• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3089-3097
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• 2012

Background and Aims: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with resected gastric cancer. However, its role remains controversial. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. Methods: Relevant literature was identified using Medline and survival data from published studies were collected following a methodological assessment. Quality assessment of eligible studies and meta-analysis of hazard ratio (HR) were performed to review the correlation of VEGF overexpression with survival and recurrence in patients with gastric cancer. Results: Our meta-analysis included 44 published studies with 4,794 resected patients. VEGF subtype for the prediction of overall survival (OS) included tissue VEGF (HR=2.13, 95% CI 1.71-2.65), circulating VEGF (HR=4.22, 95% CI 2.47-7.18), tissue VEGF-C (HR=2.21, 95% CI 1.58-3.09), tissue VEGF-D (HR=1.73, 95% CI 1.25-2.40). Subgroup analysis showed that HRs of tissue VEGF for OS were, 1.78 (95% CI 0.90-3.51) and 2.31 (95% CI 1.82-2.93) in non-Asians and Asians, respectively. The meta-analysis was also conducted for disease free survival (DFS) and disease specific survival (DSS). Conclusion: Positive expression of tissue VEGF, circulating VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGF-D were all associated with poor prognosis in resected gastric cancer. However, VEGF demonstrated no significant prognostic value for non-Asian populations. Circulating VEGF may be better than tissue VEGF in predicting prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.579-583
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• 2012

Background: The SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism is reported to be associated with lung cancer risk. However, this relationship remains controversial. For better understanding a meta-analysis was therefore performed. Methods: An extensive search was performed to identify all case-control studies investigating association between SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism and lung cancer risk. The strength was assessed by odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results: A total of five publications covering 1,669 cases and 1,890 controls were included in this meta-analysis. No significant association between SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism and lung cancer risk was observed in overall comparisons in all genetic models (dominant model: OR=1.33, 95%CI=1.00-1.76, P=0.05; additive model: OR=1.30, 95%CI=0.93-1.81, P=0.12; recessive model: OR=1.21, 95%CI=0.89-1.66, P=0.23). However, on subgroup analysis, an elevated risk in mixed populations with variant His allele was revealed in the dominant model (OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.06-2.62, P=0.03). Furthermore, the SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in both females and males in the dominant model (females: OR=1.72, 95%CI=1.29-2.27, P=0.00; males: OR=1.46, 95%CI=1.19-1.78, P=0.00). No significant association between this polymorphism and different smoking status (smokers and non-smokers) and the other ethnicities (Asians and Caucasians) was shown. Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis indicate that the SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism is not associated with lung cancer risk in Asians and Caucasians, but possible elevation for genotype (GA/AA) in mixed populations and males and females needs further investigation.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.337-347
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• 2012

This study was performed through one-to-one interviews or group sessions with single un-married foreigners living and working in Korea. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, and 109 were analyzed. This demographic becomes immersed in local cuisine searching for new food dishes and experiences. These foreigners were an excellent test group who came from a non-Korean domestic cuisine background and who were subsequently exposed to Korean cuisine over an extended period during which changes occurred in their diets and food preferences. We found that the longer the foreigners stayed in Korea, the more they ate Korean food and adapted to traditional dishes such as Korean stews and hot-pots. In general, Chinese, Japanese, and South-east Asians regarded Korean food as nutritious, whereas people from a western or European background considered it health conscious food. In contrast, South-east Asians, in particular, found Korean food aroma unpleasant. This study describes how diets and views of Korean food evolved in foreigners with time by providing objective opinions and data on the acceptance of Korean food by foreigners and hints the direction in which Korean cuisine should be developed to further its globalization.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.189-193
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• 2013

Many epidemiological studies in Asian populations have investigated associations between the Arg399Gln gene polymorphism of X-ray repair cross complementing gene 1 (XRCC1) and risk of cervical carcinoma, but no conclusions have been available because of controversial results. Therefore a meta-analysis was conducted for clarification. Relevant studies were identified by searching the Pubmed, Embase, the Web of Science, Cochrane Collaboration's database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database and China Biological Medicinse (CBM) until September, 2012. A total of eight studies were included in the present meta-analysis, which described 1,759 cervical carcinoma cases and 2,497 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) as effect size were calculated by fixed-effect or random-effect models. The overall results indicated that the XRCC1-399G/A polymorphism was marginally associated with cervical carcinoma in Asians: OR (95%CI): 1.16 (1.07, 1.26) in the G/A vs G/G inheritance model, 1.24 (0.87, 1.76)in A/A vs G/G inheritance model, 1.13 (1.01, 1.27) in the dominant inheritance model and 1.18 (0.94, 1.47) in the recessive inheritance model. Subgroup analyses on sample size showed no significant correlation in the small-sample size group but the large-sample size group was consistent with the outcomes of overall meta-analysis. In the subgroup analysis by regions, we only found significant association under the G/A vs G/G inheritance model in the Chinese population. For the non-Chinese populations, no correlation was detected in any genetic inheritance model. In the Asian populations, XRCC1-399G/A gene polymorphism was implied to be associated with cervical carcinoma.

• American Studies
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.39-79
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• 2021

This paper examines professional and popular medical discourse on "mongolism" (Down syndrome) in the early twentieth century to delve into the history of mongolism and the "Oriental imaginary" of modern America. The Oriental imaginary is a concept to explore the ways in which Americans, who had heard of mongolism or seen a "Mongol" themselves, imagined and conceptualized the defect in terms of the contemporary race relations. Moving beyond the interests of medical professionals discussed in the previous scholarship, this paper aims to include views and perceptions of the American public. The second section reviews the existing studies of the history of mongolism in the West. The third section discusses the mongolism of Asians and African Americans, among whom it had long been believed not to occur. Lastly, an analysis of American newspaper health advice columns on mongolism sheds light on the public reception and transmission of medical knowledge.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.418-423
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Spirulina, a blue-green alga, is widely produced and commercialized as a dietary supplement with bio- and immune-modulatory functions. We have previously shown that spirulina had favorable effects on lipid profiles, immune functions, and antioxidant capacity in healthy Korean elderly. Despite favorable effect of spirulina supplementation, some sub-populations have shown a poor response to supplementation. Obesity is a factor related to poor-response. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the immuno-modulation, antioxidant capacity, and lipid-lowering effect of spirulina in obese and non-obese Korean elderly. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 78 elderly aged 60-87 years. In a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled study, subjects were fed either placebo or spirulina daily, at 8 g for 12 weeks. Subjects were divided into the non-obese group and the obese group based on body mass index (BMI) criteria for Asians suggested by the International Obesity Task Force: $BMI<25kg/m^2$ (non-obese) and $BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2$ (obese). RESULTS: In the non-obese group, spirulina supplementation showed a significant lowering effect on plasma concentration of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, a significant increase in interleukin (IL)-2 concentration (P < 0.01) and a significant increment (P < 0.05) in IL-2/IL-6 ratio, and a significant increase in total antioxidant status level and a significant decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level. However, these effects were not observed in the obese group. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that blood lipid lowering and immune and antioxidant improving response for spirulina supplement was affected by obesity in Korean elderly.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.48.1-48.6
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• 2019

Over the last decade, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have provided an unprecedented amount of genetic variations that are associated with various phenotypes. However, previous GWAS were mostly conducted in European populations, and these biased results for non-Europeans may result in a significant reduction in risk prediction for non-Europeans. An issue with the early GWAS was the winner's curse problem, which led to misleading results when constructing the polygenic risk scores (PRS). Therefore, more non-European population-based studies are needed to validate reported variants and improve genetic risk assessment across diverse populations. In this study, we validated 422 variants independently associated with glycemic indexes, liver enzymes, and type 2 diabetes in 125,872 samples from a Korean population, and further validated the results by assessing publicly available summary statistics from European GWAS (n = 898,130). Among the 422 independently associated variants, 284, 320, and 361 variants were replicated in Koreans, Europeans, and either one of the two populations. In addition, the effect sizes for Koreans and Europeans were moderately correlated (r = 0.33-0.68). However, 61 variants were not replicated in both Koreans and Europeans. Our findings provide valuable information on effect sizes and statistical significance, which is essential to improve the assessment of disease risk using PRS analysis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.5
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• pp.363-367
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• 2011

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung is a very rare tumor. Originally described in the nasopharynx as lymphoepithelioma, this carcinoma has also been found in the stomach, esophagus, thymus, cervix, urinary bladder, skin, and salivary glands. Histologically, it is an undifferentiated carcinoma that has a syncytial appearance with tumor cells and is infiltrated by numerous lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells. LELC of the lung occurs more commonly in Asians, particularly Chinese. Many studies have reported the association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and LELC of the lung in Asian patients. A 45-year-old man had a solitary pulmonary nodule on a routine chest X-ray examination. As a malignant tumor was suspected, surgical resection was performed to establish the correct diagnosis. The pathology of the excised tumor demonstrated LELC of the lung. This is the first report of LELC of the lung in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1026-1033
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• 2014

The fecal microbiotas were investigated in 13 healthy Thai subjects using polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Among the 186 DNA bands detected on the polyacrylamide gel, 37 bands were identified as representing 11 species: Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, Bacteroides uniformis, Bacteroides vulgatus, Clostridium colicanis, Eubacterium eligenes, E. rectale, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Megamonas funiformis, Prevotella copri, and Roseburia intestinalis, belonging mainly to the groups of Bacteroides, Prevotella, Clostridium, and F. prausnitzii. A dendrogram of the PCR-DGGE divided the subjects; vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The fecal microbiotas were also analyzed using a quantitative real-time PCR focused on Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Enterobacteriaceae, Clostrium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale, C. leptum, Lactobacillus, and Prevotella. The nonvegetarian and vegetarian subjects were found to have significant differences in the high abundance of the Bacteroides and Prevotella genera, respectively. No significant differences were found in the counts of Bifidabacterium, Enterobacteriaceae, C. coccoides-E. rectale group, C. leptum group, and Lactobacillus. Therefore, these findings on the microbiota of healthy Thais consuming different diets could provide helpful data for predicting the health of South East Asians with similar diets.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3417-3422
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• 2012

Objective: Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is one of the pathways of repair of DNA double-strand breaks. A number of genes involved in NHEJ have been implicated as breast cancer susceptibility genes such as LIG4. However, some studies have generated conflicting results. The aim of this Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) review and meta-analysis was to investigate association between LIG4 gene polymorphisms in the NHEJ pathway and breast cancer risk. Methods: Studies focusing on the relationship between LIG4 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to breast cancer were selected from the Pubmed, Cochrane library, Embase, Web of Science, Springerlink, CNKI and CBM databases. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers and the meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager Version 5.1.6 and STATA Version 12.0 software, calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). Results: According to the inclusion criteria, we final included seven studies with a total of 10,321 breast cancer cases and 10,160 healthy controls in the meta-analysis. The results showed no association between LIG4 gene polymorphisms (rs1805386 T>C, rs1805389 C>T, rs1805388 C>T and rs2232641 A>G) and breast cancer risk, suggesting that the mutant situation of these SNPs neither increased nor decreased the risk for breast cancer. In the subgroup analysis by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and ethnicity, we also found no associations between the variants of LIG4 gene and breast cancer risk among HWE, non-HWE, Caucasians, Asians and Africans. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that there is a lack of any association between LIG4 gene polymorphisms and the risk of breast cancer.