Search

GINS2 is overexpressed in several cancers, but little is known about its role in osteosarcoma (OS). A series of in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to explore the role of GINS2 in OS. In this study, we demonstrated that GINS2 was found to be highly expressed in OS tissues and cell lines, which was associated with poor outcomes in OS patients. GINS2 knockdown hindered the growth and induced apoptosis in OS cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, GINS2 knockdown effectively inhibited the growth of a xenograft tumor in vivo. By using an Affymetrix gene chip and intelligent pathway analysis, it was demonstrated that the GINS2 knockdown could reduce the expression of several targeted genes and reduce the activity of the MYC signaling pathway. Mechanically, LC-MS, CoIP, and rescue experiments revealed that GINS2 promoted tumor progression through the STAT3/MYC axis in the OS. Moreover, GINS2 was associated with tumor immunity and may be a potential immunotherapeutic target for OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) can be considered as the preclinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association criteria for preclinical AD proposed that subtle cognitive changes appear along with AD biomarkers in the late stage of preclinical AD. The objective of this study was to explore whether subtle cognitive impairment (SCI) in individuals with SCD is associated with brain amyloid-β (Aβ) status and SCD severity. Methods: One hundred twenty individuals with SCD (mean age: 70.87 ± 6.10 years) were included in this study. SCI was defined as performance ≤ −1.0 SD on at least two neuropsychological tests. Participants underwent an amyloid positron emission tomography, which was assessed visually and quantitatively using standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). The severity of SCD was assessed using two self-reported questionnaires: the SCD questionnaire based on the SCD-plus features and the Korean-Everyday Cognition (K-ECog) scale. Results: SCD individuals with SCI (n = 25) had more Aβ positivity than the SCD only group (n = 95) (44% vs. 15.79%; p = 0.002). In addition, the SCI group had a higher global SUVR than the SCD only group (p = 0.048). For self-reported questionnaires, there were no differences in SCD questionnaire total scores and K-ECog global and cognitive domain-specific scores between two groups. Conclusions: In SCD individuals, SCI was associated with higher Aβ positivity, but not with the severity of self-reported cognitive decline, compared to the SCD only group. These results suggest that the recognition of objectively defined subtle cognitive deficits may contribute to the early identification of AD in SCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The aims of this study were to determine baseline factors related to the progression of subjective memory impairment (SMI) in elderly subjects and to develop a new modeling scale to predict progression. Methods: Elderly subjects with SMI were recruited from the nationwide Clinical Research Centers for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS) multicenter cohort and divided into two groups: (1) progressed to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease or (2) stable without progression. Baseline clinical characteristics were compared between the groups, and the most relevant predictors of progression were assessed. A new modeling scale combining the predictors was developed. Results: In total, 129 subjects with SMI were analyzed. The follow-up duration was 0.5-4.7 years, and the median time to event was 3.64 years. The progressing group (n = 29) differed from the stable group (n = 100) in terms of baseline age, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) status, and some cognitive domains. Older age, a lower Mini-Mental State Examination recall score, APOE4 carrier, and a lower verbal delayed recall score were the most relevant predictors of progression, and a new modeling scale with these 4 predictors provided a better explanation of progression. Conclusion: SMI subjects with a higher risk of progression can be identified using a new modeling scale and might need further evaluations and more frequent follow-up. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Our study aimed to compare cognitive status and declines in AD with/without small vessel disease (SVD) and SIVD at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Patients with Alzheimer's disease without small vessel disease (AD(−)SVD) (n =148), Alzheimer's disease with small vessel disease (AD(+)SVD) (n =94) and SIVD (n =60) were recruited from database of multiple centers in Korea. Basic demographics and detailed neuropsychological results were compared. AD, regardless of SVD, showed worse memory and better executive function than SIVD at baseline. Mini-Mental State Examination scores and visual memory function declined more in AD than those in SIVD whereas Barthel Activities of Daily Living (B-ADL) scores declined more in SIVD. AD showed different patterns of cognitive impairment compared with SIVD. After 1 year, AD showed more rapid cognitive decline in some domains. Further investigations with longer follow-up duration may be needed to confirm the cumulative effects of SVD in AD and different patterns of decline between AD and SIVD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Electrocardiogram (ECG) and signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) are important as diagnostic tools in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). The aim of this study was to investigate changes in follow-up ECGs and SAECGs in patients with ARVC. Methods We collected 185 follow-up ECGs from 38 patients and 35 follow-up SAECGs from 18 patients during a mean follow-up period of 64 ± 36 months. Results On baseline ECG and SAECG, epsilon waves, T-wave inversion (TWI), and terminal activation delay (TAD) of QRS ≥55 ms in right precordial leads, and late potentials (LPs) were observed in six (16%), 11 (29%), 13 (34%), and 23 (68%) patients, respectively. During the follow-up period, 15 (39%) patients had 18 changes in ECG and/or SAECG features included in modified Task Force Criteria (TFC) of ARVC. Two patients developed new epsilon waves, and another two patients had dynamic epsilon waves. Newly developed TAD of QRS ≥55 ms was observed in two patients and disappeared in one patient. Eight patients, seven with and one without TWI in V1-V3 or beyond, showed dynamic changes. LP developed in three patients. One patient with dynamic change of TWI and another patient with dynamic change of epsilon wave and TAD of QRS ≥55 ms could not satisfy the modified TFC during follow-up. Conclusions Follow-up ECGs and SAECGs showed changes in 39% of patients with ARVC. Larger studies with a longer follow-up period are needed to investigate the clinical implications of changes in follow-up ECG and SAECG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]