The relationship between tumor immunity and the cGAS-STING pathway in breast cancer: An immunohistochemical study.

Breast cancer (BC) is classified into four major histological subtypes, namely luminal A, luminal B, HER2, and basal-like, and its treatment is based on these subtypes. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors against BC depends on the expression of PD-1/PD-L1. Another tumor immune system-the cGAS-STING pathway-is a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. However, the status of the cGAS-STING pathway in BC has not been fully established. Therefore, we investigated the expression status of the cGAS-STING pathway and immune-related proteins in BC. We classified 111 BCs into six groups-29 hormone receptor-positive carcinomas, 12 HER2+ carcinomas (HER2), 8 luminal-HER2 carcinomas, 26 triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBCs), 21 lobular carcinomas (LC), and 15 carcinomas with apocrine differentiation (CAD)-and investigated the relationship between BC and tumor immunity via the cGAS-STING pathway using histopathological and immunohistochemical methods. Expression of cGAS was high in CADs (100%) and low in TNBCs (35%); STING-positive lymphocytes were high in TNBC (85%, P = 0.0054). Expression of pSTAT3 was significantly high in patients with TNBC (≥10%, 88%). The proportion of PD-L1-positive tumor cells was higher in TNBCs (54%) than in other BCs (30%). SRGN expression was significantly higher in the TNBC group than in the other BC groups (58%). Tumor immune responses may differ among tumor subtypes. The cGAS-STING pathway may be functional in TNBC and CAD but not in LC. Therefore, targeting the cGAS-STING pathway might be useful in BC, particularly TNBC and CAD.

In-vitro symbiotic germination of seeds of five mycoheterotrophic Gastrodia orchids with Mycena and Marasmiaceae fungi.

We performed in-vitro germination tests on seeds from five Gastrodia orchids (G. confusa, G. elata var. elata, G. elata var. pallens, G. nipponica, and G. pubilabiata) using one Marasmiaceae and two Mycena isolates. Mycena sp. 1 promoted germination of all five Gastrodia orchids, with root and/or tuber formation observed in G. confusa, G. nipponica, and G. pubilabiata. No additional growth was observed in the other two orchids. Mycena sp. 2 induced G. confusa, G. elata var. elata, and G. nipponica germination, whereas Marasmiaceae sp. 1 induced G. nipponica and G. pubilabiata germination. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the two Mycena isolates represent distinct lineages within the Mycenaceae. Mycena sp. 1 and Marasmiaceae sp. 1 are closely related to Mycena abramsii and Marasmiellus rhizomorphogenus, respectively. Our results imply that Mycena and marasmioid fungi play important roles in early development in Gastrodia species, and that Mycena fungi in particular may be common mycobionts of Gastrodia species. Root and/or tuber development was observed with four plant-fungus combinations, implying that these associations persist throughout the life cycle, whereas G. elata var. elata may require different associates over time. Our findings will contribute to elucidating the mycorrhizal associations of mycoheterotrophic orchids throughout their life cycle.

Start and initial results of the Fukushima Prefecture acute myocardial infarction registration survey.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains one of the most serious heart diseases and elucidation of its pathogenesis and advances in treatment strategies have been desired. In 2009, to understand the status of AMI in Fukushima Prefecture for improving treatment outcomes, a new AMI registration survey system was conducted throughout the prefecture. A total of 1,556 cases were registered in the initial 2 years from 2009 to 2010. The hospital-based overall incidence of AMI in Fukushima Prefecture was 37.9 people per population of 100,000 per year. Mortality from AMI within 30 days of onset was 10.2%. We report herein the actual situation of AMI onset and treatment in Fukushima Prefecture based on the initial results of the survey.

Acute myocardial infarction in Fukushima area of Japan.

Although acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most serious coronary disease, the background of its onset and the mortality are not fully understood, especially in Japan. From June 1999 to May 2005, we mailed an annual questionnaire to eighteen hospitals in which emergency cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were available in the Fukushima area of Japan. A total of 1,590 patients were included. The onset time of AMI had two peaks, i.e., from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM. As for reperfusion therapy, four groups were analyzed, the non-reperfusion therapy group (Group N, n = 233), thrombolysis alone group (Group T, n = 80), PCI without thrombolysis group (Group P, n = 1106), and PCI with thrombolysis group (Group TP, n = 151). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly reduced in Group P (8.4%) compared with that in Group N (33.0%, p < 0.01) and Group T (18.8%, p < 0.01). However, the in-hospital mortality in Group P did not differ from that in Group TP (9.9%). The in-hospital mortality was analyzed by the logistic regression analysis among age, arrival time after onset, peak creatine kinase (CK) values, coronary risk factors, reperfusion therapy, PCI, and thrombolysis. There were significant differences in age (P < 0.01), peak CK values (p < 0.01), hypertension (p < 0.05), and diabetes mellitus (p < 0.01). These results suggest that the onset of AMI may be partly related to human biorhythms, and that PCI would be effective in reducing the in-hospital mortality.