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ObjectiveTriple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a more aggressive subtype resistant to conventional treatments with a poorer prognosis. This study was to update the status of TNBC and the temporal changes of its incidence rate in the US.MethodsWomen diagnosed with breast cancer during 2011–2019 were obtained from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program SEER*Stat Database which covers the entire population of the US. The TNBC incidence and its temporal trends by race, age, region (state) and disease stage were determined during the period.ResultsA total of 238,848 (or 8.8%) TNBC women were diagnosed during the study period. TNBC occurred disproportionally higher in women of Non-Hispanic Black, younger ages, with cancer at a distant stage or poorly/undifferentiated. The age adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) for TNBC in all races decreased from 14.8 per 100,000 in 2011 to 14.0 in 2019 (annual percentage change (APC) = −0.6, P = 0.024). Incidence rates of TNBC significantly decreased with APCs of −0.8 in Non-Hispanic White women, −1.3 in West and −0.7 in Northeastern regions. Women with TNBC at the age of 35–49, 50–59, and 60–69 years, and the disease at the regional stage displayed significantly decreased trends. Among state levels, Mississippi (20.6) and Louisiana (18.9) had the highest, while Utah (9.1) and Montana (9.6) had the lowest AAIRs in 2019. New Hampshire and Indiana had significant and highest decreases, while Louisiana and Arkansas had significant and largest increases in AAIR. In individual races, TNBC displayed disparities in temporal trends among age groups, regions and disease stages. Surprisingly, Non-Hispanic White and Hispanic TNBC women (0–34 years), and Non-Hispanic Black women (≥70 years) during the entire period, as well as Asian or Pacific Islander women in the South region had increased trends between 2011 and 2017.ConclusionOur study demonstrates an overall decreased trend of TNBC incidence in the past decade. Its incidence displayed disparities among races, age groups, regions and disease stages. Special attention is needed for a heavy burden in Non-Hispanic Black and increased trends in certain groups.

Exosomes are vital mediators for intercellular communications in the tumor microenvironment to accelerate colon cancer progression. Leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A (LRRC8A), the core component of the volume-regulated anion channel, is closely associated with acquiring heterogeneity for tumor cells. However, the role of LRRC8A in the exosomes remains largely unknown. Here, we reported that LRRC8A was one of the compositions in the exosomes released from colon cancer HCT116 cells. Downregulation of LRRC8A proteins inhibited ex vivo cell growth and induced apoptosis. Consistently, chloride channel blockers DCPIB and NPPB inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis in a time or concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, the total amounts and proportions of different diameter exosomes released in 6 hours were not altered by the treatment of DCPIB and NPPB in HCT116 cells. In contrast to the downregulation or inhibition of LRRC8A, overexpression of LRRC8A proteins in HCT116 cells released significantly more distinct populations of exosomes. Importantly, the switches of ratios for exosomes in a hypotonic challenge were eliminated by DCPIB treatment. Collectively, our results uncovered that LRRC8A proteins were responsible for the exosome generation and sorted into exosomes for monitoring the volume regulation.

Micro-mass sensors have important application in chemical and biological sensing. Based on the theory of thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR), this paper represents four designs of different micro-mass sensor models. COMSOL Multiphysics™ software is used to simulate the FBAR sensor sensitivity, which with low-impedance acoustic layer and additional electrode frame. In the finate element simulation models, five different values of mass-loading were applied. From the experimental results, the characteristic parameters and the sensitivity of the FBAR sensors were obtained. It is known to us that the FBAR sensor’s frequency quality factor can be improved by using the electrode frame, and its sensitivity can be enhanced by using the low-impedance acoustic layer. To sum up, the above analysis shown that the best sensitivity is 1.351 × 10-12ng/μm2/Hz and the frequency quality factor is 1415, which is the FBAR sensor with a single-step electrode frame and a low-impedance acoustic layer.