Mental Well-Being: 2010–2018 Trends among Italian Adolescents

(1) Aims: To explore temporal trends 2010–2018 of well-being among Italian adolescents and to evaluate potential explanatory factors. (2) Methods: Italian nationality representative samples of students aged 11, 13, and 15 years were recruited in 2010, 2014, and 2018; Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), for an overall number of 165,000 teenagers. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to fit the trends over time of life satisfaction (LS), psychological (PSY-HC) and somatic health complaints (SOM-HC) considering the contextual factors: school work pressure, social support (family, school, peers), socioeconomic status, geographic area, and immigration background; (3) Results: From 2010 to 2018 while LS was steady, health complaints increased, mainly for PSY-HC, in all age and gender groups. Trend of PSY-HC affected mainly 15-yrs-olds: rates among boys varied from 29.6% to 35.9% (OR: 1.13, 95%CI: 1.02–1.25); among girls from 49.1% to 63.3% (OR: 1.56, 95%CI: 1.42–1.72). High school work pressure and poor social support play a central role in worsening well-being outcomes; (4) Conclusions: Our findings pictured a remarkable worsening trend of teenagers’ well-being, especially among 15-year-old girls. Further research will be required to investigate this breaking up of the connection between psychophysical symptomatology and cognitive perception of life satisfaction.

The formation of avian montane diversity across barriers and along elevational gradients

Tropical mountains harbor exceptional concentrations of Earth’s biodiversity. In topographically complex landscapes, montane species typically inhabit multiple mountainous regions, but are absent in intervening lowland environments. Here we report a comparative analysis of genome-wide DNA polymorphism data for population pairs from eighteen Indo-Pacific bird species from the Moluccan islands of Buru and Seram and from across the island of New Guinea. We test how barrier strength and relative elevational distribution predict population differentiation, rates of historical gene flow, and changes in effective population sizes through time. We find population differentiation to be consistently and positively correlated with barrier strength and a species’ altitudinal floor. Additionally, we find that Pleistocene climate oscillations have had a dramatic influence on the demographics of all species but were most pronounced in regions of smaller geographic area. Surprisingly, even the most divergent taxon pairs at the highest elevations experience gene flow across barriers, implying that dispersal between montane regions is important for the formation of montane assemblages.

The Global Spread of Severe Obesity in Toddlers, Children and Adolescents – a Systematic Review & Meta Analysis

Introduction: Severe obesity among children and adolescents has emerged as a public health concern in multiple places around the world. Methods: We searched the Medline database for articles on severe obesity rates in children published between January 1960 and January 2020. For studies with available prevalence rates for an early and a more recent time period, the relative increase in prevalence was imputed. Results: In total, 874 publications were identified, of which 38 contained relevant epidemiological data. Rates of severe obesity varied significantly according to age, gender, geographic area, and the definition of severe obesity. The highest rates of class II and III obesity in the US according to the Centers of Disease Control cutoff were 9.5% and 4.5%, respectively. Seventeen studies reported prevalence rates in at least two time periods. Data for 9,190,718 individuals showed a 1.71 (95%CI, 1.53-1.90) greater odds for severe obesity in 2006-2017 (N=5,029,584) vs. 1967-2007 (N=4,161,134). In an analysis limited to studies from 1980s’ with a minimum follow-up of 20 years, a 9.16(95%CI, 7.76-10.80) greater odds for severe obesity in recent vs. earlier time was found. An analysis limited to studies from 2000, with a follow-up of 5-15 years, a 1.09 (95%CI, 0.99-1.20) greater odds was noted when comparing (2011-2017; N=4,991,831) vs. (2000-2011; N=4,134,340). Conclusion: Severe pediatric obesity is escalating with a marked increase from the1980’s and a slower rate from 2000.

Characterization of Dogs and Cats Diagnosed With Diseases of the Urinary System in 2019: Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of San Carlos De Guatemala

If determined the casuistry of diseases that affect the urinary system in dogs and cats. A retrospective study was carried out at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala. It was characterizing patients with diseases of the urinary system. 1,205canine and feline medical records were evaluated in 2019. The variables breed, sex, age, pathology and geographic area were considered. The prevalence of urinary system diseases in dogs and cats in 2019 was 10.45%, 9.21% corresponding to dogs and 1.24% tocats. In both species, males had a higher frequency of urinary system disease, compared to females (dog = 58.56% and cat = 66.67%). The most common etiologies in dogs were lower urinary tract infections (24.65%), bladder urolithiasis (16.90%), and acute and chronic kidney disease (28.16%); while in cats lower urinary tract disease (100%) and kidney disease (5.26%) were the main pathologies observed. In dogs, the most affected age range was in patients older than 8 years (52.25%), while in cats it ranged from 3 to 8 years (73.34%).

Applicant Perspectives on Virtual Otolaryngology Residency Interviews

Objective: Residency interviews serve as an opportunity for prospective applicants to evaluate programs and to determine their potential fit within them. The 2019 SARS-CoV2 pandemic mandated programs conduct interviews virtually for the first time. The purpose of this study was to assess applicant perspectives on the virtual interview. Methods: A Qualtrics survey assessing applicant characteristics and attitudes toward the virtual interview was designed and disseminated to otorhinolaryngology applicants from 3 large academic institutions in the 2020 to 2021 application cycle. Results: A total of 33% of survey applicants responded. Most applicants were satisfied with the virtual interview process. Applicants reported relatively poor quality of interactions with residents and an inability to assess the “feel” of a geographic area. Most applicants received at least 11 interviews with over a third of applicants receiving >16 interviews. Only 5% of applicants completed >20 interviews. Most applicants believed interviews should be capped between 15 and 20 interviews. Most applicants reported saving >$5000, with over a quarter of applicants saving >$8000, and roughly one-third of applicants saving at least 2 weeks of time with virtual versus in-person interviews. Conclusions: While virtual interviews have limitations, applicants are generally satisfied with the experience. Advantages include cost and time savings for both applicants and programs, as well as easy use of technology. Continuation of the virtual interview format could be considered in future application cycles; geographical limitations may be overcome with in-person second looks, and increased emphasis should be placed on resident interactions during and prior to interview day.

Territorial Strategy of Medical Units for Addressing the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City: Analysis of Mobility, Accessibility and Marginalization

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an exponential increase in the demand for medical care worldwide. In Mexico, the COVID Medical Units (CMUs) conversion strategy was implemented. Objective. To evaluate the CMU coverage strategy in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) by territory. Materials. The CMU directory was used, as were COVID-19 infection and mobility statistics and Mexican 2020 census information at the urban geographic area scale. The degree of urban marginalization by geographic area was also considered. Method. Using descriptive statistics and the calculation of a CMU accessibility index, population aggregates were counted based on coverage radii. In addition, two regression models are proposed to explain (1) the territorial and temporal trend of COVID-19 infections in the MCMA and (2) the mobility of the COVID-infected population visiting medical units. Results. The findings of the evaluation of the CMU strategy were (1) in the MCMA, COVID-19 followed a pattern of contagion from the urban center to the periphery; (2) given the growth in the number of cases and the overload of medical units, the population traveled greater distances to seek medical care; (3) after the CMU strategy was evaluated at the territory level, it was found that 9 out of 10 inhabitants had a CMU located approximately 7 km away; and (4) at the metropolitan level, the lowest level of accessibility to the CMU was recorded for the population with the highest levels of marginalization, i.e., those residing in the urban periphery.

Mosaicking Weather Radar Retrievals from an Operational Heterogeneous Network at C and X Band for Precipitation Monitoring in Italian Central Apennines

Meteorological radar networks are suited to remotely provide atmospheric precipitation retrieval over a wide geographic area for severe weather monitoring and near-real-time nowcasting. However, blockage due to buildings, hills, and mountains can hamper the potential of an operational weather radar system. The Abruzzo region in central Italy’s Apennines, whose hydro-geological risks are further enhanced by its complex orography, is monitored by a heterogeneous system of three microwave radars at the C and X bands with different features. This work shows a systematic intercomparison of operational radar mosaicking methods, based on bi-dimensional rainfall products and dealing with both C and X bands as well as single- and dual-polarization systems. The considered mosaicking methods can take into account spatial radar-gauge adjustment as well as different spatial combination approaches. A data set of 16 precipitation events during the years 2018–2020 in the central Apennines is collected (with a total number of 32,750 samples) to show the potentials and limitations of the considered operational mosaicking approaches, using a geospatially-interpolated dense network of regional rain gauges as a benchmark. Results show that the radar-network pattern mosaicking, based on the anisotropic radar-gauge adjustment and spatial averaging of composite data, is better than the conventional maximum-value merging approach. The overall analysis confirms that heterogeneous weather radar mosaicking can overcome the issues of single-frequency fixed radars in mountainous areas, guaranteeing a better spatial coverage and a more uniform rainfall estimation accuracy over the area of interest.

Risk Alleles for Multiple Myeloma Susceptibility in ADME Genes

The cause of multiple myeloma (MM) remains largely unknown. Several pieces of evidence support the involvement of genetic and multiple environmental factors (i.e., chemical agents) in MM onset. The inter-individual variability in the bioactivation, detoxification, and clearance of chemical carcinogens such as asbestos, benzene, and pesticides might increase the MM risk. This inter-individual variability can be explained by the presence of polymorphic variants in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genes. Despite the high relevance of this issue, few studies have focused on the inter-individual variability in ADME genes in MM risk. To identify new MM susceptibility loci, we performed an extended candidate gene approach by comparing high-throughput genotyping data of 1936 markers in 231 ADME genes on 64 MM patients and 59 controls from the CEU population. Differences in genotype and allele frequencies were validated using an internal control group of 35 non-cancer samples from the same geographic area as the patient group. We detected an association between MM risk and ADH1B rs1229984 (OR = 3.78; 95% CI, 1.18–12.13; p = 0.0282), PPARD rs6937483 (OR = 3.27; 95% CI, 1.01–10.56; p = 0.0479), SLC28A1 rs8187737 (OR = 11.33; 95% CI, 1.43–89.59; p = 0.005), SLC28A2 rs1060896 (OR = 6.58; 95% CI, 1.42–30.43; p = 0.0072), SLC29A1 rs8187630 (OR = 3.27; 95% CI, 1.01–10.56; p = 0.0479), and ALDH3A2 rs72547554 (OR = 2.46; 95% CI, 0.64–9.40; p = 0.0293). The prognostic value of these genes in MM was investigated in two public datasets showing that shorter overall survival was associated with low expression of ADH1B and SLC28A1. In conclusion, our proof-of-concept findings provide novel insights into the genetic bases of MM susceptibility.

Analysis of Hypericum accessions by DNA fingerprinting and flow cytometry

Hypericum perforatum, H. umbellatum, H. maculatum, and H. hircinum accessions originating from botanical gardens across Europe were examined by flow cytometry and molecular markers. 2C DNA content of 17 Hypericum perforatum accessions (Hp) and the H. perforatum cultivar Topaz amounted to between 1.56 pg and 1.62 pg. In four Hp accessions some individual plants were found with a DNA content corresponding to 6Cx (2.34 - 2.39 pg). All plants of accession Hp8 showed a DNA content of 6Cx (2.41 pg). In root tips of Hp plants with an average DNA amount of 1.58 pg, 32 chromosomes were detected, corresponding to 2n = 4x. This is the first ploidy and/or DNA content report for H. umbellatum, H. maculatum and H. hircinum. H. umbellatum and H. maculatum, each contained 0.76 pg DNA and 16 chromosomes were counted. The 2C DNA content of H. hircinum was 1.00 pg with the best metaphase plate revealing 32 chromosomes. Additionally, a combined marker analysis, based on inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), was conducted to gain a better understanding of diversity especially within the accessions of H. perforatum. A total of 27 (11 ISSR and 16 SRAP) primer combinations were screened, showing 699 bands, of which 661 were polymorphic. UPGMA clustering revealed that accessions from the same geographic area tended to be more closely related, while H. maculatum was grouped separately from all H. perforatum accessions. Both methods have shown similar sensitivities in detecting the genetic diversity of the analyzed genotypes. Our results may be useful for Hypericum breeding programs and the development of effective conservation strategies.

Stock identification of Kawakawa Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849) from Peninsular Malaysia using discriminant analysis

Small epipelagic and migratory, Eutynnus affinis (kawakawa) is one of the commercially significant tunas of Indo-Pacific’s tropical and subtropical waters. Consequently, successful management must ensure its sustainability. Unfortunately, the management and stock structure of certain migratory species in the area are not clear. The current study aimed to discriminate the E. affinis through body shape variations and to evaluate the variations among seven populations of E. affinis. A total of 114 individuals of E. affinis collected from two main geographic area, Straits of Malacca and South China Sea. Multivariate analyses, such as discriminant function analyses (DFA) of 12 morphometric characters was carried out to discriminate seven populations of E. affinis. The results revealed there is a significant variation among the body shape and seven populations of E. affinis. The average shapes of populations from Terengganu, Kelantan, and Johor were approximately similar to each other. In contrast, the average shapes of populations from Selangor were separated. This present study is the first report using morphometric method conducted on E. affinis from Peninsular Malaysian waters.