• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.2003-2007
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• 2015

Background: Elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in adults are considered abnormal. This parameter is used mostly in the diagnosis and follow-up of hepatocellular carcinomas and yolk sac tumors. Among the other rare tumors accompanied with elevated serum AFP levels, gastric cancer is the most common. In this study, we evaluated the follow-up and comparison of the treatment and marker response of patients with metastatic gastric cancer who had elevated serum AFP levels. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study, including all consecutive patients with advanced gastric cancer, who received systemic chemotherapy with elevated AFP level. Results: Seventeen metastatic gastric cancer patients with elevated AFP levels at the time of diagnosis were evaluated. Fourteen (82.4%) were males and three (17.6%) were females. The primary tumor localization was the gastric body in 8 (76.4%), cardia in 7 (41.2%), and antrum in 2 (11.8%). Hepatic metastasis was observed in 13 (76.4%) at the time of diagnosis. When the relationship of AFP levels and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) response of the patients with their radiologic responses was evaluated, it was found that the radiologic response was compatible with AFP response in 16 (94.1%) patients and with CEA response in 12 (70.6%); however, in 5 (29.4%) patients no accordance was observed between radiological and CEA responses. Conclusions: Follow-up of AFP levels in metastatic gastric cancer patients with elevated AFP levels may allow prediction of early treatment response and could be more useful than the CEA marker for follow-up in response evaluation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.713-716
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• 2014

Objective: Connections between chronic inflammation and tumor development and progression are now generally accepted. Recent evidence indicates that hepatitis B is associated with several types of cancer, but whether endometrial carcinoma (EC) is included has not been reported. Methods: We analyzed HBV serum marker status in 398 patients with endometrial cancer, comparing them to 788 control women undergoing health examination. Results: The total prevalence of HBsAg tested positive in cancer group was significantly higher than the control group (12.8% vs 6.0%, P=0.001), while positive HBsAb was significantly lower (41.2% vs 68.5%, P=0.001). Hepatitis B carriers in endometrial cancer group were also more frequent than in the control group (9.3% vs 5.5%, P=0.013). Interestingly, in the endometrial cancer group, 147 cases were HBV serum marker negative, which was also higher than in the control group (36.9% vs 15.6%, P=0.001). Conclusion: There may be a correlation between HBV infection and endometrial carcinoma.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.117-122
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• 2011

We investigated the effect of Orostachys japonicus extracts on serum lipids, leptin and insulin level in hyperlipidemic rats. Also, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were assessed. Inhibitory effect of DGAT related to triglyceride synthesis emerged approximately 96% in EtOAc fraction and showed 90% and 67%, respectively, in CHCl3 and BuOH fractions. Furthermore, the EtOAc and BuOH fractions inhibited 81% and 77%, respectively, in glycerol-3-phosphate acyl transferase (GPAT). Hyperlipidemia and obesity marker, contents of leptin and insulin on serum of hyperlipidemic rats, decreased 50% and 25%, respectively, compared with control group in treated EtOAc fraction. The oxidative stress marker, a concentration of TBARS, showed decrease of approximately 30% in treated EtOAc fraction. Moreover, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol contents on serum of rats fed a hyperlipidemic diet were increased 10% and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol decreased 50% as well as triglyceride amount of feces multiplied approximately two times more than control group in treated EtOAc fraction. The data suggest that the fractions of O. japonicus may be a potent biomaterial for treatment of hyperlipidemia or obesity.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.539-546
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• 2019

간조직 생검은 침습적이며, 합병증의 위험을 동반함에도 불구하고 간섬유화의 정도를 예측하는 표준 진단법으로 적용된다. 이러한 단점을 보완하기 위해 본 연구에서는 만성 C형간염 환자 200명을 대상으로 Fibroscan(R)을 이용하여 간섬유화 등급을 나누고, ROC 곡선을 측정하여 혈청학적검사로 계산되는 FIB-4, APRI, AAR의 유용성과 실질적인 Cut-off value를 알아보고자 하였다. 그 결과 간섬유화 평가를 위해 AAR을 적용하는 것보다는 APRI, FIB-4를 이용하는 것이 적절할 것으로 생각되며, 경한 섬유화 등급을 예측하기 위해서는 APRI, 간경변군인 F4등급에는 FIB-4를 사용하는 것이 유용하다고 판단된다. 혈청학적 간섬유화 표지자의 간편하고 반복 측정이 가능하다는 장점을 이용해 간 섬유화의 경과 관찰 기간을 줄일 수 있으므로 나아가 간경변과 간암의 유병률을 감소시킬 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권11호
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• pp.4659-4662
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• 2014

The tumor marker CA 15-3 is one of the most import reliable for metastatic breast cancer monitoring. While it is generally assessed in serum of patients, blood sampling is an invasive method compared to saliva sampling which is simple and could be an alternative to blood according to many studies. The aim of this investigation was to assess the relationship between serum and salivary concentrations of the protein CA 15-3 in patients with breast cancer and healthy asymptomatic volunteers. A case-control study was conducted with 60 women: 29 breast cancer patients from the Maternity Hospital Souissi Rabat (Morocco) and 31 healthy asymptomatic women. The CA 15-3 concentrations in saliva and serum samples were assessed using an enzyme immune assay (EIA kits) and comparison between cases and controls was made by the Mann-Whitney test. The correlation between serum and saliva CA 15-3 concentration was tested using Pearson correlation. The comparison result of CA15-3 concentration in saliva and serum level in cases and controls was not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, the correlation between salivary and serum CA 15-3 concentration was positive and statistically significant (r=0.27, p=0.03). In conclusion, the positive correlation between salivary and serum expression found in our study suggests that saliva could be an alternative to blood sampling to help breast cancer monitoring.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권21호
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• pp.9511-9515
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• 2014

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a cancer of the bile duct epithelial cells. The highest incidence rate of CCA with a poor prognosis and poor response to chemotherapy is found in Southeast Asian countries, especially in northeastern Thailand and Lao PDR. Cathepsin B is a lysosomal cysteine protease which is regulated by cysteine proteinase inhibitors such as cystatin C. Elevation of cathepsin B levels in biological fluid has been observed in patients with inflammatory diseases and many cancers. We aimed to investigate the serum cathepsin B and cystatin C levels of CCA patients to evaluate the feasibility of using cathepsin B and cystatin C as markers for the diagnosis of CCA. Fifty-six sera from CCA patients, 17 with benign biliary diseases (BBD) and 13 from controls were collected and the cathepsin B and cystatin C levels were determined. In addition, cathepsin B expression was investigated immunohistochemically for 9 matched-pairs of cancerous and adjacent tissues of CCA patients. Serum cathepsin B, but not cystatin C, was significantly higher in CCA and BBD patient groups compared to that in the control group. Consistently, all cancerous tissues strongly expressed cathepsin B while adjacent tissues were negative in 7 out of 9 cases. In contrast, serum cystatin C levels were comparable between CCA and control groups, although serum cystatin C levels in the BBD group was higher than that in the control or CCA groups. When the serum cathepsin B to cystatin C ratio was calculated, that of the CCA group was significantly higher than that of the control group, and, although statistically not significant, the ratio of CCA group showed a trend to be higher than that of the BBD group. Thus, the cathepsin B to cystatin C ratio might be used as an alternative marker for aiding diagnosis of CCA.

• 동아시아식생활학회지
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2007

The effects of mulberry-leaf powder Tofu(MPT) on anthropometric measurements, including bone mineral density(BMD) in the right carpus, biochemical bone turnover markers, serum levels of lipids and macrominerals, were investigated in 30 smoking male adults who lived in Choongnam were given MPT(100 g/day) for 4 weeks. The average ages, number of smoked cigarettes and packyear were 22.38 years, 15.12/day and 3.54 years, respectively. The nutrient contents per 100 g MPT were 86.10 kcal energy, 8.98 g protein, 0.53 mg fiber, 211.33 mg Ca and 1.59 g fat. Anthropometric measurements, including dietary intake using the 24-hours recall method, carpal BMD using DEXA, serum levels of protein, albumin and glucose, lipid profiles (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol) with Al(atherosclerosis index), HTR, CRF, LHBt, some biomarkers of BMD(serum alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin, urinary DPD), and serum macrominerals(Ca, Ca/P ratio, Mg) and Pb were analyzed before and after consumption of MPT. After MPT consumption, dietary intakes of plant protein, total Ca and plant Ca increased significantly, but there were no significant differences in anthropometric measurements, BMD with bone metabolism markers, serum levels of protein, albumin or glucose, lipid profiles with AI, HTR, LHR and CRF.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제75권3호
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• pp.125-127
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• 2013

In this paper, we describe 72-year-old female patient without evidence of malignant disease presented with significantly elevated serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels by respiratory infections. She was diagnosed with respiratory infections due to Mycobacterium avium complex and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The serum CA 19-9 levels remarkably increased (1,453-5,300 U/mL; reference range, <37 U/mL) by respiratory infection and abruptly decreased (357-534 U/mL) whenever infection was controlled by specific treatments. This case suggests that serum CA 19-9 levels may be used as a diagnostic marker to indicate new or resistant infections to previous antibiotics in chronic lung diseases without significant changes in chest X-ray findings.

• 성인간호학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.355-366
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant level, serum cholesterol and skin ${\beta}$-carotene, of female elderly who had been living more then 10 months in institutions which offered either vegetarian or non vegetarian diet. Methods: Total of 110 female elderly, 56 from institution serving vegetarian diet and 54 from nonvegetarian diet, were recruited from institutions located in S and N city in Korea. ${\beta}$-carotene level was measured on their palm using Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner and annual health evaluation data was utilized for the analysis of serum cholesterol. Results: The subjects on a vegetarian diet had a significantly higher level of phosphorus, carotene, and folic acid. The elderly who were living in an institution offering a vegetarian diet had a lower level of serum cholesterol and higher level of skin ${\beta}$-carotene, compared to those living in an institution offering a non-vegetarian diet. Conclusion: This study reveals that a vegetarian diet is beneficial in increasing skin ${\beta}$-carotene level, decreasing serum total cholesterol level. The skin ${\beta}$-carotene measurement appear valuable as a bio-marker of antioxidant intake. Further study on antioxidant food and effective serving strategy for elderly are recommended.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.155-159
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• 2007

The water extracts of root, stem, and leaf from Korean indigenous Acanthopanax divaritacus were examined for their suppressive effects against allergic inflammations such as lipoxygenase activity, ${\beta}-hexosaminidase$ release, inflammatory cytokine production, and serum IgE level. The root extract inhibited the release of ${\beta}-hexosaminidase$, a degranulation marker, from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3) much more potently than the stem and leaf extracts. The root extract also significantly reduced the expression of $TNF-{\alpha}\;and\;IL-1{\beta}$ in the RBL-2H3 cells challenged with antigen. Moreover, there was a significant fall in the serum IgE level by the treatment of the root extract. Taken together, the root extract could be the most potent inhibitor of allergic inflammation, suppressing ${\beta}-hexosaminidase$ release and inflammatory cytokine expression, as well as reducing the rise of serum IgE level.