• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.715-725
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• 2024

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) according to the size of the beads for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 212 patients with a single HCC ≤5 cm from five tertiary institutions. One hundred and nine patients were treated with 70-150-㎛ doxorubicin DEBs (group A), and 103 patients received 100-300-㎛ doxorubicin DEBs (group B). The initial tumor response (assessed between 3 weeks and 2 months after DEB-TACE), time to local tumor progression (TTLTP), restricted mean duration of complete response (RMDCR), rate of complications, incidence of post-embolization syndrome, and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to analyze prognostic factors for initial tumor response. Results: The initial objective response rates were 91.7% (100/109) and 84.5% (87/103) for groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.101). In the subgroup analysis of tumors ≤3 cm, the initial objective response rates were 94.6% (53/56) and 78.0% (39/50) for groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.012). There was no significant difference in the TTLTP (median, 23.7 months for group A vs. 19.0 months for group B; P = 0.278 [log-rank], 0.190 [multivariable Cox regression]) or RMDCR at 24 months (11.4 months vs. 8.5 months, respectively; P = 0.088). In the subgroup analysis of tumors >3-cm, the RMDCR at 24 months was significantly longer in group A than in group B (11.8 months vs. 5.7 months, P = 0.024). The incidence of mild bile duct dilatation after DEB-TACE was significantly higher in group B than in group A (5.5% [6/109] vs. 18.4% [19/103], P = 0.003). Conclusion: DEB-TACE using 70-150-㎛ microspheres demonstrated a higher initial objective response rate in ≤3-cm HCCs and a longer RMDCR at 24 months in 3.1-5-cm HCCs compared to larger DEBs (100-300-㎛).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7367-7369
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• 2013

Background: Inoperable and metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a poor prognosis and low chemotherapeutic efficiency. Sorafenib is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor exerting its effects via the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-${\beta}$) tyrosine kinases. Randomized studies have shown a significant contribution of sorafenib to life expectancy and quality of life of cancer patients. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of sorafenib therapy in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Data for 103 patients (82 males, 21 females) receiving sorafenib therapy in 13 centers from February 2008 to December 2012 were evaluated. Median age was 61 years and median ECOG performance status was 1 (range: 0-2). 60 patients (58%) had hepatitis B, 15 patients (15%) had hepatitis C infection and 12 patients (12%) had a history of alcohol consumption. All of the patients had Child scores meeting the utilization permit of the drug in our country (Child A). Results: A total of 571 cycles of sorafenib therapy were administered with a median of four per patient. Among the evaluable cases, there was partial response in 15 (15%), stable disease in 52 (50%), and progressive disease in 36 (35%). Median progression-free survival was 18 weeks and median overall survival was 48 weeks. The dose was reduced only in 6 patients and discontinued in 2 patients due to grade 3-4 toxicity, 18 patients (17%) suffering hand-foot syndrome, 7 (7%) diarrhea, and 2 (2%) vomiting. Conclusions: This retrospective study demonstrated better efficacy of sorafenib therapy in patients with advanced HCC compared to the literature while progression-free survival and overall survival findings were comparable. The side effect rates indicate that the drug was tolerated well. In conclusion, among the available treatment options, sorafenib is an efficient and tolerable agent in patients with inoperable or metastatic HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.4915-4921
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• 2012

Published data on any association between the CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI (c1/c2) polymorphism and liver cancer risk among east Asians are inconclusive. The aim of this Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) review and meta-analysis was to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship. A literature search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of science and CBM databases from inception through July 2012 was conducted. Twelve case-control studies were included with a total of 1,552 liver cancer cases and 1,763 healthy controls. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association under five genetic models. When all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, the results showed that the c2 allele and the c2 carrier (c2/c2 + c2/c1) of RsaI/PstI polymorphism were associated with decreased risk of liver cancer among east Asians (c2 vs. c1: OR = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.59-0.95, P = 0.016; c2/c2 + c2/c1 vs. c1/c1: OR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.58-1.00, P = 0.050). In the stratified analysis by country, significant associations were observed between RsaI/PstI polymorphism and decreased risk of liver cancer among the Chinese population (c2 vs. c1: OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.54-0.91, P = 0.007; c2/c2 + c2/c1 vs. c1/c1: OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.54-0.95, P = 0.020), but not among Japanese and Korean populations. Results from the current meta-analysis indicates that the c2 allele of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI (c1/c2) polymorphism may be a protective factor for HCC among east Asians, especially among China populations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2565-2570
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• 2014

H19 is an imprinted oncofetal gene, and loss of imprinting at the H19 locus results in over-expression of H19 in cancers. Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is regarded as one of the most dangerous carcinogens. Exposure to AFB1 would most easily increase susceptibility to diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) but any possible relationship between AFB1 and H19 is not clear. In present study, we found that AFB1 could up-regulate the expression of H19 and promote cell growth and invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Knocking down H19 RNA co ld reverse the effects of AFB1 on cell growth and invasion. In addition, AFB1 induced the expression of E2F1 and its knock-down could down-regulate H19 expression and suppress cell growth and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Furthermore, E2F1 over-expression could up-regulate H19 expression and promote cell growth and invasion, with binding to the H19 promoter being demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP). In summary, our results suggested that aflatoxin B1could promote cell growth and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells through actions on H19 and E2F1.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5407-5413
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• 2015

Background: Published data regarding associations between the P275A polymorphism in the macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1) gene and prostate cancer (PCa) risk are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the genetic risk of P275A polymorphism in MSR1 gene for PCa. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out in Pubmed, Medline (Ovid), Embase, CBM, CNKI, Weipu, and Wanfang databases, covering all available publications (last search was performed on Apr 27, 2015). Statistical analysis was performed using Revman 5.2 and STATA 10.1 software. Results: A total of 5,017 cases and 4,869 controls in 12 case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis. When all groups were pooled, there was no evidence that the P275A polymorphism had a significant association with PCa under dominant (OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.81-1.06, and p=0.28), co-dominant (homogeneous OR=0.97, 95%CI=0.56-1.68, and p=0.92; heterogeneous OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.74-1.15, and p=0.49), recessive (OR=1.10, 95%CI=0.65-1.87, and p=0.73), over-dominant (OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.75-1.15, and p=0.50), and allelic (OR=0.95, 95%CI=0.77-1.16, and p=0.61) genetic models. For stratified analyses by ethnicity and study design, no significant associations were found in the white race, the yellow race, the black race and mixed ethnicity, and the population-based case-control (PCC) and hospital-based case-control (HCC) studies under all genetic models. Conclusions: Based on our meta-analysis, the P275A polymorphism in the MSR1 gene is unlikely to be a risk factor for PCa.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.593-600
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• 2010

In this paper, High brightness LED (light-emitting diodes) driver IC (integrated circuit) using new current sensing circuit is proposed. This LED driver IC can provide a constant current with high current precision over a wide input voltage range. The proposed current-sensing circuit is composed of a cascode current sensor and a current comparator with only one reference voltage. This IC minimizes the voltage stress of the MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) from the maximum input voltage and has low power consumption and chip area by using simple-structured comparator and minimum bias current. To confirm the functioning and characteristics of our proposed LED driver IC, we designed a buck converter. The LED current ripple of the designed IC is in ${\pm}5%$ and a tolerance of the average LED current is lower than 2.43%. This shows much improved feature than the previous method. Also, protections for input voltage and operating temperature are designed to improve the reliability of the designed IC. Designed LED driver IC uses 1.0 ${\mu}m$ X-Fab. BiCMOS process parameters and electrical characteristics and functioning are verified by spectre (Cadence) simulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.9-9
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• 2010

In this paper, High Brightness LED driver IC using new current sensing circuit is proposed. This LED driver IC can provide a constant current with high current precision over a wide input voltage range. The proposed current-sensing circuit is composed of a cascode current sensor and a current comparator with only one reference voltage. This IC minimizes the voltage stress of the MOSFET from the maximum input voltage and has low power consumption and chip area by using simple-structured comparator and minimum bias current. The LED current ripple of the designed IC is in ${\pm}5%$ and a tolerance of the average LED current is lower than 2.43%. This shows much improved feature than the previous method. Also, protections for input voltage and operating temperature are designed to improve the reliability of the designed IC. Designed LED driver IC uses $1{\mu}m$ X-Fab. BiCMOS process parameters and electrical characteristics and functioning are verified by spectre(Cadence) simulation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.209-210
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• 2018

NAFLD induces the development of advanced liver diseases such as NASH and liver cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of NAFLD development is critical for its prevention and treatment. Ablation of PTEN or Hippo pathway components induces liver cancer in a murine model by hyperactive AKT or YAP/TAZ, respectively. Although the regulation of these two pathways occurs in the same hepatocyte, the details of crosstalk between Hippo-YAP/TAZ and PTEN-AKT pathways in liver homeostasis and tumorigenesis still remain unclear. Here, we found that depletion of both PTEN and SAV1 in liver promotes spontaneous NAFLD and liver cancer through hyperactive AKT via YAP/TAZ-mediated up-regulation of IRS2 transcription. Conversely, NAFLD is rescued by both ablation of YAP/TAZ and activation of the Hippo pathway. Furthermore, human HCC patients with NAFLD showed strong correlation between YAP/TAZ and IRS2 or phospho-AKT expression. Finally, the inhibition of AKT by MK-2206 treatment attenuates NAFLD development and tumorigenesis. Our findings indicate that Hippo pathway interacts with AKT signaling during the intervention with IRS2 to prevent NAFLD and liver cancer.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 1998

We have observed the 10-9 transitions of $HC_3N$ and its $^{13}C$ substitutes ($H^{13}CCCN,\;HC^{13}CCN$, and $HCC^{13}CN$), and the vibration ally excited 12-11 ($v_r=1$) $HC_3N$ transition toward the Sgr B2 molecular cloud. The observed $HC_3N$ emission shows an elongated shape around the Principal Cloud ($\~$4.5 pc in R.A. $\times$ 7.4 pc in Decl.). The optically thin $H^{13}CCCN$ line peaks around the (N) core and we derive the total column density $N(H^{13}CCCN) = 4 {\times}10^{13} cm^{-2}$ at this position. Toward the 2' N cloud which shows the peculiar chemistry, the $HC_3N$ lines show enhancements compared to the extended envelope. The shocks of the 2' N may have resulted in the enhancement of $HC_3N$. The hot component of $HC_3N$ is strongly concentrated around the (N) core and its HPW is $\~$0.9 pc in diameter. We derive the lower limit of the abundance ratio $N(HC_3N)/N(H^{13}CCCN)$ to be larger than 40 in most regions except the (M) and (N) cores. The fractionation processes of $^{13}C $at this region may not be as effective as previously reported.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2013

Viral hepatitis is the inflammation of liver cells caused by viruses, and still one of the major health-care problems worldwide. A number of viruses to cause hepatitis are type A, B, C, D, E or G. Among these viruses leading to hepatitis, B and C are more troublesome being more prone to chronic illness which can cause the potentially fatal conditions of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and/or liver failure. If immediate treatment is not initiated, liver transplant is the only option left. Over the past few decades there has been remarkable progress in diagnose and monitor all hepatitis virus infections for treatment and prevention. Nonetheless, important challenges remain to develop more effective and safe vaccines for prevention as well as antiviral agents to reduce viremia/viral load by inhibiting viral replication. The development and evaluation of antiviral agents through carefully designed clinical trials over the last 25 years has heralded a new dawn in the treatment of patients chronically infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses, but not so for the D virus. The introduction of Direct Acting Antivirals (DDAs) for the treatment of HBV carriers has permitted the long term use of these compounds for the continuous suppression of viral replication. This review aims to summarize the current status and development approaches of antiviral drugs for the treatment of viral hepatitis and future perspectives.