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In this paper, the CO2 (carbon dioxide) exhaled by indoor occupants was used as the tracer gas, and the variation of indoor CO2 concentration in the whole day was observed. Among the 454 samples, 114 and 345 valid samples were screened out which can be used to calculate the daytime and night ventilation rate by the tracer gas method through the sectioning method. The results indicated that seasonal differences in daytime average ventilation are greater than night average ventilation. The highest daytime- average ventilation was found in autumn, next was summer, there was the lowest ventilation in winter. According to the necessary fresh air rate when sleeping at night, night average ventilation rate of 30.1% of samples met the standard. The ventilation rates of different building characteristics were analyzed, residential location, construction age, living floor, room size, window structure, indoor dampness, and window opening habits were all included. The results revealed that the window opening habits was the most significant factor for natural ventilation. Both daytime and night average ventilation rate are basically in the ratio of 2:1 when the windows are opened and closed. moreover, there was higher impact of outdoor climate on daytime average ventilation when window was closed. Significant impact of window structure and indoor dampness on night average ventilation was observed when window was opened. Present study proposed the measurement and determination methods of ventilation when daytime activities of occupants were happened

The thermal environment of large space building with stratified air distribution is characterized by its obvious gradient of vertical temperature, and the stratified air conditioning load (SACL) is closely related to the thermal environment. The Block-Gebhart (B-G) model in summer is established for an actual large space building which has two stratified air distribution (STRAD) systems. One system is the air supply nozzles (ASN) arranged at middle sidewall, the other is the half-cylinder diffusers (HCD) arranged at low sidewall. In order to quickly calculate the air temperature of unoccupied zone (ATUZ), two regression equations for the air temperature gradient under the conditions of two STRAD systems were proposed. Considering six factors, the B-G model was used to calculate 648 cases and the two equations were obtained by multiple regression analysis. Through the field measurement in summer, in three cases of ASN system, the mean absolute error (MAE) between predicted and experimental values of ATUZ was 1.4°C, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 4.5%; in three cases of HCD system, the MAE was 1.0°C and the MAPE was 3.0%. The results of this study establish the foundation for the calculation of SACL.

The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is ubiquitous in the environment and considered as carcinogen; however, the carcinogenic risk of human exposure to DEHP in the air via inhalation is lacking. A probabilistic incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) model was implemented to quantitatively estimate the potential cancer risk of DEHP via human inhalation by using Monte Carlo simulation. We assessed the cancer risk in different age groups (children, adolescents, and adults) exposed to different DEHP concentrations (background low, indoor moderate, and occupational high) for different durations (2, 8, and 20 years). Results showed that the cancer risk of exposure to DEHP was below the acceptable limit (10) in the ambient air but was serious in indoor and occupational environments even at short exposure duration (2 years). The cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation in children was lower than that in adolescents and adults, but the risk in children via dermal and oral exposure to indoor dust and soft PVC toys should be considered. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the exposure concentration of DEHP was the strongest factor that influenced ILCR. Our work provides the evidence of cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation and highlights the risk in indoor and occupational environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that have been identified as key endogenous biomolecules that are able to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. The abnormal expression or function of miRNAs has been demonstrated to be closely related to the occurrence or development of various human diseases, including cancers. Regulation of these abnormal miRNAs thus holds great promise for therapeutic treatments. In this review, we summarize exogenous molecules that are able to regulate endogenous miRNAs, including small molecule regulators of miRNAs and synthetic oligonucleotides. Strategies for screening small molecule regulators of miRNAs and recently reported small molecules are introduced and summarized. Synthetic oligonucleotides including antisense miRNA oligonucleotides and miRNA mimics, as well as delivery systems for these synthetic oligonucleotides to enter cells, that regulate endogenous miRNAs are also summarized. In addition, we discuss recent applications of these small molecules and synthetic oligonucleotides in therapeutic treatments. Overall, this review aims to provide a brief synopsis of recent achievements of using both small molecule regulators and synthetic oligonucleotides to regulate endogenous miRNAs and achieve therapeutic outcomes. We envision that these regulators of endogenous miRNAs will ultimately contribute to the development of new therapies in the future.

The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is ubiquitous in the environment and considered as carcinogen; however, the carcinogenic risk of human exposure to DEHP in the air via inhalation is lacking. A probabilistic incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) model was implemented to quantitatively estimate the potential cancer risk of DEHP via human inhalation by using Monte Carlo simulation. We assessed the cancer risk in different age groups (children, adolescents, and adults) exposed to different DEHP concentrations (background low, indoor moderate, and occupational high) for different durations (2, 8, and 20 years). Results showed that the cancer risk of exposure to DEHP was below the acceptable limit (10 -6 ) in the ambient air but was serious in indoor and occupational environments even at short exposure duration (2 years). The cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation in children was lower than that in adolescents and adults, but the risk in children via dermal and oral exposure to indoor dust and soft PVC toys should be considered. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the exposure concentration of DEHP was the strongest factor that influenced ILCR. Our work provides the evidence of cancer risk of DEHP via inhalation and highlights the risk in indoor and occupational environments.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to serve a critical role in cancer development and progression. The aim of this study was to elucidate clinical significance of lncRNA MALAT1 expression in breast cancer (BC). A total of 78 BC patients treated with radical resection were enrolled in this study. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect MALAT1 expression in tissues and serum samples. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was constructed to describe diagnostic specificity and sensitivity. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference was used to knockdown MALAT1 in the MDA-MB-231 cell line, and then cell proliferation and invasion were explored. Results showed that MALAT1 expression was significantly up-regulated in 85.9% (67/78) of cancerous tissues compared with normal counterparts (P<0.01). Further, an elevated MALAT1 expression in BC tissue was significantly associated with lymph metastasis (P=0.037) and adverse 5-year disease-free survival (mean 48.5 months vs 62.7 months, P=0.012). Suppression of lncRNA MALAT1 significantly inhibited BC cells proliferation, migration and invasion, induced apoptosis and cell cycle G1 arrest. In addition, serum MALAT1 levels in BC patients were much higher than levels in patients with benign breast disease (P<0.001), its diagnostic efficacy was satisfactory, area under the curve (AUC) was 0.833. In conclusion, MALAT1 upregulation plays an important rolein BC development, and serum MALAT1 level may be a potential tumor marker for BC diagnosis., (© 2016 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Call me Michaelase: The enzyme 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4-OT) promiscuously catalyzes the Michael-type addition of acetaldehyde to a collection of aromatic and aliphatic nitroolefins with high stereoselectivity producing precursors of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogues., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)