• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2014

Purpose: Since there are no proven tumor markers that reflect the course of gastric cancer, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) are commonly used alternatives. However, the degree of progression that corresponds to an increase in these markers, and the values of these markers at different cancer stages, remains unclear. Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 1,733 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery and whose pre-operative CEA and CA19-9 levels were known. Survival curves and mean values of the two markers were compared according to the degree of cancer progression: serosa-unexposed (SU), serosa-exposed (SE), direct invasion (DI), localized seeding (P1), and extensive seeding (P2). Results: The 5-year overall survival rates at each stage differed significantly, except between DI and P1 patients (17.1% vs. 10.5%, P=0.344). The mean CEA values in SU, SE, DI, P1, and P2 patients were 5.80, 5.48, 13.36, 8.06, and 22.82, respectively. The CA19-9 values for these patients were 49.40, 38.97, 101.67, 73.77, and 98.57, respectively. The increase in CEA in P2 patients was statistically significant (P=0.002), and the increases in CA19-9 in DI and P2 patients were significant (P=0.025, 0.007, respectively). There was a fair correlation between the two markers in P2 patients (r=0.494, P<0.001). Conclusions: CA19-9 can be used to assess DI of gastric cancer into adjacent organs. Both markers are useful for predicting the presence of extensive peritoneal seeding.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.398-412
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to collect the basic data for effective creation and management of hilly pasture. The investigation of flora and vegetation was conducted at 59 $relev\acute{e}s$ in hilly pasture of Daegwallyeong from 2014 to 2016. The vascular plants of the hilly pasture were 121 listed taxa which contain 38 families, 90 genera, 104 species, 13 varieties, and 12 subspecies. The biological type of the hilly pasture was determined as the $Th-D_4-R_5-e$ type. Twelve taxa were of naturalized plants composed of 5 families, 9 genera, 12 species. The urbanization index and the naturalized index were 3.7% and 9.9%, respectively. The vegetation types in the hilly pasture were classified into the following 3 communities: the Spiraea miyabei-Spiraea salicifolia community, the Persicaria thunbergii community, and the Agrostis alba-Phleum pratense community. The Agrostis alba-Phleum pratense community was classified into the following 5 subcommunities: the Poa pratensis subcommunity, the Artemisia princeps subcommunity, the Festuca ovina subcommunity, the Rumex acetosella subcommunity, and the typical subcommunity. Two factors (slope and EC) had the strongest impact on plant community distribution. Especially, the steep sloping sites (over $40^{\circ}$) did not play a crucial role in maintaining adequate pasture because of the invasion and establishment of shrubs.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.189-200
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• 2016

The species distribution model would be a useful tool for understanding how invasive alien species spread over the country and what environmental variables contribute to their distributions. This study is focused on the potential distribution of two invasive alien species, the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and knotgrass (Paspalum distichum) in the Korean Peninsula. The maximum entropy (Maxent) model was used for the prediction of their distribution by inferring their climatic environmental requirements from localities where they are currently known to occur. We obtained their presence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Korean plant species databases and bioclimatic data from the WorldClim dataset. As a results of the modelling, the potential distribution predicted by global occurrence data was more accurate than that by native occurrence data. The variables determining the common ragweed distribution were precipitation of the driest month and annual mean temperature. Both annual and the coldest quarter mean temperatures were critical factors in determining the knotgrass distribution. The Maxent model could be a useful tool for the prediction of alien species invasion and the management of their expansion.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2002

Purpose : Among numerous biological symptoms of cancer, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are essential for tumor invasion and metastasis. HAD is used as an inhibitor of MMP gene. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of HAD on anti metastasis and preventing recurrence in cancer patients. Materials and Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 69 cancer patients who had been administered with HAD for over 12 months continuously in East-West Cancer Center of Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University, from January 1993 to May 2002. Results : We analyzed gender, portion, stage and anti-metastasis & recurrence rates of cancer patients. Analysis of sex cases showed that the percentage of male is 62.3%, female is 37.7%. Analysis of cancer portion showed that the percentage of stomach is 31.9%, colorectum is 26.1%, lung is 21.7%, liver is 8.7%, breast is 8.7% Analysis of stage showed that the rate of III is 78.3%, IV is 13.0% and II is 8.7%. Analysis of anti-metastasis and recurrence rates showed that colorectal cancer is 77.8%, stomach cancer is 63.6%, lung cancer is 33.4% and breast cancer is 33.3% (mean : 53.6%). Conclusions : HAD has significant effects on anti-metastasis and preventing recurrence of tumor on cancer patients. So it helps to prolong the survival rates of cancer patients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1404-1410
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• 2008

This study was performed to clarify whether the variation of stress related heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) (GenBank X68213) gene was associated with the nuclear morphological change of in vitro maturation and in vitro capacitation in oocytes of pig ovaries obtained at the slaughterhouse. The nucleic acid substitution of C to G at the 483rd position was found out in HSP70 K1 (290-512) from X68213. The ovaries were categorized into CC, CG, and GG genotypes using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) (BsiHKA I). After the second in vitro maturation of immature fresh oocytes, the relation of nuclear morphological change in oocytes with the genotype of HSP70 K1 gene was such that the MII ratios of the genotype GG and CG (46.93% and 42.20%, respectively) were significantly higher than that of the CC genotype (10.71%) (p<0.05). With respect to in vitro maturation of frozen-thawed oocytes by an open pulled straw (OPS) method, the percentage of oocytes matured to MII stage of the CG genotype showed a higher trend than CC and GG genotypes. After the in vitro maturation of immature fresh oocytes and frozen-thawed oocytes by the OPS method, the relation of the pronuclei change in oocytes matured in vitro with HSP70 genotype was assessed, and the result showed that the enlarged sperm heads (ESH) of matured fresh oocytes and frozen-thawed oocytes were 80.0% and 60.0% in the CC genotype, respectively. The CC genotype group had a significantly higher rate of ESH than the CG and the GG genotype group (p<0.05). The ratios of polyspermic invasion were not different among HSP70 of the three genotypes. It was considered that the rate of in vitro maturation of fertilized oocytes was expected to differ according to genotype of the stress related gene.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2465-2472
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• 2015

Background: The Quality Audit (BQA) program of the Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand (NZ) collects data on early female breast cancer and its treatment. BQA data covered approximately half all early breast cancers diagnosed in NZ during roll-out of the BQA program in 1998-2010. Coverage increased progressively to about 80% by 2008. This is the biggest NZ breast cancer database outside the NZ Cancer Registry and it includes cancer and clinical management data not collected by the Registry. We used these BQA data to compare socio-demographic and cancer characteristics and survivals by ethnicity. Materials and Methods: BQA data for 1998-2010 diagnoses were linked to NZ death records using the National Health Index (NHI) for linking. Live cases were followed up to December $31^{st}$ 2010. Socio-demographic and invasive cancer characteristics and disease-specific survivals were compared by ethnicity. Results: Five-year survivals were 87% for Maori, 84% for Pacific, 91% for other NZ cases and 90% overall. This compared with the 86% survival reported for all female breast cases covered by the NZ Cancer Registry which also included more advanced stages. Patterns of survival by clinical risk factors accorded with patterns expected from the scientific literature. Compared with Other cases, Maori and Pacific women were younger, came from more deprived areas, and had larger cancers with more ductal and fewer lobular histology types. Their cancers were also less likely to have a triple negative phenotype. More of the Pacific women had vascular invasion. Maori women were more likely to reside in areas more remote from regional cancer centres, whereas Pacific women generally lived closer to these centres than Other NZ cases. Conclusions: NZ BQA data indicate previously unreported differences in breast cancer biology by ethnicity. Maori and Pacific women had reduced breast cancer survival compared with Other NZ women, after adjusting for socio-demographic and cancer characteristics. The potential contributions to survival differences of variations in service access, timeliness and quality of care, need to be examined, along with effects of comorbidity and biological factors.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.483-490
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• 2020

The ubiquitin system uses ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs) to regulate ubiquitin position on protein substrates and is involved in many biological processes which determine stability, activity, and interaction of the target substrate. DUBs are classified in six groups according to catalytic domain, namely ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs); ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolases (UCHs); ovarian tumor proteases (OTUs); Machado Joseph Disease proteases (MJDs); motif interacting with Ub (MIU)-containing novel DUB family (MINDY); and Jab1/MPN/MOV34 metalloenzymes (JAMMs). Otubain 1 (OTUB1) is a DUB in the OTU family which possesses both canonical and non-canonical activity and can regulate multiple cellular signaling pathways. In this review, we describe the function of OTUB1 through regulation of its canonical and non-canonical activities in multiple specifically cancer-associated pathways. The canonical activity of OTUB1 inhibits protein ubiquitination by cleaving Lys48 linkages while its non-canonical activity prevents ubiquitin transfer onto target proteins through binding to E2-conjugating enzymes, resulting in the induction of protein deubiquitination. OTUB1 can therefore canonically and non-canonically promote tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and drug resistance through regulating FOXM1, ERα, KRAS, p53, and mTORC1. Moreover, clinical research has demonstrated that OTUB1 overexpresses with high metastasis in many tumor types including breast, ovarian, esophageal squamous, and glioma. Therefore, OTUB1 has been suggested as a diagnosis marker and potential therapeutic target for oncotherapy.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.145-159
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• 2020

Wetlands are vulnerable to biological invasion by alien species, because they function as sinks that accumulate excess water, sediments, nutrients, and other contaminants from the surrounding watersheds by disturbance. In this study, to understand the status and characteristics of the alien plants based on the type of wetlands, we classified 24 ecologically outstanding wetlands and analyzed the status of alien flora. A total of 130 alien plants were found in the wetlands, accounting for 11% of the total plant species. Among them, the Asteraceae species was the most diverse, with 40 species. Erigeron annuus and Oenothera ordorata had the highest frequency of occurrence. The species richness of alien plants in the riverine and lacustrine wetlands (average: 30 species) was higher than that in the mountainous palustrine wetlands (average: 10 species). The same results were found in the naturalization index, urbanization index, and ratio of annuals and biennials, which indicate the degree of artificial interference. In the cluster analysis, the riverine and lacustrine wetlands were combined, and only the mountainous palustrine wetlands were separated. The number of alien plants is remarkably low in the mountainous palustrine wetlands, and it is considered to be the influence of Erigeron strigosus, Symphytum officinale, and Bilderdykia convolvulus, not found in the other types of wetlands. In particular, invasive alien plants such as Aster pilosus, Ambrosia trifida, Sicyos angulatus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior were found intensively in the riverine wetlands. Therefore, it is considered that a methodical management is urgently required considering the dispersal of alien plants in the riverine and lacustrine wetlands with high artificial interference.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3311-3317
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• 2014

Background: The consequence of Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor alpha (RhoGDI${\alpha}$) activity on migration and invasion of estrogen receptor positive ($ER^+$) and negative ($ER^-$) breast cancer cells has not been studied using the proteomic approach. Changes in expression of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ and other proteins interacting directly or indirectly with RhoGDI${\alpha}$ in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231, with different metastatic potentials is of particular interest. Materials and Methods: $ER^+$ MCF7 and ER- MDA-MB-231 cell lines were subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and spots of interest were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of- flight/time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis after downregulation of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ using short interfering RNA (siRNA) and upregulated using GFP-tagged ORF clone of RhoGDI${\alpha}$. Results: The results showed a total of 35 proteins that were either up- or down-regulated in these cells. Here we identifed 9 and 15 proteins differentially expressed with silencing of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ in MCF-7 and the MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. In addition, 10 proteins were differentially expressed in the upregulation of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ in MCF7, while only one protein was identified in the upregulation of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ in MDA-MB-231. Based on the biological functions of these proteins, the results revealed that proteins involved in cell migration are more strongly altered with RhoGDI-${\alpha}$ activity. Although several of these proteins have been previously indicated in tumorigenesis and invasiveness of breast cancer cells, some ohave not been previously reported to be involved in breast cancer migration. Hence, these proteins may serve as useful candidate biomarkers for tumorigenesis and invasiveness of breast cancer cells. Conclusions: Future studies are needed to determine the mechanisms by which these proteins regulate cell migration. The combination of RhoGDI${\alpha}$ with other potential biomarkers may be a more promising approach in the inhibition of breast cancer cell migration.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2003

Objective : Ikiyangeumhaedoc-tang(IYHT) has an effect of nourishing Yin(陰) and Jin(津), and has been used to cancer patient effectively. In order to prove the anticancer's and antimetastic effect of IYHT experimentally, studies were done. Methods : We evaluated the cytotoxic activity on HT-1080 cells as well as inhibitory effect on activity of DNA topoisomerase Ⅰ, cell adhesion, cell invasion and proliferation of HUVEC cells induced by bFGF and measured the expression of mRNA(uPA, MMP2, TIMP2), p-ERK protein, recovery effect of gap junctional intercellular communication by $H_{2}O_2$ and survival time of ICR mice bearing sacoma-180. Results : IYHT showed the inhibitory effect on DNA topoisomerase Ⅰ in the concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml,\;500{\mu}g/ml$ and the dosage-dependent inhibitory effect on the adhesion of HT-1080. The concentration of 1mg/ml of IYHT inhibited 15% of adhesion compared with control. IYHT decreased the expression of uPA, but not in MMP2, TIMP2 by RT-PCR and inhibited the expression of p-ERK effectively in the concentration of more than $500{\mu}g/ml.$ IYHT recovered the inhibited gap junctional intercellular communication by $H_{2}O_2$ to the level of 60% of normal control in the concentration of $400{\mu}g/ml$ but, did not extended the mean survival time of sarcoma 180-bearing mouse. Conclusions : It was concluded that IYHT could be applied usefully for prevention and treatment of human cancer, And also experimental study for the evaluation of molecular biological study and antimetastatic research would be recommended in the near future.