Han Chang

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While environmental and lifestyle factors contribute to urothelial carcinoma (UC) development, their differential effects on bladder cancer (UB) versus upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated location-specific risk factors and the mediating role of LINE-1 DNA methylati...

Introduction Radical nephroureterectomy with concurrent bladder cuff excision (RNUBCE) is the gold standard surgical approach for high-risk primary upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Given the notably high incidence of bladder tumor recurrence following this procedure, this study aimed to evaluate the effect and safety of intraoperative mitom...

Background/aim: The multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-ultrasound (US) fusion targeted biopsy (TB) is a useful diagnostic device for men with suspected prostate cancer (PC) and can increase the detection rate for clinically significant PCs (csPC). However, few studies have shown pathological findings of undetectable csPCs on the pr...

Background Testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is often recommended for men with a potential risk of prostate cancer (PCa) before requiring advanced examination. However, the best PSA cutoff value remains controversial. Object We compared the predictive performance of age-specific percentile-based PSA thresholds with a conventional cutoff...

Background/aim: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) of unknown primary origin is rarely identified and accounts for only 5% of cancers of unknown primary origin (CUP). The disease prognosis is typically poor because of no standard and effective therapy. Our review indicated that 23 cases have been reported and treated with conventional chemotherapy or tyro...

Chondrosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that can affect the upper urinary tract. Because of its rarity, the clinical presentation of chondrosarcoma can be similar to other urinary tract conditions, such as renal colic, hematuria, and urothelial carcinoma. The primary treatment for chondrosarcoma is the surgical removal of the tumor, and radiation o...

This study aimed to evaluate the learning curve of transperineal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ultrasound (US) fusion biopsy in a team composed of a single surgeon, a single radiologist, and a single pathologist. We prospectively enrolled 206 patients undergoing MRI/US fusion prostate biopsy and divided them into four cohorts by the year of biop...

Background DNA N6-methyldeoxyadenosine (6mA) is rarely present in mammalian cells and its nuclear role remains elusive. Results Here we show that hypoxia induces nuclear 6mA modification through a DNA methyltransferase, METTL4, in hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis. Co-expression of METTL4 and 6mA represen...

The relationship between heavy metal exposure and human health has been investigated mostly for individual metals, failing to consider their potential interactions. In this study, we assessed the joint effects of multiple metals using generalized weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression on the risk of urothelial carcinoma (UC). Also, we performed med...

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a promising tool for diagnosing prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging/ultrasound (MRI/US) fusion target biopsy (TB) can increase the detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPC) and decrease the detection rate of clinically insignificant PC (ciPC) compared with sys...

Background The advantages and disadvantages of transperineal and transrectal biopsies remain controversial in the era of prostate targeted biopsy. In this study, we compared the cancer detection and complication rates of transperineal magnetic resonance/ultrasound (MR/US) fusion biopsy and transrectal cognitive fusion biopsy of the prostate. Metho...

Background Although multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is widely used to assess the volume of prostate cancer, it often underestimates the histological tumor boundary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of combining prostate health index (PHI) and mpMRI to estimate the histological tumor diameter and determine the...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Identifying genetic risk factors and understanding their mechanisms will help reduce lung cancer incidence. The p53 apoptosis effect is related to PMP-22 (PERP), a tetraspan membrane protein, and an apoptotic effector protein downstream of p53. Although historically considered a t...

Rationale: Cavernous hemangioma (CH) is not commonly found within the abdomen or the retroperitoneum. We report the first case of CH originating from the gonadal vein. Diagnosis: A retroperitoneal tumor was found incidentally in a 57-year-old female patient. The differential diagnoses from the initial imaging studies included gastrointestinal st...

Objective To evaluate the practicability of combining prostate health index (PHI) and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPC) in an Asian population. Patients and methods We prospectively enrolled patients who underwent prostate biopsy due to elevated serum prostate-spec...

Environmental exposure to arsenic may be involved in the disturbance of DNA hypomethylation. The aim of this study is the first to explore the effect of interactions of urinary total arsenic levels, arsenic methylation capacity, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), plasma folate, and global 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-MedC) levels on the risk of...

Meta-analysis revealed that Leucine Zipper Down-Regulated In Cancer 1 (LDOC1) increased methylation more in people with lung tumors than in those who were healthy and never smoked. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR revealed that cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) exposure drives LDOC1 promoter hypermethylation and silence in human bronchial cells...

CX3CL1 is a unique chemokine, expressed in both soluble and membrane bound forms, which mediates different biological activities. Recent studies have revealed the potential of CX3CL1 signaling pathway as a target for the treatment of inflammation and cancer. The correlation between expression of CX3CL1 and prognosis of patients varies among cancers...

Objective We compared the prostate cancer (PCa) detection rates of targeted biopsy (TB) and saturation biopsy (SB) in patients with previous negative biopsy and the accuracy of TB and SB stratified by different serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Materials and Methods Overall 185 patients were enrolled. In the magnetic resonance imaging...

Solitary renal metastasis of esophageal cancer is rare clinically, with only 14 cases being reported in the literature. The authors here report a case of a 53-year-old man with a metachronous hypopharyngeal and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who developed a solitary renal metastasis after complete chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer, and su...

Renal dysplasia is an aberrant developmental disease usually diagnosed during the perinatal and childhood years. Prevalence is estimated at 0.1% of infants (via ultrasound screening) and 4% of fetuses and infants (via autopsy study). Occurrences may be combined with abnormalities in the collecting system or associated with complex syndromes. Histop...

This study aims to elucidate the level of DNA methylation in urothelial carcinomas (UCs) using 5-methylcytosine (5-MeC) immunohistochemistry (IHC). We examined the relationship among 5-MeC levels, DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) immunostaining levels, and clinicopathologic features. Tissue samples included 23 normal urothelia and 150 u...

The authors report a case of concomitant glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The 53 year-old male had G6PD deficiency and accepted repeated blood transfusions due to episodes of hemolytic anemia. Unilateral nephrectomy was performed due to RCC. PNH diagnosed...

Abstract Inhalation of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) has potential health impact. Because zinc ion may involve in the toxicity of ZnONP, we compared adverse effects of inhaled aerosolized ZnONP and zinc nitrate in mice. Aerosolized ZnONP and zinc nitrate were well-dispersed in the inhalation chamber. Inhalation of 0.86 mg/m(3) ZnONP or 1.98 mg/m...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor which translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus after activation. AhR overexpression is positively associated with epidermal growth factor (EGFR) expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The association between AhR expression and types of EGFR mutation, and...

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) have great potential for medical applications. However, ZnONP is reported to induce acute lung inflammation, which limits its application in humans. We designed in vivo and in vitro studies to clarify ZnONP inflammation and its associated molecular signals. ZnONP with a single dose of 80μg/30μl was instilled into th...

Cigarette smoke (CS) is a leading cause of death worldwide. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is partially responsible for tobacco-induced carcinogenesis although the underlying mechanisms involving early effector genes have yet to be determined. Here, we report that adrenomedullin (ADM) significantly contributes to the carcinogenicity of tobacco...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) have been the major cause of mortality worldwide. Early identification of populations at risk allows us to prevent the occurrence and to reduce the cost of health care. In human studies, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and arsenic respectively increased the risk of chronic lung diseases, i...

The secreted glycol-phosphoprotein OPN not only plays important roles in immune responses and tissue remodeling but is also intimately involved in tumorigenesis. It is up-regulated in various cancers and correlated with poor prognosis. It is evident by enhancing growth and migration of cancer cells. However, the mechanisms that participate in up-re...

Abstract Some quantum dots (QDs) have been applied for drug delivery and imaging in biological systems. Drug delivery via the lung and lung imaging are potential applications of QDs. QD705 is cadmium based. The aims of the study were to evaluate the biological effects of QD705 in the lungs and the protective effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) coa...

The axon guidance cue molecule Slit2 has been shown to suppress cancer cell invasion. However, the role of Slit2 in growth inhibition is still controversial. The authors identified a novel exon 15 (AKEQYFIP)-deleted slit2, located at the end of the second leucine-rich repeat (LRR2). Because LRR2 interacts with Robo1 receptor to inhibit invasion, th...

We present the sonographic characteristics of a rare case of cholesterol granuloma within a renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (AML) in a 57-year-old woman. Sonography showed acoustic shadowing distal to the central region of the AML behind a hyperechoic cholesterol, which was hypoattenuating on CT with no contrast enhancement. Microscopic examinatio...

Although 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is classified as a human carcinogen, TCDD only induced oxidative DNA damages. In our present study, we combined TCDD with 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) to investigate their tumorigenic effects on lung tumor formation in A/J mice. Application of NNK at a tumorigenic dose (2 m...

The objective of this study was to investigate whether quantum dot 705 (QD705) disrupts the cellular antioxidant systems leading to hepatotoxicity in mice. Mice were intravenously injected with QD705 and then sacrificed at week 12 or 16. Homeostasis of antioxidant-related metals, antioxidant activities, induction of oxidative stress, and toxicity i...

Mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase RET gene are associated with Hirschsprung disease (HD), which is also known as congenital intestinal aganglionosis. We found an association with specific alleles in five single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites of the RET gene in our HD patients. We compared the association of specific RET SNP alleles in...

We had previously reported that aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhRs) are overexpressed in lung adenocarcinomas. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), an AhR agonist, increased FGF-9 expression in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Similarly, several AhR agonists increased FGF-9 mRNA levels, and BaP-induced FGF-9 expression was prevented by cotreatment with AhR antagoni...

QD705 is a cadmium/selenium/tellurium (Cd/Se/Te)-based quantum dot with good potential for biomedical applications. Although the biological fate of QD705 is established, its chemical fate in the biological system is still unknown. Since the chemical nature of Cd in QD705 (either stays as bounded Cd or becomes free Cd) is closely related to the toxi...

CASE REPORT A 48-year-old man presented with a reddish skin tumor over face for three months. He denied any systemic disease and history of insect bite. The skin examination revealed a reddish dome-shaped elastic fi rm nodule, 1.2 cm in diameter, over left zygomatic area (Fig. 1). Other physical exam did not show any abnormal findings such as lymph...

The association of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) overexpression with cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) expression is commonly detected in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In vitro and animal studies have shown an interaction between AhR and p53, or the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The clinical importance of AhR or CYP1B1 overexpression,...

Background: The association of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) overexpression with cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) expression is commonly detected in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In vitro and animal studies have shown an interaction between AhR and p53, or the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The clinical importance of AhR or CYP1B1 ove...

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is known to be significantly activated during immortalization, and p53 is thought to be a guardian of that apoptosis pathway in most cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships among hTERT, p53 and various clinicopathological parameters of cervical cancer patients and overall su...

Epidemiological evidence indicated that there was a synergistic interaction between arsenic and cigarette smoke on enhancement of lung cancer risk. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a component in cigarette smoke, is one of the most carcinogenic compounds known. Animal studies have demonstrated that there were increased benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (...

Background and Objectives The role of human nonmetastatic clone 23 type 1 (nm23-H1), a metastasis-associated gene, is less clear-cut in cancer of uterine cervix; therefore, we investigate its expression in cancer tissues and its correlation with clinicopathologic variables and survival of patients.Methods Thirty cervical cancer tissues and their no...

We conducted pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies on Quantum Dot 705 (QD705) in male ICR mice for up to 6 months after a single intravenous dose. Time-course sacrifices were carried out at 1, 4, and 24 h; 3, 7, 14, and 28 days; and 6 months on groups of six mice per time point. Mass balance studies were also carried out at 24 h, 28 days, and 6 mo...

Most of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1 (CIN 1) will regress and 12% to 40% of high-grade CIN may progress to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix. However, the differentiation of CIN 1 and high-grade CIN is sometimes controversial among pathologists. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is therefore applied to detect...

CYP1B1 and CYP1A1 expression is up-regulated by activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) through binding of ligands such as cigarette smoke components. We examined the association between AhR, CYP1B1, and CYP1A1 expression in noninvasive bronchioloalveolar carcinomas (BAC) and lung adenocarcinomas and investigated the effects of AhR overex...

To investigate the changes in the connective tissues located in the upper portion of the anterior vaginal wall, which are associated with anterior vaginal wall prolapse, 23 women with anterior vaginal wall prolapse were included in the study group and 15 women with normal genital support served as control group. The anterior vaginal wall tissue sam...

Hedgehog is a regulatory protein during embryonic development and its abnormal activation in adult tissues has been implicated in tumorigenesis within sites where epithelial-mesenchymal interactions take place. In the prostate, Hedgehog signaling activation was observed during advanced cancer progression and metastasis, but whether Hedgehog overexp...

Both benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) are potent ligands of aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR). Although animal studies indicate that both compounds induce pathological changes in the peripheral lung, the specific cell type involved remains unclear. Clara cells, expressing Clara cell specific protein (CCSP) and abun...

Although fecal occult blood test and invasive endoscopic examination are common used to detect colorectal adenomas and cancers, non-invasive and specific biomarkers are still under investigation. The objective is to evaluate the biomarker CYP1B1 alone or in combination with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), nuclear beta-catenin, p53 or bcl-2 for ear...

Tracheobronchial stenoses caused by malignant etiologies are life-threatening with respiratory distress symptoms. Airway stent insertion is an effective method of relieving the airway obstruction. We report our experience with the use of Dumon silicone stents and self-expandable metallic Ultraflex stents. From July 1999 to December 2003, ten patien...

It has been shown that cytochrome P4501B1 (CYP1B1) is over-expressed in variety of tumors. The objective of this study was to examine the expression and localization of CYP1B1 in normal lungs and tumor tissues of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). CYP1B1 was detectable in the microsomes of normal lungs and lung tumors with Western immunoblotting....

We report a case of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary granulomatosis after intravenous injection of heroin. This 46-year-old male had a 2-year history of heroin addiction. The recent admission was due to loss of consciousness after intravenous injection of diluted heroin with unknown filler. Initial chest X-ray revealed a pic...

Seventy-two cervical pathology specimens, consisting of samples of cancer and high- and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, were used in a study exploring the involvement of nm23-H1/NDP kinase in carcinogenesis or recurrence. Additionally, the relationships between immunohistochemical expression of nm23-H1 and various clinicopathological variables...

Exposure to polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been associated with increased risk of lung cancer. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is known to play an essential role in PAH-induced toxicity. The objectives of this study were to identify and evaluate AhR expression in normal human lung tissues and in lung carcinomas. AhR protein and mRNA leve...

Primary lung tumors are rare in children, and primary bronchopulmonary leiomyosarcomas are very rare in children, with only 10 cases reported in the English-language literature. We report on the eleventh case of primary bronchopulmonary leiomyosarcoma in a child, and it is the first case in Taiwan, and also in Asia. In addition, this is the second...