Downregulation of DPF3 promotes the proliferation and motility of breast cancer cells through activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

It is reported that the genetic variation of DPF3 is a risk factor of breast cancer through large-scale association research. However, the expression, function and mechanism in breast cancer is unknown. We applied qPCR and western blotting to detect the levels of DPF3 in breast cancer tissues. MTT and Anchorage-independent growth ability assay were used to evaluate the effect of DPF3 on cell proliferation. Wound healing and transwell invasion assay were performed to detect the role of DPF3 on cell motility ability. Herein, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of DPF3 are both significantly downregulated in breast cancer tissues. And downregulation of DPF3 can promote the proliferation and motility of breast cancer cells. Further investigation illustrated that downregulation of DPF3 can activate the JAK2/STAT3 signaling. In conclusion, we found that the downregulation of DPF3 plays an indispensable function in the progression of breast cancer, and may be served as a novel therapeutic target to therapy breast cancer.

Blockage of AKAP12 accelerates angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac injury in mice by regulating the transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) pathway.

Hypertension is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease that leads to cardiac remodeling. A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) is a scaffolding protein that has multiple functions in various biological events, including the regulation of vessel integrity and differentiation of neural barriers in blood. However, the role of AKAP12 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac injury remains unclear. In the present study, Ang II infusion reduced AKAP12 expressions in the hearts of wild-type (WT) mice, and AKAP12 knockout (KO) enhanced the infiltration of inflammatory cells. In addition, AKAP12 deletion accelerated Ang II-induced cardiac histologic alterations and dysfunction. Further, AKAP12-/- aggravated heart failure by promoting the inflammation, oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis, and autophagy induced by Ang II. Furthermore, AKAP12 KO elevated Ang II-induced cardiac fibrosis, as indicated by the following: (1) Masson trichrome staining showed that Ang II infusion markedly increased fibrotic areas of the WT mouse heart, which was greatly accelerated in AKAP12-/- mice; (2) immunohistochemistry analysis showed increased expression of transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the AKAP12-/- mouse heart; (3) reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis showed increased expression of fibrosis-related molecules in the AKAP12-deficient mouse heart; and (4) Western blot analysis indicated significantly higher upregulation of p-SMAD2/3 in the AKAP12-/- mouse heart. In vitro, AKAP12 knockdown in HL-1 cells was responsible for TGF-ß1-induced inflammation, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, autophagy, and fibrosis. Furthermore, overexpression of AKAP12 reduced fibrosis triggered by TGF-ß1 in cells. Overall, our study suggests that fibrosis induced by Ang II may be alleviated by AKAP12 expression through inactivation of the TGF-ß1 pathway.

Imagery perspective among young athletes: Differentiation between external and internal visual imagery.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the construct of external visual imagery (EVI) vs. internal visual imagery (IVI) by comparing the athletes' imagery ability with their levels of skill and types of sports. METHODS: Seventy-two young athletes in open (n = 45) or closed (n = 27) sports and with different skill levels completed 2 custom-designed tasks. The EVI task involved the subject generating and visualizing the rotated images of different body parts, whereas the IVI task involved the subject visualizing himself or herself performing specific movements. RESULTS: The significant Skill-Level × Sport Type interactions for the EVI task revealed that participants who specialized in open sports and had higher skill-levels had a higher accuracy rate as compared to the other subgroups. For the IVI task, the differences between the groups were less clear: those with higher skill-levels or open sports had a higher accuracy rate than those with lower skill-levels or closed sports. CONCLUSION: EVI involves the visualization of others and the environment, and would be relevant to higher skill-level athletes who engage in open sports. IVI, in contrast, tends to be more self-oriented and would be relevant for utilization by higher skill-level athletes regardless of sport type.

Effectiveness of computerized risk assessment system on enhancing workers' occupational health and attitudes towards occupational health.

BACKGROUND: Efforts have been paid to lower the health risks associated with use of computers at the workplace. Computerized risk assessment systems are available in the market for adoption by companies. OBJECTIVES: The Display Screen Equipment Risk Assessment and Management System was designed for conducting risk assessment and providing intelligent-driven solutions for DSE-related occupational health problems. This report summarizes two consecutive research work conducted on evaluating its effect in reducing body discomfort and mental fatigue, and enhancing sedentary workers' occupational health. METHODS: Convenience sampling was adopted to recruit participants (111 participants for Study 1 and 75 participants for Study 2 who were randomly assigned to an immediate or a delayed intervention group. The intervention was using DSE RAM System to perform a risk assessment followed by an immediate modification of participant's workstation based on the recommendations generated by the System. Face to face interview was conducted and participants completed three sets of questionnaires right before the assessment and two weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: The results of Study 1 revealed that the DSE RAM System was effective for alleviating the discomfort and fatigue levels by rectifying the workstation-worker match. These mismatches were identified to be the heights of monitor, keyboard and chair with the workers. The results of Study 2 indicate that the System was specific for promoting participants to take more frequent rest breaks (OR: 3.65) and pay more attention to occupational safety and health information (OR: 3.90). In particular, the take frequent rest breaks behavior was found to predict decrease in discomfort in the eyes and mental fatigue (lack of energy). Nevertheless, there was no strong evidence on the use of the System can lead to immediate attitudinal changes towards occupational health and safety. CONCLUSION: The findings support the notion that workers' participation and integration of ergonomics into the management are important for successful implementation of occupational health programs. Together with educational and skill training sessions on occupational health at the workplace, the DSE RAM System offers a venue for implementing participatory ergonomics at the workplace.