Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 (PHD2) is the primary oxygen sensing enzyme involved in hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Under normoxic conditions, PHD2 hydroxylates specific proline residues in HIF-1α and HIF-2α, promoting their ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Although PHD2 activity decreases in hypoxia, notable residual activity persists, but its function in these conditions remains unclear. Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (Pin1) targets proteins with phosphorylated serine/threonine-proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) motifs. As PHD2 contains several pSer/Thr-Pro motifs, it may be a potential substrate of Pin1. In the present study, we found Pin1 and PHD2 interactions in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The breast cancer tissue array revealed higher levels of PHD2 and Pin1 in tumors compared to adjacent normal tissues. Through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry spectrometry, three phosphorylation sites (S125, T168, and S174) on PHD2 were identified, with serine 125 as the main site for Pin1 binding. As a new Pin1 binding partner, oncogenic PHD2 could be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 (PHD2) is the primary oxygen sensing enzyme involved in hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Under normoxic conditions, PHD2 hydroxylates specific proline residues in HIF-1α and HIF-2α, promoting their ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Although PHD2 activity decreases in hypoxia, notable residual activity persists, but its function in these conditions remains unclear. Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (Pin1) targets proteins with phosphorylated serine/threonine-proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) motifs. As PHD2 contains several pSer/Thr-Pro motifs, it may be a potential substrate of Pin1. In the present study, we found Pin1 and PHD2 interactions in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The breast cancer tissue array revealed higher levels of PHD2 and Pin1 in tumors compared to adjacent normal tissues. Through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry spectrometry, three phosphorylation sites (S125, T168, and S174) on PHD2 were identified, with serine 125 as the main site for Pin1 binding. As a new Pin1 binding partner, oncogenic PHD2 could be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 (PHD2) is the primary oxygen sensing enzyme involved in hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Under normoxic conditions, PHD2 hydroxylates specific proline residues in HIF-1α and HIF-2α, promoting their ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Although PHD2 activity decreases in hypoxia, notable residual activity persists, but its function in these conditions remains unclear. Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (Pin1) targets proteins with phosphorylated serine/threonine-proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) motifs. As PHD2 contains several pSer/Thr-Pro motifs, it may be a potential substrate of Pin1. In the present study, we found Pin1 and PHD2 interactions in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The breast cancer tissue array revealed higher levels of PHD2 and Pin1 in tumors compared to adjacent normal tissues. Through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry spectrometry, three phosphorylation sites (S125, T168, and S174) on PHD2 were identified, with serine 125 as the main site for Pin1 binding. As a new Pin1 binding partner, oncogenic PHD2 could be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Background/Aims: This study aimed to review the indications, methods, cooperation, complications, and outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Methods: Questionnaires were sent to 200 hospitals, of which 62 returned their questionnaires, with a response rate of approximately 30%. Descriptive statistics were calculated to analyze the responses to the questionnaires. Results: In 2019, a total of 1,052 PEGs were performed in 1,017 patients at 62 hospitals. The main group who underwent PEG was older adult patients with brain disease, particularly stroke.Nutritional supply was an important purpose of the PEG procedure. “The pull method” was the most commonly used for initial PEG insertion. The complications related to PEG were mostly mild, with leakage being the most common. Patients who underwent PEG procedures were primarily educated regarding the post-procedure management and complications related to PEG.Preoperative meetings were skipped at >50% of the institutions. Regarding the cooperation between the nutrition support team (NST) and the physician performing PEG, few endoscopists answered that they cooperated with NST before and after PEG. Moreover, the rate of NST certification obtained by physicians performing PEG and the frequency of attendance at NST-related conferences were relatively low. Conclusions This study shows a similar trend to that found in the previous PEG guidelines.However, it covers new aspects, including team-based work for PEG procedure, nutrition support, and education for patients and guardians. Therefore, each medical institution needs to select an appropriate method considering the medical environment and doctor’s abilities.

Objective: Although controversial, there is a consensus that regional trauma centers have survival benefits over nonregional trauma centers. In a predominantly rural province with a single regional trauma center, this study compared the inhospital mortality of all trauma patients and severely injured patients between regional and non-regional trauma centers. Methods: Using the data from the National Emergency Department Information System in Korea, this study examined all trauma patients who visited emergency departments in Gangwon Province between January 2015 and December 2017. The International Classification of Disease-Based Injury Severity Score (ICISS) was used to categorize the severity of the patients. Propensity score matching was used to balance the severity between the two groups. Results: Of 23,510 trauma patients, 2,857 and 20,653 were treated in regional and non-regional trauma centers, respectively. After propensity score matching, all patients in the non-regional trauma center group had a 6.27-fold higher risk of mortality than those in the regional trauma center group; severely injured patients, which were defined as those with ICISS <0.9, in the non-regional trauma center group had a 4.90-fold higher risk of mortality than those in the regional trauma center group. The ICISS cutoff values for mortality were 0.9015 and 0.8737 for the non-regional and regional trauma center groups, respectively. Conclusion The conventional paradigms of trauma systems can be used in predominantly rural Korean provinces, because trauma care has better survival benefits in regional trauma centers than in non-regional trauma centers. In addition, severely injured patients should be transported to regional trauma centers from the trauma scene.

Background: Although Korea ranks first in the suicide rate of elderly individuals, there is limited research on those who attempt suicide, with preventive measures largely based on population-based studies. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of elderly individuals who attempted suicide with those of younger adults who visited the emergency department after suicide attempts and identified the factors associated with lethality in the former group. Methods: Individuals who visited the emergency department after a suicide attempt from April 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, were included. Participants were classified into two groups according to age (elderly, ≥65 years; adult, 18–64 years). Among the 779 adult patients, 123 were elderly. We conducted a chi-square test to compare the demographic and clinical features between these groups and a logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors for lethality in the elderly group. Results: Most elderly participants were men, with no prior psychiatric history or suicide attempts, and had a higher prevalence of underlying medical conditions and attributed their attempts to physical illnesses. Being sober and planning suicide occurred more frequently in this group. In the elderly group, factors that increased the mortality rate were biological male sex (p<0.05), being accompanied by family members (p<0.05), and poisoning as a suicide method (p<0.01). Conclusion Suicide attempts in elderly individuals have different characteristics from those in younger adults and are associated with physical illness. Suicides in the former group are unpredictable, deliberate, and fatal. Therefore, tailored prevention and intervention strategies addressing the characteristics of those who are elderly and attempt suicide are required.