• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.647-650
• /
• 2014

Objective: To explore the efficiency of single application of lobaplatin in tran-scatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with a primary hepatic carcinoma who were unable or unwilling to undergo surgery. Methods: 173 patients with primary hepatic carcinoma diagnosed by imaging or pathology were randomly divided into experimental and control groups and respectively treated with lobaplatin and pirarubicin hydrochloride as chemotherapeutic drugs for TACE. The amount of iodipin was regulated according to the tumor number and size, and then gelatin sponge or polyvinyl alcohol particles were applied for embolisms. The efficiency of treatment in the two groups was compared with reference to survival time and therapeutic response. Results: The experimental group (single lobaplatin as chemotherapy drug) was superior to control group (single pirarubicin hydrochloride as chemotherapy drug) in the aspects of survival time and therapeutic response, with statistical significance. Conclusions: Single lobaplatin can be as a chemotherapy drug in TACE and has better efficiency in the aspects of mean survival time and therapeutic response, deserving to be popularized in the clinic.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.855-860
• /
• 2014

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between different sonographic features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) on high-frequency ultrasound and cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM). Materials and Methods: We enrolled 548 patients who underwent initial surgery for PTC between May 2011 and December 2012 in our hospital at diagnosis. The sonographic features of 513 PTC nodules in 513 eligible patients, who had single PTC nodules in their thyroid glands, were retrospectively investigated. All patients with a suspect malignant nodule (d<0.5cm) among multiple nodules were initially diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) to ascertain if the suspect nodule was PTC. The final diagnosis of all the thyroid nodules and existence of CLNM were based on postoperative pathology. Patients were divided into two groups: a positive group with CLNM (224 nodules) and a negative group without CLNM (289 nodules). The following factors were investigated: gender, age, echogenicity, echotexture, size, shape, location, margin, contour, calcification morphology, distance between the nodule and pre- or post-border of the thyroid capsule, vascularity and the differences between the two groups. Results: Correlation analysis showed that shorter distances between the nodule and pre- or postborder of thyroid capsule resulted in greater risk of CLNM (Spearman correlation coefficient=-0.22, p<0.0001). The significant factors in multivariate analysis were age<45yrs, larger size (d>1cm), "wider than tall" shape, extrathyroid extension and mixed flow (internal and peripheral) (p<0.05, OR=0.406, 2.093, 0.461, 1.610, 1.322). Conclusions: Significant sonographic features of PTC nodules in preoperative high-frequency ultrasound are crucial for predicting CLNM.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.605-610
• /
• 2014

Chronic liver diseases, including cancer, are characterized by inflammation and elevated serum ferritin (SF). However, the causal-relationship remains unclear. This study used primary rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC) as a model to investigate effects of physiological SF concentrations (10, 100 and 1000 pM) because HSCs play a central role in the development and progression of liver fibrosis. Physiological concentrations of SF, either horse SF or human serum, induced pro-inflammatory cytokine $IL1{\beta}$, IL6 and $TNF{\alpha}$ secretion in rat activated HSCs (all p<0.05). By contrast, treatment did not alter activation marker ${\alpha}SMA$ expression. The presence of SF markedly enhanced expression of Grp78 mRNA (p<0.01). Furthermore, transient knock down of Grp78 by endotoxin EGF-SubA abolished SF-induced $IL1{\beta}$ and $TNF{\alpha}$ secretion in activated HSCs (all p<0.05). In conclusion, our results showed that at physiological concentrations SF functions as a pro-inflammatory mediator in primary rat HSCs. We also provide a molecular basis for the action of SF and identified Grp78-associated ER stress pathways as a novel potential therapeutic target for resolution of fibrosis and possible prevention of liver cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권5호
• /
• pp.2753-2758
• /
• 2013

Various studies examining the relationship between Ezrin overexpression and response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome in patients with osteosarcoma have yielded inconclusive results. We accordingly conducted a meta-analysis of 7 studies (n = 318 patients) that evaluated the correlation between Ezrin and histologic response to chemotherapy and clinical prognosis (death). Data were synthesized in receiver operating characteristic curves and with fixed-effects and random-effects likelihood ratios and risk ratios. Quantitative synthesis showed that Ezrin is not a prognostic factor for the response to chemotherapy. The positive likelihood ratio was 0.538 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.296- 0.979; random-effects calculation), and the negative likelihood ratio was 2.151 (95% CI, 0.905- 5.114; random-effects calculations). There was some between-study heterogeneity, but no study showed strong discriminating ability. Conversely, Ezrin positive status tended to be associated with a lower 2-year survival (risk ratio, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.26-4.76; random-effects calculation) with some between-study heterogeneity that disappeared when only studies that employed immunohistochemistry were considered (risk ratio, 2.97; 95% CI, 2.01- 4.40; fixed-effects calculation). To conclude, Ezrin is not associated with the histologic response to chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma, whereas Ezrin positivity was associated with a lower 2-year survival rate regarding risk of death at 2 years. Expression change of Ezrin is an independent prognostic factor in patients with osteosarcoma.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제33권1호
• /
• pp.12-23
• /
• 2020

Objective: The objective of a conservation program is to maintain maximum genetic diversity and preserve the viability of a breed. However, the efficiency of a program is influenced by the ability to accurately measure and predict genetic diversity. Methods: To examine this question, we conducted a simulation in which common measures (i.e. heterozygosity) and novel measures (identity-by-descent probabilities and parental genomic components) were used to estimate genetic diversity within a conserved population using double-labeled single nucleotide polymorphism markers. Results: The results showed that the accuracy and sensitivity of identity-by-state probabilities and heterozygosity were close to identity by descent (IBD) probabilities, which reflect the true genetic diversity. Expected heterozygosity most closely aligned with IBD. All common measures suggested that practices used in the current Chinese pig conservation program result in a ~5% loss in genetic diversity every 10 generations. Parental genomic components were also analyzed to monitor real-time changes in genomic components for each male and female ancestor. The analysis showed that ~7.5% of male families and ~30% of female families were lost every 5 generations. After 50 generations of simulated conservation, 4 male families lost ~50% of their initial genomic components, and the genomic components for 24.8% of the female families were lost entirely. Conclusion: In summary, compared with the true genetic diversity value obtained using double-labeled markers, expected heterozygosity appears to be the optimal indicator. Parental genomic components analysis provides a more detailed picture of genetic diversity and can be used to guide conservation management practices.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권24호
• /
• pp.10647-10652
• /
• 2015

Background: The aim of our study was to establish COLD-PCR combined with an unlabeled-probe HRM approach for detecting KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations in plasma-circulating DNA of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) cases as a novel and effective diagnostic technique. Materials and Methods: We tested the sensitivity and specificity of this approach with dilutions of known mutated cell lines. We screened 36 plasma-circulating DNA samples, 24 from the disease control group and 25 of a healthy group, to be subsequently sequenced to confirm mutations. Simultaneously, we tested the specimens using conventional PCR followed by HRM and then used target-DNA cloning and sequencing for verification. The ROC and respective AUC were calculated for KRAS mutations and/or serum CA 19-9. Results: It was found that the sensitivity of Sanger reached 0.5% with COLD-PCR, whereas that obtained after conventional PCR did 20%; that of COLD-PCR based on unlabeled-probe HRM, 0.1%. KRAS mutations were identified in 26 of 36 PA cases (72.2%), while none were detected in the disease control and/or healthy group. KRAS mutations were identified both in 26 PA tissues and plasma samples. The AUC of COLD-PCR based unlabeled probe HRM turned out to be 0.861, which when combined with CA 19-9 increased to 0.934. Conclusions: It was concluded that COLD-PCR with unlabeled-probe HRM can be a sensitive and accurate screening technique to detect KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations in plasma-circulating DNA for diagnosing and treating PA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권24호
• /
• pp.10875-10878
• /
• 2015

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an important surface receptor with N-glycans in its extracellular domain, whose glycosylation is essential for its function, especially in tumor cells. Here, we demonstrated that polylactosamine is markedly increased in H7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cells after treatment with EGF, while it apparently declined after exposure to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). In the study of the enzymatic mechanism of this phenomenon, we explored changes in the expression of poly-N-acetyllactosamine (PLN) branching glycosyltransferases using RT-PCR. Among the four glycosyltransferases with altered expression, GnT-V was most elevated by EGF, while GnT-V and B3GNT2 were most declined by ATRA. Next, we conducted co-immunoprecipitation experiments to test whether B3GNT2 and EGFR associate with each other. We observed that EGFR is a B3GNT2-targeting protein in H7721 cells. Taken together, these findings indicated that the altered expression of B3GNT2 will remodel the PLN stucture of EGFR in H7721 cells, which may modify downstream signal transduction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권14호
• /
• pp.5667-5672
• /
• 2014

Folate receptor alpha ($FR{\alpha}$) mediates folate uptake by endocytosis, and while folate is essential to DNA methylation and synthesis and may have an important role in proliferating cells. $FR{\alpha}$ is known to be expressed in rapidly proliferating cells, including many cancer cell lines, but there has been no systematic assessment of expression in cervical cancer cell lines. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of $FR{\alpha}$ on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cells and correlation mechanism. In this study, we investigated the biological function of $FR{\alpha}$ in Hela cells using RNA interference. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay, while cell cycling and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry, mRNA levels by real time-PCR and protein levels of $FR{\alpha}$, c-Fos and c-Jun by Western blotting. The results revealed that $FR{\alpha}$ was highly expressed in Hela cells and its silencing with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle in G0/G1 stages while decreasing the proportion in S and G2/M stages, and suppressed the expression levels of c-Fos and c-Jun. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that $FR{\alpha}$ down-regulation might be capable of suppressing cervical cancer cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. It suggested that $FR{\alpha}$ might be a novel therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권14호
• /
• pp.5819-5823
• /
• 2014

Purpose: To investigate the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase 3 (HIFPH3) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore the correlation of HIFPH3 expression with lymph node metastasis and microvessel density (MVD). Materials and Methods: A total of 73 cases of NSCLC specimens, 24 cases of para-cancerous tissues, and 20 normal pulmonary tissues were collected for HIFPH3 and CD31 immunohistochmical (IHC) study. Microvessel density (MVD) of the NSCLC tissues was also determined based on the expression of CD31. Results: The expression of HIFPH3 in carcinoma tissue was statistically higher than para-cancerous and normal pulmonary tissues (${\chi}^2=48.806$, p<0.05). Compared withthe negative lymph node metastasis group, the lymph node metastasis group showed significantly higher HIFPH3 expression (${\chi}^2=6.300$, p<0.05). The strong HIFPH3+group displayed a significantly higher MVD than weak HIFPH3+ and HIFPH3- groups (p<0.05). No differences in positive HIFPH3 expression were noted regarding the tumor diameter, age, smoking status, gender of NSCLC patients, tumor size, histopathology, or differentiation. Conclusions: HIFPH3 expression in human NSCLC lesions is significantly higher than that in para-cancerous and normal lung tissues and is positively associated with lymph node metastasis and MVD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권2호
• /
• pp.713-716
• /
• 2013

Social and behavioral scientists have proposed that a person's belief system crucially influences his or her behaviour, and therefore may affect outcomes of pain management. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between analgesic beliefs, analgesic adherence and pain experience amongst Taiwanese cancer outpatients. The cross-sectional study included 92 oncology outpatients in two teaching hospitals in the Taipei area of Taiwan. The research instruments included the Pain Opioid Analgesic Beliefs Scale-Cancer (POABS-CA), opioid adherence, and the Brief Pain Inventory-Chinese (BPI-Chinese). Beliefs about pain and opioids demonstrated a significant relationship with patients' opioid adherence (r = -0.30, p < 0.01). The more negative beliefs regarding opioids and pain the patient had, the worse their adherence to around the clock (ATC) analgesic regimen. However, there was no significant correlation between opioid belief and pain experience. As well, there were no significant relationships between adherence to opioid regimen and any of the measures of pain experience. The study highlights the potential importance of a patient's pain and opioid beliefs in adherence to pain medication.