BRAF Mutations and Dysregulation of the MAP Kinase Pathway Associated to Sinonasal Mucosal Melanomas

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNM) is a rare and aggressive type of melanoma, and because of this, we currently have a limited understanding of its genetic and molecular constitution. The incidence among SNMs of somatic mutations in the genes involved in the main molecular pathways, which have been largely associated with cutaneous melanoma, is not yet fully understood. Through a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach using a panel of 25 genes involved in melanoma pathogenesis customized by our group, we performed a mutation analysis in a cohort of 25 SNM patients. Results showed that pathogenic mutations were found in more than 60% of SNM cases at a somatic level, with strikingly 32% of them carrying deleterious mutations in the BRAF gene. The identified mutations mostly lack the typical UV signature associated with cutaneous melanomas and showed no significant association with any histopathological parameter. Oncogenic activation of the BRAF-depending pathway, which may induce immune tolerance into the tumour microenvironment (i.e., by increasing the VEGF production) was poorly associated with mutations in genes that have been related to diminished clinical benefit of the treatment with BRAF inhibitors. Screening for mutations in BRAF and other MAPK genes should be included in the routine diagnostic test for a better classification of SNM patients.

An Experimental Investigation on Thermal Conductivity of Lightweight Foamcrete for Thermal Insulation

Presently, the construction industry has shown considerable consciousness in utilizing lightweight foamcrete as a building material. The demand of lightweight foamcrete is becoming higher now where this material has increased many folds in recent years due to its intrinsic economies and advantages over conventional concrete in a range of structural and semi-structural applications. The major specialties of lightweight foamcrete are its excellent thermal conductivity, low self-weight, high impact resistance and good freeze thaw resistance. The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the thermal conductivity property of lightweight foamcrete with various densities. The main parameters that will be considered are density of lightweight foamcrete, the void size and porosity. The lightweight foamcrete samples are made with constant water-cement ratio of 0.5 and cement-sand ratio of 2:1. According to experimental results, lower densities lightweight foamcrete transforms to lower thermal conductivity values. Meanwhile, the density of lightweight foamcrete is controlled by the porosity where lower densities indicate larger porosity values. For this reason, thermal conductivity of lightweight foamcrete changes significantly with the porosity because air is the poorest conductor in comparison to solid and liquid owing its molecular constitution. The measured values of thermal conductivity should provide a useful database for evaluating the thermal performance of lightweight foamcrete structures.

The Effects of Organic Solvents on Catalytic Behavior of Immobilized Hemoglobin Nanocomposites: Functional Groups and Molecular Constitution

The use of organic solvents as reaction media for enzymatic reactions provides numerous industrially attractive advantages compared to traditional aqueous reaction systems. Hemoglobin (Hb) intercalated magadiite nano-composites was successfully prepared by exfoliation-reassembly method at room temperature and pH=7, and was used to catalyze the oxidation of o-phenylenediamine in organic solvents. Catalytic activity of immobilized Hb in organic solvents with different hydrophobicity and different functional groups were investigated detailedly. The results showed that functional groups and molecular constitution of the organic solvents were both important factors to determine catalytic activity of immobilized Hb in organic media except hydrophobicity of organic solvents.