Internalizing and externalizing symptoms and suicidal behaviour in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess internalizing and externalizing symptoms as risk factors for suicidal behaviour and suicide among adolescents and young adults. METHOD: We conducted a systematic review of articles published until January 2017. We identified 26 883 potential papers; 1701 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, of which 1479 were excluded because of methodological reasons. Diverse meta-analyses were performed for each group of symptoms. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) or beta coefficients for categorical variables, and effect size (ES) were calculated for continuous variables. RESULTS: Finally, 41 studies were included, involving participants aged 12-26 years for a systematic review, and 24 articles were included for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that youths with any internalizing (ES = 0.93) or externalizing symptoms (ES = 0.76 and OR = 2.59) were more likely to attempt suicide in future. This effect was also seen in depression symptoms (OR = 6.58 and ES = 1.00), legal problems (OR = 3.36), and anxiety (ES = 0.65). CONCLUSION: Reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms are predictors of suicide behaviour in young people; therefore, the detection and management of these symptoms in young populations could be a crucial strategy for preventing suicidality in this group.

Silicon surface passivation by PEDOT: PSS functionalized by SnO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles.

In this paper, we present a study of silicon surface passivation based on the use of spin-coated hybrid composite layers. We investigate both undoped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), as well as PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanomaterials (TiO2 and SnO2). The hybrid compound was deposited at room temperature by spin coating-a potentially lower cost, lower processing time and higher throughput alternative compared with the commonly used vacuum-based techniques. Photoluminescence imaging was used to characterize the electronic properties of the Si/PEDOT:PSS interface. Good surface passivation was achieved by PEDOT:PSS functionalized by semiconducting oxides. We show that control of the concentration of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles in the polymer is crucial in determining the passivation performance. A charge carrier lifetime of about 275 µs has been achieved when using SnO2 nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.5 wt.% as a filler in the composite film. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive x-ray in an SEM, and µ-Raman spectroscopy have been used for the morphological, chemical and structural characterization. Finally, a simple model of a photovoltaic device based on PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanoparticles has been fabricated and electrically characterized.

Improving efficiency of viability-qPCR for selective detection of infectious HAV in food and water samples.

AIM: To improve the efficacy of intercalating dyes to distinguishing between infectious and inactivated hepatitis A virus (HAV) in food. METHODS AND RESULTS: Different intercalating dyes were evaluated for the discrimination between infectious and thermally inactivated HAV suspensions combining with the RT-qPCR proposed in the ISO 15216. Among them, PMAxx was the best dye in removing the RT-qPCR signal from inactivated HAV. Applied to lettuce and spinach, PMAxx-Triton pretreatment resulted in complete removal of the RT-qPCR signal from inactivated HAV. Likewise, this study demonstrates that this pretreatment is suitable for the discrimination of inactivated HAV in shellfish without further sample dilution. In mussels and oysters, the developed viability RT-qPCR method reduced the signal of inactivated HAV between 1·7 and 2·2 logs at high inoculation level, and signal was completely removed at low inoculation level. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the use of PMAxx is an important improvement to assess HAV infectivity by RT-qPCR. It was shown that PMAxx-Triton pretreatment is suitable for the analysis of infectious HAV in complex food samples such as vegetables and shellfish. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The PMAxx-Triton pretreatment can be easily incorporated to the ISO norm for infectious virus detection.

Merkel cells and Meissner's corpuscles in human digital skin display Piezo2 immunoreactivity.

The transformation of mechanical energy into electrical signals is the first step in mechanotransduction in the peripheral sensory nervous system and relies on the presence of mechanically gated ion channels within specialized sensory organs called mechanoreceptors. Piezo2 is a vertebrate stretch-gated ion channel necessary for mechanosensitive channels in mammalian cells. Functionally, it is related to light touch, which has been detected in murine cutaneous Merkel cell-neurite complexes, Meissner-like corpuscles and lanceolate nerve endings. To the best of our knowledge, the occurrence of Piezo2 in human cutaneous mechanoreceptors has never been investigated. Here, we used simple and double immunohistochemistry to investigate the occurrence of Piezo2 in human digital glabrous skin. Piezo2 immunoreactivity was detected in approximately 80% of morphologically and immunohistochemically characterized (cytokeratin 20+ , chromogranin A+ and synaptophisin+ ) Merkel cells. Most of them were in close contact with Piezo2- nerve fibre profiles. Moreover, the axon, but not the lamellar cells, of Meissner's corpuscles was also Piezo2+ , but other mechanoreceptors, i.e. Pacinian or Ruffini's corpuscles, were devoid of immunoreactivity. Piezo2 was also observed in non-nervous tissue, especially the basal keratinocytes, endothelial cells and sweat glands. The present results demonstrate the occurrence of Piezo2 in cutaneous sensory nerve formations that functionally work as slowly adapting (Merkel cells) and rapidly adapting (Meissner's corpuscles) low-threshold mechanoreceptors and are related to fine and discriminative touch but not to vibration or hard touch. These data offer additional insight into the molecular basis of mechanosensing in humans.

Sexual orientation and suicidal behaviour in adolescents and young adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundResearch suggests that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents have a higher risk of suicidal behaviours than their heterosexual peers, but little is known about specific risk factors.AimsTo assess sexual orientation as a risk factor for suicidal behaviours, and to identify other risk factors among LGB adolescents and young adults.MethodA systematic search was made of six databases up to June 2015, including a grey literature search. Population-based longitudinal studies considering non-clinical populations aged 12-26 years and assessing being LGB as a risk factor for suicidal behaviour compared with being heterosexual, or evaluating risk factors for suicidal behaviour within LGB populations, were included. Random effect models were used in meta-analysis.ResultsSexual orientation was significantly associated with suicide attempts in adolescents and youths (OR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.60-3.20). Gay or bisexual men were more likely to report suicide attempts compared with heterosexual men (OR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.21-4.04). Based on two studies, a non-significant positive association was found between depression and suicide attempts in LGB groups.ConclusionsSexual orientation is associated with a higher risk of suicide attempt in young people. Further research is needed to assess completed suicide, and specific risk factors affecting the LGB population.

Exposure to violence, a risk for suicide in youths and young adults. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association and magnitude of the effect of early exposure to different types of interpersonal violence (IPV) with suicide attempt and suicide death in youths and young adults. METHOD: We searched six databases until June 2015. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) assessment of any type of IPV as risk factor of suicide attempt or suicide: (i) child maltreatment [childhood physical, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect], (ii) bullying, (iii) dating violence, and (iv) community violence; (2) population-based case-control or cohort studies; and (3) subjects aged 12-26 years. Random models were used for meta-analyses (Reg: CRD42013005775). RESULTS: From 23 682 articles, 29 articles with 143 730 subjects for meta-analyses were included. For victims of any IPV, OR of subsequent suicide attempt was 1.99 (95% CI: 1.73-2.28); for child maltreatment, 2.25 (95% CI: 1.85-2.73); for bullying, 2.39 (95% CI: 1.89-3.01); for dating violence, 1.65 (95% CI: 1.40-1.94); and for community violence, 1.48 (95% CI: 1.16-1.87). Young victims of IPV had an OR of suicide death of 10.57 (95% CI: 4.46-25.07). CONCLUSION: Early exposure to IPV confers a risk of suicide attempts and particularly suicide death in youths and young adults. Future research should address the effectiveness of preventing and detecting early any type of IPV exposure in early ages.

Continuous-flow system and monitoring tools for the dielectrophoretic integration of nanowires in light sensor arrays.

Although nanowires (NWs) may improve the performance of many optoelectronic devices such as light emitters and photodetectors, the mass commercialization of these devices is limited by the difficult task of finding reliable and reproducible methods to integrate the NWs on foreign substrates. This work shows the fabrication of zinc oxide NWs photodetectors on conventional glass using transparent conductive electrodes to effectively integrate the NWs at specific locations by dielectrophoresis (DEP). The paper describes the careful preparation of NW dispersions by sedimentation and the dielectrophoretic alignment of NWs in a home-made system. This system includes an impedance technique for the assessment of the alignment quality in real time. Following this procedure, ultraviolet photodetectors based on the electrical contacts formed by the DEP process on the transparent electrodes are fabricated. This cost-effective mean of contacting NWs enables front-and back-illumination operation modes, the latter eliminating shadowing effects caused by the deposition of metals. The electro-optical characterization of the devices shows uniform responsivities in the order of 106 A W(-1) below 390 nm under both modes, as well as, time responses of a few seconds.

Study of mechanical resonances of Sb2O3 micro- and nanorods.

Sb2O3 microrods with orthorhombic phase were grown by an evaporation-deposition method from a pure antimony source and substrate. The incorporation of Cr into the substrate has been found to enhance the growth of thinner rods with high crystalline quality, as is revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Electric field-induced mechanical resonances of Sb2O3 nanorods were studied by in situ measurements in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Young's modulus of rods with different lengths and cross-sectional dimensions was calculated from the resonance frequency. The E values for the different rods were in the range of 16-48 GPa. For comparison, Young's moduli of several rods were also measured from the force-displacement curve recorded in an atomic force microscope (AFM). The slight difference between the E values obtained by the resonance and by the AFM techniques is within the accepted experimental error.

Association of common genetic variants with risperidone adverse events in a Spanish schizophrenic population.

Risperidone non-compliance is often high due to undesirable side effects, whose development is in part genetically determined. Studies with genetic variants involved in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of risperidone have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the putative association of genetic markers with the occurrence of four frequently observed adverse events secondary to risperidone treatment: sleepiness, weight gain, extrapyramidal symptoms and sexual adverse events. A series of 111 schizophrenia inpatients were genotyped for genetic variants previously associated with or potentially involved in risperidone response. Presence of adverse events was the main variable and potential confounding factors were considered. Allele 16Gly of ADRB2 was significantly associated with a higher risk of sexual adverse events. There were other non-significant trends for DRD3 9Gly and SLC6A4 S alleles. Our results, although preliminary, provide new candidate variants of potential use in risperidone safety prediction.

Conducting properties of nearly depleted ZnO nanowire UV sensors fabricated by dielectrophoresis.

ZnO nanowires (NWs) with different radii (rNW) have been aligned between pre-patterned electrodes using dielectrophoresis (DEP) for the fabrication of high gain UV sensors. The DEP conditions (voltage amplitude and frequency) and electrode material, geometry and size were optimized to enhance the efficiency during the DEP process. To understand the alignment mechanism of the ZnO NWs, the dielectrophoretic force (FDEP) was analyzed as a function of the DEP conditions and NW dimensions. These studies showed that the DEP alignment process tends to trap NWs with a smaller radius. The effects of NW size on device performance were analyzed by means of I-V measurements in darkness and under illumination (200 nm < λ < 600 nm). In darkness, the NW resistance increases as rNW decreases due to the reduction of the conduction volume, until saturation is reached for rNW < 65 nm. On the other hand, the NW spectral photoresponse shows high values around 10(8) A W(-1) (measured at 5 V and λ < 370 nm) and follows a linear trend as a function of the NW cross section. In addition, the cut-off wavelength depends on rNW, presenting a clear blue-shift for NWs with a lower radius (rNW < 50 nm). Transient photoresponse studies show that NWs with lower radii have longer rise times and shorter decay times mainly due to surface trapping effects. Regardless of NW size, passivation of the surface using a dielectric capping layer of SiO2 reduces the dynamic range of the photoresponse due to a strong increase of the dark current.

Spanish version of the Sleep Self-Report (SSR): factorial structure and psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: The Sleep Self-Report (SSR) is a questionnaire initially created for use with a sample from the USA to assess sleep patterns and problems in school-aged children. The objective of this study was to validate the SSR among a Spanish sample. METHODS: Participants were 1228 Spanish children from 8 to 12 years of age who completed the questionnaires at school anonymously. RESULTS: Internal consistency was good (ω = 0.85). Convergent validity with anxiety (r = 0.54) and perceived welfare (r = -0.53) measures, and divergent validity with a measure of academic performance and positive influence of peers (r = -0.22) were acceptable. Exploratory analysis suggested a factorial structure composed by four subscales: sleep quality, sleep anxiety, bedtime refusal and sleep routines. Confirmatory analysis indicated a good fit for the model (RMSEA = 0.04; GFI = 0.95; AGFI = 0.93; χ(2)/gl = 2.48). CONCLUSIONS: The SSR has demonstrated to have good psychometric properties in the Spanish-speaking sample of children. The factorial structure supported by exploratory and confirmatory analysis examines the most relevant areas of sleep in children. The satisfactory psychometric properties support the use of the Spanish version of the SSR by researchers and clinicians.

Validation of the Spanish Version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale: its Association with Acute Stress and Coping.

The COVID-19 is a "unique" stressor, which can produce physical and psychological trauma. Coping styles can buffer this psychological impact. Consequently, this paper aims to psychometrically adapt the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) to Spanish and examines the relationships between FCV-19S, stress response, and coping strategies. The sample comprised a convenience sample of 1146 participants (12-83 years), 880 from Spain (76.8%), and 266 from Dominican Republic (23.2%). Overall, the findings support a one-factor structure for FCV-19S, consisting of 7-items, and was invariant across age, sex, occupational status, and cross-national. Therefore, indicating evidences of construct validity. Evidences of reliability were also observed (Cronbach's α = .86, McDonald's ω = .86, Guttmann's λ6 = .86, greatest lower bound = .91, composite reliability = .85, and average variance extracted = .44). Moreover, as regards criterion-related validity, the mediation analysis indicated that the relationship between FCV-19S and acute stress was positive and high, with maladaptive coping styles mediating the relationship, and with a stronger mediation for men. The findings give evidences of the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of FCV-19S among Spanish-speaker participants, which provides the chance of cross-cultural studies.

Cathodoluminescence of rare earth implanted Ga2O3 and GeO2 nanostructures.

Rare earth (RE) doped gallium oxide and germanium oxide micro- and nanostructures, mostly nanowires, have been obtained and their morphological and optical properties have been characterized. Undoped oxide micro- and nanostructures were grown by a thermal evaporation method and were subsequently doped with gadolinium or europium ions by ion implantation. No significant changes in the morphologies of the nanostructures were observed after ion implantation and thermal annealing. The luminescence emission properties have been studied with cathodoluminescence (CL) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Both ß-Ga(2)O(3) and GeO(2) structures implanted with Eu show the characteristic red luminescence peak centered at around 610 nm, due to the (5)D(0)-(7)F(2) Eu(3+) intraionic transition. Sharpening of the luminescence peaks after thermal annealing is observed in Eu implanted ß-Ga(2)O(3), which is assigned to the lattice recovery. Gd(3+) as-implanted samples do not show rare earth related luminescence. After annealing, optical activation of Gd(3+) is obtained in both matrices and a sharp ultraviolet peak centered at around 315 nm, associated with the Gd(3+) (6)P(7/2)-(8)S(7/2) intraionic transition, is observed. The influence of the Gd ion implantation and the annealing temperature on the gallium oxide broad intrinsic defect band has been analyzed.

Correction to: Validation of the Spanish Version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale: its Association with Acute Stress and Coping.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s11469-021-00615-x.].

Voids, nanochannels and formation of nanotubes with mobile Sn fillings in Sn doped ZnO nanorods.

ZnO nanorods containing different hollow structures have been grown by a thermal evaporation-deposition method with a mixture of ZnS and SnO(2) powders as precursor. Transmission electron microscopy shows rods with rows of voids as well as rods with empty channels along the growth axis. The presence of Sn nanoprecipitates associated with the empty regions indicates, in addition, that these are generated by diffusion processes during growth, probably due to an inhomogeneous distribution of Sn. The mechanism of forming voids and precipitates appears to be based on diffusion processes similar to the Kirkendall effect, which can lead to void formation at interfaces of bulk materials or in core-shell nanostructures. In some cases the nanorods are ZnO tubes partially filled with Sn that has been found to melt and expand by heating the nanotubes under the microscope electron beam. Such metal-semiconductor nanostructures have potential applications as thermal nanosensors or as electrical nanocomponents.

Gallium-assisted growth of silicon nanowires by electron cyclotron resonance plasmas.

The use of gallium droplets for growing Si nanowires (SiNWs) by electron cyclotron resonance plasmas is investigated. First, the relationship between evaporation time and resultant size of the gallium droplets is studied. Through the use of spectroscopic ellipsometry, the dependence of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) energy on the droplet size is determined. From these gallium droplets, SiNWs were grown at 300 and 550 °C in electron cyclotron resonance plasmas containing SiH(4), Ar, and H(2). Scanning electron microscopy results show that tapered NWs are obtained for a wide range of growth conditions. Besides, it is found that H(2) plays an important role in the parasitic axial growth of the SiNWs. Namely, H(2) inhibits the radial growth and contributes dramatically to increasing the SiNW defects.

Growth and cathodoluminescence of Eu doped ZnO nanoneedles and branched nanoneedle structures.

Rare-earth (RE) ions are widely investigated luminescent centers because their intraionic-4f transitions generate narrow and intense emission lines. In this work Eu doped ZnO nanoneedles have been grown, by a thermal evaporation-deposition method, and structural and luminescence characterization has been carried out. Mixtures of ZnO and Eu2O3 or of ZnS and Eu2O3 powders were used as precursors. Annealing of the compacted powder mixtures leads to the growth of nanoneedles and nanoneedle networks, as well as rods. EDS and CL measurements enable to detect the incorporation of Eu in these structures. The choice of precursor, ZnO-Eu2O3 or ZnS-Eu2O3 influences the morphology as well as the luminescence properties of the obtained nanostructures. In particular, while in the samples obtained from ZnO, the defect green luminescence band is practically absent, the band is present in the ZnO nanoneedles obtained from ZnS. Besides the broad deep level band, a series of well-separated narrow-peaks characteristic of the intrinsic red luminescence of Eu+3 ions are observed in all cases, whose relative intensities vary from one set of samples to the other. The results suggest that the Eu3+ ions have at least, two possible configurations in the ZnO lattice with different symmetry in the nanoneedles.

Influence of an external electric field on the rapid synthesis of MoO3 micro- and nanostructures by Joule heating of Mo wires.

The growth mechanism of layered α-MoO3 nano- and microplates on the surface of Mo wires during Joule heating has been investigated by application of an external electric field to the current carrying wire. The observed rapid growth of the structures, involving enhanced diffusion processes associated to the intense electric current, is further enhanced by the external field leading to a near instantaneous formation of MoO3 plates. Thermally assisted electromigration in the Mo wire with the additional effect of the electric field appears as a very time effective method to grow MoO3 layered low dimensional structures. Other molybdenum oxide nanostructures, such as nanospheres and nanocrystallites with different shapes, have been found to grow by deposition from the Mo wire on the electrodes used to apply the external electric field. The growth on the electrodes takes place by a thermally assisted electric-field-driven process.

The sensory innervation of the human nipple.

Nipples represent a highly specialized skin with capital importance in mammals for breastfeeding and additionally in humans due to sexuality. The histological studies regarding this region are scarce, so 42 human nipples were studied to describe the morphology of the nipple innervation. Our results exclude the presence of a rich innervation on nipple's skin or superficial dermis, thus definitely excluding nipple skin from the concept glabrous skin. The presence of mechanoreceptors is limited to scarce Merkel cells on the epidermis and some corpuscular capsulated and non-capsulated structures in the dermis; Merkel cells progressively decrease with ageing. No Meissner corpuscles were found and the rare Pacinian corpuscles identified were close to vascular structures and embroidered in the mammary fatty tissue. The great sensitivity observed functionally on the breast and especially in the nipple can be morphologically explained by two elements; on the one hand there is a rich smooth muscle innervation present in the deep dermis; on the other hand the mammary gland demonstrate Piezo2 expression in many glandular cells, with two differentiated patterns in the ductal and in the acinar tissue of the breast. The role of Piezo2 in the normal mammary gland is discussed.

Europium doped gallium oxide nanostructures for room temperature luminescent photonic devices.

Cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence techniques have been used to investigate room temperature light emission from beta-Ga(2)O(3):Eu nanostructures, which were obtained by two methods. In one of them, a mixture of Ga(2)O(3)/Eu(2)O(3) powders was used as precursor material and annealed under an argon flow. In the other one, undoped beta-Ga(2)O(3) nanostructures were first obtained by thermal oxidation of metallic gallium and europium was subsequently incorporated by a diffusion process. Room temperature luminescence at 610 nm due to Eu(3+) intraionic transitions from beta-Ga(2)O(3):Eu has been observed. Waveguiding of this red emitted light through the structures was shown.