Scalable Design of Ru-Embedded Carbon Fabric Using Conventional Carbon Fiber Processing for Robust Electrocatalysts.

Metal-carbon composites are extensively utilized as electrochemical catalysts but face critical challenges in mass production and stability. We report a scalable manufacturing process for ruthenium surface-embedded fabric electrocatalysts (Ru-SFECs) via conventional fiber/fabric manufacturing. Ru-SFECs have excellent catalytic activity and stability toward the hydrogen evolution reaction, exhibiting a low overpotential of 11.9 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in an alkaline solution (1.0 M aq KOH solution) with only a slight overpotential increment (6.5%) after 10,000 cycles, whereas under identical conditions, that of commercial Pt/C increases 6-fold (from 1.3 to 7.8 mV). Using semipilot-scale equipment, a protocol is optimized for fabricating continuous self-supported electrocatalytic electrodes. Tailoring the fiber processing parameters (tension and temperature) can optimize the structural development, thereby achieving good catalytic performance and mechanical integrity. These findings underscore the significance of self-supporting catalysts, offering a general framework for stable, binder-free electrocatalytic electrode design.

Association between antibiotic use and subsequent risk of prostate cancer: A retrospective cohort study in South Korea.

OBJECTIVES: Several studies suggest that antibiotic use may affect overall cancer incidence, but the association between antibiotics and prostate cancer is still unclear. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the association between antibiotics and the risk of prostate cancer. METHODS: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database. 1 032 397 individuals were followed up from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2019. Multivariable Cox hazards regression was utilized to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of prostate cancer according to accumulative days of antibiotic use and the number of antibiotic classes used from 2002 to 2006. RESULTS: Individuals who used antibiotics for 180 or more days had a higher risk of prostate cancer (aHR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.11-1.91) than those who did not use antibiotics. Also, individuals who used four or more kinds of antibiotics had a higher risk of prostate cancer (aHR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07-1.30) than antibiotic non-users. An overall trend was observed among participants who underwent health examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that long-term use of antibiotics may affect prostate cancer incidence. Further studies are needed to improve understanding of the association between antibiotic use and prostate cancer incidence.

Symptoms and Conditions in Children and Adults up to 90 Days after SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Retrospective Observational Study Utilizing the Common Data Model.

Background/Objectives: There have been widespread reports of persistent symptoms in both children and adults after SARS-CoV-2 infection, giving rise to debates on whether it should be regarded as a separate clinical entity from other postviral syndromes. This study aimed to characterize the clinical presentation of post-acute symptoms and conditions in the Korean pediatric and adult populations. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using a national, population-based database, which was encoded using the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM). We compared individuals diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 to those diagnosed with influenza, focusing on the risk of developing prespecified symptoms and conditions commonly associated with the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. Results: Propensity score matching yielded 1,656 adult and 343 pediatric SARS-CoV-2 and influenza pairs. Ninety days after diagnosis, no symptoms were found to have elevated risk in either adults or children when compared with influenza controls. Conversely, at 1 day after diagnosis, adults with SARS-CoV-2 exhibited a significantly higher risk of developing abnormal liver function tests, cardiorespiratory symptoms, constipation, cough, thrombophlebitis/thromboembolism, and pneumonia. In contrast, children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 did not show an increased risk for any symptoms during either acute or post-acute phases. Conclusions: In the acute phase after infection, SARS-CoV-2 is associated with an elevated risk of certain symptoms in adults. The risk of developing post-acute COVID-19 sequelae is not significantly different from that of having postviral symptoms in children in both the acute and post-acute phases, and in adults in the post-acute phase. These observations warrant further validation through studies, including the severity of initial illness, vaccination status, and variant types.