• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6391-6395
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• 2012

Background: Ovarian cancer is ranked as the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women. In Malaysia, it is the fourth most common cancer in females. CA125 has been the tumor marker of choice in ovarian cancer but its diagnostic specificity in early stages is only 50%. Hence, there is a critical need to identify an alternative tumor marker that is capable of detecting detect ovarian cancer at an early stage. HE4 is a new tumor marker proposed for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer and disease recurrence. Currently, none of the normal ranges of HE4 quoted in the literature are based on data for a multiethnic Asian population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine reference intervals for HE4 in an Asian population presenting in University Malaya Medical Centre, a tertiary reference hospital. Materials and Methods: 300 healthy women were recruited comprising 150 premenopausal and 150 postmenopausal women, aged from 20-76 years. All women were subjected to a pelvic ultrasonograph and were confirmed to be free from ovarian pathology on recruitment. Serum HE4 levels were determined by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA, Abbott Architect). The reference intervals were determined following CLSI guidelines (C28-A2) using a non-parametric method. Results: The upper limits of the $95^{th}$ percentile reference interval (90%CI) for all the women collectively were 64.6 pmol/L, and 58.4 pmol/L for premenopausal) and 69.0 pmol/L for postmenopausal. The concentration of HE4 was noted to increase with age especially in women who were more than 50 years old. We also noted that our proposed reference limit was lower compared to the level given by manufacturer Abbott Architect HE4 kit insert (58.4 vs 70 pmol/L for premenopausal group and 69.0 vs 140 pmol/L in the postmenopausal group). The study also showed a significant difference in HE4 concentrations between ethnic groups (Malays and Indians). The levels of HE4 in Indians appeared higher than in Malays (p<0.05), while no significant differences were noted between the Malays and Chinese ethnic groups. Conclusions: More data are needed to establish a reference interval that will better represent the multiethnic Malaysian population. Probably a larger sampling size of equal representation of the Malay, Chinese, Indians as well as the other native ethnic communities will give us a greater confidence on whether genetics plays a role in reference interval determination.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.3
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• pp.302-310
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• 2019

Precise and fast identification of crop cultivars is essential for efficient breeding and plant breeders' rights. Traditional methods for identification of jujube cultivars are based on the evaluation of morphological characteristics. However, due to time constraints and environmental influences, it is difficult to distinguish cultivars using only morphological traits. In this study, we cloned fragments from improved inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis, and developed stably diagnostic sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers. The specific ISSR bands of jujube cultivars from Dalizao and Boeundaechu were purified, cloned, and sequenced. As a result, four clones labeled 827Dalizao550, 827Boeun750, 846Boeun700, and 847Dalizao850 were identified. In order to investigate whether they were specific for the jujube cultivar, four pairs of SCAR primers were then designed and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications were conducted to analyze 32 samples, including jujube and sour jujube. In the PCR amplification of the 827Dalizao550 SCAR marker, the specific bands with 550 bp were amplified in six samples (Dalizao, Sandonglizao, Dongzao, Yuanlin No. 2, Suanzao 2, Suanzao 4), but unexpected bands (490 bp) were amplified in the others. Moreover, in the PCR amplification of the 847Dalizao850 SCAR marker, the specific bands with 850 bp were found in three samples (Dalizao, Sandonglizao, and Dongzao) and 900 bp unexpected bands were amplified in five samples (Pozao, Suanzao 1, Suanzao 2, Suanzao 3, Suanzao 4). These results showed that newly developed markers could be useful as a fast and reliable tool to identify jujube cultivars. However, further identification of polymorphic information and the development of SCAR markers are required for the identification of more diverse cultivars.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.342-347
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• 2015

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important diagnostic marker for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, which lack three hormonal receptors: estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as epidermal growth factor receptor 2. EGFR transactivation can cause drug resistance in many cancers including TNBC, but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate that insulin treatment induces EGFR activation by stimulating the interaction of EGFR with insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF-1R) in the MDA-MB-436 TNBC cell line. These cells express low levels of EGFR, while exhibiting high levels of IGF-1R expression and phosphorylation. Low-EGFRexpressing MDA-MB-436 cells show high sensitivity to insulinstimulated cell growth. Therefore, unexpectedly, insulin stimulation induced EGFR transactivation by regulating its interaction with IGF-1R in low-EGFR-expressing TNBC cells. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(6): 342-347]

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.519-522
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• 2013

Timely diagnosis of hyponatremia is important for preventing potential morbidity and mortality as it is often an indicator of underlying disease. The most common cause of eurvolemic hyponatremia is the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Recent studies have demonstrated that proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL) $1{\beta}$ and IL-6 are involved in the development of hyponatremia, a condition that is associated with severe inflammation and is related to antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion. Serum sodium levels in hyponatremia are inversely correlated with the percentage of neutrophils, C-reactive protein, and N-terminal-pro brain type natriuretic peptide. Additionally, elevated levels of serum IL-6 and IL-$1{\beta}$ are found in inflammatory diseases, and their levels are higher in patients with hyponatremia. Because it is significantly correlated with the degree of inflammation in children, hyponatremia could be used as a diagnostic marker of pediatric inflammatory diseases. Based on available evidence, we hypothesize that hyponatremia may be associated with inflammatory diseases in general. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for augmented ADH secretion during inflammation, monitoring patient sodium levels, and selecting the appropriate intravenous fluid treatment are important components that may lower the morbidity and mortality of patients in a critical condition.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4331-4334
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• 2012

Aim and Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate correlations between serum osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and NTX (Cross-linked N-telopeptides of Type I Collagen) and urinary NTX in breast and lung cancer patients with bone metastases. These four markers are considered to have important roles in bone formation, resorption and metastases. Methods: Four markers were determined in the sera of 60 breast cancer and 21 lung cancer patients and healthy controls (n=30). Serum levels were studied using ELISA and EIA. Results: The median levels of serum osteoprotegerin (p<0.001) and osteocalcin (p=0.003) were higher in patients. Significant correlations were observed between the serum NTX-osteocalcin (r=0.431; p<0.001), serum NTX-osteoprotegerin (r=0.42; p=0.003) and serum NTX - urine NTX (r=0.255; p=0.022). Conclusion: We conclude that osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and NTX are independent diagnostic tools. Due to the ease of urine collection, urine NTX may be applied routinely to allow early detection of bone metastases and indicate progression of the disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.3
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• pp.125-127
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• 2013

In this paper, we describe 72-year-old female patient without evidence of malignant disease presented with significantly elevated serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels by respiratory infections. She was diagnosed with respiratory infections due to Mycobacterium avium complex and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The serum CA 19-9 levels remarkably increased (1,453-5,300 U/mL; reference range, <37 U/mL) by respiratory infection and abruptly decreased (357-534 U/mL) whenever infection was controlled by specific treatments. This case suggests that serum CA 19-9 levels may be used as a diagnostic marker to indicate new or resistant infections to previous antibiotics in chronic lung diseases without significant changes in chest X-ray findings.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.142-145
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• 1995

The pumb gene encoding a basic amino acid transport protein in Neurospora crassa could be cloned by using a mutant strain defective in pmb gene as a host strain, using a negative selection on the media containing amino acid analogue canavanine. To select positive transformants of the genes for cloning, an auxotrophic marker (his-2) was added to a pmb mutant strain by mating ; a triple mutant (pmn : pmb : his-2) was constructued by crossing a strain defective in basic amino acid transport system (# 1683-bat um 535 "A") to a double mutant strain defective in neutral amino acid transport and histidine production (mitrol : his-2 "a"). Crossing was performed on synthetic crossing (SC) media containing histidine. The pmn : pmb and pmn :pmb : his-2 strains were selected among the progeny colonies from crosses on plates containing 5- .mu.g/ml para-fluoro-phenylalanine (PFPA), 200 .mu.g/ml canavanine, and 500 .mu.g/ml histidine. The selected colonies were cultured on minimal media with or without histidine for discarding pmn : pmb strain, because the pmn : pmb : his -2 strain grows only on histidine containing media. The pmn :pmb : his-2 strain selected can be used as a host strain for the cloning of the pmb and the pmn genes from a Neurospora genomic library by means of positive selections.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.595-600
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• 2011

Pax 6, a member of the paired box (Pax) family, has been implicated in oncogenesis. However, its therapeutic potential has been never examined in breast cancer. To explore the role of Pax6 in breast cancer development, a lentivirus based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) delivery system was used to knockdown Pax6 expression in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells. Effect of Pax6 silencing on breast cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis was analyzed. Pax6-RNAi-lentivirus infection remarkably downregulated the expression levels of Pax6 mRNA and protein in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Accordingly, the cell viability, DNA synthesis, and colony formation were strongly suppressed, and the tumorigenesis in xenograft nude mice was significantly inhibited. Moreover, tumor cells were arrested at G0/G1 phase after Pax6 was knocked down. Pax6 facilitates important regulatory roles in breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor progression, and could serve as a diagnostic marker for clinical investigation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.597-598
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• 2015

Mitochondrial respiratory defect is a key bioenergetics feature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. However, their involvement and roles in HCC development and progression remain unclear. Recently, we identified 10 common mitochondrial defect (CMD) signature genes that may be induced by retrograde signaling-mediated transcriptional reprogramming in response to HCC mitochondrial defects. HCC patients with enriched expression of these genes had poor prognostic outcomes, such as shorter periods of overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1), a key transcription regulator, was up-regulated by Ca⁺⁺-mediated retrograde signaling. NUPR1-centric network analysis and a biochemical promoter-binding assay demonstrated that granulin (GRN) is a key downstream effector of NUPR1 for the regulation of HCC cell invasiveness; association analysis of the NUPR1-GRN pathway supported this conclusion. Mitochondrial respiratory defects and retrograde signaling thus play pivotal roles in HCC progression, highlighting the potential of the NUPR1-GRN axis as a novel diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6193-6200
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• 2015

Head and neck cancer, including oral cancer, is the sixth most common cancer in humans worldwide. More than 90% of oral cancers are of squamous cell carcinoma type. Recent studies have shown a strong relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and head and neck cancer, especially oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Moreover, the incidence of HPV-related OSCC appears to be on the rise while HPV-unrelated OSCC tends to have stabilized in the past decades. p16, a tumor suppressor gene, normally functions as a regulator of the cell cycle. Upon infection with high-risk types of HPV (HR-HPV), particularly types 16, 18, 31, 33, 34, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, and 70, the expression of p16 is aberrantly overexpressed. Therefore, the expression of p16 is widely used as a surrogate marker for HPV infection in head and neck cancer.