Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of children and adolescents worldwide. The German COPSY study is among the first population-based longitudinal studies to examine the mental ...health impact of the pandemic. The objective of the study was to assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in children and adolescents and to identify the associated risk and resource factors during the pandemic.
Methods
A nationwide longitudinal survey was conducted with two waves during the pandemic (May/June 2020 and December 2020/January 2021). In total,
n
= 1923 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years and their parents participated (retention rate from wave 1 to wave 2: 85%). The self-report and parent-proxy surveys assessed HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ with the subscales emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms (CES-DC, PHQ-2) and psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL). Mixed model panel regression analyses were conducted to examine longitudinal changes in mental health and to identify risk and resource factors.
Results
The HRQoL of children and adolescents decreased during the pandemic, and emotional problems, peer-related mental health problems, anxiety, depressive and psychosomatic symptoms increased over time, however the change in global mental health problems from wave 1 to wave 2 was not significant, and some changes were negligible. Socially disadvantaged children and children of mentally burdened parents were at particular risk of impaired mental health, while female gender and older age were associated with fewer mental health problems. A positive family climate and social support supported the mental health of children and adolescents during the pandemic.
Discussion
Health promotion, prevention and intervention strategies could support children and adolescents in coping with the pandemic and protect and maintain their mental health.
The German population-based longitudinal COVID-19 andPsychological Health study monitors changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health of children and adolescents during the ...COVID-19 pandemic and identifies vulnerable groups.
A nationwide, population-based survey was conducted in May 2020 to June 2020 (Wave 1), December 2020 to January 2021 (Wave 2), and September 2021 to October 2021 (Wave 3). In total, n = 2,097 children and adolescents aged 7–17 years were investigated using measures to assess HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms(PHQ-2), and psychosomatic complaints(HBSC-SCL).
The prevalence of low HRQoL increased from 15% prepandemic to 40% and 48% in Waves 1 and 2 and improved slightly to 35% in Wave 3 (all differences significant). Similarly, overall mental health problems increased from 18% prepandemic to 29% in Wave 1 and 31% in Wave 2 to 28% in Wave 3 (all differences significant, except Wave 3 vs. 2), anxiety increased from 15% prepandemic to 24% and 30% in Waves 1 and 2 and was still 27% in Wave 3. Depressive symptoms increased from 10% prepandemic to 11% and 15% in Waves 1 and 2 and were 11% in Wave 3. A group with low parental education, restricted living conditions, migration background, and parental mental health problems was at significantly increased risk of HRQoL and mental health impairments.
The prevalence of low HRQoL, mental health problems, and anxiety has been elevated throughout the pandemic. Thus, mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention strategies need to be implemented to support adolescents–particularly those at risk.
Due to the abundance of microplastics in the environment, research about its possible adverse effects is increasing exponentially. Most studies investigating the effect of microplastics on cells ...still rely on commercially available polystyrene microspheres. However, the choice of these model microplastic particles can affect the outcome of the studies, as even nominally identical model microplastics may interact differently with cells due to different surface properties such as the surface charge. Here, we show that nominally identical polystyrene microspheres from eight different manufacturers significantly differ in their ζ-potential, which is the electrical potential of a particle in a medium at its slipping plane. The ζ-potential of the polystyrene particles is additionally altered after environmental exposure. We developed a microfluidic microscopy platform to demonstrate that the ζ-potential determines particle-cell adhesion strength. Furthermore, we find that due to this effect, the ζ-potential also strongly determines the internalization of the microplastic particles into cells. Therefore, the ζ-potential can act as a proxy of microplastic-cell interactions and may govern adverse effects reported in various organisms exposed to microplastics.
Genomics and the origin of species Seehausen, Ole; Butlin, Roger K; Keller, Irene ...
Nature reviews. Genetics,
03/2014, Letnik:
15, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Speciation is a fundamental evolutionary process, the knowledge of which is crucial for understanding the origins of biodiversity. Genomic approaches are an increasingly important aspect of this ...research field. We review current understanding of genome-wide effects of accumulating reproductive isolation and of genomic properties that influence the process of speciation. Building on this work, we identify emergent trends and gaps in our understanding, propose new approaches to more fully integrate genomics into speciation research, translate speciation theory into hypotheses that are testable using genomic tools and provide an integrative definition of the field of speciation genomics.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Background
risk stratification tools for older patients in the emergency department (ED) have rarely been implemented successfully in routine care.
Objective
to evaluate the feasibility and ...acceptability of the ‘Acutely Presenting Older Patient’ (APOP) screener, which identifies older ED patients at the highest risk of adverse outcomes within 2 minutes at presentation.
Design and setting
2-month prospective cohort study, after the implementation of the APOP screener in ED routine care in the Leiden University Medical Center.
Subjects
all consecutive ED patients aged ≥70 years.
Methods
feasibility of screening was assessed by measuring the screening rate and by identifying patient- and organisation-related determinants of screening completion. Acceptability was assessed by collecting experienced barriers of screening completion from triage-nurses.
Results
we included 953 patients with a median age of 77 (IQR 72–82) years, of which 560 (59%) patients were screened. Patients had a higher probability of being screened when they had a higher age (OR 1.03 (95%CI 1.01–1.06), P = 0.017). Patients had a lower probability of being screened when they were triaged very urgent (OR 0.55 (0.39–0.78), P = 0.001) or when the number of patients upon arrival was high (OR 0.63 (0.47–0.86), P = 0.003). Experienced barriers of screening completion were patient-related (‘patient was too sick’), organisation-related (‘ED was too busy’) and personnel-related (‘forgot to complete screening’).
Conclusion
with more than half of all older patients screened, feasibility and acceptability of screening in routine ED care is very promising. To further improve screening completion, solutions are needed for patients who present with high urgency and during ED rush hours.
Here, we describe a small enterovirus outbreak including nine cases of aseptic meningitis in a New Zealand hospital in 2017. Most patients had a lymphocytic predominance in the CSF, their length of ...stay was short, and there were no paediatric cases or ICU admissions. VP1 genotyping revealed that the outbreak was caused by an echovirus E30 strain closely related to strains reported from the US, UK, Brazil, and Denmark. They all form a separate cluster within lineage "h", which leads to the proposal of establishing a new lineage tentatively named "j" for this group of echovirus E30 strains. However, whole genome sequencing and reference mapping to echovirus E30 sequences showed very poor mapping of reads to the 3' half of the genome. Further bioinformatic analysis indicated that the causative agent of this outbreak might be a mosaic triple-recombinant enterovirus composed of echovirus E6, echovirus E11, and echovirus E30 genome segments.
Brownian dynamics (BD) has been applied as a comprehensive tool to model sedimentation and diffusion of nanoparticles in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) experiments. In this article, we extend ...the BD algorithm by considering space-dependent diffusion and solvent compressibility. With this, the changes in the sedimentation and diffusion coefficient from altered solvent properties at increased pressures are accurately taken into account. Moreover, it is demonstrated how the concept of space-dependent diffusion is employed to describe concentration-dependent sedimentation and diffusion coefficients, in particular, through the Gralen coefficient and the second virial coefficient. The influence of thermodynamic nonideality on diffusional properties can be accurately simulated and agree with well-known evaluation tools. BD simulations for sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity (SV) AUC experiments including effects of hydrodynamic and thermodynamic nonideality are validated by global evaluation in SEDANAL. The interplay of solvent compressibility and retrieved nonideality parameters can be studied utilizing BD. Finally, the second virial coefficient is determined for lysozyme from SV AUC experiments and BD simulations and compared to membrane osmometry. These results are in line with DLVO theory. In summary, BD simulations are established for the validation of nonideal sedimentation in AUC providing a sound basis for the evaluation of complex interactions even in polydisperse systems.
Children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) can present with thrombocytopenia, which is a key feature of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We hypothesized that ...thrombocytopenic MIS-C patients have more features of HLH. Clinical characteristics and routine laboratory parameters were collected from 228 MIS-C patients, of whom 85 (37%) were thrombocytopenic. Thrombocytopenic patients had increased ferritin levels; reduced leukocyte subsets; and elevated levels of ASAT and ALAT. Soluble IL-2RA was higher in thrombocytopenic children than in non-thrombocytopenic children. T-cell activation, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma signaling markers were inversely correlated with thrombocyte levels, consistent with a more pronounced cytokine storm syndrome. Thrombocytopenia was not associated with severity of MIS-C and no pathogenic variants were identified in HLH-related genes. This suggests that thrombocytopenia in MIS-C is not a feature of a more severe disease phenotype, but the consequence of a distinct hyperinflammatory immunopathological process in a subset of children.
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•One third of 228 patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) presented with thrombocytopenia.•Hyperinflammation and elevated biomarkers associated with T-cell activation were observed in thrombocytopenic MIS-C patients.•Independent of disease severity, thrombocytopenic patients had reduced leukocytes and signs of liver injury as seen in HLH.•No pathogenic variants in HLH genes were identified in any of the 62 MIS-C patients analyzed using whole-exome-sequencing.
Dryland xeric conditions exert a deterministic effect on microbial communities, forcing life into refuge niches. Deposited rocks can form a lithic niche for microorganisms in desert regions. Mineral ...weathering is a key process in soil formation and the importance of microbial-driven mineral weathering for nutrient extraction is increasingly accepted. Advances in geobiology provide insight into the interactions between microorganisms and minerals that play an important role in weathering processes. In this study, we present the examination of the microbial diversity in dryland rocks from the Tsauchab River banks in Namibia. We paired culture-independent 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with culture-dependent (isolation of bacteria) techniques to assess the community structure and diversity patterns. Bacteria isolated from dryland rocks are typical of xeric environments and are described as being involved in rock weathering processes. For the first time, we extracted extra- and intracellular DNA from rocks to enhance our understanding of potentially rock-weathering microorganisms. We compared the microbial community structure in different rock types (limestone, quartz-rich sandstone and quartz-rich shale) with adjacent soils below the rocks. Our results indicate differences in the living lithic and sublithic microbial communities.
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