• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제62권1호
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• pp.53-63
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• 2024

The intracellular parasite Babesia microti is among the most significant species causing human babesiosis and is an emerging threat to human health worldwide. Unravelling the pathogenic molecular mechanisms of babesiosis is crucial in developing new diagnostic and preventive methods. This study assessed how priming with B. microti surface antigen 1 (BHSA 1) and seroreactive antigen 5-1-1 (BHSA 5-1-1) mediate protection against B. microti infection. The results showed that 500 ㎍/ml rBMSA1 and rBMSA5-1-1 partially inhibited the invasion of B. microti in vitro by 42.0±3.0%, and 48.0±2.1%, respectively. Blood smears revealed that peak infection at 7 days post-infection (dpi) was 19.6%, 24.7%, and 46.7% in the rBMSA1, rBmSA5-1-1, compared to the control groups (healthy mice infected with B. microti only), respectively. Routine blood tests showed higher white blood cell, red blood cell counts, and haemoglobin levels in the 2 groups (BMSA1 and BMSA5 5-1-1) than in the infection control group at 0-28 dpi. Moreover, the 2 groups had higher serum interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and Interleukin-17A levels, and lower IL-10 levels than the infection control group throughout the study. These 2 potential vaccine candidate proteins partially inhibit in vitro and in vivo B. microti infection and enhance host immunological response against B. microti infection.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.509-521
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• 2024

Objective: It was shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in milk protein synthesis. However, the post-transcriptional regulation of casein expression by exogenous miRNA (xeno-miRNAs) in ruminants remains unclear. This study explores the regulatory roles of alfalfa xeno-miR162 on casein synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). Methods: The effects of alfalfa xenomiR-162 and G protein subunit gamma 11 (GNG11) on proliferation and milk protein metabolism of bMECs were detected by 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, flow cytometry, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162. Results: Results showed that over-expression of xenomiR-162 inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis, which also up-regulated the expression of several casein coding genes, including CSN1S1, CSN1S2, and CSN3, while decreasing the expression of CSN2. Furthermore, the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162 was determined, and it was confirmed that GNG11 silencing also inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis and reduced the expression of casein coding genes and genes related to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Conclusion: Alfalfa xenomiR-162 appears to regulate bMECs proliferation and milk protein synthesis via GNG11 in the mTOR pathway, suggesting that this xeno-miRNA could be harnessed to modulate CSN3 expression in dairy cows, and increase κ-casein contents in milk.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권8호
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• pp.1483-1494
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• 2024

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of slaughter age on carcass traits, meat quality, and the relative mRNA levels of lipid metabolism-related genes in different muscles of Taihang black goats. Methods: In this study, the triceps brachii (TB), longissimus dorsi (LD) and gluteus (GL) muscles of 15 grazing Taihang black goats slaughtered at the age of 2, 3, and 4 (designated as 2-year-old, 3-year-old, and 4-year-old, respectively) were collected. The differences in carcass shape, meat quality, amino acid composition and lipid metabolism gene expression among Taihang black goats of different ages and from different plant parts were compared. Results: Compared with goats at other ages, goats slaughtered at the age of 4 had greater live and carcass weights, meat weights, bone weights and skin areas (p<0.05). LD in the 4-years-old had the lowest cooking loss and moisture content. The crude protein content in the LD of 2-year-old was significantly greater than that in the other age group, and at the age of 2, the LD had the highest crude protein content than TB and GL. The highest fat content was in LD, followed by TB, for goats slaughtered at the age of 4. Eight out of 9 essential amino acids had higher content in the TB compared with other muscles, regardless of age. The total essential amino acid content was highest in the 4-year-old and lowest in the GL muscle at the age of 3. The sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) genes were significantly more abundant in the TB muscle than in the other muscles for goats slaughtered at the age of 2. At the age of 4, the ATGL and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) genes were significantly more abundant in the GL than in the LD, while the fatty acid synthase (FAS) genes were significantly less abundant in the GL than in the other muscles. Similarly, compared with those in goats of other ages, the relative mRNA expression levels of the FAS and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) genes in goats slaughtered at the age of 4 were the highest, and the relative mRNA expression of the PPARγ gene was the lowest (p<0.05). The relative mRNA expression of the H-FABP and FAS genes was positively correlated with the intramuscular fat (IMF) content, while the relative mRNA expression levels of the PPARγ and ATGL genes was negatively correlated with the IMF content. Conclusion: Overall, a better nutritional value was obtained for TB from 4-year-old goats, in which the total essential amino acid and fat contents were greater than those of other muscles. The comprehensive action of lipid metabolism genes was consistent with that of the IMF content, among which the FAS, H-FABP, PPARγ, and ATGL genes had positive and negative effects on the process of IMF deposition in Taihang black goats.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권7호
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• pp.1236-1245
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• 2024

Objective: The object of this study was to investigate the effect of replacing soybean meal with Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) in broiler diets on growth performance, blood indicators, antioxidant capacity, and immune function. Methods: A total of 180 Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into three treatments, each treatment with six replicates and 10 broilers per replicate for a 42-day feeding trial. The control group (CON) was fed corn-soybean meal based diet. The CAP-1 and CAP-2 groups were considered to use CAP to replace 25% or 50% of soybean meal in the diet, respectively. The average daily gain and average daily feed intake of broilers at 1 to 21 d, 22 to 42 d, and 1 to 42 d were measured, and the feed conversion ratio was calculated. At the 42nd day of age, two broilers with similar weights and fasted for 12 h were selected in each replicate for blood collection from the brachial wing vein. The blood routine indicators, serum biochemical indicators, serum antioxidant capacity, and immunoglobulin content of broiler chickens were measured. Results: Replacement of soybean meal with 25% (CAP-1) and 50% (CAP-2) CAP significantly increased the average daily gain of 22 to 42 d and 1 to 42 d and decreased the average daily feed intake and feed conversion rate (p<0.05). The CAP-1 group, and CAP-2 group significantly increased hemoglobulin in the blood of broilers, while the CAP-2 group increased hematocrit content (p<0.05). Compared with the control group, the contents of superoxide dismutase and immunoglobulin A in serum of the CAP-2 group were significantly increased, while the contents of malondialdehyde in CAP group were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: Replacing soybean meal with CAP led to significant improvements in the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immunoglobulin content of broilers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3773-3777
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• 2015

Background: This study aimed to establish a nomogram by combining clinicopathologic factors with overall survival of stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients after complete resection with pelvic lymphadenectomy. Materials and Methods: This nomogram was based on a retrospective study on 1,563 stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients who underwent complete resection and lymphadenectomy from 2002 to 2008. The nomogram was constructed based on multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard regression. The accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were measured by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. Results: Multivariate analysis identified lymph node metastasis (LNM), lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), stromal invasion, parametrial invasion, tumor diameter and histology as independent prognostic factors associated with cervical cancer survival. These factors were selected for construction of the nomogram. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.77), and calibration of the nomogram showed good agreement between the 5-year predicted survival and the actual observation. Conclusions: We developed a nomogram predicting 5-year overall survival of surgically treated stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients. More comprehensive information that is provided by this nomogram could provide further insight into personalized therapy selection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권17호
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• pp.8003-8008
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether family history of cancer is associated with head and neck cancer risk in a Chinese population. Materials and Methods: This case-control study included 921 cases and 806 controls. Recruitment was from December 2010 to January 2015 in eight centers in East Asia. Controls were matched to cases with reference to sex, 5-year age group, ethnicity, and residence area at each of the centers. Results: We observed an increased risk of head and neck cancer due to first degree family history of head and neck cancer, but after adjustment for tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and betel quid chewing the association was no longer apparent. The adjusted OR were 1.10 (95% CI=0.80-1.50) for family history of tobacco-related cancer and 0.96 (95%CI=0.75-1.24) for family history of any cancer with adjustment for tobacco, betel quid and alcohol habits. The ORs for having a first-degree relative with HNC were higher in all tobacco/alcohol subgroups. Conclusions: We did not observe a strong association between family history of head and neck cancer and head and neck cancer risk after taking into account lifestyle factors. Our study suggests that an increased risk due to family history of head and neck cancer may be due to shared risk factors. Further studies may be needed to assess the lifestyle factors of the relatives.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3403-3408
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• 2012

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권10호
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• pp.4457-4463
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• 2015

Common genetic variation Q192R in the paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene has been considered to be implicated in the development of many cancers. Nevertheless, results from the related studies were inconsistent. To elucidate the association, we performed a meta-analysis for 8,112 cases and 10,037 controls from 32 published case-control studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association by STATA 12.0 software. Overall, we revealed that the PON1-192R allele was associated with a reduced risk of the overall cancers. Moreover, in the stratified analysis by cancer types (breast cancer, prostate cancer, brain cancer etc.), the results showed that PON1-192R allele was associated with a decreased risk in breast cancer (R vs Q: OR=0.605, 95% CI=0.378-0.967, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$; RR vs QQ: OR=0.494, 95% CI=0.275-0.888, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.002$; RQ vs QQ: OR=0.465, 95% CI=0.259-0.835, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$; and RR+RQ vs QQ: OR=0.485, 95% CI=0.274-0.857, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$), and associated with prostate cancer in homozygote (RR vs QQ: OR=0.475, 95% CI=0.251-0.897, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.001$) and recessive models (RR vs RQ+QQ: OR=0.379, 95% CI=0.169-0.853, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$), while an increased risk was identified in lymphoma (R vs Q: OR=1.537, 95% CI=1.246-1.896, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.944$; RR vs QQ: OR=2.987, 95% CI=1.861-4.795, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.350$; RR+RQ vs QQ: OR=1.354, 95% CI=1.021-1.796, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.824$; and RR vs RQ+QQ: OR=2.934, 95% CI=1.869-4.605, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.433$), and an increased risk in prostate cancer under heterozygote comparison (RQ vs QQ: OR=1.782, 95% CI=1.077-2.950, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$) and dominant models (RR+RQ vs QQ: OR=1.281, 95% CI=1.044-1.573, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.056$). When subgroup analysis that performed by the control source (hospital based or population based), a decreased risk of the overall cancers was revealed by homozygote (RR vs QQ: OR=0.601, 95% CI=0.366-0.987, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$) and dominant models (RR vs RQ+QQ: OR= 0.611, 95% CI=0.384-0.973, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$) in hospital based group. Stratifying by ethnicity, a significantly reduced risk of the overall cancers under allele contrast model (R vs Q: OR=0.788, 95% CI=0.626-0.993, $P_{heterogeneity}=0.000$) was uncovered in Caucasian. In summary, these findings suggested that PON1 Q192R polymorphism was associated with a reduced risk of the overall cancers, nevertheless, it might increase cancer susceptibility of prostate and lymphoma risk. Large well-designed epidemiological studies will be continued on this issue of interest.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권10호
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• pp.5033-5036
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• 2012

Objective: To study the relationship between expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ and prognosis and other clinicopathological parameters in invasive breast cancers. Methods: We assessed the expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ in 89 cases of invasive breast cancer and 20 cases of normal breast tissue by immunohistochemical methods and analyzed the results with SPSS software (ver. 16.0). Result: The positive expression rates of $p57^{KIP2}$ protein in the invasive breast cancers and surrounding normal tissue were 30.3% (27/89) and 65% (13/20), respectively. Cases with no $p57^{KIP2}$ expression exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than those with $p57^{KIP2}$ expression (37.9% vs. 14.8%; P = 0.01). DFS analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+ tumors also exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than the other groups (66.7% vs. 29.2%; P = 0.007), as did $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors (64.3% vs. 22.7%; P = 0.001). Survival analysis revealed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was associated with breast cancer-specific survival overall (P = 0.045, log-rank test). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that individuals with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+tumors experienced significantly worse post-operative survival than those with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2- or other tumors (P = 0.006, log-rank test). $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors were associated with significantly worse post-operative survival than $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53- or other tumors (P = 0.001, log-rank test). Cox regression analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer (P = 0.303). Conclusions: $p57^{KIP2}$ is expressed at low levels in invasive breast cancer and is associated with better overall survival rate and disease-free survival in breast cancer patients, but it was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer. Thus, the connection between $p57^{KIP2}$/p53 and $p57^{KIP2}$/C-erbB-2 may provide biomarkers for breast cancer.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.225-228
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• 2007

개 추간판 디스크 2 증례(症例)를 대상으로 봉독약침 및 봉독약침과 한약제로 각각 치료하였다. 증례(症例) 1은 흉-요추부 추간판탈출증(T11-T12, T12-T13, L3-L4 및 L4-L5)으로 진단(診斷)된 증례이었으며. 증례 2는 흉추부 추간판탈출증(T10-T11 및 T12-T13)으로 진단(診斷)된 증례이었다. 이들 증례에 대하여 봉독약침(0.1 ml/혈위, 총$200{\mu}g$)을 실시(實施)하였으며, 운동요법과 수영요법도 병용하였다. 봉독약침에 사용한 혈위는 GV20-Bai Hui, GB30-Huan Tiao, ST36-Zu San Li, GB34-Yang Ling Quan, ST40-Feng Long, ST41-Jie Xi 및 BL40-Wei Zhong, 병변부 및 압통점이었다. 또한 증례 2에 대하여는 봉독약침과 더불어 Zheng Gu Zi Jin Dan(정골자금단(正骨紫金丹) : 1 g), Shiuh Duann(속단(續斷) .0.2 g), Du Zhong(두중(杜仲) : 0.2 g), Mo Yao(몰약(沒藥 : 0.2 g), Ru Xiang(유향(乳香) : 0.2 g) 및 Pyrite(자연동(自然銅) : 0.2 g)를 각각 총 9일간 경구투여(2회/1일)하였다. 증례 1은 총 4주간 11회 치료, 증례(症例) 2는 총 2주간 6회 치료 후 각각 보행이 가능하였다.