• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2019

Objective: Adriamycin (ADR) is an important anti-cancer drug which can cause renal toxicity. Given the known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Plantago major (P. major), the aim of this study was to determine the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of P. major on ADR- induced nephropathy in rats. Methods: Fifty male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 5 groups including: control, ADR (5 mg/kg), ADR + P. major (600 and 1200 mg/kg) and P. major (1200 mg/kg). The animals were treated with P. major extract for 5 consecutive weeks and ADR was intravenously injected on the 7th day of the study. Urine and serum samples were collected on days 0, 14, 21, 28, and 35 for the measurement of serum cholesterol and albumin levels and urine protein excretion rate. At the end of the study, the left kidneys were removed for apoptosis assessment. Results: Administration of ADR significantly decreased serum albumin level and increased serum cholesterol and urine protein excretion rate as well as, apoptotic cell numbers compared to the control group (P < 0.001) while had no effect on glomerular filtration rate (P > 0.05). Treatment with P. major, in both 600 and 1200 mg/kg doses, increased serum albumin level and decreased serum cholesterol concentration, urine protein excretion rate and as well as the number of apoptotic cell compared to the ADR group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results showed that the P. major extract effectively protects against ADR- induced nephropathy by reducing kidney apoptosis and improving renal functioning in rats.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.310-317
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• 1992

Background: Angiotensin converting enzyme is a glycoprotein peptidyldipeptide hydrolase which cleaves the c-terminal dipeptides of several oligopeptides. It is a menbrane-bound protein mainly synthesized by the endothelial cells. Since the lung has the largest capillary bed of any organ in the body, it is here that ACE acts on circulating substrates like angiotensin I and bradykinin. It is well known that ACE correlates with disease activity in sarcoidosis and also there are reports that changes in serum ACE activity are found in many acute and chronic lung diseases. So we planned this study to see if serum ACE activity can act as a prognostic factor in lung cancer. Methods: Forty-one newly diagnosed lung cancer patients were included in the study group. There were 19 patients with squamous cell lung cancer, 13 with adenocarcinoma, and 9 with small cell carcinoma. Patients were excluded from the study if they had high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, renal disease, or other lung disease. Serum ACE activity was analyzed according to cell type, staging, mode of treatment, and clinical response to treatment. Results: 1) There was no difference in serum ACE activity between lung cancer patients and the control group. Also no difference in serum ACE activity was found according to cancer cell type or staging. 2) In patients who underwent curative resection of lung cancer, serum ACE activity was decreased significantly after the operation. 3) In patients who were diagnosed as non-small cell lung cancer and were treated with 4 cycles of anti-cancer chemotherapy without clinical improvement, changes in serum ACE activity were not seen after the treatment. 4) In patients diagnosed as small cell lung cancer treated with 4 cycles of anti-cancer chemotherapy with clinical improvement, changes in serum ACE activity were also not observed. Conclusion: Serum ACE activity was decreased after lung resection but had no relation to cell type, staging, or clinical response to treatment in lung cancer patients. Therefore, serum ACE activity is not suitable in predicting clinical outcome of lung cancer patients.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.299-304
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• 2013

Whole body bone scan has been used to confirm bone metastasis and follow-up study with radio isotope. However, if the factors related to $^{99m}Tc$ uptake and waiting time for study are inappropriate, it would be image of low quality. The purpose of present study was to investigate correlation between the evaluation index of renal function and uptake of radiopharmaceuticals. The population for this retrospective study consisted of 387 patients who underwent whole body bone scan between June 2012 and December 2012. As a result of quantitative and qualitative analysis, we were able to confirm that GFR of less than normal range and creatinine levels in blood of more than average are more likely to be under the mean uptake rate. As a result of analysis on the indicator affecting soft-tissue and bone uptake, the correlation of all elements was somewhat low. Also there are no statistically significances due to the other parameters we did not deal with. Therefore, further research on additional factors is needed for exact study and improvement of the image quality.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.96-116
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• 2006

To assess the economic value of pharmaceutical therapy with Kremezin, we investigated the maximum amount of willingness-to-pay (WTP) of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) for a hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis treatments. A face-to-face survey was carried out in a sample of 141 CRF patients from 2 dialysis centers, composed of 82 hemodialysis patients, 38 peritoneal dialysis patients, and 21 non-dialysis CRF patients. Using a bidding game method with a starting point of 320,000 Won, which is the average monthly out-of-pocket payment for dialysis treatment, we asked the study subjects how much they would pay per month to receive Kremezin therapy. The mean out-of-pocket monthly WTP for Kremezin was 310,000, 430,000, and 520,000 Won (p<0.05, repeated one-way ANOVA)) when Kremezin delays the initiation of dialysis treatments by 1, 2, and 4 years. Significant correlation between the respondent's WTP and income $(r=0.266{\sim}0.368,\;p<0.05)$ confirmed the construct validity of the WTP instrument. Regression results showed that patients with a higher education, with diabetes as a major causes of CRF, and undergoing hemodialysis treatments tended to express higher WTP for Kremezin. The economic value of WTP from the perspective of patients varied from 310,000 to 520,000 Won depending on the effect size of Kremezin. The mean WTP was higher than 32,000 Won, only when the hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis is for 2 years. This implies that Kremezin might be the preferred choice of therapy by CRF patients if it delays the initiation of dialysis treatment for at least 2 years.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.223-251
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• 2017

Objectives : A lot of experiment results of Yugmijihwangtang(YM) are reported in various kinds of journals. Many of them report on the new effects that are not recorded in the traditional medical texts. So it is necessary to take it into consideration that newly reported effects could be of help to clinical practice, because this process of comparison of Donguibogam and scientific experiment results will have basis to lead into the evidence based medicine. Methods : We compared the effects of in Donguibogam and the experiment results of YM. Results : The effects of YM in Donguibogam are to replenish essence and marrow, and to treat red wen, fatigue, treat hypouresis, urinary sediment, urinary urgency, hematuria, hydrocephalus, speech and movement retardation, yin-deficiency, diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver, melanoma, disability to see near and far sight, tinnitus, hearing loss, alopecia, angiogenesis, cough, cough at night, trachyphonia, and, infantile convulsion. The experiment results of YM since 2000 in both Korea and China are to inhibit atopic dermatitis, renal interstitial fibrosis, anti-oxidant, emphysema, stress, glomerulosclerosis, diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis, hemorrhage, plantar sweating, dermal aging, kidney aging, bone loss, breast cancer, pathological myocardial cell, primary liver cancer, thrombosis, osteoporosis, intrauterine growth retardation, chronic renal failure, IgA nepropathy, slow cerebral development, and hippocampal tissue lesions on the one hand, and to help bone formation, renin-angiotensin- aldosterone system, cerebral recovery, cognitive function and expression, osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, learning and memory, cold-tolerance and oxygen deficit-tolerance and anti-fatigue, endometrial formation, humoral and cell-mediated immunity, immune regulation effect, Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary Axis, and spermatogenesis, on the other hand. Conclusion : When we compared the effects of YM with the experiment results of YM, there existed a considerable gap between them. So, from now on, it is expected that a great effort and consideration are needed to solve these gaps from an academic and clinical point of view.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4777-4780
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• 2015

Objective: To analyze clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors and survival rates of the patients with urological soft tissue sarcomas treated and followed up in Turkey. Materials and Methods: For overall survival analyses the Kaplan-Meier method was used. From medical records, nine prognostic factors on overall survival were analysed. Results: For the 53 patients (34 males, 19 females) whose charts were reviewed, the median age was 53 (range 22 to 83) years. Most frequently renal location (n=30; 56.6%) was evident and leiomyosarcoma (n=20, 37.7%) was the most frequently encountered histological type. Median survival time of all patients was 40.3 (95% CI, 14.2-66.3) months. In univariate analysis, male gender, advanced age (${\geq}50years$), metastatic stage, unresectability, grade 3, renal location were determined as worse prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, metastatic stage, unresectability and grade 3 were determined as indicators of worse prognosis. Conclusions: Urological soft tissue sarcomas are rarely seen tumours in adults. The most important factors in survival are surgical resection, stage of the tumour at onset, grade and location of the tumour, gender and age of the patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8293-8298
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• 2016

Background: Urinary stones are known predisposing factors for upper urinary tract carcinoma (UUTC) which are commonly detected at advanced stage with poor outcome because of rarity and lack of specific criteria for early detection. Aims and objectives: The main aim was to evaluate the impact of age, gender andstone characteristics on risk of developing UUTC in patients with chronic nephrolithiasis. We also discuss the role of aberrant angiogenesis (AA) and immunohistochemical expression of p53, p16INK4a, CK20 and Ki-67 in diagnosis of pelvicalyceal neoplastic (NL) and pre-neoplastic lesions (PNL) in these patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of pelvicalyceal urothelial lesions from 88 nephrectomy specimens were carried out in a tertiary care centre from June 2012 to December 2014. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on 37 selected cases. Computed image analysis was performed to analyse aberrant angiogenesis. Results: All UUTC (5.7%) and metaplastic lesions were found to be associated with stones. Some 60% were pure squamous cell carcinoma and 40% were transitional cell carcinoma. Odd ratios for developing NL and PNL lesions in presence of renal stone, impacted stones, multiple and large stag horn stones were 9.39 (95% CI 1.15-76.39, p value 0.05), 6.28 (95% CI 1.59-24.85, p value 0.000) and 7.4 (95% CI, 2.29-23.94, p value 0.001) respectively. When patient age was ${\geq}55$, the odds ratio for developing NL was 3.43 (95% CI 1.19-9.88, p value 0.019). IHC analysis showed that mean Ki-67 indices were $3.15{\pm}3.63%$ for non-neoplastic lesions, $10.0{\pm}9.45%$ for PNL and $28.0{\pm}18.4%$ for NL. Sensitivity and specificity of CK20, p53, p16INK4a, AA were 76% and 95.9%; 100% and 27.5%; 100% and 26.5%; 92.3 % and 78.8% respectively. Conclusions: Age ${\geq}55years$, large stag horn stones, multiple stones and impacted stones are found to be associated with increased risk of NL and PNL in UUT. For flat lesions, a panel of markers, Ki 67 index >10 and presence of aberrant angiogenesis were more useful than individual markers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2153-2155
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• 2012

Objective: This study was to assess liver involvement in multiple myeloma with the aid of liver function tests. Materials and Methods: A hospital based retrospective study was undertaken using data retrieved of multiple myeloma from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of the Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between $1^{st}$ January, 2007 and $28^{th}$ February, 2012. We collected biomarkers of liver profiles including bilirubin (Total, Direct and Indirect), total protein, albumin, AG ratio, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, ${\gamma}GT$, LDH, ferritin, renal profile and hematological profile. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software. Results: Out of 37 cases of multiple myeloma, serum level of AST, ALT, ALP, ${\gamma}GT$ and LDH were increased above the cut-off point in 22 (59.5%), 24 (64.86%), 13 (35.13%), 9 (24.3%) and 11 (29.7%) respectively. The mean values of AST ($65.5{\pm}28.18$ U/L), ALT ($68.37{\pm}29.74$ U/L), ALP ($328.0{\pm}148.4$ U/L), ${\gamma}GT$ ($44.5{\pm}29.6$ U/L) and LDH ($361.7{\pm}116.5$ U/L), total protein ($9.79{\pm}1.03$ gm/dl) were significantly increased when compared with controls. In contrast, albumin ($3.68{\pm}0.43$ gm/dl) and the AG ratio ($0.62{\pm}0.15$) were significantly decreased. Similarly, anemia, hyperuricemia, azotemia, hypercalcaemia and Bence Jones proteinuria were found in 30 (78.9%), 27 (71.1%), 19 (51.5%), 15 (39.5%) and 16 (42.1%) respectively, in cases of multiple myeloma. Conclusions: While clinical manifestation of liver disease among the multiple myeloma was not common, abnormalities in liver function were characteristic.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 1986

To apply ELISA to serodiagnosis of leptospirosis with killed whole cells from Leptospira interrogans serovars mwogolo (Mwogolo), copenhageni (M-20), WH-20, autumnalis (Akiyami A), cynopteri (3522 C), australis (Bacillico) and Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc (patoc 1), sensitivity and specificity was evaluated. The reactivity of IgM and IgG antibody in the sera from patients with leptospirosis, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and other febrile disease and normal healthy control to the killed whole cells was analysed. The results were summarized as follows. 1. The reactivity (absorbance at 492mn) of IgM and IgG to L. mwogolo antigen in the sera of pattients with leptospirosis were $1.414{\pm}0.370$, $1.242{\pm}9.554$ respectively: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, $0.329{\pm}0.131$, $0.239{\pm}0.126$; other febrile disease, $0.196{\pm}0.071$, $0355{\pm}0.141$; normal healthy control, $0.136{\pm}0.016$, $0.208{\pm}0.077$. 2. The reactivity of IgM and IgG to L. copenhageni, WH-20, L. autumnalis, L. cynopteri and L. anstralis antigens were similar to that to L. mwogolo antigen, but that to L. biflexa antigen was not discriminated among above disease. 3. Correlation coefficient between the MAT titer and ELISA OD (IgM) to the above antigens was in the range of 0.071-0.518. 4. As absorbance above 0.60 was determined positive for the diagnosis of leptospirosis, the sensitivity and specificity of IgG was 25-89% and 91-96% respectively. And those of IgM was 98-100% and 89-100% except L. biflexa (29%) respectively.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6227-6232
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• 2012

Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are implicated in cancer development. However, results from the published reports have remained inconclusive. The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis investigating the association between polymorphisms in IL-4R gene and cancer risk. Pubmed, EMBASE and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for case-control studies published up to October 30, 2012 that investigated IL-4R polymorphisms and cancer risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of any associations. Three IL-4R polymorphisms (Q576R, rs1801275; I75V, rs1805010; S503P, rs1805015) in 21 case-control studies were analyzed. Our meta-analysis indicated that these three polymorphisms are not associated with cancer risk when all studies were pooled together. In the subgroup analysis by tumor site, the results showed that Q576R G allele carriers were associated with a significantly decreased cervical cancer risk (recessive model: OR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.60-0.98; homozygote comparison: OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.58-0.98). I75V G allele carriers were associated with a decreased risk of renal cancer (dominant model = 0.71, 95%CI = 0.57-0.89, heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.55-0.87). When stratified by ethnicity, Q576R G allele carriers were associated with a decreased cancer risk in Caucasians (dominant model: OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.83-0.98; heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.82-0.98). I75V G allele carriers were associated with a decreased cancer risk in Asians (heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.62-0.94). S503P C allele carriers were also associated with a decreased cancer risk in Asians (CC VS TT: OR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.08-0.99). Our results suggest that Q576R, I75V and S503P may be associated with a decreased cancer risk for certain types of cancers and in some specific ethnic groups. Future case-control studies with large sample size are needed to evaluate these associations in detail.