Fluoxetine and Sertraline Inhibit Height Growth and Growth Hormone Signaling During Puberty.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of fluoxetine and sertraline on height growth and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) during puberty. METHODS: In this 6-month cohort study, electronic medical records were used to identify 8- to 15-year-old participants, within 1 month of starting fluoxetine (n = 39) or sertraline (n = 27), and sexual maturation stages 2 to 4 were confirmed. Conditions that interfere with height growth led to exclusion. Participants underwent anthropometric assessments and phlebotomy. Healthy, unmedicated children (n = 36) also provided anthropometric data. RESULTS: After the baseline height Z-score, sex, Tanner stage, daily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) dose, and time were accounted for, the interaction effect of dose by time was inversely associated with height Z-score in SSRI-treated participants (ß = -0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.35, -0.02). Sertraline and fluoxetine did not differ in their effect on height growth. Compared with being unmedicated, SSRI treatment was associated with a smaller growth in height (time × dose 2-way interaction effect ß = -1.30; 95% CI: -2.52, -0.09). The interaction effect of dose by time was significant for body mass index Z-score (ß = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.64) but not weight Z-score (ß = 0.24; 95% CI: -0.01, 0.49). Body mass index Z-score increased more with sertraline compared with fluoxetine (time × dose × SSRI type 3-way interaction effect P < 0.05). SSRI dose was inversely associated with IGF-1 (ß = -63.5; 95% CI: -112.2, -14.7) but not insulin growth factor binding protein-3 concentration (ß = -207.3; 95% CI: -536.2, 121.5). CONCLUSIONS: Fluoxetine and sertraline reduce height gain and IGF-1 concentration, in a dose-dependent manner. Longer-term studies are necessary.

The LEAP2 response to cancer-related anorexia-cachexia syndrome in male mice and patients.

The hormone ghrelin serves a protective role in cancer-related anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) - a condition in which plasma levels of ghrelin rise, its administration lessens CACS severity, and experimentally-reduced signaling by its receptor (GHSR) worsens fat loss and anorexia and accelerates death. Yet, actions for the related hormone liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2), which is an endogenous GHSR antagonist, are unexplored in CACS. Here, we found that plasma LEAP2 and LEAP2/ghrelin ratio were lower in Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) and RM-9 prostate cancer CACS mouse models. Ghrelin deletion exaggerated losses of tumor-free body weight and fat mass, reduced food intake, reduced soleus muscle weight, and/or lowered grip strength in LLC or RM-9 tumor-bearing mice. LEAP2 deletion lessened reductions in tumor-free body weight and fat mass and increased food intake in LLC or RM-9 tumor-bearing mice. In a 55-subject cohort of patients with CACS or weight-stable cancer, the plasma LEAP2/total ghrelin ratio was negatively correlated with 6-month weight change preceding blood collection. These data demonstrate that ghrelin deletion exacerbates CACS in the LLC and RM-9 tumor-bearing mouse models while contrastingly, LEAP2 deletion reduces measures of CACS in these tumor-bearing mouse models. Further, they suggest that lower plasma LEAP2/ghrelin ratio protects against worsened CACS.

Mouse sarcopenia model reveals sex- and age-specific differences in phenotypic and molecular characteristics.

Our study was to characterize sarcopenia in C57BL/6J mice using a clinically relevant definition to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Aged male (23-32 months old) and female (27-28 months old) C57BL/6J mice were classified as non-, probable-, or sarcopenic based on assessments of grip strength, muscle mass, and treadmill running time, using 2 SDs below the mean of their young counterparts as cutoff points. A 9%-22% prevalence of sarcopenia was identified in 23-26 month-old male mice, with more severe age-related declines in muscle function than mass. Females aged 27-28 months showed fewer sarcopenic but more probable cases compared with the males. As sarcopenia progressed, a decrease in muscle contractility and a trend toward lower type IIB fiber size were observed in males. Mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative capacity, and AMPK-autophagy signaling decreased as sarcopenia progressed in males, with pathways linked to mitochondrial metabolism positively correlated with muscle mass. No age- or sarcopenia-related changes were observed in mitochondrial biogenesis, OXPHOS complexes, AMPK signaling, mitophagy, or atrogenes in females. Our results highlight the different trajectories of age-related declines in muscle mass and function, providing insights into sex-dependent molecular changes associated with sarcopenia progression, which may inform the future development of novel therapeutic interventions.

Functional states of prelimbic and related circuits during the acquisition of a GO/noGO task in rats.

GO/noGO tasks enable assessing decision-making processes and the ability to suppress a specific action according to the context. Here, rats had to discriminate between 2 visual stimuli (GO or noGO) shown on an iPad screen. The execution (for GO) or nonexecution (for noGO) of the selected action (to touch or not the visual display) were reinforced with food. The main goal was to record and to analyze local field potentials collected from cortical and subcortical structures when the visual stimuli were shown on the touch screen and during the subsequent activities. Rats were implanted with recording electrodes in the prelimbic cortex, primary motor cortex, nucleus accumbens septi, basolateral amygdala, dorsolateral and dorsomedial striatum, hippocampal CA1, and mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. Spectral analyses of the collected data demonstrate that the prelimbic cortex was selectively involved in the cognitive and motivational processing of the learning task but not in the execution of reward-directed behaviors. In addition, the other recorded structures presented specific tendencies to be involved in these 2 types of brain activity in response to the presentation of GO or noGO stimuli. Spectral analyses, spectrograms, and coherence between the recorded brain areas indicate their specific involvement in GO vs. noGO tasks.

Adding metabolic tasks to human GEM models to improve the study of gene targets and their associated toxicities.

Genetic minimal cut sets (gMCS) are genes that must be deactivated simultaneously to avoid unwanted states in a metabolic model. The concept of gMCS can be applied to two different scenarios. First, it can be used to identify potential gene toxicities in generic or healthy cell models. Second, it can be used to develop genetic strategies to target cancer cells and prevent their proliferation. Up to now, gMCS have been evaluated using the traditional procedure of preventing biomass production. This paper proposes an additional way: using essential metabolic tasks, which any human cell should perform, to enlarge the set of unwanted states. Including this addition can significantly improve the study of toxicities and reveal targets that can be used to treat unhealthy cells. Excluding metabolic tasks can cause important information to be overlooked, which could impact the study's success. Regarding toxicities, using the generic Human model, the number of detected generic toxicities with metabolic tasks increases from 106 to 281 (136 gMCSs of length 1 and 49 of length 2). We have used the following context-specific models to evaluate specific toxicities in different healthy tissues: blood, pancreas, liver, heart, and kidney. Again, considering metabolic tasks, we have found new toxicities (lengths 1 and 2) whose inactivation could damage these healthy tissues.Our research strategy has been applied to identify new cancer drug targets in two myeloma cell lines. We obtained new therapeutic targets of lengths 1 and 2 for each cell line. After analyzing the data, we conclude that incorporating metabolic tasks into cancer models can reveal important therapeutic targets previously disregarded by the conventional method of inhibiting biomass production. This approach also improves the evaluation of potential drug toxicities.

Sensory Polymers: Trends, Challenges, and Prospects Ahead.

In recent years, sensory polymers have evolved significantly, emerging as versatile and cost-effective materials valued for their flexibility and lightweight nature. These polymers have transformed into sophisticated, active systems capable of precise detection and interaction, driving innovation across various domains, including smart materials, biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and industrial safety. Their unique responsiveness to specific stimuli has sparked considerable interest and exploration in numerous applications. However, along with these advancements, notable challenges need to be addressed. Issues such as wearable technology integration, biocompatibility, selectivity and sensitivity enhancement, stability and reliability improvement, signal processing optimization, IoT integration, and data analysis pose significant hurdles. When considered collectively, these challenges present formidable barriers to the commercial viability of sensory polymer-based technologies. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach encompassing technological innovation, regulatory compliance, market analysis, and commercialization strategies. Successfully navigating these complexities is essential for unlocking the full potential of sensory polymers and ensuring their widespread adoption and impact across industries, while also providing guidance to the scientific community to focus their research on the challenges of polymeric sensors and to understand the future prospects where research efforts need to be directed.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for physical function maintenance during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Study protocol.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a common life-saving treatment for hematologic malignancies, though can lead to long-term functional impairment, fatigue, muscle atrophy, with decreased quality of life. Although traditional exercise has helped reduce these effects, it is inconsistently recommended and infrequently maintained, and most patients remain sedentary during and after treatment. There is need for alternative rehabilitation strategies, like neuromuscular electrical stimulation, that may be more amenable to the capabilities of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Patients receiving autologous HCT are being enroled in a randomized controlled trial with 1:1 (neuromuscular electrical stimulation:sham) design stratified by diagnosis and sex. Physical function, body composition, quality of life, and fatigue are assessed prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant (prior to initiating preparatory treatment) and 24±5 days post hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Follow-up 1); physical function and quality of life are also assessed 6-months post hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Follow-up 2). The primary outcome is between-group difference in the 6-minute walk test change scores (Follow-up 1-Pre-transplant; final enrolment goal N = 23/group). We hypothesize that 1) neuromuscular electrical stimulation will attenuate hematopoietic stem cell transplant-induced adverse effects on physical function, muscle mass, quality of life, and fatigue compared to sham at Follow-up 1, and 2) Pre-transplant physical function will significantly predict fatigue and quality of life at Follow-up 2. We will also describe feasibility and acceptability of neuromuscular electrical stimulation during hematopoietic stem cell transplant. This proposal will improve rehabilitative patient care and quality of life by determining efficacy and feasibility of a currently underutilized therapeutic strategy aimed at maintaining daily function and reducing the impact of a potent and widely used cancer treatment. This trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04364256).

Dentate gyrus is needed for memory retrieval.

The hippocampus is crucial for acquiring and retrieving episodic and contextual memories. In previous studies, the inactivation of dentate gyrus (DG) neurons by chemogenetic- and optogenetic-mediated hyperpolarization led to opposing conclusions about DG's role in memory retrieval. One study used Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD)-mediated clozapine N-oxide (CNO)-induced hyperpolarization and reported that the previously formed memory was erased, thus concluding that denate gyrus is needed for memory maintenance. The other study used optogenetic with halorhodopsin induced hyperpolarization and reported and dentate gyrus is needed for memory retrieval. We hypothesized that this apparent discrepancy could be due to the length of hyperpolarization in previous studies; minutes by optogenetics and several hours by DREADD/CNO. Since hyperpolarization interferes with anterograde and retrograde neuronal signaling, it is possible that the memory engram in the dentate gyrus and the entorhinal to hippocampus trisynaptic circuit was erased by long-term, but not with short-term hyperpolarization. We developed and applied an advanced chemogenetic technology to selectively silence synaptic output by blocking neurotransmitter release without hyperpolarizing DG neurons to explore this apparent discrepancy. We performed in vivo electrophysiology during trace eyeblink in a rabbit model of associative learning. Our work shows that the DG output is required for memory retrieval. Based on previous and recent findings, we propose that the actively functional anterograde and retrograde neuronal signaling is necessary to preserve synaptic memory engrams along the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit.

Risk and predictors of penile cancer in US Veterans with HIV.

OBJECTIVES: People with HIV (PWH) may have an increased burden of penile cancer. We aimed to evaluate the risk of penile cancer in PWH compared with that of the general population. DESIGN: We conducted a nationwide retrospective matched cohort study of penile cancer incidence among veterans with HIV (VWH) compared with veterans without HIV. METHODS: We compared penile cancer incidence rates in 44 173 VWH to those of veterans without HIV ( N  = 159 443; 4 : 1 matched in age). We used Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations with HIV infection and for penile cancer risk factors. RESULTS: HIV positivity was associated with an increased risk of penile cancer, with adjusted hazard ratios of 2.63 (95% CI 1.64-4.23) when adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, baseline BMI, smoking and alcohol use, economic means test, and history of condyloma. The risk increased to hazard ratio = 4.25 (95% CI 2.75-6.57) when adjusting for all factors except history of condyloma. Risk factors for penile cancer in VWH included lower nadir CD4 + count, less than 50% of follow-up time with undetectable HIV viral load, and history of condyloma. CONCLUSION: VWH - particularly those with low CD4 + counts, detectable HIV viral loads, or history of condyloma - are at increased risk of penile cancer, suggesting the penile cancer prevention activities are needed in this population.

Clinical Relevance of Physical Function Outcomes in Cancer Cachexia.

Managing clinical manifestations of cancer/treatment burden on functional status and quality of life remains paramount across the cancer trajectory, particularly for patients with cachexia who display reduced functional capacity. However, clinically relevant criteria for classifying functional impairment at a single point in time or for classifying meaningful functional changes subsequent to disease and/or treatment progression are lacking. This unmet clinical need remains a major obstacle to the development of therapies for cancer cachexia. This review aims to describe current literature-based evidence for clinically meaningful criteria for (1) functional impairment at a single timepoint between cancer patients with or without cachexia and (2) changes in physical function over time across interventional studies conducted in patients with cancer cachexia. The most common functional assessment in cross-sectional and interventional studies was hand grip strength (HGS). We observed suggestive evidence that an HGS deficit between 3 and 6 kg in cancer cachexia may display clinical relevance. In interventional studies, we observed that long-duration multimodal therapies with a focus on skeletal muscle may benefit HGS in patients with considerable weight loss. Future studies should derive cohort-specific clinically relevant criteria to confirm these observations in addition to other functional outcomes and investigate appropriate patient-reported anchors.

Cerebellar interpositus nucleus exhibits time-dependent errors and predictive responses.

Learning is a functional state of the brain that should be understood as a continuous process, rather than being restricted to the very moment of its acquisition, storage, or retrieval. The cerebellum operates by comparing predicted states with actual states, learning from errors, and updating its internal representation to minimize errors. In this regard, we studied cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IPn) functional capabilities by recording its unitary activity in behaving rabbits during an associative learning task: the classical conditioning of eyelid responses. We recorded IPn neurons in rabbits during classical eyeblink conditioning using a delay paradigm. We found that IPn neurons reduce error signals across conditioning sessions, simultaneously increasing and transmitting spikes before the onset of the unconditioned stimulus. Thus, IPn neurons generate predictions that optimize in time and shape the conditioned eyeblink response. Our results are consistent with the idea that the cerebellum works under Bayesian rules updating the weights using the previous history.

High-Performance Aramids with Intrinsic Bactericide Activity.

Aramids, renowned for their high-performance attributes, find applications in critical fields such as protective equipment, aerospace components, and industrial filters. However, challenges arise in scenarios in which frequent washing is impractical, leading to bacterial proliferation, especially in textiles. This study outlines a straightforward and scalable method for preparing aramid-coated textiles and films endowed with inherent bactericidal activity, achieved by reacting parent aramids with vanillin. The functionalization of the aramids with bactericide moieties not only preserved the high-performance characteristics of commercial aramids but also improved their crucial mechanical properties. Tensile tests revealed an increase in Young's modulus, up to 50% compared to commercial m-aramid, accompanied by thermal performance comparable to commercial m-aramids. The evaluation of these coated textiles as bactericidal materials demonstrated robust effectiveness with A parameters (antibacterial activity) of 4.31 for S. aureus and 3.44 for K. pneumoniae. Reusability tests (washing the textiles in harsh conditions) underscored that the bactericide-coated textiles maintain their performance over at least 5 cycles. Regarding practical applications, tests performed with reconstructed human epidermis affirmed the nonirritating nature of these materials to the skin. The distinctive qualities of these metal-free intrinsic bactericidal aramids position them as ideal candidates for scenarios demanding a synergy of high performance and bactericidal properties. Applications such as first responders' textiles or filters stand to benefit significantly from these advanced materials.

RTK+OSNMA Positioning for Road Applications: An Experimental Performance Analysis in Finland.

We compare the performance of dual-band (GPS L1/L2 and Galileo E1/E5a) real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning in an open sky and urban scenarios in southern Finland using two different authentication schemes: one using only satellites authenticated by Galileo's open service navigation message authentication (OSNMA) service (which at the moment of our tests led to using only authenticated Galileo satellites) and the other with no authentication. The results show the actual trade-off between accuracy and availability vs. authenticity associated with using only OSNMA-authenticated satellites, while the authentication of only Galileo satellites is possible (e.g., a drop of RTK positioning availability from 96.67 to 86.01% in our open sky and from 73.55 to 18.65% in our urban scenarios, respectively), and an upper bound of the potential performance that could be reached in similar experimental conditions had the authentication of GPS satellites been supported (e.g., an overall 14 cm and 10.20 m 95% horizontal accuracy in our open sky and urban scenarios, with below 30, 20 and 10 cm during 97.39, 96.03 and 92.43% of the time in the open sky and 49.12, 45.96 and 39.63% in the urban scenarios, respectively).

IKKß deletion from CNS macrophages increases neuronal excitability and accelerates the onset of EAE, while from peripheral macrophages reduces disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory demyelinating disease characterized by motor deficits and cognitive decline. Many immune aspects of the disease are understood through studies in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, including the contribution of the NF-κB transcription factor to neuroinflammation. However, the cell-specific roles of NF-κB to EAE and its cognitive comorbidities still needs further investigation. We have previously shown that the myeloid cell NF-κB plays a role in the healthy brain by exerting homeostatic regulation of neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity and here we investigated its role in EAE. METHODS: We used constitutive MφIKKßΚΟ mice, in which depletion of IKKß, the main activating kinase of NF-κB, was global to CNS and peripheral macrophages, and ΜgΙΚΚßKO mice, in which depletion was inducible and specific to CNS macrophages by 28 days after tamoxifen administration. We subjected these mice to MOG35-55 induced EAE and cuprizone-induced demyelination. We measured pathology by immunohistochemistry, investigated molecular mechanisms by RNA sequencing analysis and studied neuronal functions by in vivo electrophysiology in awake animals. RESULTS: Global depletion of IKKß from myeloid cells in MφIKKßΚΟ mice accelerated the onset and significantly supressed chronic EAE. Knocking out IKKß only from CNS resident macrophages accelerated the onset and exacerbated chronic EAE, accompanied by earlier demyelination and immune cell infiltration but had no effect in cuprizone-induced demyelination. Peripheral T cell effector functions were not affected by myeloid cell deletion of IKKß, but CNS resident mechanisms, such as microglial activation and neuronal hyperexcitability were altered from early in EAE. Lastly, depletion of myeloid cell IKKß resulted in enhanced late long-term potentiation in EAE. CONCLUSIONS: IKKß-mediated activation of NF-κΒ in myeloid cells has opposing roles in EAE depending on the cell type and the disease stage. In CNS macrophages it is protective while in peripheral macrophages it is disease-promoting and acts mainly during chronic disease. Although clinically protective, CNS myeloid cell IKKß deletion dysregulates neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity in EAE. These effects of IKKß on brain cognitive abilities deserve special consideration when therapeutic interventions that inhibit NF-κB are used in MS.

An Experimental Performance Assessment of Galileo OSNMA.

We present Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) observed operational information and key performance indicators (KPIs) from the analysis of a ten-day-long dataset collected in static open-sky conditions in southern Finland and using our in-house-developed OSNMA implementation. In particular, we present a timeline with authentication-related events, such as authentication status and type, dropped navigation pages, and failed cyclic redundancy checks. We also report other KPIs, such as the number of simultaneously authenticated satellites over time, time to first authenticated fix, and percentage of authenticated fixes, and we evaluate the accuracy of the authenticated position solution. We also study how satellite visibility affects these figures. Finally, we analyze situations where it was not possible to reach an authenticated fix, and offer our findings on the observed patterns.

Active natural compounds perturb the melanoma risk-gene network.

Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer with a complex genetic landscape caused by the malignant transformation of melanocytes. This study aimed at providing an in silico network model based on the systematic profiling of the melanoma-associated genes considering germline mutations, somatic mutations, and genome-wide association study signals accounting for a total of 232 unique melanoma risk genes. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the melanoma risk genes as seeds and evaluated to describe the functional landscape in which the melanoma genes operate within the cellular milieu. Not only were the majority of the melanoma risk genes able to interact with each other at the protein level within the core of the network, but this showed significant enrichment for genes whose expression is altered in human melanoma specimens. Functional annotation showed the melanoma risk network to be significantly associated with processes related to DNA metabolism and telomeres, DNA damage and repair, cellular ageing, and response to radiation. We further explored whether the melanoma risk network could be used as an in silico tool to predict the efficacy of anti-melanoma phytochemicals, that are considered active molecules with potentially less systemic toxicity than classical cytotoxic drugs. A significant portion of the melanoma risk network showed differential expression when SK-MEL-28 human melanoma cells were exposed to the phytochemicals harmine and berberine chloride. This reinforced our hypothesis that the network modeling approach not only provides an alternative way to identify molecular pathways relevant to disease but it may also represent an alternative screening approach to prioritize potentially active compounds.

Phase Ia/b Study of Giredestrant ± Palbociclib and ± Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonists in Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative, Locally Advanced/Metastatic Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: Giredestrant is an investigational next-generation, oral, selective estrogen receptor antagonist and degrader for the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. We present the primary analysis results of the phase Ia/b GO39932 study (NCT03332797). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with ER+, HER2-negative locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer previously treated with endocrine therapy received single-agent giredestrant (10, 30, 90, or 250 mg), or giredestrant (100 mg) ± palbociclib 125 mg ± luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist. Detailed cardiovascular assessment was conducted with giredestrant 100 mg. Endpoints included safety (primary), pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy. RESULTS: As of January 28, 2021, with 175 patients enrolled, no dose-limiting toxicity was observed, and the MTD was not reached. Adverse events (AE) related to giredestrant occurred in 64.9% and 59.4% of patients in the single-agent ± LHRH agonist and giredestrant + palbociclib ± LHRH agonist cohorts, respectively (giredestrant-only-related grade 3/4 AEs were reported in 4.5% of patients across the single-agent cohorts and 3.1% of those with giredestrant + palbociclib). Dose-dependent asymptomatic bradycardia was observed, but no clinically significant changes in cardiac-related outcomes: heart rate, blood pressure, or exercise duration. Clinical benefit was observed in all cohorts (48.6% of patients in the single-agent cohort and 81.3% in the giredestrant + palbociclib ± LHRH agonist cohort), with no clear dose relationship, including in patients with ESR1-mutated tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Giredestrant was well tolerated and clinically active in patients who progressed on prior endocrine therapy. Results warrant further evaluation of giredestrant in randomized trials in early- and late-stage ER+ breast cancer.

Crafting and Analyzing Multi-Structured Aramid Materials and Their Pyrolytic Transformations: A Comprehensive Exploration.

Gradient porous materials, particularly carbon-based materials, hold immense potential in the fields of batteries, energy storage, electrocatalysis, and sensing, among others, by synergistically combining the attributes associated with each pore size within a unified structural framework. In this study, we developed a gradient porous aramid (GP-Aramid) by incorporating cellulose acetate as a porosity promoter in the polymer casting solution in different proportions. These GP-Aramids were subsequently transformed into their pyrolyzed counterparts (GP-Pyramids), retaining their original structures while displaying diverse cellular or dense microstructures inherited from the parent aramid, as confirmed via scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction spectra provided evidence of the conversion of aramids into carbonaceous materials. The materials showed structural defects observed through the intensity ratio of the G and D bands (ID/IG = 1.05) in the Raman spectra, while X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) revealed that the carbonization process yielded pyrolyzed carbon materials unusually rich in nitrogen (6%), oxygen (20%), and carbon (72%), which is especially relevant for catalysis applications. The pyrolyzed materials showed bulk resistivities from 5.3 ± 0.3 to 34.2 ± 0.6 depending on the meta- or para-orientation of the aramid and the porous structure. This work contributes to understanding these gradient porous aromatic polyamides' broader significance and potential applications in various fields.