• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.154-158
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• 2010

Embryo Transfer (ET) is one of the assisted reproductive technologies and a useful tool for improving herds. The purpose of this study is to produce the calves using frozen embryos which were produced in the top one percent Holstein in Canada by ET. One hundred seventeen recipients were used for surrogate mothers and seventy cows were diagnosed to be pregnant. Fifty seven calves were born successfully and thirteen out of them failed to produce viable calves (abortion: 4, stillbirth: 9). Their gestational length, birth body weight and sex ratio for all the viable calves(n = 57) were $278.1{\pm}3.6$ days (range: from 271 to 286 days), $44.0{\pm}3.0\;kg$ (range: from 37 to 49 kg) and 57.9 vs. 42.1 % (male 33 and female 24), respectively. Microsatellite analysis confirmed that they were derived from frozen embryos. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that viable calves derived from frozen-thawed embryos from Canada were born by ET.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.1162-1162
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• 2001

Whereas NIR spectroscopy has been applied in agriculture for more than 20 years, few studies refer to those plant substances occurring only in smaller amounts. Nevertheless there is a growing interest today to support efficiently activities in the production of high-quality medicinal and spice plants by this fast and non-invasive method. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to develop new NIR methods for the reliable prediction of secondary metabolites found as valuable substances in various plant species. First, sophisticated NIR methods were established to perform fast quality analyses of intact fennel, caraway and dill fruits deriving from single-plants [1]. Later on, a characterization of several leaf drugs and the corresponding fresh material has been successfully performed. In this context robust calibrations have been developed for dried peppermint, rosemary and sage leaves for the determination of their individual essential oil content and composition [2]. A specially adopted NIR method has been developed also for the analysis of carnosic acid in the leaves of numerous rosemary and sage gene bank accessions. Carnosic acid is an antioxidative substance for which several health promoting properties including cancer preservation are assumed. Also some other calibrations have been developed for non-volatile substances such as aspalathin (in unfermented rooibos leaves), catechins (in green tea) and echinacoside (in different Echinacea species) [3]. Some NIR analyses have also been successfully performed on fresh material, too. In spite of the fact that these measurements showed less accuracy in comparison to dried samples, the calibration equations are precise enough to register the individual plant ontogenesis and genetic background. Based on the information received, the farmers and breeders are able to determine the right harvest time (when the valuable components have reached their optimum profile) and to select high-quality genotypes during breeding experiments, respectively. First promising attempts have also been made to introduce mobile diode array spectrometers to collect the spectral data directly on the field or in the individual natural habitats. Since the development of reliable NIRS methods in this special field of application is very time-consuming and needs continuous maintenance of the calibration equations over a longer period, it is convenient to supply the corresponding calibration data to interested user via NIRS network. The present status of all activities, preformed in this context during the last three years, will be presented in detail.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is well-known that alcohol consumption is associated with stroke risk as well as with aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene (ALDH2) polymorphisms. However, it is unclear whether ALDH2 polymorphisms are associated with stroke risk independent of alcohol consumption and whether such association is modified by sex. We evaluated sex-specific associations of a common ALDH2 polymorphism and alcohol consumption with stroke risk in a Korean population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving 8,465 men and women, aged 40-69 years and free of stroke between June, 2001 and January, 2003, and followed for the development of stroke. We identified new cases of stroke, which were self-reported or ascertained from vital registration data. Based on genome-wide association data, we selected a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs2074356), which shows high linkage disequilibrium with the functional polymorphism of ALDH2. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis considering potential risk factors collected from a baseline questionnaire. RESULTS: Over the median follow-up of 8 years, 121 cases of stroke were identified. Carrying the wild-type allele of the ALDH2 polymorphism increased stroke risk among men. The multivariate hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] of stroke was 2.02 [1.03-3.99] for the wild-type allele compared with the mutant alleles, but the association was attenuated after controlling for alcohol consumption. Combinations of the wild-type allele and other risk factors of stroke, such as old age, diabetes mellitus, and habitual snoring, synergistically increased the risk among men. Among women, however, the ALDH2 polymorphism was not associated with stroke risk. CONCLUSIONS: The prospective cohort study showed a significant association between a common ALDH2 polymorphism and stroke risk in Korean men, but not in Korean women, and also demonstrated that men with genetic disadvantages gain more risk when having risk factors of stroke. Thus, these men may need to make more concerted efforts to control modifiable risk factors of stroke.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.217-222
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• 2003

Objective: To investigate the association of genetic background between MTHFR C677T genotype and infertile females with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Materials and Methods: We compared 86 infertile females with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) with 100 healthy fertile females with one or more offspring. Pyrosequencing analysis for MTHFR C677T variation was performed on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of study group. To validate pyrosequencing data of C677T variation for randomly selected 50 samples, we compared the pyrosequencing result with the PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) result of MTHFR C677T genotype. Results: The prevalence of the C677T mutant homozygous (TT) was significantly lower (p=0.0085) in females with PCOS (8.14%) than in fertile females (21.00%). MTHFR 677 TT genotype had a decreased risk (3.7-fold) of PCOS compared with wild type (MTHFR 677 CC). Conclusion: Our data support a role for MTHFR mutant homozygous (677 TT) genotype in reducing risk in Korean infertile females with Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2597-2604
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• 2012

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an essential enzyme involved in folate metabolism; a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C677T has been reported to be linked with altered incidences of several diseases. We here conducted a meta-analysis of 15 published epidemiological studies with a total of 7306 cases and 8062 controls to evaluate its association with prostate cancer risk with overall and subgroup analyses. No statistical relationship was found overall with any genetic model (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.80, 95%CI = [0.62, 1.04], P = 0.094; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.97, 95%CI = [0.84; 1.12], P = 0.667; Dominant: OR = 0.94, 95%CI = [0.82; 1.07], P = 0.343; Recessive: OR = 0.81, 95%CI = [0.64; 1.04], P = 0.104), but after the exclusion of several studies, we could observe the homozygote TT to confer less susceptibility to prostate cancer in carriers; moreover, different effects of the polymorphism on prostate cancer risk was detected from subgroup analysis stratified by participants' residential region: significant reduced prostate cancer risk was found to be associated with the polymorphism from Asian studies (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.47, 95%CI = [0.33; 0.67], P < 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = [0.60; 0.90], P = 0.002; Dominant: OR = 0.67, 95%CI = [0.56; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.55, 95%CI = [0.40; 0.76], P < 0.001) while studies from Europe indicated a slight increased risk under dominant model with marginal significance (OR = 1.14, 95%CI = [0.99; 1.30], P = 0.064). Moreover, the protective effect of the polymorphism against prostate cancer was also shown by studies performed in yellow Asians (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.48, 95%CI = [0.31; 0.75], P = 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.68, 95%CI = [0.51; 0.90], P = 0.006; Dominant: OR = 0.63, 95%CI = [0.48; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.57, 95%CI = [0.39; 0.84], P = 0.004). We propose that these phenomena should be viewed with the consideration of folate metabolism profile and different gene background as well as living habits of different populations, and more relevant studies should be conducted to confirm our hypothesis and provide a comprehensive and clear picture concerning this topic.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2014

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer based mainly on European-ancestry populations. Differing linkage disequilibrium patterns exist between European and Asian populations. Methods: Ten SNPs (rs2075555 in COL1A1, rs12652447 in FBXL17, rs10941679 in 5p12/MRPS30, rs11878583 in ZNF577, rs7166081 in SMAD3, rs16917302 in ZNF365, rs311499 in 20q13.3, rs1045485 in CASP8, rs12964873 in CDH1 and rs8170 in 19p13.1) were here genotyped in 1009 Chinese females (487 patients with breast cancer and 522 control subjects) using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. Association analysis based on unconditional logistic regression was carried out to determine the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for each SNP. Stratification analyses were carried out based on the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status. Results: Among the 10 SNPs, rs10941679 showed significant association with breast cancer when differences between the case and control groups in this Han Chinese population were compared (30.09% GG, 45.4% GA and 23.7% AA; P = 0.012). Four SNPs (rs311499, rs1045485, rs12964873 and rs8170) showed no polymorphisms in our study. The remaining five SNPs showed no association with breast cancer in the present population. Immunohistochemical tests showed that rs2075555 was associated with ER status; the AA genotype showed greater association with ER negative than ER positive (OR = 0.54, 95% CI, 0.29-0.99; P = 0.046). AA of rs7166081 was also associated with ER status, but showed a greater association with ER positive than negative (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.04-2.44; P = 0.031). However, no significant associations were found among the SNPs and PR status. Conclusion: In this study using a Han Chinese population, rs10941679 was the only SNP associated with breast cancer risk, indicating a difference between European and Chinese populations in susceptibility loci. Therefore, confirmation studies are necessary before utilization of these loci in Chinese.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.369-374
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• 2014

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world. Genetic variants in 8q24.21 including rs10505477 and rs6983267 have been hypothesized to be involved in susceptibility to CRC. This study aims to investigate the possible association between these loci and their haplotypes with CRC risk in Iranian population. Materials and Methods: Subjects were recruited from two hospitals in Tehran. The rs10505477 and rs6983267 polymorphisms were genotyped by TaqMan real time PCR using subject genomic DNA, extracted either from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue of patients or from blood of the controls by standard methods. Results: A total of 715 subjects (380 CRC patients and 335 matched controls) were genotyped in this study. Allele and genotype analysis of the rs10505477 and rs6983267 polymorphisms by gender, age at diagnosis, tumor location, tumor grade, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) showed no significant association with CRC risk. There was a significant relationship between GG haplotype and susceptibility to age at diagnosis for both <60 and ${\geq}60$ (p=0.0005 and p=0.000004, respectively) and between GT and CRC in the age at diagnosis ${\geq}60$ (Table 3: p=0.031). The GG haplotype was less frequent in CRC patients with the age at diagnosis <60, but was more common in subjects with the age at diagnosis ${\geq}60$. Conclusions: Results of this study suggests that the rs6983267 and rs10505477 polymorphisms alone may not be relevant to CRC risk, but their GG haplotype plays a notable role in age at diagnosis of CRC in the Iranian population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6855-6861
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• 2014

Background: Previous epidemiological studies have suggested a potential role of the $HSPA1B{\pm}1267A/G$ polymorphism in risk of developing cancer. However, the results were inconsistent. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to summarize the possible association with cancer risk. Materials and Methods: We retrieved relevant articles from PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Studies were selected using specific criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess those associations. All analyses were performed using STATA software. Results: Fourteen case-control studies, including 1, 834 cancer cases and 2, 028 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, the results indicated that the G allele of HSPA1B gene ${\pm}1267A/G$ was significantly associated with an increased cancer risk in all genetic models (G vs A: OR=1.51, 95%CI 1.17-1.95, p=0.001; GG vs AA: OR=2.93, 95%CI 1.50-5.74, p=0.002; AG vs AA: OR=1.48, 95%CI 1.10-1.98, p=0.009; GG/AG vs AA: OR=1.69, 95%CI 1.22-2.33, p=0.001; GG vs AG/AA: OR=2.31, 95%CI 1.24-4.32, p=0.009). In the subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity, a significant association was identified in Caucasians (G vs A: OR=1.35, 95%CI 1.08-1.69, p=0.008; GG/AG vs AA: OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.09-1.70, p=0.007), but not in Asians. In the stratified analysis by cancer types, individuals with the G allele showed an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with carriers of the A allele (OR=2.40, 95%CI 1.47-3.91, p<0.001). Inversely, individuals with the GG genotype showed a decreased risk of gastric cancer compared with carriers of the AG/GG genotypes (GG vs AG/AA: OR=0.39, 95%CI 0.20-0.70, p=0.007). Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests associations between the HSPA1B ${\pm}1267A/G$ polymorphism and risk of cancer. However, this association might be Caucasian-specific and the G allele of this polymorphism probably increases risk of hepatocellular carcinoma while decreasing risk of gastric cancer. Further well-designed studies based on larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6619-6625
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• 2014

Background: Numerous studies have explored the influence of XPD Lys751Gln and/or Asp312Asn polymorphisms on skin cancer susceptibility. However, the results remain inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation, we conducted a comprehensive search to identify all available published studies and performed a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Electronic literature searches of the PubMed, CBM and CNKI databases were performed up to March 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to assess the strength of associations. Results: Seventeen case-control studies were included with a total sample size of 6, 113 cases and 11, 074 controls for the XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism, and 10 studies (3, 840cases and 7, 637 controls) for the XPD Asp312Asn polymorphism were pooled for analysis. Overall, no significant associations were found between the XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism and skin cancer risk in any genetic model. On stratified analysis by tumor type, XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism was not associated with increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, but was significantly related with increased risk of cutaneous melanoma (Gln/Gln vs Lys/Lys: OR=1.15, 95%CI=1.02-1.29, p=0.023; dominant model: OR=1.09, 95%CI=1.01-1.18, p=0.036). For the XPD Asp312Asn polymorphism, no significant association with skin cancer risk was observed in overall or subgroup analyses. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis suggests that the XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism may contribute to the risk of cutaneous melanoma from currently available evidence. Further investigations are needed to obtain more insight into possible roles of these two polymorphisms in skin carcinogenesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1119-1123
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• 2014

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are extremely complex disease types and it is likely that chromosomal instability is involved in the genetic mechanisms of its genesis. However, there is little information regarding the background levels of chromosome instability in these patients. In this pilot study, we examined spontaneous chromosome instability in short-term lymphocyte cultures (72 hours) from 72 study subjects - 36 newly diagnosed HNC squamous cell carcinoma patients and 36 healthy ethnic controls. We estimated chromosome instability (CIN) using chromosomal aberration (CA) analysis and nuclear level anomalies using the Cytokinesis Block Micronucleus Cytome Assay (CBMN Cyt Assay). The proliferation rates in cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were assessed by calculating the Cytokinesis Block Proliferation Index (CBPI). Our results showed a significantly higher mean level of spontaneous chromosome type aberrations (CSAs), chromatid type aberration (CTAs) dicentric chromosomes (DIC) and chromosome aneuploidy (CANE UP) in patients (CSAs, $0.0294{\pm}0.0038$; CTAs, $0.0925{\pm}0.0060$; DICs, $0.0213{\pm}0.0003$; and CANE UPs, $0.0308{\pm}0.0035$) compared to controls (CSAs, $0.0005{\pm}0.0003$; CTAs, $0.0058{\pm}0.0015$; DICs, $0.0005{\pm}0.0003$; and CANEUPs, $0.0052{\pm}0.0013$) where p<0.001l. Similarly, spontaneous nuclear anomalies showed significantly higher mean level of micronuclei (MNi), nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) and nuclear buds (NBUDs) among cases (MNi, $0.01867{\pm}0.00108$; NPBs, $0.0156{\pm}0.00234$; NBUDs, $0.00658{\pm}0.00068$) compared with controls (MNi, $0.00027{\pm}0.00009$; NPBs, $0.00002{\pm}0.00002$; NBUDs, $0.00011{\pm}0.00007$).The evaluation of CBPI supported genomic instability in the peripheral blood lymphocytes showing a significantly lower proliferation rate in HNC patients ($1.525{\pm}0.005552$) compared to healthy subjects ($1.686{\pm}0.009520$) (p<0.0001). In conclusion, our preliminary results showed that visible spontaneous genomic instability and low rate proliferation in the cultured peripheral lymphocytes of solid tumors could be biomarkers to predict malignancy in early stages.