• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.911-920
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• 2022

Objective: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting tracer based on Glu-Urea-Lys derivatives conjugated to a 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid (NOTA) chelator via a thiourea-type short linker. This phase I clinical trial of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was conducted to evaluate the safety and radiation dosimetry of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in healthy volunteers and the lesion detection rate of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We designed a prospective, open-label, single-arm clinical trial with two cohorts comprising six healthy adult men and six patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Safety and blood test-based toxicities were monitored throughout the study. PET/CT scans were acquired at multiple time points after administering ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL (2 MBq/kg; 96-165 MBq). In healthy adults, absorbed organ doses and effective doses were calculated using the OLINDA/EXM software. In patients with prostate cancer, the rates of detecting suspicious lesions by ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT and conventional imaging (CT and bone scintigraphy) during the screening period, within one month after recruitment, were compared. Results: All 12 participants (six healthy adults aged 31-32 years and six prostate cancer patients aged 57-81 years) completed the clinical trial. No drug-related adverse events were observed. In the healthy adult group, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was rapidly distributed, with the highest uptake in the kidneys. The median effective dose coefficient was calculated as 0.025 mSv/MBq, and cumulative activity in the bladder had the highest contribution. In patients with metastatic prostate cancer, 229 suspicious lesions were detected using either ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT or conventional imaging. Among them, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT detected 199 (86.9%) lesions and CT or bone scintigraphy detected 114 (49.8%) lesions. Conclusion: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL can be safely applied clinically and has shown a higher detection rate for the localization of metastatic lesions in prostate cancer than conventional imaging. Therefore, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a valuable option for prostate cancer imaging.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.42.1-42.6
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• 2019

Robust identification of genetic alterations is important for the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of tumors. Screening for genetic alterations using tumor tissue samples may lead to biased interpretations because of the heterogeneous nature of the tumor mass. Liquid biopsy has been suggested as an attractive tool for the non-invasive follow-up of cancer treatment outcomes. In this study, we aimed to verify whether the mutations identified in primary tumor tissue samples could be consistently detected in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) by digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR). We first examined the genetic alteration profiles of three colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) and identified 11 non-silent amino acid changes across six cancer-related genes (APC, KRAS, TP53, TERT, ARIDIA, and BRCA1). All three samples had KRAS mutations (G12V, G12C, and G13D), which were well-known driver events. Therefore, we examined the KRAS mutations by dPCR. When we examined the three KRAS mutations by dPCR using tumor tissue samples, all of them were consistently detected and the variant allele frequencies (VAFs) of the mutations were almost identical between targeted NGS and dPCR. When we examined the KRAS mutations using the plasma cfDNA of the three CRC patients by dPCR, all three mutations were consistently identified. However, the VAFs were lower (range, 0.166% to 2.638%) than those obtained using the CRC tissue samples. In conclusion, we confirmed that the KRAS mutations identified from CRC tumor tissue samples were consistently detected in the plasma cfDNA of the three CRC patients by dPCR.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.685-696
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• 2011

An efficient laparoscope manipulator robot was designed to automatically control the position of laparoscope via a passive joint on end-effector position. The end position of the manipulator is controlled to have corresponding velocity defined in the global coordinate space using laparoscopic visual information. Desired spatial position of laparoscope was derived from detected positions of surgical instrument tips, then the clinical viewing plane was moved by visual servoing task. The laparoscope manipulator is advantageous for automatically maintaining clinically important views in the laparoscopic image without any additional operator. A laparoscope is mounted to a holder which is linked to four degree of freedom manipulator via universal joint-type passive rings connection. No change in the design of laparoscope or manipulator is necessary for its application to surgery assistant robot system. Expanded working space and surgical efficiency were accomplished by implementing slant linking structure between laparoscope and manipulator. To ensure reliable positioning accuracy and controllability, the motion of laparoscope in an abdominal space through trocar was inspected using geometrical analysis. A designed laparoscope manipulating robot system can be easily set up and controlled in an operation room since it has a few subsidiary devices such as a laparoscope light source regulator, a control PC, and a power supply.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.524-532
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• 2012

In this paper, we used MOM-based BIM(Born Iterative Method) algorithm to implement the inverse scattering for the detection of cancer. We adopted two-dimensional breast structure, integral equations and two-dimensional Green's function is solved with MoM(Method of Moment) to analyzing electromagnetic scattering phenomena. In addition, verifying the calculation of developed inverse scattering algorithm and analyzing medical applicability and limitations of the algorithm.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.23-32
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• 2012

This study applied an exploratory analysis based on Self Organizing Map and GIS to cause specific age-standardized regional death rates data related to ten types of male cancers to find meaning patterns in the data. Then the patterns revealed from the exploratory analysis was evaluated to investigate possible relationship between these patterns and regional socio-economic status represented by regional educational attainment levels of head of household. The results from this analysis show that SI-GUN-GUs in Korea can be clustered to eighteen unique clusters in the stand point of male cancer death rates and these clusters are also spatially clustered. Also, the results reveal that regions with higher socio-economic status show lower level of the death rates compared with the regions with lower socio-economic status. However, for some cancer types, the regions with higher socio-economic status show relatively higher death rates. These patterns imply that the prevention, detection, and treatment of male cancers might be strongly affected by regional factors such as socio-economic status, environmental factors, and cultures and norms in Korea. Especially, one of the eighteen clusters, which includes Gangnam-Gu and Seocho-Gu, shows lower death rates in many of male cancer types. This implies that socio-economic status may be one of the most influential factors for regional cancer control.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.818-828
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• 2014

After emerging of Microsoft Kinect, the interest in three-dimensional (3D) depth image was significantly increased. Depth image data of an object can be converted to 3D coordinates by simple arithmetic calculation and then can be reconstructed as a 3D model on computer. However, because the surface coordinates can be acquired only from the front area facing Kinect, total solid which has a closed surface cannot be reconstructed. In this paper, 3D registration method for multiple Kinects was suggested, in which surface information from each Kinect was simultaneously collected and registered in real time to build 3D total solid. To unify relative coordinate system used by each Kinect, 3D perspective transform was adopted. Also, to detect control points which are necessary to generate transformation matrix, 3D randomized Hough transform was used. Once transform matrices were generated, real time 3D reconstruction of various objects was possible. To verify the usefulness of suggested method, human arms were 3D reconstructed and the volumes of them were measured by using four Kinects. This volume measuring system was developed to monitor the level of lymphedema of patients after cancer treatment and the measurement difference with medical CT was lower than 5%, expected CT reconstruction error.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5741-5747
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• 2015

Purpose: To understand the epidemiology of different upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract related abnormalities through endoscopic data analysis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of three years from January 2009 to December 2011 was conducted with data from endoscopic surveillance of upper GI tract problems, collected from the Gastroenterology Unit, Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. MS excel and Medcalc software (comparison of proportions) were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 10,029 (6,468 in males and 3,561 in females) endoscopies were performed during this three-year period. The male to female ratio was 1.8:1. Overall, ~30% of endoscopies evaluated showed patients with acid peptic disorders, 13.6% with vascular-related abnormalities, 10.6% showed structural abnormalities, followed by 6.3% with malignancies. Burden of malignancies was mostly observed in the older age group (60-69 years). Esophageal cancer cases decreased (p=0.0001) whereas stomach cancers increased over this period (p=0.0345). We also observed an increased incidence of acid peptic disease (APD) (p=0.0036) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (p=0.0002) cases during this period. Conclusions: Endoscopic diagnosis is useful for early detection of UGI anomalies and helpful for physicians to manage and treat varied kinds of UGI disorders. Analysis of data revealed changing trends in the incidence of various pathologies of the UGI tract. Functional dyspepsia and GERD definitely reduce the quality of life of the individual. The role of our diverse dietary habits and lifestyle associated with these problems have not yet been established, though there have been reports on the effect of coffee, spicy food, wheat-based diet, screening of UGI pathologies along with collection of complete personal and medical history details, can h elp in correlating the patients' condition with various aspects of lifestyle and diet.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.20.1-20.13
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• 2022

Recent studies have focused on the early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) using tumor materials by liquid biopsy. The mechanisms of microRNAs (miRNAs) to impact OC and signaling pathways are still unknown. This study aims to reliably perform functional analysis of previously validated circulating miRNAs' target genes by using pathfindR. Also, overall survival and pathological stage analyses were evaluated with miRNAs' target genes which are common in the The Cancer Genome Atlas and GTEx datasets. Our previous studies have validated three downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR-885-5p, hsa-miR-1909-5p, and hsa-let7d-3p) having a diagnostic value in OC patients' sera, with high-throughput techniques. The predicted target genes of these miRNAs were retrieved from the miRDB database (v6.0). Active-subnetwork-oriented Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted by pathfindR using the target genes. Enrichment of KEGG pathways assessed by the analysis of pathfindR indicated that 24 pathways were related to the target genes. Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, spliceosome and Notch signaling pathway were the top three pathways with the lowest p-values (p < 0.001). Ninety-three common genes were found to be differentially expressed (p < 0.05) in the datasets. No significant genes were found to be significant in the analysis of overall survival analyses, but 24 genes were found to be significant with pathological stages analysis (p < 0.05). The findings of our study provide in-silico evidence that validated circulating miRNAs' target genes and enriched pathways are related to OC and have potential roles in theranostics applications. Further experimental investigations are required to validate our results which will ultimately provide a new perspective for translational applications in OC management.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.53-57
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers. Due to demographic changes, it is predicted that the incidence of this cancer will increase. Variations of its incidence rate among geographical areas are due to various contributing factors. Since there have been a lack of studies on this topic in our country, the present assessment of spatial patterns of colorectal cancer incidence in Iran was performed. In this ecological study, the new cases of colon cancer were extracted from Cancer Registry Center report of the Health Deputy of Iran in 2009. The reported incidences of the disease were standardized on the basis of the World Health Organization population and the direct method. Then the data were inserted into the GIS software, and finally, using the analysis of hot spots (Getis-Ord Gi) high-risk areas were drawn. Provinces that are higher or lower than the national average (1.9 SD) were considered hot spots or cold spots, significant at the level of 0.05. A total of 6,210 cases of colorectal cancer were registered in Iran in 2009, of which 3,727 were in men and 2,783 in women (age-standardized rates of 11.3 and 10.9 per 100,000 population, respectively). The results showed that in central and northern Iran including Isfahan, Qom, Tehran, Qazvin and Mazandaran significant hot spots in men were present (p <0.05). In women also we have high incidence in northern and central states: Mazandaran province (p<0.01) and the province of Tehran (p<0.05) had higher incidences than the national average and were apparent as significant hot spots. Analysis of the spatial distribution of colorectal cancer showed significant differences between different areas pointing to the necessity for further epidemiological studies into the etiology and early detection.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.104-108
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• 2005

Genus Phellinus taxonomically belongs to Aphyllophorales and some species of this genus have been used as a medicinal ingredients and Indian folk medicines. Especially, P. linteus and morphological-related species are well-known medicinal fungi that have various biological activities such as humoral and cell-mediated, anti-mutagenic, and anti-cancer activities. However, little is known about the rapid detection for complex Phellinus species. Therefore, this study was carried out to develop specific primers for the rapid detection of P. linteus and other related species. Designing the species-specific primers was done based on internal transcribed spacer sequence data. Each primer set detected specifically P. linteus (PL2/PL5R) and P. baumii (PB1/PB4R). These primer sets could be useful for the rapid detection of specific-species among unidentified Phellinus species. Moreover, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the ITS region with HaeIII was also useful for clarifying the relationship between each 5 Phellinus species.