• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2013

Asthma is associated with increased levels of eosinophils in tissues, body fluids, and bone marrow. Elevated levels of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) have been noted in asthma patients. Higher levels of EDN and ECP are also associated with exacerbated asthmatic conditions. Thus, EDN, along with ECP, may aid the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. Several groups have suggested that EDN is more useful than ECP in evaluating disease severity. This may partially be because of the recoverability of EDN (not sticky, 100% recovery rate), as ECP is a sticky and more highly charged protein. In terms of clinical utility, EDN level is a more accurate biomarker than ECP when analyzing the underlying pathophysiology of asthma. As a monitoring tool, EDN has shown good results in children with asthma as well as other allergic diseases. In children too young to fully participate in lung function tests, EDN levels may be useful as an alter native measurement of eosinophilic inflammation. EDN can also be used in adult patients and in multiple specimen types (e.g., serum, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and nasal lavage fluid). These results are repeatable and reproducible. In conclusion, EDN may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of asthma/allergic disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1865-1868
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• 2016

Background: The number of patients with oral cancer in India is increasing gradually (especially in younger people). Although the diagnostic modalities and therapeutic management of oral cancer are improving, the treatment outcome and prognosis of oral cancer remain poor. The absence of definite early warning symptoms for most head and neck cancers suggests that sensitive and specific biomarkers are likely to be important in screening for high-risk patients. Aims: To analyze serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases who reported to our institute. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was performed on 100 histopathologically proven cases of OSCC (study group) and 100 normal healthy individuals (control group). Independent sample and one sample t-tests and one way ANOVA followed by Tuckey's POST HOC test were conducted for analysis. Results: Statistically significant increase in serum ADA levels was observed in OSCC cases compared to the control group. Also serum ADA level increased significantly with the histopathological grade. Conclusions: Serum ADA levels in OSCC may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in clinical practice and our findings suggest that a large-scale study is warranted to confirm clinical utility as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2015

The discovery of HER2, a biomarker in advanced gastric cancer, and successful clinical trial using trastuzumab that targets this biomarker signaled a revolutionary turning point in treatment of metastatic gastric cancer. Many studies about targeted agents for gastric cancer have been attempted. Among them, ramicirumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), and apatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that targets VEGFR2, have shown to improve the survival rates in advanced gastric cancer patients, for whom previous therapies had failed; hence, they are expected to be accepted as one of the standard therapies for advanced gastric cancer.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2015

Skin is an emerging target tissue in pharmaceutical and cosmetic science. Safety assessment for dermal toxicity is a critical step for development of topically applicable pharmaceutical agents and ingredients in cosmetics. Urgent needs exist to set up toxicity testing methods for dermal safety, and identification of novel biomarkers for pathological cutaneous alteration is highly required. Here we will discuss if vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a potential as a biomarker for dermal impairment. Experimental and clinical evidences for induction of keratinocytic VEGF under pathological conditions will be reviewed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.13.1-13.4
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• 2016

An analysis of patients and fatalities due to exposure to polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) shows that PHMG causes mainly lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, no research on the other organs has been conducted on this matter yet. So, an in-depth discussion on toxicological techniques is needed to determine whether or not PHMG is toxic to organs other than just the lungs. For the test of target organ toxicity by PHMG exposure, a toxicokinetic study must first be conducted. However, measurement method for PHMG injected into the body has not yet been established because it is not easy to analyze polymer PHMG, so related base studies on analytical technique for PHMG including radio-labeling chemistry must come first. Moreover, research on exposure-biomarker and effect-biomarker must also be conducted, primarily related to clinical application. Several limitations seem to be expected to apply the biomarker study to the patient because much time has passed after exposure to the humidifier disinfectant. It is why a more comprehensive toxicological researches must be introduced to the causality for the victims.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.271-276
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• 2017

Cancer biomarkers are using in the diagnosis, staging, prognosis and prediction of disease progression. But, there are not sufficiently profiled and validated in early detection and risk classification of prostate cancer. In this study, we have devoted to finding a panel of serum biomarkers that are able to detect the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The serum samples were consisted of 111 prostate cancer and 343 control samples and examined. Eleven biomarkers were constructed in this study, and then nine biomarkers were relevant to candidate biomarkers by using t test. Finally, four biomarkers, PSA, ApoA2, CYFRA21.1 and TTR, were selected as the prostate cancer biomarker panel, logistic regression was used to identify algorithms for diagnostic biomarker combinations(AUC = 0.9697). A panel of combination biomarkers is less invasive and could supplement clinical diagnostic accuracy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.287-292
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• 2024

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), the predominant primary hepatic malignancy, is the prime contributor to mortality. Despite the availability of multiple surgical interventions, patient outcomes remain suboptimal. Immunotherapies have emerged as effective strategies for HCC treatment with multiple clinical advantages. However, their curative efficacy is not always satisfactory, limited by the dysfunctional T cell status. Thus, there is a pressing need to discover novel potential biomarkers indicative of T cell exhaustion (Tex) for personalized immunotherapies. One promising target is Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 (CDKN2) gene, a key cell cycle regulator with aberrant expression in HCC. However, its specific involvement remains unclear. Herein, we assessed the potential of CDKN2 expression as a promising biomarker for HCC progression, particularly for exhausted T cells. Our transcriptome analysis of CDKN2 in HCC revealed its significant role involving in HCC development. Remarkably, single-cell transcriptomic analysis revealed a notable correlation between CDKN2 expression, particularly CDKN2A, and Tex markers, which was further validated by a human cohort study using human HCC tissue microarray, highlighting CDKN2 expression as a potential biomarker for Tex within the intricate landscape of HCC progression. These findings provide novel perspectives that hold promise for addressing the unmet therapeutic need within HCC treatment.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2011

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can result in mortality or progress to chronic kidney disease in hospitalized patients. Although serum creatinine has long been used as the best biomarker for diagnosis of AKI, it has some clinical limitations, especially in children. New biomarkers are needed for early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and reliable prediction of prognosis in AKI. Up to the present, candidate AKI biomarkers include neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), interleukin-18 (IL-18), livertype fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and Nacetyl-$\ss$-D-glucosaminidase (NAG). However, whether these are superior to serum creatinine in the confirmation of diagnosis and prediction of prognosis in AKI is unclear. Further studies are needed for clinical application of these new biomarkers in AKI.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.221-226
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• 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation due to chronic airway inflammation and destruction of the alveolar structure from persistent exposure to oxidative stress. The body has various antioxidant mechanisms for efficiently coping with such oxidative stress. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) is a representative system. Dysregulation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway is responsible for the development and promotion of COPD. Furthermore, COPD severity is also closely related to this pathway. There has been a clinical impetus to use Nrf2 for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Therefore, in this work, we systematically reviewed the clinical significance of Nrf2 in COPD patients, and discuss the value of Nrf2 as a potential COPD biomarker.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.2-10
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• 2022

Metabolomics makes it possible to analyze the interrelationships between various signaling molecules based on the metabolic pathways involved by using high-resolution devices. This approach can also be used to obtain large-scale metabolic information to identify the relevant pathways for disease diagnosis and prognosis and search for potential biomarkers. In the fields of medicine and forensics, hair analysis is used to detect various metabolites in the body. Hair can be harvested readily in a noninvasive manner and is easier to transport and store than blood and urine. Another advantage from a forensic viewpoint is that hair reflects all the components of body fluids. In addition, because of the unique coating structure of hair, it can be used for measurements without changing or destroying its adsorbed components. In this review, the pretreatments for hair analysis, instrumental conditions and clinical applications are discussed. Especially, the clinical use of hair metabolomics in the diagnosis of various diseases and the limitations of the technique are described.