Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) can be classified into two distinct molecular subtypes, BRAF-like (BL) and RASlike (RL). However, the molecular characteristics of each subtype according to clinicopathological factors have not yet been determined. We aimed to investigate the gene signatures and tumor microenvironment according to clinicopathological factors, and to identify the mechanism of progression in BL-PTCs and RL-PTCs. Methods: We analyzed RNA sequencing data and corresponding clinicopathological information of 503 patients with PTC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. We performed differentially expressed gene (DEG), Gene Ontology, and molecular pathway enrichment analyses according to clinicopathological factors in each molecular subtype. EcoTyper and CIBERSORTx were used to deconvolve the tumor cell types and their surrounding microenvironment. Results: Even for the same clinicopathological factors, overlapping DEGs between the two molecular subtypes were uncommon, indicating that BL-PTCs and RL-PTCs have different progression mechanisms. Genes related to the extracellular matrix were commonly upregulated in BL-PTCs with aggressive clinicopathological factors, such as old age (≥55 years), presence of extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and high metastasis-age-completeness of resection- invasion-size (MACIS) scores (≥6). Furthermore, in the deconvolution analysis of tumor microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts were significantly enriched. In contrast, in RL-PTCs, downregulation of immune response and immunoglobulin-related genes was significantly associated with aggressive characteristics, even after adjusting for thyroiditis status. Conclusion The molecular phenotypes of cancer progression differed between BL-PTC and RL-PTC. In particular, extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts, which constitute the tumor microenvironment, would play an important role in the progression of BL-PTC that accounts for the majority of advanced PTCs.

Background: This study investigated the trends of insulin use among Korean patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Changes in prescription of antidiabetic medications in T2DM patients taking insulin therapy were evaluated. Methods: We analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service database in Korea to evaluate the prevalence of insulin users and trends of insulin use in T1DM and T2DM patients from January 2002 to December 2019. We also investigated numbers and types of antidiabetic medications in insulin users with T2DM. Results: The overall total number of insulin users increased from 2002 to 2019, reaching 348,254 for T2DM and 20,287 for T1DM in 2019 compared with 109,974 for T2DM and 34,972 for T1DM in 2002. The proportion of patients using basal analogs and short acting analogs have increased and those using human insulin, premixed insulin, or biphasic human insulin have decreased (rapid acting analogs: 71.85% and 24.12% in T1DM and T2DM, respectively, in 2019; basal analogs: 76.75% and 75.09% in T1DM and T2DM, respectively, in 2019). The use of other antidiabetic medication in addition to insulin increased for T2DM, especially in dual therapy, reaching up to 52.35% in 2019 compared with 16.72% in 2002. Conclusion The proportion of the patients using basal or rapid acting analogs increased among all insulin users in both T1DM and T2DM patients. Among patients with T2DM, the proportion of patients using antidiabetic medications in addition to insulin was significantly increased compared to those who used insulin alone.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from various tissues have been well characterized for therapeutic application to clinical diseases. However, in contrast to MSCs from other animal species, the characteristics of feline MSCs have not been fully documented. In this study, we conducted extensive characterization of feline adipose tissue-derived MSCs (fAD-MSCs). Study fAD-MSCs were individually isolated from the intra-abdominal adipose tissues of six felines. The expression levels of cell surface markers and pluripotent markers were evaluated. Next, proliferation capacity was analyzed by performing cumulative population doubling level (CPDL) and doubling time (DT) calculation assays. Differentiation potentials of fAD-MSCs into mesodermal cell lineages were analyzed by examining specific staining and molecular markers. All fAD-MSCs positively expressed cell surface markers such as CD29, CD44, CD90, CD105, CD166, and MHC-I, while CD14, CD34, CD45, and CD73 were negatively expressed. The CPDL of the fAD-MSCs was maintained until passage 5 to 6 (P5 to P6), whereas DT increased after P3 to P4. Also, stem cell-specific pluripotent markers (Oct3/4, Nanog, and SSEA-4) were detected. Importantly, all fAD-MSCs demonstrated mesodermal differentiation capacity. These results suggest that fully characterized fAD-MSCs could be beneficial when considering the use of these cells in feline disease research.
Animals ; Cat Diseases ; Cats ; Cell Lineage ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells* ; Mesoderm

and Relevance: This case is the first instance of using tracheal stenting to effectively manage tracheal stenosis in a cat, successfully resolving a respiratory emergency, and ensuring long-term care.

and Relevance: This case is the first instance of using tracheal stenting to effectively manage tracheal stenosis in a cat, successfully resolving a respiratory emergency, and ensuring long-term care.

and Relevance: This case is the first instance of using tracheal stenting to effectively manage tracheal stenosis in a cat, successfully resolving a respiratory emergency, and ensuring long-term care.

and Relevance: This case is the first instance of using tracheal stenting to effectively manage tracheal stenosis in a cat, successfully resolving a respiratory emergency, and ensuring long-term care.