The gender gap in adolescent mental health: a cross-national investigation of 566,829 adolescents across 73 countries

Mental ill-health is a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. While women suffer from greater levels of mental health disorders, it remains unclear whether this gender gap differs systematically across regions and/or countries, or across the different dimensions of mental health. We analysed 2018 data from 566,827 adolescents across 73 countries for 4 mental health outcomes: psychological distress, life satisfaction, eudaemonia, and hedonia. We examine average gender differences and distributions for each of these outcomes as well as country-level associations between each outcome and purported determinants at the country level: wealth (GDP per capita), inequality (Gini index), and societal indicators of gender inequality (GII, GGGI, and GSNI). We report four main results: 1) The gender gap in mental health in adolescence is largely ubiquitous cross-culturally, with girls having worse average mental health; 2) There is considerable cross-national heterogeneity in the size of the gender gap, with the direction reversed in a minority of countries; 3) Higher GDP per capita is associated with worse average mental health and a larger gender gap across all mental health outcomes; and 4) more gender equal countries have larger gender gaps across all mental health outcomes. Taken together, our findings suggest that while the gender gap appears largely ubiquitous, its size differs considerably by region, country, and dimension of mental health. Findings point to the hitherto unrealised complex nature of gender disparities in mental health and possible incongruence between expectations and reality in high gender equal countries

Structural investigation of Fe silicide films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposition was used to grow epitaxial β‐FeSi2 films on Si(111) (1×1) and Si(111) (7×7) with the following epitaxial orientations: β‐FeSi2(001)//Si(111) with β‐FeSi2[010]//Si〈110〉 and three rotational variants. Silicide growth was influenced by substrate temperature and deposition rate, but not by the structure of the starting surface. Films containing both β‐FeSi2 and FeSi were formed at low substrate temperatures and high deposition rates, while films containing only β‐FeSi2 were formed at higher substrate temperatures and lower deposition rates. FeSi grains had the following epitaxial relationship to the Si substrate, FeSi(111)//Si(111) with FeSi(110)//Si(112). The microstructure of the silicide films varied with film thickness, as did the roughness at the silicide/Si interface. These results suggest that an Fe‐rich environment was created during the growth of the silicide films.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70762/2/JAPIAU-76-4-2202-1.pd

Molecular differentiation between osteophytic and articular cartilage – clues for a transient and permanent chondrocyte phenotype

SummaryObjectiveTo identify the molecular differences between the transient and permanent chondrocyte phenotype in osteophytic and articular cartilage.MethodsTotal RNA was isolated from the cartilaginous layer of osteophytes and from intact articular cartilage from knee joints of 15 adult human donors and subjected to cDNA microarray analysis. The differential expression of relevant genes between these two cartilaginous tissues was additionally validated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by immunohistochemistry.ResultsAmong 47,000 screened transcripts, 600 transcripts were differentially expressed between osteophytic and articular chondrocytes. Osteophytic chondrocytes were characterized by increased expression of genes involved in the endochondral ossification process [bone gamma-carboxyglutamate protein/osteocalcin (BGLAP), bone morphogenetic protein-8B (BMP8B), collagen type I, alpha 2 (COL1A2), sclerostin (SOST), growth arrest and DNA damage-induced gene 45ß (GADD45ß), runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2)], and genes encoding tissue remodeling enzymes [matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)9, 13, hyaluronan synthase 1 (HAS1)]. Articular chondrocytes expressed increased transcript levels of antagonists and inhibitors of the BMP- and Wnt-signaling pathways [Gremlin-1 (GREM1), frizzled-related protein (FRZB), WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein-3 (WISP3)], as well as factors that inhibit terminal chondrocyte differentiation and endochondral bone formation [parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH), sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9), stanniocalcin-2 (STC2), S100 calcium binding protein A1 (S100A1), S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B)].Immunohistochemistry of tissue sections for GREM1 and BGLAP, the two most prominent differentially expressed genes, confirmed selective detection of GREM1 in articular chondrocytes and that of BGLAP in osteophytic chondrocytes and bone.ConclusionsOsteophytic and articular chondrocytes significantly differ in their gene expression pattern. In articular cartilage, a prominent expression of antagonists inhibiting the BMP- and Wnt-pathway may serve to lock and stabilize the permanent chondrocyte phenotype and thus prevent their terminal differentiation. In contrast, osteophytic chondrocytes express genes with roles in the endochondral ossification process, which may account for their transient phenotype

Using Humic Fractions to Understand Natural Organic Matter Processes in Soil and Water: Selected Studies and Applications

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Clinical Outcomes of Advanced-Stage Cutaneous Lymphoma under Low-Dose Gemcitabine Treatment: Real-Life Data from the German Cutaneous Lymphoma Network

Background: Gemcitabine is an effective single-agent chemotherapy used in advanced stages of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). However, gemcitabine used in the current standard regimen is frequently associated with adverse events (AE), such as an increased risk for myelosuppression and severe infections. Objectives: We investigated in this retrospective study the effect of low-dose gemcitabine in pretreated advanced-stage CTCL and in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasia (BPDCN) regarding overall response (OR), progression-free survival (PFS), and AE. Material and Methods: A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted on 64 CTCL and BPDCN patients treated with gemcitabine in average absolute dosage of 1,800 mg/m(2) per cycle, which is 50% lower compared to standard dosage of 3,600 mg/m(2) per cycle (1,200 mg/m² day 1, 8, 15). Evaluation of response to therapy and AE was done 4-6 weeks after the sixth cycle. Results: OR was 62% with 11% demonstrating a complete response. The median time of PFS was 12 months and median time to next treatment was 7 months. Only 3/63 patients showed serious side effects, e.g., port infection or acute renal failure. Almost 73% of the patients experienced minor to moderate side effects (CTCAE grade 0-2). Fatigue (27.2%), fever (22.7%), and mild blood count alteration (18.2%) were the most common AE. Conclusions: This retrospective analysis supports the use of low-dose gemcitabine therapy in CTCL, demonstrating with 62% OR and PFS of 12 months an almost identical response rate and survival as compared to the standard dose therapy reported in previous studies but with a significantly improved safety profile and tolerability

Aharonov-Bohm spectral features and coherence lengths in carbon nanotubes

The electronic properties of carbon nanotubes are investigated in the presence of disorder and a magnetic field parallel or perpendicular to the nanotube axis. In the parallel field geometry, the $\phi_{0}(=hc/e)$-periodic metal-insulator transition (MIT) induced in metallic or semiconducting nanotubes is shown to be related to a chirality-dependent shifting of the energy of the van Hove singularities (VHSs). The effect of disorder on this magnetic field-related mechanism is considered with a discussion of mean free paths, localization lengths and magnetic dephasing rate in the context of recent experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 6 Postscript figures. submitted to Phys. Rev.

Comparison of Combination Posterior Sub-Tenon Triamcinolone and Modified Grid Laser Treatment with Intravitreal Triamcinolone Treatment in Patients with Diffuse Diabetic Macular Edema

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of posterior sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone acetonide injection combined with modified grid macular photocoagulation (PSTI + MP) with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injection in the treatment of diffuse diabetic macular edema (DME). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty eyes of 33 patients with diffuse DME were randomly allocated into either PSTI + MP (20 eyes) or IVTA (20 eyes). Best corrected visual acuity (VA) and foveal thickness were measured. RESULTS: The ETDRS scores at baseline were 25.2 +/- 13.6 (mean +/- SD) letters in the PSTI + MP group, whereas 21.7 +/- 16.3 letters in the IVTA group. The ETDRS scores improved by 33.2 +/- 15.9, 34.7 +/- 16.6 and 30.9 +/- 19.0 letters in the PSTI + MP group whereas by 30.9 +/- 15.4, 30.1 +/- 17.9 and 31.5 +/- 15.0 letters in the IVTA group at 1, 3, and 6 months after the treatments, respectively. The VA improved significantly at 1 month and 3 months after both treatments (all p 0.05, Student's t-test). The foveal thicknesses at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after the treatments were 382.8 +/- 148.3, 309.1 +/- 131.3, 319.3 +/- 93.3, 340.4 +/- 123.5 microm (mean +/- SD) in the PSTI + MP group vs. 369.1 +/- 123.1, 241.4 +/- 52.3, 277.5 +/- 137.4, 290.2 +/- 127.9microm in the IVTA group, respectively. Pairwise comparisons revealed significant decrease in foveal thickness at 1 month (p = 0.01, paired t-test) for the PSTI + MP group, and at both 1 month (p 0.05, Student's t-test). In contrast to the PSTI + MP group, where no complications were noted, the elevation of intra-ocular pressure in 3 of 20 eyes (15%) and a significant increase in average cataract grading were observed in the IVTA group. CONCLUSION: PSTI + MP treatment provides significant improvement of vision in patients with diffuse DME over 3 months, and achieves outcomes comparable to those after IVTA treatment, however, with fewer complications.ope

Epigenetic Silencing of the Circadian Clock Gene CRY1 is Associated with an Indolent Clinical Course in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Disruption of circadian rhythm is believed to play a critical role in cancer development. Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) is a core component of the mammalian circadian clock and we have previously shown its deregulated expression in a subgroup of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Using real-time RT-PCR in a cohort of 76 CLL patients and 35 normal blood donors we now demonstrate that differential CRY1 mRNA expression in high-risk (HR) CD38+/immunoglobulin variable heavy chain gene (IgVH) unmutated patients as compared to low-risk (LR) CD38−/IgVH mutated patients can be attributed to down-modulation of CRY1 in LR CLL cases. Analysis of the DNA methylation profile of the CRY1 promoter in a subgroup of 57 patients revealed that CRY1 expression in LR CLL cells is silenced by aberrant promoter CpG island hypermethylation. The methylation pattern of the CRY1 promoter proved to have high prognostic impact in CLL where aberrant promoter methylation predicted a favourable outcome. CRY1 mRNA transcript levels did not change over time in the majority of patients where sequential samples were available for analysis. We also compared the CRY1 expression in CLL with other lymphoid malignancies and observed epigenetic silencing of CRY1 in a patient with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)