Pharmacogenomics of Human ABC Transporter ABCC11 (MRP8): Potential Risk of Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy Failure

Some genetic polymorphisms of human ABC transporter genes are reportedly related to the risk of certain diseases and patients’ responses to medication. Human ABCC11 functions as an ATP-dependent efflux pump for amphipathic anions. One non-synonymous SNP 538G>A (Gly180Arg) has been found to greatly affect the function and stability of de novo synthesized ABCC11 (Arg180) variant protein. The SNP variant lacking N-linked glycosylation is recognized as a misfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and readily undergoes proteasomal degradation. This ER-associated degradation of ABCC11 protein underlies the molecular mechanism of affecting the function of apocrine glands. On the other hand, the wild type (Gly180) of ABCC11 is associated with wettype earwax, axillary osmidrosis, colostrum secretion from the mammary gland, and the potential susceptibility of breast cancer. Furthermore, the wild type of ABCC11 reportedly has ability to efflux cyclic nucleotides and nucleoside-based anticancer drugs. The SNP (538G>A) of the ABCC11 gene is suggested to be a clinical biomarker for prediction of chemotherapeutic efficacy. Major obstacle to the successful chemotherapy of human cancer is development of resistance, and nucleoside-based chemotherapy is often characterized by inter-individual variability. This review provides an overview about the discovery and the genetic polymorphisms in human ABCC11. Furthermore, we focus on the impact of ABCC11 538G>A on the apocrine phenotype, patients’ response to nucleoside-based chemotherapy, and the potential risk of breast cancer

Export Supply of Electricity from Laos to Thailand: An Econometric Analysis

Thailand, as the largest electricity market for Laos, has imported significant amounts of electricity from Laos since the operation of first hydropower plant in Laos. However, currently there have been a number of new power particularly nuclear power plants in Thailand being studied implying the possibility of reduction in Thailand’s electricity import from Laos. Since Thailand is the largest market of Laos’ electricity, the change in demand for electricity from Thailand has substantial impact on the Lao economy. The first simulation conducted in this paper shows that Thailand reduces the import of electricity from Laos shows that it statistically has a large impact on Laos’ electricity export sector, due to the reduction of income from electricity export. However, the feasibility of nuclear power projects in Thailand became unclear since the incident of damages of nuclear power plants in Japan on 11 March 2011. Therefore, there may be a possibility that Thailand may abolish the nuclear power projects. Consequently, Thailand may increase the import of electricity from Laos. The second case of simulation shows that the increase of Thailand’s electricity import from Laos has positive effect on Lao economy through the significant increase in income from electricity export. The increase in Thailand’s electricity import from Laos, not only has positive effect on Thai economy in terms of increasing consumption of electricity stimulating economic activities in Thailand, but it also has positive effect on Lao economy in terms of increasing income from electricity export. Keywords: Electricity Export; Laos; Simultaneous effects; Thailand JEL Classifications: C5; Q4

Rapid estimation of direct economic losses caused by significant earthquakes: An evidence-based model and its applications

This paper presents a rapid or real-time estimation method of the economic value of direct stock damages caused by significant earthquakes in Japan. The result will contribute to both the government and private sectors’ early decision-making, particularly for provisional budget allocation. First, we developed a simple but evidence-based model for estimating stock losses explained by a representative earthquake hazard factor and an exposure factor, i.e., seismic intensity and existing stock of physical assets. The key characteristic of our estimation model is that the dependent variable is the prefectural damage amount. Still, the explanatory variables come from municipal sources: we overcome this data availability problem through our estimation process. Second, we carefully checked the model’s specification, estimation, and performance to be soundly applied to a real-time assessment of future earthquake events. We also explain the automated measuring of the prefectural direct loss value and its distribution to every 250 m mesh. Finally, we show two examples of the application of our model; one is the case of the 2018 Northern Osaka Earthquake, and the other is the anticipated Tokyo inland earthquake