Hypomethylation of ATP1A1 Is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Cancer Progression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Dysregulated DNA methylation in cancer is critical in the transcription machinery associated with cancer progression. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, but no treatment targeting TNBC biomarkers has yet been developed. To identify specific DNA methylation patterns in TNBC, methyl-binding domain protein 2 (MBD) sequencing data were compared in TNBC and the three other major breast cancer subtypes. Integrated analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression identified a gene set showing a correlation between DNA methylation and gene expression. ATPase Na+/K+-transporting subunit alpha 1 (ATP1A1) was found to be specifically hypomethylated in the coding sequence (CDS) region and to show increased expression in TNBC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database also showed that hypomethylation and high expression of ATP1A1 were strongly associated with poor survival in patients with TNBC. Furthermore, ATP1A1 knockdown significantly reduced the viability and tumor-sphere formation of TNBC cells. These results suggest that the hypomethylation and overexpression of ATP1A1 could be a prognostic marker in TNBC and that the manipulation of ATP1A1 expression could be a therapeutic target in this disease.

Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2023: analysis of nationwide population-based data with a particular focus on hypertension in special populations.

BACKGROUND: The Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2023, presented by the Korean Society of Hypertension, offers an overview of the prevalence and management of hypertension, along with recent trends. METHODS: Data for the Fact Sheet were derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 1998 to 2021, and the National Health Insurance Big Data from 2002 to 2021. RESULTS: As of 2021, hypertension affected 28.0% of Korean adults aged 20 and older, totaling approximately 12.3 million individuals, with 5.3 million (43.5%) aged 65 or older. Among those with hypertension, awareness stood at 74.1%, treatment rates at 70.3%, and control rates at 56.0%. Over the years, the number of hypertension diagnoses increased from 3.0 million in 2002 to 11.1 million in 2021. During the same period, the utilization of antihypertensive medications rose from 2.5 million to 10.5 million, with treatment adherence also improving from 0.6 million to 7.8 million individuals. In 2021, the predominant antihypertensive drug class was angiotensin receptor blockers (75.1%), followed by calcium channel blockers (61.7%), diuretics (23.4%), and beta blockers (15.3%). Notably, 60.2% of all antihypertensive prescriptions involved combination therapy with at least two classes of antihypertensive medication. There was a positive trend towards stricter blood pressure control targets (systolic/diastolic blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg) among elderly hypertensive patients, as well as those with diabetes, obesity, and high-risk hypertension. However, this trend declined in individuals aged 80 years or older and those with chronic kidney disease in recent years. CONCLUSION: In Korea, hypertension management is making strides, yet the total number of hypertensive individuals is rising. Effectively addressing the growing population of elderly hypertensive patients and the persistently low treatment rates among younger individuals with hypertension is a critical challenge. Additionally, developing more efficient and customized policies for blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease prevention is imperative.

Effect of cellulose nanofiber-montmorillonite hybrid filler on the melt blending of thermoplastic starch composites.

This study investigated the impact of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on montmorillonites (MMTs) exfoliation within thermoplastic starch (TPS) nanocomposites during the melt blending process. TPS nanocomposite films were manufactured using an internal mixer with a controlled ratio of CNFs and MMTs to evaluate the effect of individual and hybrid fillers on the material interactions and characteristics of the TPS composites. The incorporation of hybrid fillers resulted in notable enhancements in torque values and rheological properties, suggesting interactions between the starch, CNFs, and MMTs. The degree of MMT intercalation, obtained via X-ray diffraction analysis, decreased with the addition of CNFs, indicating that CNFs positively impacted MMT exfoliation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of cryo- and tensile-fractured samples highlighted the effectiveness of CNFs in facilitating MMT exfoliation and reinforcing interactions between the MMTs and TPS matrix. These interactions enhanced the tensile strength and Young's modulus by up to 95.8 % and 278.2 %, respectively, with a 1:1 weight ratio of CNFs to MMTs. Additionally, well-dispersed MMTs within the TPS matrix caused passivation and created tortuous paths, improving the water contact angle and decreasing the water vapor sorption. These synergistic effects of the hybrid filler, achieved through a melt blending process, indicate the potential use of TPS nanocomposites as an eco-friendly packaging material.

Use of Methylcellulose-Based Pellet to Enhance the Bacterial Self-Healing of Cement Composite.

In this study, a new type of bacterial carrier using methylcellulose was presented, and its applicability to self-healing concrete has been explored. Methylcellulose, the main component of a 2 mm pellet-shaped carrier, can remain stable in alkaline environments and expand in neutral or acidic environments. These properties allow bacteria to survive in the high-alkaline and high-pressure environments of early age concrete, and the number of bacteria increases rapidly in the event of cracks, accelerating crack closure. The results show that the survival rate of bacterial spores inside the mortar was increased, and the pellet provides an enhanced biological anchor suitable for bacterial activity, bacterial growth, and mineral precipitation. Further, the results indicate an improved self-healing efficiency compared with mixing bacteria directly into the cement composite.

miR-374a-5p promotes tumor progression by targeting ARRB1 in triple negative breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has higher aggressiveness and poorer outcomes compared with other subtypes of breast cancer. However, the genomic and molecular aberrations of TNBC are largely unknown. In this study, miR-374a-5p was discovered as a novel TNBC-specific miRNA and its functions and the molecular mechanisms involved were investigated. Combined gene expression profiling of miRNA-microarray and human transcriptome dataset analysis revealed that miR-374a-5p is specifically upregulated in TNBC patients. Functional studies using in vitro and in vivo models indicated that upregulated miR-374a-5p promotes tumor progression in TNBC. miR-374a-5p was also found to directly target arrestin beta 1 (ARRB1) that is specifically downregulated in TNBC patients in several human genomic datasets. Overexpressed ARRB1 reduced TNBC cell growth and migration, and the ARRB1 expression level is inversely correlated with the histological grade of the breast cancer and positively associated with TNBC patient survival, suggestive of a tumor-suppressive function of ARRB1 in breast cancer. Interestingly, increased ARRB1 activates AMPK in TNBC cells, associated with the expression of miR-374a-5p. Taken together, the findings suggest that miR-374a-5p is a potential prognostic marker of TNBC.

Transgenic overexpression of human LY6K in mice suppresses mature T cell development in the thymus.

Lymphocyte antigen 6 family member K (LY6K) is upregulated in a number of types of cancer and promotes tumor cell proliferation and metastasis. In addition, LY6K is involved in tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. However, the in vivo molecular mechanism of LY6K has not yet been investigated. In the present study, transgenic mice overexpressing human LY6K (hLY6K) were generated using the pMAMneo vector, and the effect of LY6K upregulation in vivo was investigated. A total of 4 transgenic mice were generated, and the gene copy number was examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RT-qPCR demonstrated that mRNA of hLY6K was overexpressed in the thymus and spleen of the transgenic mice compared with wild-type mice. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that the proportions of B and T cells in the spleen were similar in wild-type and transgenic mice; however, the proportion of thymic mature T cells decreased in the transgenic mice, while there was an increase in the proportion of naïve T cells. These findings suggest that the overexpression of LY6K suppresses T cell development, and that LY6K is a potential therapeutic target for cancer.

Transfer of fibres on the hands of living subjects and their persistence during hand washing.

Textile fibres were transferred to the hands of ten living subjects and their persistence was determined after hand washing. Average number of fibres transferred was 300 ± 133 (female 288 ± 92, male 311 ± 163) per 100 cm(2) hand area in the 100 experiments. However the number of fibres transferred was not gender dependent but individual dependent. The hand texture of subjects was compared with the number of fibres transferred but the relationship was not observed. The number of fibres transferred varied significantly for the 10 repeated experiments performed under the same conditions for the same subject. The subjects were then asked to wash their hands with water. One test group washed their hands with standing water, and the other with running tap water. Afterwards, the number of fibres remaining on the test subjects' hands were investigated. Migration of the fibres on the surface of the observed hands did occur but total loss of transferred fibre after hand washing did not occur. The average number of fibres remaining per 100 cm(2) hand area was 14 ± 10 (range=3-72) for hand washing with standing water, and 10 ± 12 (range=0-79) for washing with running tap water. The results of this study show the possibility of finding fibres on the hands of a person involved in a criminal case even after hand washing before fibre collection.