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Background: In 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused disruptions in kidney replacement therapy (KRT) services worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 on the incidence of KRT, kidney transplantation activity, mortality and prevalence of KRT across Europe., Methods: Patients receiving KRT were included from 17 countries providing data to the European Renal Association Registry. The epidemiology of KRT in 2020 was compared with average data from the period 2017-2019. Changes occurring during the first and second waves of the pandemic were also explored., Results: The incidence of KRT was 6.2% lower in 2020 compared with 2017-2019, with the lowest point (-22.7%) during the first wave in April. The decrease varied across countries, was smaller in males (-5.2%) than in females (-8.2%) and was moderate for peritoneal dialysis (-3.7%) and haemodialysis (-5.4%) but substantial for pre-emptive kidney transplantation (-23.6%). The kidney transplantation rate decreased by 22.5%, reaching a nadir of -80.1% during the first wave, and was greatest for living donor kidney transplants (-30.5%). While in most countries the kidney transplantation rate decreased, in the Nordic/Baltic countries and Greece there was no clear decrease. In dialysis patients, mortality increased by 11.4% and was highest in those 65-74 years of age (16.1%), in those with diabetes as the primary renal disease (15.1%) and in those on haemodialysis (12.4%). In transplant recipients, the mortality was 25.8% higher, but there were no subgroups that stood out. In contrast to the rising prevalence of KRT observed over the past decades across Europe, the prevalence at the end of 2020 (N = 317 787) resembled that of 2019 (N = 317 077)., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the incidence of KRT, kidney transplant activity, mortality of KRT and prevalence of KRT in Europe with variations across countries., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the ERA.)

Accurately modelling the propagation of radiant intensity in aqueous environments poses significant challenges for both academia and industry, due to complex interactions like absorption, scattering, and reflection. This study aims to improve the accuracy of optical modeling in water-based systems by comparing experimental data with numerical simulation techniques, addressing the need for more reliable simulation methods in multiple applications like treatment of water and environmental monitoring.Implementation has been done by analyzing how the method compares with the discrete ordinate method, radiometry, and actinometry. The study further quantifies the effect of the photoreactor quartz tube on measured intensity for multiple wavelengths. Losses in light intensity are estimated to be 10 ± 0.5% for FX-1 265 source. In contrast, the simulation in a water medium showed an increase of up to 64% in the light intensity delivered to the central part of the tube due to internal reflections and scattering. Model predictions from ray tracing successfully compared with the Discrete Ordinate Method (DOM) and experimental data (within ± 6%), ensuring the accurate design of complex systems for water disinfection. The data from simulations is seen to tackle challenges faced in complex radiation modeling and demonstrates that the method can be utilized as a useful tool for optimization and prediction., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2024 Uppinakudru AP et al.)

The past decade's development of UV LEDs has fueled significant research in water disinfection, with widespread debate surrounding the potential synergies of multiple UV wavelengths. This study analyses the use of three UV sources (265, 275, and 310 nm) on the inactivation of Escherichia coli bacteria in two water matrixes . At maximum intensity in wastewater, individual inactivation experiments in a single pass set-up (Flow rate = 2 L min -1 , Residence time = 0.75 s) confirmed the 265 nm light source to be the most effective (2.2 ± 0.2 log units), while the 310 nm led to the lowest inactivation rate (0.0003 ± 7.03 × 10 -5 log units). When a combination of the three wavelengths was used, an average log reduction of 4.4 ± 0.2 was observed in wastewater. For combinations of 265 and 275 nm, the average log reductions were similar to the sum of individual log reductions. For combinations involving the use of 310 nm, a potential synergistic effect was investigated by the use of robust statistical analysis techniques. It is concluded that combinations of 310 nm with 265 nm or 275 nm devices, in sequential and simultaneous mode, present a significant synergy at both intensities due to the emission spectra of the selected LEDs, ensuring the possibility of two inactivation mechanisms. Finally, the electrical energy per order of inactivation found the three-wavelength combination to be the most energy efficient (0.39 ± 0.05, 0.36 ± 0.01 kWh m -3 , at 50% and 100% dose, respectively, in wastewater) among the synergistic combinations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Background: The European Renal Association (ERA) Registry collects data on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This paper is a summary of the ERA Registry Annual Report 2021, including a comparison across treatment modalities., Methods: Data was collected from 54 national and regional registries from 36 countries, of which 35 registries from 18 countries contributed individual patient data and 19 registries from 19 countries contributed aggregated data. Using this data, incidence and prevalence of KRT, kidney transplantation rates, survival probabilities and expected remaining lifetimes were calculated., Result: In 2021, 533.2 million people in the general population were covered by the ERA Registry. The incidence of KRT was 145 per million population (pmp). In incident patients, 55% were 65 years or older, 64% were male, and the most common primary renal disease (PRD) was diabetes (22%). The prevalence of KRT was 1040 pmp. In prevalent patients, 47% were 65 years or older, 62% were male, and the most common PRDs were diabetes and glomerulonephritis/sclerosis (both 16%). On 31 December 2021, 56% of patients received haemodialysis, 5% received peritoneal dialysis, and 39% were living with a functioning graft. The kidney transplantation rate in 2021 was 37 pmp, a majority coming from deceased donors (66%). For patients initiating KRT between 2012-2016, 5-year survival probability was 52%. Compared to the general population, life expectancy was 65% and 68% shorter for males and females receiving dialysis, and 40% and 43% shorter for males and females living with a functioning graft., Competing Interests: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the ERA.)

Immobilised TiO 2 nanotube (TiO 2 -NT) electrodes were grown via electrochemical anodisation in an aqueous solution containing fluoride ions at 10, 20 and 30 V. The photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) activity of TiO 2 -NTs electrodes in the oxidation of methanol and the inactivation of bacteria and fungi was studied in different chloride salts electrolytes. Low concentrations of electrochemically generated oxidising species, such as free chlorine, were measured in experiments at pH 8.5 and +1 V of applied potential. Increasing the anodising potential results in longer nanotubes with higher photoactivity. The TiO 2 -NT electrode anodised at 30 V (TiO 2 -NT30V) generates free chlorine with an average concentration of 0.03 mg·L -1 upon illumination with UV-A at +1 V of potential bias. This concentration was enough to achieve 99.99 % of inactivation of a 10 6  CFU·mL -1 Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) in <3 min and Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis) after 7 min, whereas fungi (Candida albicans) required 15 min. The low production of chlorine was found to have a big impact on the bacteria and fungi inactivation even in not favourable chlorine generation conditions. An in situ investigation of the most influential parameters in the inactivation of some microorganisms with PEC and NT30V electrode has been done. It was found that free chlorine production increases with the length of TiO 2 -NT, with Cl - concentration up to 15 mmol·L -1 and with the application of potential bias. TiO 2 -NT30V photoanode has been demonstrated to produce active chlorine at levels compatible with the water disinfection process, suggesting that the present method could be considered a promising alternative for in situ chlorine-based disinfection., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The increase in efficiency achieved by UV LED devices has led to a compelling increase in research reports on UV LED water treatment for consumption in the past few years. This paper presents an in-depth review based on recent studies on the suitability and performance of UV LED-driven processes for water disinfection. The effect of different UV wavelengths and their combinations was analysed for the inactivation of various microorganisms and the inhibition of repair mechanisms. Whereas 265 nm UVC LED present a higher DNA damaging potential, 280 nm radiation is reported to repress photoreactivation and dark repair. No synergistic effects have been proved to exist when coupling UVB + UVC whereas sequential UVA-UVC radiation seemed to enhance inactivation. Benefits of pulsed over continuous radiation in terms of germicidal effects and energy consumption were also analysed, but with inconclusive results. However, pulsed radiation may be promising for improving thermal management. As a challenge, the use of UV LED sources introduces significant inhomogeneities in the light distribution, pushing for the development of adequate simulation methods to ensure that the minimum target dose required for the target microbes is achieved. Concerning energy consumption, selecting the optimal wavelength of the UV LED needs a compromise between the quantum efficiency of the process and the electricity-to-photon conversion. The expected development of the UV LED industry in the next few years points to UVC LED as a promising technology for water disinfection at a large scale that could be competitive in the market in the near future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Uniform illumination from UVA LED lamps is a crucial design characteristic for a range of industries including photocatalytic applications. In this work, radiometry and the discrete ordinate method (DOM) are used to determine the ideal target surface size and working distance from a UVA LED lamp for highly uniform illumination. Horizontal incident radiation and full surface incident radiation measurements were conducted using a scanning radiometry technique. It is shown that horizontal incident and full surface incident radiation measurements show good agreement for uniformity measurements over a range of working distances, with maximum uniformity (2.6% and 3.6% standard deviation respectively) over the measured range found at 15 mm working distance. DOM simulation results showed good agreement with radiometry for power and incident radiation measurements, whilst indicating a maximum uniformity at 20 mm working distance. These results demonstrate that DOM simulations can be used as a fast, low cost, and reliable indication of surface uniformity, peak surface irradiance, and power measurements in the design of UV lamps for industrial and academic applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The availability of protein standards and methods for their characterization, quantification, and purity assessment are currently a bottleneck in absolute quantitative proteomics. In this work, we introduce an absolute quantitative analytical strategy based on ICP-MS sulfur detection that uses sulfate as generic standard to quantify and certify the mass purity of protein standards. The methodology combines capillary chromatographic separation with parallel detection with ICP-MS and ESI-MS to determine proteoforms concentration and identity, respectively. The workability of the methodology was demonstrated using recombinant human cytokine standards IP-10 and Flt3L (2 batches), which are relevant biomarkers for carcinoma or inflammatory diseases. Every key factor (transport efficiency, column recovery, signal stability and internal standard suitability) was taken into account and certified BSA standard was used as quality control for validation purposes. Protein quantification values and resulting mass purity certification of IP-10 and one batch of Flt3L were very high (100 and 86%, respectively). Lower mass purity obtained for another batch of Flt3L (<70%) concurred with the finding of significant proteoforms resulted from oxidation processes as observed by parallel ESI-MS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jorge Ruiz Encinar reports financial support was provided by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Jorge Ruiz Encinar reports financial support was provided by Principality of Asturias. Sara Escudero Cernuda reports financial support was provided by Principality of Asturias. Francisco Calderon Celis reports financial support was provided by Principality of Asturias., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

It is accepted that Microplastic (MP) biofilms accumulates antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in water. ARB/ARGs and MPs are emerging pollutants of concern due to various associated health risks. The objective of this study was to 1) investigate the ARB community in a pilot-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, 2) to study and visualize the ARB/ARGs in MP biofilm grown in WWTP effluent and tap water, and 3) to analyze microplastic adherent ARB/ARGs in the biofilm and planktonic ARB/ARGs in the filtrate under controlled conditions. Results indicated the dominance of Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Bacillus among isolated ARB in WWTP effluent. Representative resistance strains were incubated in 300 mL water containing commercial polystyrene beads of 300550 μm diameter (MP) in a series of batch experiments. Microbiological, molecular, and microscopic analyses were performed by enumeration, 16srRNA, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FEG-SEM) techniques. The analyzed viable ARB indicated an increasing trend in MP biofilms between days 3 and 5. It further decreased on days 7 and 9. The prevalence of ARB in the filtrate and MP biofilm varied as a function of time and TOC level, while no significant impacts were observed for minor temperature variation, low antibiotic pressure, and increased MP mass with few exceptions. Relative abundance of ARGs (vanA, sul1) and integron integrase gene (intl1) in MP biofilm were significantly different across different TOC levels, time, and antibiotic pressure. ARGs and intl1 were detected in the MP biofilm in tap water and WWTP effluent on day 30., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between the degree of food processing in our diet and the risk of various chronic diseases. Much of this evidence is based on the international Nova classification system, which classifies food into four groups based on the type of processing: (1) Unprocessed and minimally processed foods, (2) Processed culinary ingredients, (3) Processed foods, and (4) "Ultra-processed" foods (UPF). The ability of the Nova classification to accurately characterise the degree of food processing across consumption patterns in various European populations has not been investigated so far. Therefore, we applied the Nova coding to data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) in order to characterize the degree of food processing in our diet across European populations with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and to validate this Nova classification through comparison with objective biomarker measurements., Methods: After grouping foods in the EPIC dataset according to the Nova classification, a total of 476,768 participants in the EPIC cohort (71.5% women; mean age 51 [standard deviation (SD) 9.93]; median age 52 [percentile (p)25-p75: 58-66] years) were included in the cross-sectional analysis that characterised consumption patterns based on the Nova classification. The consumption of food products classified as different Nova categories were compared to relevant circulating biomarkers denoting food processing, measured in various subsamples (N between 417 and 9,460) within the EPIC cohort via (partial) correlation analyses (unadjusted and adjusted by sex, age, BMI and country). These biomarkers included an industrial transfatty acid (ITFA) isomer (elaidic acid; exogenous fatty acid generated during oil hydrogenation and heating) and urinary 4 - methyl syringol sulfate (an indicator for the consumption of smoked food and a component of liquid smoke used in UPF)., Results: Contributions of UPF intake to the overall diet in % grams/day varied across countries from 7% (France) to 23% (Norway) and their contributions to overall % energy intake from 16% (Spain and Italy) to >45% (in the UK and Norway). Differences were also found between sociodemographic groups; participants in the highest fourth of UPF consumption tended to be younger, taller, less educated, current smokers, more physically active, have a higher reported intake of energy and lower reported intake of alcohol. The UPF pattern as defined based on the Nova classification (group 4;% kcal/day) was positively associated with blood levels of industrial elaidic acid ( r = 0.54) and 4 - methyl syringol sulfate ( r = 0.43). Associations for the other 3 Nova groups with these food processing biomarkers were either inverse or non-significant (e.g., for unprocessed and minimally processed foods these correlations were -0.07 and -0.37 for elaidic acid and 4 - methyl syringol sulfate, respectively)., Conclusion: These results, based on a large pan-European cohort, demonstrate sociodemographic and geographical differences in the consumption of UPF. Furthermore, these results suggest that the Nova classification can accurately capture consumption of UPF, reflected by stronger correlations with circulating levels of industrial elaidic acid and a syringol metabolite compared to diets high in minimally processed foods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Huybrechts, Rauber, Nicolas, Casagrande, Kliemann, Wedekind, Biessy, Scalbert, Touvier, Aleksandrova, Jakszyn, Skeie, Bajracharya, Boer, Borné, Chajes, Dahm, Dansero, Guevara, Heath, Ibsen, Papier, Katzke, Kyrø, Masala, Molina-Montes, Robinson, Santiuste de Pablos, Schulze, Simeon, Sonestedt, Tjønneland, Tumino, van der Schouw, Verschuren, Vozar, Winkvist, Gunter, Monteiro, Millett and Levy.)

Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 2 FO 2 is a promising candidate for practical use as a positive electrode material in Na-ion batteries thanks to its high voltage and excellent structural stability upon cycling. However, its limited intrinsic transport properties limit its performance at fast charge/discharge rates. In this work, two efficient approaches are presented to optimize the electrical conductivity of the electrode material: particle nanosizing and particle coating with an ionic liquid (IL). The former reveals that particle downsizing from micrometer to nanometer range improves the electronic conductivity by more than two orders of magnitude, which greatly improves the rate capability without affecting the capacity retention. The second approch dealing with an original surface modification by applying an IL coating strongly enhances the ionic mobility and offers new perspectives to improve the energy storage performance by designing the electrode materials' surface composition.