Financial loss and depressive symptoms in university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison between 23 countries

Objectives: To assess the association between students’ financial loss and depressive symptoms during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether this association varied by countries having different levels of lockdown measures. Methods: This cross-sectional survey, conducted in spring 2020, included 91,871 students from 23 countries. Depressive symptoms were measured using the shortened Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and information on lockdowns retrieved from the COVID-19 government response tracker. The association between financial loss and depressive symptoms was investigated estimating prevalence ratios (PR) with multilevel Poisson models. Results: Some 13% of students suffered financial loss during the lockdown and 52% had a relatively high depression score, with large between-countries differences. Minimally and maximally adjusted models showed a 35% (PR = 1.35, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.29–1.42) and 31% (PR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.26–1.37) higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in students who lost economic resources compared to students with stable economic resources. No substantial differences in the association were found across countries. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms were more frequent among students who suffered financial loss during the pandemic. Policy makers should consider this issue in the implementation of COVID-19 mitigating measure

An ultrastructural study of cell death in the CA1 pyramidal field of the hippocapmus in rats submitted to transient global ischemia followed by reperfusion

In the course of ischemia and reperfusion a disruption of release and uptake of excitatory neurotransmitters occurs. This excitotoxicity triggers delayed cell death, a process closely related to mitochondrial physiology and one that shows both apoptotic and necrotic features. The aim of the present study was to use electron microscopy to characterize the cell death of pyramidal cells from the CA1 field of the hippocampus after 10 min of transient global ischemia followed by short reperfusion periods. For this study 25 adult male Wistar rats were used, divided into six groups: 10 min of ischemia, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h of reperfusion and an untouched group. Transient forebrain ischemia was produced using the 4-vessel occlusion method. The pyramidal cells of the CA1 field from rat hippocampus submitted to ischemia exhibited intracellular alterations consistent with a process of degeneration, with varied intensities according to the reperfusion period and bearing both apoptotic and necrotic features. Gradual neuronal and glial modifications allowed for the classification of the degenerative process into three stages: initial, intermediate and final were found. With 3 and 6 h of reperfusion, slight and moderate morphological alterations were seen, such as organelle and cytoplasm edema. Within 12 h of reperfusion, there was an apparent recovery and more ‘intact’ cells could be identified, while 24 h after the event neuronal damage was more severe and cells with disrupted membranes and cell debris were identified. Necrotic-like neurons were found together with some apoptotic bodies with 24 h of reperfusion. Present results support the view that cell death in the CA1 field of rat hippocampus submitted to 10 min of global transient ischemia and early reperfusion times includes both apoptotic and necrotic features, a process referred to as parapoptosis