Solute carrier family 9 isoform 3 (SLC9A3), a Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger, regulates the transepithelial absorption of Na⁺ and water and is primarily expressed on the apical membranes of the intestinal epithelium, renal proximal tubule, epididymis, and vas deferens. Loss of the Slc9a3 allele in mice enhances intestinal fluid and causes diarrhoea as a consequence of diminished Na⁺ and HCO₃⁻ absorption. Hence, the loss also causes male infertility and reveals the abnormal dilated lumen of the rete testis and calcification in efferent ductules. However, whether loss of Slc9a3 alleles also disrupts mammalian spermatogenesis remains unknown. First, through immunoblotting, we determined that SLC9A3 is highly expressed in the murine testis compared with the small intestine, epididymis, and vas deferens. During murine spermatogenesis, SLC9A3 is specifically expressed in the acrosome region of round, elongating, and elongated spermatids through immunostaining. Furthermore, SLC9A3 signals are enriched in the acrosome of mature sperm isolated from the vas deferens. In Slc9a3 knockout (KO) mice, compared with the same-aged controls, the number of spermatids on the testicular section of the mice progressively worsened in mice aged 20, 35, and 60 days. Sperm isolated from the epididymis of Slc9a3 KO mice revealed severe acrosomal defects. Our data indicated that SLC9A3 has a vital role in acrosomal formation during spermiogenesis.

When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to ravage the world in 2019, the World Health Organization became concerned. The epidemic has a high mortality and contagion rate, with severe health and psychological impacts on frontline emergency medical service system practitioners. There are many hospital staff surveys, but few have covered the stress among emergency medical technicians. DASS-21, PSQI, and AUDIT questionnaires were used to evaluate the sources of psychological stress factors of firefighters in Taiwan. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the questionnaire content. We conducted questionnaire surveys from May 2022 to July 2022. Our sample comprised 688 participants. The odds ratios of increased depression, anxiety, and stress levels due to reduced family or peer understanding and support were 2.72 (95% CI: 1.50–4.92), p = 0.001; 2.03 (95% CI: 1.11–3.68), p = 0.021; and 3.27 (95% CI: 1.83–5.86), p < 0.001, respectively. The odds ratios of poor sleep quality due to depression, anxiety, and increased stress levels were 5.04 (3.18–7.99), p < 0.001; 2.44 (95% CI: 1.57–3.81), p < 0.001; and 4.34 (95% CI: 2.76–6.82), p-value < 0.001, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, poor sleep quality and a lack of understanding and support from the Taiwan firefighting agency staff, family, or peers resulted in increased depression, anxiety, and stress levels.

The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer remains poor. Overexpression of high mobility group A 1 (HMGA1) in breast cancer and neuroblastoma indicates a poor prognosis. However, the relationship between HMGA1 expression and gastric cancer development remains unclear. Treatment strategies can be developed by identifying potential markers associated with gastric cancer. We used a constructed tissue array and performed hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining. We quantified the staining results and performed statistical analysis to evaluate the relationship between HMGA1 expression and prognosis. HMGA1 expression was related to the expression of Ki-67, caspase3, CD31, N-cadherin, fibronectin, pAkt, and pErk. In the Kaplan–Meier graph, higher HMGA1 expression levels were associated with a relatively poor survival rate (p = 0.04). High expression of HMGA1 leads to a low survival rate, which is associated with HMGA1, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and tyrosine kinase.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, particularly in East Asia. Despite treatment advances, the prognosis remains poor owing to late diagnosis and high metastatic potential. Phosphorylated AXL (pAXL), a receptor tyrosine kinase, promotes cancer progression, including epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor growth, and metastasis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between pAXL expression and prognosis in patients with GC, focusing on survival outcomes and other biomarkers such as fibronectin and phosphorylated AKT (pAkt). Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the expression of pAXL, fibronectin, and pAkt in 188 GC specimens collected between 2000 and 2013. H-scores were calculated based on staining intensity and percentage. The association between pAXL expression and patient outcomes was assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Higher pAXL expression was significantly associated with improved survival, particularly in male patients. pAXL expression positively correlated with fibronectin and pAkt upregulation, suggesting its role in promoting tumor invasion and EMT. Multivariate analysis identified pAXL, fibronectin, and pAkt as significant prognostic indicators, whereas other factors such as age, tumor grade, and tumor size were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study identified pAXL as a valuable prognostic marker in GC, with higher expression levels associated with better survival outcomes, particularly in male patients. pAXL enhanced the invasive potential of GC cells through fibronectin and pAkt regulation, making it a promising therapeutic target. Further research is needed to explore the potential of pAXL-targeted therapies and better understand their role in cancer progression and treatment response.

The optimal prehospital blood pressure in patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains controversial. We aimed to assess the association between the systolic blood pressure (SBP) at emergency department triage and patient outcomes following isolated moderate-to-severe TBI. We conducted a cross-national multicenter retrospective cohort study using the Pan-Asia Trauma Outcomes Study database from January 1, 2016, to November 30, 2018. The enrollees were adult patients with isolated moderate-to-severe TBI defined by the International Classification of Diseases code, a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) <13 at triage, and a nonhead Abbreviated Injury Scale ≤3. The studied variables were SBPs at triage categorized into different ranges. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, and the secondary outcome was poor functional status at hospital discharge defined by the modified Rankin Scale ≥4. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to adjust for confounders including country, sex, age, mechanism of injury, prehospital vascular access, respiratory rate, GCS, oxygen saturation, intubation, Injury Severity Score, head surgery, intensive care unit admission, and length of hospital stay. Subgroup analyses were performed on different severity of TBI. A total of 785 patients (median age, 42 years; male patients 77.5%; mean SBP at triage, 136.3 ± 33.1 mmHg) were included in the primary analysis. The lowest 30-day mortality rate existed in patients with SBP of 100–119 mmHg. Taking it as baseline, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of SBP <100 mmHg, 120–139 mmHg, 140–159 mmHg, and ≥160 mmHg were 7.05 (2.51–19.78), 3.14 (1.14–8.65), 2.91 (1.04–8.17), and 3.28 (1.14–9.42). As for the secondary outcome, the aORs and 95% CIs were 1.36 (0.68–2.68) of <100 mmHg, 0.99 (0.57–1.70) of 120–139 mmHg, 1.23 (0.67–2.25) of 140–159 mmHg, and 1.52 (0.78–2.95) of ≥160 mmHg. Subgroup analyses revealed trends of the best outcomes in both moderate and severe TBI patients with SBP 100–119 mmHg, whereas statistical significance appeared only in patients with severe TBI. SBP of 110–119 mmHg at triage is associated with the lowest 30-day mortality in patients following isolated moderate-to-severe TBI and possibly related to a better functional outcome.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Surgery remains the first-choice treatment. Chemotherapy is considered in the middle and advanced stages, but has limited success. Microspherule protein 1 (MCRS1, also known as MSP58) is a protein originally identified in the nucleus and cytoplasm that is involved in the cell cycle. High expression of MCRS1 increases tumor growth, invasiveness, and metastasis. The mechanistic relationships between MCSR1 and proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) remain to be elucidated. We clarified these relationships using immunostaining of tumor tissues and normal tissues from patients with gastric cancer. High MCRS1 expression in gastric cancer positively correlated with Ki-67, Caspase3, CD31, Fibronectin, pAKT, and pAMPK. The hazard ratio of high MCRS1 expression was 2.44 times that of low MCRS1 expression, negatively impacting patient survival.