• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.2951-2957
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• 2014

Background: Gastric carcinogenesis is a complicated process that involves environmental and genetic factors like interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-8. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in their genes are associated with changed levels of gene expression. Here, we investigated the association between IL4-590 C>T and IL8-251T>A and gastric cancer (GC) risk in Sichuan of Southwestern China. Materials and Methods: We surveyed the research subjects using a self-designed questionnaire with questions on demographic factors and putative risk factors. Approximately 2-5ml of whole blood was collected after field survey to analyze IL4-590 C>T and IL8-251T>A genotypes using MALDI-TOF MS. Results: Our study recruited 308 pairs of GC patients and controls, including 224 (72.7%) men and 84 (27.3%) women in each group. There were 99 cardia and 176 noncardia GC patients in the case group. The case and control groups had an average age of $57.7{\pm}10.6$ ($mean{\pm}SD$) and $57.6{\pm}11.1$ years. GC patients reported a significantly greater proportion of family history of cancer (29.9% vs 10.7%, p<0.01) and drinking (54.6% vs 43.2%, p<0.01) than did controls. Variant genotypes of IL-4-590 C>T and IL-8-251 T>A were not associated with overall GC risk (adjusted OR, 0.89; 95%CI, 0.61-1.28 for CT or CC vs TT; adjusted OR, 1.14; 95%CI, 0.86-1.79 for TA or AA vs TT). Stratification analysis of two SNPs for risk by subsites only found that variant IL-8-251 TA or AA genotype was associated with increased noncardia GC risk (adjusted OR, 2.58; 95%CI, 1.19-5.57). We did not observe interactions between the IL-8-251 T>A genotype and smoking (adjusted OR, 0.38; 95%CI, 0.08-1.79) or drinking (adjusted OR, 0.36; 95%CI, 0.08-1.65) for risk of noncardia GC. Conclusions: Our data indicate no association between the two SNPs of IL-4-590 and IL-8-251 with overall GC risk, while the IL-8-251 TA or AA genotype conferred risk of cardia GC. Our findings contribute to the evidence body for risk of SNPs associated with the development of gastric cancer in this region.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.8-25
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• 1994

The study was conducted to obtain the genetic information on heterosis and combining ability of the quantitative characters for F1 hybrid breeding in silkworms. Six parental varieties and each set of 30 diallel crosses in F1's were used as materials, and bred on the randomized complete block design with three replications. Fourteen characters were observed with the twenty samples in each tray. The data were analyzed for (1) heterosis and combining ability in F1 hybrid. The heterosis in the weight and the length of cocoon showed positively high at 24.51%, and 23.4%, respectively and the weight of the whole cocoon as well as the weight of the whole cocoon layer showed a siginificant heterosis ranging from 15.56% to 15.71% and from 17.14% to 19.01%, but the fifth and the total instar period showed negative heterosis. It was found that the combination between, C70XRomogua and N9 X Romogua showed highly a negative heterosis on the fifth instar period and for the cocoon weight. The female of N9+Sansuian and the male of Romogua X Sansurian have a high heterosis effect, on the cocoon shell weight, and Sansurian X Romogua(reciprocal) on the length and the weight of cocoon filament with no regard to sexuality. The significant maternal and cytoplasmic effect on heterosis of the cocoon weight and the cocoon shell weight were observed with the combinations, N9 X C5, N63 X C70 and on the length of the cocoon filament with the combinations, Sansurian X N63, Sansurian X C5, Sansurian X C70 and N9 X C70, N63 X C70 on the weight of cocoon filament. As mean squared of GCA, SCA and RCA were significant with these combining ability for all characters resulted from additive and non-additive altogether and there is a significant difference between reciprocals. Sansurian showed a negative GCA effect on the fifth and total larval duration, but the higher positive GCA effects took places with varieties N9 and C5 on the length, width, weight of cocoon, cocoon shell weight, percentage of cocoon shell weight, length and weight of cocoon filament, percentage of raw-silk with no regard to both generations and silkworm sexuality. The values of SCA between the cross combinations varied generation-wise and sex-wise. It was shown that SCA value for the fifth instar period was highly negative for Sansurian X C70, Romogua X C70, Sansurian X C5, Romogua X C5, but it was positive effect on the cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight with N9 X C5, and C70 X Sansurian, on the length of cocoon filament with N9 X C5, Romogua X Sansurian on the weight of cocoon filament between Romogua and N63 and on the percentage of raw-silk between the combination of Sansurian X Romoga.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.399-410
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• 1985

Bentonites from the Janggi Group of the Lower Miocene age from the Geumgwangdong area, Korea, have been studied for mineralogical and genetic characterization. The Janggi Group is subdivided, in ascending order, into the Janggi Conglomerate, the Nuldaeri Tuff, the Geumgwangdong Shale, the Lower Coal-bearing Formation, the Basaltic Tuff, and the Upper Coalbearing Formation. Bentonites occur as thin or thick beds in all sedimentary units of the Janggi Group, except for the Janggi Conglomerate. Significant bentonite deposits are found in the Nuldaeri Tuff, the Lower Coal-bearing Formation and the Basaltic Tuff. Bentonites consist mainly of smectite (mainly montmorillonite), with minor quartz, cristobalite, opal-CT and feldspar. Occasionally, kaolinite, clinoptilolite or gypsum is associated with bentonites. Bentonites were studied by the methods of petrographic microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DT A and TG), infrared absorption spectroscopic analysis, SEM, intercalation reaction, and chemical analysis. Smectites commonly occur as irregular boxwork-like masses with characteristic curled thin edges, but occasionally as smoothly curved to nearly flat thin flakes. Most of smectites have layer charge of 0.25-0.42, indicating typical montmorillonite. Crystal-chemical relations suggest that Fe is the dominant substituent for Al in the octahedral layer and there are generally no significant substituents for Si in the tetrahedral layer. Ca is the dominant interlayer cation in montmorillonite. Therefore, montmorillonite from the study area is dioctahedral Ca-montmorillonite. Occurrence and fabrics of bentonites suggest that smectites as well as cristobalite, opal-CT and zeolites have been formed diagenetically from tuffaceous materials. The precursor of smectites is trachytic or basaltic tuff. Smectites derived from the former contain relatively more $Al_2O$ a and less $Fe_2O_3$ than those from the latter.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 1989

In order to investigate developmental habit and morphology of maize tillers, time and location of tiller development. number of tillers per plant, tiller angle, height and diameter of tillers and root systems of tillers were examined under field condition for maize with tillers. Materials used were mostly from Korean local lines and a few lines from other countries were also included for comparison. The time of the first tiller development was about 18 to 20 days after emergence when planted on May in Yusong. The second tiller appeared about 4 to 5 days after the first tiller appeared. The tiller number per plant varied with lines and hybrids and ranged from two to ten. The location of tiller development was usually basal nodes of the main stem. Each tiller appeared to have its own root system. The angle between tillers and main stem was variable depending upon the maizes and the tiller angle could be classified into three categories. The height of tillers was also variable and seemed to be under genetic control. The most productive tillers were found among the Korean local derivatives.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2011

Owing to the risk of fetal loss associated with prenatal diagnostic procedures (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling), noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) is ultimate goal of prenatal diagnosis. The discovery of circulating cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma in 1997 has opened up new probabilities for NIPD by Dr. Lo et al. The last decade has seen great development in NIPD. Fetal sex and fetal RhD status determination by cffDNA analysis is already in clinical use in certain countries. For routine use, this test is limited by the amount of cell-free maternal DNA in blood sample, the lack of universal fetal markers, and appropriate reference materials. To improve the accuracy of detection of fetal specific sequences in maternal plasma, internal positive controls to confirm to presence of fetal DNA should be analyzed. We have developed strategies for noninvasive determination of fetal gender, and fetal RhD genotyping using cffDNA in maternal plasma, using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) including RASSF1A epigenetic fetal DNA marker (gender-independent) as internal positive controls, which is to be first successful study of this kind in Korea. In our study, accurate detection of fetal gender through gestational age, and fetal RhD genotyping in RhD-negative pregnant women was achieved. In this assay, we show that the assay is sensitive, easy, fast, and reliable. These developments improve the reliability of the applications of circulating fetal DNA when used in clinical practice to manage sex-linked disorders (e.g., hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), RhD incompatibility, and the other noninvasive pregnant diagnostic tests on the coming soon. The study was the first successful case in Korea using cffDNA in maternal plasma, which has created a new avenue for clinical applications of NIPD.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.227-236
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• 2006

Purpose: Methylation of gene regulatory elements plays an important role in gene inactivation without genetic alteration. Gastric cancer is one of the tumors that exhibit a high frequency of CpG island hypermethylation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of CpG island hypermethylation in gastric carcinoma in relation to H. pylori infection, CIMP and clincopathologic variables. Materials and Methods: We investigated the promoter methylation Status of six genes (hMLH1, p16, p14, COX-2, MGMT, E-cadherin) and CIMP in 36 gastric carcinoma tissues as well as in nontumor tissues. CIMP status was investigated by examining the methylation status of MINT 1, 2, 12, 25 and 31. The methylation status of the promoter was examined by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and H. pylori infection was examined by histological diagnosis after staining with Warthin-Starry silver. Results: Among the 36 gastric carcinoma tissues, DNA hypermethylation was detected in the following frequencies: 14 (38.9%) for p14, 13 (36.1%) for p16, 8 (22.2%) for MGMT, 10 (27.8%) for COX-2, 21 (58.3%) for E-cadherin, and 6 (16.7%) for hMLH1. The frequencies for MINT1 and MINT25 hypermethylation were significantly higher in tumor tissues than in nontumor tissues. 16 (44.4%) of the 36 gastric carcinoma tissues were positive for the CIMP CIMP-H tumors were associated with older patients and larger tumor size than CIMP-L tumors. We found a significant association between the presence of the CIMP and hypermethylation of p16. Hypermethylation of p16 and MINT2 were significantly different when compared by age. MINT1 gene methylation was significantly associated with H. pylori infection (P=0.004). Conclusion: Our results suggest that aberrant hypermethylation of multiple tumor related genes (hMLH1, p16, p14, COX-2, MGMT, E-cadherin, MINT1, 2, 12, 25, 31) occurs frequently in gastric carcinoma tissues. The hypermethylation of MINT1 was significantly higher in the tumor tissues and was associated with H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.169-175
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• 2008

Purpose: The main target of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is thymidylate synthase (TS). A high TS expression has been identified as promoting resistance to 5-FU. For colorectal cancers, the response to 5-FU based adjuvant chemotherapy is different according to the microsatellite instability (MSI) status. The reports on the relationship between MSI and the TS expression in colorectal cancer have been inconsistent. No data is available for gastric cancer regarding the relationship between MSI and the TS expression. Therefore, we studied the relationship between MSI and the TS expression in gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine consecutive patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from January 2004 to May 2006 at Bundang CHA hospital were studied. MSI was assessed for five markers (BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250) by PCR and with using an ABI prism 3100 Genetic analyzer. The TS expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with using mouse anti-thymidylate synthase monoclonal antibody to the TS 106 clone. Results: Out of the ninety-nine patients, MSS/MSI-L was detected in 92 (92.1%) cases and 7 cases (7.1%) were MSI-H. A negative TS expression was found in 46 (46.5%) cases, a low TS expression was found in 33 (33.3%) and a high TS expression was found in 20 (20.2%). Out of 92 MSS/MSI-L patients, the number of patients with negative, low and high TS expressions were 46 (50%), 30 (32.6%) and 16 (17.4%), respectively. Out of the 7 MSI-H patients, the number of patients with negative, low and high TS expressions were 0 (0%), 3 (42.9%) and 4 (57.1%), respectively. The relationship between MSI-H and a high TS expression was statistically significant. Conclusion: Gastric cancer with MSI-H showed higher levels of a TS expression compared to the gastric cancer with MSS/MSI-L.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2010

Purpose: To find the most effective method for extraction of cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) from maternal plasma, we compared a blood DNA extraction system (blood kit) and a viral DNA extraction system (viral kit) for non-invasive first-trimester fetal gender determination. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with maternal plasma collected from 44 women in the first-trimester of pregnancy. The cf-DNA was extracted from maternal plasma using a blood kit and a viral kit. Quantitative fluorescent-polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) was used to detect the SRY gene and AMEL gene. The diagnostic accuracy of the QF-PCR results was determined based on comparison with the final delivery records. Results: A total of 44 women were tested, but the final delivery record was only obtained in 36 cases which included 16 male-bearing and 20 female-bearing pregnancies. For the blood kit and viral kit, the diagnostic accuracies for fetal gender determination were 63.9% (23/36) and 97.2% (35/36), respectively. Conclusion: In non-invasive first-trimester fetal gender determination by QF-PCR, using a viral kit for extraction of cf-DNA may result in a higher diagnostic accuracy.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2010

Purpose: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which mediates neovascularization of uterine endometrium may be involved in the neovascularization in the utero-placental circulation. Low numbers of endothelial progenitor colony-forming unit (CFU) in culture are predictive biomarker of vascular disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the number of CFU in preeclampsia differed from that in normal pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Women with singleton normal (n=26) or preeclamptic (n=20) pregnancies were studied during the third trimester. The number of EPCs was quantified by CFU methodology. Plasma levels of angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), and placental growth factor (PlGF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results: CFU numbers were significantly decreased in the preeclamptic patients compared with the controls (median, 3; range 1-12 vs. 31; 3-81 CFU/well, P<0.001). A majority of the cells comprising individual colonies were positive for endothelial characteristics (Ulex europaeus lectin staining and acetylated low-density lipoprotein uptake). Plasma levels of the sFlt-1 were highly elevated (P<0.001) in patient with preeclampsia compared to controls, whereas PlGF were highly reduced (P=0.004), but these factors did not associate with CFU numbers. Conclusion: Our results suggest that reduced numbers of CFU obtained from maternal peripheral blood may contribute to the development of preeclampsia.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.412-419
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• 2009

In order to study the inheritance of watermelon seed size, we used six watermelon lines of different seed sizes as parental lines. Six lines include three accessions, 'PI525088' with giant seed (GS), 'Charleston Gray' with big seed (BS), and 'NT' with normal medium size seed (NS), and three near isogenic lines, 'NTss' with small seed (SS), 'NTms' with micro seed (MS) and 'NTts' with tomato seed size (TS) bred by crosses between accession 'NT' of normal seed size and accession 'TDR' of the smallest seed size,. We inspected $F_1$, $F_2$, $BC_1F_1$ (P1), $BC_1F_1$ (P2) populations from the crosses between the adjacent seed size materials like $GS{\times}BS$, $BS{\times}NS$, $NS{\times}SS$, and $MS{\times}TS$, and two crosses between parental lines showing relatively big difference in seed size such as $GS{\times}TS$ and $NS{\times}TS$. Partial single dominant inheritance patterns were observed between $GS{\times}BS$, $NS{\times}SS$, and $MS{\times}TS$ and inheritance patterns based on two genes or more than two genes were speculated between $BS{\times}NS$. A very wide segregation range was observed from the population of $GS{\times}TS$ indicating many quantitative genes involved in the seed sizes. Overall, we speculated that more than six genes are involved in between the biggest and smallest seed size watermelon and three major genes between the normal seed size and the smallest seed size watermelon.