The association of academic tracking to depressive symptoms among adolescents in three Caribbean countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Students who are tracked into low performing schools or classrooms that limit their life chances may report increased depressive symptoms. Limited research has been conducted on academic tracking and its association with depressive symptoms among high school students in the Caribbean. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among tenth grade students tracked within and between high schools in Jamaica, St. Vincent and St. Kitts and Nevis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Students enrolled in grade ten of the 2006/2007 academic year in Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). In Jamaica and St. Vincent, academic tracking was operationalized using data provided by the local Ministries of Education. These Ministries ranked ordered schools according to students' performance on Caribbean school leaving examinations. In St. Kitts and Nevis tracking was operationalized by classroom assignments within schools whereby students were grouped into classrooms according to their levels of academic achievement. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between academic tracking and BDI-II depression scores.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A wide cross-section of 4^thform students in each nation was sampled (n = 1738; 278 from Jamaica, 737 St. Kitts and Nevis, 716 from St. Vincent; 52% females, 46.2% males and 1.8% no gender reported; age 12 to 19 years, mean = 15.4 yrs, sd = .9 yr). Roughly half (53%) of the students reported some symptoms of depression with 19.2% reporting moderate and 10.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Students in Jamaica reported significantly higher depression scores than those in either St. Kitts and Nevis or St. Vincent (p < .01). Students assigned to a higher academic track reported significantly lower BDI-II scores than students who were assigned to the lower academic track (p < .01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There appears to be an association between academic tracking and depressive symptoms that is differentially manifested across the islands of Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent.</p

Microglial activation and chronic neurodegeneration

Microglia, the resident innate immune cells in the brain, have long been implicated in the pathology of neurode-generative diseases. Accumulating evidence points to activated microglia as a chronic source of multiple neurotoxic factors, including tumor necrosis factor-α, nitric oxide, interleukin-1β, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), driving progressive neuron damage. Microglia can become chronically activated by either a single stimulus (e.g., lipopolysaccharide or neuron damage) or multiple stimuli exposures to result in cumulative neuronal loss with time. Although the mechanisms driving these phenomena are just beginning to be understood, reactive microgliosis (the microglial response to neuron damage) and ROS have been implicated as key mechanisms of chronic and neurotoxic microglial activation, particularly in the case of Parkinson’s disease. We review the mechanisms of neurotoxicity associated with chronic microglial activation and discuss the role of neuronal death and microglial ROS driving the chronic and toxic microglial phenotype

Clinical outcomes and response to treatment of patients receiving topical treatments for pyoderma gangrenosum: a prospective cohort study

Background: pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon dermatosis with a limited evidence base for treatment. Objective: to estimate the effectiveness of topical therapies in the treatment of PG. Methods: prospective cohort study of UK secondary care patients with a clinical diagnosis of PG suitable for topical treatment (recruited July 2009 to June 2012). Participants received topical therapy following normal clinical practice (mainly Class I-III topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus 0.03% or 0.1%). Primary outcome: speed of healing at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes: proportion healed by 6 months; time to healing; global assessment; inflammation; pain; quality-of-life; treatment failure and recurrence. Results: Sixty-six patients (22 to 85 years) were enrolled. Clobetasol propionate 0.05% was the most commonly prescribed therapy. Overall, 28/66 (43.8%) of ulcers healed by 6 months. Median time-to-healing was 145 days (95% CI: 96 days, ∞). Initial ulcer size was a significant predictor of time-to-healing (hazard ratio 0.94 (0.88;80 1.00); p = 0.043). Four patients (15%) had a recurrence. Limitations: No randomised comparator Conclusion: Topical therapy is potentially an effective first-line treatment for PG that avoids possible side effects associated with systemic therapy. It remains unclear whether more severe disease will respond adequately to topical therapy alone

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

RECENT AND PROJECTED FINANCIAL CONDITIONS IN NEBRASKA'S FARMING SECTOR

Annual aggregate (sector) financial statements for Nebraska's farming sector were compiled for the 1960-80 period. An existing econometric model was updated to reflect sector financial relationships for the 1960-79 period. It was used to project sector financial statements for 1981-83 under alternate sets of assumptions using financial statement entries for 1980 as initial values. Comparisons of 1975 and 1980 sector financial statements with those projected for 1982 and 1983 provided numerous measures of the deteriorating financial position of the farming sector. Debt increases 1975-80 resulted in a declining sector equity ratio despite large increases in the current dollar value of assets during the period. Equity ratios were projected to decline further in 1982 and 1983 as financial assets were depleted and real estate values declined. Sector net income from farming was projected to continue its 1975-80 decline and be negative in 1982 and 1983. Debt extensions were an increasingly important source of sector liquidity 1975-80 and that trend was projected to continue in 1982-83. Financial stresses in the farming sector were expected to result in rapid modification of management approaches and actual revenue shortfalls and debt levels for 1982 and 1983 are expected to be less than those projected, but undoubtedly will be highly unfavorable. Major insights drawn from the 21-year sequence of sector financial statements included : (1) Equity liquidation through increased borrowing became a major source of sector liquidity during the period. (2) Financial flows through the sector increased greatly during the period of 21 years, but the purchasing power of sector net income was less at the end of the period than it had been during the early 1960's. (3) The ratio of debt repayments to net farm income was stable during the 1970's and increased three-fold during the 1980's as the sector's debt load increased and debt rollovers became more prevalent. (4) Proprietors' withdrawals for family living, taxes, and nonfarm investments exceeded sector net income in more than one half of the years and the resulting net disinvestment in the farming sector totaled to an estimated $2.9 billion in the 21 years

Combined TiO2 Membrane Filtration and Ozonation for Efficient Water Treatment to Enhance the Reuse of Wastewater

The application of membrane filtration processes in wastewater treatment is gaining polularity in the world today as there is increasing demand for waste reclamation. Compared to conventional treatment methods, membrane filtration is an effective method to remove particles, microorganisms and organic matter from real wastewater, consistently achieving high quality treated water. However, the most critical limitation of current membrane filtration is membrane fowling. Improvements to membrane surfaces are investigated to reduce permeation flux

Titania pigment particles dispersion in water-based paint films

The distribution of titania pigment in dry water-based paint films in the presence of polymeric dispersants containing different functional groups was investigated. The polymeric dispersants chosen were polyacrylic acid and polyacrylamide homo- and copolymers modified with hydroxyl and/or carboxylate groups. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the distribution of the titania pigment particles in the surface and bulk, respectively, of the paint films, which was then compared to the gloss and surface roughness of these films. In the absence of dispersant, the pigment distribution in the paint film was not uniform and relatively large pigment aggregates appeared at the surface, resulting in a rough surface and low gloss value. All dispersants both decreased surface roughness and increased the gloss of the dry paint film, with the dispersant type considerably enhancing the pigment dispersion in the dry paint film, in agreement with results obtained in aqueous pigment suspensions. In the presence of polyacrylamide homopolymer, the paint gloss increased slightly and further increased with the hydroxyl-modified polyacrylamide copolymer. The paint gloss was highest in the presence of polyacrylic acid or carboxylate/hydroxyl-modified polyacrylamide

What is the impact of GOLD 2017 recommendations in primary care? &ndash; a descriptive study of patient classifications, treatment burden and costs [Erratum]

Gayle A, Dickinson S, Morris K, Poole C, Mathioudakis AG, Vestbo J. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2018;13: 3485&ndash;3492. On page 3488, Results section, 2nd paragraph, first sentence, &ldquo;When applying GOLD 2013 criteria, less than half of the cohort (46%) was assigned to GOLD A or B, as compared to 86% when applying GOLD 2017 (Figure 1)&rdquo; was incorrect. The corrected sentence is &ldquo;When applying GOLD 2013 criteria, less than half of the cohort (46%) was assigned to GOLD A or B, as compared to 84% when applying GOLD 2017 (Figure 1)&rdquo;. On page 3488, Results section, 2nd paragraph, third sentence, &ldquo;Fifteen percentage (n=2,939) of the total cohort could not be classified into the GOLD group due to missing symptom data (mMRC or CAT)&rdquo; was incorrect. The corrected sentence is &ldquo;Fifteen percent (n=2,939) of the total cohort could not be classified into the GOLD group due to missing symptom data (mMRC or CAT)&rdquo;. On page 3490, Discussion section, 5th paragraph, final sentence, &ldquo;After excluding these patients, the proportion of patients who were classified as C or D decreased from 53% using GOLD 13% to 16% using GOLD 2017, consistent with our main findings suggesting that spirometry alone is not sufficient in distinguishing patients with overlap syndrome&rdquo; was incorrect. The corrected sentence is &ldquo;After excluding these patients, the proportion of patients who were classified as C or D decreased from 53% using GOLD 2013 to 16% using GOLD 2017, consistent with our main findings suggesting that spirometry alone is not sufficient in distinguishing patients with overlap syndrome&rdquo;.Read the original article