Obese breast cancer patients have a poorer prognosis than non-obese patients. We examined data from a large prospective cohort study to explore the associations of obesity with tumour pathology, ...treatment and outcome in young British breast cancer patients receiving modern oncological treatments.
A total of 2956 patients aged ≤40 at breast cancer diagnosis were recruited from 126 UK hospitals from 2001 to 2007. Height and weight were measured at registration. Tumour pathology and treatment details were collected. Follow-up data were collected at 6, 12 months, and annually.
A total of 2843 eligible patients (96.2%) had a body mass index (BMI) recorded: 1526 (53.7%) were under/healthy-weight (U/H, BMI <25 kg/m2), 784 (27.6%) were overweight (ov, BMI ≥25 to <30), and 533 (18.7%) were obese (ob, BMI ≥30). The median tumour size was significantly higher in obese and overweight patients than U/H patients (Ob 26mm versus U/H 20mm, P < 0.001; Ov 24mm versus U/H 20mm, P < 0.001). Obese and overweight patients had significantly more grade 3 tumours (63.9% versus 59.0%, P = 0.048; Ov 63.6% versus U/H 59.0% P = 0.034) and node-positive tumours (Ob 54.6% versus U/H 49.0%, P = 0.027; Ov 54.2% versus U/H 49%, P = 0.019) than U/H patients. Obese patients had more ER/PR/HER2-negative tumours than healthy-weight patients (25.0% versus 18.3%, P = 0.001). Eight-year overall survival (OS) and distant disease-free interval (DDFI) were significantly lower in obese patients than healthy-weight patients OS: hazard ratio (HR) 1.65, P < 0.001; DDFI: HR 1.44, P < 0.001. Multivariable analyses adjusting for tumour grade, size, nodal, and HER2 status indicated that obesity was a significant independent predictor of OS and DDFI in patients with ER-positive disease.
Young obese breast cancer patients present with adverse tumour characteristics. Despite adjustment for this, obesity still independently predicts DDFI and OS.
National emission inventories of ozone‐depleting substances (ODS) play a key role in the control mechanisms of the Montreal Protocol's emission reduction plans. New quasi‐continuous ground‐based ...atmospheric measurements allow us to estimate China's current emissions of the most effective ODS. This serves as an independent validation of China's ODS consumption data reported to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Emissions of most first‐generation ODS have declined in recent years, suggesting compliance with the regulations of China's advanced phase‐out program. In contrast the emissions of some second‐generation ODS have increased. Because China is currently one of the largest consumers of first generation ODS, the country's upcoming complete phase‐out will be crucial for the rate of decline of atmospheric ODS hence the eventual recovery of the stratospheric ozone.
Observations of atmospheric mercury at the Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station on the Atlantic coast of Ireland made from February 1996 to December 2013 are analyzed. Using meteorological analysis ...and a sophisticated Lagrangian dispersion model, the hourly averaged mercury concentrations were attributed to four different air mass types: baseline, local, European polluted, and sub-tropical maritime. Monthly median Hg concentrations of all types decreased over the analyzed period but the trend for sub-tropical maritime air masses was with −0.016 ± 0.002 ng m−3 yr−1 in absolute terms significantly smaller than the trends for all other classes which varied between −0.021 and −0.023 ng m−3 yr−1. The seasonal variation for sub-tropical maritime air masses is also shallower than for all other classes. This is most likely due to shallower seasonal variation of oxidant concentrations at lower latitudes. The north-south gradient of the trend is qualitatively consistent with the GEOS-Chem model predictions based on decrease of mercury concentrations in surface waters of the North Atlantic but the trends are smaller than predicted. Tests for temporal change of the trends indicate that the decreasing trends of mercury concentrations are leveling off for all air masses with possible exception of the sub-tropical maritime air mass. Quantitative assessment of the trend changes, however, will require a longer time series of the mercury measurements at Mace Head.
•World's second longest time series of atmospheric mercury at Mace Head analyzed.•Air mass separation: baseline, local, European polluted, and sub-tropical maritime.•Decreasing trend in sub-tropical maritime air is smaller than for other classes.•North-south trend gradient is consistent with GEOS-Chem model prediction.•Decreasing trends for baseline, European polluted and local air are leveling off.
The hydroxyl free radical (OH) is the major oxidizing chemical in the atmosphere, destroying about 3.7 petagrams (Pg) of trace gases each year, including many gases involved in ozone depletion, the ...greenhouse effect and urban air pollution. Measurements of 1,1,1‐trichloroethane (methyl chloroform, CH3CCl3), which reacts with OH, provide the most accurate method currently utilized for determining the global behavior of OH. We report that CH3CCl3 levels rose steadily from 1978 to reach a maximum in 1992 and have since decreased rapidly to levels in 2004 about 30% of the levels when measurements began in 1978. Analysis of these observations shows that global average OH levels had a small maximum around 1989 and a larger minimum around 1998, with OH concentrations in 2003 being comparable to those in 1979. This post‐1998 recovery of OH reported here contrasts with the situation 4 years ago when reported OH was decreasing. The 1997–1999 OH minimum coincides with, and is likely caused by, major global wildfires and an intense El Nino event at this time.
International standardization and coordination of the nomenclature of variants of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is increasingly needed as more is discovered about the scale of HCV-related liver disease and ...important biological and antigenic differences that exist between variants. A group of scientists expert in the field of HCV genetic variability, and those involved in development of HCV sequence databases, the Hepatitis Virus Database (Japan), euHCVdb (France), and Los Alamos (United States), met to re-examine the status of HCV genotype nomenclature, resolve conflicting genotype or subtype names among described variants of HCV, and draw up revised criteria for the assignment of new genotypes as they are discovered in the future. A comprehensive listing of all currently classified variants of HCV incorporates a number of agreed genotype and subtype name re-assignments to create consistency in nomenclature. The paper also contains consensus proposals for the classification of new variants into genotypes and subtypes, which recognizes and incorporates new knowledge of HCV genetic diversity and epidemiology. A proposal was made that HCV variants be classified into 6 genotypes (representing the 6 genetic groups defined by phylogenetic analysis). Subtype name assignment will be either confirmed or provisional, depending on the availability of complete or partial nucleotide sequence data, or remain unassigned where fewer than 3 examples of a new subtype have been described. In conclusion, these proposals provide the framework by which the HCV databases store and provide access to data on HCV, which will internationally coordinate the assignment of new genotypes and subtypes in the future.
The impact of including a more detailed VOC oxidation scheme (CRI v2-R5) with a multi-generational approach for simulating tropospheric acetone is investigated using a 3-D global model, STOCHEM-CRI. ...The CRI v2-R5 mechanism contains photochemical production of acetone from monoterpenes which account for 64% (46.8 Tg/yr) of the global acetone sources in STOCHEM-CRI. Both photolysis and oxidation by OH in the troposphere contributes equally (42%, each) and dry deposition contributes 16% of the atmospheric sinks of acetone. The tropospheric life-time and the global burden of acetone are found to be 18 days and 3.5 Tg, respectively, these values being close to those reported in the study of Jacob et al. (2002). A dataset of aircraft campaign measurements are used to evaluate the inclusion of acetone formation from monoterpenes in the CRI v2-R5 mechanism used in STOCHEM-CRI. The overall comparison between measurements and models show that the parameterised approach in STOCHEM-NAM (no acetone formation from monoterpenes) underpredicts the mixing ratios of acetone in the atmosphere. However, using a detailed monoterpene oxidation mechanism forming acetone has brought the STOCHEM-CRI into closer agreement with measurements with an improvement in the vertical simulation of acetone. The annual mean surface distribution of acetone simulated by the STOCHEM-CRI shows a peak over forested regions where there are large biogenic emissions and high levels of photochemical activity. Year-long observations of acetone and methanol at the Mace Head research station in Ireland are compared with the simulated acetone and methanol produced by the STOCHEM-CRI and found to produce good overall agreement between model and measurements. The seasonal variation of model and measured acetone levels at Mace Head, California, New Hampshire and Minnesota show peaks in summer and dips in winter, suggesting that photochemical production may have the strongest effect on its seasonal trend.
•Photochemical production from monoterpenes gives 64% to the global acetone sources.•The tropospheric life-time of acetone is found to be 18 days.•Higher acetone is found over the forested regions throughout the summer.•Good agreement between model and measurement data for acetone is found.
DNA in human skeletal remains represents an important historical source of host genomic information and potentially of infecting viruses. However, little is known about viral persistence in bone. We ...searched ca. 70-year-old long bones of putative Finnish casualties from World War II for parvovirus B19 (B19V) DNA, and found a remarkable prevalence of 45%. The viral sequences were exclusively of genotypes 2 (n = 41), which disappeared from circulation in 1970´s, or genotype 3 (n = 2), which has never been reported in Northern Europe. Based on mitochondrial and Y-chromosome profiling, the two individuals carrying B19V genotype 3 were likely from the Soviet Red Army. The most recent common ancestor for all genotypes was estimated at early 1800s. This work demonstrates the forms of B19V that circulated in the first half of the 20(th) century and provides the first evidence of the suitability of bone for exploration of DNA viruses.
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