• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1164-1177
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• 2024

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, with the sixth highest fatality rate worldwide. The ESCC-related dataset, GSE20347, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify genes that are highly correlated with ESCC. A total of 91 transcriptome expression profiles and their corresponding clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A mitochondria-associated risk (MAR) model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analysis and validated using GSE161533. The tumor microenvironment and drug sensitivity were explored using the MAR model. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed to analyze the effects of hub genes on the proliferation and invasion abilities of ESCC cells. To confirm the predictive ability of the MAR model, we constructed a prognostic model and assessed its predictive accuracy. The MAR model revealed substantial differences in immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment characteristics between high- and low-risk populations and a substantial correlation between the risk scores and some common immunological checkpoints. AZD1332 and AZD7762 were more effective for patients in the low-risk group, whereas Entinostat, Nilotinib, Ruxolutinib, and Wnt.c59 were more effective for patients in the high-risk group. Knockdown of TYMS significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasive ability of ESCC cells in vitro. Overall, our MAR model provides stable and reliable results and may be used as a prognostic biomarker for personalized treatment of patients with ESCC.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.85-96
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• 2024

Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Temozolomide (TMZ) is an FDA-approved drug used to treat this type of cancer. Cinnamaldehyde (CIN) is a derivative of cinnamon extract and makes up 99% of it. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro combined effect of CIN and TMZ on human glioblastoma multiforme T98G cell line viability. In this study, we used 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tertazolium bromide (MTT) method to evaluate the extent of IC₅₀, acridine orange, Giemsa and Hoechst staining to evaluate the manner of apoptosis and the Western blotting method to examine the expression change of apoptotic proteins. Our results show that TMZ has an inhibitory effect on CIN when both used in combination at concentrations of 300 and 100 µM (P<0.05) and has a cytotoxic effect when used alone at the same concentrations (P<0.05). The western blotting result showed that TMZ at concentrations of 2,000 and 1,000 µM significantly increased Bax expression and decreased Bcl2 expression (P<0.05), indicating that TMZ induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. However, CIN had no effect on Bax and Bcl2 expressions, thus causing apoptosis from another pathway. Also, the Bax:Bcl2 expression ratio at concentrations combined was lower than that for TMZ 1,000 µM and higher than that for CIN 150 and 100 µM (P<0.05), which confirms the inhibitory effect of TMZ on CIN. From the present study, we conclude that TMZ in combination with CIN has an inhibitory effect on increasing the cytotoxicity rate.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.184-189
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• 2022

Backgrounds/Aims: The soft texture of the pancreas parenchyma may influence the incidence of pancreatic leakage after pancreaticcoduodenectomy (PD). One possible method to assess pancreatic texture and atrophy, is via computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relation between the preoperative CT scan and the incidence of pancreatic fistula after PD. Methods: A retrospective single-center study including patients who underwent PD for a benign and malignant tumor of the periampullary region between the years 2000 and 2016. Demographic and imaging data were analysed and a correlation with the post-operative leak was evaluated. Results: Pancreatic leak was documented in 34 out of 154 (22.1%) patients. All the leakage cases occurred in the preserved pancreas group (33.1% of the total preserved pancreas group alone). No leak was documented in the atrophic pancreas group. This difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (p ≤ 0.00001). Conclusions: Atrophic pancreas in the preoperative CT scan may be protective against leakage after PD. These findings may help the surgeon to risk stratify patients accordingly. In addition, the findings suggest that patients with a preserved pancreas may require more protective methods to prevent leakage.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2003

Purpose :To analyze the survival period, prognostic factors and complications of patients having undergone high-dose-rate intraluminal brachytherapy (HDR-ILB) as a salvage radiation therapy, while having a catheter, for percutaneous transhepatic billary drainage (PTBD), inserted due to biliary obstruction caused by a secondary malignant biliary tumor Methods and Materials : A retrospective study was performed on 24 patients having undergone HDR-ILB, with PTBD catheter Insertion, be)ween December 1992 and August 2001. Their median age was 58.5, ranging from 35 to 82 years. The primary cancer site were the stomach, gallbladder, liver, pancreas and the colon, with 12, 6, 3, 2 and 1 cases, respectively. Eighteen patients were treated with external beam radiation therapy and HDR-lLB, while slx were treated with HDR-lLB only. The 4otal external beam, and brachytherapy radiations dose were 30$\~$61.2 and 9$\~$30 Gy, with median doses of 50 and 15 Gy, respectively. Results : Of the 24 patients analyzed, 22 died during the follow-up period, with a median survival of 7.3 months. The 6 and 12 months survival rates were 54.2 (13 patients) and 20.8$\%$ (5 patients), respectively. The median survivals for stomach and gailbladder cancers were 7.8 and 10.2 months, respectively, According to the unlvariate analysis, a significant factor affecting survival of over one year was the total radiation dose (over 50 Gy) (o=0.0200), with all )he patients surviving more than one year had been Irradiated with more than 50 Gy. The acute side effects during the radiation therapy were managed with conservative treatment. During the follow-up period, 5 patients showed symptoms of cholangltis due to the radiation therapy Conclusion :An extension to the survival of those patients treated with HDR-ILB is suggested compared to the median historical survival of 4hose patients treated with external biliary drainage. A boost radiation dose could be effectively given, by performing HDR-lLB, which is a prognostic factor In addition, the acute complications of radiation therapy were effectively controlled by conservative management, and It could be regarded as a safe treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.653-658
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• 2002

The cause and clinical course of the postoperative ARDS is, as of yet, not very well understood. The current study is a review of our experience on patients with ARDS after thoracotomy. Material and Method: Between Jan. 1996 to Aug. 2001, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 32 post-thoracotomy ARDS patients among 4018 patients receiving thoracotomy inclusive of thoracoscopic surgery. Result: The incidence of ARDS after pneumonectomy cases was 5.3%(13/245), 1.3% after lobectomy(9/ 710), and 4.4% after esophageal surgery(10/226). Of the 32 ARDS patients, 31 had malignant disease. The remaining 1 patient had aspergillosis. In the majority, the cause of ARDS was unknown. The average onset was on the 7.4th postoperative day. In 10 cases, the initial lesion was in the right lower lung field(31.2%), in the left lower lung field in 9(28.1%), and in both lower lung fields in 12(37.5%) cases. In all, the initial lesion was in the lower lung fields in 96.9% of the cases(31/32). There was a significant relationship between the development of ARDS and intraoperative I/O balance. The overall mortality rate was 65.6%(21/32). In the earlier period of the study(1996-Jun, 1998) the mortality rate was 100%, but in the latter period(July, 1998-Aug, 2001) it was significantly reduced to 47.6%: Conclusion: The current data showed a higher incidence of postoperative ARDS in patients with malignant disease and in those receiving extensive lymph node dissection with either lobectomy or pneumonectomy, and also in patients receiving esophageal surgery. In addition, introperative fluid overload was also associated with an increased incidence of ARDS. Treatment outcome could be improved with prone positioning and NO gas inhalation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 1993

Background: Accurate staging of bronchogenic carcinoma is important in determining resectability and metastasis of tumor to the subcarinal nodes is generally believed to indicate poor prognosis. The technique of Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has offered a safe & effective way to asscess mediastinal lymph node involvement in the staging of lung cancer. We performed TBNA in patients who were suspected lung cancer to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the TBNA. Method: TBNA of the subcarinal lymph node was performed at the time of initial diagnostic bronchoscopy in 60 patients with suspected lung cancer, and 42 cases of histologically proved bronchogenic cancer were analized. Results: The frequency of adequate samples by transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) was 81% and the positive rate of malignant cells by TBNA was 14.7%. There were no differences in positive rates by tumor cell types. In patients with thickened carina on bronchoscopy, the TBNA was positive in 33.3% as compared to 5.3% of normal carina on bronchoscopy, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). In patients with enlarged subcarinal lymph node on chest CT, the positive rate of malignant cells (50.0%) was higher than that of normal sized subcarinal lymph node on chest CT (4.8%) (p<0.01). There were no specific complications in the TBNA procedure. Conclusion: TBNA is a relatively safe procedure and it offers the possibility of avoiding the cost and morbidity of surgical staging in patients especially whose carina is thickened on bronchoscopy and whose subcarinal LN was enlarged on chest CT.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.338-345
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• 1993

Mandibular discontinuity defect due to benign tumor, malignant tumor, infection, or truma results in major esthetic and biologic compromise. The primary goal of reconstruction is full restitution of function, which secondarily lead to normalization of the cosmetic deformity. The authors make a clinical study of 61 consecutive bone graft cases for mandibular reconstruction of discontinuity defect which were studied retrospectively using clinical data and radiographic findings. The cases were reviewed to evaluate the clinical success in the period from 1981 to 1990 in the Dept. of Oral & maxillofacial Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital. The criteria of the success in bone graft, are no residual infection, graft in with maintain its integrity, and remain over a half of its original size of graft in the radiographic features. The purpose of this clinical survey is to study of the mandibular discontinuity defects and success rate of free bone graft in mandibular defects. To summarize the clinical study of free bone graft, the main type of autogenous bone graft is iliac bone and corticocancellous type. Overall success rate is 80.3% in 61 followup cases over 6 months. Wire fixation and Extraoral approach has realtively better prognosis than other methods. It showed relatively poor prognosis in symphysis defects than other recipient site.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2012

Purpose : Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion is an important treatment modality in children with hydrocephalus. VP shunt infection is a major complication and an important factor that determines the surgery outcome. This 15-year study was performed to evaluate the epidemiology of VP shunt infections in pediatric patients treated at our center. Methods : A retrospective review of medical records was performed in patients 18 years old or younger who underwent VP shunt insertion surgery from April 1995 to June 2010. Results : Three hundred twenty-seven VP shunt surgeries were performed in a total of 190 pediatric patients (83 females, 107 males). The median age of the patients was 2.4 years (range, 0.02-17.9 years). Having a malignant brain tumor was the most frequent cause for VP shunt insertion. The shunt infection rate was 6.7% (22/327) per 100 operations and 9.5% (18/190) per 100 patients, and the incidence rate was 0.45 infection cases per 100 shunt operations-year. The most common pathogen was coagulase-negative staphylococcus (n=7) followed by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n=1). Ten cases were treated with vancomycin and beta-lactam antibiotic (cephalosporin or carbapenem) combination therapy and 7 cases were treated with vancomycin monotherapy. The median duration of antibiotic treatment was 26 days (range, 7 to 58 days). Surgical intervention was performed in 18 cases (18/22, 81.8%). Conclusion : Epidemiologic information regarding VP shunt infections in pediatric patients is valuable that will help guide proper antibiotic management. Additional studies on the risk factors for developing VP shunt infections are also warranted.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.169-176
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• 1990

Radiotherapy result was analyzed in 23 children with retinoblastoma treated in Seoul National University Hospital from 1980 to 1987. Three ($17\%$) had bilateral tumor at diagnosis. Among 20 children with unilateral retinoblastoma 13 children got radiotherapy after enucleation, 2 were treated with radiotherapy alone, and 5 were delivered with radiotherapy after relapse. Of 15 non-recurrent unilateral tumors, there were 5 stage II children, 8 stage III, and 2 stage IV by staging system proposed by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Chemotherapy was combined when resection margin of the optic nerve was positive or when malignant cell was found in CSF. Of 12 children who completed radiotherapy, local or distant failure was not found but 2 cases of relapse at the contralateral retina were observed. Their 5 year survival rate was $82.2\%$. Another case of contralateral relapse was detected in children who was treated with radiotherapy alone. Thus overall frequency of the bilateral disease was $33\%$. Prognosis of recurrent tumors were so poor that no cases of CR was obtained and that 3 year survival rate was $20\%$. Two of 3 bilateral cases at diagnosis were in NED status. Complication were sunken orbit only. Result of radiotherapy was so good in early stage or small bulk tumor that treatment delay after diagnosis must not be allowed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.281-285
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• 2013

Purpose: To probe the role of FasL in cell apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). Methods: The expression of Fas/FasL was assessed in 10 cases of normal oral epithelium, 38 cases of OSCC and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), and 11 cases of metastatic lymph nodes by immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis of tumor cells and TIL was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (TUNEL). FasL-induction of T cell apoptosis was tested by co-culture assay in vitro with SCC-9 and Jurkat T cells. Results: The 10 cases of normal oral epithelium all demonstrated extensive expression of Fas, the positive rate being largely down-regulated in OSCC (21/38) (P<0.05) compared to the normal (10/10). At the same time, the positive rate of FasL significantly increased in OSCC (P<0.05) especially those with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The positive rates of Fas in well and middle differentiated OSCC were higher than those in poor differentiated OSCC (P<0.05). The AI of tumor cells in Fas-positive OSCC was remarkably higher than that in Fas-negative OSCC (P<0.01), with a positive correlation between Fas expression and cell differentiation as well as apoptosis (r=0.68, P<0.01). The AI of tumor cells in FasL positive OSCC was remarkably lower than that in control while the AI of TIL was higher than in FasL negative OSCC (P<0.05). The AI of tumor cells reversely correlated with that of TIL (r = -0. 72, P<0.05). It was found that SCC-9 cells expressing functional FasL could induce apoptosis of Jurkat cells as demonstrated by co-culture assays. As a conclusion, it is evident that OSCC cells expressing FasL can induce apoptosis in Fas-expressing T cells. Conclusions: In progression of OSCC, expression of the Fas/FasL changes significantly. The results suggest that FasL is a mediator of immune privilege in OSCC and may serve as an marker for predicting malignant change in oral tissues.