• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8595-8601
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• 2014

Background: miR-200a expression is frequently altered in numerous cancers. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of microRNA-200a in advanced ovarian carcinomas. Materials and Methods: We measured miR-200a expression in 72 matched normal ovarian tissues and advanced ovarian carcinomas, and also two ovarian carcinoma cell lines (SKOV3 and SKOV3.ip1 - the latter being more invasive and metastatic than the parental SKOV3) by stem-loop real-time RT-PCR based on TaqMan microRNA assay using U6 as a reference. Levels of miR-200a expression were compared by disease stage, tumor grade, histology, and lymph node involvement. To evaluate the role of microRNA-200a, cell proliferation and invasion of SKOV-3 and SKOV-3.ip1 were analyzed with miR-200a inhibitor/mimic transfected cells. Results: Of 72 paired samples, 65 cancer tissues overexpressed microRNA-200a greater than two fold in comparison with matched normal epithelium. Specifically, patients with lymph node metastasis showed significant elevation. The level correlated with clinicopathological features, including high tumor grade, late disease stage, most notably with lymph node metastasis, but not with tumor histology. In addition, SKOV-3.ip1 cells also overexpressed miR-200a compared with SKOV-3, and miR-200a inhibitor transfected SKOV-3.ip1 cells showed significant reduction in cellular proliferation and invasion, while a miR-200a mimic stimulated the opposite behavior. Conclusions: We provide definitive evidence that miR-200a is up-regulated in a significant proportion of advanced ovarian carcinomas, and that elevated miR-200a expression facilitates tumor progression. Our findings support the notion that miR-200a is an onco-microRNA for ovarian cancer, and elevation is a useful potential diagnostic indicator. This study also provides a solid basis for further functional analysis of miR-200a in advanced ovarian cancer.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.247-253
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of two different fluid intake measurement methods (fluid only vs. all dietary intake) in measuring fluid balance compared to body weight change among patients with cancers. Methods: A total of 60 cancer patients in an urban cancer center in South Korea participated in the study. Adult patients who were over 18 years old; having 24-hour I&O order; and taking either normal regular diet or soft blend diet were included. Demographic information and disease related information were also gathered. The data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. Results: Measuring 'fluid only' for oral intake was a more accurate measure than measuring 'all dietary intake' (p=.026 vs. p=.094). Both methods had positive correlations with the amount of weight change (r=.329, p=.010; r=.303, p=.019). Measuring body weight was a more accurate and efficient way of evaluating the fluid balance than 24 hour cumulative I&O. Conclusion: Developing clinical manual for selecting proper patients who needs fluid balance monitoring is imperative. Administering weight check and/or 24 hour cumulative I&O should be considered thoroughly based on solid nursing evidence in future.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2000

Treatment of oral cancers with chemotherapeutic agents are evaluated as an effective method for remission to reduce cancer proliferation nowadays. But, minimization of side-effects such as bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal toxicity and renal damage is another problem to be solved. Thus, a possible approach to develop a clinically applicable chemotherapeutic agents is to screen anticancer activity among traditional medicinal plants which have been used for thousands of years with very low side-effects in orient. In this study we focused on screening anti-oral cancer activities among 14 traditional medicinal plant extracts that revealed anticancer activities on other solid tumors. The results were as follow : 1. Methanol extract of Lepidium apetalum showed the highest anti-oral cancer activity against A253 cells. At concentration of $4{\mu}g/ml$, the cell viability was 48% under our experimental condition. $IC_{50}$ value obtained was $4{\mu}g/ml$. 2. Methanol extract of Coptis japonica and Solanum nigrum were effective on KB cells. Cell viability observed were 62% and 67% at concentration of $4{\mu}g/ml$, and $IC_{50}$ values were $12{\mu}g/ml$ and $10{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. 3. When the methanol extract of Lonicera caerule was combined with $2{\mu}g/ml$ of cisplatin, the anticancer activity was synergistically increased. One hundred ${\mu}g/ml$ of Lonicera caerule showed 92%(alone) or 59%(combined with cisplatin) cell viabilities. $IC_{50}$ value of Lonicera caerule extract against KB cells was reduced from $301{\mu}g/ml$ to $126{\mu}g/ml$ when combined with $2{\mu}g/ml$ of cisplatin. 4. Medicinal plant extracts effective on both A253 and KB cells were Coptis japonica, Lepidium apetalum, Solanum nigrum, Caesalpiniae Lignum, Curcuma aromatica.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2011

Background: Up to now, lobectomy, bilobectomy and pneumonectomy combined with extensive lymph node dissection have been regarded as the standard procedures for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In high-risk patients, however, limited resection (LR) has been attempted as a salvage procedure, and, recently, indication for LR has been extended to selected cases with early-stage NSCLC. Material and Methods: Among the 773 patients who underwent surgical procedures for NSCLC in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from May 2003 to December 2008, 43 patients received LR. Medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Mean age at operation was $66.0{\pm}12.4$ years, and there were 30 males. Twenty-five patients underwent conservative limited resection (CLR) and 18 underwent intentional limited resection (ILR). Indications for CLR were multiple primary lung cancer in 9 (9/25, 36%) and severe concomitant diseases in 5 (5/25, 20%). Of these, 6 patients underwent segmentectomy and 19 received wedge resection. During the follow-up period of $28.0{\pm}17.8$ months, 15 patient developed recurrent lung cancer. ILR was selectively performed in lesions almost purely composed of ground glass opacity (${\geq}$95%), or in small solid lesions (${\leq}$2 cm). Of these, 11 patients underwent segmentectomy and 7 underwent wedge resection. During the follow-up period of $31.7{\pm}11.6$ months, no patient developed recurrence. Conclusion: Intermediate-term outcome of LR for early-stage lung cancer is comparable to that of standard operation. For the delineation of the indications and appropriate surgical techniques for LR, prospective randomized multi-institutional study may be expedient.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.44-58
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• 2021

Natural killer (NK) cells, key antitumor effectors of the innate immune system, are endowed with the unique ability to spontaneously eliminate cells undergoing a neoplastic transformation. Given their broad reactivity against diverse types of cancer and close association with cancer prognosis, NK cells have gained considerable attention as a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. NK cell-based therapies have demonstrated favorable clinical efficacies in several hematological malignancies but limited success in solid tumors, thus highlighting the need to develop new therapeutic strategies to restore and optimize anti-tumor activity while preventing tumor immune escape. The current therapeutic modalities yielding encouraging results in clinical trials include the blockade of immune checkpoint receptors to overcome the immune-evasion mechanism used by tumors and the incorporation of tumor-directed chimeric antigen receptors to enhance NK cell anti-tumor specificity and activity. These observations, together with recent advances in the understanding of NK cell activation within the tumor microenvironment, will facilitate the optimal design of NK cell-based therapy against a broad range of cancers and, more desirably, refractory cancers.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.101-107
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• 2022

Purpose: Radiotherapy after bladder filling protocol (BFP) is known to enhance treatment quality and reduce side effects in prostate cancer, a common male solid cancer globally. However, due to the need to hold back urine during treatment, patients frequently complain of discomfort, and treatment is frequently suspended when patients urinate during treatment and urine penetrates the treatment device, causing malfunction. Therefore, the effect of minimizing treatment time when partial-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) was used instead of full-arc was assessed in this study. Methods: A total of 70 plans were created in 10 patients using 7 different arc sizes, and the treatment time for each plan was calculated. Results: Reduced arc size by half resulted in a 54.4% decrease in mean treatment duration, with a proportional tendency observed. Furthermore, the effect of VMAT arc size reduction on target dose homogeneity was significantly limited, and the effect on surrounding organs at risk (OAR) was negligible. It should be noted, however, that when the arc size decreases by >40%, the dose increases in the area without OAR around the target. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that partial-arc VMAT for enhancing treatment convenience and efficacy of prostate cancer patients undergoing BFP can achieve a considerable reduction in treatment time while preserving treatment quality, and it is expected to be useful for partial-arc VMAT plan design and implementation in practice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1715-1720
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• 2013

Background: The discovery that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate proliferation, invasion and metastasis provides a principal molecular basis of tumor heterogeneity. Microvessel distribution is an important characteristic of solid tumors, with significant hypoxia occurring in the center of tumors with low blood flow. The distribution of miR-374a in breast tumors was examined as a factor likely to be important in breast cancer progression. Methods: Breast tissue samples from 40 patients with breast cancer were classified into two groups: a highly invasive and metastatic group (HIMG) and a low-invasive and metastatic Group (LIMG). Samples were collected from the center and edge of each tumor. In each group, six specimens were examined by microRNA array, and the remaining 14 specimens were used for real-time RT-qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. Correlation analysis was performed for the miRNAs and target proteins. Follow-up was carried out during 28 months to 68 months after surgery, and survival data were analyzed. Results: In the LIMG, the relative content of miR-374a was lower in the center of the tumor than at its edge; in the HIMG, it was lower at the edge of the tumor, and miR-374a levels were lower in breast cancer tissues than in normal tissues. There was no difference between VEGF-A and VCAM-1 mRNA levels at the edge and center of the tumor; however, we observed a significant difference between VEGF-A and VCAM-1 protein expression levels in these two regions. There was a negative correlation between miR-374a and target protein levels. The microvessel density (MVD) was lower in the center of the tumor than at its edge in HIMG, but the LIMG vessels were uniformly distributed. There was a significant positive correlation between MVD and the number of lymph node metastases (Pearson correlation, r=0.912, P<0.01). The median follow-up time was 48.5 months. LIMG had higher rate of disease-free survival (100%, P=0.013) and longer median survival time (66 months) than HIMG, which had a lower rate of 75% and shorter median survival time (54 months). Conclusions: Our data demonstrated miR-374a to be differentially distributed in breast cancer; VEGF-A and VCAM-1 mRNA had coincident distribution, and the distribution of teh respective proteins was uneven and opposite to that for the miR-374a. These data might explain the differences in the distribution of MVD in breast cancer and variation in breast cancer prognosis.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2002

A fusion protein, consisting of a human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) as the recognition domain and human angiogenin as the toxin domain, can be used as a targeted therapeutic against breast cancer cells among others. The fusion protein was expressed as inclusion body in recombinant E. coli, and when the conventional, solution-phase refolding process was used the refolding yield was very low due to severe aggregation. It was probably because of the opposite electric charge at a neutral pH resulting from the vastly different pI values of each domain. The solid-phase refolding process that exploited the ionic interactions between ionic exchanger surface and the fusion protein was tried, but the adsorption yield was also very low, below $ 30\%$, regardless of the resins and pH conditions used. Therefore, to provide a higher ionic affinity toward the solid matrix, six lysine residues were tagged to the N-terminus of the hEGF domain. When heparin-Sepharose was used as the matrix, the adsorption capacity increased 2.5-3 times to about $88\%$. Besides the intrinsic affinity of angiogenin to heparin, the poly-lysine tag provided additional ionic affinity. And the subsequent refolding yield increased nearly 13-fold, from ca. $4.8\%$ in the conventional refolding of the untagged fusion protein to $63.6\%$. The process was highly reproducible. The refolded protein in the column eluate retained RNase bioactivity of angiogenin.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.500-505
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• 2003

‘LK (lipoprotein kringle) 68’is a polypeptide of a modified ansiostatin consisting of three kringle structures that might be clinically useful as a potential cancer therapeutics. It can be produced by overexpressing it as inclusion body in recombinant E. coli. In this study, solid-phase refolding processes using packed bed adsorption (PBA) and expanded bed adsorption (EBA) column were carried out to compare their refolding yields with that of the conventional, solution-phase refolding process, For the solution-phase and the PBA-mediated processes employing Q-Sepharose, washed inclusion body was used as the starting material, whereas both washed inclusion body and E. coli homogenate were used for the EBA-mediated process employing streamline DEAE. On the final recovery LK68 per unit mass of wet cell basis, the EBA- and PBA-mediated processes showed about 2.7- and 1.5-fold higher yields, respectively, than the solution-phase refolding method. The solid-phase refolded LK68 demonstrated the same Iysine binding bioactivity and the retention time in the RP-and SEC-HPLC as those of the native protein.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2022

Background: A comprehensive, traceable, and easy-to-understand radiation risk indicator is desired for radiological protection. The early-onset hypothesis could be used for this purpose. Materials and Methods: An indicator for early death (IED) was developed and calculated using the epidemiological dataset from the 14^th Report of the Life Span Study (LSS) of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By clarifying the calculation process, IED for all-cause mortality was estimated. In addition, the characteristics of IED for solid cancer mortality and cardiovascular mortality as well as those of men and women, and their dependence on age at exposure were investigated for detailed analysis. Results and Discussion: The IED for all-cause mortality was estimated to be approximately 4 years for an acute radiation exposure of 1 Gy regardless of the fitting dose range. The cumulative death rate for all solid cancers also indicated the early-death tendency (approximately 7-10 years at 1 Gy). Although, there is a slight difference in the characteristics of the risk obtained from the LSS study and this study, it is considered that the IED in a unit of years can also be used to show the overall picture of risk due to radiation exposure. Conclusion: We developed and calculated the indicator for early death, IED, for the cumulative mortality rate of all causes of death, all solid cancers, and circulatory diseases. The quantitative values of IED were estimated to be 4 years for all causes of death, 7-10 years for all solid cancers. IED has an advantage for intuitively understanding the meaning of radiation risk since it can be obtained by a simple and traceable method.