Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant form of human genetic variation and are a resource for mapping complex genetic traits.A genome is covered by millions of these markers, and researchers are able to compare which SNPs predominate in people who have a certain disease.The International HapMap Project, launched in October, 2002, motivated us to start the Korean HapMap Project in order to support Korean HapMap infrastructure development and to accelerate the finding of genes that affect health, disease, and individual responses to medications and environmental factors.A Korean SNP and haplotype database system was developed through the Korean HapMap Project to provide Korean researchers with useful data-mining information about disease-associated biomarkers for studies on complex diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and stroke.Also, we have developed a series of software programs for association studies as well as the comparison and analysis of Korean HapMap data with other populations, such as European, Chinese, Japanese, and African populations.The developed software includes HapMapSNPAnalyzer, SNPflank, HWE Test, FESD, D2GSNP, SNP@Domain, KMSD, KFOD, KFRG, and SNP@WEB.We developed a disease-related SNP retrieval system, in which OMIM, GeneCards, and MeSH information were integrated and analyzed for medical research scientists.The kHapMap Browser system that we developed and integrated provides haplotype retrieval and comparative study tools of human ethnicities for comprehensive disease association studies (http://www.khapmap.org).It is expected that researchers may be able to retrieve useful information from the kHapMap Browser to find useful biomarkers and genes in complex disease association studies and use these biomarkers and genes to study and develop new drugs for personalized medicine.
This study evaluated the efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of metachronous liver metastases of gastric cancer. We enrolled a total of 44 patients who underwent percutaneous RFA for the treatment of metachronous liver metastases after resection of a primary gastric adenocarcinoma from January 2002 to November 2011. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) after RFA. Systemic chemotherapy was combined with RFA in 40 patients; the OS and RFS of the patients with liver-only metastasis who underwent RFA and chemotherapy were 20.9 months (95% CI 18.4-23.4) and 9.8 months (95% CI 9.2-10.5), respectively. On multivariate analysis, the factors independently, negatively associated with OS were extrahepatic metastatic lesions (HR 12.6, 95% CI 3.7-42.9; p=0.001), no chemotherapy (HR 43.3, 95% CI 7.4-251.3; p=0.001), and tumor number≥2 (HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.9; p=0.015). The factors independently, negatively associated with RFS were extrahepatic metastatic lesions (HR 3.6, 95% CI 1.6-7.8; p=0.003) and bilobar intrahepatic distribution (HR 3.9, 95% CI 1.5-9.9; p=0.001). The efficacy of percutaneous RFA for metachronous liver metastases of gastric cancer is limited to patients with a single, unilobar metastasis without extrahepatic metastatic lesions. Combined systemic chemotherapy is very important for the prolongation of OS.
Purpose: One of the most common sites of recurrence after a curative resection of rectal cancer is the pelvis, and local control is a major goal of surgical treatment. The advantages of lateral pelvic lymph node dissection are regarded as questionable because lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis does not occur so frequently and because a lateral lymphadenectomy has a negative influence on the postoperative quality of life. The aim of this study was to clarify if lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPLD) conferred any benefit. Methods: A total of 769 patients who underwent curative surgery for rectal cancer between 1981 and 2005 at the Department of Surgery, OOO Hospital, were reviewed retrospectively. One hundred ninety-three of these patients underwent a lateral pelvic lymph node dissection, and 576 patients had a total mesorectal excision with high ligation of the IMA. Results: There was no difference in pathological characteristics between the two groups. Patients who underwent a lateral pelvic lymph node dissection had no statistically significant difference in terms of the 5-year survival rate at stage II and III (64% vs 65% at stage II, P=0.391; 49% vs 47% at stage III, P=0.815). Conclusions: A lateral pelvic lymph node dissection has no advantage as part of a standard operation for rectal cancer. A total mesorectal excision alone has good local control and survival compared with a lateral pelvic lymph node dissection.
Complex diseases, such as stroke and cancer, have two or more genetic influences and are affected by environmental factors, which complicate them. Due to the complex characteristics of these diseases, we must search and study comprehensive literature-based article resources. Some disease-related literature databases have been developed through specialized journal issues or major websites. Most of them, however, are scattered throughout a website, and users encounter difficulties in finding accurate and comprehensive information easily and quickly. We developed StrokeMed, an integrated literature database for stroke and the differentiation of stroke syndrome. The system allows users to explore PubMed search results, categorized by MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), and the differentiation of stroke syndrome in Oriental medicine. StrokeMed collects data from important sites, such as PubMed, Scirus, and Scopus, automatically to maintain higher-quality and updated content. Currently, the system indexes more than 20,000 PubMed abstracts that are related to stroke, stroke etiology, and Oriental medicine. The system provides valuable literature information to the scientific and medical fields in stroke.
This study examines the association between keiretsu affiliation and corporate equity value in Japan. We hypothesize that, ceteris paribus, keiretsu firm value, measured as Tobin's Q, is higher than non-keiretsu firm value, reflecting the improved or active monitoring role of the keiretsu arrangement. The empirical tests are supportive after controlling for other financial and ownership variables. The results also show that keiretsu firm value is positively related to the strength of the keiretsu. This is additional evidence that the monitoring provided by the keiretsu relationship does indeed increase corporate equity value, and that the source of the increase in value is not merely a result of cross-shareholding, but inherent to the keiretsu arrangement. However, the effect of keiretsu membership and influence on market equity values has apparently diminished since 1990 (the post-market crash period in Japan).
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