• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3899-3903
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• 2012

B7-H3 is a newly discovered member of the B7/CD28 superfamily which functions as an important T-cell immune molecule. It has been reported recently that B7-H3 is highly expressed in many cancer cells, the data indicating that it may be a regulation factor contributing to tumor-resistance. In our study, we used bioinformatics to identify differentially expressed genes between colonic cancer cells and normal colonic cells, aiming to analyze mechanisms and identify sub-pathways closely related to progression, with the final aim of finding small molecule drugs which might interfere this progression. We found that ajmaline is one related factor which may enhance self-immunity in colon carcinoma therapy and B7-H3 plays important roles with regard to immunoreactions of colonic cancer cells. All the results indicate that H7-B3 is a favorable prognostic biomarker for colon carcinomas, providing novel information regarding likely targets for intervention.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.772-781
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• 2011

Branched N-glycans are produced by a series of glycosyltransferases including N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases and fucosyltransferases and their corresponding genes. Glycans on specific glycoproteins, which are attached via the action of glycosyltransferases, play key roles in cell adhesion and signaling. Examples of this are adhesion molecules or signaling molecules such as integrin and E-cadherin, as well as membrane receptors such as the EGF and TGF-${\beta}$ receptors. These molecules also play pivotal roles in the underlying mechanism of a variety of disease such as cancer metastasis, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Alterations in the structures of branched N-glycans are also hall marks and are useful for cancer biomarkers and therapeutics against cancer. This mini-review describes some of our recent studies on a functional glycomics approach to the study of branched N-glycans produced by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases III, IV, V and IX (Vb) (GnT-III, GnT-IV, V and IX (Vb)) and fucosyltransferase 8 (Fut8) and their pathophysiological significance, with emphasis on the importance of a systems glycobiology approach as a future perspective for glycobiology.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.36-47
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• 2019

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 ($HIF-1{\alpha}$) is a transcription factor activated in response to low oxygen level, and is highly expressed in many solid tumors. Moreover, $HIF-1{\alpha}$ is a representative biomarker of hypoxia and also helps to maintain cell homeostasis under hypoxic condition. Most solid tumors show hypoxia, which induces poor prognosis and resistance to conventional cancer therapies. Thus, early diagnosis of hypoxia with positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer would be highly beneficial for management of malignant solid tumors with effective cancer therapy. YC-1 is a most promising candidate among several $HIF-1{\alpha}$ inhibitors. As an effort to develop a hypoxia imaging tool as a PET radiotracer, we designed and synthesized [$^{18}F$]DFYC based on potent derivative of YC-1 and performed preliminary in vitro cell uptake study. [$^{18}F$]DFYC showed a significant accumulation in SKBR-3 cells among other cancer cells, proving as a good lead to develop a hypoxic solid tumor such as breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3897-3901
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• 2013

Background: Optimal treatment for prostate cancer remains a challenge worldwide. Recently, T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (TIM-3) has been implicated in tumor biology but its contribution prostate cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TIM-3 as a prognostic marker in patients with prostate cancer. Methods: TIM-3 protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in 137 prostate cancer tumor samples and paired adjacent benign tissue. We also performed cell proliferation assays using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl- 2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and cell invasion assays. The effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of TIM-3 (TIM-3 siRNA) in two human prostate cancer cell lines were also evaluated. Results: TIM-3 expression was higher in prostate cancer tissue than in the adjacent benign tissue (P<0.001). High TIM-3 expression was an independent predictor of both recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival. TIM-3 protein was expressed in both prostate cancer cell lines and knockdown suppressed their proliferation and invasion capacity. Conclusions: TIM-3 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in prostate cancer. Taken together, our resutlts indicate that TIM-3 is a potential prognostic marker in prostate cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7295-7300
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• 2013

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The main types are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), the latter including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. NSCLCs account for about 80% of all lung cancer cases. Microcephalin (MCPH1), also called BRIT1 (BRCT-repeat inhibitor of hTERT expression), plays an important role in the maintenance of genomic stability. Recently, several studies have provided evidence that the expression of MCPH1 gene is decreased in several different types of human cancers. We evaluated the expression of protein MCPH1 in 188 lung cancer and 20 normal lung tissues by immunohistochemistry. Positive MCPH1 staining was found in all normal lung samples and only some cancerous tissues. MCPH1-positive cells were significantly lower in lung carcinoma compared with normal tissues. Furthermore, we firstly found that MCPH1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma is higher than its expression in squamous cell carcinoma. Change in MCPH1 protein expression may be associated with lung tumorigenesis and may be a useful biomarker for identification of pathological types of lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3963-3969
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• 2016

Purpose:To assess IGFBP-6 expression in relation with the presence of the metabolic syndrome, adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) and IGF-IR levels in colorectal adenocarcinoma cases. Materials and Methods: IGFBP-6 mRNA and protein levels were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting in 46 patients. ELISA and flow cytometry were used for evaluation of AdipoR1, AdipoR2 and IGF-IR. Results: The results showed that IGFBP-6 mRNA expression and the IGFBP-6 content were higher in tumor tissue samples of colorectal cancer patients with tahtn without metabolic syndrome. In addition, the IGFBP-6 mRNA expression was associated with tumor invasion (tumor size) and the IGFBP-6 protein level was associated with nodal status. Positive correlations and positive nonlinear relations were found between the IGFBP-6 level and the AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 contents in colorectal cancer patients. Conclusions: The IGFBP-6 mRNA level and protein level were found to be associated with presence of metabolic syndrome. Positive correlations indicated probable cross-talk between the IGF-IR-mediated and adiponectin-mediated signaling pathways in colorectal carcinomas. IGFBP-6 may be considered as a potential biomarker associated with lymphogenous metastasis and the metabolic syndrome in colorectal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3703-3708
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• 2015

Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with colorectal, lung, gastric cancer, pancreatic and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We here evaluated whether preoperative NLR is an independent prognostic factor for non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods: Data from 327 patients who underwent curative or palliative nephrectomy were evaluated retrospectively. In preoperative blood routine examination, neutrophils and lymphocytes were obtained. The predictive value of NLR for non-metastatic RCC was analyzed. Results: The NLR of 327 patients was $2.72{\pm}2.25$. NLR <1.7 and NLR ${\geq}1.7$ were classified as low and high NLR groups, respectively. Chi-square test showed that the preoperative NLR was significantly correlated with the tumor size (P=0.025), but not with the histological subtype (P=0.095)and the pT stage (P=0.283). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Effects of NLR on OS (P=0.007) and DFS (P=0.011) were significant. To evaluate the independent prognostic significance of NLR, multivariate COX regression models were applied and identified increased NLR as an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.015), and DFS (P=0.019). Conclusions: Regarding patient survival, an increased NLR represented an independent risk factor, which might reflect a higher risk for severe cardiovascular and other comorbidities. An elevated blood NLR may be a biomarker of poor OS and DFS in patients with non-metastatic RCC.

• 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.16 no.3
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• pp.1175-1179
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• 2015

Background: Expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is up-regulated in human cancers. The aim of present study was to investigate the role of MMP-9 C-1562T polymorphism and its interaction with MMP-2 C-735T polymorphism in susceptibility to breast cancer in a population from Western Iran with Kurdish ethnic background. Materials and Methods: The study sample of 205 individuals consisted of 101 breast cancer patients and 104 healthy subjects. MMP-9 C-1562T and MMP-2 C-735T variants were identified using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results: Among 67.4% of studied patients the breast cancer developed in the third and forth decades of the life. The frequency of MMP-9 T allele was 17.3% in patients and 10.1% in controls. The presence of T allele significantly increased the risk of breast cancer by 1.87-fold [OR=1.87 (95% CI 1.05-3.33, p=0.035)]. The frequency of MMP-9 CT+TT genotype tended to be higher in those patients with a family history of cancer in first degree-relatives (36.8%) than those without a family history (28.3%, p=0.37). We observed an interaction between the MMP-9 -1562 T allele with MMP-2 -735 C allele that significantly increased the risk of breast cancer [OR=1.42 (95% CI 1.02-1.98, p=0.036)]. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that MMP-9 C-1562T polymorphism alone and in combination with MMP-2 C-735T polymorphism increased the risk of breast cancer that might be a useful biomarker in identifying women at risk of developing breast cancer. Also, this study revealed that in most women from Western Iran breast cancer presents in third and fourth decades of life.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.2999-3005
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• 2009

Among the more than 120 different types of human papillomavirus (HPV), types 16 and 18 have been known to be high risk agents that cause cervical cancer. We examined, in an immuno-chromatographic analysis, the potential of using the early gene product, E7 protein, as a diagnostic marker of cervical cancer caused by HPV. We developed monoclonal antibodies specific to HPV-16 and 18 E7 proteins that were produced from bacterial cells using gene recombinant technology. For each E7 protein, the optimal antibody pair was selected using the immuno-chromatographic sandwichtype binding system based on the lateral flow through membrane pores. Under these conditions, this rapid testing assay had a detection capability as low as 2 ng/mL of E7 protein. Furthermore, since viral analysis required the host cell to be lysed using chemicals such as detergents, it was possible that the E7 protein was structurally damaged during this process, which would result in a decrease in detection sensitivity. Therefore, we examined the detrimental effects caused by different detergents on the E7 protein using HeLa cells as the host. In these experiments, we found that the damage caused by the detergent, nonylphenylpolyethylene glycol (NP-40), was minimal relative to Triton X-100 commonly used for the cell lysis. Temperature also affected the stability of the E7 protein, and we found that the E7 protein was stabilized at 4$^{\circ}C$ for about 2 h, which was 4 times longer than at room temperature. Finally, a HPV-infected cervical cancer cell line, which was used as a real sample model, was treated using the optimized conditions and the presence of E7 proteins were analyzed by immuno-chromatography. The results of this experiment demonstrated that this rapid test could specifically detect HPV-infected samples.