Mental health problems and resilience in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in a post-armed conflict area in Colombia.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of adolescents are emerging and require particular attention in settings where challenges like armed conflict, poverty and internal displacement have previously affected their mental wellbeing. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptomatology, probable post-traumatic stress disorder and resilience in school-attending adolescents in a post-conflict area of Tolima, Colombia during the COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 657 adolescents from 12 to 18 years old, recruited by convenience sampling in 8 public schools in the south of Tolima, Colombia, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Mental health information was obtained through screening scales for anxiety symptoms (GAD-7), depressive symptomatology (PHQ-8), probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-5) and resilience (CD-RISC-25). The prevalence observed for moderate to severe anxiety symptoms was 18.9% (95% CI 16.0-22.1) and for moderate to severe depressive symptomatology was 30.0% (95% CI 26.5-33.7). A prevalence of probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of 22.3% (95% CI 18.1-27.2) was found. The CD-RISC-25 results for resilience had a median score of 54 [IQR 30]. These results suggest that approximately two-thirds of school-attending adolescents in this post-conflict area experienced at least one mental health problem such as anxiety symptoms, depressive symptomatology or probable PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are of interest to establish the causal relationship between these findings and the impact of the pandemic. These findings highlight the challenge that schools have after pandemic to address the mental health of their students in order to promoting adequate coping strategies and implement prompt multidisciplinary interventions to reduce the burden of mental health problems in adolescents

The influence of 2-hop network density on spoken word recognition

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/s13423-016-1103-9The influence of 2-hop density on spoken word recognition was investigated. 2-hop density measures the density of connections among the phonological neighbors (i.e., 1-hop neighbors) and phonological neighbors of those neighbors (i.e., 2-hop neighbors) of a target word. In both naming and lexical decision tasks, words with low 2-hop density were recognized more quickly than words with high 2-hop density. Because stimuli were selected such that the number of 1-hop and 2-hop neighbors were matched across both sets of words, the results suggest that spoken word recognition is influenced by the amount of connectivity among distant neighbors of the target word—a result that is not easily accommodated by current models of spoken word recognition. A diffusion of activation framework is proposed to account for the present finding

Immunomodulation with Recombinant Interferon-γ1b in Pulmonary Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND:Current treatment regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis require at least 6 months of therapy. Immune adjuvant therapy with recombinant interferon-gamma1b (rIFN-gammab) may reduce pulmonary inflammation and reduce the period of infectivity by promoting earlier sputum clearance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We performed a randomized, controlled clinical trial of directly observed therapy (DOTS) versus DOTS supplemented with nebulized or subcutaneously administered rIFN-gamma1b over 4 months to 89 patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and blood were sampled at 0 and 4 months. There was a significant decline in levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in 24-hour BAL supernatants only in the nebulized rIFN-gamma1b group from baseline to week 16. Both rIFN-gamma1b groups showed significant 3-fold increases in CD4+ lymphocyte response to PPD at 4 weeks. There was a significant (p = 0.03) difference in the rate of clearance of Mtb from the sputum smear at 4 weeks for the nebulized rIFN-gamma1b adjuvant group compared to DOTS or DOTS with subcutaneous rIFN-gamma1b. In addition, there was significant reduction in the prevalence of fever, wheeze, and night sweats at 4 weeks among patients receiving rFN-gamma1b versus DOTS alone. CONCLUSION:Recombinant interferon-gamma1b adjuvant therapy plus DOTS in cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis can reduce inflammatory cytokines at the site of disease, improve clearance of Mtb from the sputum, and improve constitutional symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00201123

Search for CP violation in D+→ϕπ+ and D+s→K0Sπ+ decays

A search for CP violation in D + → ϕπ + decays is performed using data collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV. The CP -violating asymmetry is measured to be (−0.04 ± 0.14 ± 0.14)% for candidates with K − K + mass within 20 MeV/c 2 of the ϕ meson mass. A search for a CP -violating asymmetry that varies across the ϕ mass region of the D + → K − K + π + Dalitz plot is also performed, and no evidence for CP violation is found. In addition, the CP asymmetry in the D+s→K0Sπ+ decay is measured to be (0.61 ± 0.83 ± 0.14)%

Allelic Variation, Alternative Splicing and Expression Analysis of Psy1 Gene in Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult

Background: The wild barley Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult. is a valuable source of genes for increasing carotenoid content in wheat. Tritordeums, the amphiploids derived from durum or common wheat and H. chilense, systematically show higher values of yellow pigment colour and carotenoid content than durum wheat. Phytoene synthase 1 gene (Psy1) is considered a key step limiting the carotenoid biosynthesis, and the correlation of Psy1 transcripts accumulation and endosperm carotenoid content has been demonstrated in the main grass species. Methodology/Principal findings: We analyze the variability of Psy1 alleles in three lines of H. chilense (H1, H7 and H16) representing the three ecotypes described in this species. Moreover, we analyze Psy1 expression in leaves and in two seed developing stages of H1 and H7, showing mRNA accumulation patterns similar to those of wheat. Finally, we identify thirtysix different transcripts forms originated by alternative splicing of the 59 UTR and/or exons 1 to 5 of Psy1 gene. Transcripts function is tested in a heterologous complementation assay, revealing that from the sixteen different predicted proteins only four types (those of 432, 370, 364 and 271 amino acids), are functional in the bacterial system. Conclusions/Significance: The large number of transcripts originated by alternative splicing of Psy1, and the coexistence of functional and non functional forms, suggest a fine regulation of PSY activity in H. chilense. This work is the first analysis of H. chilense Psy1 gene and the results reported here are the bases for its potential use in carotenoid enhancement in duru

Comparison of quality of life after stereotactic body radiotherapy and surgery for early-stage prostate cancer

Background: As the long-term efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) becomes established and other prostate cancer treatment approaches are refined and improved, examination of quality of life (QOL) following prostate cancer treatment is critical in driving both patient and clinical treatment decisions. We present the first study to compare QOL after SBRT and radical prostatectomy, with QOL assessed at approximately the same times pre- and post-treatment and using the same validated QOL instrument. Methods: Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated with either radical prostatectomy (n = 123 Spanish patients) or SBRT (n = 216 American patients). QOL was assessed using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) grouped into urinary, sexual, and bowel domains. For comparison purposes, SBRT EPIC data at baseline, 3 weeks, 5, 11, 24, and 36 months were compared to surgery data at baseline, 1, 6, 12, 24,and 36 months. Differences in patient characteristics between the two groups were assessed using Chi-squared tests for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were constructed for each EPIC scale to account for correlation among repeated measures and used to assess the effect of treatment on QOL. Results: The largest differences in QOL occurred in the first 1-6 months after treatment, with larger declines following surgery in urinary and sexual QOL as compared to SBRT, and a larger decline in bowel QOL following SBRT as compared to surgery. Long-term urinary and sexual QOL declines remained clinically significantly lower for surgery patients but not for SBRT patients. Conclusions: Overall, these results may have implications for patient and physician clinical decision making which are often influenced by QOL. These differences in sexual, urinary and bowel QOL should be closely considered in selecting the right treatment, especially in evaluating the value of non-invasive treatments, such as SBRT

Factors linked to severe thrombocytopenia during antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis c and pretreatment low platelet counts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Baseline low platelet count (< 150,000/μL) increases the risk of on-treatment severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 50,000/μL) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) undergoing antiviral therapy, which may interrupt treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for severe thrombocytopenia during treatment for CHC in patients with baseline thrombocytopenia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Medical records were reviewed for 125 patients with CHC treated with antiviral therapy according to the standard of care, with regular follow-up examinations. Early platelet decline was defined as platelet decrease during the first 2 weeks of therapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Severe thrombocytopenia developed in 12.8% of patients with baseline thrombocytopenia, and predicted a higher therapeutic dropout rate. Multivariate analysis revealed baseline platelet count < 100,000/μL and rapid early platelet decline (> 30% decline in the first 2 weeks) were significantly associated with severe thrombocytopenia (<it>P </it>< 0.001 and 0.003, odds ratios, 179.22 and 45.74, respectively). In these patients, baseline PLT ≥ 100,000/μL and lack of rapid early platelet decline predicted absence of severe thrombocytopenia (negative predictive values were 95.1% and 96.6%, respectively). In contrast, baseline platelet count < 100,000/μL combined with rapid early platelet decline predicted severe thrombocytopenia (positive predictive value was 100%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For patients with CHC on antiviral therapy, baseline platelet counts < 100,000/μL and rapid early platelet decline can identify patients at high risk of developing on-treatment severe thrombocytopenia.</p