• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2699-2703
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• 2016

Background: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have great HCC diagnostic potential and circulating miRNAs have been reported as promising biomarkers for various pathologic conditions. Aim: To explore the potential benefit of serum miR-126, miR-129, miR-155, miR-203 and miR-223 as non-invasive diagnostic markers of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC. Materials and Methods: The expression of miRNA was evaluated using real-time quantitative RT-PCR in 78 serum samples (30 $treatment-na{\ddot{i}}ve$ chronic HCV, 25 post-HCV compensated cirrhosis and 23 $treatment-na{\ddot{i}}ve$ HCC cases). Results: Comparing miRNA fold changes in the HCC group vs the non HCC groups, there was significant fold decrease in miR-126 (P= 0.034), miR-129 (P= 0.006), miR-155 (P= 0.011), miR-203 (P<0.001) and miR-223 (P= 0.013). The highest AUC to differentiate HCC patients from non-HCC was 0.76 for miR-203. Conclusions: Among studied miRNAs, serum miR-203 has the highest potential as a non-invasive biomarker of HCC.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.151-156
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• 2009

Objective : It is well known that changes in cerebral hemodynamics occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Osmo-regulation in the brain is important for maintaining a constant milieu in the central nervous system. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, early osmolarity changes after minor head injury have not been studied until now. Methods : In this study, serum osmolarity was measured in 99 patients with minor head trauma. As a control group, blood samples were drawn from 99 patients who had a minor trauma in an extremity. Serum osmolarity was estimated using a fully automatic biochemical autoanalyzer within the first 3 hours after the trauma. Results : The mean serum osmolarity levels were $286.08{\pm}10.1\;mOsm/L$ in the study group and $290.94{\pm}5.65\;mOsm/L$ in the control group (p<0.001). However, after age adjustment between the study and control groups, this statistical significance was found to be valid only for patients over 30 years of age. Conclusion : It was noted that serum osmolarity levels decrease in the first 3 hours following minor head trauma in patients over 30 years of age. Further studies into this area could provide guidance for the management/treatment of elderly patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4295-4299
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• 2013

Background: Pretreatment serum p53 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with acute leukemia to analysis their roles in characterization of different subtypes of the disease. Materials and Methods: Serum samples from thirty two patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and fourteen patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) were analysed, along with 24 from healthy individuals used as a control group. Results: The results demonstrated a significant increase of serum p53 and EGFR in patients with AML (p<0.0001) compared to the control group. Also, the results showed a significant increase of both markers in patients with ALL (p<0.05, p<0.0001 respectively). Sensitivities and specificities for these variables were 52% and 100% for p53, and 73.9%, 95.8% for EGFR. Serum p53 and EGFR could successfully differentiate between M4 and other AML subtypes, while these variables failed to discriminate among ALL subtypes. A positive significant correlation was noted between p53 and EGFR. Negative significant correlations were observed between these variables and both of hemoglobin (Hg) content and RBC count. Conclusions: Mutant p53 and EGFR are helpful serological markers for diagnosis of patients with AML or ALL and can aid in characterization of disease. Moreover, these markers may reflect carcinogenesis mechanisms.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2011

This study was undertaken to investigate the hematological and biochemical changes in experimentally infected goats with Besnoitia caprae from the time of infection till 360 days post-infection (PI). Six male goats were inoculated subcutaneously with $13{\times}10^7$ bradyzoites of B. caprae, and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein. The total erythrocyte and total leukocyte counts, hematocrit value, and differential leukocyte counts were determined. Serum biochemical analysis, including the total protein, albumin, total globulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, chloride, testosterone, calcium ($Ca^{2+}$), inorganic phosphorus, sodium ($Na^+$), potassium ($K^+$), iron ($Fe^{2+}$), glucose, serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), fibrinogen, ceruloplasmin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase, was undertaken. Skin biopsy from the limbs were collected at weekly intervals and histologically examined for Besnoitia cysts. Cysts were present in the skin biopsies of the leg of the infected goats from day 28 PI. There were variations in hematological analyses, but no significant difference was seen. From day 30 to 360 PI, results showed that SAA, Hp, fibrinogen, and ceruloplasmin concentrations increased, whereas testosterone concentrations decreased. Infected goats exhibited decrease of albumin and increase of serum total protein and globulin concentrations. By contrast, there were no significant differences in the remained analyses concentrations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2919-2923
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• 2013

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common malignant tumors, and the incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is highest in China. Early diagnosis and effective monitoring are keys to comprehensive treatment and discovering tumor metastases and recurrence in time. The aim of this study was to confirm serum peptidome pattern utility for diagnosis of ESCC, and assessment of operation success, postoperative chemotherapy results, tumor metastasis and recurrence. Serum samples were collected from 61 patients treated with surgery and chemotherapy and 20 healthy individuals. Spectral data generated with weak cationic-exchanger magnetic beads (WCX-MB) and MALDI-TOF MS by a support vector machine (SVM), were used to construct diagnostic models and system training as potential biomarkers. A pattern consisting of 11 protein peaks, separated ESCC (m/z 650.75), operated (m/z 676.61, 786.1, 786.58), postoperative chemotherapy (m/z 622.77, 650.66, 676.46) and tumor metastasis and recurrence (m/z 622.63, 650.56, 690.77, 676.12) from the healthy individuals with a sensitivity of 100.0% and a specificity of 100.0%. These results suggested that MALDITOF MS combined with MB separation yields significantly higher sensitivity and specificity for the detection of serum protein in patients with EC patients treated with surgery and chemotherapy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.378-383
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• 2011

This study examined the effect of supplementary selenium on leukocytes and heat shock protein (HSP) 70 expression in serum during half-body immersion. The subjects were male college tennis athletes. All subjects participated in two repeated experiments with a 1 week interval. During the 30 min intermittent half-body immersion, subjects were given 500 mL of water with or without selenium (100 ${\mu}g$). Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein, and differential counts were made. Serum HSP70 protein was analyzed using a commercial ELISA kit. After half-body immersion, leukocytes and lymphocytes increased significantly but neutrophils decreased significantly in both trials (with or without selenium). Selenium supplementation, compared with placebo, decreased levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes, but not lymphocytes, to the resting level or below 60 min after immersion. Only lymphocytes continued to increase in both trials during the recovery period. Serum HSP70 protein level did not change after immersion, but it decreased 60 min after immersion with the administration of selenium. In conclusion, supplementary selenium reduced the systemic immune response and serum HSP70 protein accumulation after half-body immersion.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1303-1308
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate changes in blood enzyme parameters and to evaluate the relationship between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), antler growth and body weight during the antler growth of sika deer (Cervus nippon). Serum enzyme activity and IGF-1 concentrations were measured in blood samples collected from the jugular and femoral veins at regular intervals during the antler growth period. Blood samples were taken in the morning from fasted stags (n = 12) which were healthy and showed no clinical signs of disease. Alfalfa was available ad libitum and concentrates were given at 1% of body weight to all stags. The experimental diet was provided at 9 am with water available at all times. There were no significant differences in alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase during antler growth, but alkaline phosphatase concentrations increased with antler growth progression, and the highest alkaline phosphatase concentration was obtained 55 days after antler casting. Serum IGF-1 concentrations measured from blood samples taken from the jugular vein during antler growth, determined that levels of IGF-1 was associated with body weight and antler growth patterns. Serum IGF-1 concentrations were higher at the antler cutting date than other sampling dates. Antler length increased significantly during antler growth (p<0.001), and there was a similar trend to between right and left beams. Body weight increased with antler growth but was not significant. Consequently it appeared that serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was related to antler growth and both antler growth and body weight were associated positively with IGF-1 concentrations during antler growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2020

Objective: Minerals are one of the important nutrients for supporting the growth of sheep grazing in the highland, northwest of China. The experiment was conducted to investigate the relationship of both macro and micro minerals in sheep grazing in the highlands of six districts located in the Qilian Mountain of China. Methods: Samples of herbage (n = 240) and soil (n = 240) were collected at random in a "W" shape across the area designated for harvesting from 24 farms, where the sheep commonly graze in October (winter) for mineral analyses. In addition, serum samples were taken via jugular vein from 20 sheep per farm from 24 farms (n = 480 samples in total) for serum minerals analyses. Mean values of macro and micro minerals were statistically compared among districts and the correlations among soil-plant-animal were statistically analyzed and correlations were regressed, as well. Results: The results revealed that there were variations for both macro and micro minerals among districts. Statistical analysis of the correlation coefficients between herbage and sheep were significantly different for most of the minerals but not for P, Cu, and Se. Many correlation regression coefficients were found significantly different among minerals of herbage, soil, and sheep serum especially those of K, Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn (between herbage and sheep serum), and Fe and Mn (between herbage and soil), Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn (between soil and sheep serum), respectively. The regression coefficient equations derived under this experiment for prediction of Ca (R² = 0.618), K (R² = 0.803), Mg (R² = 0.767), Na (R² = 0.670), Fe (R² = 0.865),Zn (R² = 0.950), Mn (R² = 0.936), and Se (R² = 0.630), resulted in significant R² values. Conclusion: It is inferred that the winter herbage minerals in all the districts were below the recommended levels for macro minerals which indicated there would be some mineral deficiencies in sheep grazing the herbage in these regions. Supplemental minerals may therefore play an important role in balancing the minerals available from the herbage in winter and would lead to increased productivity in sheep on the highland areas of China. These findings could be potentially applied to the other regions for improving the livestock productivity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1698-1702
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• 2013

Glucose is a common medical analyte measuring in human serum or blood samples. The development of a primary method is necessary for the establishment of traceability in measurements. We have developed an isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry as a primary method for the measurement of glucose in human serum. Glucose and glucose-$^{13}C_6$ in sample were ionized in ESI negative mode and monitored at mass transfers of m/z 179/89 and 185/92 in MRM, respectively. Glucose was separated on $NH_2P$-50 2D column, and the mobile phase was 20 mM $NH_4OAc$ in 30% acetonitrile/70% water. Verification of this method was performed by the comparison with NIST SRMs. Our results agreed well with the SRM values. We have developed two levels of glucose serum certified reference material using this method and distributed them to the clinical laboratories in Korea as samples for proficiency testings. The expended uncertainty was about 1.2% on 95% confidence level. In proficiency testings, the results obtained from the clinical laboratories showed about 3.6% and 3.9% RSD to the certified values. Primary method can provide the traceability to the field laboratories through proficiency testings or certified reference materials.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.46-49
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• 2005

A simple HPLC method was employed for the determination of pentoxifylline in human serum. After addition of internal standard (IS, 50 uL of 3 ug/mL chloramphenicol methanol solution) into the serum sample, the drug and IS were extracted by dichloromethane. Following a 1-min vortex-mixing and a 15-min centrifugation at 3500 게m, the organic phase was transferred and evaporated to dryness under a vacuum. The residue was reconstituted with 120 ${\mu}L$ of mobile phase and 50 ${\mu}L$ was injected into C18 column with a mobile phase composed of 0.034 M phosphoric acid adjusted to pH 4 with 10 M NaOH and acetonitrile (75:25, v/v). The samples were detected using an ultraviolet detector at 273 nm. The method was simple, specific and validated with a limit of 10 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were acceptable for all quality control samples including the lower limit of quantification. The applicability of this method was evaluated by analysis of human serum after oral administration of a single 400 mg dose to 8 healthy subjects. The pharmacokinetic parameters for pentoxifylline in human subjects were calculated using WinNonlin program. As a result, $AUC_{t},\;C_{max},\;T_{max}$ and $t_{1/2}$ were $962.28{\pm}645.69\;ng{\cdot}/mL$, $132.82{\pm}42.05$ ng/mL, $2.06{\pm}2.68$ hr and $8.74{\pm}4.38$ hr, respectively. Based on the results, this validated method appears to be useful fur the pharmnacokinetic study of pentoxifylline in humans.