The design of active and durable catalysts for the H
O/O
interconversion is one of the major challenges of electrocatalysis for renewable energy. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is catalyzed by ...SrRuO
with low potentials (ca. 1.35 V
), but the catalyst's durability is insufficient. Here we show that Na doping enhances both activity and durability in acid media. DFT reveals that whereas SrRuO
binds reaction intermediates too strongly, Na doping of ~0.125 leads to nearly optimal OER activity. Na doping increases the oxidation state of Ru, thereby displacing positively O p-band and Ru d-band centers, weakening Ru-adsorbate bonds. The enhanced durability of Na-doped perovskites is concomitant with the stabilization of Ru centers with slightly higher oxidation states, higher dissolution potentials, lower surface energy and less distorted RuO
octahedra. These results illustrate how high OER activity and durability can be simultaneously engineered by chemical doping of perovskites.
More than 70% of patients with resistant hypertension have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, there is little evidence about the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on ...blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension.
To assess the effect of CPAP treatment on blood pressure values and nocturnal blood pressure patterns in patients with resistant hypertension and OSA.
Open-label, randomized, multicenter clinical trial of parallel groups with blinded end point design conducted in 24 teaching hospitals in Spain involving 194 patients with resistant hypertension and an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 15 or higher. Data were collected from June 2009 to October 2011.
CPAP or no therapy while maintaining usual blood pressure control medication.
The primary end point was the change in 24-hour mean blood pressure after 12 weeks. Secondary end points included changes in other blood pressure values and changes in nocturnal blood pressure patterns. Both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol analyses were performed.
A total of 194 patients were randomly assigned to receive CPAP (n = 98) or no CPAP (control; n = 96). The mean AHI was 40.4 (SD, 18.9) and an average of 3.8 antihypertensive drugs were taken per patient. Baseline 24-hour mean blood pressure was 103.4 mm Hg; systolic blood pressure (SBP), 144.2 mm Hg; and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), 83 mm Hg. At baseline, 25.8% of patients displayed a dipper pattern (a decrease of at least 10% in the average nighttime blood pressure compared with the average daytime blood pressure). The percentage of patients using CPAP for 4 or more hours per day was 72.4%. When the changes in blood pressure over the study period were compared between groups by ITT, the CPAP group achieved a greater decrease in 24-hour mean blood pressure (3.1 mm Hg 95% CI, 0.6 to 5.6; P = .02) and 24-hour DBP (3.2 mm Hg 95% CI, 1.0 to 5.4; P = .005), but not in 24-hour SBP (3.1 mm Hg 95% CI, -0.6 to 6.7; P = .10) compared with the control group. Moreover, the percentage of patients displaying a nocturnal blood pressure dipper pattern at the 12-week follow-up was greater in the CPAP group than in the control group (35.9% vs 21.6%; adjusted odds ratio OR, 2.4 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.1; P = .02). There was a significant positive correlation between hours of CPAP use and the decrease in 24-hour mean blood pressure (r = 0.29, P = .006), SBP (r = 0.25; P = .02), and DBP (r = 0.30, P = .005).
Among patients with OSA and resistant hypertension, CPAP treatment for 12 weeks compared with control resulted in a decrease in 24-hour mean and diastolic blood pressure and an improvement in the nocturnal blood pressure pattern. Further research is warranted to assess longer-term health outcomes.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00616265.
In the current study, we examined the relationship between differentiation of self (DoS) and key relationship functioning variables among couples. This is the first study to test such relationships ...using a cross-cultural longitudinal approach (i.e., samples from Spain and the U.S.) while controlling for stressful life events-a key theoretical construct in Bowen Family Systems Theory.
A sample of 958 individuals (n = 137 couples from Spain, and n = 342 couples from U.S.) was used in cross sectional and longitudinal models to analyze the effects of a shared reality construct of DoS on anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, relationship stability, and relationship quality while considering gender and culture.
Our cross-sectional results indicated that men and women from both cultures experienced an increase in DoS over time. DoS predicted increased relationship quality and stability and decreased anxious and avoidant attachment in U.S. participants. Longitudinally, DoS predicted increased relationship quality and decreased anxious attachment for Spanish women and men, while it predicted greater relationship quality and stability and decreased anxious and avoidant attachment of U.S. couples. Implications of these mixed findings are discussed.
Higher levels of DoS are linked with a better couple relationship across time, despite varying levels of stressful life events. Although some cultural differences regarding the links between relationship stability and avoidant attachment exist, this positive link between differentiation and the couple relationship is mostly consistent across the U.S. and Spain. The implications and relevance for integration into research and practice are discussed.
RESUMEN:
Reseña de la obra de Tirso de Molina, La santa Juana. Tercera parte, edición de Isabel Ibáñez, Blanca Oteiza y Cristina Tabernero, primera edición crítica y anotada de la tercera comedia que ...Tirso de Molina dedicó a la religiosa franciscana Juana de la Cruz.
ABSTRACT:
Review of Tirso de Molina's La santa Juana. Tercera parte edited by Isabel Ibáñez, Blanca Oteiza and Cristina Tabernero, the first critical and annotated edition of the third comedy that Tirso de Molina dedicated to the Franciscan nun Juana de la Cruz.
Loose nanofiltration dual layer hollow fiber membranes (DLHFM) were prepared from polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) with a thin contact mixed matrix membrane (MMM) outer layer containing functionalized ...multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). Two types of MWCNT were used; oxidized MWCNT (OMWCNT) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) functionalized MWCNT (PEI‐MWCNT). Z potential measurements indicate that OMWCNT and PEI‐MWCNT were negatively charged, being OMWCNT most negative. Na2SO4, MgSO4, and methylene blue (MB) rejection was enhanced due to OMWCNT and PEI‐MWCNT incorporation in DLHFM outer layer. Enhanced hydrophilicity and negatively charge mixed matrix DLHFM layer was the key factor for a better mixed matrix DLHFM performance. The best salt and MB rejection was found in those membranes prepared with (OMWCNT) followed by (PEI‐MWCNT) compared with neat PPSU membranes. An increase of 113% and 100% in Na2SO4 and MB rejection respectively was attained in DLHFM with 0.04 wt%, OMWCNT (relative to dope's weight) in comparison with the neat PPSU membrane. Antifouling test for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and MB showed better performance also for the mixed matrix DLHFM containing OMWCNT's. In antifouling tests, a 4.4% and 25% flux recovery increase for MB and BSA respectively was obtained in DLHFM with 0.04 wt% OMWCNT compared with the neat PPSU DLHFM.
Objectives
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) and potential prescription omissions (PPOs) in a Spanish cohort of people living with HIV ...(PLWH) aged ≥65 years and to identify risk factors for the presence of PIPs and PPOs.
Methods
This retrospective cross‐sectional study was conducted across 10 public hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. Clinical and demographic data were cross‐checked against hospital and community pharmacy dispensation registries. PIPs and PPOs were assessed using the American Geriatrics Society (AGS)/Beers and Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions (STOPP)/Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment (START) criteria. Risk factors for PIPs and PPOs and agreement between AGS/Beers and STOPP/START criteria were statistically analysed.
Results
This study included 313 PLWH (median age 72 years), of whom 80.5% were men. PIP prevalence rates were 29.4% and 44.4% based on the AGS/Beers and STOPP criteria, respectively. The concordance between AGS/Beers and STOPP criteria was moderate. Benzodiazepines and proton pump inhibitors were the chronic comedications most commonly involved in PIPs. PPOs were observed in 61.4% of the patients. The leading omissions were insufficient influenza and pneumococcal vaccine coverage and inadequate bone health‐related treatments. The number of chronic comedications, female sex, neuropsychiatric disorders, and cancer diagnosis were risk factors for PIPs, whereas osteopenia and osteoporosis were risk factors for PPOs.
Conclusions
A high prevalence of PIPs and PPOs was observed in our cohort of older PLWH. These findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive medication reviews in this population to reduce inappropriate medication use and address their specific and underserved therapeutic needs.
The aim of the study is mainly to investigate the influence of hotel customers' perception and awareness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) concerning the environmental practices of hotels on ...the image of the establishments and on repeat behaviour intention (RBI) by said customers. Accordingly, a research model is established which allows an understanding of the underlying mechanism of perceived CSR practices, CSR awareness, hotel image and RBI. The growing interest shown by practitioners to understand the mechanism to achieve sustainable competitive advantage for hotels through their environmental policies and the scarce number of studies analysing customer CSR awareness and its influence on customer green hotels' engagement justify this study. Hence, the study strives to overcome this gap in the CSR literature. Data were collected from hotel guests who have stayed at green hotels in Spain over the last 12 months. The research model was estimated using a variance‐based structural equation modelling approach. The findings achieved and future research avenues derived from the study are of great value for both theorists and managers to achieve a sustainable development. The research model proposed can be applied to other tourist agents other than hotels and provide valuable knowledge for practitioners to understand to what extent their managerial CSR practices and their effort to communicate them are perceived by their stakeholders, which in turn influence the stakeholder engagments with those agents with a greater commitment to the environment.
Depressive disorders appear relatively frequently in older patients, and therefore represent an important disease burden worldwide. Given the high levels of inflammatory parameters found in depressed ...elderly patients, the "inflammaging" hypothesis is gaining strength. In this systematic review, we summarize current evidence regarding the relationship between inflammatory parameters and late-life depression, with a unique focus on longitudinal studies to guarantee temporality. According to the data summarized in this review, the levels of some proinflammatory parameters-especially interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-could serve as biomarkers for the future development of depressive symptoms in elderly patients. Proinflammatory cytokines seem to be associated with the future development of clinically significant depression, irrespective of baseline scores, thus indicating that inflammation temporally precedes and increases depression risk. As insufficient research has been conducted in this field, further prospective studies are clearly warranted.
Car T Cells in Solid Tumors: Overcoming Obstacles Rojas-Quintero, Joselyn; Díaz, María P; Palmar, Jim ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
04/2024, Letnik:
25, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T cell) therapy has emerged as a prominent adoptive cell therapy and a therapeutic approach of great interest in the fight against cancer. This approach has ...shown notorious efficacy in refractory hematological neoplasm, which has bolstered its exploration in the field of solid cancers. However, successfully managing solid tumors presents considerable intrinsic challenges, which include the necessity of guiding the modified cells toward the tumoral region, assuring their penetration and survival in adverse microenvironments, and addressing the complexity of identifying the specific antigens for each type of cancer. This review focuses on outlining the challenges faced by CAR T cell therapy when used in the treatment of solid tumors, as well as presenting optimizations and emergent approaches directed at improving its efficacy in this particular context. From precise localization to the modulation of the tumoral microenvironment and the adaptation of antigen recognition strategies, diverse pathways will be examined to overcome the current limitations and buttress the therapeutic potential of CAR T cells in the fight against solid tumors.
Macrophage activation by Toll receptors is an essential event in the development of the response against pathogens. NOTCH signaling pathway is involved in the control of macrophage activation and the ...inflammatory processes. In this work, we have characterized NOTCH signaling in macrophages activated by Toll-like receptor (TLR) triggering and determined that DLL1 and DLL4 are the main ligands responsible for NOTCH signaling. We have identified ADAM10 as the main protease implicated in NOTCH processing and activation. We have also observed that furin, which processes NOTCH receptors, is induced by TLR signaling in a NOTCH-dependent manner. NOTCH3 is the only NOTCH receptor expressed in resting macrophages. Its expression increased rapidly in the first hours after TLR4 activation, followed by a gradual decrease, which was coincident with an elevation of the expression of the other NOTCH receptors. All NOTCH1, 2 and 3 contribute to the increased NOTCH signaling detected in activated macrophages. We also observed a crosstalk between NOTCH3 and NOTCH1 during macrophage activation. Finally, our results highlight the relevance of NOTCH3 in the activation of NF-κB, increasing p65 phosphorylation by p38 MAP kinase. Our data identify, for the first time, NOTCH3 as a relevant player in the control of inflammation.
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