Non-suicidal self-injury in medical students

Given medical students have been shown to be prone to high levels of stress and resulting mental health problems, we sought to explore whether they were also more prone to non-suicidal self-injury and, if so, whether this was related to high levels of perfectionism, reported in the literature to be implicated in poor mental health. A total 260 first year graduate medical students (mean age 23.1 years) from the University of Queensland completed a questionnaire on non-suicidal self-injury, the 28-item General Health Questionnaire, the Frost Multidimensional Personality Scale, a 14-item Resilience Scale, and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Forty-five medical students (17.3%) admitted having ever deliberately self-injured, 36 (13.8%) in the past, and 9 (3.5%) current self-injurers. Female students were more likely to have self-injured than males. Of those reporting either current or past self-injury, 6 (13.3%) reported undertaking this with suicidal intent. There were highly significant correlations between total perfectionism scores, social supports and resilience. Both Depression (p < .001, d 0.82) and Anxiety (p < .001, d 0.65) were significantly higher in selfinjurers. In logistic regression a one-unit increase in overall Psychological Symptoms was associated with a 4.6% increase in chance of self-injury, and a one-unit increase in Perfectionism was associated with a 2.6% increase in chance of self-injury. Medical students are a vulnerable population, suffering mental health problems at higher rates than the general population. High rates of self-injury may be an expression of this vulnerability

Newborn and child-like molecular signatures in older adults stem from TCR shifts across human lifespan

CD8+ T cells provide robust antiviral immunity, but how epitope-specific T cells evolve across the human lifespan is unclear. Here we defined CD8+ T cell immunity directed at the prominent influenza epitope HLA-A*02:01-M158–66 (A2/M158) across four age groups at phenotypic, transcriptomic, clonal and functional levels. We identify a linear differentiation trajectory from newborns to children then adults, followed by divergence and a clonal reset in older adults. Gene profiles in older adults closely resemble those of newborns and children, despite being clonally distinct. Only child-derived and adult-derived A2/M158+CD8+ T cells had the potential to differentiate into highly cytotoxic epitope-specific CD8+ T cells, which was linked to highly functional public T cell receptor (TCR)αβ signatures. Suboptimal TCRαβ signatures in older adults led to less proliferation, polyfunctionality, avidity and recognition of peptide mutants, although displayed no signs of exhaustion. These data suggest that priming T cells at different stages of life might greatly affect CD8+ T cell responses toward viral infections

CD8+ T cells specific for an immunodominant SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid epitope display high naive precursor frequency and TCR promiscuity

To better understand primary and recall T cell responses during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is important to examine unmanipulated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cells. By using peptide-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tetramers for direct ex vivo analysis, we characterized CD8+ T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in COVID-19 patients and unexposed individuals. Unlike CD8+ T cells directed toward subdominant epitopes (B7/N257, A2/S269, and A24/S1,208) CD8+ T cells specific for the immunodominant B7/N105 epitope were detected at high frequencies in pre-pandemic samples and at increased frequencies during acute COVID-19 and convalescence. SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells in pre-pandemic samples from children, adults, and elderly individuals predominantly displayed a naive phenotype, indicating a lack of previous cross-reactive exposures. T cell receptor (TCR) analyses revealed diverse TCRαβ repertoires and promiscuous αβ-TCR pairing within B7/N105+CD8+ T cells. Our study demonstrates high naive precursor frequency and TCRαβ diversity within immunodominant B7/N105-specific CD8+ T cells and provides insight into SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell origins and subsequent responses

Morphological and Morphometric Study of Spleen in Cadavers of Doaba Region of Punjab, India

Introduction: Spleen is a clinically important haemolymphoid organ. It can show a wide range of morphological variation. Size of spleen varies with age and in certain disorders. Splenomegaly is an important diagnostic tool in understanding the aetiology of various diseases. Aim: To study the morphology, and analyse the morphometric dimensions of cadaveric spleens of Doaba region of Punjab. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy at Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar, Punjab, India. A total of 30 formalin fixed cadaveric spleens of both sexes were studied. The spleen specimens were observed for their morphological features and various morphometric parameters were measured on them. Results: In the present study, the length of spleen ranged from 6.27-15.01 cm, and the mean length was 10.45±1.94 cm. The range of breadth was between 4.78 cm and 10.00 cm, and with the mean of 7.12±1.50 cm. The width of spleen varied from 2.96-6.50 cm, with the mean of 4.20±1.11 cm. Weight of spleen ranged between 34.35-269.25 g, and the mean weight was 139.08±63.07 g. On the superior border, the number of notches varied from 0-4, whereas on inferior border upto 3 notches were seen. The shape of spleen was wedge in majority (53.33%) of the specimens. Conclusion: In the present study, the morphological and morphometric analysis of spleen in Doaba region of Punjab was found to be comparable to the other regions of India. However, it was observed that the mean length was comparatively higher. Also, the number of spleens with notches on both the superior and inferior borders were higher compared to other Indian studies

Young Sun troopers

This paper presents Young Sun Troopers, a health communications campaign by four final year undergraduates at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) in Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Local skin cancer rates rose by an alarming 60% in the last decade (National Skin Centre, 2014). Dermatologist Dr. Wong Su-Ni verified that one blistering childhood sunburn doubles the risk of melanoma, a form of malignant skin cancer, in adulthood. Skin cancer is preventable, yet health agencies and the media had not shown urgency in addressing the problem. The team’s formative survey amongst 213 Singaporean parents found that nine in ten do not practise regular sun protection for their children during outdoor activities. Knowledge on irreversible sun damage is also severely inadequate. Prompted by this worrying situation, the team designed their campaign to educate parents on the importance of sun protection, and motivate them to inculcate sun-safe habits in their children.Informed by findings, the team employed a strategic communication plan to Rationalise, Persuade, and Incentivise, with the goal to convert knowledge into behavioural intent. To disseminate credible messages, they partnered with healthcare institutions, including National University Hospital (NUH) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). At parks and SAFRA Clubhouses, they educated parents in the relevant context of outdoor play for sun-safe behaviours. The campaign also targeted children aged 7 to 12 through school-based intervention, so as to complement parent outreach initiatives. This strategy encouraged sustainable habits through mutual parent-child influence. Assessment of these efforts showed significant positive impact on knowledge and behavioural intent, for parents and children.Bachelor of Communication Studie