• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4833-4837
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• 2015

Biomarkers for preclinical diagnosis of cancer are valuable tools for detection of malignant tumors at early stages in groups at risk and screening healthy people, as well as monitoring disease recurrence after treatment of cancer. However the complexity of the body's response to the pathological processes makes it virtually impossible to evaluate this response to the development of the disease using a single biomarker that is present in the serum at low concentrations. An alternative approach to standard biomarker analysis is called immunosignature. Instead of going after biomarkers themselves this approach rely on the analysis of the humoral immune response to molecular changes associated with the development of pathological processes. It is known that antibodies are produced in response to proteins expressed during cancer development. Accordingly, the changes in antibody repertoire associated with tumor growth can serve as biomarkers of cancer. Immunosignature is a highly sensitive method for antibody repertoire analysis utilizing high density peptide microarrays. In the present review we discuss modern methods for antibody detection, as well as describe the principles and applications of immunosignature in research and clinical practice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3543-3549
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• 2015

Background: Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Gene expression profiling using microarray technologies improves the understanding of cancer biology. The aim of this study was to determine the gene expression profile in Egyptian bladder cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Samples from 29 human bladder cancers and adjacent non-neoplastic tissues were analyzed by cDNA microarray, with hierarchical clustering and multidimensional analysis. Results: Five hundred and sixteen genes were differentially expressed of which SOS1, HDAC2, PLXNC1, GTSE1, ULK2, IRS2, ABCA12, TOP3A, HES1, and SRP68 genes were involved in 33 different pathways. The most frequently detected genes were: SOS1 in 20 different pathways; HDAC2 in 5 different pathways; IRS2 in 3 different pathways. There were 388 down-regulated genes. PLCB2 was involved in 11 different pathways, MDM2 in 9 pathways, FZD4 in 5 pathways, p15 and FGF12 in 4 pathways, POLE2 in 3 pathways, and MCM4 and POLR2E in 2 pathways. Thirty genes showed significant differences between transitional cell cancer (TCC) and squamous cell cancer (SCC) samples. Unsupervised cluster analysis of DNA microarray data revealed a clear distinction between low and high grade tumors. In addition 26 genes showed significant differences between low and high tumor stages, including fragile histidine triad, Ras and sialyltransferase 8 (alpha) and 16 showed significant differences between low and high tumor grades, like methionine adenosyl transferase II, beta. Conclusions: The present study identified some genes, that can be used as molecular biomarkers or target genes in Egyptian bladder cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1917-1921
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• 2012

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Genome wide analysis studies have identified sequence mutations causing loss-of-function that are associated with disease occurrence and severity. Epigenetic modifications, such DNA methylation, have also been implicated in many cancers but have yet to be examined in the East Asian population of colorectal cancer patients. Methods: Biopsies of tumors and matched non-cancerous tissue types were obtained and genomic DNA was isolated and subjected to the bisulphite conversion method for comparative DNA methylation analysis on the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip. Results: Totals of 258 and 74 genes were found to be hyper- and hypo-methylated as compared to the individual's matched control tissue. Interestingly, three genes that exhibited hypermethylation in their promoter regions, CMTM2, ECRG4, and SH3GL3, were shown to be significantly associated with colorectal cancer in previous studies. Using heatmap cluster analysis, eight hypermethylated and 10 hypomethylated genes were identified as significantly differentially methylated genes in the tumour tissues. Conclusions: Genome-wide methylation profiling facilitates rapid and simultaneous analysis of cancerous cells which may help to identify methylation markers with high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis and prognosis. Our results show the promise of the microarray technology in identification of potential methylation biomarkers for colorectal cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.837-845
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• 2014

Background: Overweight and obesity are recognized as major drivers of cancers including breast cancer. Several cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and lipocalin 2 (LCN2), as well as dysregulated cell cycle proteins are implicated in breast carcinogenesis. The nuclear, casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate-1 (NUCKS-1), is a nuclear DNA-binding protein that has been implicated in several human cancers, including breast cancer. Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate NUCKS-1 mRNA expression in breast tissue from obese patients with and without breast cancer and lean controls. NUCKS-1 expression was correlated to cytokine profiles as prognostic and monitoring tools for breast cancer, providing a molecular basis for a causal link between obesity and risk. Materials and Methods: This study included 39 females with breast cancer (G III) that was furtherly subdivided into two subgroups according to cancer grading (G IIIa and G IIIb) and 10 control obese females (G II) in addition to 10 age-matched healthy lean controls (G I). NUCKS-1 expression was studied in breast tissue biopsies by means of real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Serum cytokine profiles were determined by immunoassay. Lipid profiles and glycemic status as well as anthropometric measures were also recorded for all participants. Results: IL-6, IL-12 and LCN2 were significantly higher in control obese and breast cancer group than their relevant lean controls (p<0.05), while NUCKS-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the breast cancer group compared to the other groups (p<0.05). Significant higher levels of IL-6, IL-12, and LCN2 as well as NUCKS-1 mRNA levels were reported in G IIIb than G IIIa, and positively correlated with obesity markers in all obese patients. Conclusions: Evaluation of cytokine levels as well as related gene expression may provide a new tool for understanding interactions for three axes of carcinogenesis, innate immunity, inflammation and cell cycling, and hope for new strategies of management.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.765-768
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• 2013

Background and Aims: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in many populations. Metformin is the most widely used anti-diabetic drug in the world, and there is increasing evidence of a potential efficacy of this agent as an anti-cancer drug. Metformin inhibits the proliferation of a range of cancer cells including prostate, colon, breast, ovarian, and glioma lines. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that downregulate gene expression. We aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin treatment on changes in miRNA expression in PC-3 cells, and possible associations with biological behaviour. Materials and Methods: Average cell viability and cytotoxic effects of metformin were investigated at 24 hour intervals for three days using the xCELLigence system. The $IC_{50}$ dose of metformin in the PC-3 cells was found to be 5 mM. RNA samples were used for analysis using custom multi-species microarrays containing 1209 probes covering 1221 human mature microRNAs present in miRBase 16.0 database. Results: Among the human miRNAs investigated by the arrays, 10 miRNAs were up-regulated and 12 miRNAs were down-regulated in the metformin-treated group as compared to the control group. In conclusion, expression changes in miRNAs of miR-146a, miR-100, miR-425, miR-193a-3p and, miR-106b in metformin-treated cells may be important. This study may emphasize a new role of metformin on the regulation of miRNAs in prostate cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5067-5072
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• 2013

Background: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway plays a significant role in apoptosis, cellular proliferation and motility. The aim of the present study was to analyze mutations and gene expression profiles of the PI3KCA gene to determine any role in breast carcinomas. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 38 breast cancers for mutations in the two PIK3CA hotspots in exons 9 and 20 by direct sequencing of DNA obtained from biopsy samples. We have also analyzed expression of the PI3KCA gene in 38 breast carcinoma tumor and corresponding control tissue samples at the mRNA level by RT-PCR. The Fisher's exact test ($2{\times}2$ only) was performed using MedCalc software for to examine associations with mRNA levels. Results: In the present study a total of 13 cases demonstrated somatic mutations. In 9/13 cases 1633 G>A (E545K) were found in exon 9, whereas in exon 20, 4/13 cases had 3140A>G mutation. Our combined analysis showed PI3KCA mutations present in 34% of human breast cancer patients. In our study, we have also clearly found significantly higher expression in breast cancer tissues in comparison with control tissues (p=0.001). Conclusions: PIK3CA mutation is an emerging tumor marker that, in the future, might be used in the process of choosing a treatment. The detection of PI3KCA mutation might have important clinical implications for diagnosis, progression and therapy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2012

In an ongoing survey of the bioactive potential of microorganisms from Ladakh, India, the culture medium of a bacterial strain of a new Pseudomonas sp., strain ICTB-745, isolated from an alkaline soil sample collected from Leh, Ladakh, India, was found to contain metabolites that exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial and biosurfactant activities. Bioactivity-guided purification resulted in the isolation of four bioactive compounds. Their chemical structures were elucidated by $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMR, 2D-NMR (HMBC, HSQC, $^1H$,$^1H$-COSY, and DEPT-135), FT-IR, and mass spectroscopic methods, and were identified as 1-hydroxyphenazine, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), rhamnolipid-1 (RL-1), and rhamnolipid-2 (RL-2). These metabolites exhibited various biological activities like antimicrobial and efficient cytotoxic potencies against different human tumor cell lines such as HeLa, HepG2, A549, and MDA MB 231. RL-1 and RL-2 exhibited a dose-dependent antifeedant activity against Spodoptera litura, producing about 82.06% and 73.66% antifeedant activity, whereas PCA showed a moderate antifeedant activity (63.67%) at 60 ${\mu}g/cm^2$ area of castor leaf. Furthermore, PCA, RL-1, and RL-2 exhibited about 65%, 52%, and 47% mortality, respectively, against Rhyzopertha dominica at 20 ${\mu}g/ml$. This is the first report of rhamnolipids as antifeedant metabolites against Spodoptera litura and as insecticidal metabolites against Rhyzopertha dominica. The metabolites from Pseudomonas sp. strain ICTB-745 have interesting potential for use as a biopesticide in pest control programs.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.295-306
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• 2010

Objectives : This study was undertaken to examine the metabolomic changes due to gender and diurnal variation at sampling time and to identify an appropriate time point for urine sampling in epidemiologic studies using metabolomic profiles. Methods : Urine samples were collected twice a day (morning and afternoon) from 20 healthy Korean adults after fasting for 8 hours. The metabolomic assay was investigated using $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy coupled with the principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The metabolites responsible for differentiation between groups were identified through the loading plot of PLS-DA and quantified using Chenomx NMR Suite with a 600 MHz library. Results : Metabolites responsible for differentiation in gender and sampling time were creatinine, trimethyl anine oxide (TMAO), hippurate, mannitol, citrate and acetoacetate. Dimethylamine showed difference only as a factor of diurnal time. The level of creatinine was higher in men compared to women, and the levels of citrate, TMAO, hippurate, mannitol, and acetoacetate were higher in women compared to men. The levels of creatinine, TMAO, hippurate, dimethylamine and mannitol were higher in the morning rather than the afternoon while those of citrate and acetoacetate were higher in the afternoon rather than the morning. Conclusions : Since urinary metabolomic profiles varied by gender and diurnal cycle, urine sampling should be performed at the same time point for all participants in epidemiologic studies using metabolomic profiles.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.359-365
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• 2014

Oriental pear (Pyrus communis L. cv 'Niitaka') was stored at $0^{\circ}C$ for 5 months and major metabolites involved in blackening of the peel were analyzed by untargeted GC-MS and targeted HPLC methods. In this study, peels of sound and skin-blackened pears were analyzed and compared. Skin-blackened fruit was clearly characterized by a distinctive pattern in changes which included a decrease of malic acid, succinic acid, and ascorbic acid, while an increase of fumaric acid, threonine, and gluconic acid, which indicated both reduced metabolic activity and anti-oxidative capacity of the cells. Chlorogenic acid was a major phenolic compound and the peel of sound fruit showed high levels of free phenolic compounds compared than the peel of skin-blackened fruit which are believed to be related to oxidation of phenolics in skin-blackened tissue. The changes or profiling of major metabolites by targeted or untargeted analysis method could become a useful tool for understanding physiology, disorder mechanism, and identifying metabolic networks connecting primary and secondary metabolism in postharvest research.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Anthocyanins have been recognized as health-enhancing substances due to their antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and hypoglycemic effects. The objective was to identify anthocyanins-rich rice grains for the development of functional foods and/or functional food colorants METHODS AND RESULTS: Rice grains of one black and three red-hulled rice varieties were extracted with acidified 80% aqueous methanol. The antioxidant activity of the methanolic extracts was screened on TLC plates and in an in vitro assay using DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) as a free radical source. Red-hulled rice varieties exhibited higher antioxidant activity (88%, 1 mg/mL) than black rice (67%, 1 mg/mL). Among the red-hulled varieties tested, rice variety SSALBYEO54 (901452) was the most active (72%, 0.5 mg/mL). Rice extracted anthocyanin compounds were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-FLD and LC-MS/MS. Red-hulled varieties comprised cyanidin-3-glucoside in addition to ferulic acid esters, apigenin and kaempferol glycosides. CONCLUSION(s): Anthocyanins identified in the black rice variety were cyanidin-7-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-Oglucoside, cyanidin-3'-O-glucoside, cyanidin-5-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3, 7-O-diglucoside, cyanidin-3, 5-O-diglucoside and peonidin-4'-O-glucoside. The results of this study show that the black rice (IT212512) and red-hulled rice variety SSALBYEO54 (901452) contain notable antioxidant activity for potential use in nutraceutical or functional food formulations.