Origin of the Significant Impact of Ta on the Creep Resistance of FeCrNi Alloys

Heat resistant FeCrNi alloys are widely used in the petrochemical industry because they exhibit a unique combination of creep and oxidation resistance at temperatures exceeding 900$^\circ$C. Their creep properties are often optimized by micro-additions of carbide forming elements. In the present work, the influence of Ta micro-additions has been experimentally investigated both on as-cast and aged microstructures to understand the origin of the significant impact of this element on the creep resistance. Calculations with thermocal software were also carried out to support experimental data. It is shown that a small addition of Ta is beneficial as it increases the volume fraction of stable MC carbides. We demonstrate also that additions of Ta may have a dramatic effect on the thermal stability of microstructures. This is attributed to a smaller equilibrium volume fraction of M23C6 and more pronounced heterogeneous precipitation at MC/matrix interfaces. The influence on the creep properties in then discussed

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Patients undergoing regular hemodialysis (HD) are at an extreme risk of acquiring bloodstream infections compared to the general population. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an important emerging health issue in these patients. To date, numerous studies have investigated the seroprevalence of HEV among HD patients across the world; however, the data are conflicting. The present study aimed to measure the exposure rate of HD patients to HEV infection by estimating the overall seroprevalence of HEV in this high-risk group. A systematic literature search was carried out using five electronic databases from inception to January 10, 2020, with standard keywords. Pooled seroprevalence estimates with 95 confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random intercept logistic regression model. The seroprevalence of HEV increased from 6.6 between the years of 1994 and 2000 to 11.13 from 2016 to 2020. Blood transfusion was associated with a nearly 2-fold increase in the rate of HEV seropositivity (OR = 1.99; 95 CI: 1.50-2.63, P <.0001, I2 = 6.5). HEV seroprevalence among patients with HD for more than 60 months was significantly higher than those with HD for less than 60 months (27.69, 95 CI: 20.69-35.99 vs 15.78, 95CI: 8.85-26.57, respectively) (P =.06). Our results indicated increased exposure of HD patients with HEV infection over the last decade. We concluded that blood transfusion and duration of HD are considerable risk factors for acquiring HEV infection among HD patients. © 2020 International Society for Apheresis, Japanese Society for Apheresis, and Japanese Society for Dialysis Therap

The association of bone, fingernail and blood manganese with cognitive and olfactory function in Chinese workers

Occupational manganese (Mn) exposure has been associated with cognitive and olfactory dysfunction; however, few studies have incorporated cumulative biomarkers of Mn exposure such as bone Mn (BnMn). Our goal was to assess the cross-sectional association between BnMn, blood Mn (BMn), and fingernail Mn (FMn) with cognitive and olfactory function among Mn-exposed workers. A transportable in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) system was designed and utilized to assess BnMn among 60 Chinese workers. BMn and FMn were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cognitive and olfactory function was assessed using Animal and Fruit Naming tests, World Health Organization/University of California-Los Angeles Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Additional data were obtained via questionnaire. Regression models adjusted for age, education, factory of employment, and smoking status (UPSIT only), were used to assess the relationship between Mn biomarkers and test scores. In adjusted models, increasing BnMn was significantly associated with decreased performance on average AVLT scores [β (95% confidence interval (CI)) = -0.65 (-1.21, -0.09)] and Animal Naming scores [β (95% CI) = -1.54 (-3.00, -0.07)]. Increasing FMn was significantly associated with reduced performance measured by the average AVLT [β (95% CI) = -0.35 (-0.70, -0.006)] and the difference in AVLT scores [β (95% CI) = -0.40 (-0.77, -0.03)]. BMn was not significantly associated with any test scores; no significant associations were observed with Fruit Naming or UPSIT tests. BnMn and FMn, but not BMn, are associated with cognitive function in Mn-exposed workers. None of th

Catalog of prognostic tissue-based biomarkers in patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: a systematic review

PURPOSE The present systematic review aimed to identify prognostic values of tissue-based biomarkers in patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST), including chemotherapy (NAC) and checkpoint inhibitors (NAI) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). MATERIAL AND METHODS The PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched in August 2020 according to the PRISMA statement. Studies were deemed eligible if they compared oncologic or pathologic outcomes in patients treated with NAST for UCB with and without detected pretreatment tissue-based biomarkers. RESULTS Overall, 44 studies met our eligibility criteria. Twenty-three studies used immunohistochemistry (IHC), 19 – gene expression analysis, three - quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QT PCR), and two – next-generation sequencing (NGS). According to the currently available literature, predictive IHC-assessed biomarkers, such as receptor tyrosine kinases and DNA repair pathway alterations, do not seem to convincingly improve our prediction of pathologic response and oncologic outcomes after NAC. Luminal and basal tumor subtypes based on gene expression analysis showed better NAC response, while claudin-low and luminal-infiltrated tumor subtypes did not. In terms of NAI, PD-L1 seems to maintain value as a predictive biomarker, while the utility of both tumor mutational burden and molecular subtypes remains controversial. Specific genomic alterations in DNA repair genes have been shown to provide significant predictive value in patient treated with NAC. QT PCR quantification of specific genes selected through microarray analysis seems to classify cases regarding their NAC response. CONCLUSION We believe that the present systematic review may offer a robust framework that will enable the testing and validation of predictive biomarkers in future prospective clinical trials. NGS has expanded the discovery of molecular markers that are reflective of the mechanisms of the NAST response

Study on relations between relative water content, cell membrane stability and duration of growth period with grain yield of lentil genotypesunder drought stress and non-stress conditions

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses that limits crop production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Lentil (Lens culinaris L.), a valuable legume crop, is produced mainly rain-fed in Iran. An experiment was conducted to study the relationships between relative water content (RWC), cell membrane stability (CMS) and duration of growth period with grain yield of 11 advanced genotypes, varieties and a local genotype in the Ardabil Agriculture and Natural Resources research Station. Experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replication under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions. Combined ANOVA showed significant differences among all the evaluated traits. Significant differences between characters reveals that there are high variation between the traits studied. Means for characters under study showed that grain yield, RWC, CMS and duration of growth period decreased in rain-fed condition but cell membrane leakage (electric conductivity) increased. Correlation coefficients showed strongly positive relation between grain yield with RWC (r0.98**), strongly negative and non significant CMS (r-0.32ns) and strongly negative relation between grain yield and the days to maturity (r-0.78**). The results of the experiment also revealed that there weren’t a strong relation between yield and calculated attributes for drought tolerance except RWC. Therefore, this character could be effective in evaluation of drought tolerance and identification of high yielding genotypes (ILL 6031, ILL 9893 and ILL 8095)

Human papilloma virus and breast cancer: The role of inflammation and viral expressed proteins

Background: Breast cancer is currently the most common neoplasm diagnosed in women globally. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may play a key role in invasiveness of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of HPV in patients with breast cancer and its possible association with cancer progression. Methods: Breast specimens were collected from 72 patients with breast cancer and 31 healthy controls. The presence of HPV was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyping was performed for positive cases. We also evaluated the viral factors such as E6, E2, and E7 in HPV positive cases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA (and Real-time PCR techniques were used to measure the expression level of anti-carcinogenic genes, such as p53, retinoblastoma (RB), breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA1, BRCA2) and inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), and different interleukins [ILs] (IL-1,IL6, and IL-17). Results: The HPV DNA was detected in 48.6% of breast cancer samples, whereas only 16.1% of controls were positive for HPV. We observed statistically significant differences between breast cancer patients and HPV presence (P = 0.003). HPV type 18 was the most prevalent virus genotype in patients. The expression of P53, RB, BRCA1, and BRCA2 were decreased in patients with HPV-positive breast cancer as compared to HPV-negative breast cancer and healthy controls. (All P-values were less than 0.05). The presence of the HPV was associated with increased inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-17, TGF-β, TNF-α, and NF-kB) and tumor progression. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that HPV infection may implicate in the development of some types of breast cance

Human papilloma virus and breast cancer: The role of inflammation and viral expressed proteins

Background: Breast cancer is currently the most common neoplasm diagnosed in women globally. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may play a key role in invasiveness of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of HPV in patients with breast cancer and its possible association with cancer progression. Methods: Breast specimens were collected from 72 patients with breast cancer and 31 healthy controls. The presence of HPV was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyping was performed for positive cases. We also evaluated the viral factors such as E6, E2, and E7 in HPV positive cases. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA (and Real-time PCR techniques were used to measure the expression level of anti-carcinogenic genes, such as p53, retinoblastoma (RB), breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA1, BRCA2) and inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), and different interleukins ILs (IL-1,IL6, and IL-17). Results: The HPV DNA was detected in 48.6% of breast cancer samples, whereas only 16.1% of controls were positive for HPV. We observed statistically significant differences between breast cancer patients and HPV presence (P = 0.003). HPV type 18 was the most prevalent virus genotype in patients. The expression of P53, RB, BRCA1, and BRCA2 were decreased in patients with HPV-positive breast cancer as compared to HPV-negative breast cancer and healthy controls. (All P-values were less than 0.05). The presence of the HPV was associated with increased inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-17, TGF-β, TNF-α, and NF-kB) and tumor progression. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that HPV infection may implicate in the development of some types of breast cancer. © 2019 The Author(s)

Association between human papillomavirus infection and prostate cancer: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Although an increasing number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and distribution of HPV types worldwide with the risk of prostate cancer (PC), the results remain inadequate. Hence, we investigated the association between HPV infection and PC risk using a meta-analysis. Relevant studies from January 1990 to December 2016 were searched in PubMed, Web of sciences, and Scopus databases. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95 confidence interval (CI) were calculated to find the association between the prevalence of HPV and prostate cancer risk. To do so, data from 24 studies with 5546 prostate cancer cases were pooled in order to evaluate the heterogeneity of chief parameters including study region, specimen type, HPV DNA source, detection technique, publication calendar period, and Gleason score. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA 11 and MedCalc 13. A significant positive association was found between HPV infection and PC risk (OR = 1.281; P = 0.026). The genotype 16 was more frequently found in patients with PC which significantly increased the cancer risk (OR = 1.60; P < 0.001). Age 65 and older could significantly escalate PC risk (OR = 3.564; P < 0.001). Our results clearly favor the potential pathogenetic link between HPV infection and increased risk of PC affirming that HPV infections could play a part in the risk of PC. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt