Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (Crassulaceae), a Newly Naturalized Herb in Taiwan

Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (Crassulaceae), a newly naturalized fleshy herb in Taiwan, is reported here. The taxonomic description, line drawing, and photographs are provided. The population is colonized on Mt. Tatun, Yangmingshan National Park, north Taiwan. Since this species was reported being invasive, its impacts on the local ecosystem should be concerned

Supplements to the Pteridophyte in Taiwan (III): A Newly Recorded Species Dryopteris championii (Benth.) C. Chr. ex Ching (Dryopteridaceae)

Dryopteris championii (Benth.) C. Chr. ex Ching is newly recorded to Taiwan. This species is rare and known only from three locations in Taiwan. Taxonomic description, illustration and distribution information are provided here

The relationship between light exposure and sleep, fatigue, and depression in cancer outpatients: Test of the mediating effect

BACKGROUND:: Light is an important cue for the entrainment of circadian rhythms, which can be related to sleep quality, fatigue, and depression in cancer patients. OBJECTIVES:: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of light exposure on sleep quality, fatigue, and depression in cancer patients, to test whether the effect of light exposure on sleep quality, fatigue, and depression was mediated by the other 2 symptoms. METHODS:: This was a cross-sectional study for which we recruited 163 cancer outpatients. For 3 consecutive days, they wore an Actiwatch to measure light exposure. Instruments included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Taiwan form, the Brief Fatigue Inventory-Taiwan form, and the Beck Depression Inventory II-Taiwan version. RESULTS:: The results indicated that the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Taiwan form score was significantly and negatively correlated with minutes of light exposure (MLE) of 1000 lux or greater (r = -0.61, P < .001) and the intensity of light exposure under activity (r = -0.59, P < .001). Fatigue was negatively correlated with MLE (r = -0.18, P = .03). Depression was also negatively correlated with MLE and intensity of light exposure (both r = -0.18, P = .02). Most important, the effect of light exposure on sleep quality, fatigue, and depression was mediated by the other 2 symptoms. CONCLUSION:: Light exposure appeared to be a shared factor for the co-occurrence of fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depression. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:: Light exposure has great potential for improving sleep quality as well as ameliorating fatigue and depression in cancer outpatients. © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Molecular and morphological evidence for Rana kunyuensis as a junior synonym of Rana coreana (Anura: Ranidae)

We investigate the relationship between Rana coreana and Rana kunyuensis using morphological and molecular data. Morphological comparisons showed these two species to be identical in terms of body measurements and qualitative characteristics. Phylogenetic analyses found that R. kunyuensis and R. coreana are nested within a single clade and exhibited low divergence across several mitochondrial and nuclear genes. All evidence indicates that R. kunyuensis and R. coreana are the same species, making R. kunyuensis a junior synonym of R. coreana. This study stresses the importance of comprehensive taxon sampling, especially in neighboring countries

Combinatorial drug therapy for cancer in the post-genomic era.

Over the past decade, whole genome sequencing and other 'omics' technologies have defined pathogenic driver mutations to which tumor cells are addicted. Such addictions, synthetic lethalities and other tumor vulnerabilities have yielded novel targets for a new generation of cancer drugs to treat discrete, genetically defined patient subgroups. This personalized cancer medicine strategy could eventually replace the conventional one-size-fits-all cytotoxic chemotherapy approach. However, the extraordinary intratumor genetic heterogeneity in cancers revealed by deep sequencing explains why de novo and acquired resistance arise with molecularly targeted drugs and cytotoxic chemotherapy, limiting their utility. One solution to the enduring challenge of polygenic cancer drug resistance is rational combinatorial targeted therapy