MicroRNA Profiling and Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck/oral cancer (HNOC) is a devastating disease. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, mortality rates have not improved significantly over the past three decades. Improvement in patient survival requires a better understanding of the disease progression so that HNOC can be detected early in the disease process and targeted therapeutic interventions can be deployed. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs play important roles in many human cancers. They are pivotal regulators of diverse cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, survival, motility, and morphogenesis. MicroRNA expression patterns may become powerful biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of HNOC. In addition, microRNA therapy could be a novel strategy for HNOC prevention and therapeutics. Recent advances in microRNA expression profiling have led to a better understanding of the cancer pathogenesis. In this review, we will survey recent technological advances in microRNA profiling and their applications in defining microRNA markers/targets for cancer prediction, diagnostics, treatment, and prognostics. MicroRNA alterations that consistently identified in HNOC will be discussed, such as upregulation of miR-21, miR-31, miR-155, and downregulation of miR-26b, miR-107, miR-133b, miR-138, and miR-139

High Viral Load of Human Bocavirus Correlates with Duration of Wheezing in Children with Severe Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Background: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus and increasing evidences are available to support its role as an etiologic agent in lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The objective of this study is to assess the impact of HBoV viral load on clinical characteristics in children who were HBoV positive and suffered severe LRTI. Methods: Lower respiratory tract aspirates from 186 hospitalized children with severe LRTI were obtained by bronchoscopy. HBoVs were detected by real-time PCR and other 10 infectious agents were examined using PCR and/or direct fluorescent assay. Results: Thirty-one patients (24.6%) were tested positive for HBoV in the respiratory tract aspirates. Fifteen samples had a high viral load (.10 4 copies/mL) and the other sixteen samples had a low viral load (,10 4 copies/mL). The duration of presented wheezing and hospitalization was longer in children with high viral load of HBoV than that in children with low viral load. The days of wheezing showed a correlation with viral load of HBoV. Conclusion: We confirmed that HBoV was frequently detected in patients with severe LRTI. Wheezing was one of the most common symptoms presented by patients with positive HBoV. A high HBoV viral load could be an etiologic agent for LRTI

Sediment subduction in Hadean revealed by machine learning.

Due to the scarcity of rock samples, the Hadean Era predating 4 billion years ago (Ga) poses challenges in understanding geological processes like subaerial weathering and plate tectonics that are critical for the evolution of life. The Jack Hills zircon from Western Australia, the primary Hadean samples available, offer valuable insights into magma sources and tectonic genesis through trace element signatures. However, a consensus on these signatures has not been reached. To address this, we developed a machine learning classifier capable of deciphering the geochemical fingerprints of zircon. This allowed us to identify the oldest detrital zircon originating from sedimentary-derived S-type granites. Our results indicate the presence of S-type granites as early as 4.24 Ga, persisting throughout the Hadean into the Archean. Examining global detrital zircon across Earths history reveals consistent supercontinent-like cycles from the present back to the Hadean. These findings suggest that a significant amount of Hadean continental crust was exposed, weathered into sediments, and incorporated into the magma sources of Jack Hills zircon. Only the early operation of both subaerial weathering and plate subduction can account for the prevalence of S-type granites we observe. Additionally, the periodic evolution of S-type granite proportions implies that subduction-driven tectonic cycles were active during the Hadean, at least around 4.2 Ga. The evidence thus points toward an early Earth resembling the modern Earth in terms of active tectonics and habitable surface conditions. This suggests the potential for life to originate in environments like warm ponds rather than extreme hydrothermal settings

Dysregulation of heat shock protein 27 expression in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent proteomic studies identified Hsp27 as a highly over-expressed protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Clinical studies that attempted to evaluate the prognostic values of Hsp27 yielded inconsistent results, which may be due to inclusion of OSCC cases from multiple anatomic sites. In this study, to determine the utility of Hsp27 for prognosis, we focused on oral tongue SCC (OTSCC), one of the most aggressive forms of OSCC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Archival clinical samples of 15 normal oral tongue mucosa, 31 dysplastic lesions, 80 primary OTSCC, and 32 lymph node metastases were examined for Hsp27 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analyses were carried out to assess the prognostic value of Hsp27 expression for patients with this disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dysregulation of Hsp27 expression was observed in dysplastic lesions, primary OTSCC, and lymph node metastases, and appears to be associated with disease progression. Statistical analysis revealed that the reduced Hsp27 expression in primary tumor tissue was associated with poor differentiation. Furthermore, the higher expression of Hsp27 was correlated with better overall survival.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study confirmed that the dysregulation of Hsp27 expression is a frequent event during the progression of OTSCC. The expression of Hsp27 appears to be an independent prognostic marker for patients with this disease.</p

Deregulation of manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) expression and lymph node metastasis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lymph node metastasis is a critical event in the progression of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). The identification of biomarkers associated with the metastatic process would provide critical prognostic information to facilitate clinical decision making. Previous studies showed that deregulation of manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) expression is a frequent event in TSCC and may be associated with enhanced cell invasion. The purpose of this study is to further evaluate whether the expression level of SOD2 is correlated with the metastatic status in TSCC patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We first examined the SOD2 expression at mRNA level on 53 TSCC and 22 normal control samples based on pooled-analysis of existing microarray datasets. To confirm our observations, we examined the expression of SOD2 at protein level on an additional TSCC patient cohort (n = 100), as well as 31 premalignant dysplasias, 15 normal tongue mucosa, and 32 lymph node metastatic diseases by immunohistochemistry (IHC).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The SOD2 mRNA level in primary TSCC tissue is reversely correlated with lymph node metastasis in the first TSCC patient cohort. The SOD2 protein level in primary TSCC tissue is also reversely correlated with lymph node metastasis in the second TSCC patient cohort. Deregulation of SOD2 expression is a common event in TSCC and appears to be associated with disease progression. Statistical analysis revealed that the reduced SOD2 expression in primary tumor tissue is associated with lymph node metastasis in both TSCC patient cohorts examined.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study suggested that the deregulation of SOD2 in TSCC has potential predictive values for lymph node metastasis, and may serve as a therapeutic target for patients at risk of metastasis.</p

Numerical simulation of the influence of gear-type combustion stabilizer on the flow field distribution and combustion products of swirl burner

The gear-type combustion stabilizer (GCS) installed in the burner can effectively disturb the flow field. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of GCS's position on NOx production. This study aims to design the optimal GCS position to enable stable combustion of pulverized coal (PC) and reduce NOx emissions. In comparison to the prototype burner, the extension of the central air pipe (CAP) resulted in delayed mixing of the central air with the primary air, delayed ignition of the PC, and a 2.93% reduction in the burnout rate (BR). Furthermore, the installation of a GCS in the primary air pipe (PAP) reduced the cross-sectional area of the flow path, increased the flow velocity, and delayed the ignition. The GCS disturbed the axial velocity at radial positions less than 0.5 m and formed a backflow, which led to an increase in the BR. At the burner outlet of the burner equipped with an internal-external gear-type combustion stabilizer (IEGCS), the PC gas stream formed a significant rich/lean separation. The CO content generated by the external gear-type combustion stabilizer (EGCS) burner is the highest, which is beneficial to inhibiting the formation of NOx. As a result, the NOx production was reduced by 17.02% compared to the prototype burner

How the external environment affects the equilibrium decisions and profits of battery and EV manufacturers?

With the rapid development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, the problem has emerged of how to properly recycle and reuse retired EV batteries. The efficiency of battery disassembly is therefore the key factor affecting the battery’s potential for recovery. When a manufacturer considers efficiency of disassembly as an aspect of new EV battery design, it can save disassembly costs when the battery is retired, creating an incentive for used battery recycling and echelon utilization. This paper aims to promote the echelon utilization of used batteries and explore how the impact of external market environments influences decisions within the supply chain. This paper introduces a supply chain model including battery manufacturers who determine the level of battery disassembly design and EV manufacturers responsible for recycling waste batteries. Research findings indicate that when battery manufacturers consider disassembly design, both battery and EV manufacturers can enhance profitability while aligning with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements. The proposed cost-sharing contract demonstrates that the profitability of both parties improves when the cost-sharing coefficient between them remains sufficiently low. To ensure the sustainable development of the EV industry, battery and EV manufacturers must bolster their cooperation. Additionally, they should foster a favorable market environment and actively support the establishment of more recycling enterprises. This approach will heighten consumer awareness of recycling incentives and necessitate certain subsidies for low-capacity battery trading. This study contributes valuable theoretical insights for battery manufacturers and supply chain decision-makers by analyzing the influence of external factors on the battery recycling supply chain