MUC4 and MUC1 expression in adenocarcinoma of the stomach correlates with vessel invasion and lymph node metastasis: an immunohistochemical study of early gastric cancer.

We have previously reported that MUC4 expression is a poor prognostic factor in various carcinomas. Our previous study also showed that MUC1 expression in gastric cancers, including the early and advanced stages is a poor prognostic factor. In the present study, the expression profiles of MUC4 and MUC1 were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using two anti-MUC4 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), 8G7 and 1G8, and anti-MUC1 MAb DF3 in 104 gastrectomy specimens of early gastric adenocarcinoma with submucosal invasion (pT1b2), including 197 histological subtype lesions. Before the IHC study of the human specimens, we evaluated the specificity of the two MAbs by Western blotting and IHC of two MUC4 mRNA expressing gastric cancer cell lines. MAb 8G7 reacted clearly, whereas MAb 1G8 did not show any reactivity, in either Western blotting or IHC. In the IHC of the gastric cancers, the expression rates of MUC4/8G7 detected by MAb 8G7, MUC4/1G8 detected by MAb 1G8 and MUC1/DF3 detected by MAb DF3 in well differentiated types (70%, 38/54; 67%, 36/54; 52%, 28/54) were significantly higher than those in poorly differentiated types (18%, 10/55; 36%, 20/55; 13%, 7/55) (

Life cycle assessment for co-firing semi-carbonized fuel manufactured using woody biomass with coal: A case study in the central area of Wakayama, Japan

Reducing the use of fossil fuel is one of the prime tasks for preventing climate change. The worst fossil fuel in this regard is coal, which is the largest CO2-emitting fossil fuel in terms of weight. Although decreasing the use of coal is difficult because of its increasing demand in worldwide, there is still a possibility of effectively reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by substituting biomass, even for a subset of coal. One way to reduce the use of coal is to implement co-firing of biomass with coal at coal thermal power stations. In this study, the business impact of GHG reduction from semi-carbonized fuel produced by co-firing woody biomass with coal in thermal power plants is evaluated from the perspective of life cycles, using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The case study area is the central region of Wakayama prefecture, Japan. In this study, a new business is considered whose operations would co-fire the woody biomass with coal. A life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis and a life cycle impact assessment are conducted to evaluate the GHG emissions, taking into account processes such as cutting timber, manufacturing semi-carbonized fuel, and co-firing with coal. LCI data was collected and calculated on the basis of the feasibility study and literature survey. The spatial distribution of the woody biomass was ascertained using a geographic information system, and the location of several facilities and a road transportation network were determined. Results showed that an annual reduction in GHG emissions of approximately 46,700 tonnes in the case study area is possible if the business is executed. The environmental impact taking into account climate change, acidification and land use was also reduced. As the result, this business is in fact advantageous to reduce GHG emissions as well as the environmental impact.Woody biomass Co-firing biomass with coal Semi-carbonized fuel Life cycle assessment Geographic information system