DNA Methylation Associates With Sex-Specific Effects of Experimentally Increased Yolk Testosterone in Wild Nestlings.

Maternal hormones can profoundly impact offspring physiology and behaviour in sex-dependent ways. Yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms linking these maternal effects to offspring phenotypes. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism, is suggested to facilitate maternal androgens' effects.

Optimizing Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction via Modulation Doping in Van der Waals Layered Iridium Oxide.

Anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) exhibits a sluggish four-electron transfer process, necessitating catalysts with exceptional catalytic activity to enhance its kinetic rate. Van der Waals layered oxides are ideal materials for catalyst design, yet its stability for acidic OER remains large obstacle. Doping provides a crucial way to improve the activity and stability simultaneously.

Predicting Antidepressant Treatment Response From Cortical Structure on MRI: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA-MDD Working Group.

Accurately predicting individual antidepressant treatment response could expedite the lengthy trial-and-error process of finding an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). We tested and compared machine learning-based methods that predict individual-level pharmacotherapeutic treatment response using cortical morphometry from multisite longitudinal cohorts. We conducted an international analysis of pooled data from six sites of the ENIGMA-MDD consortium (n = 262 MDD patients; age = 36.

Comparative efficacy and safety of ilunocitinib and oclacitinib for the control of pruritus and associated skin lesions in dogs with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have been shown to reduce pruritus and improve associated inflammatory skin lesions in canine atopic dermatitis (cAD).

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ilunocitinib, in comparison to oclacitinib, for the control of cAD in a randomised, blinded trial.

Animals: Three-hundred-and-thirty-eight dogs with cAD.

Effectiveness and safety of iGlarLixi in people with type 2 diabetes not at target on basal insulin and oral antidiabetic therapy in a prospective observational trial.

Aims: This study assessed efficacy and safety of the fixed ratio combination iGlarLixi 100/33 (insulin glargine 100 U/mL plus lixisenatide 33 μg/mL) in people with type 2 diabetes (PwT2D) in daily clinical practice.

Materials And Methods: This non-interventional, multicentre, prospective, single-arm 24-week study documented PwT2D with an HbA1c of 7.5%-10.

Patterns and Driving Factors of Litter Decomposition Rates in Global Dryland Ecosystems.

Litter decomposition is essential in linking aboveground and belowground carbon, nutrient cycles, and energy flows within ecosystems. This process has been profoundly impacted by global change, particularly in drylands, which are highly susceptible to both anthropogenic and natural disturbances. However, a significant knowledge gap remains concerning the extent and drivers of litter decomposition across different dryland ecosystems, limiting our understanding of its role in ecosystem metabolism.

Organic Metasurfaces with Contrasting Conducting Polymers.

Conducting polymers have emerged as promising active materials for metasurfaces due to their electrically tunable states and large refractive index modulation. However, existing approaches are often limited to infrared operation or single-polymer systems, restricting their versatility. In this Letter, we present organic metasurfaces featuring dual conducting polymers, polyaniline (PANI) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), to achieve contrasting dynamic optical responses at visible frequencies.

Ofatumumab-exposed breastfeeding in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: In Europe, ofatumumab is approved for breastfeeding, but data on its transfer into breast milk and clinical experience are lacking.

Objective: To analyze (1) health, development, and adverse events after live vaccination of ofatumumab-exposed breastfed infants and (2) detectability of ofatumumab in breast milk, and to calculate the relative infant dose (RID) using two methods, the traditional method and a second method considering maternal exposure to multiple ofatumumab doses and extended collection period.

Methods: In this observational study, clinical data were collected by standardized telephone interviews up to 2 years postpartum.

SARS-COV-2 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis With Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab in Haematological, Immunocompromised Patients in the Omicron Era.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab-cilgavimab significantly reduced severe COVID-19 outcomes in high-risk individuals during the pre-Omicron era (PROVENT trial). However, efficacy in patients with haematological malignancies (HM) was underreported. The rapid emergence of Omicron strains in 2021 showed reduced neutralizing activity in preclinical data, but real-world data remains limited due to short follow-up.

Influence of Regular Statin Intake on Prostate-Specific Antigen Values, Prostate Cancer Incidence and Overall Survival in a Prospective Screening Trial (ERSPC Aarau).

Objective: While statins have demonstrated a variety of antineoplastic effects in preclinical studies, several retrospective clinical studies and observational studies have not shown a consistent chemopreventive benefit against prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, in this population-based cohort study, we examined the association of statin intake on prostate specific antigen (PSA) values and risk of development of PCa.

Method: N = 4,314 men from the Swiss section of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) were evaluated.

Multi-omics profiling reveals key factors involved in Ewing sarcoma metastasis.

Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is the second most common bone tumor affecting children and young adults, with dismal outcomes for patients with metastasis at diagnosis. Mechanisms leading to metastasis remain poorly understood. To deepen our knowledge on EWS progression, we have profiled tumors and metastases from a spontaneous metastasis mouse model using a multi-omics approach.

Differential Organ Ageing Is Associated With Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disorder and the leading cause of central vision loss. Age is the most important risk factor, followed by genetics and smoking. However, ageing is a complex process, and biological age can deviate from chronological age between individuals and within different organ systems.

How well is the female population represented in clinical trials with infusion therapies for Parkinson's disease? A systematic review and metanalysis.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting both sexes, but differences exist between male and female in clinical manifestations, functional impact of symptoms and hormonal influences. Therefore, representativeness of females in PD trials indirectly determines the external validity of the clinical research in this field.

Objective: To estimate the representativeness of female in infusion therapy trials for advanced PD.

Phase I/II Trial of Perioperative Avelumab in Combination With Chemoradiation in the Treatment of Stage II/III Resectable Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer.

Background And Objectives: Standard treatment of patients with stage II/III esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (E/GEJ) cancer involves neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT), resection, and immunotherapy. Our trial evaluated the addition of perioperative avelumab to standard treatments.

Methods: Patients with resectable E/GEJ cancers received avelumab with nCRT and adjuvant avelumab after resection.

Consensus findings of an International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing workshop on using transcriptomic biomarkers to predict genotoxicity.

Gene expression biomarkers have the potential to identify genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens, providing opportunities for integrated testing and reducing animal use. In August 2022, an International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) workshop was held to critically review current methods to identify genotoxicants using transcriptomic profiling. Here, we summarize the findings of the workgroup on the state of the science regarding the use of transcriptomic biomarkers to identify genotoxic chemicals in vitro and in vivo.

Biofabrication of anisotropic articular cartilage based on decellularized extracellular matrix.

Tissue-engineered grafts that mimic articular cartilage show promise for treating cartilage injuries. However, engineering cartilage cell-based therapies to match zonal architecture and biochemical composition remains challenging. Decellularized articular cartilage extracellular matrix (dECM) has gained attention for its chondro-inductive properties, yet dECM-based bioinks have limitations in mechanical stability and printability.

Probing Magnetism in Self-Assembled Organometallic Complexes Using Kondo Spectroscopy.

Control of individual spins at the atomic level holds great promise for miniaturized spintronics, quantum sensing, and quantum information processing. Both single atomic and molecular spin centers are prime candidates for these applications and are often individually addressed and manipulated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). In this work, we present a hybrid approach and demonstrate a robust method for self-assembly of magnetic organometallic complexes consisting of individual iron (Fe) atoms and molecules on a silver substrate using STM.

A Bio-Inspired Perspective on Materials Sustainability.

The article explores materials sustainability through a bio-inspired lens and discusses paradigms that can reshape the understanding of material synthesis, processing, and usage. It addresses various technological fields, from structural engineering to healthcare, and emphasizes natural material cycles as a blueprint for efficient recycling and reuse. The study shows that material functionality depends on both chemical composition and structural modifications, which emphasizes the role of material processing.

Asymmetric Microgels with Tunable Morphologies by Assembly-Guided Polymerization of Liquid Crystalline Monomers.

Understanding and controlling the morphology of microgels is crucial for optimizing their properties and functions in diverse areas of application. The fabrication of microgels that exhibit both structural and chemical anisotropy using a template-free approach faces significant challenges. Existing approaches toward such microgels are typically limited to templating methods with low throughput.

One-Step Synthesis of Metastable MoAlB from MoAlB Using Gaseous HCl.

Recent studies increasingly highlight the potential applications of MBenes, a novel class of two-dimensional (2D) materials, yet their production remains challenging. In this context, microcrystalline MoAlB (space group ; = 3.080(3) Å, = 11.

Diatomic Palladium Catalyst for Enhanced Photocatalytic Water-Donating Transfer Hydrogenation.

Diatomic catalysts (DACs) present unique opportunities for harnessing ensemble effects between adjacent metal atoms, thus, expanding the properties of single-atom catalysts (SACs). However, the precise preparation and characterization of this type of catalyst remains challenging. Following a precursor-preselected strategy, here, we report the synthesis of a carbon nitride-supported Pd-DAC, which achieves an excellent yield of 92% for photocatalytic water-donating transfer hydrogenation of 4-vinylphenol to 4-ethylphenol, far exceeding that of other metal species, including Pd single atoms (47%) and nanoparticles (1%).

Crystal Lattice Analysis for 2D Nanomorphology Prediction of Phase-Separated Materials.

Spontaneous phase separation of materials is a powerful strategy to generate highly defined 2D nanomorphologies with novel properties and functions. Exemplary are such morphologies in block copolymers or amphiphilic systems, whose formation can be well predicted based on parameters such as volume fraction and shape factor. In contrast, the formation of 2D nanomorphologies is currently unpredictable in materials perfectly defined at the molecular level, in which crystallinity plays a significant role.

The [2Fe-2S] cluster of mitochondrial outer membrane protein mitoNEET has an O-regulated nitric oxide access tunnel.

The mitochondrial outer membrane iron-sulphur ([Fe-S]) protein mitoNEET has been extensively studied as a target of the anti-inflammatory and type-2 diabetes drug pioglitazone and as a protein affecting mitochondrial respiratory rate. Despite these extensive past studies, its molecular function has yet to be discovered. Here, we applied an interdisciplinary approach and discovered an explicit nitric oxide (NO) access site to the mitoNEET [2Fe-2S] cluster.

Association of Cardiac CT-Derived Epicardial Adipose Tissue With Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Without Left Atrial Fibrosis as Defined by Endocardial Voltage Mapping.

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is often associated with atrial fibrosis, and both can provide the substrate for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, most AF patients have no evidence of left atrial (LA) fibrosis based on bipolar voltage mapping. We determined whether EAT differs in AF patients without LA fibrosis compared to matched controls without AF.