Fucosylation of LAMP-1 and LAMP-2 by FUT1 correlates with lysosomal positioning and autophagic flux of breast cancer cells.

Alpha1,2-fucosyltransferases, FUT1 and FUT2, which transfer fucoses onto the terminal galactose of N-acetyl-lactosamine via α1,2-linkage have been shown to be highly expressed in various types of cancers. A few studies have shown the involvement of FUT1 substrates in tumor cell proliferation and migration. Lysosome-associated membrane protein 1, LAMP-1, has been reported to carry alpha1,2-fucosylated Lewis Y (LeY) antigens in breast cancer cells, however, the biological functions of LeY on LAMP-1 remain largely unknown. Whether or not its family member, LAMP-2, displays similar modifications and functions as LAMP-1 has not yet been addressed. In this study, we have presented evidence supporting that both LAMP-1 and 2 are substrates for FUT1, but not FUT2. We have also demonstrated the presence of H2 and LeY antigens on LAMP-1 by a targeted nanoLC-MS(3) and the decreased levels of fucosylation on LAMP-2 by MALDI-TOF analysis upon FUT1 knockdown. In addition, we found that the expression of LeY was substantial in less invasive ER+/PR+/HER- breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and T47D) but negligible in highly invasive triple-negative MDA-MB-231 cells, of which LeY levels were correlated with the levels of LeY carried by LAMP-1 and 2. Intriguingly, we also observed a striking change in the subcellular localization of lysosomes upon FUT1 knockdown from peripheral distribution of LAMP-1 and 2 to a preferential perinuclear accumulation. Besides that, knockdown of FUT1 led to an increased rate of autophagic flux along with diminished activity of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and enhanced autophagosome-lysosome fusion. This may be associated with the predominantly perinuclear distribution of lysosomes mediated by FUT1 knockdown as lysosomal positioning has been reported to regulate mTOR activity and autophagy. Taken together, our results suggest that downregulation of FUT1, which leads to the perinuclear localization of LAMP-1 and 2, is correlated with increased rate of autophagic flux by decreasing mTOR signaling and increasing autolysosome formation

A new era for studies on cross-Strait relations: introduction

After more than half a century’s separation, interaction between China and Taiwan has increased and has progressively changed from a politico-economic interaction to a more civic interaction. Scholars working on cross-Strait relations have recently begun to pay attention to the civic influence of Taiwanese businesses on the relationship. Some emphasize the importance of sub-governmental interactions in the process of cross-Strait integration. Others assert that Taiwanese businesses can exercise economic leverage to constrain the Chinese government in cross-Strait policymaking. These scholars stress bottom–up processes by observing current phenomena, then deducing the emerging pattern of cross-Strait relations that may be influenced by business activities. Taking account of changing trends in scholarly discussions of the cross-Strait relationship, this special issue of China Information presents current research in this field. Unlike studies on top–down processes that affect political and economic interactions between China and Taiwan, several contributions in the special issue highlight bottom–up mechanisms affecting such interactions by examining the identity of Taiwanese businesspeople and migrants, as well as the activities and implications of Taiwanese charitable organizations operating in China. This issue focuses not only on the impact of China on Taiwan, but also the impact of Taiwanese investments, migrants, and exports on Chinese society

Why rapidly expanding the number of college-trained workers may not lower income inequality: the curious case of Taiwan, 1978-2011

Since 1990, Taiwan increased the college share of its labor force from 7% to 28% by converting junior colleges to 4-year colleges. Such a rapid surge in skill supply should suppress college wages and lower income inequality. Instead, inequality rose steadily. The surge of weaker college graduates made them weak substitutes for better trained college graduates, increasing wage inequality within skill groups. The college premium would have been 15% higher had college quality remained unchanged at its 1992 level. The Taiwan case shows that increasing college access alone will not lower income inequality unless college quality is maintained

Epiretinal membrane detection at the ophthalmologist level using deep learning of optical coherence tomography

Purpose: Previous deep learning studies on optical coherence tomography (OCT) mainly focused on diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. We proposed a deep learning model that can identify epiretinal membrane (ERM) in OCT with ophthalmologist-level performance. Design: Crosssectional study. Participants: A total of 3,618 central fovea cross section OCT images from 1,475 eyes of 964 patients. Methods: We retrospectively collected 7,652 OCT images from 1,197 patients. From these images, 2,171 were normal and 1,447 were ERM OCT. A total of 3,141 OCT images was used as training dataset and 477 images as testing dataset. DL algorithm was used to train the interpretation model. Diagnostic results by four board-certifed non-retinal specialized ophthalmologists on the testing dataset were compared with those generated by the DL model. Main Outcome Measures: We calculated for the derived DL model the following characteristics: sensitivity, specifcity, F1 score and area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. These were calculated according to the gold standard results which were parallel diagnoses of the retinal specialist. Performance of the DL model was fnally compared with that of non-retinal specialized ophthalmologists. Results: Regarding the diagnosis of ERM in OCT images, the trained DL model had the following characteristics in performance: sensitivity: 98.7%, specifcity: 98.0%, and F1 score: 0.945. The accuracy on the training dataset was 99.7% (95% CI: 99.4 - 99.9%), and for the testing dataset, diagnostic accuracy was 98.1% (95% CI: 96.5 - 99.1%). AUC of the ROC curve was 0.999. The DL model slightly outperformed the average non-retinal specialized ophthalmologists. Conclusions: An ophthalmologist-level DL model was built here to accurately identify ERM in OCT images. The performance of the model was slightly better than the average non-retinal specialized ophthalmologists. The derived model may play a role to assist clinicians to promote the efciency and safety of healthcare in the future

Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality

Between 1990 and 2014, Taiwan increased the college share of its labor force from 7 to 32 percent by converting junior colleges to 4-year colleges. Such a rapid surge in skill supply should suppress college wages and lower wage income inequality. Instead, wage inequality rose 7 percent since 1978. We show that the surge of weaker college graduates made them poor substitutes for better-trained college graduates and led to an increase in wage inequality within skill groups. Rising wage inequality due to increased variation in the quality of young college graduates added another source of inequality to the Taiwan labor market. The Taiwan case shows that increasing college access alone will not lower inequality

Refining the accuracy of validated target identification through coding variant fine-mapping in type 2 diabetes.

We aggregated coding variant data for 81,412 type 2 diabetes cases and 370,832 controls of diverse ancestry, identifying 40 coding variant association signals (P < 2.2 × 10-7); of these, 16 map outside known risk-associated loci. We make two important observations. First, only five of these signals are driven by low-frequency variants: even for these, effect sizes are modest (odds ratio ≤1.29). Second, when we used large-scale genome-wide association data to fine-map the associated variants in their regional context, accounting for the global enrichment of complex trait associations in coding sequence, compelling evidence for coding variant causality was obtained for only 16 signals. At 13 others, the associated coding variants clearly represent 'false leads' with potential to generate erroneous mechanistic inference. Coding variant associations offer a direct route to biological insight for complex diseases and identification of validated therapeutic targets; however, appropriate mechanistic inference requires careful specification of their causal contribution to disease predisposition

The Current Status of the Startup CubeSat Program in TASA

The Startup CubeSat Program, approved by the National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan, spans from 2022 to 2031, covering a total duration of ten years. Serving as an incubator for Space Startups in Taiwan, the program is designed to assist vendors in completing proof-of-concepts (POCs) for their CubeSat missions, ensuring the viability and sustainability of their business models in the future. The initial phase of the Startup CubeSat Program comprises a 3U communication CubeSat and a 3U remote sensing CubeSat. The 3U Communication CubeSat aims to showcase the capabilities of high-speed satellite loT applications. Meanwhile, the 3U remote sensing CubeSat will focus on observing the concentration of chlorophyll on the ocean surface to support pelagic fisheries. Both CubeSats are currently in the integration and testing stage, with a scheduled launch date in July 2024. The second phase of the Startup CubeSat Program comprises three projects: a Ka-band communication mission, a Ku/L-band loT mission, and an ocean color imaging mission. In each project, there are four 8U CubeSats to enhance satellite services, facilitating global coverage and improved revisit times. All the details of these projects will be thoroughly described in this paper

Polycythemia vera as a presentation of renal angiomyolipoma: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Angiomyolipoma is a common benign renal tumor composed of thick-walled blood vessels, smooth muscle, and adipose tissue. It may be found incidentally during workup for suspected renal disease. Although angiomyolipoma may present as a palpable, tender renal mass with flank pain and gross or microscopic hematuria, many patients are asymptomatic. Erythrocytosis is an unusual presentation, and malignant transformation may be suspected. This report describes a rare case of a woman diagnosed with renal angiomyolipoma and polycythemia vera. The report discusses the differential diagnosis using erythropoietin, erythropoietin-receptor and Janus kinase 2.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 79-year-old Chinese woman was diagnosed with erythrocytosis according to World Health Organization criteria. An upper left renal pole angiomyolipoma was successfully ablated after multiple phlebotomy treatments. Red cell count immediately returned to normal, but gradually increased after 4 months. Polycythemia vera was finally diagnosed by positive mutation of Janus kinase 2 and negative erythropoietin protein expression. Her clinical symptoms improved with regular phlebotomy and hydroxyurea treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Concurrent occurence of angiomyolipoma and polycythemia vera is rare. Polycythemia vera can be easily missed. Polycythemia vera can be confirmed with high specificity and sensitivity by the acquired somatic mutation. Surgical intervention for this renal tumor should be avoided unless malignancy or renal cell carcinoma is suspected or to prevent spontaneous rupture of larger tumors.</p

Reducing Postoperative Neurological Complications in Uniportal Full-Endoscopic Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Efficacy of the GUARD Technique Combined With Delayed Ligamentum Flavectomy

Objective Uniportal full-endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (FE-TLIF) carries a unique risk of nerve traction and abrasion injury during cage insertion. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the GUARD technique and delayed ligamentum flavectomy in reducing postoperative radicular pain and neurapraxia in patients undergoing uniportal FE-TLIF. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 45 patients with an average age of 53.9±12.4 years who underwent either FE facet-sparing TLIF (FE fs-TLIF) or FE facet-resecting TLIF (FE fr-TLIF). Patients were divided into 2 groups: the sentinel group (21 patients) using traditional sentinel pin techniques, and the GUARD group (24 patients) using the GUARD technique with delayed ligamentum flavectomy. Patient-reported outcomes included the visual analogue scale (VAS) for leg and back pain, and Oswestry Disability Index. Complication rates, including incidental durotomy, postoperative neurapraxia, and hematoma, were also documented. Results Postoperative radicular pain in the legs was significantly reduced at 6 weeks in the GUARD group compared to the sentinel group (VAS: 2.201 vs. 3.267, p=0.021). The incidence of postoperative neurapraxia was markedly lower in the GUARD group (0% vs. 19%, p=0.047). Both groups showed similar improvements in disc height, segmental lordosis, and lumbar lordosis at the 1-year follow-up, with no significant differences in endplate injury or fusion rates. Conclusion The GUARD technique and delayed ligamentum flavectomy significantly enhance patient safety by reducing postoperative radicular pain and neurapraxia without incurring additional costs. These techniques are easy to learn and integrate into existing surgical workflows, offering a valuable improvement for surgeons performing FE-TLIF procedures