Dysregulation of Type I Interferon (IFN-I) Signaling: A Potential Contributor to Racial Disparity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

African-American (AA)/Black hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have increased incidence and decreased survival rates compared to non-Hispanic (White) patients, the underlying molecular mechanism of which is not clear. Analysis of existing RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and in-house RNA-sequencing of 14 White and 18 AA/Black HCC patients revealed statistically significant activation of type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway in AA/Black patients. A four-gene signature of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) showed increased expression in AA/Black HCC tumors versus White. HCC is a disease of chronic inflammation, and IFN-Is function as pro-inflammatory cytokines. We tested efficacy of ginger extract (GE), a dietary compound known for anti-inflammatory properties, on HCC cell lines derived from White (HepG2), AA/Black (Hep3B and O/20) and Asian (HuH-7) patients. GE exhibited a significantly lower IC50 on Hep3B and O/20 cells than on HepG2 and HuH-7 cells. The GE treatment inhibited the activation of downstream mediators of IFN-I signaling pathways and expression of ISGs in all four HCC cells. Our data suggest that ginger can potentially attenuate IFN-I-mediated signaling pathways in HCC, and cells from AA/Black HCC patients may be more sensitive to ginger. AA/Black HCC patients might benefit from a holistic diet containing ginger.

Extensive chemical and bioassay analysis of polycyclic aromatic compounds in a creosote-contaminated superfund soil following steam enhanced extraction.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) are organic compounds commonly found in contaminated soil. Previous studies have shown the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in creosote-contaminated soils during steam enhanced extraction (SEE). However, less is known about the removal of alkyl-PAHs and heterocyclic compounds, such as azaarenes, and oxygen- and sulfur-heterocyclic PACs (OPACs and PASHs, respectively). Further, the impact of SEE on the freely dissolved concentration of PACs in soil as well as the soil bioactivity pre- and post-SEE have yet to be addressed. To fulfil these research gaps, chemical and bioanalytical analysis of a creosote-contaminated soil, collected from a U.S. Superfund site, pre- and post-SEE were performed. The decrease of 64 PACs (5-100%) and increase in the concentrations of nine oxygenated-PAHs (OPAHs) (150%) during SEE, some of which are known to be toxic and can potentially contaminate ground water, were observed. The freely dissolved concentrations of PACs in soil were assessed using polyoxymethylene (POM) strips and the concentrations of 66 PACs decreased post-SEE (1-100%). Three in vitro reporter gene bioassays (DR-CALUX®, ERα-CALUX® and anti-AR CALUX®) were used to measure soil bioactivities pre- and post-SEE and all reporter gene bioassays measured soil bioactivity decreases post-SEE. Mass defect suspect screening tentatively identified 27 unique isomers of azaarenes and OPAC in the soil. As a remediation technique, SEE was found to remove alkyl-PAHs and heterocyclic PACs, reduce the concentrations of freely dissolved PACs, and decrease soil bioactivities.

Clinic factors associated with utilization of a pregnancy-intention screening tool in community health centers.

OBJECTIVE: Routine pregnancy-intention screening in the primary care setting is a promising practice to help patients achieve their reproductive goals. We aim to describe the utilization of a pregnancy-intention screening tool integrated in the electronic health record (EHR) of a national network of community health centers (CHCs) and identify clinic-level factors associated with tool use. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a clinic-level retrospective observational study to assess tool utilization during the first 3 years after the tool was made available in the EHR (November 2015 to October 2018). We describe characteristics of clinics with higher tool utilization (≥90th percentile) versus lower utilization (<90th percentile) and the types of providers who used the tool. We then employ negative binomial regression to identify independent clinic-level factors associated with tool utilization. RESULTS: Across 194 clinics in our study sample which served 289,754 eligible female patients, the tool was used for 113,116 (39%). Medical assistants performed 60.3% of screenings and clinicians performed 11.2%. CHCs with higher tool utilization rates were more likely to be located in rural settings (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.07-2.87) and serve patient populations with higher proportions of women (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.24-1.41) and lower proportions of patients with non-English language preference (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: Many health centers utilized pregnancy-intention screening after an EHR-based tool was made available, though overall screening rates were low. IMPLICATIONS: Additional study of implementation strategies and effectiveness of pregnancy-intention screening tools is needed. Implementation of future pregnancy-intention screening interventions must be tailored to address clinic-level barriers and facilitators to screening.

Rare-Earth Elements as Natural Tracers for In Situ Remediation of Groundwater.

The utility of rare-earth elements (REEs) as natural geochemical tracers for the analysis of groundwater remediation was examined in several example permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). The PRBs utilize zero-valent iron and organic carbon plus limestone mixtures for contaminant treatment. Zero-valent iron removed REEs from groundwater to below detection levels (2-4 ng/L) and subsequent rebound of REE concentrations in regions down-gradient of the treatment zones was not observed. In addition, REE concentrations within and down-gradient of an organic carbon/limestone PRB were significantly reduced to <1% of influent levels. Thus, REEs are sensitive tracers for evaluating the interaction of groundwater with materials placed in the subsurface for contaminant remediation. Analysis of geochemical tracers for understanding in situ remediation becomes important in situations where down-gradient contaminant concentrations fail to decrease within expected timeframes. The field data indicated that increased solid-phase partitioning of REEs occurred with increasing pH and heavy REEs were preferentially removed compared to light REEs in ZVI systems. In the organic carbon PRB, unexpected negative europium anomalies were observed, revealing new information about redox conditions within the treatment zone. REE concentrations and shale-normalized profiles can be used as natural tracers to better understand in situ technologies for groundwater remediation.

Formation of PAH Derivatives and Increased Developmental Toxicity during Steam Enhanced Extraction Remediation of Creosote Contaminated Superfund Soil.

Steam enhanced extraction (SEE) is an in situ thermal remediation technique used to remove and recover polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soils. However, limited studies have been conducted on the formation of PAH derivatives during and after SEE of PAH contaminated soils. Creosote contaminated soil samples collected from the Wyckoff-Eagle Harbor Superfund site were remediated with laboratory scale SEE. The samples were quantified for unsubstituted PAHs and their derivatives and assessed for developmental toxicity, pre- and post-SEE. Following SEE, unsubstituted PAH concentrations decreased, while oxygenated PAH concentrations increased in soil and aqueous extracts. Differences in developmental toxicity were also measured and linked to the formation of PAH derivatives. Additive toxicity was measured when comparing unfractionated extracts to fractionated extracts in pre- and post-SEE samples. SEE is effective in removing unsubstituted PAHs from contaminated soil, but other, potentially more toxic, PAH derivatives are formed.

The effect of display timing on change blindness in pigeons (Columba livia).

Change blindness is a phenomenon in which even obvious changes in a visual scene may go unnoticed. Recent research has indicated that this phenomenon may not be exclusive to humans. Two experiments investigated change blindness in pigeons, using a variant of the widely-used flicker task to investigate the influence of display timing on change blindness. Results indicate that the duration of time during which a stimulus display is visible influences change detection accuracy, with the effect due to additional search time. The results are discussed in relation to the value of comparative cognition and cross-species investigations of behavior.

Hydraulic characterization for steam enhanced remediation conducted in fractured rock.

To explore the viability of Steam Enhanced Remediation (SER) in fractured rock a small-scale steam injection and water/vapour extraction pilot study was conducted at the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine, USA. A detailed well testing program was undertaken to assist in the design of the injection and extraction well array, and to assess the possibility of off-site heat and contaminant migration. A structurally complex limestone having low matrix porosity and a sparse distribution of fractures underlies the study site. To characterize the groundwater and steam flow pathways, single-well slug tests and more than 100 pulse interference tests were conducted. The results of the well testing indicate that the study site is dominated by steeply dipping bedding plane fractures that are interconnected only between some wells in the injection/extraction array. The SER system was designed to take advantage of interconnected fractures located at depth in the eastern end of the site. An array of 29 wells located in an area of 60 by 40 m was used for steam injection and water/vapour extraction. The migration of heat was monitored in several wells using thermistor arrays having a 1.5 m vertical spacing. Temperature measurements obtained during and after the 3 month steam injection period showed that heat migration generally occurred along those fracture features identified by the pulse interference testing. Based on these results, it is concluded that the pulse interference tests were valuable in assisting with the design of the injection/extraction well geometry and in predicting the migration pathways of the hot water associated with the steam injection. The pulse interference test method should also prove useful in support of any other remedial method dependant on the fracture network for delivery of remedial fluid or extraction of contaminants.

Abiotic degradation of trichloroethylene under thermal remediation conditions.

The degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) to carbon dioxide (CO2) and chloride (Cl-) has been reported to occur during thermal remediation of subsurface environments. The effects of solid-phase composition and oxygen content on the chemical reactivity of TCE were evaluated in sealed ampules that were incubated at 22 and 120 degrees C for periods ranging from 4 to 40 days. For all treatments, no more than 15% of the initial amount of TCE was degraded, resulting in the formation of several non-chlorinated products including Cl-, CO2, carbon monoxide, glycolate, and formate. First-order rate coefficients for TCE disappearance ranged from 1.2 to 6.2 x 10(-3) day(-1) at 120 degrees C and were not dependent upon oxygen content orthe presence of Ottawa sand. However, the rate of TCE disappearance at 120 degrees C increased by more than 1 order-of-magnitude (1.6 to 5.3 x 10(-2) day(-1)), corresponding to a half-life of 13-44 days in ampules containing 1% (wt) goethite and Ottawa sand. These results indicate that the rate of TCE degradation in heated, three-phase systems is relatively insensitive to oxygen content, but may increase substantially in the presence of iron bearing minerals.