• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.106-111
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• 1998

This study has been focused on both estrogenic and proliferating activity of genistein (GEN) and bisphenol A (BPA). GEN and BPA enhance the proliferation of estrogen-dependent MCF-7 human breast cancer cells at concentrations as low as 100 nM of GEN and 8 ng/ml of BP A achieving similar effect to that of estradiol at 1 nM. Expression of the estrogen responsive gene, pS2 was also induced in MCF-7 cells by treatment with genistein at dose as low as 1 nM and BPA at dose as low as 4 ng/ml. Using 21 day-old ovariectomized nude mice, we examined end-bud formation and mammary gland development after treatment with bisphenol A or genistein. Compared with untreated control, mammary gland development and end-bud formation were significantly increased in mice fed genistein or bisphenol A (p<0.05). Taken together, it is concluded that GEN and BP A can act as an estrogen agonist resulting in cell proliferation and induction of the estrogen responsive pS2 gene in MCF-7 cells in vitro and in athymic mice in vivo, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested that GEN and BP A might modulate human endocrine system and these compounds might be considered as a endocrine modulator at the low levels of doses.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2004

Locally advanced (Stage III) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately one third of all cases of NSCLC. Few patients with locally advanced NSCLC present with disease amenable to curative surgical resection. Historically, these patients were treated with primary thoracic radiation therapy (RT) and had poor long term survival rates, due to both progression of local disease and development on distant metastases. Over the last two decades, the use of multidisciplinary approach has improved the outcome for patients with locally advanced NSCLC. Combined chemoradiotherapy is the most favored approach for treatment of locally advanced unresectable NSCLC. There are two basic treatment protocols for administering combined chemotherapy and radiation, sequential versus concurrent. The rationale for using chemotherapy is to eliminate subclinical metastatic disease while improving local control. Sequential use of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy has improved median and long term survival compared to radiation therapy alone. This approach appears to decrease the risk of distant metastases,, but local failure rates remain the same as radiation alone. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been studied extensively. The potential advantages of this approach may include sensitization of tumor cells to radiation by the administration of chemotherapy, and reduced overall treatment time compared to sequential therapy; which is known to be important for improving local control in radiation biology. This approach Improves survival primarily as a result of improved local control. However, it doesn't seem to decrease the risk of distant metastases probably because concurrent chemoradiation requires dose reductions in chemotherapy due to increased risks of acute morbidity such as acute esophageal toxicity. Although multidisciplinary therapy has led to improved survival rates compared to radiation therapy alone and has become the new standard of care, the optimal therapy of locally advanced NSCLC continues to evolve. The current issues in the multidisciplinary management of locally advanced NSCLC will be reviewed in this report.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.799-805
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• 1999

Background: Leakage, stricture formation, and tumor recurrence at the anastomotic site are serious problems after esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagus or cardia. The prevalence of these postoperative complications may be affected by whether an anastomosis is made in the neck or in the chest, therefore a comparison was made between anastomoses made at these two sites. Material and Method: Between 1987 and 1998, 36 patients with cancer of the esophagus underwent transthoracic esophagectomy with cervical(NA, n=20) or thoracic anastomosis(CA, n=16). The tumors were staged postoperatively(stage IIA, n=13; s tage IIB, n=7; stage III, n=16) and were located in the middle thoracic(n=22) or lower thoracic esophagus and cardia(n=14). Result: The overall operative mortality was 8.3%(5% for NA group, 12.5% for CA group). The anastomotic leak rate for the NA group was 15.0% and 12.5% for the CA group. The anastomotic leak rate differed according to the manual(27.3%) or stapled(8.0%) techniques(p < 0.05). The median proximal resection margins in the NA and CA groups were 9.6 cm and 5.8 cm, and the corresponding rates of anastomotic tumor recurrence were 5.3% and 28.6%(p < 0.05). The prevalence of benign stricture formation (defined as moderate/severe dysphagia) was higher in the NA group(36.8%) than in the CA group(21.4%). When an anastomosis was made by the stapled technique, smaller size of the staple increased the prevalence of stricture formation - 41.7% with 25-mm staple and 9.1% with 28-mm staple(p < 0.05). Conclusion: Wider resection margin could decrease the anastomotic tumor recurrence, and the stapled technique could decrease the anastomotic leak. The prevalence of benign stricture was higher in the cervical anastomosis but the anastomotic leak and smaller size(25-mm) of the staple should be considered as risk factors.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1173-1176
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• 2008

Individuals who regularly consume excessive quantities of alcohol are at a greater risk of developing various cancers such as esophageal, pharyngeal and lung cancers compared to normal populations if they are deficient in ALDH2 enzyme activity. We evaluated oxidative DNA damage in the liver, brain, and lung tissues of Aldh2 +/+ and Aldh2 -/- mice after they had been subjected to acute ethanol exposure. The 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) level in each tissue was evaluated as a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage. The 8-OHdG level in the liver, brain, and lung tissues was significantly increased following ethanol treatment. In addition, the level of 8-OHdG in the liver and lung tissues was affected by ALDH2 enzyme activity. This result suggests that ALDH2-deficient individuals may be more susceptible than wild-type ALDH2 individuals to ethanol-mediated diseases, including cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1817-1823
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• 2016

Areca nut (AN) chewing is a habit in many countries in Central, Southern, and Southeast Asia. It is strongly associated with the occurrence of oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal cancer as well as systemic inflammation. However, the association between AN intake and the development of gastric lesions has not yet been identified. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of AN on gastric diseases using a mouse model for Helicobacter pylori infection. We studied four groups of mice: those fed a normal diet (ND), those fed a diet containing 2.5% AN (AD), those fed ND and infected with H. pylori PMSS1 strain (ND/HP), and those fed AD and infected with H. pylori PMSS1 strain (AD/HP). Food intake and body weight were monitored weekly during the experiments. At 10 weeks, the mice were sacrificed, and the stomach weight, H. pylori colonization, and gastric inflammation were evaluated. The stomach weight had increased significantly in the ND/HP and AD/HP groups along with increases in H. pylori colonization; however, there was no significant difference between these two groups with respect to stomach weight and colonization. On histological grading, mononuclear cell infiltration was severer in the AD/HP group than in the ND/HP group. These data suggest that chronic gastric inflammation was aggravated by AN treatment in the mice with H. pylori-induced gastric lesions. Furthermore, as previously suggested, this animal model is useful to determine the effect of potential carcinogens on gastric lesions induced by H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.248-250
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• 2002

A 56 year-old man complaining of dry cough, dyspnea, chest pain, fever, and chills was admitted to the emergency room. The patient had a history of esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy and subsequent radiotherapy because of an esophageal cancer. After the emergency echocardiography revealed a small amount of pericardial effusion and pneumopericardium. Upper GI contrast study showed a fistulous tract between the stomach and the pericardium, and an emergency operation was done under the diagnosis of gastropericardial fistula. The patient expired postoperative seven days later. Gastropericardial fistula caused by a peptic ulcer perforation after the esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy operation is a very rare complication and brings forth a disastrous result. Early detection using the chest radiography, electrocardiogram, upper Gl study, echocardiography and a review of physical examination, and an immediate treatment are therefore mandatory.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.13-13
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• 2018

Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus, widely distributed in the environment and a range of different habitats. It includes both plant pathogenic and saprophytic species, which can affect crops in the field or cause post-harvest spoilage of plant fruits and kernels. Numerous Alternaria species cause damage to agricultural products including cereal grains, fruits and vegetables, and are responsible for severe economic losses worldwide. Most Alternaria species have the ability to produce a variety of secondary metabolites, which may play important roles in plant pathology as well as food quality and safety. Alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN) and altenuene (ALT) are considered the main Alternaria compounds thought to pose a risk to human health. However, food-borne Alternaria species are able to produce many additional metabolites, whose toxicity has been tested incompletely or not tested at all. Both alternariols are mutagenic and their presence in cereal grain has been associated with high levels of human esophageal cancer in China. TeA exerts cytotoxic and phytotoxic properties, and is acutely toxic in different animal species, causing hemorrhages in several organs. The possible involvement of TA in the etiology of onyalai, a human hematological disorder occurring in Africa, has been suggested. Altertoxins (ALXs) have been found to be more potent mutagens and acutely toxic to mice than AOH and AME. Other metabolites, such as TEN, are reported to be phytotoxins, and their toxicity on animals has not been demonstrated up to now. Vegetable foods infected by Alternaria rot are obviously not suitable for consumption. Thus, whole fresh fruits are not believed to contribute significantly with Alternaria toxins to human exposure. However, processed vegetable products may introduce considerable amounts of these toxins to the human diet if decayed or moldy fruit is not removed before processing. The taxonomy of the genus is not well defined yet, which makes it difficult to establish an accurate relationship between the contaminant species and their associated mycotoxins. Great efforts have been made to organize taxa into subgeneric taxonomic levels, especially for the small-spored, food associated species, which are closely related and constitute the most relevant food pathogens from this genus. Several crops of agricultural value are susceptible to infection by different Alternaria species and can contribute to the entry of Alternaria mycotoxins in the food chain. The distribution of Alternaria species was studied in different commodities grown in Argentina. These food populations were characterized through a polyphasic approach, with special interest in their secondary metabolite profiles, to understand their full chemical potential. Alternaria species associated with tomato, bell pepper, blueberry, apples and wheat cultivated in Argentina showed a surprisingly high metabolomic and mycotoxigenic potential. The natural occurrence of Alternaria toxins in these foods was also investigated. The results here presented will provide background for discussion on regulations for Alternaria toxins in foods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1729-1739
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of fermented medicinal herbs. A search of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed databases and Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine in 2000-2011 located 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the clinical efficacy of fermented medicinal herbs. Domestic RCTs reported clinical efficacy on improvement of immune responses and clinical safety on usage of fermented medicinal herbs in subjects suffering from cerebral hemodynamics. Countries other than Chinareported studies on the cause of esophageal cancer and on local inflammatory reactions. In China, studies were reported on the effectiveness of fermented medicinal herbs on scapulohumeral periarthritis of the stasis type, chronic superficial gastritis, dysuria induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia of deficiency of kidney yang, diabetic nephropathy, essential hypertension, and benign prostate hyperplasia. These results indicate that fermented medicinal herbs have obvious clinical effects in some diseases and no adverse reactions. Therefore, we need to initiate more fermentation research with useful bacteria, fungi, and mushrooms to produce fermented medicinal herbs. Both governments and research authorities should focus on research involving fermentation of medicinal herbs.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.291-301
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• 1998

Purpose : A retrospective study was conducted comparing single daily fraction (SDF) thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) with twice daily (BID) TRT to determine the potential benefit of BID TRT in limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Endpoints of the study were response. survival, pattern of failure, and acute toxicity. Materials and Methods : Between November 1989 to December 1996, 78 patients with histologically proven limited-stage SCLC were treated at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Chungnam National University Hospital. Of these, 9 were irradiated for palliative intent, and 1 had recurrent disease. Remaining 68 patients were enrolled in this study. There were 26 patients with a median age of 58 years, and 22 (85$\%$) ECOG performance score of less than 1 in SDF TRT. There were 42 patients with a median age of 57 years, and 36 (86$\%$) ECOG performance score of less than 1 in BID TRT By radiation fractionation regimen, there were 26 in SDF TRT and 42 in BID TRT. SDF TRT consisted of 180 cGy, 5 days a week. BID TRT consisted of 150 cGy BID, 5 days a week in 13 of 42 and 120 cGy BID, in 29 of 42. And the twice daily fractions were separated by at least 4 hours. Total radiotherapy doses were between 5040 and 6940 cGy (median, 5040 cGy) in SDF TRT and was between 4320 and 5100 cGy (median, 4560 cGy) in BID TRT. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) was recommended for patients who achieved a CR. The recommended PCI dose was 2500 cGy/10 fractions. Chemotherapy consisted of CAV (cytoxan 1000 mg/$m^2$, adriamycin 40 mg/$m^2$, vincristine 1 mg/$m^2$) alternating with VPP (cisplatin 60 mg/$m^2$, etoposide 100 mg/$m^2$) every 3 weeks in 25 (96$\%$) of SDF TRT and in 40 (95$\%$) of BID TRT. Median cycle of chemotherapy was six in both group. Timing for chemotherapy was sequential in 23 of SDF TRT and in 3 BID TRT, and concurrent in 3 of SDF TRT and in 39 of BID TRT Follow-up ranged from 2 to 99 months (median, 14 months) in both groups. Results : Of the 26 SDF TRT, 9 (35$\%$) achieved a complete response (CR) and 14 (54$\%$) experienced a partial response (PR). Of the 42 BID TRT, 18 (43$\%$) achieved a CR and 23 (55$\%$) experienced a PR. There was no significant response difference between the two arms (p=0.119). Overall median and 2-year survival were 15 months and 26.8$\%$, respectively. The 2-year survivals were 26.9$\%$ and 28$\%$ in both arm, respectively (p=0.51). The 2-rear survivals were 35$\%$ in CR and 24.2$\%$ in PR, respectively. The grade 2 to 3 esophageal toxicities and grade 2 to 4 neutropenias were more common in BID TRT (p=0.028 0.003). There was no difference in locoregional and distant metastasis between the two arms (p=0 125 and 0.335, respectively). The most common site of distant metastasis was the brain. Conclusion : The median survival and 2-year survival were 17 months and 20.9$\%$ in SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy, and 15 months and 28$\%$ in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy, respectively. We did not observe a substantial improvement of long-term survival in the BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy compared with standard schedules of SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy. The grade 2 to 3 esophageal toxicities and glade 2 to 4 neutropenias were more common in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy. Although the acute toxicities were more common in BID TRT with concurrent chemotherapy than SDF TRT with sequential chemotherapy, a concurrent chemotherapy and twice daily TRT was feasible. However further patient accrual and long-term follow up are needed to determine the potential benefits of BID TRT in limited-stage SCLC.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1992

The usefulness of hyperthermia for cancer therapy has been established. The purpose of the present investigation was to access feasibility of heating normal lung and the temperature and power requirement were compared with that for liver as solid organ in rabbits by using radiofrequent heating machine. In this study, 20 rabbits were divided into 2 groups according to the heating site and the method of temperature measurement; in group I : lung heating and temperature measuring in skin, esophagus and lung parenchyme; in group II : liver heating and temperature measuring in skin and liver parenchyme. The results were as follows; 1) When the maximum temperature was almost same in lung heating group and liver heating group, the power for liver heating was lesser required than the power for lung heating (p<0.05). 2) The temperature of esophagus for the measurement of mediastinum temperature was $1.1{\pm}0.9^{\circ}C$ higher than the temperature of lung parenchyme (p<0.05). Therefore the above findings suggest lung, air containing organ, is well heated as same as liver, solid organ. So more active trials of lung heating in the lung cancer must be likely considered. But when the lung is heated, the esophageal temperature is higher than lung parenchyme, so the mediastinum damage must be considered seriously.