Differences Between Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Self-concept and Depression

Problem. Students have an opportunity for personal growth as they learn about themselves and the world around them. However, their levels of self-concept and depression can influence how they view\u27 themselves, their relationships, and their world. This research compared undergraduate and graduate students with respect to their levels of self-concept and depression. Method A quantitative research design was used for an ex post facto study of 239 students from Andrews University and Western Michigan University. They completed the Demographic Questionnaire, the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition (TSCS:2), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Results Using 13 as the B D I-II cut score, the prevalence of depression found for undergraduate and graduate students combined was as follows: a total of 197 (82.4%) were nondepressed, a total of 21 (8.8%) demonstrated mild depressive symptoms, a total of 13 (5.4%) demonstrated moderate depressive symptoms, and a total of 8 (3.3%) demonstrated severe depressive symptoms. The results indicated that undergraduate students demonstrated higher mean depression scores than the graduate students. However, there were no significant differences found between the proportion of undergraduate and graduate students in each BDI-II group. There were no significant differences found in the level of self-concept between undergraduate and graduate students. There were significant differences found between the self-concept of students at different depression groups. For Identity Self-Concept only, the relationship between self-concept and depression was different for undergraduate and graduate students. Conclusions Although the majority of the participants were nondepressed, undergraduate students demonstrated higher mean depression scores than graduate students. Undergraduate and graduate students did not differ in their level of self-concept. There were significant differences found between the self-concept of students at different depression groups. In general, when undergraduate and graduate students were nondepressed or the less depressed they were, then the better they felt about themselves. Conversely, the more depressed they were, then the worse they felt about themselves. The relationship between self-concept and depression was different for undergraduate and graduate students for Identity Self-Concept only. The results of this study suggested that therapeutic goals for students with symptoms of depression, undergraduate or graduate, would be similar

The Homeobox Transcription Factor Barx2 Regulates Plasticity of Young Primary Myofibers

Adult mammalian muscle retains incredible plasticity. Muscle growth and repair involves the activation of undifferentiated myogenic precursors called satellite cells. In some circumstances, it has been proposed that existing myofibers may also cleave and produce a pool of proliferative cells that can re-differentiate into new fibers. Such myofiber dedifferentiation has been observed in the salamander blastema where it may occur in parallel with satellite cell activation. Moreover, ectopic expression of the homeodomain transcription factor Msx1 in differentiated C2C12 myotubes has been shown to induce their dedifferentiation. While it remains unclear whether dedifferentiation and redifferentiaton occurs endogenously in mammalian muscle, there is considerable interest in induced dedifferentiation as a possible regenerative tool.We previously showed that the homeobox protein Barx2 promotes myoblast differentiation. Here we report that ectopic expression of Barx2 in young immature myotubes derived from cell lines and primary mouse myoblasts, caused cleavage of the syncytium and downregulation of differentiation markers. Microinjection of Barx2 cDNA into immature myotubes derived from primary cells led to cleavage and formation of mononucleated cells that were able to proliferate. However, injection of Barx2 cDNA into mature myotubes did not cause cleavage. Barx2 expression in C2C12 myotubes increased the expression of cyclin D1, which may promote cell cycle re-entry. We also observed differential muscle gene regulation by Barx2 at early and late stages of muscle differentiation which may be due to differential recruitment of transcriptional activator or repressor complexes to muscle specific genes by Barx2.We show that Barx2 regulates plasticity of immature myofibers and might act as a molecular switch controlling cell differentiation and proliferation

Clinical features and management of individuals admitted to hospital with monkeypox and associated complications across the UK: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND The scale of the 2022 global mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) outbreak has been unprecedented. In less than 6 months, non-endemic countries have reported more than 67 000 cases of a disease that had previously been rare outside of Africa. Mortality has been reported as rare but hospital admission has been relatively common. We aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcomes of individuals admitted to hospital with mpox and associated complications, including tecovirimat recipients. METHODS In this cohort study, we undertook retrospective review of electronic clinical records and pathology data for all individuals admitted between May 6, and Aug 3, 2022, to 16 hospitals from the Specialist and High Consequence Infectious Diseases Network for Monkeypox. The hospitals were located in ten cities in England and Northern Ireland. Inclusion criteria were clinical signs consistent with mpox and MPXV DNA detected from at least one clinical sample by PCR testing. Patients admitted solely for isolation purposes were excluded from the study. Key outcomes included admission indication, complications (including pain, secondary infection, and mortality) and use of antibiotic and anti-viral treatments. Routine biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, and virology data were also collected. Outcomes were assessed in all patients with available data. FINDINGS 156 individuals were admitted to hospital with complicated mpox during the study period. 153 (98%) were male and three (2%) were female, with a median age of 35 years (IQR 30-44). Gender data were collected from electronic patient records, which encompassed full formal review of clincian notes. The prespecified options for data collection for gender were male, female, trans, non-binary, or unknown. 105 (71%) of 148 participants with available ethnicity data were of White ethnicity and 47 (30%) of 155 were living with HIV with a median CD4 count of 510 cells per mm (IQR 349-828). Rectal or perianal pain (including proctitis) was the most common indication for hospital admission (44 [28%] of 156). Severe pain was reported in 89 (57%) of 156, and secondary bacterial infection in 82 (58%) of 142 individuals with available data. Median admission duration was 5 days (IQR 2-9). Ten individuals required surgery and two cases of encephalitis were reported. 38 (24%) of the 156 individuals received tecovirimat with early cessation in four cases (two owing to hepatic transaminitis, one to rapid treatment response, and one to patient choice). No deaths occurred during the study period. INTERPRETATION Although life-threatening mpox appears rare in hospitalised populations during the current outbreak, severe mpox and associated complications can occur in immunocompetent individuals. Analgesia and management of superimposed bacterial infection are priorities for patients admitted to hospital

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Distraction and Older Drivers: An Emerging Problem?

Distracted driving is widely recognised as a significant threat to the safety of all road users. Age-related declines in a range of sensory, cognitive and physical processes can, however, make older drivers particularly vulnerable to risks associated with distraction. While traditionally viewed as a younger driver issue, distracted driving among the older driver cohort is predicted to increase as future generations of older drivers drive more often, and for longer, and embrace technology in increasing numbers. This paper discusses current knowledge regarding why older drivers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of distracted driving and reviews recent research on older driver distraction engagement and its impact on their driving performance. Also presented, is an Australian case study of older driver secondary task engagement using data from the recently completed Australian Naturalistic Driving Study (ANDS). This case study examined patterns of secondary task engagement during everyday trips among 48 older (60+), middle-aged (43-49 years) and young (22-31 years) drivers. The findings suggest that Australian older drivers do engage in a large number of secondary tasks when driving; however, there is evidence that they self-regulate the type and timing of these tasks.Kristie L. Young, Judith Charlton, Sjaan Koppel, Raphael Grzebieta, Ann Williamson, Jeremy Woolley, and Teresa Senserric

What are Australian drivers doing behind the wheel? An overview of secondary task data from the Australian Naturalistic Driving Study

Using data from the Australian Naturalistic Driving Study (ANDS), this study examined patterns of secondary task engagement (e.g., mobile phone use, manipulating centre stack controls) during everyday driving trips to determine the type and duration of secondary task engaged in. Safety-related incidents associated with secondary task engagement were also examined. Results revealed that driver engagement in secondary tasks was frequent, with drivers engaging in one or more secondary tasks every 96 seconds, on average. However, drivers were more likely to initiate engagement in secondary tasks when the vehicle was stationary, suggesting that drivers do self-regulate the timing of task engagement to a certain degree. There was also evidence that drivers modified their engagement in a way suggestive of limiting their exposure to risk by engaging in some secondary tasks for shorter periods when the vehicle was moving compared to when it was stationary. Despite this, almost six percent of secondary tasks events were associated with a safety-related incident. The findings will be useful in targeting distraction countermeasures and policies and determining the effectiveness of these in managing driver distraction.Kristie L. Young, Rachel Osborne, Sjaan Koppel, Judith L. Charlton, Raphael Grzebieta, Ann Williamson, Narelle Haworth, Jeremy Woolley, and Teresa Senserric

Cross-sectional assessment of SARS-CoV-2 viral load by symptom status in Massachusetts congregate living facilities

Abstract Transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from people without symptoms confounds societal mitigation strategies. From April to June 2020, we tested nasopharyngeal swabs by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) from 15 514 staff and 16 966 residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Massachusetts. Cycle threshold (Ct) distributions were very similar between populations with (n = 739) and without (n = 2179) symptoms at the time of sampling (mean Ct, 25.7 vs 26.4; ranges 12–38). However, as local cases waned, those without symptoms shifted towards higher Ct. With such similar viral load distributions, existing testing modalities should perform comparably regardless of symptoms, contingent upon time since infection.</jats:p

Physiological response to fire indicated by glucocorticoid metabolite (stress) levels (mean±95% CL) for adult bulls, adult cows and juveniles before and after the fire.

<p>Sample size (n) is shown above each category.</p