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The contamination of water sources by pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and their effect on aquatic communities and human health have become an environmental concern worldwide. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are an alternative to improve biological removal of recalcitrant organic compounds from municipal sewage. Their efficiency can be increased by using high retention membranes such as forward osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD). Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the performance of an anaerobic osmotic MBR coupled with MD (OMBR-MD) in the treatment of municipal sewage containing PhACs and estrogenic activity. A submerged hybrid FO-MD module was integrated into the bioreactor. PhACs removal was higher than 96% due to biological degradation, biosorption and membrane retention. Biological removal of the PhACs was affected by the salinity build-up in the bioreactor, with reduction in biodegradation after 32 d. However, salinity increment had little or no effect on biosorption removal. The anaerobic OMBR-MD removed >99.9% of estrogenic activity, resulting in a distillate with 0.14 ng L−1 E2-eq, after 22 d, and 0.04 ng L−1 E2-eq, after 32 d. OMBR-MD treatment promoted reduction in environmental and human health risks from high to low, except for ketoprofen, which led to medium acute environmental and human health risks. Carcinogenic risks were reduced from unacceptable to negligible, regarding estrogenic activity. Thus, the hybrid anaerobic OMBR-MD demonstrated strong performance in reducing risks, even when human health is considered. [Display omitted] • Biological removal of estrogenic compounds was governed mainly by biodegradation. • Biological removal of micropollutants (MP) was affected by the salinity build-up. • MgCl 2 as draw solute reduced the negative impacts on biological removal of MP. • Ketoprofen in distillate led to medium acute environmental and human health risks. • Carcinogenic risk, regarding estrogenicity, reduced from unacceptable to negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to understand the role of the transcriptional co-factor Yes-associated protein (Yap) in the molecular pathway underpinning the pathogenic transformation of synovial fibroblasts (SF) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to become invasive and cause joint destruction.Methods: Synovium from patients with RA and mice with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was analysed by immunostaining and qRT-PCR. SF were targeted using Pdgfrα-CreER and Gdf5-Cre mice, crossed with fluorescent reporters for cell tracing and Yap-flox mice for conditional Yap ablation. Fibroblast phenotypes were analysed by flow cytometry, and arthritis severity was assessed by histology. Yap activation was detected using Yap-Tead reporter cells and Yap-Snail interaction by proximity ligation assay. SF invasiveness was analysed using matrigel-coated transwells.Results: Yap, its binding partner Snail and downstream target connective tissue growth factor were upregulated in hyperplastic human RA and in mouse AIA synovium, with Yap detected in SF but not macrophages. Lineage tracing showed polyclonal expansion of Pdgfrα-expressing SF during AIA, with predominant expansion of the Gdf5-lineage SF subpopulation descending from the embryonic joint interzone. Gdf5-lineage SF showed increased expression of Yap and adopted an erosive phenotype (podoplanin+Thy-1 cell surface antigen-), invading cartilage and bone. Conditional ablation of Yap in Gdf5-lineage cells or Pdgfrα-expressing fibroblasts ameliorated AIA. Interleukin (IL)-6, but not tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or IL-1β, Jak-dependently activated Yap and induced Yap-Snail interaction. SF invasiveness induced by IL-6 stimulation or Snail overexpression was prevented by Yap knockdown, showing a critical role for Yap in SF transformation in RA.Conclusions: Our findings uncover the IL-6-Yap-Snail signalling axis in pathogenic SF in inflammatory arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROSTATE cancer, ANDROGEN deprivation therapy, LABORATORY mice, CANCER genes, TRANSCRIPTION factors, and DIAGNOSIS

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a rare but aggressive histologic variant of prostate cancer that responds poorly to androgen deprivation therapy. Hybrid NEPC‐adenocarcinoma (AdCa) tumors are common, often eluding accurate pathologic diagnosis and requiring ancillary markers for classification. We recently performed an outlier‐based meta‐analysis across a number of independent gene expression microarray datasets to identify novel markers that differentiate NEPC from AdCa, including up‐regulation of insulinoma‐associated protein 1 (INSM1) and loss of Yes‐associated protein 1 (YAP1). Here, using diverse cancer gene expression datasets, we show that Hippo pathway‐related genes, including YAP1, are among the top down‐regulated gene sets with expression of the neuroendocrine transcription factors, including INSM1. In prostate cancer cell lines, transgenic mouse models, and human prostate tumor cohorts, we confirm that YAP1 RNA and YAP1 protein expression are silenced in NEPC and demonstrate that the inverse correlation of INSM1 and YAP1 expression helps to distinguish AdCa from NEPC. Mechanistically, we find that YAP1 loss in NEPC may help to maintain INSM1 expression in prostate cancer cell lines and we further demonstrate that YAP1 silencing likely occurs epigenetically, via CpG hypermethylation near its transcriptional start site. Taken together, these data nominate two additional markers to distinguish NEPC from AdCa and add to data from other tumor types suggesting that Hippo signaling is tightly reciprocally regulated with neuroendocrine transcription factor expression. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HELP-seeking behavior, TINNITUS, and HEARING disorders

Knowledge on characteristics of people that seek help for tinnitus is scarce. The primary objective of this study was to describe differences in characteristics between people with tinnitus that seek help compared to those who do not seek help. Next, we described differences in characteristics between those with and without tinnitus. In this cross-sectional study, we sent a questionnaire on characteristics in different domains; demographic, tinnitus-specific, general- and psychological health, auditory and noise- and substance behaviour. We assessed if participants had sought help or planned to seek help for tinnitus. Tinnitus distress was defined with the Tinnitus Functional Index. Differences between groups (help seeking: yes/no, tinnitus: yes/no) were described. 932 people took part in our survey. Two hundred and sixteen participants were defined as having tinnitus (23.2%). Seventy-three of those sought or planned to seek help. A constant tinnitus pattern, a varying tinnitus loudness, and hearing loss, were described more frequently in help seekers. Help seekers reported higher TFI scores. Differences between help seekers and people not seeking help were mainly identified in tinnitus- and audiological characteristics. These outcomes might function as a foundation to explore the heterogeneity in tinnitus patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SPORTS sciences, CROSS-sectional method, SERIAL publications, SOCIAL media, MULTIPLE regression analysis, REGRESSION analysis, CITATION analysis, OPEN access publishing, DESCRIPTIVE statistics, PERIODICAL articles, DATA analysis software, and IMPACT factor (Citation analysis)

*OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of individual article citations in the sport sciences field with (1) Journal Impact Factor, (2) each article's open access status, and (3) Altmetric score components. * DESIGN: Cross-sectional. * METHODS: We searched the Web of Science Journal Citation Reports database in the sport sciences category for the 20 journals with the highest 2-year Journal Impact Factor in 2018. We extracted the impact factor for each journal and each article's open access status (yes or no). Between September 2019 and February 2020, we obtained individual citations, Altmetric scores, and details of Altmetric components (eg, number of tweets, Face-book posts, etc) for each article published in 2017. Linear and multiple regression models were used to assess the relationship between the dependent variable (citation number) and the independent variables (article Altmetric score and open access status and Journal Impact Factor). *RESULTS: Of the 4022 articles included, the total Altmetric score, Journal Impact Factor, and open access status respectively explained 32%, 14%, and 1% of the variance in article citations (when combined, the variables explained 40% of the variance in article citations). The number of tweets related to an article was the Altmetric component that explained the highest proportion of article citations (37%). *CONCLUSION: Altmetric scores in sport sciences journals have a stronger relationship with number of citations than Journal Impact Factor and open access status do. Twitter may be the best social media platform for promoting a research article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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CARDIOVASCULAR diseases risk factors, MYELOPEROXIDASE, CORONARY disease, CARDIOVASCULAR diseases, CIRCULATING tumor DNA, and HDL cholesterol

Introduction: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are DNA scaffolds enriched with antimicrobial proteins. NETs have been implicated in the development of various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigate the association of demographic and cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors with NETs in the general population. Material and methods: Citrated plasma was collected from 6449 participants, aged ≥55 years, as part of the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study. NETs were quantified by measuring MPO-DNA complex using an ELISA. We used linear regression to determine the associations between MPO-DNA complex and age, sex, cardio-metabolic risk factors, and plasma markers of inflammation and coagulation. Results: MPO-DNA complex levels were weakly associated with age (log difference per 10 year increase: -0.04 mAU/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.06;-0.02), a history of coronary heart disease (yes versus no: -0.10 mAU/mL, 95% CI -0.17;-0.03), the use of lipid-lowering drugs (yes versus no: -0.06 mAU/mL, 95% CI -0.12;-0.01), and HDL-cholesterol (per mmol/l increase: -0.07 mAU/mL/, 95% CI -0.12;-0.03). Conclusions: Older age, a history of coronary heart disease, the use of lipid-lowering drugs and higher HDL-cholesterol are weakly correlated with lower plasma levels of NETs. These findings show that the effect of CVD risk factors on NETs levels in a general population is only small and may not be of clinical relevance. This supports that NETs may play a more important role in an acute phase of disease than in a steady state situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Persistent fatigue among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients might be associated with unfavorable body composition, but data are sparse and inconsistent. We studied how skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMR), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) at diagnosis are associated with fatigue up to 24 months post-diagnosis in stage I–III CRC patients. Methods: SMI, SMR, VAT, and SAT were assessed among 646 CRC patients using pre-treatment computed tomography images. Fatigue at diagnosis, at 6, and 24 months post-diagnosis was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire. The association of SMI, SMR, VAT, and SAT with fatigue (yes/no) was assessed using confounder-adjusted restricted cubic spline analyses. Results: Prevalence of fatigue at diagnosis was 18%, at 6 months 25%, and at 24 months 12%. At diagnosis, a significant (p = 0.01) non-linear association of higher levels of SAT with higher prevalence of fatigue was observed. Lower levels of SMR were linearly associated with higher prevalence of fatigue at 6 months post-diagnosis (overall association p = 0.02). None of the body composition parameters were significantly associated with fatigue at 24 months. Conclusion: Having more SAT was associated with more fatigue at diagnosis, while low levels of SMR were associated with more fatigue at 6 months post-diagnosis. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Our results suggest that it may be interesting to investigate whether interventions that aim to increase SMR around the time of diagnosis may help to lower fatigue. However, more knowledge is needed to understand the mechanisms behind the association of SMR with fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SELF-deception, COVID-19, PSYCHOLOGICAL well-being, COVID-19 pandemic, SOCIAL attitudes, FEAR, and ATTITUDE (Psychology)

Background: Poland's inhabitants have often expressed disbelief and negative attitudes toward social isolation, combined with restlessness. This is due to a tendency to discount troubling informa tion while facing the unknown and counter-argue against information that causes discomfort and fear. This tendency helps humans to maintain hope and well-being. The study aimed to determine if Polish citizens tend to downplay or even deny danger when faced with a death threat. Material/Methods: The study comprised 58 adults - 46 females 12 males, aged 21 to 49. The participants were asked to answer 12 questions defining their beliefs and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic threat and its consequences. The subjects gave answers on the 5-point Likert scale, from "definitely not" to "de finitely yes". Results: The findings of the present study show that a considerable number of the participants tend to exhibit an optimistic bias. This is reflected in their direct statements and in the lack of congruence of their opinions. They do feel the threat of becoming ill but also seem to believe it need not affect them personally. They are also relatively optimistic about the outcomes of the pandemic. At the same time, they realize that COVID-19 may lead to severe psychological, neurological, and mental disorders. Conclusions: The study confirmed a tendency to deny the threat that can pose a severe risk to health and psychological well-being. This is a manifestation of an optimism bias that has its roots in the way the human brain works. The participants did express concerns about the future but at the same time hoped that life after the pandemic would return to normal. It reflects a benevolent facet of self-deception since it makes it possible to cope with highly threatening and impossible to control events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]