COLLEGE STUDENT DEPRESSION, ANXIETY DISORDER, AND SUICIDE: INSTITUTIONAL TRENDS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND MITIGATION INTERVENTIONS

This study sought to identify trends and incidence levels of college student depression, anxiety disorder, and suicide at United States colleges and universities. A public health approach was employed to ascertain if institutional and social determinants of mental illness are acting upon students. Once specific underlying factors were identified, a set of institutional interventions were developed to inform colleges and universities about strategies that can be implemented to mitigate student mental illness. This work has determined that there are numerous initiatives that institutions of higher education can implement to mitigate student mental illness. A one-person systematic review was undertaken to assess and determine the current state of scholarship within this topic area. Scholarship on this topic has primarily been focused on individual pathology and access to care. The reviewed research relates to access to campus counseling resources, counseling center models of care, risk identification, risk stratification, and intervention modalities. However, there is a dearth of literature on how institutional factors may be affecting student mental health. College students are at significant risk of mental illness, with 46.2% of college students reporting debilitating depression and 66.4% of college students feeling overwhelming anxiety in the 2018 to 2019 academic year (ACHA-NCHA). Of significant concern is the fact that 36.9% of students reported serious suicidal ideation and 10.9% of students attempted suicide in the 2018 to 2019 academic year (CCMH). Approximately 1,100 students die by suicide each year (Fernández Rodríguez and Huertas, 2013). A concurrent triangulation mixed methods approach was employed. Quantitative research included the collection and analysis of secondary data from valid sources. Qualitative research factors were explored through Key Informant interviews of Counseling Center Directors and Deans of Students to explore hypothesized underlying factors. Results were utilized to develop an institutional plan of action that can be implemented on a college-by-college basis. A modified sequential intercept model will be employed to inform implementation. Action plan steps include pedagogical modifications, policy changes related to FERPA, eliminating barriers to help-seeking behavior, and creating collaborative campus cultures, among others. The end goal is to create supportive and transparent campus communities where students can thrive.Doctor of Public Healt

Social norms in the development of adolescent substance use: a longitudinal analysis of the International Youth Development Study.

Identifying specific aspects of peer social norms that influence adolescent substance use may assist international prevention efforts. This study examines two aggregated measures of social norms in the school setting and their predictive association with substance (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) use 2 years later in a large cross-national population-based cohort of adolescents. The primary hypothesis is that in Grade 7 both "injunctive" school norms (where students associate substance use with "coolness") and "descriptive" norms (where student substance use is common) will predict Grade 9 substance use. Data come from the International Youth Development Study, including 2,248 students (51.2% female) in the US and Australia attending 121 schools in Grade 7. Independent variables included injunctive norms (aggregating measures of school-wide coolness ratings of each substance use) and descriptive norms (aggregating the prevalence of school substance use) in Grade 7. Dependent variables included binge drinking and current use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in Grade 9. Associations between each type of school-wide social norm and substance use behaviors in Grade 9 were tested using multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for covariates. In unadjusted models, both injunctive and descriptive norms each significantly predicted subsequent substance use. In fully adjusted models, injunctive norms were no longer significantly associated with Grade 9 use, but descriptive norms remained significantly associated with tobacco and marijuana use in the expected direction. The findings identify descriptive social norms in the school context as a particularly important area to address in adolescent substance use prevention efforts

Fluorescence spectroscopy of U(VI)-silicates and U(VI)-contaminated Hanford sediment

Time-resolved U(VI) laser fluorescence spectra (TRLFS) were recorded for a series of natural uranium-silicate minerals including boltwoodite, uranophane, soddyite, kasolite, sklodowskite, cuprosklodowskite, haiweeite, and weeksite, a synthetic boltwoodite, and four U(VI)-contaminated Hanford vadose zone sediments. Lowering the sample temperature from RT to ~5.5 K significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity and spectral resolution of both the minerals and sediments, offering improved possibilities for identifying uranyl species in environmental samples. At 5.5 K, all of the uranyl silicates showed unique, well-resolved fluorescence spectra. The symmetric O = U = O stretching frequency, as determined from the peak spacing of the vibronic bands in the emission spectra, were between 705 to 823 cm−1 for the uranyl silicates. These were lower than those reported for uranyl phosphate, carbonate, or oxy-hydroxides. The fluorescence emission spectra of all four sediment samples were similar to each other. Their spectra shifted minimally at different time delays or upon contact with basic Na/Ca-carbonate electrolyte solutions that dissolved up to 60% of the precipitated U(VI) pool. The well-resolved vibronic peaks in the fluorescence spectra of the sediments indicated that the major fluorescence species was a crystalline uranyl mineral phase, while the peak spacing of the vibronic bands pointed to the likely presence of uranyl silicate. Although an exact match was not found between the U(VI) fluorescence spectra of the sediments with that of any individual uranyl silicates, the major spectral characteristics indicated that the sediment U(VI) was a uranophane-type solid (uranophane, boltwoodite) or soddyite, as was concluded from microprobe, EXAFS, and solubility analyses

Do ethnic differences in cord blood leptin levels differ by birthweight category? Findings from the Born in Bradford cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that South Asian individuals have higher fat mass for a given weight than Europeans. One study reported that the greater fatness for a given birthweight may increase with increasing birth weight, suggesting that any attempt to increase mean birth weight in South Asians would markedly increase their fatness. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine whether differences in cord leptin values between White British and Pakistani infants vary by birth weight category. METHOD: We examined the difference in cord leptin levels between 659 White British and 823 Pakistani infants recruited to the Born in Bradford cohort study, by clinical categories and thirds of the birth weight distribution. RESULTS: Pakistani infants had a lower mean birthweight but higher cord leptin levels than White British infants [ratio of geometric mean(RGM) of cord leptin adjusted for birth weight = 1.36 (95% CI 1.26,1.46)]. Birthweight was positively associated with cord leptin levels in both groups, with no evidence that the regression lines in the two groups diverged from each other with increasing birthweight.The relative ethnic difference in cord leptin was similar in low (<2500 g), normal and high (≥4000 g) birthweight infants(P-value for interaction = 0.91). It was also similar across thirds of the birthweight distribution [RGM (95% CI) in lowest, mid and highest thirds were 1.37 (1.20, 1.57), 1.36 (1.20, 1.54) and 1.31 (1.16, 1.52), respectively, P-interaction = 0.51]. CONCLUSIONS: We found marked differences in cord leptin levels between Pakistani and White British infants but no evidence that this difference increases with increasing birthweight

Secretome Analysis of Vibrio cholerae Type VI Secretion System Reveals a New Effector-Immunity Pair

ABSTRACT The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a dynamic macromolecular organelle that many Gram-negative bacteria use to inhibit or kill other prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. The toxic effectors of T6SS are delivered to the prey cells in a contact-dependent manner. In Vibrio cholerae, the etiologic agent of cholera, T6SS is active during intestinal infection. Here, we describe the use of comparative proteomics coupled with bioinformatics to identify a new T6SS effector-immunity pair. This analysis was able to identify all previously identified secreted substrates of T6SS except PAAR (proline, alanine, alanine, arginine) motif-containing proteins. Additionally, this approach led to the identification of a new secreted protein encoded by VCA0285 (TseH) that carries a predicted hydrolase domain. We confirmed that TseH is toxic when expressed in the periplasm of Escherichia coli and V. cholerae cells. The toxicity observed in V. cholerae was suppressed by coexpression of the protein encoded by VCA0286 (TsiH), indicating that this protein is the cognate immunity protein of TseH. Furthermore, exogenous addition of purified recombinant TseH to permeabilized E. coli cells caused cell lysis. Bioinformatics analysis of the TseH protein sequence suggest that it is a member of a new family of cell wall-degrading enzymes that include proteins belonging to the YD repeat and Rhs superfamilies and that orthologs of TseH are likely expressed by species belonging to phyla as diverse as Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria

4D Printing: The Development of Responsive Materials Using 3D-Printing Technology

Additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, has revolutionized the production of biomaterials. While conventional 3D-printed structures are perceived as static, 4D printing introduces the ability to fabricate materials capable of self-transforming their configuration or function over time in response to external stimuli such as temperature, light, or electric field. This transformative technology has garnered significant attention in the field of biomedical engineering due to its potential to address limitations associated with traditional therapies. Here, we delve into an in-depth review of 4D-printing systems, exploring their diverse biomedical applications and meticulously evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. We emphasize the novelty of this review paper by highlighting the latest advancements and emerging trends in 4D-printing technology, particularly in the context of biomedical applications.The authors would like to acknowledge grants from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBACYT 20020150100056BA and PIDAE 2022 (Martín F. Desimone), and from CONICET PIP 0826 (Martín F. Desimone), and PIBAA 28720210100962CO (Sofia Municoy), which supported this work