• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3613-3618
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• 2014

Stathmin, also called oncoprotein 18, is a founding member of the family of microtubule-destabilizing proteins that play a critical role in the regulation of mitosis. At the same time stathmin has been recognized as one of responsible factors in cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess stathmin status, its correlations with clinicopathological parameters and its role as a progosnostic marker in EC patients. The protein and mRNA levels of stathmin were examined byimmunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization in 100EC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues. mRNA and protein expression of stathmin in three EC cell lines(EC9706, ECa109, EC1 commonly used in research) were also analyzed using immunocytochemistry, western blot and in situ hybridization. The prognostic value of Stathmin expression within the tumor tissues were assessed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. We showed that stathmin expression was significantly higher in EC tissues than in adjacent noncancerous tissues. High stathmin immunostaining score in the EC was positively correlated with tumor differentiation, Tumor invasion, Lymph node metastases, and TNM stage. In addition, we demonstrated that three EC cell lines examined, were constitutively expressing a high level of stathmin. Of those, EC-1 showed the strongest mRNA and protein expression for the stathmin analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that significantly longer 5-year survival rate was seen in EC patients with high Stathmin expression, compared to those with low expression of Stathmin expression. Furthermore, multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that Stathmin was an independent factors affecting the overall survival probability. In conclusion, our data provide a basis for the concept that stathmin might be associated with EC development and progression. High levels of Stathmin expression in the tumor tissues may be a good prognostic marker for patients with EC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3513-3518
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• 2014

The 14-3-3 protein has been shown to be involved in the cancer process. However, there is no understanding of the relationship between 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ (14-3-3 gamma) expression and prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. In this study, we therefore investigated the association between protein levels by immunohistochemistry and clinicopathological features of advanced NSCLC patients. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and tested by log-rank. Multivariate analysis was conducted with the Cox's regression model to determine independence of factors. p values less than 0.05 were considered significant. A total 153 patients were studied, with 54.3% being stage III and 45.8% stage IV. Fifty-one cases (33.3%) were squamous cell carcinomas, and 98 cases (64.1%) were adenocarcinomas. High 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ expression was seen in 59.5% and significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (p=0.010) and distant metastasis (p=0.017). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, high 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ expression was associated with poorer survival with a marginal trend toward significance (p=0.055). On multivariate analysis, age, treatment, and 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ expression proved to be independent prognostic parameters. In vitro experiments indicated that 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ overexpression also played a potential role in cancer invasion. In conclusion, our data suggest that 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ overexpression is associated with invasion and a poor prognosis. Therefore, 14-3-$3{\gamma}$ may be a potential prognostic marker of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.185-194
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• 2016

Recently, as the popularization of the mobile and the internet, the need of big data technology using a vast amount of data which contains the information has emerged. Big data technology has been used in various fields but use of the public sector is still insufficient. So, this study applies them. This study explores factors influencing silver industry as keywords, graving has effect on the present as well as future society. Results, five variables are 'silver Industry', 'senior citizen who lives alone', 'aging', 'birth' and 'retirement' were searched, and it was confirmed that they are correlated with one another. Results of analyzing the influence of the other four parameters on "Silver Industry", they have an effect significantly. In addition, it proposed the need of the 'providing living space of senior citizen who lives alone', 'childbirth support policy', 'support to vitalize silver startup senior manpower of technology' as an alternative to develop the silver industry. This study provided the theoretical implications that is exploring factors through a quantitative approach using big data and the practical implication is to suggest an alternative.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1367-1370
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• 2015

Diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is difficult when patients do not show jaundice. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using the total serum bile acid (TSBA) level as an aid for the diagnosis of CCA in patients without jaundice. For this purpose, TSBA of the following groups were measured using a Beckman Synchron CX4 clinical chemistry analyzer: 60 cases of CCA with total serum bilirubin ${\leq}2mg/dL$ (low total bilirubin group, LTB); 32 cases of CCA with total serum bilirubin >2 mg/dL (high total bilirubin group, HTB); and 115 healthy controls. Liver function parameters such as serum cholesterol, albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were also examined. The results showed that the TSBA of both LTB and HTB groups of the CCA patients were significantly higher than that of the healthy controls. Also, significant correlation was observed between TSBA and total bilirubin levels in the HTB group of CCA patients. However, no such correlation was seen in the LTB group. The cut-off value of TSBA was determined for the LTB group of CCA patients using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and it was $6.05{\mu}mol/L$ with the sensitivity and specificity of 46.7% and 84.4%, respectively. In addition, the ALP level was correlated well with the TSBA level and ALP in HTB group was significantly higher than that of LTB group. Moreover, the combination of high TSBA and high ALP levels gave higher specificity up to 97.4%. TSBA might be useful for the diagnosis of CCA patients without jaundice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.871-876
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• 2014

Objective: Desmogleins (DSGs) are major members among the desmosomal cadherins critically involved in cell-cell adhesion and the maintenance of normal tissue architecture in epithelia. Reports exploring links of DSG family member expression with cancers are few and vary. The aim of this study was to investigate the ratio of DSG2 and DSG3 mRNA expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissue to normal tissue (T/N ratio) and evaluate correlations with clinical parameters. Methods: The mRNA expression of DSGs, as well as ${\gamma}$-catenin and desmoplakin, was detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR in 85 cases of ESCC tissue specimens. Results: The expression level of DSG3 mRNA was significantly higher than that of DSG2 in ESCC specimens (p=0.000). DSG3 mRNA expression highly correlated with histological grade (p=0.009), whereas that of DSG2 did not significantly relate to any clinicopathologic parameter. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that only DSG3 expression had an impact on the survival curve, with negative DSG3 expression indicating worse survival (p=0.038). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated DSG3 to be an independent prognostic factor for survival. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated the mRNA level of DSG3 to highly correlate with those of ${\gamma}$-catenin and desmoplakin in ESCC samples (p=0.000), implying that the expression of desmosomal components might be regulated by the same upstream regulatory molecules. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that DSG3 may be involved in the progression of ESCC and serve as a prognostic marker, while expression of DSG2 cannot be used as a predictor of ESCC patient outcome.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3431-3436
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• 2016

Background: Carcinogenesis is a multifaceted intricate cellular mechanism of transformation of the normal functions of a cell into neoplastic alterations. Metastasis may result in failure of conventional treatment and death Hence, research on metastatic suppressors in cancer is a high priority. The metastatic suppressor gene CD82, also known as KAI1, is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily which was first identified in carcinoma of prostate. Little work has been done on this gene in breast cancer. Herein, we aimed to determine the gene and protein level expression of CD82/KAI1 in breast cancer and its role as a prognosticator. Materials and Methods: In this study, 83 histologically proven cases of breast cancer and a similar number of controls were included. Patient age ranged from 18-70 years. Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (q-RT PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to investigate KAI1 expression at gene and protein levels, respectively. Statistical analysis was done to correlate expression of KAI1 and clinicopathological parameters. Results: It was revealed that: (i) KAI1 was remarkably diminished in metastatic vs non metastatic breast cancer both at the gene and the protein levels (P < .05); (ii) KAI1 expression levels were strongly correlated with TNM staging, histological grade and advanced stage (p<0.001) and no association was found with any other studied parameter; (iii) Lastly, a significant correlation was observed between expression of KAI1 and overall median survival of BC patients (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Our results suggest that lack of expression of the KAI1 might indicate a more aggressive form of breast cancer. Loss of KAI1 may be considered a significant prognostic marker in predicting metastatic manifestation. When evaluated along with the clinical and pathological factors, KAI1 expression may be beneficial to tailor aggressive therapeutic strategies for such patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3595-3600
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• 2016

Background: To investigate the association between preoperative pathological Ki-67 labeling index and serum tumor marker cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) with clinic-pathological parameters and treatment outcomes in early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study at 4 cancer centers in Saudi Arabia and Egypt was performed. Data were collected for female patients diagnosed with unilateral early breast cancer between March 2010 and October 2013. Cases treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgery and radiotherapy were included. NACT included 6-8 cycles of anthracycline and taxane based regimens. Trastuzumab and hormonal treatments were added according to HER2 and hormone receptor status. Baseline serum CA15.3 and pathological Ki67 levels were evaluated and correlated with disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 280 pts was included. The median age was 49 years (38-66 y) and median overall survival was 35 (20-38) months (mo). Estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and HER 2 receptors were positive in 233 (83.2%), 198 (70%) and 65 cases (23.2%), respectively. High preoperative Ki67 and CA15.3 were noted in 177 (63.2%) and 131 (46.8%). A total of 45 (16%) patients had distal or local recurrence and 24 (8.6%) died of their disease. Most of the relapsed cases had high preoperative Ki-67 (n=41, 91%) and CA15.3 (n=28, 62%) values. All of the patients who died had a high Ki-67 but CA15.3 was high in 9 (37%) only. Mean DFS/OS in patients with high preoperative Ki-67 was 32 months /32 months as compared to 37 months/35 months in those with normal Ki-67 (p<0.001). Correlation of preoperative CA15.3 and survival was statistically not significant. Conclusions:Preoperative Ki-67 can be a predictive and prognostic marker. Higher levels are associated with poor DFS and OS in patients with early BC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5873-5878
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• 2014

Hypoxia and autophagy are known to facilitate tumor progression. We here aimed to investigate the role of hypoxia-associated autophagy in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) survival and metastasis. Immunostaining of hypoxic-responsive proteins (HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and BNIP3) and a key regulator of autophagy (PI3KC3) were examined in CCA tissues and their expression levels were compared with clinicopathological parameters. A hypoxia mimicking condition ($CoCl_2$ treatment) was also tested regarding CCA cell functions. Our results showed that HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (66%), BNIP3 (44%) and PI3KC3 (46%) showed strong staining in human CCA tissues. Positive expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (p=0.033), BNIP3 (p=0.040) and PI3KC3 (p=0.037) was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ was well associated with BNIP3 (r=0.3, p<0.01) and PI3KC3 (r=0.2, p<0.01). The survival rates of patients who were positive with HIF-$1{\alpha}$ (p=0.047) or co-expressed HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and BNIP3 (p=0.032) or HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and PI3KC3 (p=0.043) were significantly greater than in the negative groups. CCA cells treated with $CoCl_2$ showed an increase in HIF-$1{\alpha}$, BNIP3, PI3KC3 and LC3-II, with increased cell migration and pFAK levels. These data suggest that hypoxia associated autophagy enhances CCA metastasis, resulting in a poor prognosis of CCA.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.47 no.12
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• pp.1135-1143
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• 2014

This study was carry out to evaluate of water purification in oxidation pond with filamentous algae mat. It is the water treatment process in the small rural streams to remove the organic materials and nutrients. We used the filamentous algae mat (FAM) which selectively predominate the filamentous algae to prevent the additional contamination by algae outflow, and we conducted a experiment on the water treatment process using the aquatic plants such as Eichhornia crassipes. The removal efficiencies (%) of water quality parameters were SS 80.9%, COD 74.6%, TN 76.8%, TP 84.4%, DTN 93.8% and DTP 98.3%, respectively. Temperature, a effect factor, was $21.8{\pm}5.9^{\circ}C$ during the operating period, according to temperature had no effect on the removal efficiencies of pollutants. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) strongly correlated with removal efficiencies (%) of SS and TP having r=0.414 (p<0.005), r=0.446 (p<0.005), respectively, and when HRT was 5day had highly removal efficiency (%) in SS and TP. TN and TP removal efficiency increased with ratio decreasing in both COD/TN and COD/TP of Influent.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.92-92
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• 2014

Recently, many state-of-art spectroscopy techniques are used to unravel the mysteries of condensed matters. And numerous heterostructures have provided a new avenue to search for new emergent phenomena. Especially, near the interface, various forms of symmetry-breaking can appear, which induces many novel phenomena. Although these intriguing phenomena can be emerged at the interface, by using conventional measurement techniques, the experimental investigations have been limited due to the buried nature of interface. One of the ways to overcome this limitation is in situ investigation of the layer-by-layer evolution of the electronic structure with increasing of the thickness. Namely, with very thin layer, we can measure the electronic structure strongly affected by the interface effect, but with thick layer, the bulk property becomes strong. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is powerful tool to directly obtain electronic structure, and it is very surface sensitive. Thus, the layer-by-layer evolution of the electronic structure in oxide heterostructure can be investigated by using in situ ARPES. LaNiO3 (LNO) heterostructures have recently attracted much attention due to theoretical predictions for many intriguing quantum phenomena. The theories suggest that, by tuning external parameters such as misfit strain and dimensionality in LNO heterostructure, the latent orders, which is absent in bulk, including charge disproportionation, spin-density-wave order and Mott insulator, could be emerged in LNO heterostructure. Here, we performed in situ ARPES studies on LNO films with varying the misfit strain and thickness. (1) By using LaAlO3 (-1.3%), NdGaO3 (+0.3%), and SrTiO3 (+1.7%) substrates, we could obtain LNO films under compressive strain, nearly strain-free, and tensile strain, respectively. As strain state changes from compressive to tensile, the Ni eg bands are rearranged and cross the Fermi level, which induces a change of Fermi surface (FS) topology. Additionally, two different FS superstructures are observed depending on strain states, which are attributed to signatures of latent charge and spin orderings in LNO films. (2) We also deposited LNO ultrathin films under tensile strain with thickness between 1 and 10 unit-cells. We found that the Fermi surface nesting effect becomes strong in two-dimensions and significantly enhances spin-density-wave order. The further details are discussed more in presentation. This work was collaborated with Hyang Keun Yoo, Seung Ill Hyun, Eli Rotenberg, Ji Hoon Shim, Young Jun Chang and Hyeong-Do Kim.