Understanding ADC variation by fat content effect using a dual-function MRI phantom.

BACKGROUND: A dual-function phantom designed to quantify the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in different fat contents (FCs) and glass bead densities (GBDs) to simulate the human tissues has not been documented yet. We propose a dual-function phantom to quantify the FC and to measure the ADC at different FCs and different GBDs. METHODS: A fat-containing diffusion phantom comprised by 30 glass-bead-containing fat-water emulsions consisting of six different FCs (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%) multiplied by five different GBDs (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 g/50 mL). The FC and ADC were measured by the "iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation-IQ," IDEAL-IQ, and single-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging, SS-EP-DWI, sequences, respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship among the fat fraction (FF) measured by IDEAL-IQ, GBD, and ADC. RESULTS: The ADC was significantly, negatively, and linearly associated with the FF (the linear slope ranged from -0.005 to -0.017, R2 = 0.925 to 0.986, all p < 0.001). The slope of the linear relationship between the ADC and the FF, however, varied among different GBDs (the higher the GBD, the lower the slope). ADCs among emulsions across different GBDs and FFs were overlapped. Emulsions with low GBDs plus high FFs shared a same lower ADC range with those with median or high GBDs plus median or lower FFs. CONCLUSIONS: A novel dual-function phantom simulating the human tissues allowed to quantify the influence of FC and GBD on ADC. RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The study developed an innovative dual-function MRI phantom to explore the impact of FC on ADC variation that can affect clinical results. The results revealed the superimposed effect on FF and GBD density on ADC measurements. KEY POINTS: • A dual-function phantom made of glass bead density (GBD) and fat fraction (FF) emulsion has been developed. • Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values are determined by GBD and FF. • The dual-function phantom showed the mutual ADC addition between FF and GBD.

Administration of Bevacizumab and the Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease Development in Taiwan Residents: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a significant role as a pro-angiogenic and pro-permeability factor within the kidney. Bevacizumab is a pharmaceutical monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody that inhibits the growth of new blood vessels, which blocks blood supply and thereby restricts tumor growth. Thus, we conducted a nationwide study to explore the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) development in Taiwan residents after bevacizumab therapy. We drew data from the extensive National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), which encompasses data from >99% of Taiwan's population from 1995 onwards. Individuals who received bevacizumab between 2012-2018 were identified as the bevacizumab cohort, with the index date set at the first usage. We randomly selected dates within the study period for the control group to serve as index dates. We excluded patients with a history of CKD prior to the index date or those <20 years old. In both cohorts, patients' propensity scores matched in a 1:1 ratio based on sex, age, index year, income, urbanization level, comorbidities, and medications. We found patients treated with bevacizumab had a significantly higher risk of contracting CKD than patients without bevacizumab (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.35-1.73). The risk of CKD was 1.35-fold higher in participants with bevacizumab treatment than those in the control group. These findings suggest that close monitoring of CKD development after bevacizumab administration is needed.

Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution Associates the Risk of Benign Brain Tumor: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Air pollutants as risk factors for benign brain tumor (BBT) remain unclear. Therefore, we conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study by integrating the patients' clinical data and daily air quality data to assess the environmental risk factors of BBT in Taiwan.Daily air quality data were categorized into quartiles (Q1 to Q4). The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was evaluated by comparing the BBT incidence rate of the subjects in Q2-Q4 with that of the subjects in Q1 (the lowest concentration of air pollutants). A total of 161,213 subjects were enrolled in the study. Among the air pollutants tested, the aHR of BBT was significantly higher in the subjects who were exposed to the highest level (Q4) of CO (aHR 1.37, 95% CI 1.08-1.74), NO2 (aHR 1.40, 95% CI 1.09-1.78), and PM2.5 (aHR 1.30, 95% CI 1.02-1.65) than that in the subjects who were exposed to the lowest level (Q1). No significant risk association of BBT with SO2 and PM10 exposure was observed. The results revealed that long-term exposure to air pollutants, particularly CO, NO2, and PM2.5, is associated with the risk of BBT.

The intravenous administration of skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates hearing loss and preserves cochlear hair cells in cisplatin-injected mice: SMSCs ameliorate hearing loss and preserve outer hair cells in mice.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from different tissue origins, such as the bone marrow, the placenta, the umbilical cord, adipose tissues, and skin tissues. MSCs can secrete anti-inflammatory molecules and growth factors for tissue repair and remodeling. However, the ability of skin-derived MSCs (SMSCs) to repair cochlear damage and ameliorate hearing loss remains unclear. Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent that has the side effect of ototoxicity due to inflammation and oxidative stress. This study investigated the effects of SMSCs on cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice. Two independent experiments were designed for modeling cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice, one for chronic toxicity (4 mg/kg intraperitoneal [IP] injection once per day for 5 consecutive days) and the other for acute toxicity (25 mg/kg IP injection once on day one). Three days after cisplatin injection, 1 × 106 or 3 × 106 SMSCs were injected through the tail vein. Data on auditory brain responses suggested that SMSCs could significantly reduce the hearing threshold of cisplatin-injected mice. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining data suggested that SMSCs could significantly ameliorate the loss of cochlear hair cells, TUNEL-positive cells and cleaved caspase 3-positive cells in cisplatin-injected mice. Neuropathological gene analyses revealed that SMSCs treatment could downregulate the expression of cochlear genes involved in apoptosis, autophagy, chromatin modification, disease association, matrix remodeling, oxidative stress, tissue integrity, transcription, and splicing and unfolded protein responses. Additionally, SMSCs treatment could upregulate the expression of cochlear genes affecting the axon and dendrite structures, cytokines, trophic factors, the neuronal skeleton and those involved in carbohydrate metabolism, growth factor signaling, myelination, neural connectivity, neural transmitter release, neural transmitter response and reuptake, neural transmitter synthesis and storage, and vesicle trafficking. Results from TUNEL and caspase 3 staining further confirmed that cisplatin-induced apoptosis in cochlear tissues of cisplatin-injected mice could be reduced by SMSCs treatment. In conclusion, the evidence of the effects of SMSCs in favor of ameliorating ototoxicity-induced hearing loss suggests a potential clinical application.

The Anti-Cancer Activity of Pentamidine and Its Derivatives (WLC-4059) Is through Blocking the Interaction between S100A1 and RAGE V Domain.

The S100A1 protein in humans is a calcium-binding protein. Upon Ca2+ binding to S100A1 EF-hand motifs, the conformation of S100A1 changes and promotes interactions with target proteins. RAGE consists of three domains: the cytoplasmic, transmembrane, and extracellular domains. The extracellular domain consists of C1, C2, and V domains. V domains are the primary receptors for the S100 protein. It was reported several years ago that S100A1 and RAGE V domains interact in a pathway involving S100A1-RAGE signaling, whereby S100A1 binds to the V domain, resulting in RAGE dimerization. The autophosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain initiates a signaling cascade that regulates cell proliferation, cell growth, and tumor formation. In this study, we used pentamidine and a newly synthesized pentamidine analog (WLC-4059) to inhibit the S100A1-RAGE V interaction. 1H-15N HSQC NMR titration was carried out to characterize the interaction between mS100A1 (mutant S100A1, C86S) and pentamidine analogs. We found that pentamidine analogs interact with S100A1 via 1H-15N HSQC NMR spectroscopy. Based on the results, we utilized the HADDOCK program to generate structures of the mS100A1-WLC-4059 binary complex. Interestingly, the binary complex overlapped with the complex crystal structure of the mS100A1-RAGE-V domain, proving that WLC-4059 blocks interaction sites between S100A1 and RAGE-V. A WST-1 cell proliferation assay also supported these results. We conclude that pentamidine analogs could potentially enhance therapeutic approaches against cancers.

Evaluating the biocompatibility and biological performance of FePt-decorated nano-epoxy nanoparticles in mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Nanoparticles have wide potential applications in biolabeling, bioimaging, and cell tracking. Development of dual functional nanoparticles increases the versatility. METHODS: We combined the fluorescent property of nano-epoxy (N-Epo) and the magnetic characteristic of FePt to fabricate the FePt-decorated N-Epo (N-Epo-FePt). The size in diameter of N-Epo-FePt (177.38 ± 39.25 nm) was bigger than N-Epo (2.28 ± 1.01 nm), both could be absorbed into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and have multiple fluorescent properties (blue, green, and red). RESULTS: N-Epo-FePt prevented N-Epo-induced platelet activation, CD68+-macrophage differentiation in blood, and intracellular ROS generation in MSCs. The induction of apoptosis and the inhibitory effects of N-Epo-FePt on cell migration, MMP-9 activity, and secretion of SDF-1α were less than that of N-Epo in MSCs. CONCLUSION: N-Epo-FePt was more biocompatible without altering biological performance than N-Epo in MSCs. These results suggest that N-Epo-FePt nanoparticle can be used for fluorescence labeling of MSCs and is potential to apply to bioimaging and cell tracking of MSCs in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.

Long-term exposure to air pollution and the risk of developing sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

BACKGROUND: The association between exposure to air pollution and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has not been extensively discussed in the literature. Therefore, we conducted this nationwide study to evaluate the risk of SSNHL in Taiwanese residents with exposure to air pollution. METHODS: We enrolled subjects aged older than 20 years with no history of SSNHL from 1998 to 2010, and followed up until developing SSNHL, withdrawn from the National Health Insurance program, and the end of the database (2011/12/31). The air quality data are managed by Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration. The annual concentrations of PM2.5, SO2, CO, NO, and NO2 from 1998 to 2010 were classified into the three levels according to tertiles. We calculated the annual average of pollutants from baseline until the end of the study, and classified into tertiles. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was estimated by using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: When considered continuous air pollutants concentration, subjects who exposed with higher concentration of CO (aHR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.50-3.11), NO (aHR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03), and NO2 (aHR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.04) developing significant higher risk of SSNHL. When classified air pollutants concentration into low, moderate and high level by tertiles, and selected low level as reference, patients exposed with moderate (aHR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.20-2.04) or high level (aHR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.01-1.75) of PM2.5 showed significant higher risk of developing SSNHL. CONCLUSION: This study indicated an increased risk of SSNHL in residents with long-term exposure to air pollution. Nevertheless, further experimental, and clinical studies are needed to validate the study findings.

Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Exosomes Rescue the Loss of Outer Hair Cells and Repair Cochlear Damage in Cisplatin-Injected Mice.

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UCMSCs) have potential applications in regenerative medicine. UCMSCs have been demonstrated to repair tissue damage in many inflammatory and degenerative diseases. We have previously shown that UCMSC exosomes reduce nerve injury-induced pain in rats. In this study, we characterized UCMSC exosomes using RNA sequencing and proteomic analyses and investigated their protective effects on cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice. Two independent experiments were designed to investigate the protective effects on cisplatin-induced hearing loss in mice: (i) chronic intraperitoneal cisplatin administration (4 mg/kg) once per day for 5 consecutive days and intraperitoneal UCMSC exosome (1.2 µg/µL) injection at the same time point; and (ii) UCMSC exosome (1.2 µg/µL) injection through a round window niche 3 days after chronic cisplatin administration. Our data suggest that UCMSC exosomes exert protective effects in vivo. The post-traumatic administration of UCMSC exosomes significantly improved hearing loss and rescued the loss of cochlear hair cells in mice receiving chronic cisplatin injection. Neuropathological gene panel analyses further revealed the UCMSC exosomes treatment led to beneficial changes in the expression levels of many genes in the cochlear tissues of cisplatin-injected mice. In conclusion, UCMSC exosomes exerted protective effects in treating ototoxicity-induced hearing loss by promoting tissue remodeling and repair.

PKCδ-mediated SGLT1 upregulation confers the acquired resistance of NSCLC to EGFR TKIs.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been widely used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but the development of acquired resistance remains a therapeutic hurdle. The reduction of glucose uptake has been implicated in the anti-tumor activity of EGFR TKIs. In this study, the upregulation of the active sodium/glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) was found to confer the development of acquired EGFR TKI resistance and was correlated with the poorer clinical outcome of the NSCLC patients who received EGFR TKI treatment. Blockade of SGLT1 overcame this resistance in vitro and in vivo by reducing glucose uptake in NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, SGLT1 protein was stabilized through the interaction with PKCδ-phosphorylated (Thr678) EGFR in the TKI-resistant cells. Our findings revealed that PKCδ/EGFR axis-dependent SGLT1 upregulation was a critical mechanism underlying the acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs. We suggest co-targeting PKCδ/SGLT1 as a potential strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of EGFR TKIs in NSCLC patients.

S100P Interacts with p53 while Pentamidine Inhibits This Interaction.

S100P, a small calcium-binding protein, associates with the p53 protein with micromolar affinity. It has been hypothesized that the oncogenic function of S100P may involve binding-induced inactivation of p53. We used 1H-15N HSQC experiments and molecular modeling to study the molecular interactions between S100P and p53 in the presence and absence of pentamidine. Our experimental analysis indicates that the S100P-53 complex formation is successfully disrupted by pentamidine, since S100P shares the same binding site for p53 and pentamidine. In addition, we showed that pentamidine treatment of ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells resulted in reduced proliferation and increased p53 and p21 protein levels, indicating that pentamidine is an effective antagonist that interferes with the S100P-p53 interaction, leading to re-activation of the p53-21 pathway and inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Collectively, our findings suggest that blocking the association between S100P and p53 by pentamidine will prevent cancer progression and, therefore, provide a new avenue for cancer therapy by targeting the S100P-p53 interaction.

Synthesis of Novel Suramin Analogs With Anti-Proliferative Activity via FGF1 and FGFRD2 Blockade.

A promising approach in cancer therapy is the inhibition of cell proliferation using small molecules. In this study, we report the synthesis of suramin derivatives and their applications. We used NMR spectroscopy and docking simulations to confirm binding sites and three-dimensional models of the ligand-protein complex. The WST-1 assay was used to assess cell viability and cell proliferation in vitro to evaluate the inhibition of protein-protein interactions and to investigate the anti-proliferative activities in a breast cancer cell line. All the suramin derivatives showed anti-proliferative activity by blocking FGF1 binding to its receptor FGFRD2. The dissociation constant was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. The suramin compound derivatives synthesized herein show potential as novel therapeutic agents for their anti-proliferative activity via the inhibition of protein-protein interactions. The cytotoxicity of these suramin derivatives was lower than that of the parent suramin compound, which may be considered a significant advancement in this field. Thus, these novel suramin derivatives may be considered superior anti-metastasis molecules than those of suramin.

Blocking the interface region amongst S100A6 and RAGE V domain via S100B protein.

The Ca2+-mediated S100 family protein S100A6 has a crucial task in various intracellular and extracellular activities thereby demonstrating a possible involvement in the advancement and development of malignant tumors. S100A6 has been found to associate with receptor for advanced glycation end products, RAGE, through its extracellular extension. This extension is famously identified as a prominent receptor for many S100 family associates. Additionally, S100A6 binds to S100B protein and forms a heterodimer. Thus, we consider the S100B protein to be a prospective drug molecule to obstruct the interacting regions amongst S100A6 and RAGE V domain. We applied the NMR spectroscopy method to locate the binding area amid the S100A6m (mutant S100A6, cysteine at 3rd position of S100A6 is replaced with serine, C3S) and S100B proteins. The 1H-15N HSQC NMR titrations revealed the probable requisite dynamics of S100A6m and S100B interfaces. Utilizing data from the NMR titrations as input parameters, we ran the HADDOCK program and created a S100A6m-S100B heterodimer complex. The obtained complex was then superimposed with the reported complex of S100A6m-RAGE V domain. This superimposition displayed the possibility of S100B to be a potential antagonist that can block the interface area of the S100A6m and the RAGE V domain. Moreover, an in vitro cancer model using SW480 cells in water-soluble tetrazolium-1 assay (WST-1) showed a noticeable change in the cell proliferation as an effect of these proteins. Our study indicates the possibility to develop a S100B-like competitor that could play a key role in the treatment of S100- and RAGE-mediated human diseases.

Suramin derivatives play an important role in blocking the interaction between FGF1 and FGFRD2 to inhibit cell proliferation.

The inhibition of protein function by small compounds plays a critical role in controlling cell proliferation. We report on a new class of small molecule (NCTU-Alan-2026) inhibitors for cell proliferation. NCTU-Alan-2026 blocks the interaction between FGF1 and its receptor FGF1R2D2. Extensive NMR studies combined with fluorescence experiments provided the specific mechanism of how NCTU-Alan-2026 could inhibit cell proliferation. We describe an innovative therapeutic approach for anti-proliferation and demonstrate an example of inhibition of small molecules by blocking the protein-protein interaction. We found that the compound NCTU-Alan-2026 blocked the interaction between the two proteins FGF1 and FGF1R2D2 and inhibited cell proliferation. The toxicity of NCTU-Alan-2026 is lower than that of suramin. Thus, NCTU-Alan-2026 could be a better drug than suramin in the treatment of cancer.

Association between periodontitis and bipolar disorder: A nationwide cohort study.

Whether periodontitis is a risk factor for developing bipolar disorders (BD) has not been investigated. We aimed to determine whether periodontitis is associated with the subsequent development of BD and examine the risk factors for BD among patients with periodontitis.Using ambulatory and inpatient claims data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), we identified 12,337 patients who were aged at least 20 years and newly diagnosed with periodontitis between 2000 and 2004. The date of the first claim with a periodontitis diagnosis was set as the index date. For each patient with periodontitis, 4 subjects without a history of periodontitis were randomly selected from the NHIRD and frequency-matched with the patients with periodontitis according to sex, age (in 5-year bands), and index year.The periodontitis group had a mean age of 44.0 ±â€Š13.7 years and slight predominance of men (51.3%). Compared with the subjects without periodontitis, the patients with periodontitis had higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, head injury, major depressive disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma (P < .001). The incidence rate of BD was higher in the periodontitis group than in the non-periodontitis group (2.74 vs 1.46 per 1000 person-year), with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.82 (95% confidence interval = 1.59-2.08) after adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidities.The patients with periodontitis exhibited a significantly higher risk of developing BD. Keep the better oral hygiene to reduce periodontitis might be a preventive strategy for BD.

Pentamidine inhibit S100A4 - p53 interaction and decreases cell proliferation activity.

Metastasis-associated S100A4 protein is a small calcium-binding protein typically overexpressed in several tumor forms, and it is widely accepted that S100A4 plays a significant role in the metastasis of cancer. Tumor suppressor p53 is one of the S100A4's main targets. Previous reports show that through p53, S100A4 regulates collagen expression and cell proliferation. When S100A4 interacts with p53, the S100A4 destabilizes wild type p53. In the current study, based on 1H-15N HSQC NMR experiments and HADDOCK results, S100A4 interacts with the intrinsically unstructured transactivation domain (TAD) of the protein p53 and the pentamidine molecules in the presence of calcium ions. Our results suggest that the p53 TAD and pentamidine molecules share similar binding sites on the S100A4 protein. This observation indicates that a competitive binding mechanism can interfere with the binding of S100A4-p53 and increase the level of p53. Also, we compare different aspects of p53 activity in the WST-1 test using MCF 7 cells. We found that the presence of a pentamidine molecule results in higher p53 activity, which is also reflected in less cell proliferation. Collectively, our results indicate that disrupting the S100A4-p53 interaction would prevent cancer progression, and thus S100A4-p53 inhibitors provide a new avenue for cancer therapy.

Epigenetic Silencing of miR-9 Promotes Migration and Invasion by EZH2 in Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Tumor invasion is the major reason for treatment failure and poor prognosis in GBM. Inhibiting migration and invasion has become an important therapeutic strategy for GBM treatment. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) have been determined to have important roles in the occurrence and development of tumors, but the specific relationship between EZH2 and CXCR4 expression in GBM is less well characterized. In this study, we report that EZH2 and CXCR4 were overexpressed in glioma patients. Furthermore, elevated EZH2 and CXCR4 were correlated with shorter disease-free survival. In three human GBM cell lines, EZH2 modulated the expression of miR-9, which directly targeted the oncogenic signaling of CXCR4 in GBM. The ectopic expression of miR-9 dramatically inhibited the migratory capacity of GBM cells in vitro. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-9, functioning as a tumor-suppressive miRNA in GBM, is suppressed through epigenetic silencing by EZH2. Thus, miR-9 may be an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in GBM.

S100A1 blocks the interaction between p53 and mdm2 and decreases cell proliferation activity.

About 50% of human cancers across the globe arise due to a mutation in the p53 gene which gives rise to its functional inactive form, and in the rest of the cancer the efficacy of active p53 (wild-type) is hindered by MDM2-mediated degradation. Breakdown of the p53-MDM2 association may constitute an effective strategy to stimulate or reinstate the activity of wild type p53, thereby reviving the p53 tumor suppressor capability. S100A1 has been revealed to associate with the N-terminal domain of MDM2 and p53 protein. We utilized NMR spectroscopy to study the interface amongst the S100A1 and N-terminal domain of MDM2. Additionally, the S100A1-MDM2 complex generated through the HADDOCK program was then superimposed with the p53 (peptide) -MDM2 complex reported earlier. The overlay indicated that a segment of S100A1 could block the interaction of p53 (peptide) -MDM2 complex significantly. To further justify our assumption, we performed HSQC-NMR titration for the S100A1 and p53 N-terminal domain (p53-TAD). The data obtained indicated that the S100A1 segment comprising nearly 17 residues have some common residues that interact with both MDM2 and p53-TAD. Further, we synthesized the 17-residue peptide derived from the S100A1 protein and attached it to the cell-penetrating HIV-TAT peptide. The HSQC-NMR competitive binding experiment revealed that Peptide 1 could successfully interfere with the p53-MDM2 interaction. Furthermore, functional effects of the peptide was validated in cancer cells. The results showed that Peptide 1 effectively inhibited cell proliferation, and increased the protein levels of p53 and its downstream p21 in MCF-7 cells. Treatment of Peptide 1 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, and also induced apoptotic cell death at higher concentration. Taken together, the results suggest that disruption of the interaction of p53 and MDM2 by Peptide 1 could activate normal p53 functions, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. We proposed here that S100A1 could influence the p53-MDM2 interaction credibly and possibly reactivates the wild type p53 pathway.

Increased Risk of Sensorineural Hearing Loss as a Result of Exposure to Air Pollution.

Whether exposure to air pollution is associated with developing sensorineural hearing loss (SHL) remains controversial. Using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database, we recruited a total of 75,767 subjects aged older than 20 years with no history of SHL from 1998 to 2010, and they were followed up until SHL was observed, they withdrew from the National Health Insurance program, or the study ended. The subjects were evenly exposed to low-level, mid-level, and high-level carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The incidence rate ratio of SHL for patients exposed to high-level CO was 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.36). The NO2 pollutants increased the incidence rate ratios of SHL in mid-level NO2 and high-level NO2 exposures by 1.10 (95% CI = 1.10-1.32) and 1.36 (95% CI = 1.24-1.49) times, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio (adj. HR) of SHL in patients exposed to high-level CO was 1.45 (95% CI = 1.31-1.59), relative to that of patients exposed to low-level CO. Compared to patients exposed to low-level NO2, patients exposed to mid-level NO2 (adj. HR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.27-1.54) and high-level NO2 (adj. HR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.48-1.81) had a higher risk of developing SHL. The increased risk of SHL following the increased concentrations of air pollutants (CO and NO2) was statistically significant in this study. In conclusion, the subjects' exposure to air pollution exhibited a significantly higher risk of developing SHL in Taiwan.

Lysozyme as the anti-proliferative agent to block the interaction between S100A6 and the RAGE V domain.

In this report, using NMR and molecular modeling, we have studied the structure of lysozyme-S100A6 complex and the influence of tranilast [N-(3, 4-dimethoxycinnamoyl) anthranilic acid], an antiallergic drug which binds to lysozyme, on lysozyme-S100A6 and S100A6-RAGE complex formation and, finally, on cell proliferation. We have found that tranilast may block the S100A6-lysozyme interaction and enhance binding of S100A6 to RAGE. Using WST1 assay, we have found that lysozyme, most probably by blocking the interaction between S100A6 and RAGE, inhibits cell proliferation while tranilast may reverse this effect by binding to lysozyme. In conclusion, studies presented in this work, describing the protein-protein/-drug interactions, are of great importance for designing new therapies to treat diseases associated with cell proliferation such as cancers.

S100A4 inhibits cell proliferation by interfering with the S100A1-RAGE V domain.

The Ca2+-dependent human S100A4 (Mts1) protein is part of the S100 family. Here, we studied the interactions of S100A4 with S100A1 using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We used the chemical shift perturbed residues from HSQC to model S100A4 and S100A1 complex with HADDOCK software. We observed that S100A1 and the RAGE V domain have an analogous binding area in S100A4. We discovered that S100A4 acts as an antagonist among the RAGE V domain and S100A1, which inhibits tumorigenesis and cell proliferation. We used a WST-1 assay to examine the bioactivity of S100A1 and S100A4. This study could possibly be beneficial for evaluating new proteins for the treatment of diseases.