Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by different molecular subgroups and clinical features. Therefore, it is important to uncover reliable molecular biomarkers for distinguishing different risk patient subgroup. Here, we conducted a multi-omics analysis to examine the joint predictive power of a multi-type RNA signature in the prognosis of HNSCC patients through integration analysis of mRNA, miRNA, and lncRNA expression profiles and clinical data in a large number of HNSCC patients. A multi-type RNA signature (15SigRS) was constructed which can classify patients into the high-risk group and low-risk group with the significantly different outcome [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.718, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.258-3.272, p < 0.001] in the discovery data set, and subsequently validated in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) testing data set (HR = 1.299, 95% CI, 1.170-1.442, p < 0.001) and another independent GSE65858 data set (HR = 1.077, 95% CI, 1.016-1.143, p = 0.013). Further multivariate Cox regression analysis and stratification analysis demonstrated the independence of predictive performance of the 15SigRS relative to conventional clinicopathological factors. Furthermore, the 15SigRS has a prior performance in prognostic prediction than other single RNA type-based signatures. Functional analysis suggested that the 15SigRS are involved in immune-or metabolism-related KEGG pathways. In summary, our study demonstrated the potential application of mixed RNA types as molecular markers for predicting the outcome of cancer patients.

The olfaction is related to flow in the olfactory cleft. However, There is a lack of studies on the relationship between flow characteristics of the olfactory cleft and olfactory function. In this study, the anatomical structure of the olfactory cleft was reconstructed in three dimensions using the raw data obtained from the CT scans of sinuses of 32 enrolled volunteers. The Sniffin’ Sticks test was used to examine the olfaction. We investigated the correlation between airflow parameters and olfactory function of the olfactory cleft in healthy adults by the computational fluid dynamics method. We found that three parameters, airflow, airflow velocity, and airflow ratio, were highly positively correlated with olfactory function. The mean pressure was not correlated with the olfactory function. Furthermore, there is the strongest correlation between air flow through the olfactory cleft and olfactory function. The correlation between the mean velocity in the anterior olfactory cleft region and olfaction was relatively poor, while the airflow velocity at the posterior olfactory cleft region was enhanced gradually. The correlation between the airflow ratio and olfaction was optimal in the initial position of superior turbinate. The flow parameters in the posterior olfactory cleft area were more stable.

Objective: Airflow in the olfactory fissure region is a necessary condition for olfaction. However, due to the complex anatomy of the olfactory fissure, it is difficult to characterize the airflow in this region. At present, there are few studies on the airflow characteristics of the olfactory fissure. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of objective indicators of airflow parameters in the olfactory fissure region, such as flow velocity, flow rate, pressure and flow ratio, from the perspective of biofluid mechanics. Methods: In this study, the anatomical structure of the olfactory fissure zone was reconstructed in three dimensions using raw data from 32 healthy adults and 64 sinus computed tomography scans. To study the characteristics of airflow parameter variations in the olfactory fissure region in healthy adults, 10 crosssectional sections were established in the olfactory fissure region using computational fluid dynamics after obtaining the airflow parameter values at different anatomical positions in the olfactory fissure region. Results: The average flow rate of the ten cross-sections in the olfactory fissure zone was 19.22 ± 9.74 mL/s, the average flow velocity was 0.51 ± 0.21 m/s, the average flow percentage was 5.45% ± 2.52%, and the average pressure was −13.35 ± 6.74 Pa. The percentile method was used to determine the range of reference values for P90: average flow rate of 0.02-35.87 mL/s, average flow velocity of 0.24-0.94 m/s, average flow percentage of 1.57%-9.93%, and average pressure of −30.4-4.42 Pa. Among the ten cross-sectional systems of the olfactory fissure, the median of Plane3N-Plane8N is more stable and representative. In the olfactory fissure system, the corresponding anatomical position of Plane3N-Plane8N was in the posterior region of the olfactory fissure, mainly at the junction of the anterior, middle 1/3 to the posterior middle turbinate, which was consistent with the main distribution area of the olfactory mucosa. Conclusion:This study shows that the application of computational fluid dynamic can rapidly achieve the characterization of airflow parameters in the olfactory fissure. The airflow through the olfactory fissure in healthy adults accounted for no more than 10% of the total flow volume of the nasal cavity. The airflow parameters in the anterior region of the olfactory fissure fluctuated significantly, while those flowing through the posterior region of the olfactory fissure were more stable. This could be due to the anterior section of the middle turbinate truncating the restriction of airflow into the olfactory fissure.