• The Korean Journal of Urological Oncology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.103-109
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• 2018

Purpose: We evaluated the relationship of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and obesity indices (weight, body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC]) in Korean middle-aged men. Materials and Methods: From February to September 2013, 1,900 police men under 60 years old who participated in a prostate health screening program were included this cross-sectional study. All subjects underwent clinical examinations including weight, height, BMI, WC, fasting blood sugar, lipid profiles, estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and PSA. Total prostate volume (TPV) was assessed clinically. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression tests were performed to evaluate the obesity indices and PSA relationships. Results: The mean age was $52.0{\pm}4.7years$, and the mean PSA was $0.97{\pm}0.99ng/mL$. The PSA showed a significant positive correlation with the age (r=0.108, p<0.01), TPV (r=0.349, p<0.01), height (r=-0.052, p<0.05), weight (r=0.186, p<0.05), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r=0.056, p<0.05), and GFR (r=-0.096, p<0.01). All obesity indices including weight, BMI, and WC showed negative correlations with PSA (beta=-0.013, p<0.001; beta=-0.039, p<0.001; and beta=-0.010, p=0.005; respectively) in age and TPV-adjusted model. Conclusions: Common obesity indices (weight, BMI, and WC) were associated with lower PSA in Korean middle-aged population. Thus, an individual's degree of obesity should be considered when PSA is checked in the first prostate cancer screening of life.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2016

The incidence rate of cervical cancer in Korea is still higher than in other developed countries, notwithstanding the national mass screening program. Cervical cancer prognosis is good due to an effective treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy, concurrent chemotherapy in the early stage. However, it is still a poor prognosis when advanced stage or recurrent. Some studies said that combined oriental and western medicine can improve the survival, quality of life, immune function, and decrease side effects in cervical cancer. In the western medical part, clinical practice guideline was published in 2006, 2007 and 2010 in Korea. In China, oriental medicine clinical practice guideline have been published in 2014. But there is no Korean medicine clinical practice guideline. This study will introduce the methods of diagnosis and the medical therapeutics which is commonly utilized for cervical cancer in Korea, and existing Korean medicine clinical practice guideline for Disease Analysis and Treatment (辨證論治). This study will be a meaningful study to establish clinical practice guidelines of Korean Medicine for cervical cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1119-1126
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• 2003

Background. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Korean women. Only 14 % of urban women and 10% of rural women in Korea, however, participated in breast cancer screening behavior in 1998 (Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare, 1999). Purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of community-based breast self-examination (BSE) education programs in Korea. Methods. First, breast cancer risk appraisals were done with 1,977 rural women. Of the 1,977 women, nearly 30% (n=494) had a higher or equal to borderline risk of developing breast cancer. This quasi-experimental study was conducted to target these women with a high or equal to borderline risk of breast cancer. The risk appraisal feedback and breast self-examination education were used as an intervention for breast cancer prevention and early detection. Results. After a 3-month follow-up, 30.5% of the women in the intervention group performed regular BSE compared to 10.2 % of women in the control group. The mean knowledge score related to breast cancer and BSE was significantly higher for the women in the intervention group than that in the control group.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2010

National Cancer Screening Project and Korean Society of Breast Imaging recommend that breast cancer screening should be performed on those aged 40 and above. Nevertheless, this recommendation is usually ignored by a number of medical institutions. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the necessity of an age limitation in screening mammography. Ten institutions were randomly selected and telephone inquiries about patients' age limitation and internal guidelines were set up. The 3,214 women, who underwent screening mammography through 'GE Senography 2000D' in each hospital, were classified into five groups according to age(from 20s to 40s, at intervals of 5). And then, collected data was analyzed by a radiologist in accordance with ACR-BIRADS(American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System), through which breast parenchymal density and the results of analysis were categorized in order to predict the sensitivity of mammography. Information about craniocaudal-view mammograms was automatically produced by use of GE Senography 2000D, and the average glandular dose was retrospectively analyzed through the program 'Excel 2007.' Two institutions did not set the age limitation. Other seven institutions internally allowed those who wanted to receive mammography regardless of age. Approximately 99% of those aged 20 to 29 were judged as having the dense breast. In those aged 35 to 39, breast parenchymal density tended to be lower, but the fatty breast to increase. In the case of 'category-zero' that does not need additional tests, the rate of 'heterogeneously dense' and 'extremely dense' reached to 83.1% and 15.1% respectively. Regarding dense breasts, there was no sufficient information for image reading. The glandular dose, applied to 3,214, was 1.47mGy on the average. In those aged 20 to 24 who are sensitive to radiation, the average glandular dose indicated 1.59mGy. Those aged 35 and above showed the lowest value, 1.43mGy. In those aged 35 to 39, the breast tended to change from denseness to fattiness. The average glandular dose was lowest in those aged 35 and above, which suggests that screening mammography should be periodically performed on those aged 35 and above in order that breast cancer may be early detected. On the other hand, in those aged less than 35, it is difficult to analyze mammograms due to the high density of breast parenchyma, and also retakes become frequent. In particular, subjects may be exposed to excessive doses. Accordingly, it should be substituted by breast self-examination or clinical breast examination. In case of need, it is advisable to perform ultrasonography.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.573-581
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• 2008

Although it is well known that cancer patients suffer from malnutrition, there are few published studies on malnutrition in outpatients receiving chemotherapy in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional risk in oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy and to show the baseline data to set up nutritional management programs for cancer patients. This is a retrospective observational analysis on 1,962 patients referred for nutritional education before or during chemotherapy at Seoul National University Hospital Cancer Center from January 2006 to May 2007. According to a malnutrition screening tool, the proportion of patients having malnutrition risk was 23.0%. In the case of upper gastrointestinal cancer, more than 50% of patients were assessed as being at the risk of malnutrition. They showed more than 7% weight loss compared to their usual body weight and poor oral intake; energy intake was less than 100% of Basal Energy Expenditure(BEE) and protein intake was less than or equal to 0.77 g/kg/d. However, only 6.3% of breast cancer patients had risk of malnutrition and their oral intake was better; energy intake was 121% of BEE, and protein intake was 0.90 g/kg/d. Outpatients receiving chemotherapy had different nutritional risk depending on their cancer site. Nutritional management program should be conducted differently, depending on the cancer site and upper gastrointestinal cancer patients at high risk of malnutrition should basically have nutritional assessment and intervention.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.269-273
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• 2016

Presently, the world population of the elderly is growing. By improving health hygiene and welfare indicators, mortality and birth rates decrease and life expectancy increases, making the present century the century of elderly. Aging is one of the main risk factors for development of cancer, which itself is the second cause of death in old people. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of cancer in the elderly covered by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) insurance program and to obtain suitable programs for cancer screening and early detection, increase patient survival, improve elderly care and to reclaim the cost of treatment in comparison to the national and international statistics. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on all elderly patients diagnosed with malignancy based on their pathology reports. In this study, of the total 75,500 patients covered by IRIB insurance, 17.2% belonged to the elderly group, males accounting for 53.3%. The most common cancers in old men were prostatic cancer (61.3%), colon cancer (10.3%) cancer of the hematologic system, bladder cancer (9.6%), lung cancer (9.1%), thyroid cancer (3.9%) and brain tumors (1.3%). In the elderly women, the most common cancers were breast cancer (80.1%), colon cancer (5.1%), thyroid cancers (4.4%), bladder and hematologic system malignancies (3.6), lung cancer (2.9%) and brain tumors (0.7%). In addition, the prevalence of cancer was almost the same as national and international statistics. With the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer no difference was shown in prevalence of cancer between IRIB elderly patients and the other groups of cancer patients in Iran.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

An International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) program based at the University of Illinois at Chicago initiated its activities in 1998, with the following specific objectives: (a) inventory and conservation of of plants of Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam and of medicinal plants of Laos; (b) drug discovery (and development) based on plants of Vietnam and Laos; and (c) economic development of communities participating in the ICBG project both in Vietnam and Laos. Member-institutions and an industrial partner of this ICBG are bound by a Memorandum of Agreement that recognizes property and intellectual property rights, prior informed consent for access to genetic resources and to indigenous knowledge, the sharing of benefits that may arise from the drug discovery effort, and the provision of short-term and long-term benefits to host country institutions and communities. The drug discovery effort is targeted to the search for agents for therapies against malaria (antimalarial assay of plant extracts, using Plasmodium falciparum clones), AIDS (anti-HIV-l activity using HOG.R5 reporter cell line (through transactivation of the green fluorescent protein/GFP gene), cancer (screening of plant extracts in 6 human tumor cell lines - KB, Col-2, LU-l, LNCaP, HUVEC, hTert-RPEl), tuberculosis (screening of extracts in the microplate Alamar Blue assay against Mycobacterium tuberculosis $H_{37}Ra\;and\;H_{37}Rv),$ all performed at UIC, and CNS-related diseases (with special focus on Alzheimer's disease, pain and rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma), peformed at Glaxo Smith Kline (UK). Source plants were selected based on two approaches: biodiversity-based (plants of Cuc Phuong National Park) and ethnobotany-based (medicinal plants of Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam and medicinal plants of Laos). At mc, as of July, 2001, active leads had been identified in the anti-HIV, anticancer, antimalarial, and anti- TB assay, after the screening of more than 800 extracts. At least 25 biologically active compounds have been isolated, 13 of which are new with anti-HIV activity, and 3 also new with antimalarial activity. At GSK of 21 plant samples with a history of use to treat CNS-related diseases tested to date, a number showed activity against one or more of the CNS assay targets used, but no new compounds have been isolated. The results of the drug discovery effort to date indicate that tropical plant diversity of Vietnam and Laos unquestionably harbors biologically active chemical entities, which, through further research, may eventually yield candidates for drug development. Although the substantial monetary benefit of the drug discovery process (royalties) is a long way off, the UIC ICBG program provides direct and real-term benefits to host country institutions and communities.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.145-158
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• 2024

Purpose: Although smoking and alcohol consumption are known risk factors for gastric cancer (GC), studies assessing their effects on early-onset GC are limited. In this nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study, we assessed the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on early-onset GC in patients aged <50 years. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data of patients aged 20-39 years who underwent cancer and general health screening in the Korean National Health Screening Program between 2009 and 2012. We calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for GC incidence until December 2020. Results: We enrolled 6,793,699 individuals (men:women=4,077,292:2,716,407) in this cohort. The mean duration of follow-up was 9.4 years. During follow-up, 9,893 cases of GC (men:women=6,304:3,589) were reported. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of never-smokers, those of former and current-smokers were 1.121 (1.044-1.205) and 1.282 (1.212-1.355), respectively. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of non-consumers, those of low-moderate- and high-risk alcohol consumers were 1.095 (1.046-1.146) and 1.212 (1.113-1.321), respectively. GC risk was the highest in current-smokers and high-risk alcohol consumers (1.447 [1.297-1.615]). Interestingly, alcohol consumption and smoking additively increased the GC risk in men but not in women (P_interaction=0.002). Conclusion: Smoking and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors for early-onset GC in young Koreans. Further studies are needed to investigate sex-based impact of alcohol consumption and smoking on GC incidence in young individuals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.82-92
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• 2005

Objective : To evaluate the relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, levels of pros and cons and stages of change in Pap testing for uterine cervical cancer. Methods : A questionnaire survey was performed on 560 randomly sampled people who were assigned to participate in a Pap testing program by the National Cancer Screening Project in 2003' between 25 September and 10 October in Gyeonggi, Korea. Data about the behaviors and intentions of Pap testing, sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and levels of acknowledged benefit (pros) and barrier (cons) for Pap testing was collected. The stages of change were grouped according to behaviors and intentions of Pap testing as passive, active, and relapse. Results : Logistic analysis between the passive and active groups showed that city dwellers, 'high' and 'middle' groups in terms of the individual s health belief, those who had undergone a health examination within the past 2 years, and those who had undergone hormone replacement therapy had a higher odds ratios to be in the active group. As the 'benefit' scores increased and the 'Unnecessity' scores decreased, the probabilities to be in the active group increased. According to the logistic analysis results between the active and relapse groups, those who were 60 years or older, members of the National Heath Insurance, and those who had not undergone a health examination within the past 2 years had a higher odds ratio to be in the relapse group. The 'Benefit' scores were not significant in this relationship. The probabilities of being in the relapse group increased as the Unnecessity and 'Shamefulness' scores increased. Conclusions : In conclusion, health planners should inform women in the passive group of the benefits and necessity of Pap testing. It would be better to reduce the barriers to the active group of undergoing Pap smear. This study might be a useful guide for future planning of Pap testing program.

• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.7
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• 2012

Introduction: Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from ${\varepsilon}$-N-acetyl lysine amino acids of histone proteins. Their action is opposite to that of histone acetyltransferase that adds acetyl groups to these lysines. Only few HDAC inhibitors are approved and used as anti-cancer therapeutics. Thus, discovery of new and potential HDAC inhibitors are necessary in the effective treatment of cancer. Materials and Methods: This study proposed a method using support vector machine (SVM) to classify HDAC8 inhibitors and non-inhibitors in early-phase virtual compound filtering and screening. The 100 experimentally known HDAC8 inhibitors including 52 inhibitors and 48 non-inhibitors were used in this study. A set of molecular descriptors was calculated for all compounds in the dataset using ADRIANA. Code of Molecular Networks. Different kernel functions available from SVM Tools of free support vector machine software and training and test sets of varying size were used in model generation and validation. Results and Conclusion: The best model obtained using kernel functions has shown 75% of accuracy on test set prediction. The other models have also displayed good prediction over the test set compounds. The results of this study can be used as simple and effective filters in the drug discovery process.