• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.992-997
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• 2018

Study Design: Feasibility study. Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of using serum pentosidine level as a potential marker for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). Overview of Literature: A review of previous studies suggests a negative correlation between serum pentosidine concentration and bone strength. However, it is unclear whether serum pentosidine level might be a potential marker of OVCF in Koreans. Methods: Forty patients who underwent bone mineral density examination were included in this study, and their serum pentosidine levels were prospectively analyzed. Serum pentosidine level was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Among all the patients, 11 with OVCF were assigned to the vertebral fracture group and 29 who did not have vertebral fracture were included in the non-fracture group. In addition, we used the Fracture Risk Assessment (FRAX) tool Korean version for assessing the 10-year probability of fracture. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the mean serum pentosidine level (p=0.04) of the vertebral fracture group (110.8 ng/mL) and the non-fracture group (64.3 ng/mL). Logistic regression analyses showed that serum pentosidine was significantly associated with OVCF. The vertebral fracture group had significantly higher 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fracture as per FRAX than the non-fracture group. There was a positive correlation between pentosidine level and FRAX results (r=0.35, p=0.02). Conclusions: These results suggest that increased serum pentosidine level could be a potential marker for OVCF.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum leptin, lipids, bone metabolism markers and nutrient intakes of obese middle-school girls compared to those of normal subjects. Each subject was assigned to either the normal(n=22) or obese groups(n=25) according to their BMI. The subjects were asked for their general characteristics and nutrient intakes using a questionnaire and 24-hr recall method. The serum leptin, lipids and osteocalcin(bone metabolism marker) were measured using blood analyses. The average ages of the subjects in the normal and obese groups were 13.9 and 14.0 years, respectively. The average weight(p<0.001) and BMI(p<0.001) of normal group were significantly lower than those of the obese group. The plant protein intake of the girls in the obese group was lower than that of the normal group(p<0.01). The levels of serum leptin in the obese and normal groups were 18.0 and 10.0 ng/mL, respectively(p<0.001). The serum LDL-cholesterol(p<0.01) and triacylgeride(p<0.05) of the obese girls were higher than those in the normal group. Also, the serum osteocalcin(bone formation marker) in the obese group was lower than that in the normal group(p<0.001). The BMI was negatively correlated to osteocalcin(p<0.001), but positively correlated to the serum leptin(p<0.001). The serum osteocalcin was also positively correlated to the plant protein intake(p<0.05). In conclusion, the excessive increase in weight and % body fat in middle-school students appeared to have a negative impact on bone health. Based on these results, further studies will be needed on the effects of bone metabolism markers, obesity and nutrient intakes for proper bone health.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2009

Purpose: Recently, the role of serum tumor marker has been studied for an important issue on diagnosing and treating tumors in the head and neck region because tests using tumor markers need relatively simple procedures and are acceptable to patients, compared with other test methods. Tumor marker tests were performed on patients with squamous cell carcinoma, which were known to have the highest prevalence among tumors in the head and neck region. Association between each tumor marker, and diagnosis and prognosis of tumors was assessed. Materials and methods: Tumor marker tests were carried out on 31 patients who visited Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department in Dankook University Dental Hospital between January 2003 and August 2008 and who were diagnosed as primary oral squamous cell carcinoma through out histopathologic diagnosis. Blood sample from these patients was performed to measure tumor markers using nuclear medicine diagnostic equipment. Measured entries were as follows: PSA(prostate-specific antibody), SCCAg( Squamous Cell Carcinoma Related Antigen), CA 19-9(Cancer Antigen 19-9), Ferritin, $\alpha$- FP(Alpha-Fetoprotein), Cyfra 21-1, CA125 (Cancer Antigen 125) and p53. Results: Analyses on each tumor marker indicated that squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region had statistically significant correlation with p53, SCC-Ag(TA-4), Cyfra 21-1 and Ferritin. p53 demonstrated the highest sensitivity. Especially, 4 cases among 18 cases which Ferritin was measured exhibited metastasis. In all those 4 cases, Ferritin values were higher than the standards (15 - 332ng/ml). Therefore, Ferritin is considered to have a close relation with metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion: This study shows that tumor marker tests are more useful in evaluating progression and prognosis of tumors rather than in diagnosing them. Particularly, serum Ferritin is considered to be beneficial in assessing metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region and in developing treatment plans based on the assessment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1681-1685
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• 2013

Background: Head and neck SCC is a common cancer related to various factors. IL-10, a pleiotropic cytokine produced by macrophages, T-helper-2 cells, and B lymphocytes, is thought to play a potential pathogenetic or therapeutic role in a number of human conditions, such as inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the relation between tissue expression, serum and salivary levels of IL-10 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) and their correlation with clinicopathologic features. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from 30 patients with HNSCCs and 24 healthy volunteers. IHC analysis was used to examine the tissue expression and ELISA was employed to measure serum and salivary levels. Results: Our study showed tissue expression of IL-10 to be significantily higher in patients (P: 0.001), but there was no relation between tissue expression, serum and salivary levels of the marker (P>0.05). Also except for a positive correlation between tissue expression of IL-10 and stage (P: 0.044), there was no relation between this marker and clinicopathologic features. There was no correlation between serum and salivary levels in either patients or controls. Conclusions: It seems there is no correlation between level of IL-10 in serum and saliva and this marker in saliva and serum does not reflect tissue expression.

• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.4.1-4.4
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• 2012

Background: Serum concentration of cystatin C, a marker of glomerular filtration has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to evaluate cystatin C as a marker of obese patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 36 subjects with metabolic syndrome and 32 subjects free of metabolic syndrome (the control group). HDL-C, LDL-C, blood urea, triglycerides, glucose, HbA1c, serum cystatin C and serum creatinine were measured in both groups. GFR was calculated in both groups using Cockroft-Gault equation. Results: Obese patients showed higher cystatin C levels than normal samples ($1.28{\pm}0.29$, P < 0.05). In the binary logistic regression, obese patients were significantly associated with elevated cystatin C levels. Conclusion: Our results suggest that cystatin C may be a marker for obese patients and may identify a certain degree of renal dysfunction even when serum creatinine does not exceed the normal level. In this study, we demonstrated that serum creatinineand GFR did not differ significantly between the diabetic and the control groups. Serum concentration of cystatin C was significantly higher in the diabetic group compared with the control group. The strengths of this study are the evaluation of reliability and sensivity in comparison with a 'routine test of GFR'. The methodology used allows an appropriate statistical comparison of reliability in contrast to most other previous evaluations of GFR.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1632-1637
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• 2006

We studied the changes in biochemical markers of bone metabolism in growing Thoroughbred horses. Serum osteocalcin (OC), as a marker for bone formation, and carboxy-terminal propeptide of type-I collagen (PICP), as a marker for bone formation, carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen (ICTP), as a marker for bone resorption, were determined in nine clinically healthy horses from 3 d to 17 mo of age. The BW and withers height (WH) increased during the study. On the other hand, a rapid reduction in body weight gain (BWG) was observed between 1 mo and 9 mo of age and a rapid reduction in withers height gain was observed between 1 mo and 5 mo of age. The serum markers decreased significantly with increasing age. In particular, dramatic changes in serum markers occurred between 3 d to 1 wk and 5 to 7 mo of age in these horses, which suggests that bone turnover rapidly decreased after birth. On the other hand, the ratio of PICP to ICTP decreased through the experiment. This result suggests that the reduction in bone formation exceeded that of bone resorption. There was a significant correlation between markers and growth parameters, except for the correlation between PICP and BWG on single linear regression analysis. Serum OC and ICTP were affected by the WH in multiple linear regression analysis. These results indicated that the age-related variation in serum biochemical markers of bone metabolism reflected bone growth, but neither BW nor BWG. Therefore, we consider that changes in bone modeling are the major factor affecting the levels of serum biochemical markers by 17 mo of age in horses.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 1999

Background: Total thyroidectomy and postoperative radiodiodine ablation therapy in differentiated thyroid carcinomas enhance the reliability of serum thyroglobulin(Tg) levels and radioiodine scan in detecting recurrence or distant metastasis. There have been, however, some limitations in using these methods under certain conditions. Recently, several reports have indicated that thyroid peroxidase(TPO) could be used as an alternative tumor marker. We aimed to estimate the significance of serum TPO levels in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy due to papillary thyroid carcinomas and who had been followed-up for at least 3 years were classified into two groups: 27 patients without any evidence of recurrence in group 1; and 20 patients with recurrence or distant metastasis in group 2. All patients were examined by radioiodine scans. Serum Tg, TSH, antithyroglobulin antibody, and TPO were measured and the relationships were statistically analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of $^{131}I$ scan, serum Tg, and serum TPO were evaluated. Results: Serum Tg levels were $3.81{\pm}5.16ng/mL$ in group 1 and $147.02{\pm}193.75ng/mL$ in group 2. Only 2 patients in group 1 showed Tg levels exceeding 10ng/mL. In contrast, 4 patients in group 2 were under 10ng/mL. Serum antithyroglobulin antibody and TSH levels showed no statistical difference between the two groups. In group 1, 16 patients showed negative serum TPO results, and 4 patients in group 2 showed negative results. There was no correlation among serum Tg levels, antithyroglobulin antibody titers, and serum TPO levels in each group. In group 2, 4 patients with negative serum Tg levels showed positive TPO results and positive whole body scans. Two cases with false negative $^{131}I$ scans showed positive serum TPO and Tg results. In 4 cases showing false negative serum TPO levels, serum Tg levels and $^{131}I$ scans were positive. Conclusion: Serum Tg levels, radioiodine scans, and serum TPO levels can be clinically used as complementary methods in the diagnosis of recurrent or metastatic thyroid carcinomas. Serum TPO levels may be helpful when other methods fail to detect recurrences or distant metastasis in highly suspected patients.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2006

In previous studies, it has been discovered that cancer cells not only overexpress regulatory subunit I (Rl)/protein kinase type I (PKA-I) but also secrete outside the cell an extracellular form of PKA (ECPKA) and that the ECPKA secretion detected in patients' serum is obviously greater than that found in non-cancer patients or healthy subjects. We now found that ECPKA elicits the formation of serum autoantibodies that can serve as a cancer diagnostic and prognostic marker. To measure the presence of anti-ECPKA autoantibody in the human sera, basic methodology for ECPKA assay was established an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We obtained serum samples from 199 patients with different types of cancer, and also obtained 31 serum samples to compare with ECPKA concentrations from non-cancer patients and 119 normal volunteers. Compared with normal or non-cancer patient sera, we found that the frequency of anti-ECPKA autoantibody was significantly higher in cancer patients (88%) than in those without cancer (17%). Furthermore the presence of anti-ECPKA autoantibodies in the serum of cancer patients was highly correlated with the site of metastasis. The immunoassay developed for anti-ECPKA antibodies is highly sensitive and specific. Therefore, this discovery of an autoantibody-based cancer diagnostic may have serious clinical application and may become an important advance over current technology.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2781-2785
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• 2016

Background: Matric metalloproteinase (MMP) 13 gene expression is increased in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) and associated with increasing tumor invasion, lymph node involvement and decreased survival rates. Levels of the circulating enzyme may be elevated and used as a marker of tumor progression. In this study, clinical application of MMP-13 serum levels was evaluated for early detection, prediction of prognosis and survival time of ESCC patients. Materials and Methods: Serum levels of MMP13 were determined by ELISA in 66 ESCC patients prior of any treatment and 54 healthy controls for comparison with clinicopathological data through statistical analysis with Man Whitney U and Log-Rank tests. In addition, clinical value of MMP13 levels for diagnosis was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test. Results: The serum level of MMP-13 in patients (>250 pg/ml) was significantly higher than in the control group (<100 pg/ml) (p value=0.004). Also the results showed a significant correlation between MMP-13 serum levels with tumor stage (p value = 0.003), depth of tumor invasion (p value=0.008), involvement of lymph nodes (p value = 0.011), tumor size (p value = 0.018) and survival time. While there were no significant correlation with grade and location of tumors. ROC analysis showed that MMP-13 level is an accurate diagnostic marker especially to differentiate pre-invasive/ invasive lesions from normal controls (sensitivity and specificity: 100%). Conclusions: These findings indicate a potential clinical significance of serum MMP13 measurement for early detection and prognostic assessment in ESCC patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.476-482
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• 2003

We studied the effects of soy isoflavone supplements on bone metabolism marker (serum osteocalcin, urinary deoxypyridinoline) and urinary mineral excretion (urinary Ca, Mg, Zn) in 47 postmenopausal women. There were 24 participants in the treatment group and 23 in the control group. The treatment group consumed isoflavone extract capsules daily (which contained 90 mg of soy isoflavones) for 12 weeks. The study compared before and after isoflavone intake in the following areas: Physical examination, diet survey, bone metabolism marker and urinary mineral excretion. The average age of the treatment group was 64.6 years and that of the control group was 66.5 years. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of height, weight and body mass index. Both groups maintained a regular diet pattern in terms of their average daily nutrient intake. There were no significant differences between the treatment group (23.9 mg) and the control group (25.4 mg) in terms of daily isoflavone intake based on diet. The analysis of bone metabolism marker changes in the treatment group after 12 weeks of taking the isoflavone supplements demonstrated significant differences in the following: Serum osteocalcin (13.7 ng/mL in befor versus 6.8 ng/mL in after) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (5.9 nmol/mmol Cr in befor versus 4.5 nmol/mmol Cr in after). The subjects in the treatment group showed no significant difference in urinary Ca excretion. But the subjects showed a significant difference in urinary Mg (131.9 mg/day in befor versus 115.6 mg/day in after) and Zn (400.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/day in befor versus 310.2 $\mu\textrm{g}$/day in after) excretion in the isoflavone treatment group at the levels of p<0.001, p<0.01, respectively. No changes were made in the intake of minerals. The composition of serum osteocalcin and urinary deoxypyridinoline, and indicators of bone metabolism, including the excretion Mg and Zn, significantly decreased. As a result, bone mineral loss was lessened. (Korean J Nutrition 36(5): 476~482, 2003)