Environmental tobacco smoke and cancer risk, a prospective cohort study in a Chinese population.

Few prospective cohort studies have investigated associations between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and other cancer sites, in addition to lung cancer. We assessed these associations in a population-based prospective cohort study started from 2008 to 2011 with average of 9.1 years of follow-up, in Minhang district, Shanghai, China. The study included a total of 23,415 participants (8388 men, 15,027 women) and 205,515 person-years. Epidemiological data were collected by a standardized questionnaire including ETS exposure. Newly diagnosed patients with primary cancers and deaths were identified by record linkage system with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and Shanghai Vital Statistics. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. During the study period, a total of 1462 patients with diagnoses of primary cancers were identified. Among all participants and non-smokers, ETS was associated with an increased risk of all smoking-related cancers (all: adjusted HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.43 and non-smokers: 1.24, 1.02-1.49), lung cancer (1.29, 0.98-1.71 and 1.27, 0.91-1.77), and stomach cancer (1.86, 1.21-2.85 and 1.75, 1.05-2.91), respectively. Furthermore, associations for lung and stomach cancers were the strongest among non-smoking females. The joint effects of both ETS and active smoking were strongest for all cancers, all smoking-related cancers, lung cancer, and stomach cancer. No clear interactions were observed. These results suggest that ETS exposure may increase the risk of smoking-related cancers in a Chinese population. Further studies on the relationship between ETS exposure and specific cancer sites are warranted to replicate our findings.

Body mass index and cancer risk among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and diabetes are two risk factors for cancer. To evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) with cancer risk in diabetic patients may improve current understanding of potential mechanisms. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 51,004 newly diagnosed T2DM patients derived from an electronic health record (EHR) database of Minhang district in Shanghai, China. Incident cancer cases and all-cause deaths occurred before September 30, 2015 were identified by linking with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and the Shanghai Vital Statistics. To examine the potential non-linear and linear relationships of BMI and cancer risk, Cox proportional hazard models with and without restricted cubic spline functions were used, respectively. RESULTS: A non-linear association was observed between BMI and overall cancer incidence in men younger than 60 years old (p for non-linearity = 0.009). Compared with those having BMI of 25.0 kg/m2, the cancer risk increased in those with either lower or higher BMI. In women older than 60 years old, linear dose-response relationships were observed between BMI and the risk of both overall cancer and breast cancer. As each unit increase in BMI, the overall cancer risks elevated by 3% (95%CI: 1-5%) and the breast cancer risks increased by 7% (95%CI: 1-13%). No significant association was observed between BMI and other common cancer sites. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the effect of BMI on cancer risk in Chinese patients with T2DM may vary by gender, age and cancer subtypes, suggesting different underlying biological mechanisms.

Cloning and expression analysis of four heat shock protein genes in Ericerus pela (Homoptera: Coccidae).

To explore the function of small heat shock protein genes (shsps) and hsp70 in Ericerus pela, we cloned the full-length cDNA sequences of hsp21.5, hsp21.7, hsp70, and hsc70 and the genomic sequence of hsc70. Open reading frames of the four hsps were 570, 564, 1,908, and 1,962 base pairs (bp), respectively, which encode proteins with calculated molecular mass of 21.5, 21.7, 69.8, and 71.6 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed the presence of the conserved Hsp motifs in all four proteins. The genomic DNA of hsc70 had four introns. ep-hsp21.5 was orthologous and ep-hsp21.7 was species specific. Expression of all four transcripts during heat or cold stress and development was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All four hsps were upregulated during heat or cold stress in female adults, indicating a correlation between the four hsps and heat or cold-stress tolerance in female adults. ep-hsp21.7 and ep-hsp70 were upregulated during heat stress in male larvae, implying a correlation between the two hsps and heat-stress tolerance in male larvae. The four ep-hsps were also upregulated during the developmental process in males, and ep-hsp21.5, ep-hsp70, and ep-hsc70 were upregulated in females, which indicates their possible role in the developmental regulation of E. pela.

Strategic Design of Vacancy-Enriched Fe1- xS Nanoparticles Anchored on Fe3C-Encapsulated and N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for High-Efficiency Triiodide Reduction in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

A new class of hybrids with the unique electrocatalytic nanoarchitecture of Fe1- xS anchored on Fe3C-encapsulated and N-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNTs) is innovatively synthesized through a facile one-step carbonization-sulfurization strategy. The efficient synthetic protocols on phase structure evolution and dynamic decomposition behavior enable the production of the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT hybrid with advanced structural and electronic properties, in which the Fe vacancy-contained Fe1- xS showed the 3d metallic state electrons and an electroactive Fe in +2/+3 valence, and the electronic structure of the CNT was effectively modulated by the incorporated Fe3C and N, with the work function decreased from 4.85 to 4.63 eV. The meticulous structural, electronic, and compositional control unveils the unusual synergetic catalytic properties for the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT hybrid when developed as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), in which the Fe3C- and N-incorporated CNTs with reduced work function and increased charge density provide a highway for electron transport and facilitate the electron migration from Fe3C-NCNTs to ultrahigh active Fe1- xS with the electron-donating effect, and the Fe vacancy-enriched Fe1- xS nanoparticles exhibit ultrahigh I3- adsorption and charge-transfer ability. As a consequence, the DSSC based on the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT CE delivers a high power conversion efficiency of 8.67% and good long-term stability with a remnant efficiency of 8.00% after 168 h of illumination, superior to those of traditional Pt. Furthermore, the possible catalytic mechanism toward I3- reduction is creatively proposed based on the structure-activity correlation. In this work, the structure engineering, electronic modulation, and composition control opens up new possibilities in constructing the novel electrocatalytic nanoarchitecture for highly efficient CEs in DSSCs.

Construction of Highly Catalytic Porous TiOPC Nanocomposite Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Developing low-cost, durable, and highly catalytic counter electrode (CE) materials based on earth-abundant elements is essential for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, we report a highly active nanostructured compositional material, TiOPC, which contains titanium, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon, for efficient CE in I3-/I- electrolyte. The TiOPC nanocomposites are prepared from carbon thermal transformation of TiP2O7 in an atmosphere of nitrogen at high temperature, and their catalytic performance is regulated by changing the carbon content in the nanocomposites. The TiOPC with appropriate 24.6 wt % carbon and porous structure exhibits an enhanced electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of I3-, providing a short-circuit current density of 16.64 mA cm-2, an open-circuit potential of 0.78 V, and an energy conversion efficiency of 8.65%. The photovoltaic performance of TiOPC CE-based DSSC is even superior to that of a Pt CE-based cell (13.80 mA cm-2, 0.79 V, and 6.66%). The enhanced catalytic activity of TiOPC is attributed to the presence of predominant Ti-O-P-C structure along with the continuous conductive carbon network and the porous structure.

Identification and evaluation of reference genes in the Chinese white wax scale insect Ericerus pela.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is a well-known resource insect. The females and males are dramatically distinct at each developmental stage. We sought to identify suitable reference genes to use as internal controls in molecular research on E. plea. RESULTS: geNorm, RefFinder and Normfinder analyses showed that ßTub-2 was the best reference gene throughout different developmental stages; SdhA-1 was the most stable reference gene in different tissues, and ßTub-1 was the most reliable reference gene under treatment with different temperatures. The results also showed that the optimal number of reference genes for analyzing target gene expression levels in the three experimental conditions was two. CONCLUSIONS: The identified reference genes are suitable reference genes for normalization in RT-qPCR of E. pela samples.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two parasitic/commensal nemerteans, Gononemertes parasita and Nemertopsis tetraclitophila (Nemertea: Hoplonemertea).

BACKGROUND: Most nemerteans (phylum Nemertea) are free-living, but about 50 species are known to be firmly associated with other marine invertebrates. For example, Gononemertes parasita is associated with ascidians, and Nemertopsis tetraclitophila with barnacles. There are 12 complete or near-complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of nemerteans available in GenBank, but no mitogenomes of none free-living nemerteans have been determined so far. In the present paper complete mitogenomes of the above two parasitic/commensal nemerteans are reported. METHODS: The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenome) of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila were amplified by conventional and long PCR. Phylogenetic analyses of maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) were performed with both concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequences. RESULTS: Complete mitogenomes of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila are 14742 bp and 14597 bp in size, respectively, which are within the range of published Hoplonemertea mitogenomes. Their gene orders are identical to that of published Hoplonemertea mitogenomes, but different from those of Palaeo- and Heteronemertea species. All the coding genes, as well as major non-coding regions (mNCRs), are AT rich, which is especially pronounced at the third codon position. The AT/GC skew pattern of the coding strand is the same among nemertean mitogenomes, but is variable in the mNCRs. Some slight differences are found between mitogenomes of the present species and other hoplonemerteans: in G. parasita the mNCR is biased toward T and C (contrary to other hoplonemerteans) and the rrnS gene has a unique 58-bp insertion at the 5' end; in N. tetraclitophila the nad3 gene starts with the ATT codon (ATG in other hoplonemerteans). Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide and amino acid datasets show early divergent positions of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila within the analyzed Distromatonemertea species, and provide strong support for the close relationship between Hoplonemertea and Heteronemertea. CONCLUSION: Gene order is highly conserved within the order Monostilifera, particularly within the Distromatonemertea, and the special lifestyle of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila does not bring significant variations to the overall structures of their mitogenomes in comparison with free-living hoplonemerteans.

Transcriptome analysis of the Chinese white wax scale Ericerus pela with focus on genes involved in wax biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese white wax scale, Ericerus pela Chavannes is economically significant for its role in wax production. This insect has been bred in China for over a thousand years. The wax secreted by the male scale insect during the second-instar larval stage has been widespread used in wax candle production, wax printing, engraving, Chinese medicine, and more recently in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. However, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for white wax biosynthesis. The characterization of its larval transcriptome may promote better understanding of wax biosynthesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, characterization of the transcriptome of E. pela during peak wax secretion was performed using Illumina sequencing technology. Illumina sequencing produced 41,839 unigenes. These unigenes were annotated by blastx alignment against the NCBI Non-Redundant (NR), Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and COG databases. A total of 104 unigenes related to white wax biosynthesis were identified, and 15 of them were selected for quantitative real-time PCR analysis. We evaluated the variations in gene expression across different development stages, including egg, first/second instar larvae, male pupae, and male and female adults. Then we identified five genes involved in white wax biosynthesis. These genes were expressed most strongly during the second-instar larval stage of male E. pela. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The transcriptome analysis of E. pela during peak wax secretion provided an overview of gene expression information at the transcriptional level and a resource for gene mining. Five genes related to white wax biosynthesis were identified.