AIM:To investigate the clinicopathological significance of the protein expression of phosphorylated ezrin at threonine 567 ( pEZRThr567 ) in lung squamous cell carcinoma, adjacent tissues and normal tissues.METHODS:pEZRThr567 protein was detected in lung squamous carcinoma, adjacent and normal tissues by the method of immunohisto-chemistry.The correlation of pEZRThr567 expression with clinicopathological parameters of lung squamous carcinomas was al-so analyzed.The localization of pEZRThr567 was detected by immunofluorescence staining in lung squamous cell line EBC-1. RESULTS:The protein expression of pEZRThr567 in lung squamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that in the adja-cent and normal lung tissues (P<0.01).pEZRThr567 mainly localized on the cell membrane, and its over-expression signi-ficantly correlated with the differentiation, clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in lung squamous carcinoma.CON-CLUSION:pEZRThr567 may be an effective biomarker for prediction of malignant potential and poor prognosis of lung cancer.

Background Subways are typical congregate settings and may facilitate aerosol transmission of viruses. However, quantified transmission probability estimates are lacking. Purpose To model spread and diffusion of respiratory aerosols in subways by simulation and calculation of infection probabilities. Methods The internal environment of carriages of Shanghai Metro Line 10 was used to establish a study scene. The movement of tiny particles was simulated using the turbulent model. Trend analysis of infection probabilities and viral quantum doses was conducted in a closed subway carriage scene by a quantum emission-infection probability model. Results Under a typical twelve-vent air conditioning configuration, respiratory droplet aerosols within a subway carriage dispersed rapidly throughout various regions due to airflow, with limited short-term diffusion to other carriages. Concurrently, owing to the uncertainty of airflow patterns, the airflow might circulate and converge within carriages, causing delayed outward dispersion or hindered dispersion of droplet aerosols upon entry into these zones. Passengers boarding the carriage could exacerbate the formation of these zones. When the air conditioning system functioned adequately (air exchange rate=23.21 h⁻¹), the probability of a virus carrier transmitting the virus to other passengers within the same carriage via aerosol transmission was approximately 3.8%. However, in the event of air conditioning system failure (air exchange rate=0.5 h⁻¹), this probability escalated dramatically to 30%. Furthermore, a super-spreader (with virus spreading exceeding 90% of the average) elevated the infection probability to 14.9%. Additionally, due to the complexity of turbulence within the carriage, if local diffusion occurred in 1/2 zones of a carriage, the anticipated infection probability would increase to 8.9%, or during the morning or evening rush hours leading to elevated aerosol concentrations, the infection probability would rise to 4.7%. The subway transmission probability for common coronaviruses diminished to as low as 0.9%. Conclusion Combined computational fluid dynamics and infection probability analysis reveals that in the prevalent twelve-vent air conditioning configurations, despite being a major transportation hub with substantial spatial-temporal overlap, the internal space of subway carriages exhibits a certain level of resistance to virus aerosol transmission owing to built-in ventilation capabilities. However, turbulence and passenger positioning may lead to localized hovering of droplet aerosols, thereby increase the risk of virus transmission. Furthermore, super-spreaders, poor operational status of built-in air conditioning system, and high passenger volume at morning or evening peak hours exert profound effects on virus transmission and infection probability.