• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5091-5096
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• 2012

Background: There is a large amount of evidence that the ABO blood group system may play a role in disease etiology. A relationship between ABO and Rhesus blood groups and cancer risk has been demonstrated in a number of studies. However, in relation to gynecological malignancies, these findings are inconsistent and contradictory. Aim: To perform a case-control study for analysis of the distribution of ABO and Rh blood antigens among women from South-East Siberia who suffered from ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer, and to assess the potential role of these antigens in carcinogenesis. Design, Subjects and Methods: A total of 1,163 cases with ovarian cancer (n=551), endometrial cancer (n=440) and cervical cancer (n=172) were involved in the study. The control group was formed from 22,581 female blood donors. Blood groups were determined through patients medical records and blood donor records. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The blood group O was defined as the referent group, as it has the greatest frequency in the populations of Southern Siberia. P values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results: We found that carriage of non-O blood types increased the risk of ovarian cancer by 40-60%, and the magnitude of this relationship was strongest in women with the AB (IV) blood group. Carriage of the A (II) blood group strongly correlated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer in premenopausal, but not in postmenopausal women. No statistically significant correlations were obtained for endometrial cancer and cervical cancer. Additionally, we did not observe a relationship between Rhesus factor and cancer risk. Conclusion: We suggest that carriage of non-O blood groups may elevate risk of ovarian cancer and can play a role in its development.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.153-156
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• 2010

The somatic chromosome number of four Korean species of Leontopodium were investigated. The chromosome number of L. leiolepis (2n = 24) is reported here as for the first time. The chromosome number of L. japonicum (2n = 28) is not varied among the 3 populations on the Korean Peninsula, but that condition is different from the previous reports for Korea (2n = 26) and Japan (2n = 21, 26). L. hallaisanense and L. japonicum, both of which are in sect. Nobilia and similar to each other in gross morphology, have the same chromosome number of 2n = 28. On the other hand the chromosome number of Korean L. leontopodioides (2n = 24) is different from that in Russian reports (2n = 26). The chromosome numbers of all Korean species of the genus Leontopodium could be inferred as tetraploid or aneuploid.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2012

The tiger population that once inhabited the Korean peninsula was initially considered a unique subspecies (Panthera tigris coreensis), distinct from the Amur tiger of the Russian Far East (P. t. altaica). However, in the following decades, the population of P. t. coreensis was classified as P. t. altaica and hence forth the two populations have been considered the same subspecies. From an ecological point of view, the classification of the Korean tiger population as P. t. altaica is a plausible conclusion. Historically, there were no major dispersal barriers between the Korean peninsula and the habitat of Amur tigers in Far Eastern Russia and northeastern China that might prevent gene flow, especially for a large carnivore with long-distance dispersal abilities. However, there has yet to be a genetic study to confirm the subspecific status of the Korean tiger. Bone samples from four tigers originally caught in the Korean peninsula were collected from two museums in Japan and the United States. Eight mitochondrial gene fragments were sequenced and compared to previously published tiger subspecies' mtDNA sequences to assess the phylogenetic relationship of the Korean tiger. Three individuals shared an identical haplotype with the Amur tigers. One specimen grouped with Malayan tigers, perhaps due to misidentification or mislabeling of the sample. Our results support the conclusion that the Korean tiger should be classified as P. t. altaica, which has important implications for the conservation and reintroduction of Korean tigers.