No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Adenosquamous* ; Lung*

Human body contains diverse microbes. Different microbes are identified at different organs. Urine was thought as sterile, but according to progression in important technologies like 16S rRNA gene sequencing and expanded quantitative urine culture, it is known that diverse microbes exist in genitourinary tract. Microbiome contains the microbes and surrounding microenvironments. In addition to urologic difficulties like interstitial cystitis or chronic prostatitis, malignancies are thought to be related to microbiomes. In this review, we summarized several studies in urologic malignancies, especially prostate cancer and kidney cancer.

Human body contains diverse microbes. Different microbes are identified at different organs. Urine was thought as sterile, but according to progression in important technologies like 16S rRNA gene sequencing and expanded quantitative urine culture, it is known that diverse microbes exist in genitourinary tract. Microbiome contains the microbes and surrounding microenvironments. In addition to urologic difficulties like interstitial cystitis or chronic prostatitis, malignancies are thought to be related to microbiomes. In this review, we summarized several studies in urologic malignancies, especially prostate cancer and kidney cancer.

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Fetal Blood* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Pregnancy

Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most common malignancy of urological organs. However, patients with non-muscle-invasive BC are at high risk of recurrence and progression into muscle-invasive BC, and the prognosis of patients with muscle-invasive BC is limited by the high rate of metastasis. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by loss of cell-to-cell adhesion and cell polarity and is closely associated with the invasion and metastasis of several cancers. Given the multifocality and high rates of relapse, progression, and metastasis of BC, the EMT is likely to participate in BC as well. Numerous factors associate with the EMT, and the key regulators of the EMT are E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Twist, Snail, Slug, Zeb-1, Zeb-2, vimentin, and microRNAs. This review focuses on the current concepts regarding the EMT in cancer and the evidence for involvement of the EMT in BC. Several potential EMT targets that may be useful in the treatment of BC are also described.
Cadherins ; Cell Polarity ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Gastropoda ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Snails ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Vimentin

The purpose of this study is to provide a fundamental basis for defining measures to prevent suicide by specifically examining the relationship between suicide and alcohol consumption, which is thought to be a key factor in suicide. This study reviewed 426 suicide autopsies diagnosed by the department of forensic medicine, National Forensic Service (2007-2009) and analyzed the preliminary data on variables such as gender, age, and cause of death, with particular focus on the relationship between these variables and blood alcohol concentration. The relationship between each variable and alcohol consumption was as follows. First, alcohol was present in 48.4% of suicides. Second, blood alcohol concentration wrere twice as high in women as in men. Third, the relationship between suicide and alcohol consumption was greater in people in their 30s and 40s. The correlation between suicide and alcohol intake was evident this age group. These results are more specific and practical than the results of previous studies on the correlation between suicide and alcohol intake. The results of this study will help define measures to facilitate suicide prevention as an important reference and may eventually help lower the suicide rate in Korea.
Alcohol Drinking ; Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Drinking ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Suicide

PURPOSE: Forkhead transcription factor FKHR (FOXO1) is one member of the Forkhead transcription factor family, and it is thought to regulate the glucose metabolism in human and to be related to both cell cycle progression and cell apoptosis. Herein, we investigated the expression level of FOXO1 and its clinical implications in bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1992 to June 2005, 145 specimens were harvested from primary bladder cancer and 102 specimens were harvested from normal-looking tissue surrounding the tumor mass; these specimens were investigated for determining the mRNA expression levels of FOXO1 with using the real-time PCR method. The expression levels of FOXO1 were compared statistically with such clinical variables as stage, grade, recurrence and progression. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier model. RESULTS: The expression levels of FOXO1 in the bladder cancer specimens (28.19pg/ml) were significantly higher than those of the corresponding normal bladder tissues (8.87pg/ml) that surrounded the tumor mass (p<0.001), and the expression levels of FOXO1 were significantly correlated with stage and the progression of superficial disease (p<0.05 each). Also, the expressions of FOXO1 of the patients who remained alive during the study period were higher than those of the nonsurviving patients (p<0.001). A higher expression of FOXO1 in the patients with superficial bladder tumor showed more survival benefit than a lower expression (p=0.004). But the recurrence and differentiation of bladder cancer were not correlated with the expression level of FOXO1. CONCLUSIONS: This data indicate that the expression level of FOXO1 can be recommended as a useful marker to predict disease occurrence as well as the progression and survival of patients with superficial bladder cancer.
Apoptosis ; Cell Cycle ; Glucose ; Humans* ; Metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recurrence ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcription Factors ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

The fine structure of cells in the trigeminal mesencephalic (Me5) nucleus in the rat was studied by transmission electron microscopy. This nucleus located in the mid-brain and the rostral portion of the pons, most neurons in the caudal part of Me5 nucleus were sufficiently large (40~50micrometer) and appeared as round-shaped unipolar cells. The Me5 neurons had a large, round, centrally located nucleus, and their cytoplasm contained numerous mitochondria, dense granular endoplasmic reticulum, abundant Golgi apparatus, groups of free ribosomes, some heterogeneous particles and neurofilaments. Cell surfaces were studded irregularly with small spinouts processes, and they contained a few fine irregularly arranged neurofilaments and some granular endoplasmic reticulum. Boutons contacting the soma of Me5 neurons were defined as axosomatic synapses and bostons contacting dendrites located between the Me5 neurons were defined as axodendritic synapses. Based on differences in bouton and vesicle morphology, the four synaptic bouton types were identified. 1. Asymmetrical as well as symmetrical synapses with small round vesicles. 2. Asymmetrical synapses with pleomorphic admixture contained predominantlyspherical vesicles. 3. Symmetrical synapses with pleomorphic vesicles of flattened, spherical and dense-core vesicles. 4. Asymmetrical as well as symmetrical synapses with heterogeneous and large dense-core vesicles. Synaptic boutons containing round vesicles and large dense-core vesicles were most frequently observed.
Animals ; Carisoprodol ; Cytoplasm ; Dendrites ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Golgi Apparatus ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Mitochondria ; Neurons ; Pons ; Presynaptic Terminals ; Rats* ; Ribosomes ; Synapses

PURPOSE: Smoothened(Smo) encodes a 1,024 amino acid transmembrane protein that acts as a transducer of the hedgehog(Hh) signal and maps to 7q31-q32 in humans. In the absence of Hh, Patched(Ptc) prevents Smo from signaling. When M-Hh-N binds to Ptc, however, Smo is free to upregulate downstream genes in the network. Activating mutations in Smo have been identified in sporadic basal cell carcinomas. This study was performed to evaluate the significance of Smo expression in humanzbladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor tissues were obtained from 140 patients with bladder cancer and normal bladder mucosa were acquired from 17 patients without bladder cancer as controls. Smo expression was assessed from paraffin sections of tissues using immunohistochemistry and graded on a scale of 0-12 according to the intensity and rate of staining. Differences of Smo expression between the bladder tumors and normal mucosa were compared. The relationships between their expression and the pathological or clinical characteristics such as tumor stage, grade, recurrence, and progression were also analyzed. RESULTS: There was no difference in the Smo expression in comparisons between the bladder cancers and the normal tissues(4.96+/-1.92 vs.4.52+/-0.87, p=0.111). Superficial bladder tumors had a higher Smo expression compared with normal tissues(0.005). Smo expression in the superficial and low-grade bladder tumors were higher than in the invasive and high-grade bladder tumors(p=0.002 and 0.001, respectively). The progression status was correlated with Smo expression but not the recurrence status(p=0.041 and 0.357, respectively). However, the Smo expression levels were not associated with the overall survival of patients(p=0.406). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that the enhanced expression of Smo was correlated with superficial, low-grade bladder cancer and tumors without progression. These results suggest that Smo is closely correlated with the differentiation and progression of bladder cancer and may, therefore, be useful as a prognostic marker for bladder cancer in the clinical setting.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mucous Membrane ; Paraffin ; Recurrence ; Transducers ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*