• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4421-4427
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• 2015

Objectives: To investigate the prognosis significance of preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and the correlation with clinicopathological factors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent hepatectomy. Materials and Methods: Clinicopathological data of retrospective analysis were collected for 251 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy in this study. According to preoperative AFP level, patients were categorized into AFP-negative (0-20ng/mL) and AFP-positive (>20 ng/mL) groups for Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression modeling. Results: The results demonstrated that increased AFP was associated with longer prothrombin time (PTs), liver capsule invasion, low grade differentiation, and late Barcelona Clinic Liver Center (BCLC) stage. Moreover, the female patients had a greater prevalence of increased preoperative AFP than male patients [284.8 (3.975-3167.5) vs (3.653-140.65); Z-2.895, p=0.004]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 78.1, 57.5, and 40.6 % in the AFP-negative group and 61.8, 37.7, and 31.4 %, respectively, in the AFP-positive group (log-rank test 8.312, p=0.004). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 94.4, 83.8, and 62.3% in the AFP-negative group and 87.2, 60.0, and 36.7%, respectively, in the AFP-positive group. The difference was statistically significant (log-rank test, 16.884, p=0.000). Cox proportional-hazards model identified preoperative AFP to be an independent prognostic predictor of overall survival. Conclusions: Preoperative serum AFP is an independent predictor of prognosis among HCC patients following surgical resection. Female patients have a higher preoperative AFP than their male counterparts.

• 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.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 1986

Using as assay for jejunal crypt stem cell survival, dose-response curves for the reproductive capacity of crypt stem cells of mouse jejunum exposed to multifractionated gamma-ray irradiation (single, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 16 fractions) were analyzed and single-dose survival curve of these cells was constructed. The following conclusion were drawn: 1) Survival curves for higher numbers of dose fractions were displaced to higher dose, and characterized by increasingly shallower slopes. 2) The single-dose survival curve had broad shoulder, Dq=460 cGy, remaining near-exponential over initial dose range 0 to 300 cGy, with initial slope 1Do=474 cGy. 3) At fractionated dose En the range of 180 to 450 cGy, the average recovered dose per fraction interval was approximately $50\%$ of the dose per fraction. 4) The value of $\alpha/\beta$ ratio by using of linear regression analysis for the reciprocal dose plots was 8.3 Gy which lied in the range of 6-14 Gy for early-reacting tissues. 5) The linear-quadratic model for dose-response formula offers valid approximations for at 1 doses to be used in radiotherapy, only two parameters to be determined, and considerable convenience in practical applications.

• Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research
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• v.95 no.5
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• pp.286-296
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• 2018

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB) is widely accepted for staging of melanoma patients. It has been shown that clinico-pathological features such as Breslow thickness, ulceration, age, and sex are better predictors of relapse and survival than SLN status alone. The aims of this study were to evaluate the long-term (10-year) prognostic impact of SLNB and to determine predictive factors associated with SLN metastasis, relapse, and melanoma specific mortality (MSM). Methods: This was a prospective observational study on 289 consecutive patients with primary cutaneous melanoma who underwent SLNB from January 2000 to December 2007, and followed until January 2014, at an Italian academic hospital. Results: SLN was positive in 64 patients (22.1%). The median follow-up was 116 months (79-147 months). Tenyear disease-free survival and melanoma specific survival were poor in patients with positive SLN (58.7% and 66.4%, respectively). Only the increasing Breslow thickness resulted independently associated to an increased risk of SLN metastasis. Cox regression analysis showed that a Breslow thickness >2 mm was an independent predictor of relapse, and male sex and Breslow thickness >2 mm was a predictor of MSM. At 10 years, SLN metastasis was not significantly associated to either relapse or MSM. Conclusion: After the fifth year of follow-up, SLN metastasis is not an independent predictive factor of relapse or mortality which are mainly influenced by the characteristics of the primary tumor and of the patient. Patients with a Breslow thickness >2 mm regardless of the SLN status should be considered at high risk for 10-year relapse and mortality.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.370-380
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• 2022

Objective: To compare pneumonic-type invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (pIMA) confined to a single lobe with clinical T2, T3, and T4 stage lung cancer without pathological node metastasis regarding survival after curative surgery and to identify prognostic factors for pIMA. Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2017, 41 patients (15 male; mean age ± standard deviation, 66.0 ± 9.9 years) who had pIMA confined to a single lobe on computed tomography (CT) and underwent curative surgery were identified in two tertiary hospitals. Three hundred and thirteen patients (222 male; 66.3 ± 9.4 years) who had non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without pathological node metastasis and underwent curative surgery in one participating institution formed a reference group. Relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the survival of patients with pIMA. Results: The 5-year RFS and OS rates in patients with pIMA were 33.1% and 56.0%, respectively, compared with 74.3% and 91%, 64.3% and 71.8%, and 46.9% and 49.5% for patients with clinical stage T2, T3, and T4 NSCLC in the reference group, respectively. The RFS of patients with pIMA was comparable to that of patients with clinical stage T4 NSCLC and significantly worse than that of patients with clinical stage T3 NSCLC (p = 0.012). The differences in OS between patients with pIMA and those with clinical stage T3 or T4 NSCLC were not significant (p = 0.11 and p = 0.37, respectively). In patients with pIMA, the presence of separate nodules was a significant factor associated with poor RFS and OS {unadjusted hazard ratio (HR), 4.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.95-11.11), p < 0.001 for RFS; adjusted HR, 4.53 (95% CI, 1.59-12.89), p = 0.005 for OS}. Conclusion: The RFS of patients with pIMA was comparable to that of patients with clinical stage T4 lung cancer. Separate nodules on CT were associated with poor RFS and OS in patients with pIMA.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.267-271
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• 2011

P19 cells are pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cells and can be differentiated into neuronal cell type by treatment with retinoic acid (RA) and aggregation culture. Cannabinoids are the active components of Cannabis sativa and they have diverse pharmacologic activities, such as pain control, anti-inflammatory effects, neuro-protection effects and tumor regression. Cannabinoids also involved in neuronal proliferation, migration, differentiation and survival in developing brain. Here, we studied the role of cannabinoids on neuronal differentiation of P19 cells. Treatment with cannabinoids increased the neuronal differentiation induced by RA and also promoted transcriptional activity of neurogenin 1, key transcription factor for neuronal differentiation of P19 cells. These results suggest that the cannabinoids can accelerate neuronal differentiation of P19 cells.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1017-1026
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• 2005

We consider the problem of modeling count data where the observation period is determined by the survival time of the individual under study. We assume random effects or frailty model to allow for a possible association between the death times and the counts. We assume that, given a random effect, the death times follow a Weibull distribution with a rate that depends on some covariates. For the counts, given the random effect, a Poisson process is assumed with the intensity depending on time and the covariates. A gamma model is assumed for the random effect. Maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters are obtained. The model is applied to data set of patients with breast cancer who received a bone marrow transplant. A model for the time to death and the number of supportive transfusions a patient received is constructed and consequences of the model are examined.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.545-553
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• 2018

Purpose: The increasing survival rate of colorectal cancer demands various nursing interventions and continuous care for patients to adapt to their psychosocial daily lives. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with psychosocial adjustment in colorectal cancer survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with face-to-face interviews was conducted of 156 colorectal cancer survivors after surgery visiting an outpatient cancer clinic at a tertiary hospital in S city, Korea. Posttraumatic growth, health-promoting behavior, length of treatment, difficulty in activities of daily living, and having a stoma were entered into the linear regression model. Results: The strongest factor influencing the level of psychosocial adjustment was health-promoting behavior (${\beta}=.33$, p<.001), followed by difficulty in activities of daily living (${\beta}=-.24$, p=.001), posttraumatic growth (${\beta}=.20$, p=.004), and having a stoma (${\beta}=-.19$, p=.004). Conclusion: Nursing interventions for psychosocial adjustment in colorectal cancer survivors need to include the contents for posttraumatic growth, as well as health-promoting behavior, and activities of daily living.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.947-958
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• 2012

When modeling event times in biomedical studies, the outcome might be incompletely observed. In this paper, we assume that the outcome is recorded as current status failure time data. Despite well-developed literature the routine practical use of many current status data modeling methods remains infrequent due to the lack of specialized statistical software, the difficulty to assess model goodness-of-fit, as well as the possible loss of information caused by covariate grouping or discretization. We propose a model based on pseudo-observations that is convenient to implement and that allows for flexibility in the choice of the outcome. Parameter estimates are obtained based on generalized estimating equations. Examples from studies in bile duct hyperplasia and breast cancer in conjunction with simulated data illustrate the practical advantages of this model.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.235-240
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• 2000

Antitumor effect of LC43, a protein-bound ploysaccharide (M.W. 43 kDa) that was purified from intergeneric protoplast fusant of Lentinus edodes and Coriolus versicolor, was elucidated against mouse sarcoma 180 cell in vitro and in vivo. By injecting LC43 into ICR mice bearing solid or ascitic sarcoma 180, tumor regression and survival rates were investigated. To examine the effects of LC43 on immunopotentiation activity. immunoorgan weight, B cell differentiation, T cell activity and macrophage activation were determined. LC43 showed antitumor effects against both solid tumor and ascitic tumor of sarcoma 180. It did not change significantly the immunoorgan weight but potentiated immune responses such as B cell differentiation and the release of superoxide anion from macrophages. These results suggest that the protein-bound polysaccharide of LC43 exhibited antitumor activities through the activation of immune-related cells and acted as an immunmodulator.