• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2001

The naturally occurring chemical indole-3-carbinol (13C), found in vegetables of the Brassica genus, is a promising anticancer agent that was shown previ- ously to induce a Gl cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cell lines, independent of estrogen receptor signaling. The anticancer activity of 13C and the possible mechanisms of its action were explored in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C suppressed the growth of the cells. The growth sup- pression caused by 13C ($IC_{50}$/: 444$\mu$M) was found to be partially due to its ability to stop the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis for the Gl phase artiest demonstrated that the expression-levels of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4, Cdk6) and cyclic D were reduced strongly after treatment of Hep72 cells with 13C (4007M) for 24- 72 hrs. Furthermore, I3C selectively abolished the expression of Cdk6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and accordingly, inhibited the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma. Interestingly, after the HepG2 cells reached their max- imal growth arrest, the level of the p21, a well-known Cdk inhibitor, increased significantly. Therefore, it could be considered that the Gl arrest of HepG2 cells treated with 13C was due to the indirect inhibition of Cdk4/6 activities by p21 Western blot analysis for G2/M phase arrest of demonstrated the levels of Cdc2 and cyclin Bl werer reduced dramatically after the treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C ($40\mu$M) for 24-72 hrs. flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained HepG2 cells revealed that 13C induces a Gl (53%,72hr incubation) and G2 (25%,24hr incubation) cell cycle arrest. Thus, our observations have uncovered a previously undefined antiproliferative pathway for r3C that implicates Cdk4/6 and Cdc2 as a target for cell cycle control in human HepG2 cells. However, the 13C-medi- ated cell cycle arrest and repression of Cdk4/6 production did not affect the apoptotic induction of HepG2 cell.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.116-127
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• 1998

Background: The natural course of sarcoidosis is variable from spontaneous remission to significant morbidity or death. So the assessment of disease activity is important but no single parameter was generally accepted as a good marker. Recently several studies suggested that adhesion molecules, especially ICAM-1 can be a marker, but there are some controversies. And only few data are available about the relationship of ICAM-1 with clinical follow-up course. Methods: We measured the expression of adhesion molecules on BAL cells by flow cytometry and the level of soluble ICAM-1(sICAM-1) in serum and BALF at the time of diagnosis in 12 patients with active disease and 7 inactive sarcoidosis(5 male, 14 female, mean age: $39.4{\pm}10.7$ years, mean follow-up : $20{\pm}15$ months). Follow-up clinical course were compared with the changes in serum sICAMA-1 level and the adhesion molecule on BAL cells. Results: In the patients with active disease, the ICAM-1 on AM(RMFI: $3.68{\pm}1.71$) and sICAM-1 level in serum($582{\pm}193$ng/ml) and BAL fluid($47.8{\pm}16.5$ng/ml) were all higher than those of 7 inactive disease(RMFI: $1.89{\pm}0.75$, p=0.0298, serum: $294{\pm}117$ ng/ml, p=0.0049, BALF: $20.9{\pm}8.3$ ng/ml). In the active sarcoidosis, ICAM-1 on AM(RMFI : $1.51{\pm}0.84$) and serum sICAM-1 were decreased after the therapy($250{\pm}147$ ng/ml) but no significant change was noted in inactive disease. Also we found the initial ICAM-1 on AM and serum sICAM-1 had a significant correlation with the degree of improvement in PFT after the therapy. During the follow-up, the disease relapsed in 4 patients after the discontinuation of steroid and the serum sICAM-1 level went-up again at the time of relapse. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the serum sICAM-1 level and the ICAM-1 expression on AM can be a good marker of disease activity and also a predictor of outcome in sarcoidosis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.93-108
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• 2019

To investigate the temporal-spatial distribution of picophytoplankton in relation to different water masses in the northern East China Sea (ECS), picophytoplankton abundance were investigated using flow cytometry with environmental factors in 2016-2017. The results from the analysis of flow cytometer data showed that Synechococcus appeared across all seasons, exhibiting its minimum abundance in winter and maximum abundance in summer. Furthermore, high abundance was detected in the surface mixed layer during spring and summer when vertical stratification occurs; in particular, Synechococcus exhibited maximum abundance in thermocline layer, indicating a close correlation to water temperature and thermocline formation. In addition, the abundance of Synechococcus indicated a decrease in the western seas in 2017 compared to 2016 under the strong influence of the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). This was determined by the significant influence of the CDW on the abundance of Synechococcus during summer in the northern waters of the ECS. In contrast, Prochlorococcus did not appear during winter and spring, and its distribution was limited during summer and autumn in the eastern seas under the influence of the Kuroshio current. The largest range of Prochlorococcus distribution was confirmed during autumn without the influence of the CDW. Thus, the distribution pattern of each picophytoplankton genus was found to be changing in accordance to the extension and reduction of sea current in different seasons and periods of time. This is anticipated to be a useful biological marker in understanding the distribution of sea currents and their influence in the northern waters of the ECS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1173-1181
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• 1996

The causes of degenerative changes in allograft cardiac valves are not well known to this day. Today's preserved allografts possess highly viable endothelial cells and degeneration of allografts can be facilitated by immune reaction which may be mediated by these viable cells. To test the antigenicity of endothelial cells, pieces from aortic wall were obtained from fresh and cryo-preserved rat allograft. Timings of sampling were prior to sterilization, after sterilization, after 1, 2, 7, 14 days of fresh preservation and cryopreservation. Endothelial cells were tested by immunohistochemical methods using monoclonal antibodies to MHC class I(MRC OX-18), class II(MRC OX-6) and ICAM-1 antigens. After transplantation of each group of aortic allograft at the subcutaneous layers of rats, population of CD4$^{+}$ T cell and CD8$^{+}$ T cell were analyzed with monoclonal antibodies after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. MHC class I expression was 23.95% before preservation and increased to 35.53~48.08% after preservation(p=0.0183). MHC Class II expression was 9.72% before preservation and 10.13~13.39% after preservation(P=0.1599). ICAM-1 expression was 15.02% before preservation and increased to 19.85~35.33% after preservation(P=0.001). The proportion of CD4$^{+}$ T-cell was 42.13% before transplantation. And this was 49.23~36.8% after transplantation in No treat group (p=0.955), decreased to 29.56~32.80% in other group(p=0.0001~0.008). In all the groups, the proportion of CD8$^{+}$ T-cell increased from 25.57% before transplantation to 42.32~58.92% after transplantation(p=0.000l~0.0002). The CD4$^{+}$/CD8$^{+}$ ratio decreased from 1.22~2.28 at first week to 0.47~0.95 at eighth week(p=0.0001). The results revealed that the expression of MHC class I and ICAM-1 in aortic allograft endothelium were increased but that of MHC class II were not changed, despite the different method of preservation. During 8 weeks after transplantation of aortic allograft, the subpopulations of CD4$^{+}$ T cell were not changed or only slightly decreased but those of CD8$^{+}$ T cell were progressively increased.ely increased.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.189-219
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• 2000

To study the effects of anti-cancer, anti-metastasis and immune response improvement effects of aqua-acupuncture with Rubi Fructus infusion solution, we used Rubi Fructus infusion solution(taken by water-alcohol method) put into Chung-wan (CV12) and Chok-Samni(ST36) of BALB/c or C57BL/6 which are corresponding to humanbody. We observed the cytotoxicity, the effect on the expression of MMP-9 gene, the ability to control cancer cell proliferation, change of body weight, surviving number, median surviving time, increase of life span, changes in amount of leukocyte, erythrocyte, platelet, total protein, creatinine, glucose and LDH, weight of spleen, number of pulmonary colony, histological analysis on tissue metastasis of lung and liver, splenic cell proliferation, the expression of cytokine gene, the number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$ and NK cell, and concluded like this. The results were obtained as follows : 1. Effects of Anti-cancer 1) The cytotoxicity about B16-F10 cell line of $2^0$, $2^{-1}$, $2^{-2}$, $2^{-3}$, $2^{-5}$, $2^{-6}$, $2^{-7}$, $2^{-8}$ diluent groups in Rubi Fructus infusion solution treatment was inhibited significantly, compared with control group. 2) The cytotoxicity about HT1080 cell line of $2^0{\sim}2^{-8}$ diluent groups in Rubi Fructus infusion solution treatment was inhibited significantly, compared with control group. 3) The effect on expression of MMP-9 gene was inhibited significantly in all the sample groups, compared with control group. 4) The effect on the control-ability on the cancer cell proliferation showed cytotoxicity significantly in $2^0$, $2^{-1}$, $2^{-2}$, $2^{-3}$, $2^{-4}$, $2^{-5}$, $2^{-6}$, $2^{-7}$, diluent groups. 2. Effects of Anti-metastasis 1) S-180 cancer cell line transplants in BALB/c mice were inhibited significantly in weight increase in all the sample groups, compared with control group. The surviving number increased in almost sample groups, except one group put into Chok-Samni(ST36) with 20% Rubi Fructus infusion solution treatment group that showed same number of the control group. 2) S-180 cancer cell line transplants in BALB/c mice showed high MST significantly in almost sample groups, compared with control group. But one group put into Chok-Samni(ST36) with 20% Rubi Fructus infusion solution showed low MST than control group. 3) The group injected in vein with B16-F10 cancer cell line in C57BL/6 mice showed increased ILS than control group significantly in anti-metastasis test. 3. Effects of Immune response improvement 1) The group injected in vein with B16-F10 cancer cell line in C57BL/6 mice were increased significantly in the number of leukocyte and glucose, and decreased significantly in the amount of platelet and LDH, compared with control group. However, there's no significant increase or decrease in number of erythrocyte, total protein and creatinine. 2) We couldn't find any significant relation in spleen weight of the sample group. 3) In pulmonary colony, sample group was decreased significantly, compared with control group. 4) Histological analysis of sample group inhivited compared with that of control group in both of lung and liver. 5) In immune system, all the sample groups showed having more relevancy to the effect on splenic cell proliferation than normal group. 6) Cytokine gene increased in almost sample groups, except one group treated with $50{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ Rubi Fructus infusion solution on IL-12. 7) In flow cytometry there's no significant relation in number of $CD8^+$ cell, however, the number of $CD4^+$, $CD19^+$ cell and NK cell in sample group had more relation than in control group. Above the results showed that aqua-acupuncture of Rubi Fructus solution has effects of anti-cancer, and-metastasis and immune response improvement.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.251-286
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• 2000

To study the effects of anti-cancer, anti-metastasis and immune response improvement of aqua-acupuncture with Cistanches Herba infusion solution, we used Cistanches Herba infusion solution(taken by water-alcohol method) put into Chung-wan(CV12) and Chok-Samni(S36) of BALB/c or C57BL/6 which are corresponding to human body. We observed the cytotoxicity, the effect on the expression of MMP-9 gene, the ability to control cancer cell proliferation, change of body weight, surviving number, MST, ILS, changes in amount of WBC, RBC, PLT, total protein, creatinine, glucose and LDH, weight of spleen, number of pulmonary colony, histological analysis on tissue metastasis of lung and liver, splenic cell proliferation, the expression of cytokine gene, the number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$ and NK cell, and concluded like this. The results were obtained as follows : 1. The cytotoxicity about B16-F10 cell line of $2^0$, $2^{-1}$, $2^{-2}$, $2^{-5}$ diluent groups in Cistanches Herba infusion solution treatment was inhibited significantly, compared with control group. 2. The cytotoxicity about HT1080 cell line of $2^0$, $2^{-1}$, $2^{-2}$, $2^{-3}$, $2^{-5}$, $2^{-8}$ diluent groups in Cistanches Herba infusion solution treatment was inhibited significantly, compared with control group. 3. The effect on expression of MMP-9 gene was decreased in all the sample groups, compared with control group. 4. The effect on the control-ability on the cancer cell proliferation showed cytotooicity significantly in $2^0$, $2^{-1}$, $2^{-2}$, $2^{-3}$, $2^{-4}$, $2^{-5}$ diluent groups. 5. S-180 cancer cell line transplants in BALB/c mice were inhibited significantly in weight increase in all the sample groups, compared with control group. The surviving number increased in almost sample groups, except one group put into Chok-Samni(S36) with 20% Cistanches Herba infusion solution treatment group that showed same number of the control group. 6. S-180 cancer cell line transplants in BALB/c mice showed high MST and ILS significantly in almost sample groups, compared with control group. But one group put into Chok-Samni(S36) with 20% Cistanches Herba infusion solution treatment group showed low MST and ILS than control group. 7. The sample group injected in vein with B16-F10 cancer cell line in C57BL/6 mice showed increased ILS compared with control group significantly in anti-metastasis test. 8. The sample group injected in vein with B16-F10 cancer cell line in C57BL/6 mice were increased significantly in the number of WBC and glucose, and decreased significantly in the amount of LDH, compared with control group. However, there's no significant increase or decrease in number of RBC, PLT, total protein and creatinine. 9. We couldn't find any significant relation in spleen weight of the sample group. 10. In pulmonary colony, sample group was decreased significantly, compared with control group. 11. Histological analysis of sample group inhivited compared with that of control group in both of lung and liver. 12. In immune system, all the sample groups showed having more relevancy to the effect on splenic cell proliferation than normal group. 13. The effect on cytokine gene expression of all the sample groups were increased than control group. 14. In flow cytometry there's no significant relation in number of $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$ cell, however, the number of $CD4^+$ cell and NK cell in sample groups were increased than in control group. Above the results showed that aqua-acupuncture of Cistanches Herba infusion solution has effects of anti-cancer, anti-metastasis and immune response improvement.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.871-879
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• 2012

Polyploids are a potentially important germplasm source in seedless citrus breeding program. Seedlessness is one of the most promising traits of commercial mandarin breeds that mandarin triploid hybrids possess permanently. The formation of new constant triploid hybrids can be recovered through diploid species hybridization from the fusion of divalent gametes at low frequencyor intra-and inter-ploidy crosses. However, extensive breeding work based on small $F_1$ hybrid seeds developed is impossible without a very effective aseptic methodology and ploidy event. In this study, in vitro embryo culture was employed to recover natural hybrids from monoembryonic diploid, open-pollinated mandarin. Flow cytometry was used to determine ploidy level. A total of 10,289 seeds were extracted from 792 fruits having approximately 13 seeds per fruit. Average frequency of small seeds developed was 7.1%, while the average frequency of small seeds per fruit were: 8.9% for 'Clementine' 10.2% for 'Harehime' 2.6% for 'Kamja' 3.1% for 'Pyunkyool' 2.8% for 'Sadookam' and 7.0% for 'Wilking' mandarin. Average size of a perfect seed was $49.52{\pm}0.07mm^2$ ('Clementine') while the small seed measured $7.95{\pm}0.04mm^2$ ('Clementine'), which was about 1/6 smaller than the perfect seed. In total, 731 small seeds were obtained and all of them contained only one embryo per seed. The efficiency of 'Clementine' was 14 times higher than 'Wilking' and more than 109 times higher than 'Pyunkyool'. The basic information on spontaneous polyploidy provides for the hybridization of constant triploids and increases the efficiency of conventional cross.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.442-452
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• 2020

Backgroud: Sleep deprivation (SD) impairs learning and memory by inhibiting hippocampal functioning at molecular and cellular levels. Abnormal autophagy and apoptosis are closely associated with neurodegeneration in the central nervous system. This study is aimed to explore the alleviative effect and the underlying molecular mechanism of stem-leaf saponins of Panax notoginseng (SLSP) on the abnormal neuronal autophagy and apoptosis in hippocampus of mice with impaired learning and memory induced by SD. Methods: Mouse spatial learning and memory were assessed by Morris water maze test. Neuronal morphological changes were observed by Nissl staining. Autophagosome formation was examined by transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescent staining, acridine orange staining, and transient transfection of the tf-LC3 plasmid. Apoptotic event was analyzed by flow cytometry after PI/annexin V staining. The expression or activation of autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blotting assay. Results: SLSP was shown to improve the spatial learning and memory of mice after SD for 48 h, accomanied with restrained excessive autophage and apoptosis, whereas enhanced activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway in hippocampal neurons. Meanwhile, it improved the aberrant autophagy and apoptosis induced by rapamycin and re-activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling transduction in HT-22 cells, a hippocampal neuronal cell line. Conclusion: SLSP could alleviate cognitive impairment induced by SD, which was achieved probably through suppressing the abnormal autophagy and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. The findings may contribute to the clinical application of SLSP in the prevention or therapy of neurological disorders associated with SD.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.236-243
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• 2001

Background: An immunological approach for aging mechanism appears to be important. Lymphocyte subsets analysis in peripheral blood is widely performed to assess the immune status and to diagnose and monitor various diseases. Some lymphocyte subsets are known to change with age, but only few data about age-related reference ragnes for these subsets in healthy individuals have been reported. So we attempted to report reference ranges for these subsets in each age group and review changes of the results with age for the secondary studies about immune cell function as lymphocyte blast transformation and immunoglobulin gene rearrangement (VDJ) including recombination activating genes (RAG-1 and RAG-2). Methods: Lymphocyte subset analysis was performed on 302 subjects, 189 males and 113 females with age group of all decades of life. Two color direct immunofluorescene flow cytometry (FCM) was done using $Simultest^{TM}$ IMK-Lymphocyte kit (Becton Dickinson, USA), $FACScan^{TM}$ (Becton Dickinson, USA) and $FACSCalibur^{TM}$ (Becton Dickinson, USA). Lymphocyte subsets analysed were T ($CD3^+$) and B cells ($CD19^+$), helper/inducer T ($CD4^+$) and suppressor/cytotoxic T cells ($CD8^+$), helper/suppressor ($CD4^+/CD8^+$) ratio and natural killer (NK) cells ($CD3^-CD16^+/CD56^+$). The absolute numbers of each subset were calculated from total lymphocyte counts. Data collected was analysed using SAS 6.12. A P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: We reported the counts and percentages of lymphocyte and these subsets in each age group. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female subjects. The percentage of $CD4^+$ T cells, and the count of NK cells did not show the significant difference among the various age groups. The age-related changes observed in our study were as following: 1) a decrease in the percentages of T cells, B cells and $CD8^+$ T cells ; 2) a decrease in the counts of B cells and $CD8^+$ T cells ; 3) an increase in the percentage and count of NK cells ; and 4) an increase in the $CD4^+/CD8^+$ ratio. Conclusion: The characteristics of aging process appeared to be showing a marked decrease of lympocyte subsets T and B cells as well as T8 ($CD8^+$). The age-related increase of the percentage of cells bearing NK marker can be interpreted as a compensatory consequence to cope with the decrease of T cells related to the thymic involution. These changes with age appeared to be for the secondary study about immune cell function as lymphocyte blast transformation and immunoglobulin gene rearrangement.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.756-765
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• 1997

Background : To study the prognosis of patients with lung cancer, many investigators have reported the methods to detect cell proliferation in tissues including PCNA, thymidine autoradiography, flow cytometry and Ki-67. PCNA, also known as cyclin, is a cell related nuclear protein with 36KD intranuclear polypeptide that is maximally elevated in S phase of proliferating cells. In this study, PCNA was identified by paraffin-embedding tissue using immunohistochemistry which has an advantage of simplicity and maintenance of tissue architecture. The variation of PCNA expression is known to be related with proliferating fraction, histologic type, anatomic(TNM) stage, degree of cell differentiation, S-phase fraction and survival rate. We analyzed the correlation between PCNA expression and S-phase fraction, survival. Method : To investigate expression of PCNA in primary lung cancer, we used immunohistochemical stain to paraffin-embedded sections of 57 resected primary non-small cell lung cancer specimen and the results were analyzed according to the cell type, cell differentiation, TNM stage, S-phase fraction and survival. Results : PCNA expression was divided into five group according to degree of staging(-, +, ++, +++, ++++). Squamous cell type showed high positivity than in adenocarcinoma. Nonsignificant difference related to TNM stage was noticed. Nonsignificant difference related to degree of cell differentiation was noticed. S-phase fraction was increased with advance of PCNA positivity, but it could not reach the statistic significance. The 2 year survival rate and median survival time were -50% 13 months, +75% 41.3 months, ++73% 33.6 months, +++67% 29.0 months, ++++25% 9 months with statistic significance (P<0.05, Kaplan-Meier, generalized Wilcox). Conclusion : From this study, PCNA expression was high positive in squamous cell cancer. And, there was no relationship between PCNA positivity and TNM stage, cellular differentiation or S-phase fraction. But, the patients with high positive PCNA staining showed poor survival rate than the patients with lower positive PCNA staining (p<0.05). It was concluded that PCNA immunostaining is a simple and useful method for survival prediction in paraffin embedded tissue of non-small cell lung cancer.