• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.186-192
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• 2014

Purpose: The prevalence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) has increased worldwide. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of MRMP in a tertiary hospital in Korea, and to find potential laboratory markers that could be used to predict the efficacy of macrolides in children with MRMP pneumonia. Methods: A total of 95 patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia were enrolled in this study. Detection of MRMP was based on the results of specific point mutations in domain V of the 23S rRNA gene. The medical records of these patients were reviewed retrospectively and the clinical course and laboratory data were compared. Results: The proportion of patients with MRMP was 51.6% and all MRMP isolates had the A2063G point mutation. The MRMP group had longer hospital stay and febrile period after initiation of macrolides. The levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-18 in nasopharyngeal aspirate were significantly higher in patients who did not respond to macrolide treatment. CRP was the only significant factor in predicting the efficacy of macrolides in patients with MRMP pneumonia. The area under the curve for CRP was 0.69 in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, indicating reasonable discriminative power, and the optimal cutoff value was 40.7 mg/L. Conclusion: The proportion of patients with MRMP was high, suggesting that the prevalence of MRMP is rising rapidly in Korea. Serum CRP could be a useful marker for predicting the efficacy of macrolides and helping clinicians make better clinical decisions in children with MRMP pneumonia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8253-8258
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• 2016

Elevated levels of soluble CD30 (sCD30) are linked with various T-cell neoplasms. However, the relationship between sCD30 levels and the development of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) carriers remains to be clarified. We here investigated whether plasma sCD30 is associated with risk of ATL in a nested case-control study within a cohort of HTLV-1 carriers. We compared sCD30 levels between 11 cases (i.e., HTLV-1 carriers who later progressed to ATL) and 22 age-, sex- and institution-matched control HTLV-1 carriers (i.e., those with no progression). The sCD30 concentration at baseline was significantly higher in cases than in controls (median 65.8, range 27.2-134.5 U/mL vs. median 22.2, range 8.4-63.1 U/mL, P=0.001). In the univariate logistic regression analysis, a higher sCD30 (${\geq}30.2U/mL$) was significantly associated with ATL development (odds ratio 7.88 and the 95% confidence intervals 1.35-45.8, P = 0.02). Among cases, sCD30 concentration tended to increase at the time of diagnosis of aggressive-type ATL, but the concentration was stable in those developing the smoldering-type. This suggests that sCD30 may serve as a predictive marker for the onset of aggressive-type ATL in HTLV-1 carriers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3319-3323
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• 2012

Objective: The results from the published studies on the association between prohibitin 3' untranslated region C > T gene polymorphism and cancer risk are conflicting. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship with cancer susceptibility overall, and to explore whether the T allele or TT genotype could become a predictive marker for cancer risk. Methods: Association studies were identified from the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library as of March 1, 2012, and eligible investigations were synthesized using the meta-analysis method. Results were expressed with odds ratios (OR) for dichotomous data, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were also calculated. Results: Six investigations were identified for the analysis of association between the prohibitin 3' untranslated region C > T gene polymorphism and cancer risk, covering of 1,461 patients with cancer and 1,197 controls. There was a positive association between the T allele and cancer susceptibility (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.03-1.39, P=0.02), and CC homozygous might play a protective role (OR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-6.11, P=0.95). In the sub-group analysis, prohibitin 3' untranslated region C > T gene polymorphism and cancer risk appeared associated with the risk of breast cancer, but not ovarian cancer. Conclusions: Our results indicate that T allele is a significant genetic molecular marker to predict cancer susceptibility and CC genotype is protective, especially for breast cancer. However, more investigations are required to further clarify the association of the prohibitin 3' untranslated region C > T gene polymorphism with cancer susceptibility.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1111-1114
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• 2013

Background: For early detection of renal damage during the usage of cisplatin based chemotherapy, changes in renal function should be monitored carefully. In recent years, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a small polypeptide molecule, has shown promise as a marker of acute renal failure. The aim of this present study was to assess possible risk prediction of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity using serum NGAL. Materials and Methods: A total of 34 consecutive patients with documented serum creatinine at least 24 hours before every cycle of cisplatin-based chemotherapy were included in the study. Demographic and medical data including age, performance status, tumor characteristics and comorbid diseases were collected from medical charts. Renal function was evaluated at least 48 hours before the treatment and at the end of the treatment based on the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. Before and after cisplatin infusion serum NGAL levels were measured for the first and 3rd cycles of chemotherapy. Results: The median age of the study population was 54 (32-70) years. Fifteen patients (41.1%) were treated on an adjuvant basis, whereas 19 patients (58.9%) were treated for metastatic disease. There was no correlation of serum NGAL levels with serum creatinine (r=0.20, p=0.26) and MDRD (r=-0.12, p=0.50) and creatinine clearance-Cockcroft-Gault (r=-0.22, p=0.22) after cisplatin infusion at the end of the 3rd cycle of chemotherapy. Conclusions: In our study, serum NGAL levels were not correlated with the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. Further prospective studies are needed to conclude that serum NGAL level is not a good surrogate marker to predict early cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene and complex phenotypes such as blood pressure, body compositions and bone parameters in young men about 20 years, and to collect the fundamental data in designing the exercise program. Eighty healthy young men including 41 controls and 39 athletes were recruited, Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene was genotyped by PCR-RFLP method. By association study, there were no significance in genotype and allele frequencies of Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene between controls and athletes, respectively (p>0.05). When the relationship between physiological parameters and Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene was tested, this polymorphism was significantly associated with 3th lumber and left femoral neck Z-score values in controls (p<0.05), but these associations were not detected in athletic groups (p>0.05). It is likely that Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene is a genetic marker for the bone mineral density index in young men, but environmental factors such as exercise modify the significant effect of this polymorphism. Thus, our results suggest that Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3$-adrenergic receptor gene may be applicable as a predictive marker for osteoporosis in Korean young men, and regular exercise may prevent the disadventageous effect of this polymorphism for bone mineral density in male athletic group.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.396-405
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• 2022

Purpose: This study evaluated the predictive role of fecal calprotectin (FC) measured at an early stage of treatment for monitoring clinical remission (CR) after six months and endoscopic remission (ER) after one year of treatment in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Methods: This retrospective study included 45 patients who simultaneously underwent ileocolonoscopy and FC testing during follow-up. FC levels were measured before and after six weeks of treatment. CR was assessed after six months of treatment using Pediatric Crohn' s Disease Activity Index and acute-phase reactants. ER was assessed after one year using the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease. Results: Twenty-nine (64.4%) patients used oral prednisolone for remission induction and 16 (35.6%) patients used anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Thirty (66.7%) patients achieved CR, while 24 (53.3%) achieved ER. The FC level measured after six weeks of treatment could predict CR (χ²=9.15, p=0.0025) and ER (χ²=12.31, p=0.0004). The δFC could predict CR (χ²=7.91, p=0.0049), but not ER (χ²=1.85, p=0.1738). With a threshold of ≤950.4 ㎍/g, FC at week six could predict CR with 76.7% sensitivity and 73.3% specificity. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.769 (standard error 0.0773, p=0.0005). The same threshold predicted ER with 87.5% sensitivity and 71.4% specificity. The AUC was 0.774 (standard error 0.074, p=0.0002). Conclusion: FC assay at an early stage of treatment can be used as a surrogate marker to predict CR and mucosal healing in pediatric CD.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2008

Purpose: We aimed to assess the role of positron emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of recurrence or the assessment of therapeutic response in cervical and ovarian cancer patients through making a comparison between FDG-PET, abdominal computed tomography (CT) and serum tumor marker. Materials and methods: We included 103 cases (67 patients) performed FDG-PET and abdominal CT. There were 42 cervical cancers and 61 ovarian cancers. We retrospectively reviewed the interpretations of PET and CT images as well as the level of tumor marker. We calculated their sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for these three modalities. And then we analyzed the differences between these three modalities. Results: Tumor recurrences were diagnosed in 37 cases (11 cervical cancers and 26 ovarian cancers). For PET, CT and tumor marker, in cervical cancer group, sensitivity was 100% (11/11), 54.5% (6/11) and 81.1% (9/11), respectively. And specificity was 93.6% (29/31), 93.6% (29/31) and 100% (31/31). In ovarian cancer group, sensitivity was 96.2% (25/26), 84.6% (22/26) and 80.8% (21/26), and specificity was 94.3% (33/35), 94.3% (33/35), 94.3% (33/35), PET was highly sensitive to detect the intraperitoneal and extraperitoneal metastasis with the help of the CT images to localize the lesions. However, CT had limitations in differentiation of the recurrent tumor from benign fibrotic tissue, identification of viable tumors at the interface of tissues, and detecting extraperitoneal lesions. Conclusion: FDG-PET can be an essential modality to detect the recurrent or residual tumors in gynecologic cancer patients because of its great field of the application and high sensitivity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4203-4206
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• 2014

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the predictive role of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for invasion of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 127 women who were managed at our clinic for GTD. Of all patients, 8 showed invasion according to histological examination. The clinical parameters of patients with invasive GTD (Group 1; n=8) were compared with patients who showed no invasion (Group 2; n=119). All underwent a prior uterine evacuation and followed up by regular assessment of ${\beta}$-hCG titers. Results: Demographic and obstetric history and pre-evacuation hCG levels of the patients showed no statistically significantly difference between the groups (p>0.05). The mean gestational weeks (GW), size of the GTD and NLR levels were statistically significantly higher in the invasive GTD group (p<0.05). Correlations between invasion and gestational weeks, size of GTD, post-evacuation chemotherapy and NLR were evident. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that GW, size of GTD and NLR may be discriminative parameters in predicting invasion of GTD. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the predictive role of NLR in invasion of GTD. In conclusion, we think that pretreatment NLR can be used as a biomarker of invasion in GTD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1803-1806
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• 2013

Purpose: Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 242 is inversely related to prognosis in many cancers. However, few data regarding CA 242 in esophageal cancer (EC) are available. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of CA 242 and propose an optimum cut-off point in predicting survival difference in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 192 cases. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for survival prediction was plotted to verify the optimum cuf-off point. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate prognostic parameters for survival. Results: The positive rate for CA 242 was 7.3% (14/192). The ROC curve for survival prediction gave an optimum cut-off of 2.15 (U/ml). Patients with CA 242 ${\leq}$ 2.15 U/ml had significantly better 5-year survival than patients with CA 242 >2.15 U/ml (45.4% versus 22.6%; P=0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that differentiation (P=0.033), CA 242 (P=0.017), T grade (P=0.004) and N staging (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: Preoperative CA 242 is a predictive factor for long-term survival in ESCC, especially in nodal-negative patients. We conclude that 2.15 U/ml may be the optimum cuf-off point for CA 242 in predicting survival in ESCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6241-6243
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• 2013

Objective: To explore the predictive value of tumor markers, including cancer antigen 72-4 (CA72-4), cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) and cancer antigen 125 (CA125), in single or combined detection, for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Methods: 120 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer from August 2011 to March 2013 and 80 patients diagnosed with benign ovarian tumors were enrolled in this test, along with 50 health examination women randomly selected from the database as controls. Serum levels of CA72-4, CA15-3 and CA125 in this study were determined by electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Results: Serum levels of CA72-4, CA15-3 and CA125 in ovarian cancer were higher than those in healthy group and benign group (P<0.01).The sensitivity of combined detection of those three tumor markers for diagnosis of ovarian cancer was obviously higher than with single detection with each marker (P<0.01). Conclusions: CA72-4, CA15-3 and CA125 could be a good combination in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Patients whose tumor markers continue to increase should be highly suspected of malignancy.