Isotope-dependent Tafel analysis probes proton transfer kinetics during electrocatalytic water splitting.

Proton transfer plays an important role in both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions during electrocatalytic water splitting to produce green hydrogen. However, directly adapting the conventional proton/deuterium kinetic isotope effect to study proton transfer in heterogeneous electrocatalytic processes is challenging. Here we propose using the shift in the Tafel slope between protic and deuteric electrolytes, or the Tafel slope isotope effect, as an effective probe of proton transfer characteristics.

DelGrad: exact event-based gradients for training delays and weights on spiking neuromorphic hardware.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) inherently rely on the timing of signals for representing and processing information. Augmenting SNNs with trainable transmission delays, alongside synaptic weights, has recently shown to increase their accuracy and parameter efficiency. However, existing training methods to optimize such networks rely on discrete time, approximate gradients, and full access to internal variables such as membrane potentials.

Local activity alterations in individuals with autism correlate with neurotransmitter properties and ketamine-induced brain changes.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with altered resting-state brain function. An increased excitation-inhibition ratio is discussed as a pathomechanism but in-vivo evidence of disturbed neurotransmission underlying functional alterations remains scarce. We compare local resting-state brain activity and neurotransmitter co-localizations between autism (N = 405, N = 395) and neurotypical controls (N = 473, N = 474) in two independent cohorts and correlate them with excitation-inhibition changes induced by glutamatergic (ketamine) and GABAergic (midazolam) medication.

Contrasting contribution of resident and repopulated brain macrophages in sustaining sleep-wake circuitry.

Sleep is a complex behavior regulated by various brain cell types. However, the roles of brain-resident macrophages, including microglia and CNS-associated macrophages (CAMs), particularly those derived postnatally, in sleep regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of resident (embryo-derived) and repopulated (postnatally derived) brain-resident macrophages on the regulation of vigilance states in mice.

Fast-hyperspectral imaging remote sensing: Emission quantification of NO and SO from marine vessels.

Marine vessels play a vital role in the global economy; however, their negative impact on the marine atmospheric environment is a growing concern. Quantifying marine vessel emissions is an essential prerequisite for controlling these emissions and improving the marine atmospheric environment. Optical imaging remote sensing is a vital technique for quantifying marine vessel emissions.

Effects of a Patient Decision Aid for Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer Established in Routine Care: The Randomized Controlled EvEnt-PCA Trial.

Background And Objective: Since 2016, >21 000 patients with prostate cancer (PC) used our personalized online decision aid in routine care in Germany. We analyzed the effects of this online decision aid for men with nonmetastatic PC in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: In the randomized controlled EvEnt-PCA trial, 116 centers performed 1:1 allocation of 1115 patients with nonmetastatic PC to use an online decision aid (intervention = I) or a printed brochure (control = C).

Analyzing Reddit Social Media Content in the United States Related to H5N1: Sentiment and Topic Modeling Study.

Background: The H5N1 avian influenza A virus represents a serious threat to both animal and human health, with the potential to escalate into a global pandemic. Effective monitoring of social media during H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks could potentially offer critical insights to guide public health strategies. Social media platforms like Reddit, with their diverse and region-specific communities, provide a rich source of data that can reveal collective attitudes, concerns, and behavioral trends in real time.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Precision Dosing of Janus Kinase Inhibitors: Protocol for a Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKIs) are small molecules used orally to treat inflammatory and hematological disorders. They have demonstrated impressive efficacy across multiple indications. However, concerns have emerged regarding their safety profile.

Effect of Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia in Female National-Level Rugby Union Players.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of repeated-sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) versus in normoxia (RSN) in female national-level rugby union players.

Methods: In a randomized, controlled, and crossover study, 8 female rugby union players performed 5 sessions of repeated sprints either in normobaric hypoxia (RSH, simulated altitude: 3000 m; FiO2 = 14.5%) or in normoxia (RSN, terrestrial altitude: 165 m; FiO2 = 20.

Functional characterization of Paillotin: an immune peptide regulated by the Immune deficiency (Imd) pathway with pathogen-specific roles in immunity.

Insects, such as , rely on innate immune defences to combat microbial threats. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an important role in limiting pathogen entry and colonization. Despite intensive research into the regulation and biochemical properties of antimicrobial peptides, their exact significance has remained uncertain due to the challenges of mutating small genes.

Towards real life exposure: nasal epithelial cell stimulation with pollen particle aerosols.

Background: Currently, most researchers apply pollen extracts or -suspensions to assess the effects of pollen exposure on airway epithelia. How respiratory epithelia respond to pollen aerosols is not well studied because standardised methods to aerosolize pollen were not available until recently.

Aim Of Study: To develop and test a near-natural exposure model for pollen grains based on differentiated human nasal epithelial cells and a novel particle aerosoliser.

3D bioprinted cell-laden GrooveNeuroTube: a multifunctional platform forneural cell migration and growth studies.

Extensive peripheral nerve injuries often lead to the loss of neurological function due to slow regeneration and limited recovery over large gaps. Current clinical interventions, such as nerve guidance conduits (NGCs), face challenges in creating biomimetic microenvironments that effectively support nerve repair. The developed GrooveNeuroTube is composed of hyaluronic acid methacrylate and gelatin methacrylate hydrogel, incorporating active agents (growth factors and antibacterial agents) encapsulated within an NGC conduit made of 3D-printed PCL grid fibers.

Single-cell analysis of Barrett's esophagus and carcinoma reveals cell types conferring risk via genetic predisposition.

Inherited genetic variants contribute to Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but it is unknown which cell types are involved in this process. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of BE, EAC, and paired normal tissues and integrated genome-wide association data to determine cell-type-specific genetic risk and cellular processes that contribute to BE and EAC. The analysis reveals that EAC development is driven to a greater extent by local cellular processes than BE development and suggests that one cell type of BE origin (intestinal metaplasia cells) and cellular processes that control the differentiation of columnar cells are of particular relevance for EAC development.

Structural basis of adenosine 2A receptor-balanced signaling activation relies on allosterically mediated structural dynamics.

Balanced or biased G protein and arrestin transmembrane signaling by the adenosine 2A receptor (AAR) is related to ligand-induced allosterically triggered variation of structural dynamics in the intracellular half of the transmembrane domain (TMD). F-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of a network of genetically introduced meta-trifluoromethyl-L-phenylalanine (mtfF) probes in the core of the TMD revealed signaling-related structure rearrangements leading from the extracellular orthosteric drug-binding site to the G protein and arrestin contacts on the intracellular surface. The key element in this structural basis of signal transfer is dynamic loss of structural order in the intracellular half of the TMD, as manifested by local polymorphisms and associated rate processes within the molecular architecture determined previously by X-ray crystallography.

Genetically encoded FerriTag as a specific label for cryo-electron tomography.

Cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) provides 3D datasets of organelles and proteins at nanometer and sub-nanometer resolution. However, locating target proteins in live cells remains a significant challenge. Conventional labeling methods, such as fluorescent protein tagging and immunogold labeling, are unsuitable for small structures in vitrified samples at molecular resolution.

Catherine Peichel.

Interview with Katie Peichel, who studies the evolutionary genetics of sticklebacks at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Progression-free survival as a surrogate of overall survival in metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer: an EORTC gynecologic cancer group study.

Objective: The value of progression-free survival as a surrogate marker for overall survival remains a matter of debate. Herein, we evaluated the validity of progression-free survival as a surrogate endpoint for overall survival in trials of recurrent or metastatic endometrial cancer.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Warfarin reduces circulating white blood cell count: Post-hoc analysis of two randomized trials.

Warfarin is a widely used vitamin K antagonist (VKA) with known pleiotropic effects beyond anticoagulation. Preclinical and case-control evidence suggests that warfarin may affect hematopoiesis, but longitudinal human evidence is lacking. To explore this potential effect, we conducted a post-hoc analysis of participants in the Hokusai-VTE and ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trials, which randomized patients to warfarin or the direct oral anticoagulant edoxaban with routine laboratory testing at predefined follow-up visits.

Evaluating Posterior Vitreous Detachment Annotation Consistency on OCT Scans in Patients with Disease of the Vitreomacular Interface.

Purpose: To evaluate inter-grader variability in posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) classification in patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) and macular hole (MH) on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and identify challenges in defining a reliable ground truth for artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools.

Methods: A total of 437 horizontal SD-OCT B-scans were retrospectively selected and independently annotated by six experienced ophthalmologists adopting four categories: 'full PVD', 'partial PVD', 'no PVD', and 'ungradable'. Inter-grader agreement was assessed using pairwise Cohen's kappa scores.

Impact of sleep disturbances on health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women: a systematic review.

Importance: Sleep disturbances are common during and after the menopause transition, with potential effects on morbidity and quality of life; however, they may be underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Objective: We carried out a systematic literature review to investigate the prevalence and impact of sleep disturbances associated with menopause on women's health-related quality of life across the stages of menopause.

Evidence Review: Searches were conducted in PubMed and Excerpta Medica Database to identify articles published between 2013 and 2023 containing evidence for the impact of sleep quality on health-related quality of life and the epidemiology of sleep disturbances in women in menopause.

High-resolution electrophysiological mapping of effective connectivity of lateral prefrontal cortex.

The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) serves as a critical hub for higher-order cognitive and executive functions in the human brain, coordinating brain networks whose disruption has been implicated in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. While transcranial brain stimulation treatments often target the LPFC, our current understanding of connectivity profiles guiding these interventions based on electrophysiology remains limited. Here, we present a high-resolution probabilistic map of bidirectional effective connectivity between the LPFC and widespread cortical and subcortical regions.