Thermodynamic entropy as an indicator for urban sustainability?

As foci of economic activity, resource consumption, and the production of material waste and pollution, cities represent both a major hurdle and yet also a source of great potential for achieving the goal of sustainability. Motivated by the desire to better understand and measure sustainability in quantitative terms we explore the applicability of thermodynamic entropy to urban systems as a tool for evaluating sustainability. Having comprehensively reviewed the application of thermodynamic entropy to urban systems we argue that the role it can hope to play in characterising sustainability is limited. We show that thermodynamic entropy may be considered as a measure of energy efficiency, but must be complimented by other indices to form part of a broader measure of urban sustainability

Stage estimation by MRI and CT.

<p>MIBC:Muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p><p>NMIBC:Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p><p><i>P</i> value: Comparison of overall accuracy between MRI and FUB stage (61.1% vs 95.7%),and between CT and FUB stage(55.0% vs 95.7%).</p

Stage estimation for tumors at different locations.

<p>MIBC:Muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p><p>NMIBC:Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p

The flexible ultrasound bronchoscope.

<p>The flexible ultrasound bronchoscope.</p

Accuracy of tumor staging of FUB group and Initial TUR group.

<p>MIBC:Muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p><p>NMIBC:Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p

Stage estimation for tumors of different size.

<p>MIBC:Muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p><p>NMIBC:Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.</p

A nonmuscle-invasive bladder tumor near the bladder neck in ultrasonic image (A), direct version (B), radical cystectomy specimen (C) and pathological image (D).

<p>A: The big black arrow indicates bladder tumor, and the two small arrows indicate continuous muscle layer; B: The small black arrow points at the bladder tumor, and the big one points at the bladder wall; C: The arrow shows us a bladder tumor near the bladder neck; D: The big black arrow indicates bladder tumor, and the small arrow indicates normal bladder epithelium.</p

A muscle-invasive bladder tumor in ultrasonic image (A), direct version (B), radical cystectomy specimen (C) and pathological image (D).

<p>A: The big black arrow indicates bladder tumor, and the small black arrow indicates muscle layer, and the red arrow indicates uncontinuous muscle layer, and the blue arrow marked the bladder cavity; B: The big black arrow points at the bladder tumor, and the small one points at the bladder wall; C: The right arrow shows us a bladder tumor, and the left arrow shows us the bladder neck; D: The big black arrow indicates bladder tumor, and the small arrow indicates infiltrated muscle layer.</p

The normal muscle layer of bladder wall in the ultrasonic image.

<p>The normal muscle layer of bladder wall in the ultrasonic image.</p

DAPK Promoter Methylation and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Methylation of tumor suppressor gene promoter leads to transcription inactivation and is involved in tumorigenesis. Several studies demonstrate a potential association between the Death-Associated Protein Kinase (DAPK) gene promoter methylation and bladder cancer risk, tumor stage and histological grade. Due to inconsistent results of these studies, we performed this meta-analysis to ascertain the association.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Studies were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases. Study selection and data extraction were executed by two reviewers independently. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 13.0 and Review Manager 5.3 software.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 21 articles involving 15 case control and 8 case series studies were included in this meta-analysis. DAPK promoter methylation was associated with bladder cancer risk (OR: 5.81; 95%CI = 3.83–8.82, P<0.00001). The frequency of DAPK promoter methylation was equal in bladder cancer tissue and paired adjacent normal tissue (OR: 0.87; 95%CI = 0.31–2.48, P = 0.794). Furthermore, DAPK promoter methylation was associated with higher histological grade (OR: 1.52; 95%CI = 1.10–2.09, P = 0.011) but not associated with tumor stage (OR: 1.12; 95%CI = 0.67–1.87, P = 0.668).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The result suggests that DAPK promoter methylation is significantly increased in bladder cancer patients compared to normal controls. DAPK promoter methylation could serve as a biomarker for bladder cancer detection and management.</p></div