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Publication Embargo Nitric oxide signalling in cancer: Functional, therapeutic, and diagnostic insights(University of Galway, 2026-04-10)Breast and prostate cancer are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Irish women and men respectively. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in these tumours is associated with more aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Nitric oxide (NO) signalling is characterised by its dichotomous nature with high and low levels having contrasting effects. This study investigates the impact of endogenous NO (from iNOS) and a range of NO concentrations (via the NO donor DETA/NO) on proliferation, migration, invasion and response to therapeutics in both triple negative and HER2-amplified breast cancer. Endogenously produced NO was not found to have any significant effects on proliferation or cell motility, while DETA/NO had concentration and time dependent effects. Low DETA/NO stimulated cell proliferation and enhanced chemoresistance. High DETA/NO induced a transient stimulation of proliferation prior to triggering cell cycle arrest. This limited the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents but ultimately resulted in reduced cell viability compared to chemotherapy alone indicating a potential for combination therapy. NO can exert its effects via activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase or s-nitrosation of proteins. Its effects on proliferation and chemoresistance were found to be via protein s-nitrosation as a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor had no effect. Known drivers of proliferation EGFR and HER2 showed increased s-nitrosation following treatment with DETA/NO, but demonstrated high baseline s-nitrosation indicating the importance of nitrosative signalling. Pharmacological inhibition of EGFR and HER2 did not impact the effects of DETA/NO on proliferation. However, this study uncovered other novel s-nitroso-proteins that may play a role. Furthermore, iNOS was investigated as a potential liquid biopsy biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis. High iNOS mRNA expression in the PBMC fraction of whole blood increased the predictive power of several other biomarkers investigated including EpCAM and HERV-K transcripts. This highlights the need for further research into the impact of NO signalling on the progression of cancer and other disease states particularly as it can be modulated therapeutically through NOS inhibitors or NO donors.Publication Open Access Microbial dynamics and seasonal resilience in constructed wetlands: A scoping review(Elsevier, 2026-04-05)Microbial communities in constructed wetlands (CWs) drive wastewater treatment efficacy through pollutant biodegradation and by outcompeting pathogenic taxa. Nevertheless, evidence on the ecological complexity of these communities and the effects of seasonal variability on treatment outcomes remains fragmented across climates and system configurations. This scoping review (ScR) addresses the need to map the available literature on microbial dynamics in CWs and the impact of seasonality on the mitigation of antimicrobial resistance and opportunistic pathogens, to inform future CW applications and environmental pollution management. Database search followed by deduplication and screening yielded 116 relevant records published between 2005 and 2025, spanning 36 countries worldwide, seven wastewater types, ten wetland configurations, and seven molecular detection methods. This ScR pinpoints that: i) microbial communities shift across macrohabitats and treatment stages towards pollutant removal capabilities (Rhodoferax, Polaromonas, Flavobacterium) at the expense of fecal and pathogenic contaminants (Arcobacter, Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas); ii) CWs can achieve > 99% removal of carbapenem-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes (ermB, bla/sul/tet genes), with the highest overall removal achieved by subsurface flow designs; iii) warmer temperatures can enhance persistence of ARGs by increasing microbial biomass turnover and horizontal gene transfer potential; iv) future environmental pollution management should incorporate long-term AMR monitoring.Publication Open Access Factors that influence the implementation of animal-assisted intervention for people with dementia in community care settings: A qualitative study(Wiley, 2026-04-06)Aim To explore the factors that influence the implementation of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) for people with dementia in community care settings in Ireland. Design Descriptive qualitative study. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 people with dementia, 11 care partners and 18 health and social care practitioners from November 2024 to June 2025. Interviewees were recruited from 10 community care settings and local dementia networks across 11 counties in Ireland. A photo elicitation approach was applied. Framework method was used for data analysis, integrating the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results A variety of AAI types were used across community care settings. The complexity and variation in AAI delivery and factors that influence its implementation were described. We developed four themes and 11 subthemes to illustrate the inter-relationship among factors combining five domains of CFIR: attitudes toward AAI; available and accessible resources; design and development of AAI; and scaffolding to facilitate AAI implementation. Conclusions AAI has promising benefits for people with dementia. Our findings provide rich insights into the multi-level factors that influence AAI practice. Future research should focus on developing and enhancing implementation strategies, applying user-centred design, to address barriers, leverage facilitators and tailor to local context, ultimately increasing the adoption and impact of AAI.Publication Open Access Role of SoxE transcription factors in development and disease(Wiley, 2026-03-25)Sox8, Sox9, and Sox10 arose by multiple rounds of genome duplications from a single SoxE gene in ancestral vertebrates. In this review, we will briefly discuss the molecular structure and function of SoxE transcription factors and their evolutionary origin. We will then discuss their expression, function, and developmental disorders. SoxE proteins play critical roles during the development of multiple tissues in vertebrate embryos, including the neural crest, inner ear, cartilages, and glia cells of diverse origins, heart, gonads, and gastrointestinal tract. Because they recognize the same DNA sequence, possess conserved functional domains, and have overlapping expression profiles, SoxE proteins act partly redundantly in many contexts. However, Sox8, Sox9, and Sox10 also have many unique and tissue-specific functions. In particular, Sox9 plays an essential role in chondrogenesis, whereas Sox10 is a central regulator of pigment and glia cells. The highly context-specific regulation of different sets of target genes by SoxE factors is due to their ability to interact and cooperate with many other proteins including other transcription factors, cofactors, and enzymes, which modulate their regulatory activity. The activity of SoxE proteins is also frequently altered in a context-dependent fashion by post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, acetylation, and SUMOylation.Publication Open Access Stem cell therapies to modulate harmful immune responses in kidney disease: progress toward clinical validation(Oxford University Press, 2026-03-28)Stem cell therapies hold promise for halting or reversing kidney disease and improving kidney transplant (KTx) outcomes. One route to large-scale clinical application of stem cell therapies for kidney disease is through their capacity to modulate the balance between tissue injury and repair via crosstalk with other cells. Among the key disease-modulating effects of stem cells is their interaction with components of the immune system involved in harmful inflammation during acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and complications of KTx. Extensive basic research demonstrates that stem cells employ diverse paracrine mechanisms to re-program immunological activities from pro-inflammatory/pro-fibrotic to anti-inflammatory/pro-repair. The therapeutic benefits of these effects are confirmed in many pre-clinical models of AKI, CKD and KTx for autologous and allogeneic stem cells including hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, renal progenitor cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Nonetheless, translating these findings into therapeutic immunomodulatory cell products that improve the lives of those with kidney disease is highly challenging. The aims of this review are to: (a) Summarize recent insights into the common molecular and cellular mechanisms of immune-mediated tissue injury in kidney disease and KTx along with the types of stem therapies that have been developed to address them. (b) Critically evaluate the extent to which clinical trials of stem cell products have validated such effects in humans with kidney disease and KTx. (c) Identify key bottlenecks to the large-scale application of stem cell therapies to reduce the burden of kidney disease on patients and societies.