Contemporary Occupational Carcinogen Exposure and Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance: Bladder cancer (BC) is a common disease. Despite manufacturing and legislative changes to workplace hygiene, many BCs still arise through occupational carcinogen exposure. Objective: To profile contemporary risks of occupational BC. Data Sources: A systematic review using PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science was performed in October 2012 (initial review) and May 2014 (final review) and was updated in June 2015. Study Selection: We identified 263 eligible articles. We excluded reports in which BC or occupation were not the main focus, and those with insufficient case, risk, or confidence interval data. We selected the most recent data from populations with multiple reports. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Reports were selected by 2 of us independently. We combined odds ratios and risk ratios (RRs) to provide pooled RRs, using maximally adjusted RRs in a random effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using I2 and Begg and Egger tests. Risk estimates were annotated by occupational class using Nordisk Yrkesklassificering, or Nordic Occupational Classification, and International Standard Classifications of Occupations (NYK and ISCO-1958) Codes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Occupations were profiled by BC incidence and mortality risk over time. After data collection, we detected a sex difference in these profiles and recorded this as a secondary outcome. Results: Meta-analysis revealed increased BC incidence in 42 of 61 occupational classes and increased BC-specific mortality in 16 of 40 occupational classes. Reduced incidence and mortality were seen in 6 of 61 and 2 of 40 classes, respectively. Risk varied with sex and was greatest in men (standardized incidence ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.02-1.03]; P < .001]). From the 1960s to the 1980s, there was a steady decline in standarized incidence ratio (SIR) for both sexes. This trend reversed from the 1980s, as in the decade 2000 to 2010 the SIR increased to 1.13 (95% CI, 1.07-1.19) for men and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.12-1.43) for women. In contrast, mortality risk declined for both sexes from the 1960s to the 1990s. The overall risk of BC mortality was also greater for men (standardized mortality ratio [SMR], 1.32 [95% CI, 1.18-1.48]) than for women (SMR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.80-1.63]). Limitations include possible publication bias, that reports stratify workers mostly by job title not task, that not all studies adjusted for smoking, and that the population was mostly derived from Western nations. Conclusions and Relevance: The profile of contemporary occupations with increased BC risk is broad and differs for incidence and mortality. Currently the incidence seems to be increasing, and this increase is occurring faster in women than men. Improved detection mechanisms and screening are possible reasons for this. Workers with aromatic amine exposure have the highest incidence, while those exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals have the greatest mortality

Assessment of disk MHD generators for a base load powerplant

Results from a study of the disk MHD generator are presented. Both open and closed cycle disk systems were investigated. Costing of the open cycle disk components (nozzle, channel, diffuser, radiant boiler, magnet and power management) was done. However, no detailed costing was done for the closed cycle systems. Preliminary plant design for the open cycle systems was also completed. Based on the system study results, an economic assessment of the open cycle systems is presented. Costs of the open cycle disk conponents are less than comparable linear generator components. Also, costs of electricity for the open cycle disk systems are competitive with comparable linear systems. Advantages of the disk design simplicity are considered. Improvements in the channel availability or a reduction in the channel lifetime requirement are possible as a result of the disk design

Malignant melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract: symptoms, diagnosis, and current treatment options.

Malignant melanoma (MM) has become the fifth most frequent cancer in the UK. It is the most common carcinoma to metastasize to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. MM particularly has an affinity to spread to the small bowel, which is followed by the involvement of the stomach and large intestine. Excellent endoscopic options including video capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy are available for a precise diagnosis of GI involvement by a metastatic MM. The complete surgical resection of GI metastatic MM in carefully selected patients not only provides symptom control, but has also been associated with an increase in overall survival. The approval of BRAF-targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors has transformed therapeutic approaches for patients with metastatic MM over the past decade. Currently, the overall survival of patients with advanced metastatic MM who have been treated with a combination of immunotherapeutic agents reaches 52% at five years. The role of surgery for patients with the metastatic involvement of the GI tract with MM is evolving in the era of effective systemic treatments

The Detection of Iridium Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Although one thinks of a thruster as utilizing both a fuel and an oxidizer, as well as an ignition source to release molecular energy, thrusters exist that combine the fuel and oxidizer in a single fluid. These monopropellant thrusters can utilize either an ignition source or a catalyst to release the molecular energy stored within the propellant. Monopropellant thrusters are especially attractive for space flight systems because they only require a single propellant line which reduces systems weight and complexity. Some monopropellant thrusters, including legacy hydrazine thrusters, and newer thrusters using hydrazine replacements, that utilize a heterogeneous catalyst have experienced performance anomalies due to the degradation of the catalyst bed. At the Air Force Research Laboratory, current state-of-health diagnostic techniques ate being developed to better understand this catalyst bed degradation for the new hydrazine replacement monopropellant, AF-M315E. Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is being used to detect and quantify active catalyst materials in the exhaust plume, such as iridium. Previous work has been unsuccessful in detecting iridium. However, by shortening the delay settings on the camera detector, the spectrometer used in LIBS will be able to pick up more of the emissions from the laser-ablated sample, leading to the detection of iridium. DISTRIBUTION A: Approved for public release: distribution unlimited

The Nature of SN 1961V

The nature of SN 1961V has been uncertain. Its peculiar optical light curve and slow expansion velocity are similar to those of super-outbursts of luminous blue variables (LBVs), but its nonthermal radio spectral index and declining radio luminosity are consistent with decades-old supernovae (SNe). We have obtained Hubble Space Telescope STIS images and spectra of the stars in the vicinity of SN 1961V, and find Object 7 identified by Filippenko et al. to be the closest to the optical and radio positions of SN 1961V. Object 7 is the only point source detected in our STIS spectra and only its H-alpha emission is detected; it cannot be the SN or its remnant because of the absence of forbidden lines. While the H-alpha line profile of Object 7 is remarkably similar to that of eta Car, the blue color (similar to an A2Ib supergiant) and lack of appreciable variability are unlike known post-outburst LBVs. We have also obtained Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of SN 1961V at 18 cm. The non-detection of SN 1961V places a lower limit on the size of the radio-emitting region, 7.6 mas or 0.34 pc, which implies an average expansion velocity in excess of 4,400 km/s, much higher than the optical expansion velocity measured in 1961. We conclude the following: (1) A SN occurred in the vicinity of SN 1961V a few decades ago. (2) If the SN 1961V light maximum originates from a giant eruption of a massive star, Object 7 is the most probable candidate for the survivor, but its blue color and lack of significant variability are different from a post-outburst eta Car. (3) The radio SN and Object 7 could be physically associated with each other through a binary system. (4) Object 7 needs to be monitored to determine its nature and relationship to SN 1961V.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, accepted by the Astronomical Journal for the 2004 May issu

Demonstration of a Bias Tunable Quantum Dots-in-a-well Focal Plane Array

Infrared detectors based on quantum wells and quantum dots have attracted a lot of attention in the past few years. Our previous research has reported on the development of the first generation of quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) focal plane arrays, which are based on InAs quantum dots embedded in an InGaAs well having GaAs barriers. This focal plane array has successfully generated a two-color imagery in the mid-wave infrared (i.e. 3–5 μm) and the long-wave infrared (i.e. 8–12 μm) at a fixed bias voltage. Recently, the DWELL device has been further modified by embedding InAs quantum dots in InGaAs and GaAs double wells with AlGaAs barriers, leading to a less strained InAs/InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. This is expected to improve the operating temperature while maintaining a low dark current level. This paper examines 320 × 256 double DWELL based focal plane arrays that have been fabricated and hybridized with an Indigo 9705 read-out integrated circuit using Indium-bump (flip-chip) technology. The spectral tunability is quantified by examining images and determining the transmittance ratio (equivalent to the photocurrent ratio) between mid-wave and long-way infrared filter targets. Calculations were performed for a bias range from 0.3 to 1.0 V. The results demonstrate that the mid-wave transmittance dominates at these low bias voltages, and the transmittance ratio continuously varies over different applied biases. Additionally, radiometric characterization, including array uniformity and measured noise equivalent temperature difference for the double DWELL devices is computed and compared to the same results from the original first generation DWELL. Finally, higher temperature operation is explored. Overall, the double DWELL devices had lower noise equivalent temperature difference and higher uniformity, and worked at higher temperature (70 K and 80 K) than the first generation DWELL device

Cancer experience in the relatives of an unselected series of breast cancer patients.

First- and second-degree relatives of an unselected series of 402 breast cancer patients have been studied for their cancer experience. In the first-degree relatives an excess of all cancers is seen [overall relative risk (RR) = 1.28, P = 0.002; males RR = 1.26, P = 0.047; females RR = 1.30, P = 0.022). There is a marked excess of sarcoma (RR = 4.26, P = 0.0064); females are at high risk of breast cancer (RR = 2.68, P < 0.0001) and males have an excess of carcinoma of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx (RR = 4.22, P = 0.0032). Second-degree relatives have a non-significant excess of all cancers (RR = 1.14, P = 0.14); females have a borderline excess of breast cancer (RR = 1.53, P = 0.08) and an excess of carcinoma of the kidney (RR = 7.46, P = 0.0012) and males have an excess of carcinoma of the trachea and lung (RR = 1.50, P = 0.032). No excess of prostate or ovarian carcinoma was seen. Relatives are at slightly higher risk if the index patient is diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 49 (first-degree RR = 1.64, P = 0.007; second-degree RR = 1.43, P = 0.02). The excess of cancers, including breast cancers, is not limited to a few high-risk families, but appears to be spread across many. These observations may be accounted for by shared environmental factors within families or a common predisposing gene with low penetrance

Cancer risk in second degree relatives of children with soft tissue sarcoma.

The risk of cancer in the second degree relatives of a population-based series of children with soft tissue sarcoma was studied in relation to (i) various characteristics in these relatives, (ii) certain clinical features in the index children previously identified as risk factors for cancer in their first degree relatives. Overall there was a non-significant deficit of cancers in the second degree relatives (RR = 0.88) and cancer risk was unrelated to type or site of cancer, type of relative, or to risk factors in the index case. The findings indicate that although the families investigated may include a proportion with the Li-Fraumeni cancer family syndrome, the increased cancer risk already reported in the first degree relatives does not extent to second degree relatives in general

Differential risk of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in male and female smokers

Background Smoking is a well-documented risk for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The differential effect between sexes has yet to be quantified. Objectives The purpose of this study was to differentiate the effect of smoking on increased risk of STEMI between sexes. Methods For this retrospective ecological cohort study, all patients at a U.K. tertiary cardiothoracic center who presented between 2009 and 2014 with acute STEMI were combined with population data to generate incidence rates of STEMI. Age-standardized incidence rate ratios (IRRs) using the Poisson distribution were calculated comparing STEMI rates between smokers and nonsmokers stratified by sex and 3 age groups (18 to 49, 50 to 64, and >65 years). Results A total of 3,343 patients presented over 5,639,328 person-years. Peak STEMI rate for current smokers was in the 70 to 79 years age range for women (235 per 100,000 patient-years) and 50 to 59 years (425 per 100,000 patient-years) in men. Smoking was associated with a significantly greater increase in STEMI rate for women than men (IRR: 6.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.98 to 7.31, vs. 4.40; 95% CI: 4.15 to 4.67). The greatest increased risk was in women age 18 to 49 (IRR: 13.22; 95% CI: 10.33 to 16.66, vs. 8.60; 95% CI: 7.70 to 9.59 in men). The greatest risk difference was in the age 50 to 64 years group, with IRR of 9.66 (95% CI: 8.30 to 11.18) in women and 4.47 (95% CI: 4.10 to 4.86) in men. Conclusions This study quantifies the differential effect of smoking between sexes, with women having a significantly increased risk of STEMI than men. This information encourages continued efforts to prevent smoking uptake and promote cessation