Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to massive restrictions in public and private lives, including a shut-down of face-to-face teaching at universities in Germany. We aimed to examine the impact of these changes on perceived stress, mental health and (study-)related health behavior of students in a longitudinal study. Methods For two timepoints – the year before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019, n = 1377) and the year during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, n = 1867) – we surveyed students of all faculties at one German university for perceptions and preventive behavior regarding the COVID-19 pandemic using standard instruments for stress, anxiety, depression, and behavior and experience patterns. Results About 90% of students (n = 1633) in 2020 did not have a known contact infected with SARS-CoV-2, while 180 (9.8%) did have one. Only 10 respondents (0.5%) reported an infection with SARS-CoV-2. Wearing masks and washing hands more often were practiced by ≥80% of students. Taking more care about cleanliness (51.8%) and using disinfectants (39.2%) were practiced much less. A higher percentage of female compared with male students and medical/health science students compared with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students engaged more frequently in specific or nonspecific preventive measures. More than three quarters (77.1%) of all students rated their general health as (very) good. There were no significant differences in general health, stress, and depression between 2019 and 2020 in the students who responded at both timepoints. The distribution of behavior and experience patterns for this group showed a slight but significant difference from 2019 to 2020, namely decreasing proportions of students with a healthy pattern and a risk pattern for overexertion. Students with different behavior and experience patterns showed marked differences in perceptions and reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as psychosocial stress and symptoms, with higher scores for mental health symptoms and lower scores in preventive behavior regarding risk patterns. Conclusion Despite massive alterations to students’ lives in 2020, there were only moderate consequences for mental health compared with 2019 in the total student group of this German university. However, identifying students at risk would offer opportunities to foster mental health in relevant subgroups.

PCG is the most prevalent type of childhood glaucoma, followed by acquired glaucoma especially traumatic hyphema. Combined trabeculotomy-trabeculectomy and Ahmed valve implantation are the most common surgical interventions. CGRN classification is found to provide a consensus skeleton and is recommended to be integrated in our routine ongoing clinical practice.

PurposeThe purposes of this study were to investigate the changes in macular parameters (thickness, volume) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (RNFLT) in different cases of amblyopia versus the normal fellow eyes using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to estimate the relationship of OCT changes with various defined patients’ parameters.DesignThis is a prospective, observational, cross-sectional case series.MethodsThe method involved measuring the peripapillary RNFLT, macular thickness, and macular volume via spectral domain (OCT) in different types of amblyopia and comparing with the other fellow eyes. This study was conducted at the Mansoura Ophthalmic Center.ResultsA total of 64 patients with different types of amblyopia were included. The mean central macular thickness (CMT) was 196.2±50.03 µm in the amblyopic eyes versus 167±12.76 µm in the fellow eyes (P=0.000), the mean average macular thickness was 265.80±12.77 µm in the amblyopic eyes versus 259.10±3.09 µm in the fellow eyes (P=0.000), the mean macular volume was 7.59±0.32 mm3 in the amblyopic eyes versus 7.34±0.071 mm3 in the fellow eyes (P=0.002), and the mean global RNFLT was 97.00±11.60 µm in the amblyopic eyes versus 78.50±13.05 µm in the fellow eyes (P=0.029). There was a discrepancy between the different amblyopic types. Age and the axial length were the only independent variables that statistically significantly correlated with the CMT.ConclusionThe unilateral amblyopic eyes were prone to have a higher CMT and thicker global RNFL compared to those of the sound fellow eyes. Retinal variations between different types of the amblyopia differ from one type to another. The age could be considered as a predictor of the disease worsening and treatment prognosis. Further studies are required to emphasize these results.

No abstract

The present investigation was carried out to study the in vitro shoot proliferation, root formation and ex vitro acclimatization of English lavender (Munstead). Nodal explant showed a good response for producing the highest survival percentage, shoots and leaves number comparing with the shoot tip one. Among the tested cytokinins, TDZ at 0.20 mg/L recorded the highest shoots number (30.55 shoots), followed by BAP at 0.80 mg/L (16.50 shoots). The weakest effects on shoots number were recorded for media supplemented with all Kin concentrations, however it tabulated the tallest shoots length. Also, MS at full strength supplemented with sucrose as a carbon source at concentration of 30.00 or 40.00 g/L, significantly recorded the highest number of shoots and leaves. But, the lowest vitrification percentage was obtained when media strength started to decrease, as 1 /4 strength medium which supplemented with sucrose or glucose at 40 g/L recorded 0.00% vitrification. Rooting which was achieved on half strength medium fortified with NAA at 1.00 mg/L significantly recorded the highest roots number of 21.25 roots, comparing with 11.86 roots only when IBA was added into the medium at 2.00 mg/L, but it was noticed that NAA concentrations decreased the roots length comparing with IBA one. Transplanting the rooted shoots into a mixture of peat moss + vermiculite + loamy soil (1:1:1 v) resulted in the highest survival percentage of 90.00% and a increase in shoots length of 12.71cm.