Eun Kyoung Choi

Expression of cyclin E and p27KIP1 in cervical carcinoma

Carcinogenesis is characterized by deregulation of the cell cycle. Although p53 is still the most important cell-cycle regulator in human malignancies, there is an increased body of evidence indicating that the aberrant expression of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors is considered as one of the most important events in malignant transformation of various human cancers. Among these cell-cycle regulators, the role of cyclin E and p27(KIP1) in the tumorigenesis of the uterine cervix has been poorly defined. Using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cervical tissues, we investigated the expression of cyclin E and p27(KIP1) by immunohistochemistry, and human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 22 control cases, 23 cases with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and 45 patients with invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC). The p27 index (P27I) was significantly lower in patients with ICC and CIN compared to those with a normal cervix. Patients with either invasive cancer or CIN were found to have a significantly higher cyclin E index (CEI) than the controls (P<0.05). Our results were consistent with the concept that the deregulated expression of cyclin E and p27(KIP1) may play an important role in the neoplastic transformation of cervical carcinoma.

Differential Effect of Intraperitoneal Albendazole and Paclitaxel on Ascites Formation and Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Ovarian Cancer Cell-Bearing Athymic Nude Mice

Objectives: The purposes of our study were to evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal albendazole on tumor growth, ascites formation, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression, and to assess the synergistic effect of paclitaxel in OVCAR-3-bearing nude mice. Methods: In all, 4 groups of mice were injected intraperitoneally with weekly albendazole (450 mg/kg per week), paclitaxel (30 mg/kg per week), albendazole plus paclitaxel, or normal saline for 4 weeks. Results: Ascitic fluid accumulation (2.47, 2.65, 2.88, and 5.90 mL, respectively) and in ascitic VEGF levels were significantly reduced in the 3 treatment groups compared to the control group (170.83, 229.16, 267, and 1625 pg/mL, respectively). However, complete tumor suppression was more prominent in the paclitaxel group, and VEGF mRNA expression was more strongly inhibited in the albendazole group (P < .05). No synergistic effect of albendazole and paclitaxel was observed. Conclusion: We demonstrated a differential effect of albendazole and paclitaxel in a xenograft model of ovarian carcinoma; albendazole suppressed ascites formation by inhibiting VEGF secretion, and paclitaxel exerted its effects by direct cytotoxicity.

A Novel Short-Time Fourier Transform-Based Fall Detection Algorithm Using 3-Axis Accelerations

The short-time Fourier transform- (STFT-) based algorithm was suggested to distinguish falls from various activities of daily living (ADLs). Forty male subjects volunteered in the experiments including three types of falls and four types of ADLs. An inertia sensor unit attached to the middle of two anterior superior iliac spines was used to measure the 3-axis accelerations at 100 Hz. The measured accelerations were transformed to signal vector magnitude values to be analyzed using STFT. The powers of low frequency components were extracted, and the fall detection was defined as whether the normalized power was less than the threshold (50% of the normal power). Most power was observed at the frequency band lower than 5 Hz in all activities, but the dramatic changes in the power were found only in falls. The specificity of 1–3 Hz frequency components was the best (100%), but the sensitivity was much smaller compared with 4 Hz component. The 4 Hz component showed the best fall detection with 96.9% sensitivity and 97.1% specificity. We believe that the suggested algorithm based on STFT would be useful in the fall detection and the classification from ADLs as well.

Sexual function and qualify of life in women with spina bifida: Are the women with spina bifida satisfied with their sexual activity?

As the life expectancy of persons with spina bifida increases, sexual life in adulthood presents a considerable challenge for this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sexual function of young women with spina bifida and its impact on their quality of life (QOL).

Kinematic Study of Lower Extremity Movements in Unskilled and Expert Snowboarders During Snowboard Simulator Exercises

Abstract: In this study, joint angles of the lower extremity and tibial acceleration and angular velocity were measuredduring a snowboard simulator exercises in order to evaluate the skill of snowboarders. Ten unskilled and ten expertsnowboarders were recruited for the study. A three-dimensional motion capture system and two inertial sensor mod-ules were used to acquire joint movements, acceleration and angular velocity of the lower extremities during snow-board simulator exercises. Pattern variations were calculated to assess variations in the snowboard simulator motionof unskilled and expert snowboarders. Results showed that expert snowboarders showed greater range of motionin joint angles and greater peak to peak amplitude in acceleration and angular velocity for tibia than unskilled snow-boarders. The unskilled snowboarders did not show symmetrical shape(same magnitude but opposite direction) intibial angular velocity during two edge turns in snowboard simulator exercises. The expert snowboarders showedsmaller pattern variations for joint angle of lower extremity, tibial acceleration and tibial angular velocity thanunskilled snowboarders. Inertial sensor data and pattern variations during the snowboard simulator exercises couldbe useful to evaluate the skill of snowboarders.Key words: snowboard simulator, inertial sensor, kinematics, pattern variation