Plasma antibodies to oral bacteria and risk of pancreatic cancer in a large European prospective cohort study

Objective: Examine the relationship between antibodies to 25 oral bacteria and pancreatic cancer risk in a prospective cohort study. Design: We measured antibodies to oral bacteria in prediagnosis blood samples from 405 pancreatic cancer cases and 416 matched controls, nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Analyses were conducted using conditional logistic regression and additionally adjusted for smoking status and body mass index. Results: Individuals with high levels of antibodies against Porphyromonas gingivalis ATTC 53978, a pathogenic periodontal bacteria, had a twofold higher risk of pancreatic cancer than individuals with lower levels of these antibodies (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.05 to 4.36; >200ng/ml vs 200ng/ml). To explore the association with commensal (non-pathogenic) oral bacteria, we performed a cluster analysis and identified two groups of individuals, based on their antibody profiles. A cluster with overall higher levels of antibodies had a 45% lower risk of pancreatic cancer than a cluster with overall lower levels of antibodies (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.36 to 0.83). Conclusion: Periodontal disease might increase the risk for pancreatic cancer. Moreover, increased levels of antibodies against specific commensal oral bacteria, which can inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria, might reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Studies are needed to determine whether oral bacteria have direct effects on pancreatic cancer pathogenesis or serve as markers of the immune response

Primary Tumor Suppression and Systemic Immune Activation of Macrophages through the Sting Pathway in Metastatic Skin Tumor

Purpose: Agonists of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) play a key role in activating the STING pathway by promoting the production of cytokines. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects and activation of the systemic immune response of treatment with DMXAA (5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid), a STING agonist, in EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer. Materials and Methods: The abscopal effects of DMXAA in the treatment of metastatic skin nodules were assessed. EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer models were used to evaluate these effects after DMXAA treatment. To evaluate the expression of macrophages and T cells, we sacrificed the tumor-bearing mice after DMXAA treatment and obtained the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the expression of each FFPE and tumor cell. Results: We observed that highly infiltrating immune cells downstream of the STING pathway had increased levels of chemokines after DMXAA treatment. In addition, the levels of CD80 and CD86 in antigen-presenting cells were significantly increased after STING activation. Furthermore, innate immune activation altered the systemic T cell-mediated immune responses, induced proliferation of macrophages, inhibited tumor growth, and increased numbers of cytotoxic memory T cells. Tumor-specific lymphocytes also increased in number after treatment with DMXAA. Conclusion: The abscopal effect of DMXAA treatment on the skin strongly reduced the spread of EML4-ALK lung cancer and CT26 colon cancer through the STING pathway and induced the presentation of antigens.N

Additive-Free Hollow-Structured Co₃O₄ Nanoparticle Li-Ion Battery: The Origins of Irreversible Capacity Loss

Origins of the irreversible capacity loss were addressed through probing changes in the electronic and structural properties of hollow-structured Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) during lithiation and delithiation using electrochemical Co₃O₄ transistor devices that function as a Co₃O₄ Li-ion battery. Additive-free Co₃O₄ NPs were assembled into a Li-ion battery, allowing us to isolate and explore the effects of the Co and Li₂O formation/decomposition conversion reactions on the electrical and structural degradation within Co₃O₄ NP films. NP films ranging between a single monolayer and multilayered film hundreds of nanometers thick prepared with blade-coating and electrophoretic deposition methods, respectively, were embedded in the transistor devices for <i>in situ</i> conduction measurements as a function of battery cycles. During battery operation, the electronic and structural properties of Co₃O₄ NP films in the bulk, Co₃O₄/electrolyte, and Co₃O₄/current collector interfaces were spatially mapped to address the origin of the initial irreversible capacity loss from the first lithiation process. Further, change in carrier injection/extraction between the current collector and the Co₃O₄ NPs was explored using a modified electrochemical transistor device with multiple voltage probes along the electrical channel

Simulations of fusion edge plasmas by linear plasma devices: physics and plasma–material interactions

© 2022, The Korean Physical Society.Because a fusion edge plasma contains various atomic and molecular processes, along with various plasma–material interactions (PMIs) for post-mortem analyses, a linear plasma device can simulate divertor and scrape-off layer (SOL) plasmas with DC edge relevant parameters, although it cannot generate a high ion temperature and toroidicity with much less power density compared to toroidal devices. The Divertor Plasma Simulator-2 (DiPS-2), a linear device with an LaB6 DC cathode, has been used for a few fusion-relevant physics experiments, including edge localized mode (ELM) simulation and edge transport of diffusion and convection. An ELM simulation has been performed by modulating the magnetic field relevant to the pressure modulation of a toroidal device, and the diffusion coefficients of free and bound presheaths have been measured in simulations of divertor or limiter transport. Moreover, the convection of the filament or the bubble expansion to the first wall has also been analyzed. In addition to various atomic and molecular processes in SOL and divertor plasmas, PMIs must be analyzed both on and beneath the surface of the plasma-facing components (PFCs) because of surface modification. Using DiPS-2 and other linear devices along with Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), PMIs have been analyzed in terms of the following elements or processes: (1) boronizations, both for dust interactions with the surface chamber (DiSC) and KSTAR device, are analyzed; (2) carbon damage by the dense heat flux of DiPS-2 is experimentally investigated; (3) the density profile of the lithium injection gettering of hydrogen and its transport experiments (LIGHT-1) device is analytically calculated; (4) the effect of nitrogen on the relaxation of the heat flux to the divertor tile is experimentally analyzed; and (5) tungsten as the divertor tile material is analyzed via laser ELM simulations in terms of dust generation and surface modification.N