Lifestyle Factors and Health Awareness for Improving Bone Density Acquisition in Adolescent Girls: A Pilot Study With Secondary Data.

OBJECTIVES: Adolescent girls are in an important life stage of peak bone mass (PBM) acquisition. We aimed to examine the provision of health guidance for female high school students and elucidate the factors that can increase bone density. DESIGN: A quantitative, cross-sectional analysis was used in conducting the study. SAMPLE: Sixty Japanese female first-year high school students comprised the study sample. MEASUREMENTS: We included secondary data from a bone mineral density survey conducted among female high school students in August 2016 and analyzed in 2023. RESULTS: Thirty participants each (age, mean±SD, 15.80±0.45 years) were assigned to the high and low bone stiffness groups. The high bone stiffness group had higher health awareness, better lifestyle habits, and higher club activity-related stress than the low bone stiffness group. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle factors and health awareness improved bone density in adolescent girls. Items related to exercise were particularly important for improving bone density. Eating habits and health awareness also affected bone density. Adolescent women should recognize that adolescence is a critical period for lifelong health, a period with few opportunities to develop health awareness. Acquiring appropriate lifestyle habits during adolescence can help prevent bone density loss.

Clinical significance of secreted protein, acidic and cysteine-rich gene expression in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer following curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

The standard treatment for stage II/III gastric cancer is surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine anticancer agents, including S-1. The protein, secreted protein, acidic and cysteine-rich (SPARC), promotes angiogenesis, and the proliferation and migration of cancer cells. The present study evaluated the significance of expression of the SPARC gene in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer who had undergone surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1. In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed in order to quantify mRNA expression levels of SPARC in cancer tissues and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 134 patients with stage II/III gastric cancer who had undergone surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1. The mRNA expression level of SPARC was significantly higher in cancer tissues than in adjacent normal mucosa (P=0.0012). Additionally, the 5-year overall survival rate was significantly poorer in patients with high SPARC gene expression than in those with low expression (P<0.0001). Furthermore, multivariate analysis indicated that high SPARC mRNA expression was a significant predictor of poorer survival in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer who had undergone surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (HR, 5.347; P<0.0001). Therefore, high expression of the SPARC gene may be a useful predictor of outcomes in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer, who have received treatment involving surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

Clinicopathological significance and impact on outcomes of the gene expression levels of IGF-1, IGF-2 and IGF-1R, IGFBP-3 in patients with colorectal cancer: Overexpression of the IGFBP-3 gene is an effective predictor of outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF) system is involved in tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis in cancer. The current study investigated the association of IGF-1, IGF-2 and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), IGF binding proteins type 3 (IGFBP-3) mRNA expression levels with clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of 202 patients with untreated colorectal cancer (CRC). IGF-1, IGF-2, IGF-1R and IGFBP-3 mRNA expression levels were analyzed in surgical specimens of cancer tissues and adjacent normal mucosa cells using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The IGF-1R gene expression level was significantly higher in cancer tissue compared with adjacent normal mucosa. By contrast, IGF-1 gene expression levels were reduced in cancer tissue compared with normal mucosa. IGF-2 and IGFBP-3 gene expression levels did not differ significantly between cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa. As for the association of gene expression and clinicopathological characteristics, IGFBP-3 gene expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis. High IGFBP-3 gene expression was associated with poor 5-year overall survival compared with patients with low IGFBP-3 expression. Furthermore, IGFBP-3 gene expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor using multivariate analysis. Overexpression of the IGFBP-3 gene is considered an effective independent predictor of outcomes in patients with CRC.

Clinical significance of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-ß gene expression in stage II/III gastric cancer with S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy.

Overall survival remains unsatisfactory in stage II/III gastric cancer, even after curative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-ß (PDGFR-ß) is associated with the proliferation of cancer cells. The present study therefore investigated the association of PDGFR-ß gene expression with patient outcome in 134 stage II/III gastric cancer patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1. Relative PDGFR-ß gene expression was measured in surgical cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa specimens by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The PDGFR-ß gene expression levels were found to be significantly higher in the cancer tissues compared with the adjacent normal mucosa. A high level of PDGFR-ß gene expression was associated with a significantly poorer 5-year overall survival rate compared with a low level of PDGFR-ß expression. Upon multivariate analysis, PDGFR-ß gene expression was found to be an independent predictor of survival. Overall, the study indicates that PDGFR-ß overexpression in gastric cancer tissues is a useful independent predictor of outcome in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer who receive adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

Clinical significance of IGF1R gene expression in patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer who receive curative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

PURPOSE: Curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard treatment for Stage II/III gastric cancer, and S-1 is widely used for adjuvant chemotherapy. The type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) is involved in cell proliferation and prevention of apoptosis in many tumors. We evaluated the relative expression of the IGF1R gene to determine whether such expression correlates with outcomes in patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer. METHODS: We measured the expression levels of the IGF1R gene in specimens of cancer and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 134 patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer who received curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1. We then evaluated whether the IGF1R gene expression levels correlate with clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes. RESULTS: IGF1R mRNA expression levels tended to be higher in cancer tissue than in the normal adjacent mucosa (P = 0.078). Multivariate analysis showed that high IGF1R gene expression was a significant independent predictor of poor survival in Stage II/III gastric cancer after curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (HR 3.681, P = 0.007). The overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high IGF1R gene expression than in those with low expression (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: IGF1R overexpression is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in Stage II/III gastric cancer after curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1.

Impact of overexpression of Sushi repeat-containing protein X-linked 2 gene on outcomes of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sushi repeat-containing protein X-linked 2 (SRPX2) was first described as a downstream target gene for E2A-HLA, which causes pro-B acute leukemia. SRPX2 is considered to promote cellular migration and adhesion in cancers. Our objective was to evaluate the relative expression of the SRPX2 gene and to determine whether such expression correlates with outcomes in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: Surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 227 patients with previously untreated gastric cancer were examined. SRPX2 mRNA expression levels of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We evaluated the clinicopathological significance of the relative expression of SRPX2 in patients with gastric cancer. RESULTS: SRPX2 expression was higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa (P < 0.001). On analysis of the relations between gene expression and clinicopathological factors, SRPX2 expression correlated with tumor size and distant metastasis. Overall survival was significantly lower in patients whose tumors had high SRPX2 expression than in those who had low SRPX2 expression (P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that high SRPX2 expression was an independent predictor of survival (HR = 2.028, 95% CI = 1.265-3.251). CONCLUSIONS: SRPX2 expression was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa, and overexpression of the SRPX2 gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with gastric cancer.

Relation of INHBA gene expression to outcomes in gastric cancer after curative surgery.

Inhibin-ßA (INHBA), a ligand belonging to the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily, is associated with cell proliferation in cancer. We studied the relations of INHBA gene expression to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in 168 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery. Relative INHBA gene expression was measured in surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. INHBA expression levels were significantly higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa and were related to TNM stage and venous invasion. High INHBA gene expression was associated with significantly poorer 5-year overall survival than was low expression. On multivariate analysis, INHBA gene expression was an independent prognostic factor. Overexpression of the INHBA gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with gastric cancer after curative surgery.

Clinical significance of immunohistochemical expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and matrix metalloproteinase-7 in resected non-small cell lung cancer.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) have been reported to be related to tumor invasion and metastasis in various malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of IGF-1R and MMP-7 in resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to examine the relationship of such levels to clinical characteristics and survival. Expression was measured immunohistochemically. The percentage of stained cells was multiplied by the staining intensity. The sample was classified as high when the score was equal or higher than the median value or was otherwise considered to be low. High IGF-1R expression was associated with nodal metastasis and recurrence (P=0.034 and 0.006, respectively). High IGF-1R expression was associated with significantly poorer overall survival than low IGF-1R expression (P=0.011). MMP-7 expression did not significantly correlate with any clinicopathological factor. There was a trend toward slightly, but not significantly poorer survival in patients with MMP-7-high tumors than in those with MMP-7-low tumors (P=0.220). There was no significant correlation between IGF-1R expression and MMP-7 expression (P=0.184). Upon multivariate analysis, IGF-1R expression was independently related to the outcomes of patients with NSCLC. Overexpression of IGF-1R may be a useful predictor of lymph node metastasis, recurrence and post-surgical outcomes in patients with NSCLC.

The expression of the phosphatase regenerating liver 3 gene is associated with outcome in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) is over expressed in several human cancers and associated with tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. However, the correlation between PRL-3 expression and clinical outcome in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been investigated. This study examined the relationship between the relative expression of the PRL-3 gene to the clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with CRC. METHODOLOGY: Surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa were obtained from 202 patients with untreated CRC. The relative expression level of PRL-3 mRNA in cancer and in the normal adjacent mucosa was measured using the quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR. RESULTS: PRL-3 expression was higher in cancer tissue than in the adjacent normal mucosa. The tumor location and liver metastasis were found to be related to the PRL-3 expression level. The overall survival differed significantly between patients with high PRL-3 expression and those with low expression. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of the PRL-3 gene might be a useful predictor of poor postoperative outcome in patients with CRC.

Relationship between RegIV gene expression to outcomes in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Regenerating islet-derived family members (Reg) are superfamily of calcium-dependant lectins that are expressed in the proximal gastrointestinal tract and ectopically at other sites in the setting of tissue injury. The regenerating islet-derived family member 4 (RegIV) gene has been reported in various cancers, associating with diverse functions. This study examined the relation of the relative expression of RegIV gene to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated CRC. The relative expression levels of RegIV mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: RegIV gene expression was higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. The multivariate analysis of clinicopathological factors for 5-year overall survival showed a higher level of RegIV gene expression was a significant independent predictor. Overall survival at 5 years differed significantly between patients with high RegIV gene expression and those with low expression. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of the RegIV gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with CRC.

Clinical significance of STC1 gene expression in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that altered patterns of stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) gene expression have a role in human carcinogenesis. This study examined the relationship between the relative expression of the STC1 gene and clinicopathological factors in patients with colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa were obtained from 202 patients with colorectal carcinomas. The relative expression levels of STC1 mRNA in the cancer and the normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The relative expression levels of the STC1 gene were higher in the cancer tissue than in the normal adjacent mucosa and high expression of STC1 correlated with poor postoperative survival. CONCLUSION: High expression of the STC1 gene might be a useful predictor of poor postoperative outcome in patients with colorectal cancer.

Overexpression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 gene correlates with poor outcomes in colorectal cancer.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is a major endogenous regulator of matrix metalloproteinases. This study examined the relation between TIMP-1 gene expression and postoperative mortality in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Specimens of CRC were obtained from 202 patients. The relative expression levels of TIMP-1 mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The expression level of the TIMP-1 gene was categorized as low or high according to the median value. The TIMP-1 level did not correlate with any clinicopathological feature. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 5-year overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high TIMP-1 (62.6%) than in those with low TIMP-1 (80.6%; p=0.0113). High TIMP-1 mRNA expression was associated with significantly poorer overall survival on univariate Cox regression analysis (p=0.013) and multivariate analysis (p=0.019). [corrected]. Overexpression of TIMP-1 thus correlated with poor outcomes in patients with CRC. Our results suggest that the TIMP-1 gene expression level might be a useful, independent prognostic factor in CRC.

Detection of gastric cancer cells in the blue lymph node and lymphaticus under sentinel lymph node biopsy using dye technique alone.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated whether or not there are cancer cells in the blue node (BN) and the sentinel lymphaticus (SL), which is detected using sentinel node biopsy (SNB). METHODOLOGY: Patent blue (1%) is injected submucosally into 4 to 5 different sites at 1 mL per site around the primary tumor. Blue-stained lymphatics and lymph nodes can be seen by turning over the greater omentum and lesser omentum extraperitoneally. If blue nodes or lymphaticus are found, biopsy is performed at this point. The study was conducted in 14 patients (11 males and 3 females, mean age 65.7 y/o) with a preoperative diagnosis of T1 tumor invasion and NO that there is no lymph node metastasis. Informed consent was obtained from the patients for SNB after patent blue staining and investigation of CEAmRNA and CK20mRNA. RESULTS: Of the 14 patients in whom BN and SL were identified, 1 (7.1%) had positive CEAmRNA and positive CK20mRNA of SL. CONCLUSION: Our present study shows the possibility for the existence of cancer cells in the lymphaticus from the tumor to BN. We should avoid the cut of lymphaticus when we perform gastrectomy.

Relation of MT1-MMP gene expression to outcomes in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases are members of a large family of endopeptidases that participate in the extracellular-matrix degradation that accompanies cancer cell invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. The membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) gene has been reported in various cancers and is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. This study examined the relation of the relative expression of MT1-MMP gene to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated CRC. The relative expression levels of MT1-MMP mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: MT1-MMP gene expression was higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. The level of MT1-MMP gene expression was not related to any clinicopathological factor. Overall survival at 5 years differed significantly between patients with high MT1-MMP gene expression and those with low expression. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of the MT1-MMP gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with CRC.

Overexpression of MMP-13 gene in colorectal cancer with liver metastasis.

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), MMP-9, MMP-13, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) are considered to have important roles in the invasiveness and outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study examined the clinicopathological significance of the relative expression of these genes in patients with colorectal cancer, especially as related to liver metastasis. The study analysed surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated colorectal cancer. MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP-1, and beta-actin mRNA of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Expression levels of MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-13 and TIMP-1 were higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. On analysis of the relations between gene expression and clinicopathological factors, MMP-13 expression was found to correlate with liver metastasis. Moreover, MMP-13 expression levels were higher in tumour tissue with liver metastasis than in that without liver metastasis. It is concluded that MMP-13 gene expression is a useful predictor of liver metastasis in patients with CRC.

Reduced expression of claudin-7 is associated with poor outcome in non-small cell lung cancer.

Claudin-7 is a tight junction protein that plays an important role in tumorigenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis. We examined the clinical significance of claudin-7 expression in 75 postsurgical non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Claudin-7 expression was measured immunohistochemically and was found to be high in 25 patients (33.3%) and low in 50 (66.7%). Survival was significantly poorer in patients with claudin-7-low than in those with claudin-7-high NSCLCs (P=0.024). In particular, survival was significantly poorer in patients with claudin-7-low than in those with claudin-7-high squamous cell carcinomas (P=0.011). A reduced expression of claudin-7 was associated with poor outcome in NSCLCs. Claudin-7 may thus be a useful biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in patients with NSCLC.

Overexpression of the fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 gene correlates with liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Expression of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1, FGF-2, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-1, and FGFR-2 genes has been reported in various cancers and is associated with poor outcomes in patients with solid tumors. This study examined the relations between the relative expression of the FGF genes and clinicopathological factors, especially invasion and metastasis, in patients with colorectal cancer. We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated colorectal carcinoma. The relative expression levels of FGF-1, FGF-2, FGFR-1, and FGFR-2 mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The relative expression level of the FGFR-2 gene was higher in normal adjacent mucosa than in cancer, whereas the relative expression levels of the FGF-1, FGF-2, and FGFR-1 genes were similar. FGFR-1 gene expression levels were higher in the presence than in the absence of liver metastasis. An analysis of the relation between clinicopathological features and gene expression showed that overexpression of FGFR-1 correlated with liver metastasis. Our results suggested that overexpression of the FGFR-1 gene might lead to liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. Overexpression of the FGFR-1 gene may thus be a useful predictor of liver metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Reduced expression of the AdipoR1 gene is correlated with venous invasion in colorectal cancer.

Serum adiponectin concentrations are negatively correlated with body fat percentage and with the risk of colorectal cancer. However, few studies have examined the relationship between adiponectin receptor expression and colorectal cancer. We measured the expression levels of the AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 genes by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in 202 paired specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from patients with colorectal cancer. To evaluate the clinical significance of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, correlations between the expression of these genes and clinicopathological features were examined. Both genes were expressed in colorectal cancer and in adjacent normal mucosa. The expression levels of the genes were significantly higher in cancer tissue than in normal mucosa (P<0.0001). Reduced expression of the AdipoR1 gene was correlated with venous invasion, but not with any other clinicopathological feature examined. Our findings suggest that reduced expression of the AdipoR1 gene may be a useful predictor of venous invasion.

Overexpression of EphA4 gene and reduced expression of EphB2 gene correlates with liver metastasis in colorectal cancer.

The Eph receptors, members of a large family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases, play important roles in a variety of biological functions. Recent studies have suggested that EphA4 and EphB2 participate in the growth and development of various carcinomas. This study examined the relationship of EphA4 and EphB2 gene expression to clinicopathological factors, especially metastasis, in patients with colorectal cancer. We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 205 patients with untreated colorectal cancer. The relative expression levels of EphA4 and EphB2 mRNA in the specimens were measured by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The relative expression level of EphA4 mRNA was higher in the presence than in the absence of liver metastasis, whereas the relative expression levels of EphB2 mRNA were similar. Analysis of the relationship between clinicopathological features and gene expression showed that high expression of the EphA4 gene and low expression of the EphB2 gene correlated with liver metastasis. There was no correlation between EphA4 and EphB2 gene expression. Our results suggest that overexpression of the EphA4 gene and reduced expression of the EphB2 gene might promote liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. Overexpression of the EphA4 gene and reduced expression of the EphB2 gene may thus be a useful predictor of liver metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Clinicopathological significance of the gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7, insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-2 and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in patients with colorectal cancer: insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor gene expression is a useful predictor of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), secreted by cancer cells, has been implicated classically in the basement membrane destruction associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Epidemiological studies have established a correlation between high levels of circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and the relative risk of colorectal cancer, which is known to produce MMP-7. We examined the clinicopathological significance of the relative expression of MMP-7, IGF-1, IGF-2 and IGF-1 receptor genes in patients with colorectal cancer, especially with regard to metastasis. We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 205 patients with untreated colorectal carcinoma. MMP-7, IGF-1, IGF-2, IGF-1R and beta-actin mRNA in cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. MMP-7 and IGF-1R gene expression levels were higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. In contrast, IGF-1 gene expression was lower in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. As for the relationship of gene expression to clinicopathological factors, IGF-1R expression correlated with venous invasion and liver metastasis. IGF-1R gene expression is thus considered a useful predictor of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer.