• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1539-1544
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• 2014

Purpose: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3), and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) levels have been widely used as tumor markers for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether these tumor markers could be used to monitor short-term treatment response and recurrence of HCC in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods: Between July 2012 and July 2013, 53 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HCC were prospectively enrolled in this study. Among these, 32 patients underwent RFA, after which they were followed up prospectively at the First Hospital of Jilin University in China. Results: AFP, AFP-L3, and GP-73 values pre-RFA were not associated with tumor size, whereas AFP and GP-73 levels tended to be associated with tumor number, the presence of vascular invasion, deterioration of liver function, advanced-stage disease, and a poor performance status. GP-73 levels were dramatically elevated in the patients with hepatitis C-associated HCC. Neither pre-RFA nor 1-month post-RFA tumor marker values were associated with short-term outcome. The short-term recurrence rate of AFP-positive patients measured 1 month post-RFA was obviously higher than that of AFP-negative patients. Conclusions: AFP and GP-73 values were associated with clinical variables representing tumor growth and invasiveness, and the AFP value measured 1 month post-RFA was a strong predictor of short-term recurrence in patients with HCC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.275-275
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• 2017

Dressing is a seasoned mixture usually used as a stuffing in food. Quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of fruit dressing using lentil legume were investigated. The four groups were divided into D-1(fruit dressing purchased from the local market in Deagu, Korea), D-2 (grapefruit-sugaring dressing prepared with grapefruit sugaring and lentil legume paste), D-3 (vinegar dressing purchased from the local market in Deagu, Korea), D-4 (pineapple-vinegar dressing prepared with pineapple vinegar and lentil legume paste), and then they were analyzed with regard to general compositions, Hunter's color value, mineral and free amino acid content and antioxidant activities. The pH and titratable acidity in all samples ranged from 2.9 to 4.6 and from 0.6 to 1.2%, respectively. The crude protein content were 2.29% for D-2 dressing and 4.03 for D-4 sample, while were not detected D-1 and D-3 samples. In case of Hunter's value, The ' L'and 'a' values of all samples ranged from 45.98 to 56.54 and from -1.59 to 3.30, respectively. The D-4 sample exhibited the higher levels of Ca (215.40 mg/kg), K (1,105.83 mg/kg), Mg (233.63 mg/kg) and Fe (13.78 mg/kg). The levels of heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd and Hg) in all samples were not detected. The contents of total amino acid in D-3 and D-4 samples were 8.269 and 3.419 mg/mL, respectively. The highest contents of total phenols($191.13{\mu}g\;GAE/mL$) and DPPH radical scavenging activity(93.69%, Inhibition) were observed in D-4 sample.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.179-186
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• 2002

Objective: Lectins are cell-agglutinating and sugar specific proteins or glycoproteins of non-immune origin that precipitate glycoconjugates having saccharides of appropriate complementarity. Because of these properties, plant lectins have been used to help characterize the carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins in the zona pellucida (ZP) of several mammalian species including pigs. Treatment of oocytes with various lectins blocks sperm binding to the ZP in various mammalian species. This study was undertaken to examine the distribution of sugar residues in the ZP of pig oocytes matured in vitro and the ability of spermatozoa to bind to ZP and in vitro penetration in oocytes treated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled lectins. Materials and Methods: The lectins of Banderiaea simplicifolia (BS-II, bind to $\beta$-D-N-acetylglucosamine), Canavalin ensiformis (Con A, bind to $\alpha$-D-Mannose), Lens culinaris (LCA, bind to a-D-Mannose), Ricinus communis (RCA-I, bind to $\beta$-D-Galactose) and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I, bind to $\alpha$-L-Fucose) were examined for spermatozoa penetration, binding capacity to ZP and distribution of lectins. Results: The penetration rates were significantry (p<0.05) higher in control oocytes (63%) than those treated with all lectins, but penetration rates ($40{\sim}49%$) were simililar in group treated with lectins. The incidence of monospermy was similar in oocytes untreated and UEA-I, but it was higher in oocytes treated with BS-II, Con A, RCA-I and LCA. The porcine oocytes cultured for 48 h in TC-199 medium were freed from cumulus cells and treated for 30 min with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled lectins. When examined under fluorescein illumination, higher (p<0.001) proportions of oocytes showed fluorescein of zona pellucida after treatment with Con A (93%), LCA (93%) and RCA-I (100%) than BS-II (37%) and UEA-I (50%). All of the oocytes treated with RCA-I exhibited strong fluorescein in the outer region of the zona pellucida while those treated with LCA exhibited strong fluorescein throughout the zona pellucida. BS-II bounded mainly to the outer region and UEA-I bounded mainly to the inner region of the zona pellucida, with either strong or weak fluorescein. At 120 min after insemination in vitro, fewer spermatozoa were bound to the zona pellucida of the oocytes treated with BS-II, Con-A and RCA-I. Of the lectins, Con A most inhibited sperm binding. Conclusions: These results suggest that $\beta$-D-Galactose residues in the porcine zona pellucida may act as primary sperm receptors and inducers of the sperm acrosome reaction and these sugar residues may be involved in the block to polyspermy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.973-979
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• 2016

Lentils (Lens culinaris) have been gaining increasing attention recently as a top five superfood, as they are high in protein and other essential nutrients, including folate, iron, potassium, and various antioxidants. In the present study, phenolic extracts from four different lentil cultivars (green, red, French, and beluga) were evaluated for their total phenolic contents and in vitro antioxidant activities. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of four different lentil extracts were 27.30~30.30 mg tannic acid equivalents (TAE)/g and 13.14~16.29 mg quercetin equivalents (QUE)/g, respectively. Beluga and red lentil extracts showed higher polyphenol contents than others (P<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in flavonoid contents among the four lentil cultivars. $RC_{50}$ values of the lentil extracts for DPPH radical, ABTS radical, and $H_2O_2$ were $57.42{\sim}64.49{\mu}g/mL$, $66.11{\sim}75.69{\mu}g/mL$, and $59.72{\sim}72.86{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Among the four lentil extracts, beluga lentil extract showed the most potent scavenging effect in all three reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging assays, and thus beluga extract was further tested for its inhibitory effect on early peroxidation of linoleic acid. The results showed that beluga lentil extract significantly inhibited linoleic acid peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner (concentration required for 50% reduction=$222.76{\m}g/mL$). In addition, beluga lentil extract showed a significant protective effect against alcohol-induced cytotoxicity in AML-12 cells (normal mouse hepatocyte cell line). Taken together, these results suggest that lentil extracts represent potential sources of natural antioxidants, and further studies will be necessary to determine their protective effects against oxidative stress in vivo.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3595-3604
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• 2015

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been one of the most fatal malignant tumors worldwide and its associated morbidity and mortality remain of significant concern. Based on in-depth reviews of serological diagnosis of HCC, in addition to AFP, there are other biomarkers: Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive AFP (AFP-L3), descarboxyprothrombin (DCP), tyrosine kinase with Ig and eprdermal growth factor (EGF) homology domains 2 (TIE2)-espressing monocytes (TEMs), glypican-3 (GPC3), Golgi protein 73 (GP73), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) have been proposed as biomarkers for the early detection of HCC. The diagnosis of HCC is primarily based on noninvasive standard imaging methods, such as ultrasound (US), dynamic multiphasic multidetector-row CT (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Some experts advocate gadolinium diethyl-enetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) MRI and contrast-enhanced US as the promising imaging madalities of choice. With regard to recent advancements in tissue markers, many cuting-edge technologies using genome-wide DNA microarrays, qRT-PCR, and proteomic and inmunostaining studies have been implemented in an attempt to identify markers for early diagnosis of HCC. Only less than half of HCC patients at initial diagnosis are at an early stage treatable with curative options: local ablation, surgical resection, or liver transplant. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is considered the standard of care with palliation for intermediate stage HCC. Recent innovative procedures using drug-eluting-beads and radioembolization using Yttrium-90 may exhibit beneficial effects in HCC treatment. During the past few years, several molecular targeted agents have been evaluated in clinical trials in advanced HCC. Sorafenib is currently the only approved systemic treatment for HCC. It has been approved for the therapy of asymptomatic HCC patients with well-preserved liver function who are not candidates for potentially curative treatments, such as surgical resection or liver transplantation. In the USA, Europe and particularly Japan, hepatitis C virus (HCV) related HCC accounts for most liver cancer, as compared with Asia-Pacific regions, where hepatitis B virus (HBV) may play a more important role in HCC development. HBV vaccination, while a vaccine is not yet available against HCV, has been recognized as a best primary prevention method for HBV-related HCC, although in patients already infected with HBV or HCV, secondary prevention with antiviral therapy is still a reasonable strategy. In addition to HBV and HCV, attention should be paid to other relevant HCC risk factors, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease due to obesity and diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, and prolonged aflatoxin exposure. Interestingly, coffee and vitamin K2 have been proven to provide protective effects against HCC. Regarding tertiary prevention of HCC recurrence after surgical resection, addition of antiviral treatment has proven to be a rational strategy.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the utilization value of legume crops collected in tropical and subtropical areas. We examined agronomic traits to assess domestic adaptability and evaluated useful components of foreign legumes. We used a total of 201 genetic resources of three legumes, consisting of 68 lentils, 72 chickpeas and 61 guars. The average number of days to flowering of the three legumes ranged from 56.7 to 60.8 days; the shortest in guar and longest in chickpea. The average number of days to growth of the three legumes ranged from the shortest 86.8 days in lentil, to the longest 163.9 days in guar. The maturation period of the three legumes lasted from the end of May until mid-September, based on sowing in March. However, the average yield of lentil was very low, ranging from 0.5 g to 30.6 g, with an average 16.4 g based on 10 plants per accession. The average 100 seed weight of the three legumes was 2.2 g for lentil, 22.9 g for chickpea, and 3.8 g for guar. The crude protein content ranged from 14.1% to 32.4% with an average of 20.4%, the highest for guar and the lowest for chickpea. The average crude oil content in the three legume crops was generally low, ranging from 0.8% in lentil, to 4.3% in chickpea. The average dietary fiber content in the three legume crops varied from 15.7% to 50.7%. Guar was the highest source of fiber, followed by chickpea (19.3%) and lentil (15.7%). From the agricultural traits analysis, chickpea and guar could grow domestically. However, lentil was difficult to flower and fruit normally during the warmer season after May. Therefore, lentil should be considered for late summer cropping during the cool season. The physicochemical properties of the three legumes seem to be useful as they are similar to, or better than, those of the control common bean.