Analysis of Driver Mutations in Female Non-Smoker Asian Patients with Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Amory Company; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [06DZ19502]Previous studies have revealed that EGFR mutation and/or EML4-ALK gene fusion rate was higher in the non-smoker Asian females with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to determine the distribution of known oncogenic driver mutations in the female non-smoker Asian patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. 104 consecutively resected lung adenocarcinomas from 396 non-smoker females (less than 100 cigarettes in a lifetime) at a single institution (Tongji University, Shanghai, China) were analyzed for mutations in EGFR, EML4-ALK, KRAS, HER2, BRAF, and PIK3CA. 73 (70.2 %) tumors harbored EGFR mutations; among these, 28 were deletions in exon 19, 44 were L858R missense changes, and eight were T790M mutations. 10 (9.6 %) harbored EML4-ALK fusions, two harbored KRAS mutations, two harbored BRAF mutations, and two harbored PI3K mutations. A majority of the mutations were mutually exclusive, except two with EGFR mutation and BRAF mutation, one with EML4-ALK fusions and PI3K mutation. Thus, 82.7 % (86 of 104; 95 % CI, 75.4-90.0 %) of lung adenocarcinomas from non-smoker females were found to harbor the well-known oncogenic mutations in five genes. Lung cancer in non-smoking Asian females is a distinct entity, with majority of this subgroup being developed by the oncogenic mutations. The prospective mutation examination in this population will be helpful for devising a targeted therapy for a majority of the patients

Simple Synthesis of K4Nb6O17/C Nanosheets for High-Power Lithium-Ion Batteries with Good Stability

In this work, a series of two-dimensional (2D) large-size nanosheets were prepared through one-step exfoliation of the huge K4Nb6O17 crystals. The K4Nb6O17 nanosheets with the thickness of about 2 nm was used as the templates of dopamine polymerization and was then carbonized to form C-doped K4Nb6O17 nanosheets. More importantly, the C-doped K4Nb6O17 nanosheets exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with high specific capacity (381 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1, 0.5–3.0 V vs. Li/Li+) and stable cyclability at high current density (remarkably, preserved a capacity of discharge approximately 90 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles). The good electrochemical performances of the C-doped K4Nb6O17 nanosheets can be attributed to the outstanding 2D structure and large specific surface, which afforded the short transport route for ion and electron. These noteworthy results demonstrated that the new 2D nanomaterials might be potential candidates for the high-performance, environmentally friendly, and low-cost electrochemical energy storage equipment

Hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2/BiOBr composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

The hydrothermal method is used to fabricate the TiO2/BiOBr composite. The X-ray diffraction, SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy are employed to characterize its crystal structure, physical morphology, chemical composition, and light absorption. Its photocatalytic performance and stability are analyzed by the photocatalytic degradation rate of rhodamine B solution under sunlight irradiation. The composite exhibits the optimal photocatalytic effect when the Ti:Bi molar ratio is 4:1

Preparation of BiOCl/Bi₂WO₆ Photocatalyst for Efficient Fixation on Cotton Fabric: Applications in UV Shielding and Self-Cleaning Performances

In this work, a visible-light-driven BiOCl/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst was obtained via a facile hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet/visible light diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV/Vis), and photocurrent (PC). BiOCl/Bi2WO6 was modified with (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride to obtain the cationized BiOCl/Bi2WO6. Cotton fabric was pretreated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium chloroacetate solution to obtain carboxymethylated cotton fabric, which was further reacted with cationized BiOCl/Bi2WO6 to achieve finished cotton fabric. The cotton fabrics were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), XRD, SEM, and EDS. The photocatalytic activity of the BiOCl/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst and cotton fabrics was assessed by photocatalytic degradation of MB (methylene blue) solution under simulated visible light. The self-cleaning property of cotton fabrics was evaluated by removing MB solution and red-wine stains. Results revealed that the coated cotton fabrics exhibited appreciable photocatalytic and self-cleaning performance. In addition, anti-UV studies showed that the finished cotton fabrics had remarkable UV blocking properties in the UVA and UVB regions. Therefore, the finished cotton fabric with BiOCl/Bi2WO6 can provide a framework for the development of multifunctional textiles

Association of EGFR Mutation or ALK Rearrangement With Expression of DNA Repair and Synthesis Genes in Never-Smoker Women With Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Amoy Diagnostics Company Ltd., Xiamen, China; National Science Foundation of China [81172108]; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [06DZ19502]BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement may predict the outcome of targeted drug therapy and also are associated with the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors of this report investigated the relation of EGFR mutation or ALK rearrangement status and the expression of DNA repair or synthesis genes, including excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1), thymidylate synthetase (TS), and breast cancer-early onset (BRCA1), as a potential explanation for these observations. METHODS: In total, 104 resected lung adenocarcinomas from women who were nonsmokers were analyzed concurrently for EGFR mutations, ALK rearrangements, and mRNA expression of the ERCC1, RRM1, TS, and BRCA1 genes. EGFR mutations were detected with a proprietary detection kit, ALK rearrangements were detected by polymerase chain reaction analysis, and genetic mRNA expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: Of 104 patients, 73 (70.2%) had EGFR mutations, and 10 (9.6%) had ALK rearrangements. ERCC1 mRNA levels in patients who had EGFR mutations were 3.44 +/- 1.94 x 10(-3), which were significantly lower than the levels in patients who were positive for ALK rearrangements and in patients who were negative for both biomarkers (4.60 +/- 1.95 x 10(-3) and 4.95 +/- 2.33 x 10(-3), respectively; P = .010). However, TS mRNA levels were significantly lower in patients who had EGFR mutations (1.15 +/- 1.38 x 10(-3) vs 2.69 +/- 3.97 x 10(-3); P = .006) or ALK rearrangements (1.21 +/- 0.78 x 10(-3) vs 2.69 +/- 3.97 x 10(-3); P = .020) than in patients who were negative for both biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: NSCLC specimens that harbored activating EGFR mutations were more likely to express low ERCC1 and TS mRNA levels, whereas patients with NSCLC who had ALK rearrangement were more likely to express low TS mRNA levels. Cancer 2012. (C) 2012 American Cancer Society