Computational Analysis of mRNA Expression Profiles Identifies the ITG Family and PIK3R3 as Crucial Genes for Regulating Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Migration

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer that does not express estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor (Her2/neu). TNBC has worse clinical outcomes than other breast cancer subtypes. However, the key molecules and mechanisms of TNBC migration remain unclear. In this study, we compared two normalized microarray datasets from GEO database between Asian (GSE33926) and non-Asian populations (GSE46581) to determine the molecules and common pathways in TNBC migration. We demonstrated that 16 genes in non-Asian samples and 9 genes in Asian samples are related to TNBC migration. In addition, our analytic results showed that 4 genes, PIK3R3, ITGB1, ITGAL, and ITGA6, were involved in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton. Our results indicated potential genes that link to TNBC migration. This study may help identify novel therapeutic targets for drug development in cancer therapy

Increased Risk of Atopic Dermatitis in Preschool Children with Kawasaki Disease: A Population-Based Study in Taiwan

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile systemic vasculitis and has been reported to be associated with allergic disease. The risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) in preschool children with KD has not been investigated. The study was to determine the longitudinal risk of the development of AD in preschool children with KD. A nationwide 5-year population-based study was performed using data from the National Health Insurance Database in Taiwan between 1999 and 2003. The risk factors for AD were compared between the 2 study groups during the follow-up period using the Cox proportional hazards model. In addition, plasma interleukin (IL)-5 levels were analyzed in normal subjects and KD patients. Among the 1440 subjects included, 21.6% developed AD during the 5-year follow-up period, of which 30.3% and 18.7% belonged to the study cohort and the comparison group, respectively. Children with KD were 1.25 times more likely to have AD than those in controls (P=0.04). Levels of IL-5 and IgE were significantly higher in KD patients. Children with KD had a higher risk of developing AD during the 5-year follow-up period than the control group. Increased IL-5 and IgE levels may be key factors contributing to the risk of AD

FCGR2A Promoter Methylation and Risks for Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment Responses in Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is characterized by pediatric systemic vasculitis of an unknown cause. The low affinity immunoglobulin gamma Fc region receptor II-a (FCGR2A) gene was reported to be involved in the susceptibility of KD. DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic mechanisms that control gene expression; thus, we hypothesized that methylation status of CpG islands in FCGR2A promoter associates with the susceptibility and therapeutic outcomes of Kawasaki disease. In this study, 36 KD patients and 24 healthy subjects from out-patient clinic were recruited. Eleven potential methylation sites within the targeted promoter region of FCGR2A were selected for investigation. We marked the eleven methylation sites from A to K. Our results indicated that methylation at the CpG sites G, H, and J associated with the risk of KD. CpG sites B, C, E, F, H, J, and K were found to associate with the outcomes of IVIG treatment. In addition, CpG sites G, J, and K were predicted as transcription factors binding sites for NF-kB, Myc-Max, and SP2, respectively. Our study reported a significant association among the promoter methylation of FCGR2A, susceptibility of KD, and the therapeutic outcomes of IVIG treatment. The methylation levels of CpG sites of FCGR2A gene promoter should be an important marker for optimizing IVIG therapy