Interventions to Ameliorate the Psychosocial Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children-A Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to identify interventions targeting children and their caregivers to reduce psychosocial problems in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and comparable outbreaks. The review was performed using systematic literature searches in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and COVID-19-specific databases, including the CDC COVID-19 Research Database, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Database on COVID-19 Research and the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the EU Clinical Trials Register and the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) up to 25th September 2020. The search yielded 6657 unique citations. After title/abstract and full text screening, 11 study protocols reporting on trials planned in China, the US, Canada, the UK, and Hungary during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Four interventions targeted children \geq10 years directly, seven system-based interventions targeted the parents and caregivers of younger children and adolescents. Outcome measures encompassed mainly anxiety and depressive symptoms, different dimensions of stress or psychosocial well-being, and quality of supportive relationships. In conclusion, this systematic review revealed a paucity of studies on psychosocial interventions for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research should be encouraged in light of the expected demand for child mental health management

Phylogenetic nomenclature and evolution of mannose-binding lectin (MBL2) haplotypes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Polymorphisms of the mannose-binding lectin gene (<it>MBL2</it>) affect the concentration and functional efficiency of the protein. We recently used haplotype-specific sequencing to identify 23 <it>MBL2 </it>haplotypes, associated with enhanced susceptibility to several diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this work, we applied the same method in 288 and 470 chromosomes from Gabonese and European adults, respectively, and found three new haplotypes in the last group. We propose a phylogenetic nomenclature to standardize <it>MBL2 </it>studies and found two major phylogenetic branches due to six strongly linked polymorphisms associated with high MBL production. They presented high Fst values and were imbedded in regions with high nucleotide diversity and significant Tajima's D values. Compared to others using small sample sizes and unphased genotypic data, we found differences in haplotyping, frequency estimation, Fu and Li's D* and Fst results.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Using extensive testing for selective neutrality, we confirmed that stochastic evolutionary factors have had a major role in shaping this polymorphic gene worldwide.</p

Outcome Prediction in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation—A Retrospective International Multicenter Study

The role of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (V-V ECMO) in severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is still under debate and conclusive data from large cohorts are scarce. Furthermore, criteria for the selection of patients that benefit most from this highly invasive and resource-demanding therapy are yet to be defined. In this study, we assess survival in an international multicenter cohort of COVID-19 patients treated with V-V ECMO and evaluate the performance of several clinical scores to predict 30-day survival. Methods: This is an investigator-initiated retrospective non-interventional international multicenter registry study (NCT04405973, first registered 28 May 2020). In 127 patients treated with V-V ECMO at 15 centers in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and the United States, we calculated the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) Score, Respiratory Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survival Prediction (RESP) Score, Predicting Death for Severe ARDS on V-V ECMO (PRESERVE) Score, and 30-day survival. Results: In our study cohort which enrolled 127 patients, overall 30-day survival was 54%. Median SOFA, SAPS II, APACHE II, RESP, and PRESERVE were 9, 36, 17, 1, and 4, respectively. The prognostic accuracy for all these scores (area under the receiver operating characteristic—AUROC) ranged between 0.548 and 0.605. Conclusions: The use of scores for the prediction of mortality cannot be recommended for treatment decisions in severe COVID-19 ARDS undergoing V-V ECMO; nevertheless, scoring results below or above a specific cut-off value may be considered as an additional tool in the evaluation of prognosis. Survival rates in this cohort of COVID-19 patients treated with V-V ECMO were slightly lower than those reported in non-COVID-19 ARDS patients treated with V-V ECMO

Raman spectroscopy of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful method that gives insight into the atomic structure and composition of nanomaterials, but also allows to draw conclusions about their electronic properties. It is based on the inelastic scattering of light, which is able to excite phonons in the material. In the field of semiconductor nanocrystals, Raman spectroscopy has been employed to make significant contributions to the analysis of lattice distortion, interfaces, phase mixing, and defect formation. Yet, there is no clear consensus on how the electronic and crystal structure of the material interacts with the incident light to yield the observed spectra. This review gives a brief overview over the method. It then reviews the most important findings, current developments, and discusses the efforts to formulate a consistent model that allows to establish the method as a tool for structural analysis.publishe

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Synthesis of Semiconductor Nanoparticles with Heterojunctions

Complex nanoparticles with heterojunctions are intersting for applications like photocatalysis or lasing. However the mechanism of the formation of those is far from beeing fully understood. In this short talk an insight is given into the growth mechanism of tips on II-VI-semiconductor nanorods. Magic size cluster could be indentified as relevant intermediate species during succesfull tip growth. At the same time a precise order of precursor addition leads to using the law of mass action in favor of heterogeneous nucleation

Controlled Preparation of Nanoparticle Gradient Materials by Diffusion

This article describes a new way to analyze data from the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) for interpersonal behavior. Instead of analyzing Agency and Communion separately or analyzing the IPC’s octants, we propose using a circular regression model that allows us to investigate effects on a blend of Agency and Communion. The proposed circular model is called a projected normal (PN) model. We illustrate the use of a PN mixed-effects model on three repeated measures data sets with circumplex measurements from interpersonal and educational psychology. This model allows us to detect different types of patterns in the data and provides a more valid analysis of circumplex data. In addition to being able to investigate the effect on the location (mean) of scores on the IPC, we can also investigate effects on the spread (variance) of scores on the IPC. We also introduce new tools that help interpret the fixed and random effects of PN models.Nanoparticle gradient materials combine a concentration gradient of nanoparticles with a macroscopic matrix. This way, specific properties of nanoscale matter can be transferred to bulk materials. These materials have great potential for applications in optics, electronics, and sensors. However, it is challenging to monitor the formation of such gradient materials and prepare them in a controlled manner. In this study, we present a novel universal approach for the preparation of this material class using diffusion in an analytical ultracentrifuge. The nanoparticles diffuse into a molten thermoreversible polymer gel and the process is observed in real-time by measuring the particle concentrations along the length of the material to establish a systematic understanding of the gradient generation process. We extract the apparent diffusion coefficients using Fick’s second law of diffusion and simulate the diffusion behavior of the particles. When the desired concentration gradient is achieved the polymer solution is cooled down to fix the concentration gradient in the formed gel phase and obtain a nanoparticle gradient material with the desired property gradient. Gradients of semiconductor nanoparticles with different sizes, fluorescent silica particles, and spherical superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are presented. This method can be used to produce tailored nanoparticle gradient materials with a broad range of physical properties in a simple and predictable way.publishe