Coal desulfurization process

A method for chlorinolysis of coal is an organic solvent at a moderate temperautre and atmospheric pressure has been proven to be effective in removing sulfur, particularly the organic sulfur, from coal. Chlorine gas is bubbled through a slurry of moist coal in chlorinated solvent. The chlorinated coal is separated, hydrolyzed and the dechlorinated. Preliminary results of treating a high sulfutr (4.77%S) bituminous coal show that up to 70% organic sulfur, 90% hyritic sulfur and 76% total sulfur can be removed. The treated coal is dechlorinated by heating at 500 C. The presence of moisture helps to remove organic sulfur

Hereditary Cancer Program (ProCanHe): 21-years of experience at a referral registry in Argentina

Registries in South America were initiated in the early 90´s with thehelp of Henry T. Lynch. The Programa de Cancer Hereditario (Pro.Can.He), is a multidisciplinary program established in 1996 at theHospital Italiano, Argentina. The aim of the study is to update our 21-year experience to determine the applicability of genetic testshighlighting the most informative molecular findings in relation toLynch syndrome mostly.Materials and methods: Families undergoing genetic testing aftergenetic counselling between1996-2018 were included. Data were obtainedfrom a prospective IRB approved database. Clinicalepidemiologicaland molecular variables were analysed. Genetic testswere carried out after a genetic counselling session and obtainingthe informed consent of the patient.Molecular testingUntil 2015, the search for variants was carried out by PCR and Sangersequencing of exons and adjacent intronic regions of MLH1 andMSH2. Then, sequencing of MLH1/MSH2/MSH6/PMS2/EPCAM geneswas performed by NGS and large rearrangements were detected byMLPA. The variants were classified according to international databases.Variants with uncertain or unreported clinical significancewere analysed In-silico using the PolyPhen, SIFT and/or Human Splicingfinder 3.0 software.ResultsA total of 83 families (49 fulfilled Amsterdam Criteria [AC] and 34 BethesdaCriteria [BC]) were analysed. Pathogenic variants were foundin 26 out of 83 (31.3%) families, been 23 pathogenic and 3 likelypathogenic.Splice site and large rearrangements represented 19.2% (5/26) and11.5% (3/26) of the variants.23% (6/26) of them were originally describedin this series and 1 was a founding mutation from Piedmont,Italy. Affected genes include MSH2, MLH1, MSH6 and PMS2 (12, 11, 2and 1 cases respectively). Mutation detection rates in AC and BT familieswere 48.9% (N=24) and 5.9% (N=2), p<0.01. Among AC families,those with identified mutation had a lower median age of cancer onset and higher incidence of extra-CCR cancer than those withoutidentified mutations. Additionally, we have also studied other genesin patients with different clinical conditions included in the registry.We identified mutations in APC, MUTYH, BMPR1A, SMAD4, CDH1,BRCA1-2, CHEK2.ConclusionThe multidisciplinary approach and the international collaborationsallowed the correct implementation of the genetic tests. To ourknowledge, this study is the first Characterization of AC families accordingto genetic tests in South America. This allowed the identificationof AC families with different ages of onset and prevalence ofextra-CRC cancers, as well as several significant variant not previouslyreported in international databases.Fil: Piñero, Tamara Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Hospital Italiano. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica.; ArgentinaFil: Herrando, Ignacio. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Kalfayan, Pablo Germán. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Gonzales, M.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Ferro, A.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Santino, Juan Pablo. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Cajal, R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Hospital Italiano. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica.; ArgentinaFil: Falconi, D.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero, Gisella. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Verzura, A.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Riggi, Maria. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Church, James. No especifíca;Fil: Peltomäki, P.. No especifíca;Fil: Martins, Alexandra. No especifíca;Fil: Pavicic, Walter Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Hospital Italiano. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica. - Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Traslacional E Ingenieria Biomedica.; ArgentinaFil: Dominguez, M.. University of Oslo; NoruegaFil: Vaccaro, C.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaThe 3rd European Hereditary Tumour Group MeetingNiceFranciaEuropean Hereditary Tumour Group Meetin

Wormhole formation in dissolving fractures

We investigate the dissolution of artificial fractures with three-dimensional, pore-scale numerical simulations. The fluid velocity in the fracture space was determined from a lattice-Boltzmann method, and a stochastic solver was used for the transport of dissolved species. Numerical simulations were used to study conditions under which long conduits (wormholes) form in an initially rough but spatially homogeneous fracture. The effects of flow rate, mineral dissolution rate and geometrical properties of the fracture were investigated, and the optimal conditions for wormhole formation determined.Comment: to be published in J. Geophys Re

A preliminary screening and characterization of suitable acids for sandstone matrix acidizing technique: a comprehensive review

Matrix acidizing is a broadly developed technique in sandstone stimulation to improve the permeability and porosity of a bottom-hole well. The most popular acid used is mud acid (HF–HCl). It is a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid. However, one of the conventional problems in sandstone acidizing is that mud acid faces significant issues at high temperature such as rapid rate of reaction, resulting in early acid consumption. This downside has given a negative impact to sandstone acidizing as it will result in not only permeability reduction, but can even extend to acid treatment failure. So, the aim of this study is to provide a preliminary screening and comparison of different acids based on the literature to optimize the acid selection, and targeting various temperatures of sandstone environment. This paper has comprehensively reviewed the experimental works using different acids to understand the chemical reactions and transport properties of acid in sandstone environment. The results obtained indicated that fluoroboric acid (HBF4) could be useful in enhancing the sandstone acidizing process, although more studies are still required to consolidate this conclusion. HBF4 is well known as a low damaging acid for sandstone acidizing due to its slow hydrolytic reaction to produce HF. This would allow deeper penetration of the acid into the sandstone formation at a slower rate, resulting in higher porosity and permeability enhancement. Nevertheless, little is known about the effective temperature working range for a successful treatment. Considering the pros and cons of different acids, particularly those which are associated with HF and HBF4, it is recommended to perform a comprehensive analysis to determine the optimum temperature range and effective working window for sandstone acidizing before treatment operation. Prior to sandstone acid stimulation, it is essential to predict the feasibility of acid selected by integrating the effects of temperature, acid concentration and injection rate. Therefore, this manuscript has thrown light into the research significance of further studies

A survey of the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of patients with suspected Lynch syndrome in Latin America

Background: Genetic counselling and testing for Lynch syndrome (LS) have recently been introduced in several Latin America countries. We aimed to characterize the clinical, molecular and mismatch repair (MMR) variants spectrum of patients with suspected LS in Latin America. Methods: Eleven LS hereditary cancer registries and 34 published LS databases were used to identify unrelated families that fulfilled the Amsterdam II (AMSII) criteria and/or the Bethesda guidelines or suggestive of a dominant colorectal (CRC) inheritance syndrome. Results: We performed a thorough investigation of 15 countries and identified 6 countries where germline genetic testing for LS is available and 3 countries where tumor testing is used in the LS diagnosis. The spectrum of pathogenic MMR variants included MLH1 up to 54%, MSH2 up to 43%, MSH6 up to 10%, PMS2 up to 3% and EPCAM up to 0.8%. The Latin America MMR spectrum is broad with a total of 220 different variants which 80% were private and 20% were recurrent. Frequent regions included exons 11 of MLH1 (15%), exon 3 and 7 of MSH2 (17 and 15%, respectively), exon 4 of MSH6 (65%), exons 11 and 13 of PMS2 (31% and 23%, respectively). Sixteen international founder variants in MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 were identified and 41 (19%) variants have not previously been reported, thus representing novel genetic variants in the MMR genes. The AMSII criteria was the most used clinical criteria to identify pathogenic MMR carriers although microsatellite instability, immunohistochemistry and family history are still the primary methods in several countries where no genetic testing for LS is available yet. Conclusion: The Latin America LS pathogenic MMR variants spectrum included new variants, frequently altered genetic regions and potential founder effects, emphasizing the relevance implementing Lynch syndrome genetic testing and counseling in all of Latin America countries.Radium Hospital Foundation (Oslo, Norway) in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript, Helse Sør-Øst (Norway) in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript, the French Association Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC) in the analysis, and interpretation of data, the Groupement des Entreprises Françaises dans la Lutte contre le Cancer (Gefluc) in the analysis, and interpretation of data, the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT, CIFRE PhD fellowship to H.T.) in the analysis, and interpretation of data and by the OpenHealth Institute in the analysis, and interpretation of data. Barretos Cancer Hospital received financial support by FINEP-CT-INFRA (02/2010)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Colorectal cancer incidences in Lynch syndrome: a comparison of results from the prospective lynch syndrome database and the international mismatch repair consortium

Objective To compare colorectal cancer (CRC) incidences in carriers of pathogenic variants of the MMR genes in the PLSD and IMRC cohorts, of which only the former included mandatory colonoscopy surveillance for all participants. Methods CRC incidences were calculated in an intervention group comprising a cohort of confirmed carriers of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in mismatch repair genes (path_MMR) followed prospectively by the Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database (PLSD). All had colonoscopy surveillance, with polypectomy when polyps were identified. Comparison was made with a retrospective cohort reported by the International Mismatch Repair Consortium (IMRC). This comprised confirmed and inferred path_MMR carriers who were first- or second-degree relatives of Lynch syndrome probands. Results In the PLSD, 8,153 subjects had follow-up colonoscopy surveillance for a total of 67,604 years and 578 carriers had CRC diagnosed. Average cumulative incidences of CRC in path_MLH1 carriers at 70 years of age were 52% in males and 41% in females; for path_MSH2 50% and 39%; for path_MSH6 13% and 17% and for path_PMS2 11% and 8%. In contrast, in the IMRC cohort, corresponding cumulative incidences were 40% and 27%; 34% and 23%; 16% and 8% and 7% and 6%. Comparing just the European carriers in the two series gave similar findings. Numbers in the PLSD series did not allow comparisons of carriers from other continents separately. Cumulative incidences at 25 years were < 1% in all retrospective groups. Conclusions Prospectively observed CRC incidences (PLSD) in path_MLH1 and path_MSH2 carriers undergoing colonoscopy surveillance and polypectomy were higher than in the retrospective (IMRC) series, and were not reduced in path_MSH6 carriers. These findings were the opposite to those expected. CRC point incidence before 50 years of age was reduced in path_PMS2 carriers subjected to colonoscopy, but not significantly so

Risk-reducing hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in female heterozygotes of pathogenic mismatch repair variants: a Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database report

Purpose To determine impact of risk-reducing hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) on gynecological cancer incidence and death in heterozygotes of pathogenic MMR (path_MMR) variants. Methods The Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database was used to investigate the effects of gynecological risk-reducing surgery (RRS) at different ages. Results Risk-reducing hysterectomy at 25 years of age prevents endometrial cancer before 50 years in 15%, 18%, 13%, and 0% of path_MLH1, path_MSH2, path_MSH6, and path_PMS2 heterozygotes and death in 2%, 2%, 1%, and 0%, respectively. Risk-reducing BSO at 25 years of age prevents ovarian cancer before 50 years in 6%, 11%, 2%, and 0% and death in 1%, 2%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. Risk-reducing hysterectomy at 40 years prevents endometrial cancer by 50 years in 13%, 16%, 11%, and 0% and death in 1%, 2%, 1%, and 0%, respectively. BSO at 40 years prevents ovarian cancer before 50 years in 4%, 8%, 0%, and 0%, and death in 1%, 1%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. Conclusion Little benefit is gained by performing RRS before 40 years of age and premenopausal BSO in path_MSH6 and path_PMS2 heterozygotes has no measurable benefit for mortality. These findings may aid decision making for women with LS who are considering RRS.Hereditary cancer genetic

Colorectal cancer incidences in Lynch syndrome: a comparison of results from the prospective lynch syndrome database and the international mismatch repair consortium

Objective To compare colorectal cancer (CRC) incidences in carriers of pathogenic variants of the MMR genes in the PLSD and IMRC cohorts, of which only the former included mandatory colonoscopy surveillance for all participants. Methods CRC incidences were calculated in an intervention group comprising a cohort of confirmed carriers of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in mismatch repair genes (path_MMR) followed prospectively by the Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database (PLSD). All had colonoscopy surveillance, with polypectomy when polyps were identified. Comparison was made with a retrospective cohort reported by the International Mismatch Repair Consortium (IMRC). This comprised confirmed and inferred path_MMR carriers who were first- or second-degree relatives of Lynch syndrome probands. Results In the PLSD, 8,153 subjects had follow-up colonoscopy surveillance for a total of 67,604 years and 578 carriers had CRC diagnosed. Average cumulative incidences of CRC in path_MLH1 carriers at 70 years of age were 52% in males and 41% in females; for path_MSH2 50% and 39%; for path_MSH6 13% and 17% and for path_PMS2 11% and 8%. In contrast, in the IMRC cohort, corresponding cumulative incidences were 40% and 27%; 34% and 23%; 16% and 8% and 7% and 6%. Comparing just the European carriers in the two series gave similar findings. Numbers in the PLSD series did not allow comparisons of carriers from other continents separately. Cumulative incidences at 25 years were < 1% in all retrospective groups. Conclusions Prospectively observed CRC incidences (PLSD) in path_MLH1 and path_MSH2 carriers undergoing colonoscopy surveillance and polypectomy were higher than in the retrospective (IMRC) series, and were not reduced in path_MSH6 carriers. These findings were the opposite to those expected. CRC point incidence before 50 years of age was reduced in path_PMS2 carriers subjected to colonoscopy, but not significantly so

Molecular localization and developmental expression of the otu locus of Drosophila melanogaster.

The female-sterile ovarian tumor gene, otu, is located in cytological region 7F1 on the Drosophila melanogaster chromosome map. We have mapped the gene at the molecular level by using four dysgenic alleles and two revertant derivatives of these alleles as well as an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced allele. The insertional (dysgenic) changes were all associated with one restriction fragment, and its size was restored after phenotypic reversion. One ethyl methanesulfonate-induced allele had a deletion in the restriction fragment adjacent (distal) to the fragment altered in the insertional alleles. These two restriction fragments were immediately adjacent to the s38 chorion gene. Associated with the two altered restriction fragments were two RNA species, an abundant 3.2-kilobase (kb) poly(A)+ RNA and a minor 4.0-kb RNA. Several other less-abundant RNA species were detectable with more-sensitive single-stranded RNA probes. The otu gene was transcribed proximal to distal relative to the centromere; this was opposite to the direction of transcription of the adjacent s38 gene. During development, the 3.2-kb RNA was absent in larvae, first appeared in the pupal stages, and persisted in adult females, in which it was most prevalent in the ovaries. The DNA that hybridized to the 3.2-kb ovarian RNA hybridized to four different RNAs found in the testes but not in the rest of the adult male. These testis-enriched RNAs were transcribed from the same strand of DNA as the ovarian transcripts