Post-acute COVID-19 neuropsychiatric symptoms are not associated with ongoing nervous system injury

A proportion of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 experience a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms months after infection, including cognitive deficits, depression and anxiety. The mechanisms underpinning such symptoms remain elusive. Recent research has demonstrated that nervous system injury can occur during COVID-19. Whether ongoing neural injury in the months after COVID-19 accounts for the ongoing or emergent neuropsychiatric symptoms is unclear. Within a large prospective cohort study of adult survivors who were hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, we analysed plasma markers of nervous system injury and astrocytic activation, measured 6 months post-infection: neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acidic protein and total tau protein. We assessed whether these markers were associated with the severity of the acute COVID-19 illness and with post-acute neuropsychiatric symptoms (as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, the General Anxiety Disorder assessment for anxiety, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for objective cognitive deficit and the cognitive items of the Patient Symptom Questionnaire for subjective cognitive deficit) at 6 months and 1 year post-hospital discharge from COVID-19. No robust associations were found between markers of nervous system injury and severity of acute COVID-19 (except for an association of small effect size between duration of admission and neurofilament light) nor with post-acute neuropsychiatric symptoms. These results suggest that ongoing neuropsychiatric symptoms are not due to ongoing neural injury

What makes foster carers think about quitting? Recommendations for improved retention of foster carers

Ideation, or the formulation of ideas pertaining to a particular topic, is the precursor to individuals making significant life decisions. Many individuals think about foster caring long before they actually become carers, and it stands to reason that in many cases, carer discontinuation also follows a period of ideation. This being the case, it is possible that by monitoring ideation, interventions could be introduced to prevent placement disruptions occurring, particularly if the sources of dissatisfaction are known. Using a sample of 205 foster carers, a posteriori segmentation analysis identifies groups of carers dissatisfied with the same aspects of their role. One group is particularly dissatisfied with factors that are within the control of foster care agencies and also reports high levels of discontinuation ideation. Recommendations include that the individual support needs of carers be identified such that customized support can be offered, including boosting initial and ongoing training to manage expectations and ensure carers feel prepared for the role. Results also highlight the important role of caseworkers in making carers feel appreciated and taken seriously

Sensibilidade do clorofilômetro para diagnóstico nutricional de nitrogênio no milho Sensitivity of the chlorophyll meter for nutritional diagnostic of nitrogen in corn (Zea mays L.)

A obtenção de altas produtividades de milho (Zea mays L.) torna-se difícil, dentre outros fatores, pela complexa quantificação dos requerimentos de nitrogênio (N) da cultura do milho ao longo do seu ciclo, o que dificulta o seu dimensionamento, ainda mais, considerando a variada capacidade de suprimento de N em solos brasileiros. Nesse sentido, os teores relativos de clorofila surgem como uma opção para o manejo do N. Objetivou-se, neste estudo avaliar a sensibilidade do clorofilômetro em indicar o estado nutricional do milho em resposta ao N, em solos com teores de argila contrastantes e sob diferentes condições de suprimento de N. Para isso, foram realizados experimentos em condições controladas e de lavoura. Em condições controladas, foram testados três solos com teores de argila contrastantes e cinco doses de N, sendo avaliados, aos 55 dias após a emergência (estádio prévio ao VT), os teores relativos de clorofila, de N foliar e a produção de matéria seca da parte aérea. Em condições de lavoura foram avaliados seis tratamentos, resultantes da combinação de três doses de nitrogênio em cobertura, na presença e ausência de calcário, sendo a maior dose de N correspondente à condição na qual não haveria limitação de disponibilidade quanto ao suprimento do nutriente. A nutrição nitrogenada foi monitorada semanalmente com uso do clorofilômetro. Foram avaliados também os teores de N na folha e no grão, o N mineral no solo, a matéria seca da parte aérea e a produtividade de grãos. Os resultados permitiram concluir que há sensibilidade do clorofilômetro em detectar diferenças no estado nutricional do milho em resposta a diferentes características de solo e de suprimento de N, servindo como indicador da necessidade de adubação nitrogenada de cobertura.<br>High corn yields are conditioned by the different factors involved in the quantification of nitrogen requirements for the crop throughout its cycle, which becomes difficult considering the varying capacity of Brazilian soils to supply N. In this sense, the relative contents of chlorophyll are a tool which helps to improve soil N management. The study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of the chlorophyll meter to predict the nutrient status of corn in response to N applied in the soil with contracting clay contents and under different conditions of N supply. To that end, experiments were carried out under both controlled and field conditions. Under controlled conditions, three soils with contracting clay contents and five doses of N were tested. 55 days after emergence (before the VT period), the relative contents of chlorophyll, leaf N and the weight of the dry matter of the shoot were evaluated. Under crop conditions, six treatments, resulting from the combination of three doses of nitrogen topdressing, in the presence and absence of limestone, were evaluated, the highest dose of N corresponding to the ideal condition of N supply for corn. Nitrogen nutrition was monitored weekly with a chlorophyll meter. The contents of N in leaf, in grain, mineral N in soil, shoot dry matter and grain yield were also evaluated. The results allow concluding that there is a sensitivity of the chlorophyll meter to detect differences in the nutritional status of corn in response to different characteristics of soil and N supply, acting as an indicator of the need for nitrogen topdressing

Genetic factors associated with prostate cancer conversion from active surveillance to treatment

Men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer (PC) are increasingly electing active surveillance (AS) as their initial management strategy. While this may reduce the side effects of treatment for PC, many men on AS eventually convert to active treatment. PC is one of the most heritable cancers, and genetic factors that predispose to aggressive tumors may help distinguish men who are more likely to discontinue AS. To investigate this, we undertook a multi-institutional genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 5,222 PC patients and 1,139 other patients from replication cohorts, all of whom initially elected AS and were followed over time for the potential outcome of conversion from AS to active treatment. In the GWAS we detected 18 variants associated with conversion, 15 of which were not previously associated with PC risk. With a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), we found two genes associated with conversion (MAST3, p = 6.9 × 10−7 and GAB2, p = 2.0 × 10−6). Moreover, increasing values of a previously validated 269-variant genetic risk score (GRS) for PC was positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the highest to the two middle deciles gave a hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94–1.36); whereas decreasing values of a 36-variant GRS for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the lowest to the two middle deciles gave a HR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04–1.50). These results suggest that germline genetics may help inform and individualize the decision of AS—or the intensity of monitoring on AS—versus treatment for the initial management of patients with low-risk PC