Spatial Characteristics Analysis for Coupling Strength among Air Pollutants during a Severe Haze Period in Zhengzhou, China.

This paper investigates the multifractal characteristics of six air pollutants using the coupling detrended fluctuation analysis method. The results show that coupling correlations exist among the air pollutants and have multifractal characteristics. The sources of multifractality are identified using the chi square test. The coupling strengths between different pollutants are quantified. In addition, the coupling contribution of a series in the haze system is calculated, and SO2, as the main pollutant, plays a key role in the pollution system. Moreover, the Kriging interpolation method is used to analyze the spatial characteristic on coupling contribution of SO2. The spatial analysis of coupling strength for air pollutants will provide an effective approach for pollution control.

S100A8/A9 is associated with estrogen receptor loss in breast cancer.

S100A8 and S100A9 are calcium-binding proteins that are secreted primarily by granulocytes and monocytes, and are upregulated during the inflammatory response. S100A8 and S100A9 have been identified to be expressed by epithelial cells involved in malignancy. In the present study, the transcriptional levels of S100A8 and S100A9 were investigated in various subtypes of breast cancer (BC), and the correlation with estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) gene expression was evaluated using microarray datasets. The expression of S100A8 and S100A9 in BC cells was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The regulation of ESR1 and GATA3 by administration of recombinant S100A8/A9 was examined in the BC MCF-7 cell line using quantitative (q)PCR. The association between S100A8 and S100A9 and overall survival (OS) was investigated in GeneChip® data of BC. The expression levels of S100A8 and S100A9 were higher in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2)-amplified and basal-like BC. The messenger (m)RNA levels of S100A8 and S100A9 were inversely correlated with ESR1 and GATA3 expression. S100A8/A9 induced a 10-fold decrease in the mRNA levels of ESR1 in MCF-7 cells. Poor OS was associated with high expression levels of S100A9, but not with high expression levels of S100A8 in BC. In conclusion, strong expression and secretion of S100A8/A9 may be associated with the loss of estrogen receptor in BC, and may be involved in the poor prognosis of Her2+/basal-like subtypes of BC.