Supervised nasal self-sampling is a reliable alternative to professional nasopharyngeal sampling using a WHO-listed SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid test. Self-sampling and potentially patient self-testing may be a future use case. https://bit.ly/3mup0hS

The pleiotropic cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and thrombin lead to increased endothelial permeability in sepsis. Numerous studies demonstrated the significance of intracellular cyclic nucleotides for the maintenance of endothelial barrier function. Actions of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are terminated by distinct cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs). We hypothesized that TNF-α could regulate PDE activity in endothelial cells, thereby impairing endothelial barrier function. In cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we found a dramatic increase of PDE2 activity following TNF-α stimulation, while PDE3 and PDE4 activities remained unchanged. Significant PDE activities other than PDE2, PDE3, and PDE4 were not detected. TNF-α increased PDE2 expression in a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)–dependent manner. Endothelial barrier function was investigated in HUVECs and in isolated mice lungs. Selective PDE2 up-regulation sensitized HUVECs toward the permeability-increasing agent thrombin. In isolated mice lungs, we demonstrated that PDE2 inhibition was effective in preventing thrombin-induced lung edema, as shown with a reduction in both lung wet-to-dry ratio and albumin flux from the vascular to bronchoalveolar compartment. Our findings suggest that TNF-α–mediated up-regulation of PDE2 may destabilize endothelial barrier function in sepsis. Inhibition of PDE2 is therefore of potential therapeutic interest in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Early life stress is an important factor in later psychopathology, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of early life stress on psychiatric symptoms within a sample of Syrian refugees. In this model, the use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies was assessed as a potential mediator of the relationship between early life stress and current symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Bootstrap analyses were generated to test the indirect effect of emotion regulation (Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) on the relationship between early life stress (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), PTSD (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), depressive (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms in eighty-nine Syrian refugees resided in Germany (n = 49) and Jordan (n = 40). The indirect effect of maladaptive strategies was significant between early life stress and psychopathology, whereas the mediation effect of adaptive strategies was not significant. The findings provide an evidence that emotional dysregulation is an underlying factor affecting psychological symptoms in refugees with adverse childhood experiences. These results suggest targeting cognitive emotion regulation in prospective prevention and treatment strategies.

Most SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests require nasopharyngeal sampling, which is frequently perceived as uncomfortable and requires healthcare professionals, thus limiting scale-u...

This panel covered how collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are similar or different from collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and other ABS products, the inherent CLO liquidity premium, how value is analyzed across a CLO’s capital structure, how to distinguish between values in the primary (new issue) and secondary CLO markets, whether various CLOs today seem rich or cheap, risks related to differences in CLO documentation across different deals, and how CLO equity compares to other alternative investments. TOPICS:CLOs, CDOs, and other structured credit, asset-backed securities (ABS)

Forced migration is likely to continue to grow in the coming years due to climate change, disease outbreaks, conflict, and other factors. There are a huge number of challenges to maintaining good health, and specifically good mental health, among migrants at all stages of migration. It is vital to fully understand these diverse challenges so that we can work towards overcoming them. In 2017, as a response to the growing health challenges faced by migrants and refugees, the M8 Alliance created an expert group focussing on migrant and refugee health. The group meets annually at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and this article is based on the discussions that took place at the third annual meeting (6–7 June 2019) and a special session on “Protecting the Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants,” which took place on 27 October at the World Health Summit 2019 in Berlin. Our discussions are also supported by supplementary literature to present the diverse and complex challenges to the mental health of migrants and refugees. We conclude with some lessons learned and hope for the future.