Contactin-4 suppresses antitumor T cell responses by engaging amyloid precursor protein.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have substantial advanced tumor treatment, but their limited benefits and strong responses in only a subset of patients remain challenging. In this study, we explored the immunomodulatory function of contactin-4 (CNTN4). CNTN4 was highly expressed in tumor tissues, and expression impaired the antitumor function of T cells.

The relationship between the fish consumption and blood total/methyl-mercury concentration of costal area in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between fish consumption and blood THg/MeHg concentration in Korean adults by measuring MeHg concentration in blood directly. The study subjects consisted of 400 adults aged 20 or older from 30 subareas in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do province in Korea from August to October, 2010. We tried to recruit the same number of male and female participants in different age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) and allocated 13-16 subjects by district to represent Hg concentration in the research areas.

Analysis of methylmercury concentration in the blood of Koreans by using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry.

Background: Methylmercury is an organic form of mercury that is highly toxic to humans. Here, we present and establish a novel method to detect methylmercury concentrations in the blood of Koreans.

Methods: Methylmercury concentration was analyzed with an automated methylmercury analytic system (MERX, Brooks Rand Co.