• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2045-2049
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• 2014

Background: Functional status is the ability to perform daily activities. Little is known about quality of life and health status of gynaecological cancer patients. The present study therefore aimed to evaluate the functional status of women receiving treatment for gynecological oncological disease while not hospitalised. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study covered 42 patients monitored by the Gynecological Oncology Unit in 2011. Data were collected using the Functional Living Index-Cancer and analysed with the chi square test, independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, one-way ANOVA test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results: Of the 42 cases, 66.7% had been diagnosed within the previous year and 90.5% were undergoing chemotherapy. The most severe symptoms experienced were pain (35.7%), fatigue-weakness (40.5%) and nausea and vomiting (56.5%). Daily activities where the most difficulty was experienced were housework (28.6%), average pace walking (31.0%), carrying more than 5 kg (28.6%). The mean Functional Living Index score was quite high ($103.5{\pm}24.1$). FLIC-C scale scores did not vary with the educational status, diagnosis duration, and family history of cancer (p>0.05). Conclusions: Evaluation of the functional status of gynecological cancer patients and how they cope with problems should indicate to healthcare professionals what help can be given to maintain quality of life.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.59 no.12
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• pp.26.1-26.8
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• 2017

Background: The change in size and weight of the female reproductive organs during gestation and birth might be affect the perineal muscles and this condition in dairy cow not been reported. This study aimed to assess the ultrasonographic image of coccygeus muscle in 11 inseminated dairy cows with different gestational ages and postpartum. Methods: Gestational age was calculated based on the record of artificial insemination and confirmed by using transrectal brightness mode ultrasonography. Perineal hair between the sacrum and ischium bones was shaved along 3-5 cm before being ultrasound. The images of perineal area were obtained by transcutaneous ultrasound using a 5.0 MHz transducer. The thickness and intensity of the coccygeus muscle were measured and analyzed by gestational status and postpartum to show the differences. Results: The results showed that the thickness of coccygeus muscle increased with the increase in gestational age. Muscle intensity only increased at young gestational age. However, it decreased with the increase in gestational age (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The ultrasound image of coccygeus muscle was affected by gestational status, thus this method may be used as one of the new methods of indirect gestational detection on dairy cows.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.858-868
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• 2009

The abundance, biomass, size distribution, and taxonomic composition of bacterial and protistan (heterotrophic and autotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates) communities were investigated in six lakes of Masurian Lake District (north-eastern Poland) differing in trophic state. Samples were taken from the trophogenic water layer during summer stratification periods. Image analysis techniques with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) as well as [$^3H$]-methyl-thymidine incorporation methods were applied to analyze differences in the composition and activity of bacterial communities. The greatest differences in trophic parameters were found between the humic lake and remaining non-humic ones. The same bacterial and heterotrophic nanoflagellate (HNF) cell size classes dominated in all the studied lakes. However, distinct increases in the contributions of large bacterial (>$1.0{\mu}m$) and HNF (>$10{\mu}m$) cells were observed in eutrophic lakes. The bacterial community was dominated by the ${\beta}$-Proteohacteria group, which accounted for 27% of total DAPI counts. Ciliate communities were largely composed of Oligotrichida. Positive correlations between bacteria and protists, as well as between nanoflagellates (both heterotrophic and autotrophic) and ciliates, suggest that concentrations of food sources may be important in determining the abundance of protists in the studied lakes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8957-8961
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• 2014

Background: Promoter hypermethylation leads to altered gene functions and may result in malignant cellular transformation. Thus, identification of biomarkers for hypermethylated genes could be useful for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Objectives: To screen hypermethylated genes with a microarray approach and to validate selected hypermethylated genes with the methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSPCR). Materials and Methods: Genome-wide analysis of normal oral mucosa and OSCC tissues was conducted using the Illumina methylation microarray. The specified differential genes were selected and hypermethylation status was further verified with an independent cohort sample of OSCC samples. Candidate genes were screened using microarray assay and run by MSPCR analysis. Results: TP73, PIK3R5, and CELSR3 demonstrated high percentages of differential hypermethylation status. Conclusions: Our microarray screening and MSPCR approaches revealed that the signature candidates of differentially hypermethylated genes may possibly become potential biomarkers which would be useful for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets of OSCC in the near future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1037-1041
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• 2013

Background: Prognostication of breast cancer using clinico-pathologic variables, although useful, remains imperfect. Recent research has focused on finding new markers of prognosis using gene expression profiling. Panels of proteins assessed by immunohistochemistry might also be useful in this regard. This study focused on Bcl-2 protein expression in triple-negative (TNBC) and non- triple-negative breast cancer (non-TNBC) with correlation to clinico-pathologic variables. Materials and methods: We analyzed Bcl-2 expression in 77 women with primary breast carcinoma divided into two groups; triple-negative and non- triple-negative according to expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptors (Her2/neu). Bcl-2 expression was assessed in relation to age, histo-pathological subtype, grade, nodal status and tumor size. Results: Bcl-2 was expressed in 74% of triple-negative breast cancers and 70% of non- triple-negative cancers. In TNBC, expression was significantly correlated with invasive ductal subtype, while in non-TNBC it was significantly correlated with age and negative nodal status. In both groups higher Bcl-2 expression associated with favourable prognostic factors in breast cancer, but no significant statistical correlations were found. Conclusions: Frequency of Bcl-2 expression does not differ between TNBC and non-TNBC, but different prognostic factors correlate with Bcl-2 in the two cases.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.90-99
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• 2021

Purpose: Nutrition screening is vital to ensure patients are appropriately managed in hospital. In paediatrics there is currently no universally accepted nutrition screening tool. The Nutrition Evaluation Screening Tool (NEST) was developed as an easy to use and practical screening tool for hospitalised children. We aim to evaluate compliance of the NEST and assess agreement of the NEST with the already validated nutrition screening tools, Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP) and the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) tool. Methods: Retrospective review of 102 patient episodes at the Evelina London Children's Hospital. Electronic records were used to assess NEST compliance and to complete the nutrition tools for each patient episode. Cohen's kappa was used to determine the level of agreement between each nutrition tool. Results: There was moderate agreement between the NEST and the two screening tools, STRONGkids (κ=0.472) and STAMP (κ=0.416) for patients on initial screening at admission. 87.2% of patient episodes were NEST compliant within 24 hours of admission to hospital. Conclusion: The moderate agreement between these two already validated screening tools enhances the NEST's validity as a paediatric screening tool. The NEST had the strongest correlation with the SGNA tool compared to other screening tools. The NEST is user friendly screening tool for hospitalised children.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.151-160
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of information and communications technology(ICT) uses of the faculty members at national universities of education and to provide guidelines for ICT in education. The survey was conducted to examine factors related to the use of ICT, including faculty members' abilities to use ICT with respect to gender, age, and previous experiences with computers and to analyze their relevance to instructional methods. The results of the survey showed that female faculty members and male faculty members in their sixties and those with less years of teaching career were more likely to need support for using ICT than the others. The direct instructional method and discussion were the most frequently used; discussion was positively correlated with ICT uses. It was also found that faculty members anticipated more difficulties in using ICT in class and needed to work in a collaborative way and learn more effective use of ICT in the teaching and learning process.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4589-4592
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• 2015

Background: Missense and frame-shift mutations within the dimer forming domain of the caspase 8 gene have been identified in several cancers. However, the genetic status of this region in precancerous lesions, like oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), and well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) in patients from southern region of India is not known, and hence the present study was designed to address this issue. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA isolated from biopsy tissues of thirty one oral submucous fibrosis and twenty five OSCC samples were subjected to PCR amplification with intronic primers flanking exon 7 of the caspase 8 gene. The PCR amplicons were subsequently subjected to direct sequencing to elucidate the status of mutation. Results: Sequence analysis identified a frame-shift and a novel missense mutation in two out of twenty five OSCC samples. The frame-shift mutation was due to a two base pair deletion (c.1225_1226delTG), while the missense mutation was due to substitution of wild type cysteine residue with phenylalanine at codon 426 (C426F). The missense mutation, however, was found to be heterozygous as the wild type C426C codon was also present. None of the OSMF samples carried mutations. Conclusions: The identification of mutations in OSCC lesions but not OSMF suggests that dimer forming domain mutations in caspase 8 may be limited to malignant lesions. The absence of mutations in OSMF also suggests that the samples analyzed in the present study may not have acquired transforming potential. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to have explored and identified frame-shift and novel missense mutations in OSCC tissue samples.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1593-1596
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• 2013

Background: To evaluate outcomes using a Thai herbal medicine, Vilac Plus (G716/45) with standard radiotherapy in comparison with historic controls from literature reports of the results of treatment in stage IIIB cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Between March 2003 and June 2005, thirty patients with advanced cervical cancer stage IIIB-IV who had a poor performance status were treated by palliative radiotherapy along with an adjuvant daily dose of 15-30 ml of Thai herbal tonic solution (Vilac Plus G716/45) administered orally three times after meals as an additional supportive therapy. The results were analyzed from the aspect of the overall survival rates with curves estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:.The median follow -up time for stage IIIB was 4.2 years with a range of 7.9 months - 6.1 years. The overall 1, 3, and 5 year survival rates for stage IIIB were 88%, 60% and 52%. Conclusions: The overall 5 year survival rate for stage IIIB with a poor performance status was 52% when compared with 34-54.8% for historic controls. The combined complementary palliative radiotherapy (CCPR) had low rates of radiation morbidity. It was a simple technique and feasible for developing countries. The pilot study was limited by the small number of patients and further research will be necessary to assess interrelated and confounding factors in treatment of cervical cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7911-7916
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• 2015

Serum anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies and pepsinogens (PGs) have been used as gastric cancer screening and gastric mucosal status markers. Nepal is a low risk country for gastric cancer. However, the mountainous populace in the northern region culturally linked to Tibet as well as Bhutan, a neighboring country, have a high risk of GC. We collected gastric biopsy specimens and sera from 146 dyspeptic patients living in Kathmandu, Nepal. We also examined the sera of 80 volunteers living in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. The optimal cut-off was calculated for serum biomarkers against the histology. Kathmandu patients (43.8%) were serologically positive for H. pylori infection, which was significantly lower than that for the mountainous (61.3%, P = 0.01). The same results also found in the prevalence of PG-positivity, PG I levels and PG I/II ratios (P = 0.001, P<0.0001 and P = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, the PG I/II ratios were significantly, and inversely correlated with the OLGA score (r = -0.33, P<0.009). The low incidence of gastric cancer in Nepal can be attributed to low gastric mucosal atrophy. However, the mountainous subjects have high-risk gastric mucosal status, which could be considered a high-risk population in Nepal.