Sex bias in FGFR3 somatic mutations in bladder cancer

Background:Strong sex disparities have been observed among patients with bladder cancer(BCa).FGFR3 is one of the most frequently mutated genes in bladder cancer,and there are inconsistencies in its frequency in male and female patients.Methods:Here,we conducted a meta-analysis comparing the FGFR3 somatic mutation frequency in men and women among 7351 patients with BCa from 18 cohorts.Results:We showed that female patients had a 1.32 times higher risk of having FGFR3 somatic mutations than males.This difference was attributed to mutations occurring at the 2 most frequently mutated sites,S249 and Y375.Additionally,nonsense mutations were more likely to be found in women,whereas indel/frameshift mutations were almost exclusively found in men;however,no difference was noted for missense mutations.Conclusions:A female sex bias in FGFR3 somatic mutationswas observed in BCa.Well-powered individual participant data analyses addressing the possible confounding effects of other factors(eg,age,ethnicity,smoking status,muscle invasiveness,and molecular subtype),as well as analyses integrating omics and functional investigations,are warranted to further validate and explain the mechanisms of the current findings.

Prognostic value of the long noncoding RNA AFAP1-AS1 in cancers

Objective This meta-analysis explored whether the expression of actin filament-associated protein 1 antisense RNA 1(AFAP1-AS1)is related to the prognosis and clinicopathological features of patients with cancer.Methods PubMed,EMBASE,and Cochrane Library were systematically searched.Hazard ratios(HRs)with 95%confidence intervals(CIs)were used to assess the prognostic value based on overall survival(OS),disease-free survival(DFS),and progression-free survival(PFS).Odds ratios(ORs)with 95%CIs were used to determine the relationships between AFAP1-AS1 and clinicopathological features,such as large tumor size(LTS),high tumor stage(HTS),poor histological grade(PHG),lymph node metastasis(LNM),and distant metastasis(DM).Results Thirty-five eligible articles and 3433 cases were analyzed.High AFAP1-AS1 expression,compared to low AFAP1-AS1 expression,correlated with significantly shorter OS(HR=2.15,95%CI=1.97-2.34,P<0.001),DFS(HR=1.37,95%CI=1.19-1.57,P<0.001),and PFS(HR=1.97,95%CI=1.56-2.50,P<0.001)in patients with cancer.In various cancers,elevated AFAP1-AS1 expression was significantly associated with LTS(OR=2.76,95%CI=2.16-3.53,P<0.001),HTS(OR=2.23,95%CI=1.83-2.71,P<0.001),and PHG(OR=1.39,95%CI=1.08-1.79,P=0.01)but not LNM(OR=1.59,95%CI=0.88-2.85,P=0.12)or DM(OR=1.81,95%CI=0.90-3.66,P=0.10).Conclusion High AFAP1-AS1 expression was associated with prognostic and clinicopathological features,suggesting that AFAP1-AS1 is a prognostic biomarker for human cancers.

An integrated chemical mass balance and source emission inventory model for the source apportionment of PM2.5 in typical coastal areas

The source apportionment of PM2.5 is essential for pollution prevention.In view of the weaknesses of individual models,we proposed an integrated chemical mass balancesource emission inventory(CMB-SEI)model to acquire more accurate results.First,the SEI of secondary component precursors(SO2,NOx,NH3,and VOCs)was compiled to acquire the emission ratios of these sources for the precursors.Then,a regular CMB simulation was executed to obtain the contributions of primary particle sources and secondary components(SO4^2-,NO3^-3,NH4^+,and SOC).Afterwards,the contributions of secondary components were apportioned into primary sources according to the source emission ratios.The final source apportionment results combined the contributions of primary sources by CMB and SEI.This integrated approach was carried out via a case study of three coastal cities(Zhoushan,Taizhou,and Wenzhou;abbreviated WZ,TZ,and ZS)in Zhejiang Province,China.The regular CMB simulation results showed that PM2.5 pollution was mainly affected by secondary components and mobile sources.The SEI results indicated that electricity,industrial production and mobile sources were the largest contributors to the emission of PM2.5 gaseous precursors.The simulation results of the CMB-SEI model showed that PM2.5 pollution in the coastal areas of Zhejiang Province presented complex pollution characteristics dominated by mobile sources,electricity production sources and industrial production sources.Compared to the results of the CMB and SEI models alone,the CMB-SEI model completely apportioned PM2.5 to primary sources and simultaneously made the results more accurate and reliable in accordance with local industrial characteristics.

Novel oxygen-enrichment method using annular air curtain for single-head roadway of plateau mine

The low-oxygen environment restricts the exploitation of mineral resources on plateaus and affects miner’s safety.This paper proposes an oxygen-enrichment method using an annular air curtain.Through numerical simulation and experiments,it was confirmed that the proposed method improves the breathing environment in the single-head roadway of a plateau mine.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was used to investigate the oxygen-enriching effect and oxygen spatial distribution regularities after using the proposed oxygen-enrichment method in the single-head roadway of a plateau mine.The reliability of the CFD model was confirmed by experiment.Orthogonal testing was conducted to investigate the influence degree and optimal level combination of factors influencing oxygen enrichment.The results demonstrate that the annular air curtain effectively prevented oxygen loss,thus forming a local oxygen-rich space and improving the effective utilization rate of oxygen.Oxygen supply concentration and velocity are positively correlated with the oronasal oxygen mass fraction through a linear function,while the air curtain outlet wind velocity is negatively correlated with the oronasal oxygen mass fraction through a linear function.The annular air curtain diameter and oronasal oxygen mass fraction do not have an obvious functional relationship.When the annular air curtain diameter was greater than 0.9 m,the oronasal oxygen mass fraction was stable at approximately 25.30%.The influencing factors of the novel oxygen-enrichment method are,in descending order,as follows:oxygen supply concentration,annular air curtain diameter,air curtain outlet wind velocity,and oxygen supply velocity.The optimal level combination is oxygen supply concentration of 100%,oxygen supply velocity of 11 m/s,air curtain outlet wind velocity of 1.5 m/s,and annular air curtain diameter of 0.9 m.

A novel approach for VOC source apportionment combining characteristic factor and pattern recognition technology in a Chinese industrial area

Volatile organic compound(VOC) emission control and source apportionment in small-scale industrial areas have become key topics of air pollution control in China. This study proposed a novel characteristic factor and pattern recognition(CF-PR) model for VOC source apportionment based on the similarity of characteristic factors between sources and receptors.A simulation was carried out in a typical industrial area with the CF-PR model involving simulated receptor samples. Refined and accurate source profiles were constructed through in situ sampling and analysis, covering rubber, chemicals, coating, electronics, plastics, printing, incubation and medical treatment industries. Characteristic factors of n-undecane,styrene, o-xylene and propane were identified. The source apportionment simulation results indicated that the predicted contribution rate was basically consistent with the real contribution rate. Compared to traditional receptor models, this method achieves notable advantages in terms of refinement and timeliness at similar accuracy, which is more suitable for VOC source identification and apportionment in small-scale industrial areas.

A supplementary assessment system of AQI-V for comprehensive management and control of air quality in chemical industrial parks

Volatile organic compounds(VOCs)are the dominant pollutants in industrial parks.However,they are not generally considered as part of the air quality index(AQI)system,which leads to a biased assessment of pollution in industrial parks.In this study,a supplementary assessment system of AQI-V was established by analyzing VOCs characteristics with vehicle-mounted PTR-TOFMS instrument,correlation analysis and the standards analysis.Three hourly and daily scenarios were considered,and the hierarchical parameter setting was further optimized by field application.The hourly and daily assessments revealed the evaluation factors for the discriminability of different air quality levels,practiced value for regional air quality improvement,and the reservation of general dominant pollutants.Finally,the universality testing in ZPIP successfully recognized most of the peaks,with 54.76%,38.39%and 6.85%for O_(3),VOCs and NO_(2) as the dominant pollutant,and reflected the daily ambient air quality condition,togetherwith the dominant pollutant.The AQI-V systemwith VOCs sub-index is essential for air quality evaluation in industrial parks,which can further provide scientific support to control the pollution of VOCs and the secondary pollutant,therefore significantly improve the air quality in local industrial parks.