Atrial fibrillation in patients with first-ever stroke: Incidence trends and antithrombotic therapy before the event.

BACKGROUND:Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia among adults. Despite the proven advantages in primary and secondary stroke prevention in patients with AF, oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy is still underused in many countries. In this study, we investigated the incidence of AF-related ischemic stroke over the past decade in South Korea and trends of preventive antithrombotic therapy use before stroke in a nationwide cohort. METHODS AND FINDINGS:The data source for this study was a nationwide sample cohort comprising 1,025,340 individuals that was established by the nationwide health insurance system in 2002. A total of 10,215 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were selected from the cohort between 2004 and 2013. AF was identified in 1,662 patients, and 979 patients had preexisting AF before AIS. The annual proportion of patients with AIS with AF gradually increased from 13.4% to 22.6% over the study period (p for trends <0.001). Only 14.0% of patients with high risk AF were receiving OAC before the stroke, and this proportion remained relatively constant during the study period. However, the proportion of patients treated with antiplatelet agents had increased from 18.8% in 2004 to 45.3% in 2013, while that of patients receiving no antithrombotic agent decreased from 64.6% in 2004 to 43.9% in 2013. As a limitation, no information was available about non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, because they were widely used since late 2014 in Korea. CONCLUSIONS:The number of patients with AIS and AF has steadily increased over the last 10 years in Korea. However, a small portion of patients with AF were receiving OAC therapy before the stroke and about half of the patients did not receive any antithrombotic medication. Our study demonstrates that there is huge gap between clinical practice and treatment guidelines for patients with AF in Korea

The 3′-UTR Polymorphisms in the Thymidylate Synthase (TS) Gene Associated with the Risk of Ischemic Stroke and Silent Brain Infarction

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a key gene involved in the repair of DNA damage and DNA synthesis that plays an important role in vascular development and recovery. In particular, TS gene polymorphisms play a major role in the progression of vascular disease and cancer metastasis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of three TS polymorphisms (1100T&gt;C [rs699517], 1170A&gt;G [rs2790], and 1494ins/del [rs151264360]) with ischemic stroke and silent brain infarction (SBI) in Koreans. A total of 1299 participants (507 stroke patients, 383 SBI patients, and 409 controls) were enrolled in the study. Genotyping of the three TS polymorphisms was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. To examine the association between TS gene polymorphisms and the diseases, we performed statistical analyses, including multivariable logistic regression and Fisher’s exact tests. We found that TS 1100T&gt;C and 1170A&gt;G genotypes were strongly associated with ischemic stroke and SBI susceptibility. More specifically, the TS 1100T&gt;C polymorphism was associated with the likelihood of ischemic stroke (TT vs. CC: AOR = 2.151, 95% CI = 1.275–3.628, P = 0.004) and SBI (TT vs. TC+CC: AOR = 1.443, 95 % CI = 1.009–2.063, P = 0.045). In contrast, the TS 1170A &gt; G polymorphism exhibited lower correlation with the risk of stroke (AA vs. GG: AOR = 0.284, 95% CI = 0.151–0.537, P &lt; 0.0001) and SBI (AA vs. GG: AOR = 0.070, 95% CI = 0.016–0.298, P = 0.0002). Furthermore, we confirmed that the TS 1100T&gt;C polymorphism was synergistic with low folic acid levels (AOR = 6.749, P &lt; 0.0001). Altogether, these results suggest that TS 1100T&gt;C and 1170A &gt; G polymorphisms are associated with the risk of ischemic stroke and SBI, and our study provides the first evidence that 3′-UTR variants in TS are potential biomarkers in ischemic stroke and SBI

RNF213 R4810K Variant in Suspected Unilateral Moyamoya Disease Predicts Contralateral Progression

Background Early‐stage unilateral moyamoya disease (MMD) is difficult to discriminate from isolated intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, and identification of contralateral progression may aid in the diagnosis of MMD. The RNF213 (ring finger protein 213) R4810K variant is a strong genetic susceptibility factor for MMD; however, the role of contralateral progression in unilateral MMD is unknown. Methods and Results Patients who had undergone RNF213 R4810K genotyping with suspected unilateral MMD between January 2017 and August 2021 from 2 tertiary university hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the clinical features and radiographic outcomes of patients with and without this variant. The risk factors of contralateral progression in patients with suspected unilateral MMD were evaluated. The RNF213 R4810K variant was observed in 72 of 123 patients with suspected unilateral MMD, all of which were heterozygous. The allele frequency of the R4810K variant was significantly higher in the suspected unilateral MMD group compared with the historical control group (29.3% versus 1.2%; P<0.0001). Family history of MMD was significantly more common in patients with the variant than in those without (17% versus 4%; P=0.003). Eleven of 72 patients with the variant developed contralateral progression, whereas only 1 of 51 patients without the variant developed contralateral progression during a median follow‐up period of 28 months (log‐rank test; P=0.03). The presence of the RNF213 R4810K variant significantly correlated with contralateral progression (adjusted odds ratio, 6.39 [95% CI, 1.11–36.63]; P=0.04). Conclusions Contralateral progression is more likely to occur in patients with suspected unilateral MMD with the RNF213 R4810K variant than in those without the variant. However, because our study used a small sample size, this finding should be carefully interpreted and requires further studies with more patients and longer follow‐up periods

EHMT1 knockdown induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in lung cancer cells by increasing CDKN1A expression

Dozens of histone methyltransferases have been identified and biochemically characterized, but the pathological roles of their dysfunction in human diseases such as cancer remain largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of EHMT1, a histone lysine methyltransferase, in lung cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the expression levels of EHMT1 are significantly elevated in human lung carcinomas compared with non‐neoplastic lung tissues. Through gene ontology analysis of RNA‐seq results, we showed that EHMT1 is clearly associated with apoptosis and the cell cycle process. Moreover, FACS analysis and cell growth assays showed that knockdown of EHMT1 induced apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest via upregulation of CDKN1A in A549 and H1299 cell lines. Finally, in 3D spheroid culture, compared to control cells, EHMT1 knockdown cells exhibited reduced aggregation of 3D spheroids and clear upregulation of CDKN1A and downregulation of E‐cadherin. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that EHMT1 plays a critical role in the regulation of cancer cell apoptosis and the cell cycle by modulating CDKN1A expression. Further functional analyses of EHMT1 in the context of human tumorigenesis may aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for cancer

Association of the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in microRNAs 130b, 200b, and 495 with Ischemic Stroke Susceptibility and Post-Stroke Mortality.

The microRNA (miRNA) is a small non-coding RNA molecule that modulates gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Platelets have a crucial role in both hemostasis and thrombosis, a condition that can occlude a cerebral artery and cause ischemic stroke. miR-130b, miR-200b, and miR-495 are potential genetic modulators involving platelet production and activation. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these miRNAs might potentially contribute to the susceptibility to ischemic stroke and post-stroke mortality. This study included 523 ischemic stroke patients and 400 control subjects. We investigated the association of three miRNA SNPs (miR-130bT>C, miR-200bT>C, and miR-495A>C) with ischemic stroke prevalence and post-stroke mortality. In the multivariate logistic regression, there was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of miR-130bT>C, miR-200bT>C, or miR-495A>C between the ischemic stroke and control groups. In the subgroup analysis based on ischemic stroke subtype, the miR-200b CC genotype was less frequently found in the large-artery atherosclerosis stroke subtype compared with controls (TT+CT vs CC; adjusted odds ratio for CC, 0.506; 95% confidence interval, 0.265-0.965). During a mean follow-up period of 4.80 ± 2.11 years after stroke onset, there were 106 all-cause deaths among the 523 stroke patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis did not find a significant association between post-stroke mortality and three miRNA SNPs. Our findings suggest that the functional SNP of miR-200b might be responsible for the susceptibility to large-artery atherosclerotic stroke

Atelier "Enjeux sociaux, culturels et politique de la traduction": Table ronde. : Etudes coréennes, traduction, sciences sociales : pratiques et institutions.

Le programme de recherche pluriannuel « Le Réseau des études sur la Corée – Paris Consortium » (2010-2015) est un programme créé en 2010 et subventionné par l’Academy of Korean Studies (AKS). Il est composé de l’université Paris Diderot (établissement principal, M. Yannick Bruneton), de l’Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO, M. Kim Daeyeol) et de l’Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, M. Alain Delissen et Mme Valérie Gelézeau). Les enjeux du Réseau des études sur la Corée consistent à produire des ressources numériques en langue française (travaux de recherches, traduction, ressources pédagogiques) mis en ligne sur le site web du Réseau et à organiser annuellement un atelier de recherche. L’atelier 2012, « Etudes coréennes, Traduction, Sciences sociales : Pratiques et institutions », souhaite rendre compte des problématiques liées aux pratiques de traductions en études coréennes et en sciences sociales.Outre les établissements partenaires du Réseau des études sur la Corée, sont représentés les membres du groupe de recherche « Traductions, Sciences sociales de la Corée » mis en place depuis dix ans dans l’équipe Chine, Corée, Japon (UMR 8173), ainsi que le Korean Literature Translation Institute et l’Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics.Le premier atelier « La traduction en pratiques : retour d’expériences et chantiers en cours » (non enregistré) revient sur les travaux en cours en ce qui concerne la traduction entre le coréen et le français, et les expériences et observations mises en avant par Alain DELISSEN (EHESS), Yannick BRUNETON (Paris Diderot) et Eunjin JEONG (INALCO).Le deuxième atelier « Traduire le chinois classique en Corée et en France » met en avant les papiers de chercheurs coréens et français (Kyoungyeol KWON (Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics) et Isabelle SANCHO (CNRS) sur la traduction spécifique du chinois classique vers le coréen et/ou le français et les difficultés rencontrées qu’elles soient linguistiques ou institutionnelles.Le troisième atelier « Enjeux sociaux, culturels et politique de la traduction » poursuit la réflexion menée lors du deuxième atelier en soulevant des problématiques liées à la politique et aux enjeux de la traduction du coréen vers le français et inversement, selon le point de vue de chercheurs et d’institutions des deux pays (Alain DELISSEN (EHESS), Jinkwon JUNG (Korea Literature Translation Institute), Kyoungyeol KWON (Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics), Hyungjoon CHIN (Université Hongik).Le dernier atelier (non enregistré) « Outils du web, éditions électroniques et traductions » fait le point sur le blog et le site web du Réseau des études sur la Corée. Camille HARANG (Yooook.net) termine cet atelier en exposant un nouveau modèle numérique qu’il est en train de développer : Le Web et la TEI au service de la traduction numérique

Enhanced ferroelectricity in perovskite oxysulfides

© 2019 American Physical Society.A sulfur element is a promising anion dopant for synthesizing new multifunctional materials and for exploring unusual physical phenomena. However, owing to its volatility, sulfur substitution to oxide materials is challenging, and thus the sulfurization effects on the associated properties have been limitedly studied. Here, a facile method for sulfurization to a perovskite oxide Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 is developed and demonstrated. A thiourea (CH4N2S) solution is used as a precursor for the sulfurization and its doping-level control. By manipulating the sulfur concentration (x), we systematically examine the physical properties of sulfur-doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O3-xSx films. An enhancement in the tetragonality and ferroelectricity by sulfurization is observed with the band-gap reduction, which is consistent with our theoretical predictions. In the sulfurized films, the ferroelectric phonon modes become softened progressively, probably due to the substitution of apical oxygens with sulfur atoms. Our work is of practical interest for designing ferroelectric photovoltaic devices with high performance

Epigenetic regulation of SMAD3 by histone methyltransferase SMYD2 promotes lung cancer metastasis

Abstract Epigenetic alterations, especially histone methylation, are key factors in cell migration and invasion in cancer metastasis. However, in lung cancer metastasis, the mechanism by which histone methylation regulates metastasis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we found that the histone methyltransferase SMYD2 is overexpressed in lung cancer and that knockdown of SMYD2 could reduce the rates of cell migration and invasion in lung cancer cell lines via direct downregulation of SMAD3 via SMYD2-mediated epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, using an in vitro epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) system with a Transwell system, we generated highly invasive H1299 (In-H1299) cell lines and observed the suppression of metastatic features by SMYD2 knockdown. Finally, two types of in vivo studies revealed that the formation of metastatic tumors by shSMYD2 was significantly suppressed. Thus, we suggest that SMYD2 is a potential metastasis regulator and that the development of SMYD2-specific inhibitors may help to increase the efficacy of lung cancer treatment

Atelier "Enjeux sociaux, culturels et politique de la traduction": Table ronde. : Etudes coréennes, traduction, sciences sociales : pratiques et institutions.

Le programme de recherche pluriannuel « Le Réseau des études sur la Corée – Paris Consortium » (2010-2015) est un programme créé en 2010 et subventionné par l’Academy of Korean Studies (AKS). Il est composé de l’université Paris Diderot (établissement principal, M. Yannick Bruneton), de l’Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO, M. Kim Daeyeol) et de l’Ecole des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, M. Alain Delissen et Mme Valérie Gelézeau). Les enjeux du Réseau des études sur la Corée consistent à produire des ressources numériques en langue française (travaux de recherches, traduction, ressources pédagogiques) mis en ligne sur le site web du Réseau et à organiser annuellement un atelier de recherche. L’atelier 2012, « Etudes coréennes, Traduction, Sciences sociales : Pratiques et institutions », souhaite rendre compte des problématiques liées aux pratiques de traductions en études coréennes et en sciences sociales.Outre les établissements partenaires du Réseau des études sur la Corée, sont représentés les membres du groupe de recherche « Traductions, Sciences sociales de la Corée » mis en place depuis dix ans dans l’équipe Chine, Corée, Japon (UMR 8173), ainsi que le Korean Literature Translation Institute et l’Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics.Le premier atelier « La traduction en pratiques : retour d’expériences et chantiers en cours » (non enregistré) revient sur les travaux en cours en ce qui concerne la traduction entre le coréen et le français, et les expériences et observations mises en avant par Alain DELISSEN (EHESS), Yannick BRUNETON (Paris Diderot) et Eunjin JEONG (INALCO).Le deuxième atelier « Traduire le chinois classique en Corée et en France » met en avant les papiers de chercheurs coréens et français (Kyoungyeol KWON (Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics) et Isabelle SANCHO (CNRS) sur la traduction spécifique du chinois classique vers le coréen et/ou le français et les difficultés rencontrées qu’elles soient linguistiques ou institutionnelles.Le troisième atelier « Enjeux sociaux, culturels et politique de la traduction » poursuit la réflexion menée lors du deuxième atelier en soulevant des problématiques liées à la politique et aux enjeux de la traduction du coréen vers le français et inversement, selon le point de vue de chercheurs et d’institutions des deux pays (Alain DELISSEN (EHESS), Jinkwon JUNG (Korea Literature Translation Institute), Kyoungyeol KWON (Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics), Hyungjoon CHIN (Université Hongik).Le dernier atelier (non enregistré) « Outils du web, éditions électroniques et traductions » fait le point sur le blog et le site web du Réseau des études sur la Corée. Camille HARANG (Yooook.net) termine cet atelier en exposant un nouveau modèle numérique qu’il est en train de développer : Le Web et la TEI au service de la traduction numérique