Heo YR, et al. Anat Biol Anthropol. 2020 Mar;33(1):21-25. https://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2020.33.1.21

Telomere shortening has been suggested as an indicator of aging and psychiatric disorders. However, few studies have explored the relationship between telomere length (TL) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We investigated the association between TL and IBS in 43 IBS patients using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The clinical characteristics and severity of IBS, assessed by the visual analogue scale, were also analyzed. The average TL was 4.40 ± 3.87, with TL shortening tending to be associated with female sex and smoking. However, these associations did not reach statistical significance. Correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between IBS severity and TL (r = –0.285, p = 0.083), although this was not statistically significant. No other clinical characteristics were significantly associated with TL. This is the first study to examine the relationship between TL and IBS. Our findings suggest that TL may have potential as a predictor for IBS diagnosis.

Background and Objectives: Identifying regulatory genes that integrate epigenetic, transcriptional, immune, and non-coding RNA networks may improve prognostic stratification in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ZBTB40 is a poorly characterized transcription factor whose clinical relevance and multi-layered regulatory role in HCC remain unclear. This study systematically investigated the prognostic significance, molecular regulatory networks, and toxicogenomic interactions of ZBTB40 in HCC. Materials and Methods: Comprehensive multi-omics analyses were conducted utilizing TCGA-HCC datasets and various public bioinformatics platforms. We systematically evaluated ZBTB40 expression patterns, survival outcomes, clinicopathological associations, DNA methylation status, immune cell infiltration, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Additionally, chemical–gene interactions were analyzed using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Results: ZBTB40 was significantly overexpressed in HCC, closely correlating with advanced clinicopathological features and poor survival outcomes. This upregulation was significantly associated with promoter hypomethylation. Furthermore, ZBTB40 expression was associated with specific immune infiltration patterns. A ZBTB40-centered ceRNA network identified key regulatory miRNAs, including miR-24-3p, miR-34a-5p, miR-132-3p, and miR-222-3p, along with prognostically relevant lncRNAs and circRNAs. CTD analysis identified 39 key chemical modulators of ZBTB40 (e.g., sorafenib, aflatoxin B1) and revealed RNF13 and CHD3 as functionally related genes sharing substantial chemical interaction profiles. Functional analyses suggested ZBTB40’s involvement in chromatin remodeling, the cell cycle, and immune-related pathways. Conclusions: ZBTB40 expression is associated with multi-layered molecular features involving epigenetic, post-transcriptional, immune-related, and toxicogenomic signatures in HCC.

박재희, et al. Anat Biol Anthropol. 2021 Mar;34(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2021.34.1.1