Associations of fish oil with cardiovascular disease events: results from the Taiwan longitudinal study in aging.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of fish oil in preventing cardiovascular events is still debating. Some studies indicate a correlation between the use of fish oil supplements and reduced mortality or decreased incidence of stroke. However, other studies show no significant association between fish oil intake and stroke prevention, indicating an ongoing debate. This study aimed at exploring which subjects may benefit more from fish oil supplementation. METHODS: This study utilized the data obtained through face-to-face interview from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study in Aging (TLSA). A total of 3,652 participants were included from the 2003 baseline data, after excluding patients with pre-existing ischemic heart disease or stroke. Participants were divided into two groups based on whether taking fish oil supplement or not. Participants were followed until 2015, estimating and comparing the all-cause mortality and cumulative incidence rate of stroke between both groups. RESULTS: The results of the 12-year longitudinal study showed that the cumulative incidence rate of stroke in the fish oil supplementation group was 5.7%, compared to 7.7% in the non-supplemented group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the crude hazard ratio for stroke was significantly lower in the fish oil supplementation group (HR = 0.686;95% CI 0.476-0.987). However, after adjusting potential confounders, the adjusted risk of stroke was lower only for the diabetic patients supplemented with fish oil (aHR = 0.123; 95% CI 0.016-0.930) compared to non-diabetic patients (aHR = 0.917; 95% CI 0.616-1.364). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that there is an association between fish oil supplementation and a lower cumulative incidence rate of subsequent stroke among diabetic patients.

Prenatal diagnosis of familial 3p26.3p25.3 deletion in a pregnancy associated with a favorable fetal outcome and asymptomatic carrier parent and family members in three generations.

OBJECTIVE: We present prenatal diagnosis of familial 3p26.3p25.3 deletion in a pregnancy associated with a favorable fetal outcome and asymptomatic carrier parent and family members in three generations. CASE REPORT: A 35-year-old, gravida 2, para 1, woman underwent amniocentesis at 17 weeks of gestation because of advanced maternal age and the carrier of distal 3p deletion. She was phenotypically normal, and there was no family history of congenital anomalies. Amniocentesis revealed a karyotype of 46,XY,del(3)(p26.1). Repeat amniocentesis at 21 weeks of gestation revealed a karyotype of 46,XY,del(3)(p25.3). Simultaneous array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis on the DNA extracted from uncultured amniocytes showed the result of arr 3p26.3p25.3 (117,735-8,709,972) × 1.0 [GRCh37 (hg19)] with an 8.59-Mb deletion of 3p26.3p25.3 encompassing 14 OMIM genes of CHL1, CNTN6, CNTN4, IL5RA, TRNT1, CRBN, SETMAR, SUMF1, ITPR1, BHLHE40, ARL8B, GRM7, LMCD1 and SSUH2. Cytogenetic analysis of parental bloods revealed a karyotype of 46,XX,del (3) (p25.3) in the mother and 46,XY in the father. The woman's 69-year-old mother and her 2-year-old elder son carried the same aberrant chromosome of 3p25.3→p26.3 deletion by conventional cytogenetic analysis but manifested no phenotypic abnormality. aCGH analysis of the peripheral bloods showed that the woman's mother and her elder son had the same 8.59-Mb deletion of 3p26.3p25.3. The woman was advised to continue the pregnancy. At 39 weeks of gestation, a 3040-g healthy male baby was delivered. When follow-up at age 2½ years, the neonate was normal in development and showed no apparent phenotypic abnormality. CONCLUSION: Distal 3p deletion of 3p26.3p25.3 involving the OMIM genes from CHL1 to SSUH2 can be associated with no apparent phenotypic abnormality.

Assessment of the impact of resting heart rate on the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events after ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Although elevated heart rate is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in healthy people, the association between resting heart rate and major cardiovascular risk in patients after acute ischemic stroke remains debated. This study evaluated the association between heart rate and major adverse cardiovascular events after ischemic stroke. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing data from the Chang Gung Research Database for 21,655 patients with recent ischemic stroke enrolled between January 1, 2010, and September 30, 2018. Initial in-hospital heart rates were averaged and categorized into 10-beats per minute (bpm) increments. The primary outcome was the composite of hospitalization for recurrent ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, or all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were hospitalization for recurrent ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, using the heart rate < 60 bpm subgroup as the reference. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 3.2 years, the adjusted hazard ratios for the primary outcome were 1.13 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.26) for heart rate 60-69 bpm, 1.35 (95% CI: 1.22 to 1.50) for heart rate 70-79 bpm, 1.64 (95% CI: 1.47 to 1.83) for heart rate 80-89 bpm, and 2.08 (95% CI: 1.85 to 2.34) for heart rate ≥ 90 bpm compared with the reference group. Heart rate ≥ 70 bpm was associated with increased risk of all secondary outcomes compared with the reference group except heart failure.  CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate is a simple measurement with important prognostic implications. In patients with ischemic stroke, initial in-hospital heart rate was associated with major adverse cardiovascular events.

One-month daily and three-month weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid are comparable in completion rate and safety for latent tuberculosis infection in non-HIV Population: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: The weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid for 3 months (3HP) improves completion rate of latent tuberculosis infection treatment, but flu-like symptoms are common. The novel 1HP regimen, involving daily rifapentine plus isoniazid for 28 days, has demonstrated low toxicity in HIV-infected populations. We aimed to investigate whether 1HP has a lower incidence rate of systemic drug reaction (SDR) compared with 3HP during treatment in non-HIV populations. METHODS: This randomized, multicentre trial compared the completion rate and risks of SDRs of 1HP and 3HP in aged ≥13 years non-HIV subjects with latent tuberculosis infection between September 2019 and September 2023 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04094012). We also investigated associations between SDRs and plasma levels of drugs and their metabolites. RESULTS: A total of 251 and 239 individuals were randomly assigned to 1HP and 3HP groups, respectively, with completion rates of 82.9% (208/251) and 84.5% (202/239), respectively. Among them, 12.7% (32/251) and 10.9% (26/239) of 1HP and 3HP groups experienced SDRs, respectively (p 0.522), predominantly urticaria in 1HP group (59.4% [19/32]) and flu-like syndrome in 3HP group (80.8% [21/26]). Among participants experiencing SDRs, 43.8% (14/32) and 34.6% (9/26) in 1HP and 3HP groups, respectively, completed treatment (p 0.470). Cutaneous reactions were more common in 1HP than 3HP group (32.7% [82/251] vs. 13.0% [31/239], p < 0.001). In 1HP group, urticaria was associated with a higher plasma desacetyl-rifapentine level (ug/mL) at both 2 (median [interquartile range]: 36.06 [17.46-50.79] vs. 22.94 [14.67-31.65], p 0.018) and 6 hours (26.13 [15.80-53.06] vs. 29.83 [18.13-34.01], p 0.047) after dosing. DISCUSSION: In non-HIV population, the incidence rate of SDR under 1HP is not lower than 3HP. Notably, urticaria, rather than flu-like syndrome, was the predominant SDR associated 1HP. The findings of this study underscore the feasibility of 1HP regimen in non-HIV populations with a high-completion rate exceeding 80%.

Meteorological factors and risk of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage: A time-stratified case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke risks associated with rapid climate change remain controversial due to a paucity of evidence. AIMS: To examine the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and ischemic stroke (IS) associated with meteorological parameters. METHODS: In this time-stratified case-crossover study, adult patients hospitalized for their first stroke between 2011 and 2020 from the insurance claims data in Taiwan were identified. The hospitalization day was designated as the case period, and three or four control periods were matched by the same day of the week and month of each case period. Daily mean and 24-h variations in ambient temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, and apparent temperature were measured. Conditional logistic regression models were applied to assess the risk of stroke associated with exposure to weather variables, using the third quintile as a reference, controlling for air pollutant levels. RESULTS: There were 7161 patients with SAH, 40,426 patients with ICH, and 107,550 patients with IS. There was an inverse linear relationship between mean daily temperature and apparent temperature with ICH. Elevated mean daily atmospheric pressure was associated with an increased risk of ICH. A greater decrease in apparent temperature over a 24-h period was associated with increased risk of ICH but decreased risk of IS (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for the first vs. third quintile of changes in apparent temperature, 1.141 (1.053-1.237) and 0.946 (0.899-0.996), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There were considerable differences in short-term associations between meteorological parameters and three main pathological types of strokes. DATA ACCESS STATEMENT: The authors have no permission to share the data.

Comparisons of three different modes of digital mirror therapy for post-stroke rehabilitation: Preliminary results of randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Technologically adapted mirror therapy shows promising results in improving motor function for stroke survivors. The treatment effects of a newly developed multi-mode stroke rehabilitation system offering multiple training modes in digital mirror therapy remain unknown. This study aimed to examine the effects of unilateral mirror visual feedback (MVF) with unimanual training (UM-UT), unilateral MVF with bimanual training (UM-BT), and bilateral MVF with bimanual training (BM-BT) on clinical outcomes in stroke survivors, compared to classical mirror therapy (CMT). Methods: Thirty-five participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups receiving fifteen 60-minute training sessions for 3-4 weeks. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI), Revised Nottingham Sensory Assessment (rNSA), Motor Activity Log (MAL), and EQ-5D-5L were administered at pre- and post-intervention and at 1-month follow-up. Results: After intervention and follow-up, significant within-group treatment efficacies were found on most primary outcomes of the FMA-UE and CAHAI scores in all four groups. Significant within-group improvements in the secondary outcomes were found on the MAL and EQ-5D-5L index in the UM-BT group, and the rNSA tactile sensation and MAL quality of movement subscales in the BM-BT group. No significant between-group treatment efficacies were found. Conclusions: UM-UT, UM-BT, BM-BT, and CMT led to similar clinical effects on the FMA-UE and can be considered effective alternative interventions for post-stroke upper-limb motor rehabilitation. UM-BT and BM-BT showed within-group improvements in functional performance in the patients' affected upper limbs in real-life activities.

Paracrinal regulation of neutrophil functions by coronaviral infection in iPSC-derived alveolar type II epithelial cells.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses that predominantly attack the human respiratory system. In recent decades, several deadly human CoVs, including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV, have brought great impact on public health and economics. However, their high infectivity and the demand for high biosafety level facilities restrict the pathogenesis research of CoV infection. Exacerbated inflammatory cell infiltration is associated with poor prognosis in CoV-associated diseases. In this study, we used human CoV 229E (HCoV-229E), a CoV associated with relatively fewer biohazards, to investigate the pathogenesis of CoV infection and the regulation of neutrophil functions by CoV-infected lung cells. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived alveolar epithelial type II cells (iAECIIs) exhibiting specific biomarkers and phenotypes were employed as an experimental model for CoV infection. After infection, the detection of dsRNA, S, and N proteins validated the infection of iAECIIs with HCoV-229E. The culture medium conditioned by the infected iAECIIs promoted the migration of neutrophils as well as their adhesion to the infected iAECIIs. Cytokine array revealed the elevated secretion of cytokines associated with chemotaxis and adhesion into the conditioned media from the infected iAECIIs. The importance of IL-8 secretion and ICAM-1 expression for neutrophil migration and adhesion, respectively, was demonstrated by using neutralizing antibodies. Moreover, next-generation sequencing analysis of the transcriptome revealed the upregulation of genes associated with cytokine signaling. To summarize, we established an in vitro model of CoV infection that can be applied for the study of the immune system perturbations during severe coronaviral disease.

Low-level mosaic trisomy 21 at amniocentesis and cordocentesis in the second trimester in a pregnancy associated with positive non-invasive prenatal testing for trisomy 21, perinatal progressive decrease of the trisomy 21 cell line and a favorable fetal outcome.

OBJECTIVE: We present low-level mosaic trisomy 21 at amniocentesis and cordocentesis in a pregnancy associated with a favorable fetal outcome. CASE REPORT: A 26-year-old, primigravid woman underwent amniocentesis at 17 weeks of gestation because of positive non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for trisomy 21 at 16 weeks of gestation. Amniocentesis revealed a karyotype of 47,XX,+21[3]/46,XX[17], and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) on uncultured amniocytes revealed rsa X(P095) × 2, (13, 18, 21) × 2. She underwent cordocentesis (cord blood sampling) at 21 weeks of gestation which revealed a karyotype of 47,XX,+21[2]/46,XX[48]. At 27 weeks of gestation, she was referred to our hospital for genetic counseling, and repeat amniocentesis revealed a karyotype of 46,XX in 20/20 colonies. Quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) analysis on the DNA extracted from uncultured amniocytes and parental bloods excluded uniparental disomy (UPD) 21. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis on the DNA extracted from uncultured amniocytes revealed arr (1-22,X) × 2, Y × 0 with no genomic imbalance. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis on 104 uncultured amniocytes detected one cell (1/104 = 0.9%) with trisomy 21, while the rest cells were disomy 21, compared with 0% (0/100) in the normal control. The woman was encouraged to continue the pregnancy. The pregnancy was carried to 38 weeks of gestation, and a 2771-g female baby was delivered no phenotypic abnormality. aCGH analysis on the cord blood showed arr (1-22,X) × 2, Y × 0 with no genomic imbalance. The umbilical cord had a karyotype of 47,XX,+21[3]/46,XX[37]. The placenta had a karyotype of 46,XX. When follow-up at age 3½ months, the neonate was phenotypically normal and had normal development. The peripheral blood had a karyotype of 46,XX in 40/40 cells. Interphase FISH analysis on buccal mucosal cells detected normal disomy 21 cells in 100/100 cells. CONCLUSION: Low-level mosaic trisomy 21 at amniocentesis and cordocentesis in the second trimester can be associated with perinatal progressive decrease of the trisomy 21 cell line and a favorable fetal outcome.

Sputum bacterial microbiota signature as a surrogate for predicting disease progression of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: Predicting progression of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) remains challenging. This study evaluated whether sputum bacterial microbiome diversity can be the biomarker and provide novel insights into related phenotypes and treatment timing. METHODS: We analyzed 126 sputum microbiomes of 126 patients with newly diagnosed NTM-LD due to Mycobacterium avium complex, M. abscessus complex, and M. kansasii between May 2020 and December 2021. Patients were followed for 2 years to determine their disease progression status. We identified consistently representative genera that differentiated the progressor and nonprogressor by using six methodologies. These genera were used to construct a prediction model using random forest with 5-fold cross validation. RESULTS: Disease progression occurred in 49 (38.6%) patients. Compared with nonprogressors, α-diversity was lower in the progressors. Significant compositional differences existed in the ß-diversity between groups (p=0.001). The prediction model for NTM-LD progression constructed using seven genera (Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Candidatus Saccharibacteria, Phocaeicola, Pelomonas, and Phascolarctobacterium) with significantly differential abundance achieved an area under curve of 0.871. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of the composition of sputum bacterial microbiome facilitates prediction of the course of NTM-LD, and maybe used to develop precision treatment involving modulating the respiratory microbiome composition to ameliorate NTM-LD.

Enhanced versus standard hydration in acute ischemic stroke: REVIVE-A randomized clinical trial.

RATIONALE: Early neurological deterioration (END) within 72 h of stroke onset is associated with poor prognosis. Optimizing hydration might reduce the risk of END. AIMS: This study aimed to determine in acute ischemic stroke patients if enhanced hydration versus standard hydration reduced the incidence of major (primary) and minor (secondary) END, as well as whether it increased the incidence of early neurological improvement (secondary), at 72 h after admission. SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATE: A total of 244 participants per arm. METHODS AND DESIGN: A prospective, double-blinded, multicenter, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial conducted at four hospitals from April 2014 to July 2020, with data analyzed in August 2020. The sample size estimated was 488 participants (244 per arm). Ischemic stroke patients with measurable neurological deficits of onset within 12 h of emergency department presentation and blood urea nitrogen/creatinine (BUN/Cr) ratio ⩾ 15 at point of admission were enrolled and randomized to 0.9% sodium chloride infusions of varying rates-enhanced hydration (20 mL/kg body weight, one-third given via bolus and remainder over 8 h) versus standard hydration (60 mL/h for 8 h), followed by maintenance infusion of 40-80 mL/h for the subsequent 64 h. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of major END at 72 h after admission, defined as an increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of ⩾ 4 points from baseline. RESULTS: Overall, 487 participants were randomized (median age 67 years; 287 females). At 72 h, 7 (2.9%) in the enhanced hydration arm and 5 (2.0%) in the standard hydration developed major END (p = 0.54). The incidence of minor END and early neurological improvement did not differ between treatment arms. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Enhanced hydration did not reduce END or improve short-term outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02099383, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02099383).

Cross-site validation of lung cancer diagnosis by electronic nose with deep learning: a multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Although electronic nose (eNose) has been intensively investigated for diagnosing lung cancer, cross-site validation remains a major obstacle to be overcome and no studies have yet been performed. METHODS: Patients with lung cancer, as well as healthy control and diseased control groups, were prospectively recruited from two referral centers between 2019 and 2022. Deep learning models for detecting lung cancer with eNose breathprint were developed using training cohort from one site and then tested on cohort from the other site. Semi-Supervised Domain-Generalized (Semi-DG) Augmentation (SDA) and Noise-Shift Augmentation (NSA) methods with or without fine-tuning was applied to improve performance. RESULTS: In this study, 231 participants were enrolled, comprising a training/validation cohort of 168 individuals (90 with lung cancer, 16 healthy controls, and 62 diseased controls) and a test cohort of 63 individuals (28 with lung cancer, 10 healthy controls, and 25 diseased controls). The model has satisfactory results in the validation cohort from the same hospital while directly applying the trained model to the test cohort yielded suboptimal results (AUC, 0.61, 95% CI: 0.47─0.76). The performance improved after applying data augmentation methods in the training cohort (SDA, AUC: 0.89 [0.81─0.97]; NSA, AUC:0.90 [0.89─1.00]). Additionally, after applying fine-tuning methods, the performance further improved (SDA plus fine-tuning, AUC:0.95 [0.89─1.00]; NSA plus fine-tuning, AUC:0.95 [0.90─1.00]). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that deep learning models developed for eNose breathprint can achieve cross-site validation with data augmentation and fine-tuning. Accordingly, eNose breathprints emerge as a convenient, non-invasive, and potentially generalizable solution for lung cancer detection. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is not a clinical trial and was therefore not registered.

Advancing climate-resilient flood mitigation: Utilizing transformer-LSTM for water level forecasting at pumping stations.

Proactive management of pumping stations using artificial intelligence (AI) technology is vital for effectively mitigating the impacts of flood events caused by climate change. Accurate water level forecasts are pivotal in advancing the intelligent operation of pumping stations. This study proposed a novel Transformer-LSTM model to offer accurate multi-step-ahead forecasts of the flood storage pond (FSP) and river water levels for the Zhongshan pumping station in Taipei, Taiwan. A total of 19,647 ten-minute-based datasets of pumping operation and storm sewer, FSP, and river water levels were collected between 2014 and 2020 and further divided into training (70 %), validation (10 %), and test (20 %) datasets for model construction. The results demonstrate that the proposed model dramatically outperforms benchmark models by producing more accurate and reliable water level forecasts at 10-minute (T + 1) to 60-minute (T + 6) horizons. The proposed model effectively enhances the connections between input factors through the Transformer module and increases the connectivity across consecutive time series using the LSTM module. This study reveals interconnected dynamics among pumping operation and storm sewer, FSP, and river water levels, enhancing flood management. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for effective execution of management strategies and infrastructure revitalization against climate impacts. The Transformer-LSTM model's forecasts encourage water practices, resilience, and disaster risk reduction for extreme weather events.

Detection of Interleukin-1 ß (IL-1ß) in Single Human Blastocyst-Conditioned Medium Using Ultrasensitive Bead-Based Digital Microfluidic Chip and Its Relationship with Embryonic Implantation Potential.

The implantation of human embryos is a complex process involving various cytokines and receptors expressed by both endometrium and embryos. However, the role of cytokines produced by a single embryo in successful implantation is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-1ß expressed in a single-embryo-conditioned medium (ECM) in embryo implantation. Seventy samples of single ECM were analyzed by a specially designed magnetic-beads-based microfluidic chip from 15 women. We discovered that IL-1ß level increased as the embryo developed, and the difference was significant. In addition, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves analysis showed a higher chance of pregnancy when the IL-1ß level on day 5 ECM was below 79.37 pg/mL and the difference between day 5 and day 3 was below 24.90 pg/mL. Our study discovered a possible association between embryonic proteomic expression and successful implantation, which might facilitate single-embryo transfer in the future by helping clinicians identify the embryo with the greatest implantation potential.

Discovery of N,N'-diarylurea molecules with activity against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The emergence and global spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pose a serious threat to public health, underscoring the urgent need for novel antibacterial interventions. Here, we screened 18 newly synthesized N,N'-diarylurea derivatives to identify compounds with activity against MRSA. Our investigations led to the discovery of a small molecule, SCB-24, which exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against MRSA USA300. Notably, SCB-24 demonstrated high activity even in the presence of 10% fetal bovine serum and showed excellent selectivity for bacterial over mammalian cells. SCB-24 also showed potent activity against various MRSA strains, including those resistant to second- and third-line antibiotics. Importantly, the efficacy of SCB-24 was inferior to that of vancomycin in MRSA-infected Galleria mellonella larvae. Overall, our findings suggest that SCB-24 has great potential as a new therapeutic for multidrug-resistant S. aureus infections.

Establishment of a cobia (Rachycentron canadum) gill cell line: A valuable tool for immune response studies.

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum), a commercially important marine fish, has been used to develop a novel gill cell line, designated CG, for the first time. The CG cell line was cultured in Leibovitz's-15 medium with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and successfully sub-cultured more than 110 passages. It underwent verification through sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Optimal growth rate was achieved when the CG cell line was cultured in a medium supplemented with 5% FBS, 1% Penicillin-Streptomycin (P/S), and 5 parts per thousand (ppt) of coral sea salt water, maintained at a temperature of 27 °C. The addition of 5 ppt of salt in the growth medium suggests that this cell line could be a viable in vitro tool for marine ecosystem toxicological studies or for culturing marine parasitic microorganisms. The CG cell line was also successfully transfected using the pTurbo-GFP plasmids, showing an 18% efficiency, with observable GFP expression. Furthermore, the cell line has been effectively cryopreserved. Gene expression analysis indicated that the CG cell line exhibits responsive regulation of immune gene expression when exposured to various stimulants, highlighting its potential as an in vitro platform for immune response studies. This makes it suitable for exploring dynamic immune signaling pathways and host-pathogen interactions, thereby offering valuable insights for therapeutic development.

E-cadherin interacts with EGFR resulting in hyper-activation of ERK in multiple models of breast cancer.

The loss of intercellular adhesion molecule E-cadherin is a hallmark of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), during which tumor cells transition into an invasive phenotype. Accordingly, E-cadherin has long been considered a tumor suppressor gene; however, E-cadherin expression is paradoxically correlated with breast cancer survival rates. Using novel multi-compartment organoids and multiple in vivo models, we show that E-cadherin promotes a hyper-proliferative phenotype in breast cancer cells via interaction with the transmembrane receptor EGFR. The E-cad and EGFR interaction results in activation of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, leading to a significant increase in proliferation via activation of transcription factors, including c-Fos. Pharmacological inhibition of MEK activity in E-cadherin positive breast cancer significantly decreases both tumor growth and macro-metastasis in vivo. This work provides evidence for a novel role of E-cadherin in breast tumor progression and identifies a new target to treat hyper-proliferative E-cadherin-positive breast tumors, thus providing the foundation to utilize E-cadherin as a biomarker for specific therapeutic success.