The psychological syndrome associated with Long-COVID: A study protocol

IntroductionChronic post-viral syndromes, including Long-COVID, are characterized by a range of persistent symptoms that occur following a viral infection. Psychological symptoms are prevalent in Long-COVID patients and can have a significant impact on their quality of life. However, the specific patterns of psychological symptoms, their associations with physical symptoms, and the factors predicting their severity remain poorly understood.AimsThis study aims to explore and systematically assess psychological symptoms in Long-COVID, to identify syndrome clusters based on these symptoms, to examine their relationship with physical symptoms, and to investigate the influence of pandemic-related variables.MethodsDescriptive, cross-sectional study with data collected through an online questionnaire across several EU countries, from February 2020 to December 2022. Participants were recruited using public relations, the social media and information campaigns directed at the public and health professionals using snowball sampling.ResultsThe findings will allow to phenotype Long-COVID related psychological symptom clusters based on self-reports. facilitating improved assessment and treatment approaches.ConclusionsThe results will provide important knowledge for the public health management of the public healh management of Long COVID. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of the psychological symptoms associated with Long-COVID and the development of specific treatment guidelines for psychological burden associated with Long-COVID, thereby supporting management strategies to combat the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, enhancing their overall well-being and quality of life

Functional analysis of Pax7 in the dorsal midbrain of the chick embryo and its effects on the cell cycle genes of the G1/S phase

Die vorliegende Arbeit geht der Frage nach, inwieweit die Transkriptionsfaktoren Pax7 und Pax3 als Homöoboxgene eine entscheidende Rolle in der Entwicklung spezifizierter Zellregionen im dorsalen Mittelhirn des Hühnerembryos spielen, indem sie fähig sind die Transkription der Zellzyklusgene der G1/S- Phase zu beeinflussen. Grundlegende entwicklungsbiologische Prozesse in der Embryonalentwicklung des Huhnes (Gallus gallus domesticus) lassen sich auf die der Säugetiere übertragen, weshalb in der vorliegenden Arbeit als Modellorganismus Hühnerembryonen verwendet wurden. Mittels der in ovo- Elektroporation verschiedener Plasmidkonstrukte, die entweder zu einer Überexpression von Pax7 oder Pax3 führten oder die Expression von Pax7 unterdrückten, konnten unterschiedliche Proteinkonzentrationen von Pax7 als auch von Pax3 im dorsalen und ventralen Mittelhirn erzielt werden. Die Auswirkungen der Konzentrationsunterschiede auf die Zellzyklusgene der G1/S-Phase im dorsalen und ventralen Mittelhirn wurden durch eine qualitative PCR- Analyse untersucht. Eine quantitative qRT-PCR-Analyse wurde speziell im dorsalen Mittelhirn durchgeführt. Die qualitative PCR-Analyse im ventralen Mittelhirngewebe zeigte keinen eindeutigen Einfluss von Pax3 und Pax7 auf die Expression der untersuchten Gene und erfordert weitere Untersuchungen. Zusätzlich wurde während der PCR-Analyse im dorsalen Mittelhirn eine mögliche 65bp- kürzere Spleißvariante des Pax7- Gens detektiert. Welche Rolle diese Variante in der Spezifizierung und Proliferation neuronaler Subtypen spielt, muss in weiteren Untersuchungen analysiert werden. Die qualitative PCR-Analyse des dorsalen Mittelhirngewebes führte aufgrund inhomogener Expressionsmuster zum Ausschluss bestimmter Transkriptionsfaktoren aus der folgenden qRT-PCR-Analyse. Diese sensiblere Methodik präsentierte ein komplexes Interaktionsmuster von Pax3 und Pax7 im dorsalen Mittelhirn. Aufgrund unterschiedlicher hoher Transfektionseffizienzen der einzelnen Elektroporationen zeigte sich eine konzentrationsabhängige funktionelle Redundanz der beiden Pax- Gene ab einem bestimmten Schwellenwert. Pax7- und nicht Pax3- scheint einer negativen als auch positiven Autoregulation fähig zu sein und führte trotz Über- und Unterexpression zu ausgeglichenen Expressionsverhältnissen der Zellzyklusgene der G1/S-Phase. Neuronale Vorläuferzellen des ZNS entscheiden während der G1- Phase des Zellzyklus, ob sie den Weg Richtung Proliferation oder Differenzierung einschlagen. In Hinblick auf kleinere Expressionsschwankungen am G1/S- Punkt müssen sie dabei ihren Expressionslevel der Transkriptionsfaktoren innerhalb ihrer Zellgrenzen stabilisieren und gleichzeitig auch dazu fähig sein auf die unterschiedliche Expression ihrer spezifischen Transkriptionsfaktoren zu reagieren. Diese schwellenwertspezifische funktionelle Redundanz der beiden Transkriptionsfaktoren als auch die positive und negative Autoregulation von Pax7 im dorsalen Mittelhirn des Hühnerembryos scheint den Zellstatus von Proliferation von Vorläuferzellen und dessen Eintritt in die Differenzierung noch genauer zu balancieren und dazu beizutragen, dass sich im dorsalen Mittelhirn geordnete regionalisierte neuronale Subtypen ausbilden können.This thesis examines the crucial role of the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7 in the development of specialized cell regions of the midbrain of the chicken embryo and their ability to influence the transcription of the cell cycle genes of the g1/s phase. The basic biological processes of the early CNS development of the chicken (gallus gallus domesticus) can be compared with these of the mammalian CNS development. This is why we used chicken embryos as a model organism im our experiments. During these experiments we produced different protein concentrations in the midbrain using a technique called in-ovo-electroporation, which lead either to an overexpression of Pax7 and Pax3 or to a repression of Pax7. The effects on the concentration differences of the cell cycle genes in the midbrain were analyzed by a qualitative PCR-analysis. A quantitative qRT-PCR-analysis was additionally performed in the dorsal midbrain. The qualitative PCR-analysis of the ventral midbrain showed no clear effect of Pax3 and Pax7 on the investigated cell cycle genes and requires further investigation. In addition wie detected a possible 65bp- smaller splice variant in the dorsal midbrain. The role of this variant in the specification and proliferation of neuronal subtypes needs to be analyzed in further studies. The results of the qualitative PCR-analysis of the dorsal midbrain led to an exclusion of certain transcription factors for the following qRT-PCR-analysis due to an inhomogeneous expression pattern. This high-sensitive method presented a complex interaction pattern of Pax3 and Pax7 in the dorsal midbrain. Due to different transcription efficiencies of the individual electroporation samples we could show a concentration-dependent functional redundancy of the two Pax-genes above a certain threshold. Pax7-and not Pax3- seems to be capable to act as a positive and negative autoregulator and to lead despite overexpression and repression to a balanced expression pattern of the cell cycle genes during the g1/s phase. Neuronal precursor cells of the CNS decide during the g1/s phase wether to choose proliferation or differentiation. On the one hand, in terms of discrepancy of the expression pattern at the g1/s point the precursor cells can stabilize the expression level of their transcription factors and on the other hand can react to specific changes of expression patterns. This threshold specific functional redundancy of Pax7 and Pax3 and the positiv and negative autoregulation of Pax7 in the dorsal midbrain seem to balance the cell status of the neuronal precursor cells and their entry to differentiation. These feedbacks could contribute to ordered and regionalized neuronal subtypes in the dorsal midbrain

Is a cold planet Earth's climate more sensitive to volcanic forcing than a warm one?

It is unclear how regional and global climate variability depends on the mean state of the climate system, and whether the sensitivity to natural forcing from volcanic eruptions and solar variations is different. Investigating recent volcanic eruptions, well covered by the instrumental record, can give detailed insights into the response of the system close to its present-day state. The paleoclimate record is crucial to establish the role of natural forcing in generating climate variability in states that are very different from today. It is clear that small and large volcanic eruptions occurred throughout the last Glacial cycle and the Holocene, although possibly at a lower rate than during the last millennium. Yet, most climate model experiments for these periods are performed with constant solar and no volcanic forcing. This biases model estimates in model-data comparisons for past climate variability. Here we present first results from an ensemble of long (>1000a) paleoclimate model experiments. Simulations for the Last Glacial Maximum, the mid-Holocene, the Preindustrial and the past millennium were performed under PMIP3 boundary conditions, and with/without solar variability and volcanic forcing. We evaluate, to what extent regional and global climate impacts of this natural forcing is dependent on the mean climate state. As the model includes water isotope diagnostics, we further determine to what extent the variability is consistent with the paleoclimate proxy evidence from ice cores

Nicotine and cannabis vaping among adolescents in treatment for substance use disorders.

This study examined nicotine and cannabis vaping among adolescents in treatment for substance use disorders. Participants were 363 adolescents aged 12-17 (66% male, mean age&nbsp;=&nbsp;15.5 [SD&nbsp;=&nbsp;1.3], 46% non-Hispanic white) seen for a specialty addiction intake evaluation between 2017 and 2019 at one of six medical offices of a large, integrated health care system in Northern California. Multivariable logistic regression models tested for associations of sociodemographics, cigarette smoking, and substance use disorders with vaping behaviors. A majority of adolescents reported ever (68%) or current vaping (60%) of nicotine and/or cannabis; current vaping was similar for nicotine (50%) and cannabis (51%); 40% reported current vaping of both. Current smokers (6% of the sample) had higher odds of ever vaping (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;3.95, 95%CI: 1.04-14.95). Black (versus non-Hispanic white) adolescents had lower odds of current nicotine vaping (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.08, 95%CI: 0.02-0.37) and current vaping of both nicotine and cannabis (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.12, 95%CI: 0.03-0.60). Having an alcohol use disorder was associated with current vaping (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.14, 95%CI: 1.06-4.33). Those who endorsed that most friends get drunk/high (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;1.87, 95%CI: 1.02-3.42) or that cannabis was their substance of choice (aOR&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.36, 95%CI: 1.16-4.81) had higher odds of current cannabis vaping. Higher neighborhood household income ($80,000-$120,000 and &gt;120,000 vs. <80,000, aORs&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.05-9.48), never versus ever blunt use (aORs&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.47-8.68), and intakes in 2018 and 2019 versus 2017 (aORs&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.18-5.38) were associated with higher odds of all vaping outcomes. Vaping was common among adolescents in addiction treatment and varied with sociodemographics and substance-related factors. Research should assess how vaping impacts the development of substance use disorders and whether it interferes with addiction treatment

Marquette Literary Review, Issue 1, Spring 2009

Table of Contents POETRY ... 2 AVALON THEATER, Amy Schoofs‐Rahne ... 2 ALABASTER, Alex Elliott ... 3 MENTAL SALUTATIONS, Ali Boyd ... 4 MUSSELS, Ian Parker ... 5 UNCERTAIN IS A VERB, Desiree Valentine ... 6 THE FUTURE, Ali Boyd ... 7 THE QUAIL’S HUSBAND, Emilie Eschbacher ... 8 PROGRESS REPORT, Amanda Wolff ... 9 FICTION ... 11 OVER CANADIAN WHISKEY, Austin Gilmour ... 11 WORDS OF RIGHT, Kira Boswell ... 24 NAPA VALLEY, Cecilia Ehlenbach ... 32 CREATIVE NON‐FICTION ... 38 THE PROFESSIONAL AND THE POLAR TWIN: A FIVE‐ACT DRAMA (WITH AUTHOR’S NOTES), Mark Brennan Kelley ... 3

Changes in the pattern of suicides and suicide attempt admissions in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic

The consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic for mental health remain unclear, especially regarding the effects on suicidal behaviors. To assess changes in the pattern of suicide attempt (SA) admissions and completed suicides (CS) in association with the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a longitudinal study, SA admissions and CS are systematically documented and analyzed in all psychiatric hospitals in Frankfurt/Main (765.000 inhabitants). Number, sociodemographic factors, diagnoses and methods of SA and CS were compared between the periods of March–December 2019 and March–December 2020. The number of CS did not change, while the number of SA significantly decreased. Age, sex, occupational status, and psychiatric diagnoses did not change in SA, whereas the percentage of patients living alone while attempting suicide increased. The rate and number of intoxications as a SA method increased and more people attempted suicide in their own home, which was not observed in CS. Such a shift from public places to home is supported by the weekday of SA, as the rate of SA on weekends was significantly lower during the pandemic, likely because of lockdown measures. Only admissions to psychiatric hospitals were recorded, but not to other institutions. As it seems unlikely that the number of SA decreased while the number of CS remained unchanged, it is conceivable that the number of unreported SA cases increased during the pandemic. Our data suggest that a higher number of SA remained unnoticed during the pandemic because of their location and the use of methods associated with lower lethality