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EGFR and BRAF V600E mutations are both early driven and usually mutually exclusive. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring coexisting EGFR exon 18 G719A and BRAF V600E mutations. She experienced a long-term response to oral afatinib, with a progression-free survival rate of 33 months and an overall survival rate of 11 years. Lung adenocarcinoma with synchronous EGFR G719A and BRAF V600E mutations is rare and has not been previously reported. This case highlights the importance of an adequate response to afatinib and provides an optimal therapeutic option for such patients.

Melanoma is characterized by high mortality and poor prognosis due to metastasis. AFF4 (AF4/FMR2 family member 4), as a scaffold protein, is a component of the super elongation complex (SEC), and is involved in the progression of tumors, e.g., leukemia, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, few studies on AFF4 have focused on melanoma. Here, AFF4 expression levels and clinicopathological features were evaluated in melanoma tissue samples. Then, we performed cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays in A375 and A2058 cells lines in vitro to evaluate the role of AFF4 in melanoma. The effects of AFF4 knockdown in vivo were characterized via a xenograft mouse model. Finally, the correlation between c-Jun and AFF4 protein levels in melanoma was analyzed by rescue assay and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We found that AFF4 expression was upregulated in melanoma tumor tissues and that AFF4 protein expression was also closely related to the prognosis of patients with cutaneous melanoma. Moreover, AFF4 could promote the invasion and migration of melanoma cells by mediating epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). AFF4 might regulate c-Jun activity to promote the invasion and migration of melanoma cells. Importantly, c-Jun was regulated by the AFF4 promoted melanoma tumorigenesis in vivo. Taken together, AFF4 may be a novel oncogene that promotes melanoma progression through regulation of c-Jun activity.

BACKGROUND: The outcomes of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after first- or second-line therapy are still discouraging due to a lack of effective treatment strategies. As a novel oral anti-angiogenesis drug, apatinib, approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China only for advanced gastric cancer, has been increasingly used in off-label treatment across various cancer types in recent years, especially advanced NSCLC. It has shown strong anti-tumor efficacy and acceptable safety. METHODS: This prospective study (NCT02974933) was conducted in patients with advanced NSCLC, who had suffered disease progression from the first- or second-line treatment, in Hubei Cancer Hospital. Eligible patients were enrolled and administrated with apatinib mesylate (500 mg qd) in combination with pemetrexed (500 mg/m(2), every 4 weeks). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: From September 2016 to September 2019, a total of 21 advanced NSCLC patients were enrolled in Hubei Cancer Hospital. As of January 2021, treatment was discontinued in all patients, with 1 still in follow-up. There were 7/21 (33.3%) patients who achieved objective response. The median PFS and median overall survival (OS) were 7.0 months (95% CI: 6.15–7.85 months) and 13.0 months (95% CI: 7.39–18.6 months), respectively. Toxicities were tolerable or could be clinically managed. The most common grade 3–4 adverse events (AEs) were hypertension (14.3%, 3/21), hand-foot syndrome (4.7%, 1/21), and proteinuria (4.7%, 1/21). Hematological toxicities were moderate, with rare occurrences of grade 3/4 toxicities. During the period of treatment, there was no occurrence of treatment-related death. CONCLUSIONS: Apatinib plus pemetrexed demonstrated promising efficacy and a high level of safety profile in previously heavily-treated NSCLC patients. More definitive studies on the combination of apatinib and pemetrexed are warranted

Palmitic acid (PA)/copper foam composites with carbon nanotubes (CNT) composite phase change materials (CPCM) were prepared by melting impregnation. PA was used as phase change material (PCM), and copper foams with different pore density (40, 80 and 110 PPI, PPI: Pore Per Inch) were used as supporting materials. CNT with different mass fractions (1%, 3% and 5%) were added to further improve the thermal conductivity of the CPCM. Chemical structure and crystal structure of the composites were measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) respectively, and it was proved that PA was physically adsorbed in copper foams. The microstructures of the CPCM were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and PA was well adsorbed by copper foams. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to test thermal properties of the CPCM, and the results showed that CPCM had high latent heat and good thermal stability. Thermal conductivity of the CPCM was measured by thermal conductivity meter (TCM). The higher the pore density of copper foam is, the higher the thermal conductivity of the CPCM is, and the CNT has an obvious improvement effect on the thermal conductivity of the CPCM. Thermal conductivity of the CPCM2 was 3.02 W/(m•K), which was 17.76 times higher than that of the PA. Thermal conductivity of the CPCM6 with mass fraction of 5% CNT was 1.82 times higher than that of the CPCM2.

As a new heat transfer medium, microencapsulated phase change slurry (MPCS) has better heat transfer performance than water. The MPCS consists of microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) particles and carrier fluid (water). Many experiments and numerical simulations have been carried out on its heat transfer characteristics, but few focused on its flow characteristics. In this work, a numerical model of the MPCS flowing in a two-turn helically coiled tube under constant wall heat flux was established. The numerical simulation results showed that inlet velocity was the most important factor affecting pressure drop and pumping power consumption of the MPCS. Except the inlet velocity, the mass fraction was the major factor affecting the flow characteristics of the MPCS. The latent heat and wall heat flux had little effects on the flow characteristics of the MPCS. In addition, the possible motion trajectories of MPCM particles were calculated by using Discrete Phase Model (DPM) model, and the motion state of MPCM particles was visually displayed.

Composite phase change materials (CPCM) with improved thermal properties were fabricated by encapsulating stearic acid (SA) into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with carbon fiber (CF). The HDPE acted as the supporting materials to prevent SA leakage. CF was introduced to enhance the thermal conductivity of the CPCM. Some characterization measurements were carried out to investigate the CPCM thermal properties. The patterns of Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) revealed that the SA, HDPE and CF were combined physically, and the crystal structure of the mixture remained constant. The results of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) indicated that the microstructure of the CPCM was relatively stable. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the melting point and latent heat of CPCM6 were 68.48 °C and 140.17 kJ/kg, and the solidifying point and latent heat were 66.95 °C and 141.09 kJ/kg. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) verified that the CPCM had an improved thermal stability within the working temperature range. The thermal conductivity of CPCM6 was 0.4043 W/m⋅K, which is 2.22 times greater than for SA. The addition of CF effectively enhanced the thermal conductivity of the SA. Overall, CPCM6 possesses the potential for application in heat storage fields.

Phase-change materials (PCMs) are good media for thermal energy storage because of their high latent heat. However, PCMs have some disadvantages such as leakage, corrosivity and instability. These problems can be solved by microencapsulating PCMs to form microencapsulated phase-change materials (MPCMs). A microencapsulated phase-change slurry (MPCS) made of MPCMs and a single-phase fluid (water) is an excellent heat-transfer and thermal storage medium. The MPCM core materials are mostly paraffin and other organic PCMs with low thermal conductivity, resulting in low storage and transportation efficiency in thermal energy systems. MPCS is also limited in practical application due to high pumping power consumption, instability and unknown durability. Many review articles mainly showed the preparation methods, thermal and physical parameters of heat transfer characteristics and flow characteristics on MPCS. At present, there is no review paper to summarize and compare the existing specific experiments and theoretical models, and there is no quantitative research. Therefore, this review summarizes the flow and heat-transfer characteristics of MPCS by combining existing models and experiments, and analyzes the heat-transfer enhancement mechanism in detail. The synthesis of MPCS and the factors influencing its stability and durability are also introduced and analyzed. Applications of MPCS in buildings, solar energy systems, photovoltaic/thermal systems, the food industry and the textile industry are also presented and summarized. This review aims to provide a reference for preparing MPCS with better performance, for promoting large-scale applications of MPCS in various thermal energy fields, and for improving thermal energy utilization efficiency.

The power grid is facing the critical issue concerning the power imbalance. To address the issue, demand response programs are increasingly deployed to encourage the end-users to change their load profiles. For buildings, the existing fast demand response strategy has been demonstrated effective in performing quick response to the grid request by reducing the power demand. However, the existing fast demand response methods require a physical flowmeter to be installed in each air handling unit. While in most of the existing commercial buildings, flowmeters are rarely installed in individual air handling units due to the high initial cost. As a result, the existing fast demand response method may not be applicable in these commercial buildings. Thus, this paper presents a virtual sensor based self-adjusting control strategy for fast demand response of building heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. A virtual flowmeter model is first developed to estimate the water flow rate in each air handling unit. Based on the virtual flowmeter model, a self-adjusting water flow supervisor, in which the online self-adjusting method is integrated to reduce efforts in parameter identification, is then developed to achieve a balanced water flow distribution among different air handling units. The performances of the proposed control strategy have been tested and evaluated on a simulated system. The results show that the virtual flowmeter model has good accuracy for estimating the water flow rate in AHUs. The proposed control strategy can achieve significant and quick power reduction and meanwhile address the hydraulic imbalance problem.

Lauric acid (LA)/iron foam composites with graphene nanoplates (GNP) as composite phase change materials (CPCM) were fabricated by melting infiltration. LA was used as a phase change material and iron foams with different pore density (40, 70 and 90 PPI) were used as skeletons. GNP was used as additives to improve thermal conductivity of the CPCM. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to verify that LA was physically absorbed into iron foam. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to demonstrate that the LA and GNP were well immersed into the iron foam. The thermal properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermal conductivity meter. Impregnating LA with GNP into the metal foam is a novel way to enhance thermal properties of the CPCM. CPCM1 reached a latent heat of 177.82 kJ/kg in the solidifying process. The results of TGA and differential thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the CPCM maintains good stability. The thermal conductivity of the CPCM has an obvious enhancement. The bigger pore density leads to higher thermal conductivity. The GNP can improve thermal conductivity effectively. Thermal conductivity of CPCM6 reaches 1.227 W/(m K), which is increased by 10.67 times compared to that of lauric acid.

MicroRNA-20a (miR-20a) serves a notable role in tumor development and progression; it functions differently in different types of malignant tumor, and its role and mechanism in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains unclear. In the present study, the effects of miR-20a on the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells and the underlying mechanisms behind this were investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression level of miR-20a was higher in human NSCLC than in normal tissues. Following this, the effect of miR-20a on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of NSCLCA-549 cells was further evaluated. In vitro analysis, including a Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation and Transwell migration assay, indicated that miR-20a-knockdown inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration, while promoting the cell apoptosis of the A-549 cells. Early growth response 2 (EGR2) protein and mRNA levels were downregulated or upregulated following the overexpression or knockdown of miR-20a, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assays implied that EGR2 is a direct target gene of miR-20a. The results of the present study indicated that miR-20a may function as an oncomiR in the development of NSCLC by promoting cell viability and motility. The inhibition of miR-20a could even become a novel therapeutic method for the treatment of NSCLC.

121 Background: Olanzapine is now widely used for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The recommended oral administration is 10 mg at bedtime. However, drowsiness is one of common side effects of olanzapine. Several modified administrations of olanzapine, such as dose reduction and early taken are being tried in clinical practice to avoid drowsiness. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 500 patients who used olanzapine for CINV from January 2018 to January 2019 in our department. Eligible criteria include patients who used the constant administration of olanzapine for at least four days to prevent acute and delayed CINV. Patients were grouped into three groups according to three different administrations of olanzapine as full dose (10mg), half dose (5 mg), and early taken (10 mg, six hours before bedtime). Eligible patients were randomly selected in each group as a ratio of 1:1:1. The frequency of CINV, the incidence of drowsiness and the duration of olanzapine administration were collected and compared. Results: There are 267 patients met the criteria and 48 patients in each group. The median frequency of CINV per day in all 144 patients was 3, 1, 1 on day 1 to 3 after chemotherapy respectively. The frequency of CINV was not different among three groups. The incidence of drowsiness was 38%, 20%, and 23% in full dose, half dose and early taken groups (P < 0.05). The median days of administration were 5, 10 and 6 days in full dose, half dose and early taken group, respectively. Conclusions: Modified administration of olanzapine, both by dose reduction and early taken, could have similar effect in preventing CINV but reduced the incidence of the side effect as drowsiness. Further study should be done to explore the proper administration of olanzapine in preventing CINV.