• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2014

In this work, we describe an electrochemical immunosensor for simple, fast and quantitative detection of a urinary hippuric acid (HA). Urinary HA, of molecular weight 180 DA, is one of the major metabolites and biological indicators in toluene-exposed humans. Simple and ubiquitous monitoring of exposure to toluene is very important in occupational health care. We propose the electrochemical immunoassay based on the dopamine-antigen conjugate for detecting hippuric acid. Our electrochemical immunoassay system employs a conjugate of dopamine (DA) as an electrochemical active molecule and hippuric acid (HA) as an antigen. As an electrochemical aspect, dopamine (DA) containing two hydroxyl group can show excellent redox signal. Also, dopamine-tethered hippuric acid (DA-HA) shows the reversible redox signal in the immunoassay. The competition between HA and DA-HA generated electric signals proportional to HA concentration. The electrochemical immunoassay was performed with DA-HA on the screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), and then applies the mixture antigen (HA) and HA-antibody. The electrical signals were proportional to HA in the range of 0.010~2.500 mg/mL which is enough range to be used for the point-of-care.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2009

This study was to investigate the role of complementary and alternative medicine in the prevention and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. For this purpose, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed over 12 months on 47 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients with average age of 53.3 years and international prostate symptom score over 8. Subjects received either sweet potato starch (group A, placebo, 320 mg/day), pumpkin seed oil (group B, 320 mg/day), saw palmetto oil (group C, 320 mg/day) or pumpkin seed oil plus saw palmetto oil (group D, each 320 mg/day). International prostate symptom score, quality of life, serum prostate specific antigen, prostate volume and maximal urinary flow rate were measured. In groups B, C and D, the international prostate symptom score were reduced by 3 months. Quality of life score was improved after 6 months in group D, while those of groups B and C were improved after 3 months, compared to the baseline value. Serum prostate specific antigen was reduced only in group D after 3 months, but no difference was observed in prostate volume in all treatment groups. Maximal urinary flow rate were gradually improved in groups B and C, with statistical significance after 6 months in group B and after 12 months in group C. None of the parameters were significantly improved by combined treatment with pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil. From these results, it is suggested that administrations of pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil are clinically safe and may be effective as complementary and alternative medicine treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.552-559
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• 2003

The FimH subunit of type 1-fimbriated Escherichiu coli (E. coli) has been determined as a major cause for urinary tract infections. Thus, to produce a possible vaccine antigen against urinary tract infections, the fimIH gene was genetically coupled to the ctxa2b gene and cloned into a pMAL-p2E expression vector. The chimeric construction of pMALfimH/ctxa2b was then transformed into E. coli K-12 TB1 and its nucleotide sequence was verified. A fusion protein, based on fusing adhesin to the cholera toxin subunit A2B (CTXA2B), was induced with 0.01 mM isopropyl-${\beta}-D-thiogalactoside$ (IPTG) for 4 h at $37^{\circ}C$ to yield a soluble fusion protein. The fusion protein was then purified by affinity chromatography. The expressed fusion protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using antibodies to the maltose binding protein (MBP) or the cholera toxin subunit B (CTXB), plus the N-terminal amino acid sequence was also analyzed. The orderly-assembled fusion protein was confirmed by a modified $G_{Ml}-ganglioside$ ELISA, using antibodies to adhesin. The results indicated that the purified fusion protein was an adhesin/CTXA2B protein containing E. coli adhesin and the $G_{Ml}-ganglioside$ binding activity of CTXB. Accordingly, this adhesin/CTXA2B protein may be a potential antigen for oral immunization against uropathogenic E. coli.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2006

The plasmacytoid variant is an extremely rare form of urothelial carcinoma in which the malignant cells resemble those of plasmacytoma. We report the cytologic features of 3 cases of this disorder. All 3 patients were male and presented with painless macroscopic hematuria. The voided urine cytology revealed a few scattered clusters of tumor cells in a bloody background. Each tumor cell had an abundant amount of cytoplasm that was clear or densely stained and characterized by eccentrically located nuclei. A histological examination of tissue obtained from a radical cystectomy confirmed the cytologic diagnosis in each 3 case, revealing a diffusely infiltrating tumor composed of round, noncohesive tumor cells demonstrating a high nuclear grade. These cells had infiltrated the tunica propria in 2 cases, but were limited to the submucosa in 1 case. The tumor cells were plasmacytoid in appearance, each demonstrating an eccentric nucleus and dense cytoplasm, as seen in the cytologic findings. All of the tumors were immunoreactive for pancytokeratin, CK7, CK20; negative for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), leukocyte common antigen (LCA), kappa, lambda, and CD79a. Thus, it is important to consider the plasmacytoid variant of urothelial carcinoma in addition to plasmacytoma or lymphoma as a diagnosis when encountering plasmacytoid tumor cells in a voided urine sample.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5651-5655
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• 2013

Objective: Major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A (MICA) is a stress-inducible glycoprotein that can be shed as a soluble protein. This study was conducted to determine the expression of MICA in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and examine the clinical relevance of soluble MICA (sMICA) in this disease. Methods: Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analyses were performed to assess the expression of MICA in 48 pairs of RCC and adjacent normal renal tissues. Serum levels of sMICA were measured in 48 RCC patients, 12 patients with benign renal tumors, and 20 healthy individuals. The correlations between sMICA levels and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed and the diagnostic performance of sMICA in RCC was evaluated. Results: RCCs exhibited elevated expression of MICA compared to adjacent normal tissues. Serum concentrations of sMICA were significantly greater in RCC patients ($348.5{\pm}32.5pg/ml$) than those with benign disease ($289.3{\pm}30.4pg/ml$) and healthy controls ($168.4{\pm}43.2pg/ml$) and significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, vascular invasion, and higher histological grade. Using a cut-off point of 250 pg/ml, sMICA demonstrated a specificity and sensitivity of 63.2% and 75.6%, respectively, in distinguishing between RCC and benign renal tumors. Conclusion: MICA expression is upregulated in RCC and increased serum sMICA levels predict aggressive tumor behavior. However, the applicability of sMICA alone is limited in distinguishing RCC from benign renal tumors.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.9-13
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• 2016

Purpose PET-CT examinations using $^{18}F-FDG$ to treat urinary system cancer are limited in terms of anatomical structure and excretion route of $^{18}F-FDG$. But one of the ongoing examinations utilizing $^{11}C-Acetate$ can compensate for such defects. We would like to introduce a clinical application of $^{11}C-Acetate$ PET-CT in urinary cancer patients. Materials and Methods We conducted a clinical survey of 22 patients diagnosed with urinary cancer at our hospital, 10 prostate cancer patients, 10 renal cell carcinoma patients, and 2 bladder cancer patients. All patients were performed $^{18}F-FDG$ PET-CT examinations, $^{11}C-Acetate$ examinations were performed after two weeks on average. The equipment used to D-710 PET-CT in GE Company and we performed PET-CT procedures 15 minutes after injecting $^{11}C-Acetate$, and a medical doctor from the department of nuclear medicine appraised and compared images between $^{18}F-FDG$ and $^{11}C-Acetate$. Results According to our survey, prostate cancer patients generally had lower uptake of $^{18}F-FDG$ than other cancer patients did. In 2 out of 10 prostate cancer patients, metastasized cancer showed greater uptake in $^{11}C-Acetate$ than $^{18}F-FDG$. In renal cell carcinoma cases, 8 out of 10 patients displayed evidently greater uptake in $^{11}C-Acetate$ than $^{18}F-FDG$. We excluded bladder cancer cases in this study because uptake of $^{18}F-FDG$ in the bladder was too hot, the number of patients was insufficient, and the cases did not meet criteria such as the use of diuretics. Conclusion It is too premature to draw solid conclusions from the survey, since it involved only a small number of participants. However, there are a number of studies conducted abroad that prove the effectiveness of the $^{11}C-Acetate$ PET-CT examinations in treating urinary system cancer, and this study is still ongoing at our hospital. If the tests were to be conducted on a larger number of participants, this study could lead to numerous other potential research topics, such as the correlation between Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) values and $^{11}C-Acetate$ PET-CT, Gleason sum values from biopsy before surgery, Specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) between $^{18}F-FDG$ PET-CT examinations and $^{11}C-Acetate$ PET-CT examinations in other urinary system cancers.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.405-415
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• 1996

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution of inclusion bodies in the tissues as well as to observe the general histopathological lesions of dogs infected with canine distemper. And also, the reliability of diagnostic values of inclusion bodies and the distribution of viral antigen in tissues were inspected by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibody. The results obtained were as follows; 1. Pneumonia observed in dogs infected with canine distemper virus was classified into interstitial, broncho-, and broncho-interstitial pneumonia histopathologically. Each occurring ratio was 35, 45 and 20%. 2. Histopathological classification of the canine distemper encephalitis was 20% in acute, 60% in subacute, and 20% in chronic encephalitis, respectively. 3. The organs in which inclusion bodies were predominantly distributed were stomach(82.6%), cerebellum(62.9%), lung(62.1%), cerebrum(50.0%), urinary bladder (46.1%), kidney(36.0%) and pancreas(25.0%). Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were mainly observed in the organs except the brain. 4. Canine distemper virus antigens were detected in the numerous tissues as well as in the inclusion bodies observed in the various organs. Antigen detection ratios in the lung, cerebellum and cerebrum were 68.9, 70.4 and 52.2%, respectively. These ratios were somewhat higher than those of inclusion bodies observed in the organs. 5. Canine distemper virus was mainly distributed in astrocytes and ependymal cells in the brain. These results suggested that the histopathologic diagnosis of canine distemper was reliable, and the spread of canine distemper virus in the brain was related with cerebrospinal fluid pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5261-5264
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• 2015

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of serum free-to-total prostate specific antigen ratio (%fPSA) for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) in men with different serum total PSA (tPSA) categories. Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2013, a total of 225 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) underwent tPSA and %fPSA measurements. Histological examination with calculation of Gleason score and whole body bone scans were performed in identified cases of PCa. Results: PCa was diagnosed in 44 (19.6%) patients and the remaining 181 patients had benign prostate disease. PCa was detected in 5 (23.8%), 13 (8.7%) and 26 (47.3%) cases with tPSA level ranges ${\leq}4ng/ml$, 4 to 10 ng/ml and >10 ng/ml, respectively. The average Gleason score was $7.2{\pm}0.2$. Some 6 (13.6%) out of 44 PCa patients had bone metastases. The sensitivity was 80% and specificity was 81.3% at the cut-off %fPSA of 15% in PCa patients with a tPSA level below 4 ng/mL. A lower %fPSA was associated with PCa patients with Gleason score ${\geq}7$ than those with Gleason score ${\leq}6$ ($11.7{\pm}0.98$ vs. $16.5{\pm}2.25%$, P=0.029). No obvious relation of %fPSA to the incidence of bone metastasis was apparent in this study. Conclusions: The clinical application of %fPSA could help to discriminate PCa from benign prostate disease in men with a tPSA concentration below 4 ng/mL.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.200-207
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• 2019

Albizzia julibrissin (AJ) is an herbal medicine that shows low toxicity, promotes promoting blood circulation and mitigates the inflammation and has mild side effects. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases that occurs in older males and often results in lower urinary tract symptoms. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of AJ against BPH using LNCaP cells and Sprague Dawley rats treated with testosterone. Treatment with AJ extract reduced the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in vitro. In vivo, rats were divided into 6 groups: 1 (Normal Control); 2 (Testosterone propionate (TP) alone); 3 (TP + finasteride); 4 (TP + AJ 10 mg/kg); 5 (TP + AJ 50 mg/kg); 6 (TP + AJ 300 mg/kg). The groups treated with AJ showed reduced the relative prostate weights and BPH-related proteins were altered, with decreased AR, PSA and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) observed by western blot. Histopathological analysis revealed the therapeutic effect of AJ, with a decreased thickness of epithelial cells and reduced level of PCNA and $5{\alpha}$-reductase type 2. These results suggest that AJ extract could ameliorate testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.94-98
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• 2023

This report presents the case of 75-year-old men with spindle cell neoplasm. The patient underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for renal stones and benign prostatic hyperplasia. One month postoperatively, the patient was able to void without any difficulty. Five months later, the patient experienced difficulty voiding and presented to the emergency room with severe pelvic pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed regrowth of the prostate mass into the posterior bladder and penile root. The prostate-specific antigen level remained constant at 1.14 ng/mL during the pre-and postoperative periods. Five months before the TURP operation, the patient's CT scan showed a soft and mildly enlarged prostate with no protrusion into the bladder. Biopsy of the prostate, however, showed a protruding mass, indicative of a spindle cell neoplasm. The patient was subsequently treated with the chemotherapeutic drug adriamycin. Unfortunately, treatment was unsuccessful, and the patient died 18 months later.