• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.198-206
• /
• 2018

Aortic dissection (AD) is a catastrophic disease with high mortality and morbidity, characterized with fragmentation of elastin and loss of smooth muscle cells. Although AD has been largely attributable to polymorphisms defect in the elastin-coding gene, tropoelastin (TE), other undermined factors also appear to play roles in AD onset. Here, we investigated the effects of post-transcriptional control of TE by microRNAs (miRNAs) on elastin levels in aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC). We found that miR-144-3p is a miRNA that targets TE mRNA in both human and mouse. Bioinformatics analyses and dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-144-3p inhibited protein translation of TE, through binding to the 3'-UTR of the TE mRNA. Interestingly, higher miR-144-3p levels and lower TE were detected in the ASMC obtained from AD patients, compared to those from non-AD controls. In a mouse model for human AD, infusion of adeno-associated viruses (serotype 6) carrying antisense for miR-144-3p (asmiR-144-3p) under CAG promoter significantly reduced the incidence and severity of AD, seemingly through enhancement of TE levels in ASMC. Thus, our data suggest an essential role of miR-144-3p on the pathogenesis of AD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.4045-4050
• /
• 2012

Objective: The impact of ablative oral cancer surgery was studied, with particular reference to recurrence and nodal metastasis, to assess survival probability and prognostic indicators and to elucidate if ethnicity influences the survival of patients. Methods: Patients who underwent major ablative surgery of the head and neck region with neck dissection were identified and clinical records were assessed. Inclusion criteria were stage I-IV oral and oropharyngeal malignancies necessitating resection with or without radiotherapy from 2004 to 2009. All individuals had a pre-operative assessment prior to the surgery. The post operative assessment period ranged from 1 year to 5 years. Survival distributions were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: 87 patients (males:38%; females:62%) were included in this study, with an age range of 21-85 years. Some 78% underwent neck dissections while 63% had surgery and radiotherapy. Nodal recurrence was detected in 5.7% while 20.5% had primary site recurrence within the study period. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the median survival time was 57 months. One year overall survival (OS) rate was 72.7% and three year overall survival rate dropped to 61.5%. On OS analysis, the log-rank test showed a significant difference of survival between Malay and Chinese patients (Bonferroni correction p=0.033). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) analysis revealed that 25% of the patients have reached the event of recurrence at 46 months. One year RFS rate was 85.2% and the three year survival rate was 76.1%. In the RFS analysis, the log-rank test showed a significant difference in the event of recurrence and nodal metastasis (p<0.001). Conclusion: Conservative neck is effective, in conjunction with postoperative radiotherapy, for control of neck metastases. Ethnicity appears to influence the survival of the patients, but a prospective trial is required to validate this.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.1803-1806
• /
• 2014

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was originally developed for en bloc resection of large, flat gastrointestinal lesions. Compared with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), ESD is considered to be more time consuming and have more complications for treatment of early esophageal carcinoma, such as bleeding, stenosis and perforation. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of ESD and EMR for such lesions. We searched databases, such as PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Science Citation Index updated to 2013 for related trials. In the meta-analysis, the main outcome measurements were the en bloc resection rate, the histologically resection rate and the local recurrence rate. We also compared the operation time and the incidences of procedure-related complications. Five trials were identified, and a total of 710 patients and 795 lesions were included. The en bloc and histologically complete resection rates were higher in the ESD group compared with the EMR group (odds ratio (OR) 27.3; 95% CI, 11.5-64.8; OR 18.4; 95% CI, 8.82-38.59). The local recurrence rate was lower in the ESD group (OR 0.13, 95 % CI 0.04-0.43). The meta-analysis also showed ESD was more time consuming, but did not increase the complication rate (P=0.76). The results implied that compared with EMR, ESD showed better en bloc and histologically resection rates, and lower local recurrence, without increasing the incidence of procedure-related complications in the treatment of early esophageal carcinoma.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 2001

Objectives: This study was to investigate the fertilization rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or partial zona dissection (PZD) of human and hamster sperm into hamster oocyte in in vitro fertilization (IVF). In addition, the possibility of clinical application was evaluated by the comparison of usefulness and difference of these method. Materials and Methods: Hamster immature oocytes were obtained from oviducts superovulated by PMSG and hCG, and hamster sperms were obtained from epididymis. The freezed human sperms were thawed before use. Fertilization were confirmed by two pronuclei, one pronucleus, swollen sperm head or/and two polar bodies at $7{\sim}8$ hour after ICSI or PZD. Results: The fertilization rates after ICSI and PZD of human sperm to hamster oocyte were 3.6%, 64.2%,73.6%, and 55.6% for negative control, positive control, ICSI, and PZD respectively, suggesting that ICSI only showed improved fertilization rate (p<0.01). The fertilization rates after ICSI and PZD of hamster sperm to hamster oocyte were 11.1%, 51.2%, 39.6%, and 72.7% for negative control, positive control, ICSI, and PZD respectively, suggesting that PZD only showed improved fertilization rate (p<0.01). PZD showed significantly higher fertilization rate than ICSI (p<0.05). Conclusions: As for the fertilization rate by ICSI and PZD using hamster oocyte in IVF, ICSI technique was considered to be more useful for human sperm and PZD technique for hamster sperm. Therefore, ICSI technique was considered more appropriate for experimental application using human sperm and hamster oocyte.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.161-168
• /
• 1996

The neuorogenic tumor is known to be originated from neural crest, and the involved cells are Schwann cell, ganglion cell, and paraganglion cell. The Schwannoma, neurofibroma, and malignant schwannoma arise from the schwann cell, ganglioneuroma is from ganglion cell, and carotid body tumor and glomus tumor are originated from paraganglion cell. Authors reviewed thirty-eight patients of the neurogenic tumors in the head and neck, excluding intracranial tumor and Von-Recklinghausen disease, surgically treated at the Department of Surgery, Pusan Paik Hospital from January 1981 to May 1996. Of the 38 cases, 28 cases were schwannoma, 6 cases neurofibroma, 2 cases malignant schwannoma, and 2 cases paraganglioma. These tumors occurred at any age, but the majority of patients occurred in the fourth decade of life. There was female preponderance (M : F=1 : 1. 53) in sex ratio. The lateral cervical region was the most common distribution. 12 cases arose from the anterior triangle of neck, and 12 cases from the posterior triangle of neck. The major nerve origin of tumor could be identified in 30 cases (80%). 11 cases were treated by simple excision, and partial excision was 3 cases. Excision with parotidectomy 1 case, enucleation 11 cases, enucleation with parotidectomy 7 cases, radical neck dissection 1 cases, upper neck dissection 2 cases, suprahyoid dissection 1 case, Caldwell­Luc operation 1 case. The postoperative complications were hoarseness (2 cases), facial palsy (1 case), Homer syndrome (1 case), and hypoesthesia of tongue (1 case).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.113-117
• /
• 1998

From October 1993 to April 1997, 37 patients(30 male and 7 female patients), ranging in age from 23 to 73 years, were operated for annuloaortic ectasia with or without aortic dissection. Four patients were in New York Heart Association Class I, 10 in Class II, 20 in Class III, and 3 in Class IV. In cases of annuloaortic ectasia with aortic dissection, the surgical treatment in all cases consisted of total replacement of the ascending aorta with composite graft and reimplantation of the coronary arteries to the tube graft. The postoperative complication, as postoperative bleeding or LV dysfunction, was 18%(7 cases) and late mortality for entire group was 2.7%(one death). The period of follow-up ranged from 1 month to 36 months(average 9.6 months). In conclusion, Bentall operation for annuloaortic ectasia with or without aortic dissection is reliable method with low mortality and excellent short-term results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.34 no.7
• /
• pp.557-558
• /
• 2001

We operated on a Marfan patient who had Stanford type A acute aortic dissection, aortic root aneurysm, and aortic regurgitation. The Yacoub-David aortic root remodeling procedure which preserves native aortic valve and replaces all three aortic sinuses and ascending aorta by a Dacron graft, was applied for this patient. A 24mm Hemashield graft was designed to three tongues at the aortic root end to meet the shape of the Valsalva sinuses. The patient recovered from the procedure uneventfully and there was no aortic regurgitation posto-peratively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.1901-1908
• /
• 2007

The aim of this series of experiments was to examine the opportunity for application of X-ray computer tomography (CT) in cattle production. Firstly, tissue composition of M. longissimus dorsi (LD) cuts between the $11-13^{th}$ ribs (in Exp 1. between the $9-11^{th}$ ribs), was determined by CT and correlated with tissue composition of intact half carcasses prior to dissection and tissue separation. Altogether, 207 animals of different breeds and genders were used in the study. In Exp. 2 and 3, samples were taken from LD cuts, dissected and chemical composition of muscle homogenates was analysed by conventional procedures. Correlation coefficients were calculated among slaughter records, tissues in whole carcasses and tissue composition of rib samples. Results indicated that tissue composition of rib samples determined by CT closely correlated with tissue composition results by dissection of whole carcasses. The findings revealed that figures obtained by CT correlate well with the dissection results of entire carcasses (meat, bone, fat). Close three-way coefficients of correlation (r = 0.80-0.97) were calculated among rib eye area, volume of cut, pixel-sum of adipose tissue determined by CT and intramuscular fat or adipose tissue in entire carcasses. Estimation of tissue composition of carcasses using equations including only CT-data as independent variables proved to be less reliable in prediction of lean meat and bone in carcass ($R^2 = 0.51-0.86$) than for fat (($R^2 = 0.83-0.89$). However, when cold half carcass weight was also included in the equation, the coefficient of determination exceeded $R^2 = 0.90$. In Exp. 3 tissue composition of rib samples by CT were compared to the results of EUROP carcass classification. Findings revealed that CT analysis has higher predictive value in estimation of actual tissue composition of cattle carcasses than EUROP carcass classification.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.20
• /
• pp.8917-8921
• /
• 2014

Objective: To observe and compare the effects of multi-patch biopsy under conventional white light imaging endoscopy (C-WLI) and precise targeted biopsy under magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy (M-NBI) on the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of early gastric cancers and intraepithelial neoplasias. Methods: According to the way of selecting biopsy specimens, patients were divided into C-WLI and M-NBI groups, 20 cases. The ESD operations of the 2 groups were compared quantitively. Results: The mean frequency of biopsy in M-NBI group was ($1.00{\pm}0.00$), obviously lower than in the C-WLI group ($4.78{\pm}1.02$) (P<0.01).The average total number of selected biopsy specimens was also fewer ($1.45{\pm}0.12$ and $7.82{\pm}2.22$, respectively, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the time of determining excision extension, marking time and the time of specimen excision of 2 groups during the ESD (P>0.05), whereas submucosal injection time, mucosal dissection time, stopping bleeding time, wound processing time in the M-NBI group were significantly shorter than in the C-WLI group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Precise targeted biopsy under M-NBI can obviously shorten the time of ESD operation, with small quantity of tissues but high pathological positive rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.5731-5734
• /
• 2013

Background: The object of this study was to examine whether a new protocol including step-sectioning and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of axillary sentinel nodes (SN) would lead to detection of more metastases in patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine tumor free sentinel lymph nodes were examined. Step frozen sectioning was performed on formalin fixed SN and stained both by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) and cytokeratin markers using IHC. Any tumoral cell in IHC stained slides were considered as a positive result. Metastases up to 0.2 mm were considered as isolated tumor cells and 0.2 up to 2 mm as micrometastasis. Results: Mean age of the patients was $48.7{\pm}12.2$ years. Step sectioning of the SN revealed 11 involved by metastasis which was statistically significant (p<0.001). Furthermore, 15 (21.7%) of the patients revealed positive results in IHC staining for pan-CK marker and this was also statistically significant (p=0.001). Ten patients had tumoral involvement in lymph nodes harvested from axillary dissection and 4 out of 15 lymph nodes with positive result for CK marker were isolated tumor cells. However, 4 of 10 patients with tumor positive lymph nodes in axillary dissection were negative for CK marker and in contrast 6 of the pan-CK positive SN were in patients with tumor-free axillary lymph nodes. Conclusions: Both IHC and step sectioning improve the detection rate of metastases. Considering the similar power of these two methods, we recommend using either IHC staining or step sectioning for better evaluation of harvested SNs.