Effective centrifugation techniques for improving the frequency of metaphase spreads in lymphocytopenic patients.

Purpose: Cytogenetic biodosimetry is used for radiation dose assessment by evaluating chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes. However, high-dose radiation may cause low absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs), making it difficult to obtain sufficient metaphase spreads for analysis. This study aimed to optimize centrifugation settings to enrich metaphase spreads, particularly for lymphocytopenic patients.

Collaborative activities in a biological dosimetry network for radiation emergencies in South Korea.

Purpose: Biological dosimetry is an essential analytic method to estimate the absorbed radiation dose in the human body by measuring changes in biomolecules after radiation exposure. Joint response in a network to mass-casualty radiation incidents is one way to overcome the limitations of biological dosimetry, sharing the workload among laboratories. This study aimed to investigate the current performance, collaborative activities and technical advances of the Korea biodosimetry network (K-BioDos), and suggest the future directions toward successful joint response.

Journey towards resiliency: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of cancer patients' experiences.

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-synthesis seeks to explore cancer patients' journey towards resiliency. The secondary aim of this review is to identify unique resilience protective factors among cancer patients.

Methods: A thorough search was conducted in eight electronic databases and the grey literature for published or unpublished qualitative and mixed methods studies.

Lessons on harmonization of scoring criteria for dicentric chromosome assay in South Korea.

Purpose: Networking with other biodosimetry laboratories is necessary to assess the radiation exposure of many individuals in large-scale radiological accidents. The Korea biodosimetry network, K-BioDos, prepared harmonized scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay to obtain homogeneous results within the network and investigated the efficiency of the guidelines.

Materials And Methods: Three laboratories in K-BioDos harmonized the scoring guidelines for dicentric chromosome assay.

Effects of Siegesbeckia herba extract against particulate matter 10 (PM ) in skin barrier-disrupted mouse models.

Objectives: Skin barrier disruption is a significant problem of the older population in an aging society. It is characterized by increased transepidermal water loss and decreased skin water content, and particulate matter (PM) is a social issue that can contribute to the exacerbation of skin inflammation. Thus, addressing this problem is urgent.

O variant chip to simulate site-specific skeletogenesis from hypoxic bone marrow.

The stemness of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is maintained by hypoxia. The oxygen level increases from vessel-free cartilage to hypoxic bone marrow and, furthermore, to vascularized bone, which might direct the chondrogenesis to osteogenesis and regenerate the skeletal system. Hence, oxygen was diffused from relatively low to high levels throughout a three-dimensional chip.

Application of a semi-automated dicentric scoring system in triage and monitoring occupational radiation exposure.

The dicentric chromosome assay (DCA) is considered the gold standard for radiation biodosimetry, but it is limited by its long dicentric scoring time and need for skilled scorers. The automation of scoring dicentrics has been considered a strategy to overcome the constraints of DCA. However, the studies on automated scoring methods are limited compared to those on conventional manual DCA.

Sprayable nanomicelle hydrogels and inflammatory bowel disease patient cell chips for development of intestinal lesion-specific therapy.

All-in-one treatments represent a paradigm shift in future medicine. For example, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly diagnosed by endoscopy, which could be applied for not only on-site monitoring but also the intestinal lesion-targeted spray of injectable hydrogels. Furthermore, molecular conjugation to the hydrogels would program both lesion-specific adhesion and drug-free therapy.

Chromosome aberration dynamics in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy: Implications for radiation biodosimetry.

Although radiological accidents often result in partial-body radiation exposure, most biodosimetry studies focus on estimating whole-body exposure doses. We have evaluated time-dependent changes in chromosomal aberrations before, during, and after localized fractionated radiotherapy. Twelve patients with carcinoma in situ of the breast who underwent identical adjuvant radiation therapy (50 Gy in 25 fractions) were included in the study.

Cancer Patient Tissueoid with Self-Homing Nano-Targeting of Metabolic Inhibitor.

The current paradigm of cancer medicine focuses on patient- and/or cancer-specific treatments, which has led to continuous progress in the development of patient representatives (e.g., organoids) and cancer-targeting carriers for drug screening.

An intercomparison exercise to compare scoring criteria and develop image databank for biodosimetry in South Korea.

Purpose: Mutual cooperation of biodosimetry laboratories is required for dose assessments of large numbers of people with potential radiation exposure, as in mass casualty accidents. We launched an intercomparison exercise to validate the performance of biodosimetry laboratories in South Korea.

Materials And Methods: Participating laboratories shared metaphase images from dicentric chromosome assays (DCAs) and fluorescence hybridization (FISH)-based translocation assays, which were evaluated based on their own scoring protocols.

Hormone autocrination by vascularized hydrogel delivery of ovary spheroids to rescue ovarian dysfunctions.

The regeneration potential of implantable organ model hydrogels is applied to treat a loss of ovarian endocrine function in women experiencing menopause and/or cancer therapy. A rat ovariectomy model is used to harvest autologous ovary cells while subsequently producing a layer-by-layer form of follicle spheroids. Implantation of a microchannel network hydrogel with cell spheroids [vascularized hydrogel with ovarian spheroids (VHOS)] into an ischemic hindlimb of ovariectomized rats significantly aids the recovery of endocrine function with hormone release, leading to full endometrium regeneration.

Modulation of Cancer Cell Growth and Progression by Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a major structural component of cell membrane caveolae, is involved in a variety of intracellular signaling pathways as well as transmembrane transport. Cav-1, as a scaffolding protein, modulates signal transduction associated with cell cycle progression, cellular senescence, cell proliferation and death, lipid homeostasis, etc. Cav-1 is also thought to regulate the expression or activity of oncoproteins, such as Src family kinases, H-Ras, protein kinase C, epidermal growth factor, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

The standardized Korean Red Ginseng extract and its ingredient ginsenoside Rg3 inhibit manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like properties through modulation of self-renewal signaling.

Background: The ginsenoside Rg3, one of active components of red ginseng, has chemopreventive and anticancer potential. Cancer stem cells retain self-renewal properties which account for cancer recurrence and resistance to anticancer therapy. In our present study, we investigated whether the standardized Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) and Rg3 could modulate the manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like features through regulation of self-renewal activity.

15-Keto prostaglandin E suppresses STAT3 signaling and inhibits breast cancer cell growth and progression.

Overproduction of prostaglandin E (PGE) has been linked to enhanced tumor cell proliferation, invasiveness and metastasis as well as resistance to apoptosis. 15-Keto prostaglandin E (15-keto PGE), a product formed from 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase-catalyzed oxidation of PGE, has recently been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, we observed that 15-keto PGE suppressed the phosphorylation, dimerization and nuclear translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in human mammary epithelial cells transfected with H-ras (MCF10A-ras).

Src-mediated phosphorylation, ubiquitination and degradation of Caveolin-1 promotes breast cancer cell stemness.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and recurrence. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a major protein of caveolae, which participates in various cellular functions, such as vesicle trafficking, cholesterol homeostasis, tumor progression, etc. In the present study, we investigated a role for Cav-1 in regulating the stemness of human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells.

Role of heme oxygenase-1 and its reaction product, carbon monoxide, in manifestation of breast cancer stem cell-like properties: Notch-1 as a putative target.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) constitute a subpopulation of transformed cells that possess intrinsic ability to undergo selfrenewal and differentiation, which drive tumour resistance and cancer recurrence. It has been reported that CSCs possess enhanced protection against oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species compared with nonstem-like cancer cells. In the present work, we investigated the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a representative antioxidant enzyme, on the stemness and selfrenewal of human breast CSCs.

Erratum to: HIFU: Effects and Clinical Effectiveness of Non-surgical Therapy for Uterine Fibroids.

[This corrects the article on p. 59 in vol. 22, PMID: 27617237.

Bead affinity chromatography in a temperature-controllable microsystem for biomarker detection.

This paper describes a temperature-controllable bead affinity chromatography (BAC) in a microsystem for biomarker detection, and preparing samples for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. Cancer marker proteins were captured in the microsystem by BAC with RNA aptamer-immobilized microbeads. The captured proteins were then denatured and released from the microbeads by controlling temperature.

Postpartum changes in body composition.

Parity is associated with weight retention and has long-lasting and detrimental effects on the health of women. Previous studies have shown that increasing parity was independently associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Postpartum weight is made up of several components including uterine and mammary tissues, body water (intracellular (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW)), and fat.

Sensitivity enhancement of a dynamic mode microcantilever by stress inducer and mass inducer to detect PSA at low picogram levels.

We report two types of signal enhancement strategy derived from the origin of mechanical response, surface stress and mass, of the dynamic mode microcantilever for the detection of PSA at low picogram scales (low femtomolar concentration). The PSA detection at extremely low concentration levels is crucial to the early detection of relapses of prostate cancer after the radical prostatectomy and the detection of breast cancer in patient's serum. There is a clear need for the ultrasensitive detection of PSA via simple and rapid diagnostic tools.

Modified transobturator tape (canal transobturator tape) surgery for female stress urinary incontinence.

Purpose: To mitigate TOT complications we designed a modified TOT technique called canal TOT. We describe this new technique and evaluate its feasibility.

Materials And Methods: Between October 2006 and June 2007, 105 consecutive women with stress urinary incontinence underwent a canal TOT procedure.