Comparison of rhythm versus rate control of atrial fibrillation in heart failure subgroups: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Patients with concurrent heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) have poor outcomes. Randomized clinical trials comparing rhythm control approaches to rate control of AF have yielded conflicting results and there is a paucity of updated and comprehensive evidence summaries to inform best practice in HF patients. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare outcomes with rhythm versus rate control of AF in various subgroups of HF patients. In HF patients overall, we found high certainty evidence that rhythm control decreased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio [HR, 95 % confidence interval] 0.64 [0.43-0.94]) and HR 0.50 [0.34-0.74] respectively). Rhythm control was associated with decreased HF hospitalization (risk ratio [RR] 0.79 [0.63-0.99], moderate certainty), but did not significantly decrease thromboembolic events (RR 0.67 [0.32-1.39], low certainty). The mean difference in left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] from baseline to last follow-up was greater in rhythm control group by 6.01 % [2.73-9.28 %] compared with rate control. Subgroup analyses by age, HF etiology (ischemic or non-ischemic), LVEF, presence of diabetes and hypertension did not reveal any significant differences in treatment effect. The survival and hospitalization reduction benefit of rhythm control of AF in HF patients likely reflects the success of catheter ablation especially in HF with reduced ejection fraction. These data are important to guide shared decision-making when managing AF in HF patients.

Multiplex imaging of localized prostate tumors reveals altered spatial organization of AR-positive cells in the microenvironment.

Mapping the spatial interactions of cancer, immune, and stromal cell states presents novel opportunities for patient stratification and for advancing immunotherapy. While single-cell studies revealed significant molecular heterogeneity in prostate cancer cells, the impact of spatial stromal cell heterogeneity remains poorly understood. Here, we used cyclic immunofluorescent imaging on whole-tissue sections to uncover novel spatial associations between cancer and stromal cells in low- and high-grade prostate tumors and tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Our results provide a spatial map of single cells and recurrent cellular neighborhoods in the prostate tumor microenvironment of treatment-naive patients. We report unique populations of mast cells that show distinct spatial associations with M2 macrophages and regulatory T cells. Our results show disease-specific neighborhoods that are primarily driven by androgen receptor-positive (AR+) stromal cells and identify inflammatory gene networks active in AR+ prostate stroma.

A Dietary Intervention in Adults with Overweight or Obesity Leads to Weight Loss Irrespective of Macronutrient Composition.

Obesity is a critical public health issue, necessitating effective weight loss interventions. While various dietary regimens have been explored, individual responses to interventions often vary. This study involved a 3-month dietary intervention aiming at assessing the role of macronutrient composition and the potential role of genetic predisposition in weight loss among Greek adults. This randomized clinical trial followed the CONSORT principles, recruiting 202 participants overall; 94 received a hypocaloric, high-protein diet and 108 received a high-carbohydrate, hypocaloric diet. Genetic predispositions were assessed through 10 target variants known for their BMI associations. Participants' weight and BMI values were recorded at baseline and post-intervention (n = 202 at baseline, n = 84 post-intervention) and an imputation method was applied to account for the observed missing values. Participants experienced a statistically significant weight loss across all dietary regimens (p < 0.001). Genetic analyses did not display statistically significant effects on weight loss. No significant differences in weight loss were observed between macronutrient groups, aligning with the POUNDS Lost and DIETFITS studies. This study underscores the importance of dietary interventions for weight loss and the potential contributions of genetic makeup. These findings contribute to obesity management within the Greek population and support the need for further research in personalized interventions.

Are Nurses Aware of Their Contribution to the Antibiotic Stewardship Programme? A Mixed-Method Study from Qatar.

The antibiotic stewardship programme (ASP) is a new concept initiated by WHO, but nurses are not yet ready to adopt the program. The training and empowerment of nurses are the best strategies for enhancing their knowledge and engagement in ASP. This mixed-method study was used to assess perceived roles and barriers of nurses' involvement in ASP. An online survey was conducted among 420 clinical nurses to identify their role, and 23 individual interviews were performed among nurses and infection control practitioners to explore the barriers and recommendations to overcome the identified barriers. The majority of the nurses agreed with the sixteen identified roles in ASP, of which 'antibiotic dosing and de-escalation' (82.61%), 'IV to PO conversion of antibiotic, outpatient antibiotic therapy' (85.23%), and 'outpatient management, long-term care, readmission' of the patients (81.19%) had the lowest agreement from the participants. The major themes generated through the qualitative interviews were a lack of knowledge about ASP, poor communication between multidisciplinary teams, lack of opportunity and multidisciplinary engagement, lack of formal education and training about ASP, lack of ASP competency and defined roles in policy, role conflict or power/position, availability of resources, and lack of protected time. Nurses play an integral role in the successful implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs. The empowerment of nurses will help them to adopt the unique role in ASP. Nurses can significantly contribute to antibiotic stewardship efforts and improve patient outcomes through addressing these challenges.

Patterns of dermal denticle loss in sharks.

As they grow, sharks both replace lost denticles and proliferate the number of denticles by developing new (de novo) denticles without prior denticle shedding. The loss and replacement of denticles has potential impacts on the energetic cost of maintaining the skin surface, the biomechanical functions of shark skin, as well as our ability to predict shark abundance from fossil denticle occurrence in sediment cores. Here, we seek to better understand patterns of denticle loss and to show how denticles are being replaced in mature sharks. We illustrate shark skin surfaces with missing denticles and quantify both within-species and between-species patterns of missing denticles using images from across regions of the body for two species and images at similar body regions for 16 species of sharks. Generally, sharks are missing similar numbers of denticles (0%-6%) between species and regions. However, there are exceptions: in the smooth dogfish, the nose region is missing significantly more denticles than most posterior-body and fin regions, and the common thresher shark is missing significantly more denticles than the smooth dogfish, leopard shark, angel shark, bonnethead, and gulper shark. Denticle regrowth starts with crown development and mineralization beneath the epidermis, followed by eruption of the crown, and finally the mineralization of the root. The pulp cavity of replacement denticles is initially large and surrounded by a thin shell of enameloid upon eruption of the denticle. After eruption of the denticle, the deposition of dentine continues internally after the denticle reaches its final position. Replacement of missing denticles, representing less than 6% of the skin surface at any one time, may not compromise hydrodynamic function, but by constantly updating the skin surface throughout life, sharks may reduce surface fouling and maintain a functional complex skin surface by repairing local damage to individual denticles.

Comparative Transcriptomes of Canine and Human Prostate Cancers Identify Mediators of Castration Resistance.

Prostate cancer continues to be one of the most lethal cancers in men. While androgen-deprivation therapy is initially effective in treating prostate cancer, most cases of advanced prostate cancer eventually progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which is incurable. Similarly, the most aggressive form of prostatic carcinoma occurs in dogs that have been castrated. To identify molecular similarities between canine prostate cancer and human CRPC, we performed a comparative analysis of gene expression profiles. Through this transcriptomic analysis, we found that prostatic carcinoma in castrated dogs demonstrate an androgen indifferent phenotype, characterized by low androgen receptor and neuroendocrine associated genes. Notably, we identified two genes, ISG15 and AZGP1 that were consistently up- and downregulated, respectively, in both canine prostatic carcinoma and human CRPC. Additionally, we identified several other genes, including GPX3, S100P, and IFITM1, that exhibited similar expression patterns in both species. Protein-protein interaction network analysis demonstrated that these 5 genes were part of a larger network of interferon-induced genes, suggesting that they may act together in signaling pathways that are disrupted in prostate cancer. Accordingly, our findings suggest that the interferon pathway may play a role in the development and progression of CRPC in both dogs and humans and chart a new therapeutic approach.

Real-life use of delamanid: results from the European post-authorisation safety study.

BACKGROUND: A post-authorisation safety study (PASS) on delamanid (DLM) was conducted as part of a post-approval commitment to the European Medicines Agency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of DLM in a real-life setting, its safety, and treatment outcomes in patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). METHODS: This was a prospective, multicentric, non-interventional study conducted in the European Union. MDR-TB Regimen selection and patient monitoring were conducted in accordance with existing medical practices. Data on the use of DLM, related adverse events, and treatment outcomes were collected for up to 30 months after the first DLM dose. Descriptive summary statistics were used for continuous and categorical variables. RESULTS: Out of 86 patients, one had extrapulmonary TB. Two-thirds of the patients were treated with DLM for more than 24 weeks. The most frequent adverse drug reaction to DLM was QT interval prolongation. Resistance to DLM was detected in one patient during treatment. The treatment success rate was 77%. CONCLUSION: No new safety concerns were revealed, including in patients treated with DLM for more than 24 weeks. QT interval prolongations were well managed and did not lead to any clinically significant cardiac effects. The treatment outcomes were in line with the WHO target for Europe.

CONTEXTE: Une étude de sécurité post-autorisation (PASS) sur le délamanide (DLM) a été menée dans le cadre d'un engagement post-approbation auprès de l'Agence européenne des médicaments. L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer l'utilisation du DLM dans un contexte réel, son innocuité et les résultats du traitement chez les patients atteints de TB multirésistante (MDR-TB). MÉTHODES: Il s'agissait d'une étude prospective, multicentrique et non interventionnelle menée dans l'Union européenne. La sélection du schéma thérapeutique de la MDR-TB et le suivi des patients ont été effectués conformément aux pratiques médicales existantes. Les données sur l'utilisation du DLM, les effets indésirables connexes et les résultats du traitement ont été recueillies jusqu'à 30 mois après la première dose de DLM. Des statistiques sommaires descriptives ont été utilisées pour les variables continues et catégorielles. RÉSULTATS: Sur 86 patients, un avait une TB extrapulmonaire. Les deux tiers des patients ont été traités avec du DLM pendant plus de 24 semaines. L'effet indésirable le plus fréquent du DLM était l'allongement de l'intervalle QT. Une résistance au DLM a été détectée chez un patient pendant le traitement. Le taux de réussite du traitement était de 77%. CONCLUSION: Aucun nouveau problème de sécurité n'a été révélé, y compris chez les patients traités par le DLM pendant plus de 24 semaines. Les allongements de l'intervalle QT ont été bien gérés et n'ont pas entraîné d'effets cardiaques cliniquement significatifs. Les résultats du traitement étaient conformes à l'objectif de l'OMS pour l'Europe.

The crystal structure of a mononuclear PrIII complex with cucurbit[6]uril.

A new mononuclear complex, penta-aqua-(cucurbit[6]uril-κ2 O,O')(nitrato-κ2 O,O')praseodymium(III) dinitrate 9.56-hydrate, [Pr(NO3)(CB6)(H2O)5](NO3)2·9.56H2O (1), was obtained as outcome of the hydro-thermal reaction between the macrocyclic ligand cucurbit[6]uril (CB6, C36H36N24O12) with a tenfold excess of Pr(NO3)3·6H2O. Complex 1 crystallizes in the P21/n space group with two crystallographically independent but chemically identical [Pr(CB6)(NO3)(H2O)5]2+ complex cations, four nitrate counter-anions and 19.12 inter-stitial water mol-ecules per asymmetric unit. The nona-coordinated PrIII in 1 are located in the PrO9 coordination environment formed by two carbonyl O atoms from bidentate cucurbit[6]uril units, two oxygen atoms from the bidentate nitrate anion and five water mol-ecules. Considering the differences in Pr-O bond distances and O-Pr-O angles in the coordination spheres, the coordination polyhedrons of the two PrIII atoms can be described as distorted spherical capped square anti-prismatic and muffin polyhedral.

A 68-Year-Old Man with Depression and Acute Renal Failure Due to Rhabdomyolysis Associated with Alcohol Intoxication While Taking Low-Dose Escitalopram: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Rhabdomyolysis, an uncommon but recognized adverse effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, can precipitate acute renal injury (AKI), especially when combined with risk factors such as alcohol consumption. This report describes a 68-year-old man with acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis associated with alcohol intoxication while taking low-dose escitalopram, an SSRI antidepressant. CASE REPORT The patient, with a history of bipolar affective disorder managed with escitalopram, presented with symptoms of general malaise, diarrhea, myalgias, and transient loss of consciousness following substantial ethanol consumption. Laboratory tests indicated severe rhabdomyolysis with a creatine kinase level of 37 672 U/L and myoglobin level >5710 ng/ml, leading to an AKI diagnosis. The discontinuation of escitalopram, along with hydration and renal replacement therapy, facilitated renal recovery. However, the reintroduction of escitalopram resulted in the recurrence of rhabdomyolysis, suggesting a probable causal link, confirmed using the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale. CONCLUSIONS This report highlights the importance of identifying the medication history in patients presenting with acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis and the association with SSRIs, which can be exacerbated by alcohol. This case underscores the importance of vigilant medication history assessment in patients presenting with AKI and rhabdomyolysis, particularly concerning the use of SSRIs like escitalopram, which can pose heightened risks in the context of alcohol use. It highlights the need for clinical caution in managing patients on long-term SSRI therapy, especially when reintroducing such medications after an episode of rhabdomyolysis.

Synthesis and evaluation of sulfonamide derivatives of quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

A series of sulfonamide-derived quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases (CA) with antiproliferative potency. Overall, the synthesized compounds demonstrated good inhibitory activity against four CA isoforms. Compound 7g exhibited favorable potency in inhibiting a CA IX isozyme with a K i value of 42.2 nM compared to the reference AAZ (K i = 25.7 nM). Nevertheless, most of the synthesized compounds have their highest activity against CA I and CA II isoforms over CA IX and CA XII. A molecular modeling study was used for an estimation of the binding mode of the selected ligand 7g in the active site of CA IX. The most active compounds (7b, 7f, 7h, and 18) exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against MCF-7, Capan-1, DND-41, HL60, and Z138 cell lines, with IC50 values in low micromolar concentrations. Moreover, derivatives 7a, 7e, and 8g showed similar hypoxic cytotoxic activity and selectivity compared to tirapazamine (TPZ) against adenocarcinoma cells MCF-7. The structure-activity relationships analysis revealed that the presence of a halogen atom or a sulfonamide group as substituents in the phenyl ring of quinoxaline-2-carbonitrile 1,4-dioxides was favorable for overall cytotoxicity against most of the tested cancer cell lines. Additionally, the presence of a carbonitrile fragment in position 2 of the heterocycle also had a positive effect on the antitumor properties of such derivatives against the majority of cell lines. The most potent derivative, 3-trifluoromethylquinoxaline 1,4-dioxide 7h, demonstrated higher or close antiproliferative activity compared to the reference agents, such as doxorubicin, and etoposide, with an IC50 range of 1.3-2.1 µM. Analysis of the obtained results revealed important patterns in the structure-activity relationship. Moreover, these findings highlight the potential of selected lead sulfonamides on the quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide scaffold for further in-depth evaluation and development of chemotherapeutic agents targeting carbonic anhydrases.

Incidence and risk factors of acute kidney injury in cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 5,202,232 outpatients, inpatients, and ICU-admitted patients.

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a commonly seen condition in the natural course of cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pooled incidence and risk factors of AKI in different clinical stages and situations in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Search was conducted on 13 December 2023 across MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and Cochrane databases. Meta-analysis was performed using a generalized linear mixed model. RESULTS: In total, 73 studies with 5,202,232 patients were finally enrolled in the meta-analysis. AKI commonly occurs among hospitalized cirrhotics experiencing any decompensation event (29%) as well as among stable outpatients (28%) throughout a 1-year follow-up period. On admission, patients with infection or sepsis/septic shock had the highest AKI rate (47%), followed by those with hepatic encephalopathy (41%). Furthermore, the severity of liver disease proved to be a substantial driver for AKI development, while patients at intensive care unit had the greatest AKI incidence (61%). CONCLUSIONS: Both hospitalized patients and stable outpatients with cirrhosis exhibited an elevated susceptibility to AKI. Patients at intensive care unit and those with severe liver disease, infection, sepsis/septic shock, hepatic encephalopathy, or acute on chronic liver failure upon admission are at higher risk for AKI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO, registered 09/12/23, CRD42023487736.

Collective movement of schooling fish reduces the costs of locomotion in turbulent conditions.

The ecological and evolutionary benefits of energy-saving in collective behaviors are rooted in the physical principles and physiological mechanisms underpinning animal locomotion. We propose a turbulence sheltering hypothesis that collective movements of fish schools in turbulent flow can reduce the total energetic cost of locomotion by shielding individuals from the perturbation of chaotic turbulent eddies. We test this hypothesis by quantifying energetics and kinematics in schools of giant danio (Devario aequipinnatus) and compared that to solitary individuals swimming under laminar and turbulent conditions over a wide speed range. We discovered that, when swimming at high speeds and high turbulence levels, fish schools reduced their total energy expenditure (TEE, both aerobic and anaerobic energy) by 63% to 79% compared to solitary fish (e.g., 228 versus 48 kj kg-1). Solitary individuals spend approximately 22% more kinematic effort (tail beat amplitude•frequency: 1.7 versus 1.4 BL s-1) to swim in turbulence at higher speeds than in laminar conditions. Fish schools swimming in turbulence reduced their three-dimensional group volume by 41% to 68% (at higher speeds, approximately 103 versus 33 cm3) and did not alter their kinematic effort compared to laminar conditions. This substantial energy saving highlights that schooling behaviors can mitigate turbulent disturbances by sheltering fish (within schools) from the eddies of sufficient kinetic energy that can disrupt locomotor gaits. Therefore, providing a more desirable internal hydrodynamic environment could be one of the ecological drivers underlying collective behaviors in a dense fluid environment.

Middle East Nurses Turnover Intention and its Correlates Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Global nursing scarcity was more evident during COVID-19. This study investigated the rates and contributing factors of turnover intention in the middle east through meta-analysis. Medline EMCARE, Cochrane, CINAHL, EMBASE, Ovid, Psych Info, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases searched, Protocol PROSPERO Registration Number was CRD42022337686. The turnover intention rate was 42.3% [CI: 40%, 44.6%]. Working environment, stress, deployment to COVID, fear of infection, long working hours, shift duties, and lack of social support were the major contributing factors.

Circulating miR-16 and miR-21 Levels in Multiple Myeloma: Prognostic Significance of Survival and Response to Lenalidomide Treatment.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), particularly miR-16 and miR-21, play a crucial role in multiple myeloma (MM) pathogenesis by regulating gene expression. This study evaluated the prognostic significance of circulating miR-16 and miR-21 expression levels in 48 patients with MM at diagnosis treated with lenalidomide-dexamethasone (LD) compared with 15 healthy individuals (HI). All patients were treated with LD, 13 at first line and 35 at relapse, of whom 21 were tested twice at diagnosis and before LD initiation. The results revealed significantly lower levels of miR-16 and miR-21 in patients than in HIs, both at diagnosis and relapse, with decreased miR-16 levels at diagnosis, indicating improved overall survival (OS) (p value 0.024). Furthermore, miR-16 and miR-21 levels were associated with disease markers, while both correlated with the depth of response and mir-16 with sustained response to LD treatment. Ratios of both miR-16 and miR-21 expression levels (prior to LD treatment/diagnosis) below two predicted a shorter time to response (p = 0.027) and a longer time to next treatment (p = 0.042), respectively. These findings suggested a prognostic value for serum miR-16 and miR-21 levels in MM, as their expression levels correlated with disease variables and treatment outcomes.

Hydrodynamic Function of the Slimy and Scaly Surfaces of Teleost Fishes.

The scales and skin mucus of bony fishes are both proposed to have a role in beneficially modifying the hydrodynamics of water flow over the body surface. However, it has been challenging to provide direct experimental evidence that tests how mucus and fish scales change the boundary layer in part due to the difficulties in working with live animal tissue and difficulty directly imaging the boundary layer. In this manuscript, we use direct imaging and flow tracking within the boundary layer to compare boundary layer dynamics over surfaces of fish skin with mucus, without mucus, and a flat control surface. Our direct measurements of boundary layer flows for these three different conditions are repeated for two different species, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus). Our goals are to understand if mucus and scales reduce drag, shed light on mechanisms underlying drag reduction, compare these results between species, and evaluate the relative contributions to hydrodynamic function for both mucus and scales. We use our measurements of boundary layer flow to calculate shear stress (proportional to friction drag), and we find that mucus reduces drag overall by reducing the velocity gradient near the skin surface. Both bluegill and tilapia showed similar patterns of surface velocity reduction. We also note that scales alone do not appear to reduce drag, but that mucus may reduce friction drag up to 50% compared to scaled surfaces without mucus or flat controls.

Investigation of Antihypertensive Properties of Chios Mastic via Monitoring microRNA-21 Expression Levels in the Plasma of Well-Controlled Hypertensive Patients.

Hypertension is a chronic, multifactorial disease, leading to high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality globally. Despite the advantages of pharmaceutical treatments, natural products have gained scientific interest due to their emerging phytotherapeutic properties. Chios mastic is a natural Greek product, consisting of bioactive compounds which modify microRNAs' (small, expression-regulating molecules) expression. In this study, we investigated the antihypertensive properties of Chios mastic through the assessment of miR-21 levels. Herein, plasma samples of 57 individuals with hypertension, recruited for the purposes of the HYPER-MASTIC study, were analyzed. This was a clinical trial with Chios mastic supplements in which the patients were divided into groups receiving high and low mastic doses and placebo supplements, respectively. miR-21 was significantly upregulated in patients compared to normotensive individuals. Mean changes in miR-21 levels were statistically significant, after adjusting for sex and age, between the placebo and low-dose group and between the low- and high-dose group. Post-intervention miR-21 levels were positively associated with night-time systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and central systolic mean arterial pressure and negatively associated with night-time pulse wave velocity in the low-dose group. Our findings suggest a potential implication of miR-21 in the association of Chios mastic with night-time blood pressure measurements.

Evaluation of Polygenic Risk Scores for Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease in a Greek Case-Control Study.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) stands as the most predominant type of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) have become essential tools for quantifying genetic susceptibility, and researchers endeavor to improve their predictive precision. The aim of the present work is to assess the performance and the relative contribution of PRSs developed for CVD or CAD within a Greek population. The sample under study comprised 924 Greek individuals (390 cases with CAD and 534 controls) from the THISEAS study. Nine PRSs drawn from the PGS catalog were replicated and tested for CAD risk prediction. PRSs computations were performed in the R language, and snpStats was used to process genotypic data. Descriptive characteristics of the study were analyzed using the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics v21.0. The effectiveness of each PRS was assessed using the PRS R2 metric provided by PRSice2. Among nine PRSs, PGS000747 greatly increased the predictive value of primary CAD risk factors by 21.6% (p-value = 2.63 × 10-25). PGS000012 was associated with a modest increase in CAD risk by 2.2% (p-value = 9.58 × 10-4). The remarkable risk discrimination capability of PGS000747 stands out as the most noteworthy outcome of our study.

Androgen receptor activity inversely correlates with immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy response across multiple cancer lineages.

There is now increasing recognition of the important role of androgen receptor (AR) in modulating immune function. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the effects of AR activity on cancer immunity, we employed a computational approach to profile AR activity in 33 human tumor types using RNA-Seq datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Our pan-cancer analysis revealed that the genes most negatively correlated with AR activity across cancers are involved in active immune system processes. Importantly, we observed a significant negative correlation between AR activity and IFNγ pathway activity at the pan-cancer level. Indeed, using a matched biopsy dataset from subjects with prostate cancer before and after AR-targeted treatment, we verified that inhibiting AR enriches immune cell abundances and is associated with higher IFNγ pathway activity. Furthermore, by analyzing immunotherapy datasets in multiple cancers, our results demonstrate that low AR activity was significantly associated with a favorable response to immunotherapy. Together, our data provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between AR signaling and tumor immunity.

Mo-BiVO4 Photocatalytically Modified Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes for Enhanced Water Treatment Efficiency.

This study highlights the effectiveness of photocatalytically modified ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in alleviating two major drawbacks of membrane filtration technologies. These are the generation of a highly concentrated retentate effluent as a waste stream and the gradual degradation of the water flux through the membrane due to the accumulation of organic pollutants on its surface. The development of two types of novel tubular membranes, featuring photocatalytic Mo-BiVO4 inverse opal coatings, demonstrated a negligible impact on water permeance, ensuring consistent filtration and photocatalytic efficiency and suggesting the potential for maintaining membrane integrity and avoiding the formation of highly concentrated retentate effluents. Morphological analysis revealed well-defined coatings with ordered domains and interconnected macropores, confirming successful synthesis of Mo-BiVO4. Raman spectroscopy and optical studies further elucidated the composition and light absorption properties of the coatings, particularly within the visible region, which is vital for photocatalysis driven by vis-light. Evaluation of the tetracycline removal efficiency presented efficient adsorption onto membrane surfaces with enhanced photocatalytic activity observed under both UV and vis-light. Additionally, vis-light irradiation facilitated significant degradation, showcasing the versatility of the membranes. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis corroborated complete solute elimination or photocatalytic degradation without the production of intermediates, highlighting the potential for complete pollutant removal. Overall, these findings emphasize the promising applications of Mo-BiVO4 photocatalytic membranes in sustainable water treatment and wastewater remediation processes, laying the groundwork for further optimization and scalability in practical water treatment systems.