Neuropsychiatric disorders, which are associated with stress hormone dysregulation, occur at different rates in men and women. Moreover, nowadays, preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrates that sex and gender can lead to differences in stress responses that predispose males and females to different expressions of similar pathologies. In this curated review, we focus on what is known about sex differences in classic mechanisms of stress response, such as glucocorticoid hormones and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), which are components of the hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis. Then, we present sex differences in neurotransmitter levels, such as serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and GABA, as well as indices of neurodegeneration, such as amyloid β and Tau. Gonadal hormone effects, such as estrogens and testosterone, are also discussed throughout the review. We also review in detail preclinical data investigating sex differences caused by recentlyrecognized regulators of stress and disease, such as the immune system, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, as well neurosteroids. Finally, we discuss how understanding sex differences in stress responses, as well as in pharmacology, can be leveraged into novel, more efficacious therapeutics for all. Based on the supporting evidence, it is obvious that incorporating sex as a biological variable into preclinical research is imperative for the understanding and treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: It is well known, that titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photoexcitation. Method: In this work, we investigated mesoporous surfaces based on TiO2 nanoparticles doped with 0.6-0.7% manganese (Mn), which showed reduced photoactivity and were based on the more stable rutile polymorph of titania. Result: In particular, we showed spectrophotometrically that the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOD) can be successfully adsorbed up to 80% while retaining its bioactivity in contact with the TiO2:Mn-based surface. Conclusion: We propose that this study could potentially give rise to biocompatible surfaces for biosensing applications.

Wetting, in membrane distillation (MD), is a major drawback appearing as a dynamic mechanism consisting of multiple stages. Normally, the liquid-air interface is placed on top of the membrane surface and pores are only occupied with vapor. If liquid starts to penetrate, surface wetting is followed by partial wetting that develops until the fully wetted state occurs, compromising the operation. Usually, only the fully wetted state is assumed, indirectly, as liquid from the feedwater stream, containing soluble salts, passes through the pores and contaminates the permeate, thus increasing its conductivity. In this work, we present White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy (WLRS) as a novel method for in-situ wetting monitoring in MD. In WLRS, light incidents vertically onto the membrane and reflectance is continuously recorded. Thus, it is possible to observe any movement of the liquid-vapor interface in real-time, via changes in the reflectance spectrum, without compromising the structural integrity of the membrane nor the module. Notably, the proposed method is applicable to all standard MD modes, without operating limitations and restrictions. With this noninvasive technique we can predict and observe all wetting stages, not only in the presence of surfactants in the feed stream, but also due to hydraulic pressure increase.

Quantum pharmacology introduces theoretical models to describe the possibility of ultra-high dilutions to produce biological effects, which may help to explain the placebo effect observed in hypertensive clinical trials. To determine this within physiology and to evaluate novel ARBs, we tested the ability of known angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) (candesartan and telmisartan) used to treat hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as novel ARBs (benzimidazole-N-biphenyl tetrazole (ACC519T), benzimidazole-bis-N,N'-biphenyl tetrazole (ACC519T(2)) and 4-butyl-N,N0-bis[[20-2Htetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl]methyl)imidazolium bromide (BV6(K+)2), and nirmatrelvir (the active ingredient in Paxlovid) to modulate vascular contraction in iliac rings from healthy male New Zealand White rabbits in responses to various vasopressors (angiotensin A, angiotensin II and phenylephrine). Additionally, the hemodynamic effect of ACC519T and telmisartan on mean arterial pressure in conscious rabbits was determined, while the ex vivo ability of BV6(K+)2 to activate angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) was also investigated. We show that commercially available and novel ARBs can modulate contraction responses at ultra-high dilutions to different vasopressors. ACC519T produced a dose-dependent reduction in rabbit mean arterial pressure while BV6(K+)2 significantly increased ACE2 metabolism. The ability of ARBs to inhibit contraction responses even at ultra-low concentrations provides evidence of the existence of quantum pharmacology. Furthermore, the ability of ACC519T and BV6(K+)2 to modulate blood pressure and ACE2 activity, respectively, indicates their therapeutic potential against hypertension.

Humanin is a 24-mer peptide first reported in the early 2000s as a new neuroprotective/cytoprotective factor rescuing neuronal cells from death induced by various Alzheimer's disease-associated insults. Nowadays it is known that humanin belongs to the novel class of the so-called mitochondrial-derived peptides (which are encoded by mitochondrial DNA) and has been shown to exert beneficial cytoprotective effects in a series of in vitro and/or in vivo experimental models of human diseases, including not only neurodegenerative disorders but other human diseases as well (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes mellitus). This review article is focused on the presentation of recent in vitro and in vivo research results associated with the neuroprotective action of humanin as well as of various, mainly synthetic, analogues of the peptide; moreover, the main mode(s)/mechanism(s) through which humanin and humanin analogues may exert in vitro and in vivo regarding neuroprotection have been reported. The prospects of humanin and humanin analogues to be further investigated in the frame of future research endeavors against neurodegenerative/neural diseases have also been briefly discussed.

There has been a proliferation of particle systems developed to model complex systems. These are attractive because they are mesh-free, avoiding issues associated with solver remeshing and convergence. They have however fragmented into niches, using increasingly complex particles that introduce internal degrees of freedom and external solver coupling. We show that, contrary to prior assumptions in the literature, memoryless isotropic point particles can model material properties including anisotropy, hysteresis, and failure solely through the statistics of their distributions. The resulting models offer compact code that is straightforward to accelerate and port, can span between micro- and macro-structure, require few parameters to set up a simulation, and unlike high-dimensional machine learning models they use a low-dimensional representation that can be efficiently learned. Rather than deriving them as approximations to either molecular dynamics or partial differential equations we investigate how these models can be found directly, and illustrate this with both qualitative comparisons of phenomenology and quantitative comparisons of predictions.

Many modern frameworks for community resilience and emergency management in the face of extreme hydrometeorological and climate events rely on scenario building. These scenarios typically cover multiple hazards and assess the likelihood of their occurrence. They are quantified by their main characteristics, including likelihood of occurrence, intensity, duration, and spatial extent. However, most studies in the literature focus only on the first two characteristics, neglecting to incorporate the internal hazard dynamics and their persistence over time. In this study, we propose a multidimensional approach to construct extreme event scenarios for multiple hazards, such as heat waves, cold spells, extreme precipitation and snowfall, and wind speed. We consider the intensity, duration, and return period (IDRP) triptych for a specific location. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by developing pertinent scenarios for eight locations in Greece with diverse geographical characteristics and dominant extreme hazards. We also address how climate change impacts the scenario characteristics.