Shale gas development impacts on surface water quality in Pennsylvania

Concern has been raised in the scientific literature about the environmental implications of extracting natural gas from deep shale formations, and published studies suggest that shale gas development may affect local groundwater quality. The potential for surface water quality degradation has been discussed in prior work, although no empirical analysis of this issue has been published. The potential for large-scale surface water quality degradation has affected regulatory approaches to shale gas development in some US states, despite the dearth of evidence. This paper conducts a large-scale examination of the extent to which shale gas development activities affect surface water quality. Focusing on the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, we estimate the effect of shale gas wells and the release of treated shale gas waste by permitted treatment facilities on observed downstream concentrations of chloride (Cl⁻) and total suspended solids (TSS), controlling for other factors. Results suggest that (i) the treatment of shale gas waste by treatment plants in a watershed raises downstream Cl⁻ concentrations but not TSS concentrations, and (ii) the presence of shale gas wells in a watershed raises downstream TSS concentrations but not Cl⁻ concentrations. These results can inform future voluntary measures taken by shale gas operators and policy approaches taken by regulators to protect surface water quality as the scale of this economically important activity increases.     

Gene expression signatures differentiate uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma from leiomyosarcoma

ObjectiveEndometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS) are the two most common uterine sarcomas, but both are rare tumors. The aim of the present study was to compare the global gene expression patterns of ESS and LMS.MethodsGene expression profiles of 7 ESS and 13 LMS were analyzed using the HumanRef-8 BeadChip from Illumina. Differentially expressed candidate genes were validated using quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.ResultsUnsupervised hierarchical clustering using all 54,675 genes in the array separated ESS from LMS samples. We identified 549 unique probes that were significantly differentially expressed in the two malignancies by greater than 2-fold with 1% FDR cutoff using one-way ANOVA with Benjamini–Hochberg correction, of which 336 and 213 were overexpressed in ESS and LMS, respectively. Genes overexpressed in ESS included SLC7A10, EFNB3, CCND2, ECEL1, ITM2A, NPW, PLAG1 and GCGR. Genes overexpressed in LMS included CDKN2A, FABP3, TAGLN, JPH2, GEM, NAV2 and RAB23. The top 100 genes overexpressed in LMS included those coding for myosin light chain and caldesmon, but not the genes coding for desmin or actin. CD10 was not overexpressed in ESS. Results for selected genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.ConclusionsWe present the first study in which gene expression profiling was shown to distinguish between ESS and LMS. The molecular signatures unique to each of these malignancies may aid in expanding the diagnostic battery for their differentiation, and may provide a molecular basis for prognostic studies and therapeutic target discovery.     

TL1A blocking ameliorates intestinal fibrosis in the T cell transfer model of chronic colitis in mice

Tumor necrosis factor like cytokine 1A (TL1A) is a member of the TNF superfamily. Accumulating evidence demonstrated the importance of TL1A in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and suggested a potential role of TL1A blocking in IBD therapy. Here we aimed to explore whether the anti-TL1A antibody could ameliorate intestinal inflammation and fibrosis in IBD. A T cell transfer model of chronic colitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of CD4⁺CD45RB^high naive T cells isolated from either C57BL/6 wild type (WT) mice or LCK-CD2-Tl1a-GFP transgenic (L-Tg) mice into recombinase activating gene-1-deficient (RAG^?/?) mice. The colitis model mice were treated prophylactically or therapeutically with anti-Tl1a antibody or IgG isotype control. Haematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E staining), Masson's trichrome staining (MT staining) and sirius red staining were used to detect histopathological changes in colonic tissue; immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expressions of collagen I, collagen III, TIMP1, vimentin, α-SMA and TGF-β1/Smad3. Results showed that anti-Tl1a antibody could reduce intestinal inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting the activation of intestinal fibroblasts and reducing the collagen synthesis in the T cell transfer model of chronic colitis. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of TGF-1/Smad3 signaling pathway.     

Screening for Ovarian Cancer: A Reality Check

Detection of stage I neoplastic disease has become the major goal for cancer prevention and reduction of cancer-associated mortality. Whereas this goal is realized in many human solid tumors, including carcinomas arising from breast, endometrium, prostate, and gastrointestinal tract, it has become a tantalizing objective in ovarian cancer. Several population-based clinical studies designed to screen for early stage ovarian cancer fail to provide a clinically satisfied positive predictive value and, as a result, lead to several unnecessary surgeries that are associated with higher morbidity and mortality. One of the reasons is that high-grade serous carcinoma—the most common and lethal ovarian cancer—may likely arise from fallopian tube epithelium and involve the ovary secondarily. Therefore, “ovarian” cancer is unlikely ever stage I at presentation. This commentary will briefly summarize the recent findings in ovarian cancer screening and discuss the challenges, promise, and reality for early detection of ovarian cancer.     

Waist-to-thigh ratio is a predictor of internal organ cancers in humans: findings from a cohort study

ObjectiveStudies have shown that some specific body measures are associated with the occurrence of cancers. Few studies have demonstrated the relationship with more comprehensive approaches. This study aims to explore body measures and the combinations associated with internal organ cancers.MethodsThree-dimensional anthropometric body surface scanning data collected 10,215 participants from the health examination department in a medical center of Taiwan during 2000–2010. Follow-up was conducted for an average of 8 years, and 244 internal organ cancer cases were identified.ResultsAn increased risk of internal organ cancers was observed among the subjects with larger waist circumference/smaller thigh circumference, in which waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR) was constructed. Comparing the subjects in the fourth quartile for WTR to the subjects in the first quartile with multiple Cox regression analysis yielded a hazard ratio of 1.842 (95% confidence interval, 1.131～2.999). The association between WTR quartile and internal organ cancers was stronger among male participants, older participants, and participants with chronic conditions.ConclusionsThe study has revealed that WTR is the most significant predictor for the occurrence of cancer in Asian populations. Because it is easy to measure and open to modification, WTR may be more useful in clinical and preventive medicine in the future.     

Comparative Effectiveness of Computed Tomography- Versus Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation Among Medicare Patients 65 Years of Age or Older With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) not eligible for surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a promising technique that reduces the risk of disease progression.

Sensitivity and specificity of in vitro diagnostic device used for influenza rapid test in Taiwan

The pandemic influenza A/H1N1 outbreak resulted in 18,449 deaths in over 214 countries. In Taiwan, the influenza rapid test, an in vitro diagnostic device (Flu-IVD), only requires documented reviews for market approval by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the analytical sensitivity and specificity of Flu-IVDs used in Taiwan. Analytical sensitivity and specificity tests were performed for influenza antigens A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) virus, A/Victoria/210/2009 (H3N2) virus, B/Brisbane/60/08 virus, and human coronavirus OC43. A total of seven domestic and 31 imported Flu-IVD samples were collected, of which, 20 samples had inadequate labeling, including those with removed package inserts or incorrect insert information. The analytical sensitivity of Flu-IVDs for A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and Flu B was 500–1000 ng/mL, 1000 ng/mL, and 1000 ng/mL, respectively. For the 50% cell culture infective dose (CCID₅₀) label, the average A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 sensitivity for Flu-IVDs was log₁₀ 5.8 ± 0.5 and log₁₀ 6.6 ± 0.5 CCID₅₀/mL, respectively. As to the specificity test, no product cross-reacted with human coronavirus OC43. This study provides important information on the Flu-IVD regulation status and can thus help the government formulate policies for the regulation of in vitro diagnostic devices in Taiwan.