Abstract P4-01-11: Genomic alterations of cell-free DNA in early breast cancer patients with recurrence

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA), as a non-invasive strategy, provides substantial benefit to overcome tumor heterogeneity. Surveillance of recurrence after standard treatment in early breast cancer (BC) using cfDNA, enables to detect minimal residual disease (MRD), also to identify genomic alterations driving recurrences. We aimed to assess the role of cfDNA in detecting MRD by investigating genomic alterations of 1)primary, recurred tumor and 2)cfDNA at time of recurrence using deep targeted sequencing. Fifty-four early BC patients were enrolled prospectively between 2014 and 2017 at time of recurrence. Median disease free interval was 28.5 months (rage 6.2-49.8). 62.7% (32/51) were hormone receptor (HR) positive (28 HRpos/HER2neg, 4 HRpos/HER2pos), 11.8% (6/51) were HRneg/HER2pos and 25.5% (13/51) were triple negative BCs. 59.3% (32/54) patients developed loco-regional recurrence (15 local recurrence only, 13 regional only, 4 with both) and distant metastasis was observed among 40.7% (22/54) patients. Cell-free DNA was extracted from 5cc blood at time of recurrence. Deep targeted sequencing was performed using customized NGS panel –encompassing 426 cancer-related target coding region, 242 fusion and amplification-related region- of cfDNA and FFPE(formalin fixed paraffin embedded) tumor samples archived from surgical resection or biopsy. Deep targeted sequencing data was successfully performed in 72.1% (31/43) plasma samples and sequencing yield was significantly lower when stored for more than 2yrs (46.2% vs 83.3%).

Mutations of cfDNA and tumor (primary, recurred) were analyzed. Mean sequencing depth of cfDNA and FFPE were x425.7 and x777.6 respectively. Median number of pathogenic mutations found in primary tumor, cfDNA and recurred tumor were 27(range 12-99), 25(range 8-85) and 9(range 0-23). Among mutations found in primary tumor, 27.4% were shared mutations (range 8.1%-72.7%) with recurred tumor and 26.1% were shared mutations (range 4.7%-69.2%) observed in cfDNA sample. Among mutations found in recurred tumor, 40.9% were observed in cfDNA (range 17.7-87.5%). In primary tumor, median number of mutations with allelic fraction (MAF)>10% were 12 (range 4-21) and at least one mutation was found in cfDNA at time of recurrence. Among mutations with MAF>10%, 59.4% and 69.1% were found in cfDNA and recurred tumor. Known oncogenic mutations of PIK3CA, TP53, GATA3, AKT1, ESR1, RELN, ERBB2, ERBB3, BRCA1 mutation were found. PIK3CA gene (p.H1047R) was found in two cases both in primary tumor and cfDNA at recurrence (MAF 11.4% vs 5.3% and 12.3% vs 15.4%) suggesting de novo driver mutation. One patient developed regional recurrence during adjuvant aromatase inhibitor with ESR1 V392I mutation in both cfDNA and recurred tumor (MAF 48.1 and 54.5%), while another patient's recurred tumor during aromatase inhibitor harbored ESR1 D538G mutation exclusively in recurred tumor with MAF <1%. Both patients had no ESR1 hotpot mutation in primary tumor.

Our data showed sequencing yield of 83.3% in plasma samples within 2yr. Pathogenic mutations in primary tumor, especially when MAF>10%, half of them was observed in cfDNA at time of recurrence. ESR1 mutation should be included in cfDNA surveillance for patients undergoing endocrine therapy even absent in primary tumor.

Citation Format: Kim J, Jo WK, Kim KY, Kim BJ, Lee SB, Lee HJ, Yu JH, Kim HJ, Chung IY, Ko BS, Kim S-B, Jung KH, Ahn JH, Chang S, Lee JW, Son BH, Ahn SH. Genomic alterations of cell-free DNA in early breast cancer patients with recurrence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-11.

Abstract P4-14-04: Time course changes in serum FSH, estradiol, and menstruation restoration in premenopausal patients with breast cancer taking adjuvant tamoxifen after completing chemotherapy: A report from the ASTRRA study

BACKGROUND

Assessment of restoration of ovarian function after chemotherapy is critical with respect to the initiation of different types of endocrine treatment in young high risk breast cancer patients

METHODS

In total, 1289 women who remained premenopausal or resumed premenopausal status after chemotherapy were randomized to receive 5 years of tamoxifen or 5 years of tamoxifen plus 2 years of ovarian suppression. The patients who did not resume menstruation were followed up for 2 years with tamoxifen treatment after finishing chemotherapy. Prospectively collected consecutive post-chemotherapy hormone and menstruation data were available for 705 breast cancer patients who enrolled tamoxifen-only treatment group or did not resume menstruation during follow up. This analysis evaluated the proportion of patients with pre-menopausal FSH levels (<30 mIU/ml), E2 levels (340 pg/ml), and menstruation at any time point during treatment with tamoxifen.

RESULTS

During 5 years of tamoxifen treatment after chemotherapy for premenopausal breast cancer patients, 62% of patients resumed menstruation. Menstruation returned in 92% of patients under 35 years old but only in 31% of patients over 45 years old. Ovarian function, defined by serum FSH and E2 levels, resumed in 94% and 65% of patients, respectively, over 5 years. Most patients achieved ovarian function restoration during the first 2 years after chemotherapy, with 47.1% resuming menstruation and 86.2% and 50.3% achieving pre-menopausal FSH and E2 levels, respectively, in the first 2 years. Clinical factors related to menstruation restoration were younger age (HR = 6.38, 95% CI 1.33-3.47), 6 month hormone profile after chemotherapy (FSH<30: HR=1.67, 95% CI 1.28-2.17; E2 >40: HR=2.96, 95% CI 2.25-3.89), and anthracycline without taxane chemotherapy (HR=1.63, 95% CI 1.25-2.13).

CONCLUSIONS

During 5 years of tamoxifen treatment after chemotherapy, half of patients experienced menstruation restoration, including most very young patients under 35 years. The majority of patients experienced menstruation restoration in the first 2 years of tamoxifen treatment.

Citation Format: Kim HJ, Noh WC, Nam SJ, Park B-w, Lee ES, Im SA, Jung YS, Yoon JH, Kang SS, Park KH, Lee S-J, Jung J, Lee MH, Cho SH, Kim SY, Kim H-A, Han S-H, Han W, Hur MH, Ahn SH. Time course changes in serum FSH, estradiol, and menstruation restoration in premenopausal patients with breast cancer taking adjuvant tamoxifen after completing chemotherapy: A report from the ASTRRA study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-04.

Abstract P2-08-60: Withdrawn

This abstract was withdrawn by the authors.

Citation Format: Lee S, Ahn SH, Son BH, Lee JW, Chung IY, Ko BS, Kim HJ, Kim J, Shon G. Withdrawn [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-60.

Long-term Follow-up of Complicated Crown Fracture With Fragment Reattachment: Two Case Reports

Two cases of complicated crown fracture of the maxillary incisors were restored using the fragment reattachment technique. Root canal treatment was performed, and the fractured fragment was bonded to the tooth structure using a dentin adhesive system and a flowable composite resin, followed by the insertion of a fiber post using dual-cured resin cement. Reattached fragments have shown reliable prognosis without inflammatory signs around bonded junctions after long-term follow-up.

Observation of Transverse Λ/Λ[over ¯] Hyperon Polarization in e^{+}e^{-} Annihilation at Belle

We report the first observation of the spontaneous polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons transverse to the production plane in e^{+}e^{-} annihilation, which is attributed to the effect arising from a polarizing fragmentation function. For inclusive Λ/Λ[over ¯] production, we also report results with subtracted feed-down contributions from Σ^{0} and charm. This measurement uses a dataset of 800.4  fb^{-1} collected by the Belle experiment at or near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. We observe a significant polarization that rises with the fractional energy carried by the Λ/Λ[over ¯] hyperon.

Effect of Etomidate on Endothelium-dependent Relaxation Induced by Acetylcholine in Rat Aorta

The goals of this in vitro study were to investigate effects of etomidate on endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine in rat aorta, and to elucidate the associated cellular mechanism. In endothelium-intact rings precontracted with phenylephrine 10−6 M, dose-response curves for acetylcholine (10−9 to 10−5 M) and calcium ionophore (10−9 to 10−6 M) were generated in the presence and absence of etomidate (5×10−6, 10−5 M). In endothelium-intact or -denuded rings precontracted with phenylephrine 10−6 M, sodium nitroprusside (10−9 to 10−6 M) dose-response curves were generated in the presence and absence of etomidate (10−5 M). Etomidate (5×10−6, 10−5 M) produced a significant rightward shift in the dose-response curves induced by acetylcholine (receptor-mediated endothelium-dependent agonist) and calcium ionophore A23187 (non receptor-mediated endothelium-dependent agonist). Etomidate (10−5 M) had no effect on sodium nitroprusside (endothelium-independent nitric oxide donor)-induced vasorelaxant response in both endothelium-intact and -denuded rings. These results indicate that etomidate at clinically relevant concentrations attenuates endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine by an acting at a site distal to the endothelial muscarinic receptor, but proximal to guanylate cyclase activation of vascular smooth muscle in rat aorta.

Increased Production of α-Linolenic Acid in Soybean Seeds by Overexpression of Lesquerella FAD3-1

Soybean is a major crop that is used as a source of vegetable oil for human use. To develop transgenic soybean with high α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3) content, the FAD3-1 gene isolated from lesquerella (Physaria fendleri) was used to construct vectors with two different seed-specific promoters, soybean β-conglycinin (Pβ-con) and kidney bean phaseolin (Pphas), and one constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (P35S). The corresponding vectors were used for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of imbibed mature half seeds. The transformation efficiency was approximately 2%, 1%, and 3% and 21, 7, and 17 transgenic plants were produced, respectively. T-DNA insertion and expression of the transgene were confirmed from most of the transgenic plants by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and Southern blot analysis. The fatty acid composition of soybean seeds was analyzed by gas chromatography. The 18:3 content in the transgenic generation T₁ seeds was increased 7-fold in Pβ-con:PfFAD3-1, 4-fold in Pphas : PfFAD3-1, and 1.6-fold in P35S:PfFAD3-1 compared to the 18:3 content in soybean "Kwangankong". The increased content of 18:3 in the Pβ-con:PfFAD3-1 soybean (T₁) resulted in a 52.6% increase in total fatty acids, with a larger decrease in 18:1 content than 18:2 content. The increase in 18:3 content was also maintained and reached 42% in the Pphas : PfFAD3-1 transgenic generation T₂. Investigations of the agronomic traits of 12 Pβ-con:PfFAD3-1 transgenic lines (T₁) revealed that plant height, number of branches, nodes, pods, total seeds, and total seed weight were significantly higher in several transgenic lines than those in non-transgenic soybean. Especially, an increase in seed size was observed upon expression of the PfFAD3-1 gene with the β-conglycinin promoter, and 6%-14% higher seed lengths were measured from the transgenic lines.

Is Polypharmacy Associated with Cognitive Frailty in the Elderly? Results from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Cognitive frailty-the coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment-is a phenotype of frailty in the elderly. The coexistence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, known as cognitive frailty, is one of the phenotypes of frailty in the elderly. Cognitive frailty predicts adverse health outcome more accurately than does physical frailty. In this study, we aim to determine whether the polypharmacy common among the elderly is linked with cognitive frailty.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

The elderly, aged between 70 and 84 years, who participated in the cross-sectional Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study were included in the present study.

MEASUREMENTS

Polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy were defined as the use of at least five and ten medications, respectively. Physical frailty was assessed by the Korean version of the FRAIL scale, and cognitive status was measured by the Trail Making Test part A, word list recall test, the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery, and the Digit Span Backward test.

RESULTS

Among the 2,392 participants, 26.8% and 4.1% took more than five and ten prescribed medications, respectively. Polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy participants tend to have more cognitive impairment and physical frailty. Participants with cognitive frailty had the highest polypharmacy rate regardless of medication type. After controlling for the potential confounders including severity of comorbidities, frailty was found to be significantly related to polypharmacy, as defined by prescribed as well as total medications, including non-prescribed medications. However, cognitive impairment only showed a linkage to polypharmacy of prescribed medications, which-according to the results of multivariable analysis- could increase cognitive frailty, with an odds ratio of 2.70.

CONCLUSION

Although the elderly tend to depend on various medications, they should seriously consider the risk of polypharmacy for better health outcomes.

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of YAG:Ce3+ for γ and α detection

A bulk single crystal of yttrium aluminum garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺, YAG:Ce³⁺) with good optical quality and free of cracks has been grown successfully by the Kyropoulos method. The dimension of the as grown crystal boule was Ø 20 × 30 cm³. The cut and polished crystal sample of dimensions 1 × 1 × 0.5 cm³ was used for further measurements. The phase purity was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction pattern analysis. The scintillation properties, such as X-ray emission spectrum, pulse height spectra, energy resolution, and scintillation decay time, were investigated using a ¹³⁷Cs γ-ray source. The recorded X-ray emission spectrum shows a broad band between 500 and 700 nm with a peak at around 540 nm, which is attributed to the 5d-4f transition of the Ce³⁺ ion. The pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) of α and γ signals in a YAG:Ce³⁺ crystal has been studied by using different pulse shapes. The grown YAG:Ce³⁺ crystal which is non-hygroscopic, chemically inert, fast inorganic scintillator could be used for radiation detection application in nuclear, and high energy physics.

The most mentioned neurointervention articles in online media: a bibliometric analysis of the top 101 articles with the highest altmetric attention scores

Background and purpose

Alternative metrics (altmetrics), based on mentions in online media, is a new tool that can help to identify the most influential articles to diverse public audiences. This article aimed to determine the 100 most mentioned articles in the field of neurointervention and to analyze their characteristics.

Materials and methods

We selected the 808 journals that were considered journals potentially publishing articles on neurointervention. We also selected articles using keywords. Using the Altmetric.com search tool, we identified the 101 most mentioned neurointervention articles based on the highest altmetric attention scores (AASs) within selected journals and articles. Each article was evaluated for several characteristics including AAS, number of citations, journal title, journal category, impact factor of the journal, year of publication, authorship, country, type of document, and topic.

Results

The AASs for the top 101 articles ranged from 1586 to 39. Stroke published the largest number of articles (19.8%) followed by the New England Journal of Medicine (17.8%). The majority of articles were published in multidisciplinary journals (38.6%), were published in 2017–2018 (43.6%), originated from the USA (54.5%), were original articles (66.3%), and dealt with intra-arterial thrombolysis or thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke (58.4%). Tudor G Jovin was the most prolific author, authoring 18 of the most mentioned neurointervention articles

Conclusions

This study presents a detailed list of the 101 most mentioned neurointervention articles in online media, thus providing useful information on the dissemination of neurointervention research to the general public.

Observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) Decay

We report the observation of ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S) decay based on an analysis of the inclusive photon spectrum of 24.7  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at the ϒ(2S) center-of-mass energy collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. We measure a branching fraction of B[ϒ(2S)→γη_{b}(1S)]=(6.1_{-0.7-0.6}^{+0.6+0.9})×10^{-4} and derive an η_{b}(1S) mass of 9394.8_{-3.1-2.7}^{+2.7+4.5}  MeV/c^{2}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of our measurement is greater than 7 standard deviations, constituting the first observation of this decay mode.

Association between Serum Cystatin C and Vascular Complications in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus without Nephropathy

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have correlated serum cystatin C (CysC) with vascular complications, but few studies have investigated this correlation in diabetes patients without nephropathy. This study aimed to evaluate if higher serum CysC levels increase the risk for vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with normal renal function or mild renal impairment.

METHODS

A total of 806 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were admitted to the diabetes center of Soonchunhyang University Hospital for blood glucose control were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with nephropathy were excluded. Subjects were categorized into quartiles of serum CysC levels (Q1, ≤0.65 mg/L; Q2, 0.66 to 0.79 mg/L; Q3, 0.80 to 0.94 mg/L; and Q4, ≥0.95 mg/L).

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) (P for trend <0.001), coronary heart disease (CHD) (P for trend <0.001), and stroke (P for trend <0.001) increased across the serum CysC quartiles. After adjustment for confounding factors, the highest serum CysC level remained a significant risk factor for DR (odds ratio [OR], 1.929; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.007 to 4.144; P=0.040). Compared with Q1, a significant positive association was observed between serum CysC and CHD in Q2 (OR, 7.321; 95% CI, 1.114 to 48.114; P=0.012), Q3 (OR, 6.027; 95% CI, 0.952 to 38.161; P=0.020), and Q4 (OR, 8.122; 95% CI, 1.258 to 52.453; P=0.007). No associations were observed between CysC and stroke after additional adjustment for confounding variables.

CONCLUSION

Serum CysC levels are independently associated with DR and CHD, suggesting that CysC may be useful for identifying type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without nephropathy who are at high risk for vascular complications.

Diffuse Speckle Contrast Analysis Assisted Intraoperative Blood Flow Monitoring in the Rat Model of Femoral Arterial Occlusion

The rodent model has been largely used for understanding specific disease pathophysiology, with low cost and the large spectrum from genetic strains. Here, we present a diffuse speckle contrast analysis (DSCA) system to measure blood flow changes non-invasively in rat's thigh and paw during femoral arterial occlusion (FAO) surgery which is the procedure for inducing peripheral arterial disease. The blood flow index in rat's paw showed significant decrease according to arterial occlusion. Moreover, we analyzed cross-correlation between two measurement positions. The results showed the affinity with hemodynamic response. In conclusion, the DSCA system secured the intraoperative blood flow monitoring during FAO surgery in a rat model.

Safety and efficacy of vesatolimod (GS-9620) in patients with chronic hepatitis B who are not currently on antiviral treatment

Vesatolimod is an oral agonist of toll-like receptor 7 designed to minimize systemic exposure and side effects. We assessed the safety and efficacy of vesatolimod in viremic chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients not currently on oral antiviral treatment (OAV) in a phase 2, multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. A total of 192 patients stratified by HBeAg status and alanine aminotransferase level were randomized 2:2:2:1 to receive oral vesatolimod (1-, 2- or 4-mg) or placebo once weekly for 12 weeks; tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (300-mg daily) was administered daily for 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by quantitative serum HBsAg decline at Week 24 from baseline. In addition to safety assessments, changes in whole-blood interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) transcripts and serum cytokines were explored. Most patients were male (64.1%) and HBeAg-negative (60.9%) at baseline. Among vesatolimod-treated patients, most (60.4%-69.1%) experienced ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse event; the majority were mild or moderate in severity. No clinically meaningful differences in HBsAg changes from baseline were observed between treatment groups. No patients experienced HBsAg loss, while 3 patients experienced HBeAg loss and hepatitis B e-antibody seroconversion at week 48. HBV DNA suppression rates were similar across all treatment arms at Week 24. ISG15 induction was dose-dependent and did not correlate with HBsAg changes. A small proportion of patients exhibited dose-dependent interferon-α induction that correlated with grade of influenza-like adverse events. Overall, vesatolimod is safe and well tolerated in CHB patients. Although consistent dose-dependent pharmacodynamic induction of ISGs was demonstrated, it did not result in clinically significant HBsAg decline.

Remote ischaemic conditioning for prevention of acute kidney injury after valvular heart surgery: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Repeated remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass and in the early postoperative period may confer protection against acute kidney injury (AKI). We evaluated the effect of repeated RIC on the incidence of AKI in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery.

METHODS

Patients were randomised into either the RIC (n=120) or control (n=124) group. A pneumatic tourniquet was placed on each patient's thigh. Upon removal of the aortic cross-clamp, three cycles of inflation for 5 min at 250 mm Hg (with 5 min intervals) were applied in the RIC group. Additionally, three cycles of RIC were repeated at postoperative 12 and 24 h. AKI was diagnosed based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guideline. The incidences of renal replacement therapy, permanent stroke, sternal wound infection, newly developed atrial fibrillation, mechanical ventilation >24 h, and reoperation for bleeding during hospitalisation were recorded.

RESULTS

The incidences of AKI were not significantly different between the control (19.4%) and RIC (15.8%) groups (a difference of 3.5 percentage points; 95% confidence interval: -6.8%-13.9%; P=0.470). Perioperative serum creatinine concentrations were similar in the control and RIC groups (P=0.494). Fluid balance, urine output, blood loss, transfusion, and vasopressor/inotropic requirements were not significantly different between the groups (all P>0.05). The occurrences of a composite of morbidity and mortality endpoints were not significantly different between the control (46.0%) and RIC (39.2%) groups (a difference of 6.8 percentage points; 95% confidence interval: -6.4%-20.0%; P=0.283).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study do not support repeated RIC to decrease the incidence of AKI after valvular heart surgery.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02720549.

Association between Sarcopenia, Sarcopenic Obesity, and Chronic Disease in Korean Elderly

Background

It is a very important social issue for Korea to have a healthy old age as an aged society. Aging causes a lot of physical changes, especially sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is defined as a persistent decrease in skeletal muscle and muscle strength. Sarcopenic obesity is a phenomenon in which fat is replaced instead of muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Korean elderly and to analyze the relationship with chronic disease.

Methods

Data from the 2008 to 2011 the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey were used. A total of 3,492 patients were classified into 3 groups (non-sarcopenia, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity), and general, anthropometry, health behavior, nutrient intake and chronic disease status were compared by the statistical analysis.

Results

The rate of moderate exercise was significantly lower in the sarcopenia and sarcopenic-obesity group than in the non-sarcopenia group (P=0.007). The sarcopenic obesity group had significantly higher energy (P=0.005), protein (P=0.046) and fat (P=0.001) intake than the sarcopenic group. The sarcopenic-obesity group had the highest ratio of diabetes (P=0.023) and dyslipidemia (P=0.004) in the 3 groups. Compared with the non-sarcopenia group, in the sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity groups, the odds ratios (ORs) of diabetes was increased by 1.24 and 2.16 while the ORs of dyslipidemia was increased by 1.12 and 1.50, respectively.

Conclusions

Regular exercise and adequate nutrient intake (energy, protein and fat) are essential for the prevention of sarcopenia in Korean elderly, and management of chronic disease in sarcopenic obesity elderly is important.

Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Contains a BH3-Like Motif and Interacts with BCL-2 Family Members

Upregulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression is an important factor in the cellular survival and cancer. Although growing evidence suggests that hTERT inhibits cellular apoptosis by telomere-independent functions, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Here, we show that hTERT contains a BH3-like motif, a short peptide sequence found in BCL-2 family proteins, and interacts with anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins MCL-1 and BCL-xL, suggesting a functional link between hTERT and the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Additionally, we propose that hTERT can be categorized into the atypical BH3-only proteins that promote cellular survival, possibly due to the non-canonical interaction between hTERT and antiapoptotic proteins. Although the detailed mechanisms underlying the hTERT BH3-like motif functions and interactions between hTERT and BCL-2 family proteins have not been elucidated, this work proposes a possible connection between hTERT and BCL-2 family members and reconsiders the role of the BH3-like motif as an interaction motif.

Erratum to: Confirmation of Drought Tolerance of Ectopically Expressed AtABF3 Gene in Soybean

[This corrects the article on p. 413 in vol. 41.].

Itch in dermatomyositis: the role of increased skin interleukin-31

BACKGROUND

Interleukin (IL)-31 is implicated in pruritus associated with pruritic skin diseases like atopic dermatitis. Although pruritus is a prominent feature in dermatomyositis (DM), few studies have evaluated the pathogenesis of DM-associated itch.

OBJECTIVES

To establish the prevalence of itch in DM, and to investigate the role of IL-31 in DM-related itch.

METHODS

Pruritus and disease activity of DM were evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Cutaneous Disease and Activity Severity Index (CDASI), respectively. Expression of IL-31 and IL-31 receptor alpha (IL-31RA) in lesional DM, nonlesional DM and healthy control skin was evaluated by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence. Flow cytometry was performed on skin cells isolated from lesional DM skin to identify cellular sources of IL-31 in DM.

RESULTS

Among 191 patients with DM, 50·8% had moderate-to-severe itch, and itch was correlated with increased cutaneous severity (r = 0·34). In patients with itchy DM, gene expression of IL31 and IL31RA in lesional skin was upregulated compared with nonlesional skin and healthy control skin. IL31 mRNA expression positively correlated with VAS itch score (r = 0·67). On immunofluorescence, immunoreactivity for IL-31 and IL-31RA was stronger in lesional skin. Flow cytometry showed that lesional DM skin contained significantly more IL-31-producing cells, and CD4⁺ cells were the most common cell type. Lenabasum, an emerging treatment for DM, significantly downregulated IL-31 from CpG-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased skin IL-31 may play a role in DM-associated itch, and ongoing trials will evaluate the effects of systemic treatment on IL-31 and itch in DM.

Depth extraction with offset pixels

Numerous depth extraction techniques have been proposed in the past. However, the utility of these techniques is limited as they typically require multiple imaging units, bulky platforms for computation, cannot achieve high speed and are computationally expensive. To counter the above challenges, a sensor with Offset Pixel Apertures (OPA) has been recently proposed. However, a working system for depth extraction with the OPA sensor has not been discussed. In this paper, we propose the first such system for depth extraction using the OPA sensor. We also propose a dedicated hardware implementation for the proposed system, named as the Depth Map Processor (DMP). The DMP can provide depth at 30 frames per second at 1920 × 1080 resolution with 31 disparity levels. Furthermore, the proposed DMP has low power consumption as for the aforementioned speed and resolution it only requires 290.76 mW. The proposed system makes it an ideal choice for depth extraction systems in constrained environments.

Confirmation of Drought Tolerance of Ectopically Expressed AtABF3 Gene in Soybean

Soybean transgenic plants with ectopically expressed AtABF3 were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and investigated the effects of AtABF3 expression on drought and salt tolerance. Stable Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation was carried based on the half-seed method (Paz et al. 2006). The integration of the transgene was confirmed from the genomic DNA of transformed soybean plants using PCR and the copy number of transgene was determined by Southern blotting using leaf samples from T2 seedlings. In addition to genomic integration, the expression of the transgenes was analyzed by RT-PCR and most of the transgenic lines expressed the transgenes introduced. The chosen two transgenic lines (line #2 and #9) for further experiment showed the substantial drought stress tolerance by surviving even at the end of the 20-day of drought treatment. And the positive relationship between the levels of AtABF3 gene expression and drought-tolerance was confirmed by qRT-PCR and drought tolerance test. The stronger drought tolerance of transgenic lines seemed to be resulted from physiological changes. Transgenic lines #2 and #9 showed ion leakage at a significantly lower level (P < 0.01) than non-transgenic (NT) control. In addition, the chlorophyll contents of the leaves of transgenic lines were significantly higher (P < 0.01). The results indicated that their enhanced drought tolerance was due to the prevention of cell membrane damage and maintenance of chlorophyll content. Water loss by transpiration also slowly proceeded in transgenic plants. In microscopic observation, higher stomata closure was confirmed in transgenic lines. Especially, line #9 had 56% of completely closed stomata whereas only 16% were completely open. In subsequent salt tolerance test, the apparently enhanced salt tolerance of transgenic lines was measured in ion leakage rate and chlorophyll contents. Finally, the agronomic characteristics of ectopically expressed AtABF3 transgenic plants (T2) compared to NT plants under regular watering (every 4 days) or low rate of watering condition (every 10 days) was investigated. When watered regularly, the plant height of drought-tolerant line (#9) was shorter than NT plants. However, under the drought condition, total seed weight of line #9 was significantly higher than in NT plants (P < 0.01). Moreover, the pods of NT plants showed severe withering, and most of the pods failed to set normal seeds. All the evidences in the study clearly suggested that overexpression of the AtABF3 gene conferred drought and salt tolerance in major crop soybean, especially under the growth condition of low watering.