Summary Background Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy has evolved such that the risk for late effects in ALL survivors treated on contemporary protocols is likely different from that observed in survivors treated in prior eras. We estimated the risk for late effects in children with standard-risk ALL treated in the current era using data from similarly treated members of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) cohort. Methods The CCSS is a multi-centre North American study of five-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed between 1970 and1986. Cohort members were eligible for this analysis if they were aged 1·0–9·9 years at the time of ALL diagnosis and received therapy consistent with contemporary standard-risk ALL protocols. Outcomes were compared to a sibling cohort (n=2788) and the general United States population. Findings 556/5980 cohort members treated for ALL met the inclusion criteria. After a median follow up of 18·4 years (range 0·0–33·0) from cohort entry, 28/556 (5%) had died (standardized mortality ratio, 3·5; 95% CI, 2·3–5·0). Sixteen deaths were due to causes other than ALL recurrence. Among 556 survivors, six (1%) developed a subsequent malignant neoplasm (standardized incidence ratio, 2·6; 95% CI, 1·0–5·7). 107 subjects in each group would need to be followed for one year in order to observe one extra chronic health condition in the ALL group compared to the sibling group (95% CI, 81–193). 415 subjects in each group would need to be followed for one year to observe one extra severe, life-threatening or fatal condition in the ALL group (95% CI, 376–939) Survivors did not differ from siblings in their educational attainment, rate of marriage or independent living. Interpretation Overall, the expected prevalence of adverse long-term outcomes among children treated for standard risk ALL on contemporary protocols is low, but regular care from a knowledgeable primary care practitioner is warranted. Funding National Cancer Institute, Cancer Center Support, American Lebanese-Syrian Associated Charities, Cancer Research Switzerland.

We report the magnesiation of aryl fluorides catalyzed by an Al−Rh heterobimetallic complex. We show that the complex is highly reactive to cleave the C−F bonds across the polarized Al−Rh bond under mild conditions. The reaction allows the use of an easy-to-handle magnesium powder to generate a range of arylmagnesium reagents from aryl fluorides, which are conventionally inert to such metalation compared with other aryl halides.

Escherichia coli has been proposed to have two habitats—the intestines of mammals/birds and the nonhost environment. Our goal was to assess whether certain strains of E. coli have evolved toward adaptation and survival in wastewater. Raw sewage samples from different treatment plants were subjected to chlorine stress, and ∼59% of the surviving E. coli strains were found to contain a genetic insertion element (IS30) located within the uspC-flhDC intergenic region. The positional location of the IS30 element was not observed across a library of 845 E. coli isolates collected from various animal hosts or within GenBank or whole-genome reference databases for human and animal E. coli isolates (n = 1,177). Phylogenetics clustered the IS30 element-containing wastewater E. coli isolates into a distinct clade, and biomarker analysis revealed that these wastewater isolates contained a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) biomarker pattern that was specific for wastewater. These isolates belonged to phylogroup A, possessed generalized stress response (RpoS) activity, and carried the locus of heat resistance, features likely relevant to nonhost environmental survival. Isolates were screened for 28 virulence genes but carried only the fimH marker. Our data suggest that wastewater contains a naturalized resident population of E. coli. We developed an endpoint PCR targeting the IS30 element within the uspC-flhDC intergenic region, and all raw sewage samples (n = 21) were positive for this marker. Conversely, the prevalence of this marker in E. coli-positive surface and groundwater samples was low (≤5%). This simple PCR assay may represent a convenient microbial source-tracking tool for identification of water samples affected by municipal wastewater.IMPORTANCE The results of this study demonstrate that some strains of E. coli appear to have evolved to become naturalized populations in the wastewater environment and possess a number of stress-related genetic elements likely important for survival in this nonhost environment. The presence of non-host-adapted strains in wastewater challenges our understanding of using E. coli as a microbial indicator of wastewater treatment performance, suggesting that the E. coli strains present in human and animal feces may be very different from those found in treated wastewater.

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Many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as powerful regulators of lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). However, the role of HOXA-AS3, a novel lncRNA, in LAD is largely unknown. In this study, we showed that HOXA-AS3 was significantly upregulated in LAD tissues and A549 cells. After knockdown of HOXA-AS3, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were inhibited. Xenografts derived from A549 cells transfected with shRNA/HOXA-AS3 had significantly lower tumor weights and smaller tumor volumes. We also demonstrated that HOXA-AS3 increased HOXA6 mRNA stability by forming an RNA duplex. In addition, HOXA6 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Using a RNA pull-down assay, we found that HOXA-AS3 bonded with NF110, which regulated the cell localization of HOXA-AS3. Moreover, histone acetylation was involved in upregulation of HOXA-AS3. These results demonstrate that HOXA-AS3 was activated in LAD and supported cancer cell progression. Therefore, inhibition of HOXA-AS3 could be an effective targeted therapy for patients with LAD.