlapping events which reflect activation of oncogenic pathways through different elements.

• The Korean Journal of Urological Oncology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.126-134
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the radiation therapy (RT) and radical prostatectomy (RP) of high-risk or locally advanced prostate cancer (PC) patients after neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients underwent RT (42 patients) or RP (152 patients) after NHT at a single center during 2003-2014. Times to biochemical recurrence (BCR), pelvic local recurrence (PLR), metastasis, clinical painful symptom progression (CPSP), castration-resistant PC (CRPC), and overall survival were compared between the RT and RP groups, after adjustment for TN stage, using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results: Significant inter-group differences were observed for age, Gleason score, initial PSA, and clinical and pathological T stages (all p<0.05). During a median follow-up of 71.7 months, the overall incidences of BCR, PLR, metastasis, CPSP, CRPC, and death were 49.5%, 16.5%, 8.3%, 7.7%, 7.7%, and 17.5%, respectively. The median times to BCR were 100 months for RT and 36.2 months for RP (p=0.004), although the median times were not reached for the other outcomes (all p>0.05). The independent predictor of CPSP was RP (hazard ratio, 0.291; p=0.013). Conclusions: Despite significantly different baseline parameters, RP provided better CPSP-free survival than RT among patients with localized high-risk or locally advanced PC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2021.05a
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• pp.374-376
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• 2021

For the diagnosis of cancer-related diseases in clinical practice, pathological examination using biopsy is essential after basic diagnosis using imaging equipment. In order to proceed with such a biopsy, the assistance of an oncologist, clinical pathologist, etc. with specialized knowledge and the minimum required time are essential for confirmation. In recent years, research related to the establishment of a system capable of automatic classification of cancer cells using artificial intelligence is being actively conducted. However, previous studies show limitations in the type and accuracy of cells based on a limited algorithm. In this study, we propose a method to identify a total of 4 cancer cells through a convolutional neural network, a kind of deep learning. The optical images obtained through cell culture were learned through EfficientNet after performing pre-processing such as identification of the location of cells and image segmentation using OpenCV. The model used various hyper parameters based on EfficientNet, and trained InceptionV3 to compare and analyze the performance. As a result, cells were classified with a high accuracy of 96.8%, and this analysis method is expected to be helpful in confirming cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7091-7095
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• 2014

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the incidence of CpG island promoter methylation of BMP6, a member of the transforming growth factor beta family, in tissue samples from colorectal cancers (CRC) and look for its association with BMP6 expression and clinicopathological correlation. Materials and Methods: Methylation specific PCR for the BMP6 promoter region was performed with 85 frozen tissue samples of CRC and 45 of normal colon. Methylation status of MLH1 was also determined by the same method. Expression of BMP6 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), using Allred's scoring system. The methylation status was analyzed against clinical and pathological parameters in CRC. Results: The study revealed BMP6 hypermethylation in 34 of 85 tumor specimens (40%), and 15 out of 45 normal tissue samples from CRC (33%). The incidence of hypermethylation was inversely correlated with IHC score. Allred's scores of 7 or more were correlated with lower frequency of BMP6 hypermethylation (29% compared to 50% in the remaining, p-value 0.049). However, there was no association between hypermethylation status and any clinicopathological parameters. The methylation status of BMP6 was not correlated with that of MLH1, a key methylation determinant in CRC. On survival analysis, there was no significant difference in progress-free survival (PFS) between the cases with and without hypermethylation (2-year PFS 74% and 76%, respectively). Conclusions: CpG island methylation of BMP6 is found in high frequency in CRC and this epigenetic event is associated with suppressed protein expression in the tumor tissue. However, the marker is not associated with tumor progression of the disease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-195
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• 2014

Essential oils extracted or purified from various plants have shown various beneficial effects. Seed parts of Schizandra chinensis Baillon (Schisandrae Semen) have been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years in parts of Asia, including Korea, China, and Japan. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of essential oils purified from S. fructus (S. chinensis Baillon) remain largely unresolved. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of Schisandrae Semen essential oil (SSeo) by a single- dose toxicity study in mice. SSeo was orally administered at a dose of 5,000 mg/kg in ICR mice. All animals were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment. After a single administration, mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, and gross pathological findings were observed for 14 days. We also measured parameters of organ weight, clinical chemistry, and hematology. No toxicological change related to the test substance or mortality was observed after administration of a single oral dose of SSeo. There were no adverse effects on clinical signs, body weight, or organ weight and no gross pathological findings in any treatment group. The clinical chemistry and hematological parameters were within the normal ranges except total bilirubin. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose for oral administration of SSeo in mice was considered to be over 5,000 mg/kg. The results on the single-dose toxicity of SSeo indicate that it is not possible to reach oral dose levels related to death or dose levels with any harmful side effects.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.4591-4597
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• 2016

Purpose: Decisions as to whether to provide adjuvant treatment in older breast cancer patients remains challenging. Side effects of chemotherapy have to be weighed against life expectancy, comorbidities, functional status, and frailty. To aid decision-making, we retrospectively analyzed 110 women with breast cancer treated with a curative intention from 2006 to 2012. Survival data with clinical and pathological parameters were evaluated to address the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in this study population. Method: A total of 110 elderly (>70 years) patients that received mastectomy at two hospitals in Taiwan were observed retrospectively for a medium of 51 months. After mastectomy, patients received conservative treatment or adjuvant chemotherapy, or hormone therapy following clinical guidelines or physician's preference. Data were collected from the cancer registry system. Results: Median age at diagnosis was 75.7 years. Thirty-five percent of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, these having a significantly younger age ($mean=74.0{\pm}5.3$ vs $77.5{\pm}5.3$, p<0.001) and higher tumor staging (p=0.003) compared with their non-chemotherapy counterparts.Five-year overall survival was non-significantly higher in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy (with chemotherapy 64.2% vs without chemotherapy 62.6%, p=0.635), while five-year recurrence free survival was non-significantly lower (with chemotherapy 64.1% vs without chemotherapy 90.5%, p=0.80). Conclusions: In this analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy tended to be given to patients with a younger age and higher tumor staging at our institute. It was not associated with any statistically significant improvement in survival and recurrence rate. Until age specific recommendations are available, physicians must use their clinical judgment and assess the tumor biology with the patient's comorbidities to make the best choice. Clinical trials focusing on this critical issue are warranted.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.639-652
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• 2006

Objective : The etiology of chronic prostatitis is likely multifactorial, resulting from either a cascade of events after an initiating factor or from a variety of etiologic mechanisms. There is substantiating evidence to support the role of the inflammatory responses in its pathogenesis, and the clinical value in the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy. Forsythiae Frucus has been traditionally used in treatment of inflammatory diseases, including of prostatitis and urinary tract inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effects of Forsythiae Frucus on inflammatory cytokines and cyto-pathological alternation in the rat model of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis induced by castration and $17{\beta}$-estradiol treatment. Methods : Two-month-old rats were treated with $17{\beta}$-estradiol after castration for induction of experimental non-bacterial prostatitis. which is similar to human chronic prostatitis in histopathological profiles. Forsythiae Frucus as an experimental specimen, and testosterone as a positive control, were administered orally. The prostates were evaluated by histopathologlcal parameters including the epithelial score and epithelio-stromal ratio for glandular damage. and the expression of inflammatory cytokine genes including interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-5, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-$\alpha$. eotaxin, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2(cox-2). Results : While prostates of control rats revealed severe acinar gland atrophy and stromal proliferation. the rats treated with Forsythiae Frucus showed a diminished range of tissue damage. Epithelial score was improved in the Forsythiae Frucus group over that of the control (P<0.05). The epithelia-stromal ratio was lower in the Forsythiae Frucus group when compared to that of the control (P<0.05). In the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of inflammatory cytosine genes. Forsythiae Frucus inhibited the expression of IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-$\alpha$, iNOS, cox-2 genes, while it modulated the expression of IL-5, which is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Conclusions : These findings suggest that Forsythiae Frucus may protect the glandular epithelial cells and also inhibit stromal proliferation in association with the immune modulation including the suppression of inflammatory cytokines and increase of anti-inflammatory cytokines. From theses results. we suggest that Forsythiae Frucus could be a useful remedy agents for treating chronic non-bacterial prostatitis.