BackgroundSeveral studies have suggested that global DNA methylation in circulating white blood cells (WBC) is associated with breast cancer risk.MethodsTo address conflicting results and concerns that the findings for WBC DNA methylation in some prior studies may reflect disease effects, we evaluated the relationship between global levels of WBC DNA methylation in white blood cells and breast cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) cohort. A total of 428 invasive breast cancer cases and 419 controls, frequency matched on age at entry (55–59, 60–64, 65–69, ≥70 years), year of entry (on/before September 30, 1997, on/after October 1, 1997) and period of DNA extraction (previously extracted, newly extracted) were included. The ratio of 5-methyl-2’ deoxycytidine [5-mdC] to 2’-deoxyguanine [dG], assuming [dG] = [5-mdC] + [2’-deoxycytidine [dC]] (%5-mdC), was determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, an especially accurate method for assessing total genomic DNA methylation.ResultsOdds ratio (OR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for breast cancer risk adjusted for age at entry, year of entry, and period of DNA extraction, were 1.0 (referent), 0.89 (95% CI, 0.6–1.3), 0.88 (95% CI, 0.6–1.3), and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.6–1.2) for women in the highest compared to lowest quartile levels of %5md-C (p for trend = .39). Effects did not meaningfully vary by time elapsed from WBC collection to diagnosis.DiscussionThese results do not support the hypothesis that global DNA hypomethylation in WBC DNA is associated with increased breast cancer risk prior to the appearance of clinical disease.

No abstract

One of the options of carbon dioxide capture and storage is the accelerated carbonation of industrial waste. The chemical process of carbonation of those materials and extraction characteristics were studied. Several target materials were screened based upon their physical and chemical characteristics for carbonation, amount of domestic production, and transportation distance between the waste production facility and carbon dioxide generation source. Selected candidate materials were coal combustion ash and municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) ash. Carbon dioxide capture potentials were estimated from the chemical compositions of alkaline materials such as CaO, MgO, Na 2 O, and K 2 O and acid neutralization capacities. From the carbon dioxide capture potentials and annual production of waste, the total amount of CO 2 removal by carbonation of industrial combustion waste in Korea could be estimated.

Sasang constitutional medicine emphasizes personalized disease prevention and treatment and has been used in various fields. Nevertheless, more efforts are required to improve the validity and reliability of the Sasang analysis tools. Hence, this study aimed to (1) identify key constructs and measurement items of the Sasang constitution questionnaire that characterize different Sasang constitutions and (2) investigate the similarities and differences in pathophysiological and personality traits between Sasang constitutions. The results of the Sasang constitution questionnaire were analyzed using multiple machine learning-based approaches, including feature selection, hierarchical clustering analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis. The selected 47 key measurement items were clustered into six groups based on the similarity measures. The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial for future research on the development of more robust and reliable Sasang conservation questionnaires, allowing Sasang constitutional medicine to be more widely implemented in various sectors.

No abstract