• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6293-6299
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• 2013

Background: A number of clinicopathologic factors have been found to be associated with pathological lymph node metastasis (pLNM) in rectal cancer; however, most of them can only be identified by expensive high resolution imaging or obtained after surgical treatment. Just like the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores which have been widely used in clinical practice, our study was designed to assess the pre-operative factors which could be obtained easily to predict intra-operative pLNM in rectal cancer. Methods: A cohort of 469 patients who were treated at our hospital in the period from January 2003 to June 2011, and with a pathologically hospital discharge diagnosis of rectal cancer, were included. Clinical, laboratory and pathologic parameters were analyzed. A multivariate unconditional logistic regression model, areas under the curve (AUC), the Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) and the Cox regression model were used. Results: Of the 469 patients, 231 were diagnosed with pLNM (49.3%). Four variables were associated with pLNM by multivariate logistic analysis, age<60 yr (OR=1.819; 95% CI, 1.231-2.687; P=0.003), presence of abdominal pain or discomfort (OR=1.637; 95% CI, 1.052-2.547; P=0.029), absence of allergic history (OR=1.879; 95% CI, 1.041-3.392; P=0.036), and direct $bilirubin{\geq}2.60{\mu}mol/L$ (OR=1.540; 95% CI, 1.054-2.250; P=0.026). The combination of all 4 variables had the highest sensitivity (98.7%) for diagnostic performance. In addition, age<60 yr and direct $bilirubin{\geq}2.60{\mu}mol/L$ were found to be associated with prognosis. Conclusion: Age, abdominal pain or discomfort, allergic history and direct bilirubin were associated with pLNM, which may be helpful for preoperative selection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 2015

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether the expression of baseline phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) levels were prognostic in terms of stage and overall survival (OS) in newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, 130 patients were selected at the time of diagnosis oflung cancer (100 with NSCLC and 30 with SCLC), before the initialization of any chemo-radiotherapy. The median age was 67 (range 29-92). IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV stages were present in 3, 4, 19, 6, 25, 8, and 65 patients, respectively. After centrifugation, the levels of serum P and Mg were measured using the nephelometric method/ photometry and evaluated before any type of treatment. Results: Higher than normal levels of P were found in 127/130 patients, while only four patients had elevated Mg serum values. In terms of Spearman test, higher P serum values correlated with either stage (rho=- 0.334, p<0.001) or OS (rho=-0.212, p=0.016). Additionally, a significant negative correlation of Mg serum levels was found with stage of disease (rho=-0.135, P=0.042). On multivariate cox-regression survival analysis, only stage (p<0.01), performance status (p<0.01) and P serum (p=0.045) showed a significant prognostic value. Conclusions: Our study indicated that pre-treatment P serum levels in lung cancer patients are higher than the normal range. Moreover, P and Mg serum levels are predictive of stage of disease. Along with stage and performance status, the P serum levels had also a significant impact on survival. This information may be important for stratifying patients to specific treatment protocols or intensifying their therapies. However, larger series are now needed to confirm our results.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.21-28
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• 2020

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the improvement effect of Sprout of Coix lacryma-jobi var. mayuen Stapf water extract (SC) on the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis mice. Methods : The antioxidant activity of SC was measured through total polyphenol and total flavonoid content in vitro. The experiment was conducted with seven-week-old male Balb/c mice. After 1 week adaptation, acute colitis was induced by oral administration of 5% DSS dissolved in drinking water, for 7 days. And normal mice received drinking water without DSS throughout the entire experimental period. For each experiment, the mice were divided into 4 groups and 24 colitis mice were arbitrarily allocated into 3 groups (n = 8/group); Normal group, Control group, SC 100 mg/kg treated group (SCL), SC 200 mg/kg treated group (SCH). Serum and colon tissues were collected after one weeks of drug administration. Results : ROS levels, ONOO^- levels, AST, and ALT in serum were decreased in SC treated groups compared to the control group. Western blotting measurements of Nrf2, HO-1, SOD, catalase, GPx-1/2, IL-4, IL-10, and Bcl2 showed that the SC treated groups was increased compared to the Control group. Also, western blot measurements of NF-κBp65, p-IκBα, COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, Bax, and Caspase-3 showed that the SC treated groups was reduced compared to the Control group. Conclusion : Taken together, these results suggest that SC treatment can attenuate the DSS-induced colitis though inhibiting NF-κB pathway and enhancing Nrf2 pathway. Therefore, SC was the potential to be used as a natural therapeutic drug.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Organic Agriculture Conference
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• 2009.12a
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• pp.103-113
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• 2009

This present study was carried out to investigate the biological effects of soybean extracts comparing organic and conventional cultivation. Cellular and molecular analysis was performed to determine anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects of both soybean extracts. First, we obtained various solvent extracts of soybeans such as water, ethanol, and methanol. Molecular and cellular analysis were performed with 0.1 mg/ml concentration of each solvent extracts. The results of anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of organic cultivated soybean extracts were prominent than conventional cultivated soybean extracts. However, discrepancy between organic and conventional cultivated soybean extracts was not observed in anti-allergic effects determined by releasing histamine from rat mast cell line, RBL-2H3. Conclusively, organic cultivated soybeans have stronger effects than conventional cultivated soybeans in suppression of inflammation. In addition, organic soybeans could be applied as a functional food ingredient for treatment of chronic inflammation, asthma, and atopic dermatitis with enhanced anti-inflammatory activities.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.377-385
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• 1993

Five hundred and fifty patients treated for carcinoma of the uterine cervix at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital from 1979 to 1986, were analyzed retrospectively for late bladder complications. Of them,468 patients received primary radiotherapy for the cervix cancer in intact uterus, and the other 82 patients were treated postoperatively. The cumulative incidence of radiation induced bladder complication of grade 2 or 3 was $2.5\%$ at five years. The mean bladder dose for the group of patients with complication was higher than that of the group without complication, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). But relationship between mean bladder dose and severity of complication was not found. The frequency of complication (grade I, II, III) increased as a function of radiation dose to bladder from $5.0\%$ for patients with bladder dose less than 6,500 cGy to $27.7\%$ for patients with bladder dose higher than 8,000 cGy. Among various factors, the age of patient and the distance between ovoids turned out to have significant effect on the complication.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.241-246
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• 2015

This study was performed to investigate the antiinflammatory activities of taxifolin from Opuntia humifusa. A potent anti-oxidant activity was shown from the leaf extract at $IC_{50}$ value of $38.33{\pm}1.07{\mu}g/mL$ and fruit extract at $IC_{50}$ value of $40.23{\pm}2.21{\mu}g/mL$ by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay. Fraction of taxifolin from leaf extract identified using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results of cell viability indicated that taxifolin did not show cytotoxicity on RAW 264.7 cells at $500{\mu}M$ of concentration. The result showed that taxifolin inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of Nitrite oxide. In addition, taxifolin inhibited LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-6 production by cytokine assay and cyclooxygenase-2 expression by western blot analysis, meaning taxifolin has a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Our results suggested that taxifolin from Opuntia humifusa showed anti-inflammatory activities.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2017

The adsorption of various atmospheric harmful gases ($CO_x$, $NO_x$, $SO_x$) on graphene-like boron nitride(BN) and aluminum nitride(AlN) sheets was theoretically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and MP2 methods. The structures were fully optimized at the $B3LYP/6-31G^{**}$ and $CAM-B3LYP/6-31G^{**}$ levels of theory and confirmed to be a local minimum by the calculation of the harmonic vibrational frequencies. The MP2 single-point binding energies were computed at the $CAM-B3LYP/6-31G^{**}$ optimized geometries. Also the zero-point vibrational energy (ZPVE) and 50%-basis set superposition error (BSSE) corrections were included. The adsorptions of gases on the BN sheet were predicted to be a physisorption process and the adsorptions of gases on the AlN sheet were predicted to be a physisorption process for $CO_x$ and $NO_x$ but to be a chemisorption process for $SO_x$.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.144-160
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• 2007

목 적 : 이 연구는 천식, 기관지염, 폐렴, 결핵, 산후감모 등의 호흡기 질환에 사용되는 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)의 항염작용(抗炎作用)의 효과에 대해 알아보기 위해 시행되었다. 방 법 : 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)의 항염작용(抗炎作用)의 효과를 평가하기 위해 세포독성에 미치는 영향, NO, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6 생성량에 미치는 영항, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6 유전자 발현에 미치는 영향, iNOS, 염증cytokine 유전자 및 단백질 발현에 미치는 영향, PGE$_2$ 합성에 미치는 영향 및 NF-${\kappa}$B 활성에 미치는 영향에 대한 실험평가를 하였다. 결 과 : 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)은 MTT 분석을 통한 RAW 264.7 세포주의 생존력 평가에서 세포독성이 없었고, LPS로 유도된 RAW 264.7 세포주에서 NO 생성량을 농도 의존적으로 억제하였다. 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)은 400 g/ml 농도에서 LPS로 유도된 RAW 264.7 세포주에 대해 TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$, IL-6 생성량을 각각 41.86${\pm}$2.26 %, 61.11${\pm}$2.54 %, 55.33${\pm}$3.65 % 억제하였으며 TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$ 및 IL-6 유전자 발현을 농도 의존적으로 억제하였고, LPS로 유도된 RAW 264.7 세포주에서 iNOS와 COX-2 유전자 및 단백질 발현은 농도 의존적으로 억제하였다. 또한 그 농도에 따라 PGE$_2$ 생성량이 현저하게 억제하였고, LPS로 유도된 NF-${\kappa}$B 전사활성을 농도 의존적으로 억제함으로써 iNOS와 염증Cytokine 유전자 발현을 하향조절 하였다. 결 론 : 이상의 실험을 통해 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)은 LPS로 유도된 macrophage에서 NO와 염증Cytokine 생성량을 억제하였고 murine macrophage에서 NF-${\kappa}$B 활성을 억제함으로써 iNOS와 염증Cytokine 유전자 발현을 하향조절 하였다. 이러한 청폐화담탕(淸肺化痰湯)의 항염작용으로 천식, 기관지염, 폐렴, 결핵, 산후감모 등의 호흡기 질환에 응용할 수 있으리라 사료된다.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.642-652
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• 2018

Rhus verniciflua (RV) Stokes is a herbal medicine that helps improve blood circulation by stimulating digestion, removing extravasated blood, and raising body temperature. The purpose of this research was to study the anti-inflammatory effect of fermented soy products (FSP) containing a fermented RV (FRV) extract on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-treatedd RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment with FRV extracts (1, 10, $100{\mu}g/mL$) downregulated nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines as compared to the LPS-treated group. Besides, the RV extract treatment suppressed the expression of genes related to pro-inflammatory cytokines, matrixins, inflammation, and apoptosis, while increasing the expression of genes involved in the antioxidant system. Furthermore, RVS extract upregulated antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione, Cu,Zn-SOD, and catalase without changes in the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. FSP (doenjang, ganjang) containing FRV extracts (0.1, 1, or $10{\mu}g/mL$) significantly decreased the NO and IL-6 levels in an FSP after 8 weeks of fermentation, but not the expression of genes involved in the inflammation and antioxidant system. These result indicate that an FRV extract and FSPs have a potential application in inflammatory conditions.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.167-179
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• 2019

Ovarian cancer is the fifth main cause of pre-senescent death in women. Although chemotherapy is generally an efficient treatment, its side effects and the occurrence of chemotherapeutic resistance have prompted the need for alternative treatments. In this study, ${\alpha}$-mangostin and apigenin were evaluated as possible anticancer alternatives to the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin, used herein as a positive control. The ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line SKOV-3 (ATCC No. HTB77) was used as model ovarian cancer cells, whereas the skin fibroblast line CCD-986Sk (ATCC No. CRL-1947) and lung fibroblast line WI-38 (ATCC No. CCL-75) were used as model untransformed cells. Apigenin and doxorubicin inhibited the growth of SKOV-3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. After 72 hr exposure, doxorubicin was mostly toxic to SKOV-3 cells, whereas apigenin was toxic to SKOV-3 cells but not CCD-986Sk and WI-38 cells. ${\alpha}$-Mangostin was more toxic to SKOV-3 cells than to CCD-986Sk cells. A lower cell density, cell shrinkage, and more unattached (floating round) cells were observed in all treated SKOV-3 cells, but the greatest effects were observed with ${\alpha}$-mangostin. With regard to programmed cell death, apigenin caused early apoptosis within 24 hr, whereas ${\alpha}$-mangostin and doxorubicin caused late apoptosis and necrosis after 72 hr of exposure. Caspase-3 activity was significantly increased in ${\alpha}$-mangostin-treated SKOV-3 cells after 12 hr of exposure, whereas only caspase-9 activity was significantly increased in apigenin-treated SKOV-3 cells at 24 hr. Both ${\alpha}$-mangostin and apigenin arrested the cell cycle at the $G_2/M$ phase, but after 24 and 48 hr, respectively. Significant upregulation of BCL2 (apoptosis-associated gene) and COX2 (inflammation-associated gene) transcripts was observed in apigenin- and ${\alpha}$-mangostin-treated SKOV-3 cells, respectively. ${\alpha}$-Mangostin and apigenin are therefore alternative options for SKOV-3 cell inhibition, with apigenin causing rapid early apoptosis related to the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, and ${\alpha}$-mangostin likely being involved with inflammation.