Results of the COVID-19 mental health international for the general population (COMET-G) study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few published empirical data on the effects of COVID-19 on mental health, and until now, there is no large international study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, an online questionnaire gathered data from 55,589 participants from 40 countries (64.85% females aged 35.80 ± 13.61; 34.05% males aged 34.90±13.29 and 1.10% other aged 31.64±13.15). Distress and probable depression were identified with the use of a previously developed cut-off and algorithm respectively. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were calculated. Chi-square tests, multiple forward stepwise linear regression analyses and Factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested relations among variables. RESULTS: Probable depression was detected in 17.80% and distress in 16.71%. A significant percentage reported a deterioration in mental state, family dynamics and everyday lifestyle. Persons with a history of mental disorders had higher rates of current depression (31.82% vs. 13.07%). At least half of participants were accepting (at least to a moderate degree) a non-bizarre conspiracy. The highest Relative Risk (RR) to develop depression was associated with history of Bipolar disorder and self-harm/attempts (RR = 5.88). Suicidality was not increased in persons without a history of any mental disorder. Based on these results a model was developed. CONCLUSIONS: The final model revealed multiple vulnerabilities and an interplay leading from simple anxiety to probable depression and suicidality through distress. This could be of practical utility since many of these factors are modifiable. Future research and interventions should specifically focus on them

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast carcinoma: Relation to prognostic variables

Background: The role of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in invasive breast cancer and its correlation with different prognostic variables were always a matter of controversy in the literature. Aim: To determine the relative density of T lymphocytes, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, and B lymphocytes in breast cancer and assess their relationships with clinicopathologic parameters. Materials and Methods: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 48 invasive ductal carcinomas and 30 benign breast lesions were examined by means of immunohistochemistry to demonstrate CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+. The immunophenotyped cells were semi-quantitatively graded into: Absent, intermediate, and extensive. Results: All lymphocyte populations were significantly more expressed in breast carcinomas than in benign lesions (P = 0.0001 for CD3+ and CD4+, P = 0.001 for CD8+, and P = 0.002 for CD20+ cells). In breast carcinoma, B and T cells were co-expressed in 33 of 48 tumors (68.8%). However, T cells were the predominant immunophenotype being noted in 81% of tumors, compared to B cells which were expressed in 50% of tumors. T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ cells were directly associated with patient′s age (P = 0.004, P = 0.001, and P = 0.01, respectively). Clinical stages III and IV showed a significantly higher density of T and CD4+ lymphocytes than stage II (P = 0.004 and P = 0.009, respectively). Also, T and CD4+ cells were directly related to the histologic grade (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001, respectively). On the contrary, B lymphocytes were not related to any of the above-mentioned parameters. Conclusion: Although B and T lymphocytes were co-expressed in breast cancer, T lymphocytes and their subpopulations seem to have the upper hand in predicting the biological behavior. They probably promote neoplastic progression rather than acting as an antitumor immune response

Evaluation of cytotoxic effects of atrazine and glyphosate herbicides on Biomphalaria glabrata snails

Biomphalaria glabrata snails were used as bio-indicators for freshwater, atrazine, and glyphosate herbicides. SDS–PAGE protein profiles of B. glabrata snails, isozyme analysis (α- and β-esterase, peroxidase and catalase) and RAPD-PCR were used to detect the genotoxicity caused by the two tested herbicides. SDS–PAGE protein profiles showed bands with different molecular weights (53–220 and 1.82–12.5 KDa). The low molecular weight bands appeared in all treated groups except those exposed to 5 ppm glyphosate for 3 weeks. Isozyme analysis revealed three zones of activity (loci), in both α- and β-esterase. On the other hand, peroxidase and catalase showed one locus with different band intensities. Of six arbitrary 10-mer primers, only three primers gave detectable amplifications. A 500 bp band was generated by OPA-10 in all treated groups except in the control and in 5 and 10 ppm atrazine-exposed groups for 2 weeks. A diagnostic band with 400 bp was observed only in 10 ppm atrazine treated group for 3 weeks. Our results indicated that those atrazine and glyphosate herbicides may be considered to be highly genotoxicant agents

Modification of Fabrication Process for Prolonged Nitrogen Release of Lignin–Montmorillonite Biocomposite Encapsulated Urea

Crop production faces challenges in achieving high fertilizer use efficiency. To address this issue, slow-release fertilizers (SRFs) have emerged as effective solutions to minimize nutrient losses caused by leaching, runoff, and volatilization. In addition, replacing petroleum-based synthetic polymers with biopolymers for SRFs offers substantial benefits in terms of sustainability of crop production and soil quality preservation, as biopolymers are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This study focuses on modifying a fabrication process to develop a bio-composite comprising biowaste lignin and low-cost montmorillonite clay mineral for encapsulating urea to create a controllable release fertilizer (CRU) with a prolonged nitrogen release function. CRUs containing high N contents of 20 to 30 wt.% were successfully and extensively characterized using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the releases of N from CRUs in water and soil extended to considerably long periods of 20 and 32 days, respectively. The significance of this research is the production of CRU beads that contain high N percentages and have a high soil residence period. These beads can enhance plant nitrogen utilization efficiency, reduce fertilizer consumption, and ultimately contribute to agricultural production

EFFECT OF LOW FODMAP DIETARY PROGRAM ON SYMPTOMS CONTROL OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG SAMPLE OF EGYPTIAN PATIENTS AT AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS.

Background: A low-fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet has been reported to be associated with improving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); however, comparison between low FODMAP and the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) dietary guideline for IBS still limited. Objectives: to determine the impact of low a FODMAP diet on symptom control and satisfaction of improvement in patients with IBS according to ROME IV criteria and IBS related quality of life and disability before and after participation; and to compare the impact of low FODMAP diet and NICE guidelines on symptoms control and quality of life among IBS patients. Methods: A randomized two-arm clinical trial had been conducted on 60 IBS patients who were randomized either to an intervention group (n=30) followed low FODMAP diet or a control group (n=30) followed NICE dietary guideline. Results: After 12 weeks of intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in (QOL) score and improvement of IBS symptoms (p<0.001) between the intervention group and the control group, and there was a significant reduction (p<0.001) in waist circumference among the intervention group versus the control group. In addition, patients in the intervention group were strongly satisfied (p<0.001) than the control group Conclusion: a low FODMAP diet can improve global symptoms of IBS and quality of life more than NICE dietary guideline among group of Egyptian patients at Ain Shams University Hospitals

Selective Calpain Inhibition Improves Functional and Histopathological Outcomes in a Canine Spinal Cord Injury Model

Calpain activation has been implicated in various pathologies, including neurodegeneration. Thus, calpain inhibition could effectively prevent spinal cord injury (SCI) associated with neurodegeneration. In the current study, a dog SCI model was used to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a selective calpain inhibitor (PD150606) in combination with methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) as an anti-inflammatory drug. SCI was experimentally induced in sixteen mongrel dogs through an epidural balloon compression technique. The dogs were allocated randomly into four groups: control, MPSS, PD150606, and MPSS+PD150606. Clinical evaluation, serum biochemical, somatosensory evoked potentials, histopathological, and immunoblotting analyses were performed to assess treated dogs during the study. The current findings revealed that the combined administration of MPSS+PD150606 demonstrated considerably lower neuronal loss and microglial cell infiltration than the other groups, with a significant improvement in the locomotor score. The increased levels of inflammatory markers (GFAP and CD11) and calcium-binding proteins (Iba1 and S100) were significantly reduced in the combination group and to a lesser extent in MPSS or PD150606 treatment alone. Interestingly, the combined treatment effectively inhibited the calpain-induced cleavage of p35, limited cdk5 activation, and inhibited tau phosphorylation. These results suggest that early MPSS+PD150606 therapy after acute SCI may prevent subsequent neurodegeneration via calpain inhibition

Exploring the Interactive Effects of Thymol and Thymoquinone: Moving towards an Enhanced Performance, Gross Margin, Immunity and Aeromonas sobria Resistance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Plant-derived bioactive compounds with promising nutritional and therapeutic attributes (phytogenics) are among the top priorities in the aquaculture sector. Therefore, the impact of thymol (Thy) and/or thymoquinone (ThQ) on the growth, immune response antioxidant capacity, and Aeromonas sobria (A. sobria) resistance of Nile tilapia was investigated. Four fish groups were fed a control diet and three basal diets supplemented with 200 mg/kg diet of Thy or ThQ and a blend of both Thy and ThQ at a level of 200 mg/kg diet each. At the end of the feeding trial (12 weeks), the tilapias were challenged intraperitoneally with virulent A. sobria (2.5 &times; 108 CFU/mL) harboring aerolysin (aero) and hemolysin (hly) genes. The results revealed that tilapias fed diets fortified with a combination of Thy and ThQ displayed significantly enhanced growth rate and feed conversion ratio. Notably, the expression of the genes encoding digestive enzymes (pepsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, &alpha;-amylase and lipase) and muscle and intestinal antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) was significantly upregulated in Thy/ThQ-fed fish. An excessive inflammatory response was subsided more prominently in the group administrated Thy/ThQ as supported by the downregulation of il-&beta;, il-6 and il-8 genes and in contrast, the upregulation of the anti-inflammatory il-10 gene. Remarkably, dietary inclusion of Thy/ThQ augmented the expression of autophagy-related genes, whilst it downregulated that of mtor gene improving the autophagy process. Furthermore, Thy/ThQ protective effect against A. sobria was evidenced via downregulating the expression of its aero and hly virulence genes with higher fish survival rates. Overall, the current study encouraged the inclusion of Thy/ThQ in fish diets to boost their growth rates, promote digestive and antioxidant genes expression, improve their immune responses and provide defense against A. sorbia infections with great economic benefits