College student athlete versus nonathlete mental and social health factors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study investigated differences in stress, anxiety, and social support between collegiate student-athletes and nonathletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: College students enrolled at a NCAA Division III private liberal arts college in the Midwest. Methods: Participants (n = 58) completed a series of surveys each month for 4 months that included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Questionnaire. Results: There were significant main effects of time for stress and social support across the 4 months (p < 0.05), but not for anxiety. There was a significant difference in anxiety levels between athletes and nonathletes (p < 0.01), but not for social support or stress (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Nonathletes maintained support networks, or found alternate outlets of support, in addition to coping with anxiety and stress levels when compared to athletes.

Altered epigenetic features in circulating nucleosomes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, fatal lung disorder of unknown origin with a highly variable and unpredictable clinical course. Polymorphisms and environmentally induced epigenetic variations seem to determine individual susceptibility to the development of lung fibrosis.

METHODS

We have studied circulating epitopes on cell-free nucleosomes (cfnucleosomes) in 50 IPF patients. We have compared untreated IPF (n = 23) with IPF receiving antifibrotic therapy (n = 27) and healthy subjects (HS) (n = 27). We analyzed serum levels of five cfnucleosomes including bound HMGB1 (nucleosomes adducted to high-mobility growth protein B1), mH2A1.1 (nucleosomes containing the histone variant mH2A1.1), 5mC (nucleosomes associated with methylated DNA), and H3K9Ac and H3K27Ac (nucleosomes associated with histone H3 acetylated at lysine 9 or 27 residue).

RESULTS

Our findings showed that serum levels of bound HMGB1, mH2A1.1, 5mC, H3K9Ac, and H3K27Ac were significantly lower in IPF patients than in HS (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.01, p < 0.001, and p < 0.0001, respectively). Moreover, we found differences in epigenetic profiles between untreated IPF patients and those receiving anti-fibrotic therapy with mH2A1.1 and 5mC being significantly lower in untreated than in treated patients (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). Combination of four cfnucleosomes (HMGB1, 5mC, H3K9Ac, and H3K27Ac) allow to discriminate IPF vs HS with a good coefficient of determination (R² = 0.681). The AUC for the ROC curve computed by this logistic regression was 0.93 (p < 0.001) with 91% sensitivity at 80% specificity.

CONCLUSION

Our observations showed that cfnucleosomes (bound HMGB1, mH2A1.1, 5mC, H3K9Ac, and H3K27Ac) might have potential as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment response. These results deserve further validation in longitudinal cohorts.

A pseudo-outbreak of disseminated cryptococcal disease after orthotopic heart transplantation

Cryptococcal infection is the third most common invasive fungal infection (IFI) among solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients and is considered an important opportunistic infection due to its significant morbidity and mortality. To determine whether a cluster of cryptococcosis in heart transplant patients was of nosocomial nature, three cases of orthotopic heart transplant recipients with postoperative disseminated cryptococcal infection were investigated and paired with an environmental survey in a tertiary care hospital. The infection prevention department conducted a multidisciplinary investigation, which did not demonstrate any evidence of health care-associated environmental exposure. Moreover, multilocus sequence typing showed that one isolate was unique and the two others, although identical, were not temporally related and belong to the most common type seen in the Southern US. Additionally, all three patients had preexisting abnormalities of the CT chest scan and various degrees of acute and chronic rejection. Reactivation was suggested in all three patients. Screening methods may be useful to identify at risk patients and trigger a prophylactic or preemptive approach. However, more data is needed.

Studies of the photooxidant properties of antibacterial fluoroquinolones and their naphthalene derivatives

We synthesized and determined the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as 1O2, *-O2, *OH, H2O2 during the photolysis with UV-A light of three antibacterial quinolones and their naphthyl ester derivatives. Singlet oxygen and ROS dose-dependant generation from norfloxacin (1), enoxacin (2), ciprofloxacin (3) and their respective naphthyl ester derivatives 4-6 were detecting in cell-free systems by the histidine assay and by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (LCL). Both the electronic absorption and emission spectra were quantified and their photostability determined. The antibacterial activity in darkness and under irradiation of compounds 4, 5 and 6 was tested on E. coli and compared with their parent drugs.

Distribution of domestic triatominae and stratification of Chagas Disease transmission in Oaxaca, Mexico

Mexico has 18 species of Triatomine bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) reported to be vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagas Disease is widespread in Mexico, with up to 3.5% seropositivity of human transfusion blood. The State of Oaxaca has the longest history of endemic Chagas Disease, based on acute and chronic case reports, and of entomological surveys in the country. However, the State health care services need more information on current risks of vector transmission. In order to identify and characterize areas of transmission in Oaxaca and to stratify the vector potential, the distribution of domestic Triatominae was surveyed during 1996-98 in collaboration with the primary health care services and local communities. Villages were studied in 11% of 570 municipalities in Oaxaca. Eight triatomine species were found in domestic and peri-domestic habitats: Triatoma barberi Usinger, T. bolivari Carcavallo et al., T. dimidiata (Latreille), T. mazzottii Usinger, T. nitida Usinger, T. pallidipennis (Stal), T. phyllosoma (Burmeister) and Rhodnius prolixus Stal. For each triatomine species in Oaxaca, the range of distribution and habitat characteristics are described. Habitat partitioning, principally based on altitude and mean annual precipitation, limited the overlap of distribution between species. Relatively consistent altitude of human settlements facilitates the dispersion of individual species within microregions. Entomological indices of house infestation were used to estimate that approximately 50% of the human population (1,874,320 inhabitants) would be at risk of vector transmission, with a minimum of 134,320 infected people and 40,280 chronic cases of Chagas Disease currently in Oaxaca.

Youth and violence on local television news in California

OBJECTIVES

This study explores how local television news structures the public and policy debate on youth violence.

METHODS

A content analysis was performed on 214 hours of local television news from California. Each of the 1791 stories concerning youth, violence, or both was coded and analyzed for whether it included a public health perspective.

RESULTS

There were five key findings. First, violence dominated local television news coverage. Second, the specifics of particular crimes dominated coverage of violence. Third, over half of the stories on youth involved violence, while more than two thirds of the violence stories concerned youth. Fourth, episodic coverage of violence was more than five times more frequent than thematic coverage, which included links to broader social factors. Finally, only one story had an explicit public health frame.

CONCLUSIONS

Local television news provides extremely limited coverage of contributing etiological factors in stories on violence. If our nation's most popular source of news continues to report on violence primarily through crime stories isolated from their social context, the chance for widespread support for public health solutions to violence will be diminished.

Microsurgical anatomy of the arachnoidal trabecular membranes and cisterns at the level of the tentorium

A clear and thorough understanding of the neuroanatomical structures of the subarachnoid cisterns is important because they provide natural pathways to intracranial arteries, veins, and nerves during microvascular procedures without disturbing surrounding important brain structures. Using a surgical microscope, we examined the microsurgical anatomy of the trabecular membranes and subarachnoid cisterns in 20 adult cadaver brains. The brains were immersed in Ringer's solution and air was injected into the subarachnoid cisterns while the brains remained submerged in solution. We identified seven trabecular membranes that limit six cisterns. We specifically looked at the anatomical relationship between the trabecular membranes and cisterns and their corresponding vessels and cranial nerves. The cistern divisions and the dispositions of trabecular membranes were closely related to the vascular division patterns of the principal brain arteries.

Microsurgical anatomy of the infratentorial trabecular membranes and subarachnoid cisterns

The understanding of the anatomy of the subarachnoid cisterns and trabecular membranes is of paramount importance in the surgical treatment of pathology of the posterior fossa. Aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and some tumors should be approached through the subarachnoid space. The subarachnoid cisterns provide natural pathways to approach neurovascular and cranial nerve structures. The microsurgical anatomy of the infratentorial subarachnoid cisterns was studied in twenty adult brains, using the 'immersion technique'. Air was injected into the subarachnoid cisterns and brains were dissected under the operative microscope. Six main compartmental trabecular membranes were identified in the infratentorial level. They divide the subarachnoid space into six cisterns. Cisternal divisions and the disposition of the trabecular membranes were closely related to the vascular divisional patterns of the principal arteries. Thorough knowledge of the microsurgical anatomy of the subarachnoid space will aid neurosurgeons during the surgical approach of many vascular and tumoral lesions located in the posterior fossa.

Microsurgical anatomy of the supratentorial arachnoidal trabecular membranes and cisterns

We examined the microsurgical anatomy of the supratentorial subarachnoid cisterns with a surgical microscope in 20 brains prepared using the immersion technique. The adult brains were immersed in Ringer's solution and air was injected into the subarachnoid cisterns while the brains remained submerged in solution. We identified nine trabecular membranes that limit the 15 cisterns. We specifically looked at the anatomical relationship between the supratentorial trabecular membranes and cisterns to their corresponding vessels and cranial nerves. The cistern divisions and the dispositions of trabecular membranes were closely related to the vascular division patterns of the principal brain arteries. A clear and thorough understanding of the neuroanatomical structures of the subarachnoid cisterns is important because they provide natural pathways to neurovascular and cranial nerve structures. These pathways allow access to intracranial arteries, veins, and nerves during microvascular procedures without disturbing surrounding important brain structures.

CD23 expression in aged rats

CD23 is considered as an activation marker. Its expression on lymphocytes was studied during aging by using 1- to 142-week-old rats. Before analysis, all animals were injected with monoclonal IgE, in order to detect their full expression of CD23 molecules on their lymphocyte surface membranes. In elderly rats, a decrease was observed in the percentages of CD23+ lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, Peyer's patches and peripheral blood. In addition, these lymphocytes expressed significantly fewer CD23 molecules per cell. Almost all CD23+ cells belonged to the B lineage and were bearing both IgM and IgD on their membranes. It is suggested that a decrease in the number of both IgM+IgD+CD23+ lymphocytes and CD23 molecules per cell may contribute to immune deficiency in the elderly.