Analysis of Driver Mutations in Female Non-Smoker Asian Patients with Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Amory Company; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [06DZ19502]Previous studies have revealed that EGFR mutation and/or EML4-ALK gene fusion rate was higher in the non-smoker Asian females with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to determine the distribution of known oncogenic driver mutations in the female non-smoker Asian patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. 104 consecutively resected lung adenocarcinomas from 396 non-smoker females (less than 100 cigarettes in a lifetime) at a single institution (Tongji University, Shanghai, China) were analyzed for mutations in EGFR, EML4-ALK, KRAS, HER2, BRAF, and PIK3CA. 73 (70.2 %) tumors harbored EGFR mutations; among these, 28 were deletions in exon 19, 44 were L858R missense changes, and eight were T790M mutations. 10 (9.6 %) harbored EML4-ALK fusions, two harbored KRAS mutations, two harbored BRAF mutations, and two harbored PI3K mutations. A majority of the mutations were mutually exclusive, except two with EGFR mutation and BRAF mutation, one with EML4-ALK fusions and PI3K mutation. Thus, 82.7 % (86 of 104; 95 % CI, 75.4-90.0 %) of lung adenocarcinomas from non-smoker females were found to harbor the well-known oncogenic mutations in five genes. Lung cancer in non-smoking Asian females is a distinct entity, with majority of this subgroup being developed by the oncogenic mutations. The prospective mutation examination in this population will be helpful for devising a targeted therapy for a majority of the patients

Water–fertilizer coupling effect on the growth traits of winter wheat under conditions of light and small sprinklers

Light and small sprinklers were used to irrigate winter wheat fields. The distribution and migration of water and nitrogen in soil during winter wheat growth period were analyzed. Moreover, the growth traits of winter wheat were monitored. It is demonstrated that water–fertilizer coupling effect had a significant impact on the migration of water and nitrogen in soil and the growth traits of winter wheat under conditions of light and small sprinklers. Under the same condition of irrigation quota, although the content of moisture in soil was slightly reduced with the increase of the amount of fertilizer, the impact of the amount of fertilizer on the content of moisture in soil is much more insignificant than that of irrigation quota. The content of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) in soil was increased with an increasing amount of fertilizer, especially when the value of irrigation quota was low. On the other hand, under the same condition of amount of fertilizer, the content of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) in soil was decreased with an increasing value of irrigation quota, especially when the value of irrigation quota was high. Hence, an ultra-high value of irrigation quota will aggravate the leach of nitrate nitrogen in soil. The water–fertilizer coupling effect and yield of winter wheat could be optimized by improving irrigation scheme, optimizing irrigation quota, and optimizing the amount of fertilizer

Characteristics and Resource Recovery Strategies of Solid Waste in Sewerage Systems

Sewerage systems-related solid waste accumulates in considerable quantities in urban water systems, including rainwater drainage pipes, pumping stations, grease traps, grit chambers, and septic tanks. Traditional management methods, such as sanitary landfilling, incineration, and composting, not only endanger the environment but also consume a significant amount of land. To address this problem, a variety of waste was collected from a terminal and different facilities in sewerage systems, and the characteristics of solid waste were tested and analyzed. The corresponding appropriate approaches to resource recovery strategies were proposed in detail. The solid waste in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) contains low organic matter content and a certain quantity of heavy metals, making recycling difficult. Before the solid waste enters the WWTP, the strategy of pre-sorting, treating, and recycling the solid waste is worth recommending. The waste was divided into three categories based on its nature, and corresponding resource utilization strategies were proposed. A small part of solid waste that is not suitable for pre-recycling can be discharged normally and enter the WWTP for treatment. This paper provides a scientific basis for the green resource utilization of solid waste in the field of sewerage systems in developing countries

Association of EGFR Mutation or ALK Rearrangement With Expression of DNA Repair and Synthesis Genes in Never-Smoker Women With Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Amoy Diagnostics Company Ltd., Xiamen, China; National Science Foundation of China [81172108]; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [06DZ19502]BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement may predict the outcome of targeted drug therapy and also are associated with the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors of this report investigated the relation of EGFR mutation or ALK rearrangement status and the expression of DNA repair or synthesis genes, including excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1), thymidylate synthetase (TS), and breast cancer-early onset (BRCA1), as a potential explanation for these observations. METHODS: In total, 104 resected lung adenocarcinomas from women who were nonsmokers were analyzed concurrently for EGFR mutations, ALK rearrangements, and mRNA expression of the ERCC1, RRM1, TS, and BRCA1 genes. EGFR mutations were detected with a proprietary detection kit, ALK rearrangements were detected by polymerase chain reaction analysis, and genetic mRNA expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: Of 104 patients, 73 (70.2%) had EGFR mutations, and 10 (9.6%) had ALK rearrangements. ERCC1 mRNA levels in patients who had EGFR mutations were 3.44 +/- 1.94 x 10(-3), which were significantly lower than the levels in patients who were positive for ALK rearrangements and in patients who were negative for both biomarkers (4.60 +/- 1.95 x 10(-3) and 4.95 +/- 2.33 x 10(-3), respectively; P = .010). However, TS mRNA levels were significantly lower in patients who had EGFR mutations (1.15 +/- 1.38 x 10(-3) vs 2.69 +/- 3.97 x 10(-3); P = .006) or ALK rearrangements (1.21 +/- 0.78 x 10(-3) vs 2.69 +/- 3.97 x 10(-3); P = .020) than in patients who were negative for both biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: NSCLC specimens that harbored activating EGFR mutations were more likely to express low ERCC1 and TS mRNA levels, whereas patients with NSCLC who had ALK rearrangement were more likely to express low TS mRNA levels. Cancer 2012. (C) 2012 American Cancer Society