A team led by Dr. Yu-Wen Su from the Immunology Research Center demonstrated that PP4 is indispensable for preventing DNA replication stress that could interfere with class switch recombination (CSR), thereby promoting antibody switching during the humoral immune response. PP4 is a serine/threonine phosphatase required for immunoglobulin (Ig) VDJ recombination…
Hyperglycemia with high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels is associated with significant health risks. However, the relationship between HbA1c levels and the physical functioning status in later life remains uncertain and so is the possible underlying mechanism. Dr. I-Chien Wu and his team from the Institute of Population Health Sciences conducted…
Environmental factors contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. However, these factors, and particularly the toxic effects of heavy metals, have not been completely evaluated. Among which, chromium is a widespread industrial contaminant that has been linked to nephrotoxicity in animal and occupational population studies. Nevertheless, its role…
Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially fatal, and systemic allergic reaction. Previous studies document increasing trends in incidence rates of anaphylaxis-related events in Western countries, yet little is known about the incidence and trend of anaphylaxis in Asia. Dr. Hui-Ju Tsai from the Institutes of Population Health Sciences and her collaborators…
In recent decades, the incidence rates of breast cancer have been increasing rapidly in Asian countries. Previous studies have shown that pregnancy has dual effects on breast cancer. However, with increasing incidence of breast cancer in young women and delayed childbearing, the incidence of pregnancy‐related breast cancer may have been…
DUSP6, a MAPK phosphatase has been shown to regulate MAPK activities, including those of ERK, JNK, and p38. Dr. Yu-Wen Su and her team from the Immunology Research center utilized mice lacking DUSP6 (DUSP6−/−) and demonstrated that this phosphatase regulates T cell receptor (TCR) signaling to influence follicular helper T…
Daptomycin, a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic, is one of the last-line agents for the treatment of certain severe multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, including those caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). However, the exact mechanisms giving rise to daptomycin-non-susceptibility in S. aureus are not fully revealed but appear to involve diverse genetic…
APBB2, amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein-binding family B member 2 has been reported to be associated with opioid dependence. Dr. Yu-Li Liu from the Center for Neuropsychiatric Research reported the first time that the genetic variants in the APBB2 gene were associated with use of amphetamine in opioid dependent patients…
A team led by Dr. Tze-Sing Huang from the National Institute of Cancer Research, in collaboration with Taipei Veterans General Hospital, reported extracellular HSP90α (eHSP90α) can be potentially taken as a target to suppress pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) pathogenesis besides myeloid cells. The team detected a significant elevation of serum…
Young offspring of individuals with opioid use disorders have great exposure to a wide array of social disadvantages and stressors. Dr. Chuan-Yu Chen, Join Appointed Investigator with the Center for Neuropsychiatric Research and her team, therefore, investigated excess mortality rate before the age of six and predictors of premature death…
