• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5779-5785
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• 2015

The present study was designed to investigate cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) antibodies in hamster serum. Hamster CCA cell lines were processed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A candidate biomarker was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and western blot, and was further analyzed using ELISA and sera from normal control hamsters, hamsters with opisthorchiasis and hamsters with various stages of CCA, as well as from CCA patients and healthy individuals. One candidate marker was identified as $HSP90{\alpha}$, as indicated by a high level of anti-$HSP90{\alpha}$ in hamster CCA sera. It was found that the levels of anti-$HSP90{\alpha}$ were specifically elevated in the sera of hamsters with CCA compared with other groups and progressively increased with the clinical stage. At the cut-off point of 0.4850 on the receiver operating characteristic curve, anti-$HSP90{\alpha}$ could discriminate CCA from healthy control groups with a sensitivity of 76.2%, specificity of 71.4% and total accuracy 75.5%. In the present study, we have shown that anti-$HSP90{\alpha}$ may be a potential useful serum biomarker to discriminate CCA cases from healthy persons.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2015

White light-emitting diode (WLED) is growing interest in using both illumination and communications. This paper reports visible light communication (VLC) composed of a super bright white light-emitting diode, low cost commercial photo-diode and a Fresnel lens. LED driver is consisted of the power MOSFET and MOSFET driver that switches the LED on and off. The modulation bandwidth of the LED used was determined to be 8 MHz. However, it was possible to communicate up to 1 Mbps under illumination of 500 lx because of the weak signal power and a low spectral sensitivity of the SHF213 as a PIN photodiode. In order to enhance the system bandwidth, the LED light was focused on the PIN photodiode by use of the Fresnel lens. As a result of that, visible light link was operated up to modulation bandwidth of the LED. The signal to noise ratio can be improved by 40 dB using an optical concentration at the receiver.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.132-140
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• 2020

Purpose: To retrospectively determine whether specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reading performed by an experienced radiologist affected the successful assessment of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in the presence of biopsy-related hemorrhage after prostate biopsy. Materials and Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent MRI. General radiologist and subspecialized radiologist readings were unpaired and reviewed in random order by a radiologist who was blinded to patients' clinical details and histopathologic data. The extent of hemorrhage was assessed on T1-weighted (T1W) MRI using a 1-4 scale, and the likelihood of EPE was assessed for each of the four categories. Histopathologic specimens served as the reference standard. The area under the curve (AUC) of the standard reading was compared to that of the specialized reading. Results: Post-biopsy hemorrhage was subjectively graded as ≥ 3 in 101 patients (50.5%) by standard reading, and in 100 patients (50.0%) by specialized reading. The standard and specialized readings disagreed for 40 (20.7%) of the patients (kappa [κ] = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.48). Of these, specialized reading was the correct interpretation for 21 patients (52.5%). The sensitivity (75% vs. 44%; P = 0.002) and area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) (0.83 vs. 0.67; P = 0.008) of the specialized readings were significantly higher than those of the standard readings, while there was no significant difference in specificity (84% vs. 87%; P = 0.434). Conclusion: The reinterpretation of MRI by experienced radiologists significantly improves the diagnosis of EPE in prostate cancer in the presence of post-biopsy hemorrhage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10739-10743
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• 2015

The present study aimed at evaluating and comparing the diagnostic performance of B-mode ultrasound (US), elastography score (ES), and strain ratio (SR) for the differentiation of breast lesions. This retrospective study enrolled 431 lesions from 417 in-hospital patients. All patients were examined with both conventional ultrasound and elastography. Two experienced radiologists reviewed ultrasound and elasticity images. The histopathologic result obtained from ultrasound-guided core biopsy or operation excisions were used as the reference standard. Pathologic examination revealed 276 malignant lesions (64%) and 155 benign lesions (36%). A cut-off point of 4.15 (area under the curve, 0.891) allowed significant differentiation of malignant and benign lesions. ROC (receiver-operating characteristic) curves showed a higher value for combination of B-mode ultrasound and elastography for the diagnosis of breast lesions. Conventional ultrasound combined elastography showed high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for group II lesions (10mm${\leq}20mm$). Elastography combined with conventional ultrasound show high specificity and accuracy for differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions. Elastography is particularly important for the diagnosis of BI-RADS 4 and small breast lesions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5495-5501
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• 2013

Background: Alu elements are one of the most common repetitive sequences that now constitute more than 10% of the human genome and potential targets for epigenetic alterations. Correspondingly, methylation of these elements can result in a genome-wide event that may have an impact in cancer. However, studies investigating the genome-wide status of Alu methylation in cancer remain limited. Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) presents with high incidence in South-East Asia and thus the aim of this study was to evaluate the Alu methylation status in OSCCs and explore with the possibility of using this information for diagnostic screening. We evaluated Alu methylation status in a) normal oral mucosa compared to OSCC; b) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of normal controls comparing to oral cancer patients; c) among oral epithelium of normal controls, smokers and oral cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Alu methylation was detected by combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) at 2 CpG sites. The amplified products were classified into three patterns; hypermethylation ($^mC^mC$), partial methylation ($^uC^mC+^mC^uC$), and hypomethylation ($^uC^uC$). Results: The results demonstrate that the $%^mC^mC$ value is suitable for differentiating normal and cancer in oral tissues (p=0.0002), but is not significantly observe in PBMCs. In addition, a stepwise decrease in this value was observed in the oral epithelium from normal, light smoker, heavy smoker, low stage and high stage OSCC (p=0.0003). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses demonstrated the potential of combined $%^mC$ or $%^mC^mC$ values as markers for oral cancer detection with sensitivity and specificity of 86.7% and 56.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Alu hypomethylation is likely to be associated with multistep oral carcinogenesis, and might be developed as a screening tool for oral cancer detection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.10
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• pp.408-413
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• 2016

Purpose: This study investigated predictors of unresponsiveness to second-line intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment for Kawasaki disease (KD). Methods: This was a single-center analysis of the medical records of 588 patients with KD who had been admitted to Asan Medical Center between 2006 and 2014. Related clinical and laboratory data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Eighty (13.6%) of the 588 patients with KD were unresponsive to the initial IVIG treatment and received a second dose. For these 80 patients, univariate analysis of the laboratory results obtained before administering the second-line IVIG treatment showed that white blood cell count, neutrophil percent, hemoglobin level, platelet count, serum protein level, albumin level, potassium level, and C-reactive protein level were significant predictors. The addition of methyl prednisolone to the second-line regimen was not associated with treatment response (odds ratio [OR], 0.871; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.216-3.512; P=0.846). Multivariate analysis revealed serum protein level to be the only predictor of unresponsiveness to the second-line treatment (OR, 0.160; 95% CI, 0.028-0.911; P=0.039). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine predictors of unresponsiveness to the second dose of IVIG showed a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 72% at a serum protein cutoff level of <7.15 g/dL. Conclusion: The serum protein level of the patient prior to the second dose of IVIG is a significant predictor of unresponsiveness. The addition of methyl prednisolone to the second-line regimen produces no treatment benefit.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.266-275
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• 2020

Purpose: The outcome predictors of Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) for biliary atresia (BA) are controversial. This study aimed to identify possible short-term outcome predictors of KPE for BA in infants. Methods: This retrospective study included infants with BA who underwent KPE between January 2015 and December 2017 and were followed up for at least 6 months after surgery at the Pediatric Hepatology Unit, Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt. The short-term outcome was jaundice clearance within 6 months following surgery. All data were compared between the jaundice free group and those with persistent jaundice to identify the predictors of jaundice clearance. Results: The study included 75 infants. The mean age at the time of surgery was 82.43±22.77 days (range, 37-150 days), and 28 (37.3%) infants cleared their jaundice within 6 months postoperative. Age at surgery did not significantly affect the outcome (p=0.518). Infants with persistent jaundice had significantly higher pre-operative levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than those who were jaundice free (p=0.041). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that preoperative AST ≤180 IU/L was predictive of a successful KPE, with sensitivity 74.5% and specificity 60.7%. Infants with bile plugs in liver biopsy had a 6-fold higher risk of persistent jaundice than those without bile plugs (95% confidence interval: 1.59-20.75, p=0.008). Conclusion: Jaundice clearance after KPE for BA can be predicted using preoperative AST and presence of bile plugs in liver biopsy.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.139-144
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• 2014

Purpose: Detection and determination of tendon injury in the finger or hand is not easy. Therefore, we aimed to study and evaluate the accuracy and the effectiveness of ultrasonography for the diagnosis of finger tendon injury. Methods: In this study, we enrolled patients, regardless of age and sex, with lacerations on their fingers. Patients with invisible wounds were excluded. We evaluated the accuracy and the effectiveness of ultrasonography and compared the results obtained from ultrasonography and with those obtained by visual observation of the injuries. Results: The sensitivity, the specificity and the accuracy of ultrasonography were found to be 66.7%, 100% and 91.3%, respectively (p<0.001) while those of physical examination were 71.4%, 98.3% and 91.3%, respectively. Small differences were observed between the sensitivities and specificities of the two examinations; however, the accuracies were the same (p<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which was used for diagnosis of tendon rupture using ultrasonography, was found to be 0.985 (95% confidence interval CI: 0.929-0.999),while that of physical examination was 0.938 (95% CI: 0.861-0.980). Conclusion: Ultrasonography can be used an effective diagnostic tool for patients with finger tendon injury.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.227-233
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• 2017

To reduce swine production costs, a slaughter check system has been developed in countries with an advanced swine industry. Evaluation of lung lesions in carcasses is a critical part of the slaughter check system. This study was performed to collect background information for use in developing a slaughter check system in Korea. Lung tissues and their gross images were collected from slaughterhouses in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Scoring of the gross lung lesions was performed on the lung images. Histopathologic examination was conducted to classify the pulmonary lesions as bronchopneumonia or interstitial pneumonia. Scores of the gross lung lesions were significantly different between bronchopneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups (p < 0.001). A 90% confidence interval of gross lung lesion scores was established for the bronchopneumonia group, and the lesion scoring had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 77.3%. The gross lung lesion scoring test was subjected to a diagnostic distinction evaluation by examining the receiver operating characteristic curve and was appraised as having good discrimination for bronchopneumonia. Establishment of a gross lung lesion scoring test for the diagnosis of bronchopneumonia could be valuable as a screening test of macroscopic bronchopneumonia in swine slaughter check system.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CT arthrography (CTA) in the assessment of various shoulder pathologies, compared with MR arthrography (MRA) and MRI with arthroscopic correlation. Materials and Methods: CTA in 84 patients, MRA in 70 patients, and MRI in 27 patients were obtained. A radiologist interpreted each image for 5 pathologies: Bankart, SLAP, Hill-Sachs lesion, full-thickness, and partial-thickness rotator cuff tear. Detailed arthroscopic reports were compared with CTA, MRA, and MRI. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy were calculated. The agreement between each diagnostic modality and arthroscopy was calculated. Diagnostic efficacy was assessed by the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The diagnostic values of all three imaging groups were comparable to each other for Bankart, SLAP, Hills-Sachs, and full-thickness cuff tear lesions, but those of CTA were lower than MRI and MRA for partial-thickness cuff tears. The areas under the ROC curves for CTA, MRA, and MRI were not significantly different for all pathologies, except for partial-thickness cuff tears. Conclusion: CTA was equally competent to MRA or MRI in demonstrating Bankart, Hill-Sachs lesions, SLAP, and full thickness rotator cuff tears but not as efficient in diagnosing partial thickness rotator cuff tears.