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Engineering students enter a challenging sector in higher education and are potentially at risk of poor mental health and or mental wellbeing and less likely to seek help when experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing. We carried out a scoping review using Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. Ten databases were searched over a three-year period. Searches identified 191 sources of evidence after title screening and 33 sources of evidence were included for final extraction following full-text screening. Included studies represented over 4000 engineering students from 10 countries. Studies were mostly pilots, suggesting a lack of diverse research methods in the existing research base. Studies also varied in approaches to reporting. Interventions included training, relaxation, technology use, alternative teaching models, support services and a study break with a range of outcome measures used to evaluate intervention effects. Study results indicated reduced stress and anxiety, improved academic achievement, improved communication, motivation, physiological responses, attitude, and increased physical activity, health awareness, and confidence. Mindfulness activities appear to be helpful to engineering students. The review mapped interventions to support mental health and wellbeing in engineering students but identified a need for further high-quality robust studies that are transparently reported using reporting guidelines.

SETANTA (Study of HEarT DiseAse and ImmuNiTy After COVID-19 in Ireland) study aimed to investigate symptom burden and incidence of cardiac abnormalities after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)/COVID-19 and to correlate these results with biomarkers of immunological response and coagulation. SETANTA was a prospective, single-arm observational cross-sectional study condcuted in a primary practice setting, and prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04823182). Patients with recent COVID-19 infection (≥ 6 weeks and ≤ 12 months) were prospectively enrolled. Primary outcomes of interest were markers of cardiac injury detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), which included left ventricular ejection fraction, late gadolinium enhancement and pericardial abnormalities, as well as relevant biomarkers testing immunological response and coagulopathy. 100 patients (n = 129 approached) were included, amongst which 64% were female. Mean age of the total cohort was 45.2 years. The median (interquartile range) time interval between COVID-19 infection and enrolment was 189 [125, 246] days. 83% of participants had at least one persistent symptom, while 96% had positive serology for prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Late gadolinium enhancement, pericardial effusion, was present in 2.2% and 8.3% respectively, while left ventricular ejection fraction was below the normal reference limit in 17.4% of patients. Von Willebrand factor antigen was elevated in 32.7% of patients and Fibrinogen and D-Dimer levels were found to be elevated in 10.2% and 11.1% of patients, respectively. In a cohort of primary practice patients recently recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection, prevalence of persistent symptoms and markers of abnormal coagulation were high, despite a lower frequency of abnormalities on CMR compared with prior reports of patients assessed in a hospital setting.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04823182 (prospectively registered on 30th March 2021)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of sensory stimulation on patient MRI experience and to assess whether sensory stimulation has a significant effect on MR image quality., Methods: A case-control study was conducted over 4 months, involving patients undergoing MRI brain, cervical spine, breast and prostate. The study involved 106 patients, 64 cases and 42 controls. Cases underwent sensory stimulation during the scan in the form of a scented cotton pad placed in the scanner near their head and/or calming bird noises were played over headphones. Post-scan, participants completed a questionnaire regarding their experience of MRI. Scanning radiographers completed a questionnaire regarding patient tolerance of the scan. All studies were evaluated by two radiologists for the presence of movement artefact., Results: 39% of cases and 38% of controls reported anxiety in the days preceding MRI. 6.2% of cases required coaching during image acquisition, while 9.7% of controls required coaching. 4.7% of cases and 4.8% controls required sequence repetition owing to movement artefact. Mean patient experience score (as graded by the patient) for controls was 1.74 ± 0.63 standard deviation (SD) and for cases, it was 1.67 ± 0.60 SD. (Lower assigned scores equated to a better experience). Mean patient experience score based on comments on a 5-point scale as graded by two observers was 2.81 ± 0.70 SD for controls, 2.42 + 0.94 SD for sound intervention and 2.46 ± 1.01 SD for scent intervention. Mean motion artefact score graded by the two radiologists was 1.13 ± 0.53 SD for controls and 1.08 ± 0.36 SD for cases. (A lower score equated to less movement artefact). We demonstrated a trend towards a relaxing experience in those patients undergoing MRI for the first time who underwent sensory intervention. Participant positive ratings of the smell pleasantness were associated with a reduced likelihood of experiencing anxiety (p = 0.13). Results were not statistically significant., Conclusion: This study demonstrated a subjectively improved experience of MRI for some patients with the intervention of sound and smell. The study failed to show a significant decrease in patient movement during MRI investigations. This may relate to the small study size and a low level of patient movement in the case group. Advances in knowledge: Sound and olfactory sensory environment interventions at MRI can improve the patient experience. These low-cost interventions are well tolerated, may improve acceptance of MRI in patients with anxiety and offer a competitive advantage to imaging centres.

Introduction: despite the Cuban government's efforts to exert control over the dengue vector Aedes aegypti, this mosquito is still present in several municipalities of the City of Havana and those of other provinces., Objective: to find out some aspects related to the existence of Ae. aegypti in 2 Cuban regions., Methods: a complete sampling was performed in Lisa municipality located in the western region and in Cienfuegos municipality on the south central part of the country from 2006 to 2008. Capturing methods of adult mosquitoes include human bait and capture at rest. The aspects for comparison were breeding reservoirs used by the mosquito, number of reservoirs full of larvae at a time, number of captured adult mosquitoes and ecological plasticity of the vector., Results: water tanks on the ground were the most positive containers to the Ae. aegypti presence in both regions. In Lisa municipality, the second type of container in positivity was the can, whereas in Cienfuegos municipality, the group of assorted containers held the second place. Cienfuegos exhibited the highest number of reservoirs with Ae. aegypti in 2006, but Lisa recorded the highest figures in 2007 and 2008. Generally speaking, over 50% of positive containers to the mosquito were found in both municipalities during August through November., Conclusions: Ae. aegypti showed similar behaviour with respect to the compared aspects in both regions; it was just different in the number of types of containers used by this species for breeding purposes.

Pyrethroids are commonly used as mosquito adulticides and evolution of resistance to these compounds is a major threat to public health. 'Knockdown resistance' to pyrethroids (kdr) is frequently caused by nonsynonymous mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel transmembrane protein (para) that reduce pyrethroid binding. Early detection of kdr is critical to the development of resistance management strategies in mosquitoes including Aedes aegypti, the most prevalent vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses. Brengues et al. described seven novel mutations in hydrophobic segment 6 of domain II of para in Ae. aegypti. Assays on larvae from strains bearing these mutations indicated reduced nerve sensitivity to permethrin inhibition. Two of these occurred in codons Iso1011 and Val1016 in exons 20 and 21 respectively. A transition in the third position of Iso1011 encoded a Met1011 replacement and a transversion in the second position of Val1016 encoded a Gly1016 replacement. We have screened this same region in 1318 mosquitoes in 32 additional strains; 30 from throughout Latin America. While the Gly1016 allele was never detected in Latin America, we found two new mutations in these same codons. A transition in the first position of codon 1011 encodes a Val replacement while a transition in the first position of codon 1016 encodes an Iso replacement. We developed PCR assays for these four mutations that can be read either on an agarose gel or as a melting curve. Selection experiments, one with deltamethrin on a field strain from Santiago de Cuba and another with permethrin on a strain from Isla Mujeres, Mexico rapidly increased the frequency of the Iso1016 allele. Bioassays of F(3) offspring arising from permethrin susceptible Val1016 homozygous parents and permethrin resistant Iso1016 homozygous parents show that Iso1016 segregates as a recessive allele in conferring kdr. Analysis of segregation between alleles at the 1011 and 1016 codons in the F(3) showed a high rate of recombination even though the two codons are only separated by a ~250 bp intron. The tools and information presented provide a means for early detection and characterization of kdr that is critical to the development of strategies for resistance management.

The risk factors of pupal infestation with community-based Aedes aegypti were identified in four areas of Playa municipality, located in the urban zone of Havana City The deposits with the highest positivity to the vector were the artificial ones and the low tanks. It was confirmed that 99.03% of the sites visited contained at least one deposit with water, and that 4 areas presented a very similar behaviour in ratio of tanks per site, since in all of them the water was supplied every other day. That is why the difference in the positivity was not due to factors related to the water supply. Of the positive deposits, 87.17% were located in backyards, and 91.3% of the positive low tanks had no cover, or were partially covered. It was found that in the positivity of the deposits to the dengue vector, only 8.7% were non-community dependent. If there had had an active participation of the community directed to cover the tanks, to change the water in the water troughs, and to clean the backyards, the pupal infestation due to Aedes aegypti would have drastically increased in the studied areas.

A sample of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, with a high level of propoxur resistance compared with the reference susceptible Rockefeller strain (12.60 x at the 50% lethal concentration [LC50] and 18.08 at the 90% lethal concentration [LC90]), with a 4.3% frequency of insensitive acetylcholinesterase (AChE) frequency, was subjected to propoxur selection for 13 successive generations to increase the frequency of this resistance mechanism in Ae. aegypti. High resistance to propoxur was developed during this selection (41.73-fold), and the frequency of insensitive AChE mechanism was increased 13.25-fold. Other mechanisms (overproduced esterases, glutathione transferases, or monooxygenases) were not detected in the propoxur-selected strain. The selection of an insensitive AChE resistance mechanism in Ae. aegypti has important implications and will be a valuable resource for genetic studies and molecular characterization of the ace gene mutation(s) associated with insecticide resistance in Ae. aegypti.

We assessed in a case-control study the test-validity of Aedes larval indices for the 2000 Havana outbreak. "Cases" were blocks where a dengue fever patient lived during the outbreak. "Controls" were randomly sampled blocks. Before, during, and after the epidemic, we calculated Breteau index (BI) and house index at the area, neighborhood, and block level. We constructed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine their performance as predictors of dengue transmission. We observed a pronounced effect of the level of measurement. The BI(max) (maximum block BI in a radius of 100 m) at 2-month intervals had an area under the ROC curve of 71%. At a cutoff of 4.0, it significantly (odds ratio 6.00, p<0.05) predicted transmission with 78% sensitivity and 63% specificity. Analysis of BI at the local level, with human-defined boundaries, could be introduced in control programs to identify neighborhoods at high risk for dengue transmission.

50 habitats used by Aedes aegypti in the urban environment of Havana City were reported. 66% corresponded to artificial deposits, of which 57.5% were classified as unuseful by the population. 14% were receptacles of domestic use, whereas 8% were natural breeding places. It calls the attention that 12% of the habitats were represented by pits, sewers and drainages that contain the so-called black waters; a factor that should be considered in the epidemiology of dengue in Cuba and that deserves a study of the ecological factors associated with the specie that may influence on this behavior. It is encouraged the community participation as a tool in the control of this dangerous vector.

In June 2001, dengue transmission was detected in Havana, Cuba; 12,889 cases were reported. Dengue 3, the etiologic agent of the epidemic, caused the dengue hemorrhagic fever only in adults, with 78 cases and 3 deaths. After intensive vector control efforts, no new cases have been detected.

A sample of Aedes aegypti (L.) from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, with a high level of temephos resistance (19.58x at the 50% lethal concentration [LC50]), was subjected to temephos selection to evaluate the utility of this organophosphate insecticide for mosquito control. High resistance developed after six generations of selection (200.00x). Little or no cross-resistance was observed to the organophosphates, malathion and fenitrothion, but high cross-resistance was observed for the pyrethroid deltamethrin (337.5x) and the organophosphate fenthion (12.74x). Synergism tests implicated detoxifying esterases in temephos and fenthion resistance and deltamethrin resistance was associated with a cytochrome P450 monooxygenasa. Biochemical tests, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and inhibition studies confirmed the presence of elevated esterase activity associated with temephos resistance. Pyrethroid resistance could be associated with a glutathione-S-transferase mechanism but not the esterases. The cross-resistance to deltamethrin from temephos selection could limit the use of both insecticides for Ae. aegypti control.

Four strains of Aedes aegypti (L.), one from Cuba and three from Venezuela, were bioassayed for susceptibility to eight insecticides, including the organophosphates, temephos, malathion, fenthion, pirimiphos methyl, and chlorpyrifos, and the pyrethroids, deltamethrin, lambda cyhalothrin and cypermethrin, S, S, S,-tributyl phosphorotrithioate and piperonyl butoxide were used as synergists to assess the involvement of esterases and monooxygenases in organophosphate resistance. Venezuelan strains had low levels of resistance to fenthion and malathion, and moderate to high resistance to temephos, pyrimphos methyl, and chlorpiriphos. All strains were susceptible to the pyrethroids, except the Cuban strain, which had moderate levels of resistance to cypermethrin. Organophosphate resistance in Ae. aegypti is a serious threat to control operations. Integrated strategies for Ae. aegypti control to prevent or delay pyrethroid resistance in Venezuela and Cuba are discussed.

The levels of susceptibility and/or resistance to 5 organophosphate insecticides (malathion, methyl-pyrimifos, clorpirifos, temephos and fenthion), 4 pyrethroids (cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin), and a carbamate (propoxur) were determined in order to know the state of resistance in a strain of Culex quinquefasciatus from a locality of the city of Medellín, Colombia. Resistance to all organophosphate insecticides, though with relatively lower values for methyloirimifos and fenthion, was observed. No resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin or to propoxur was found. These insecticides may be useful for the control of mosquitoes in Colombia. It was demonstrated by using the piperonil butoxide synergist that the oxidases of multiple function played an important role in the resistance to organophosphate insecticides and pyrethroids. The utilization of S.S.S. tributyl phosphotritiate revealed that the superproduction of unspecific esterases was a mechanism of resistance to organophosphate insecticides, except methyl-pirimifos and for perythroids, except lambda-cyhalothrin. This result should be taken into consideration for the strategies to be used to control Culex quinquefasciatus in Colombia. These two mechanism of resistance are not responsible for the resistance to propoxur. The electrophoretic analysis showed the presence of esterases B1, A6 and B6, which seem to have an important function in resistance.

A field strain of Culex quinquefasciatus resistant to pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide was selected to be used as a reference strain in the laboratory for conducting studies of biochemistry and genetics of resistance, to evaluate the utility of this insecticide for the control of mosquitoes in Cuba, and to determine the cross resistance to organophosphate insecticides, pyrethroids and a carbamate. A high resistance to lambdacyhalothrin was obtained after 6 generations of selective pressure. Lowe or no cross resistance to other pyrethroids (deltamethrin and cypermethrin), to a carbamate (propoxur) and to the organophosphate insecticides (clorpirifos and methyl-pyrimifos) was observed. A high cross resistance to malathion (organophosphate) was detected.

A sample of the southern house mosquito, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say, from Cuba was subjected to lambda-cyhalothrin selection to evaluate the usefulness of this pyrethroid insecticide for mosquito control. High resistance developed after 6 generations of selection. Little or no cross-resistance was observed to other pyrethroids (deltamethrin and cypermethrin), to a carbamate (propoxur) and to some organophosphates (chlorpyrifos and pirimiphos-methyl), but high cross-resistance was found to malathion (organophosphate). Possible resistance mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are discussed.

It was analyzed the behavior of the resistance of 3 organophosphated insecticides (malathion, clorpirifos and methyl-pyrimifos), 3 pyrethroids (deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin), and 1 carbamate (propuxur) in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus from 2 municipalities of the province of Santiago de Cuba. The values of the resistance factor proved that there is resistance to malathion and clorpirifos. However, in spite of the existence of a high frequency of the mechanisms of elevated esterases and altered acetylcholinesterase no resistance to methylpymirifos, was observed which demonstrated that this insecticide is not affected by these mechanisms selected in our populations of Culex quinquefasciatus. There was resistence to deltamethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin in Santiago de Cuba, whereas it was moderate to cypermethrin in Santiago and San Luis. Resistance to deltamethrin was also found in San Luis, but it was mild to lambda-cyhalothrin. The results obtained from the use of the synergists S,S,S tributyl phosphotritiade (DBF) and piperonyl butoxide (PB) indicated that the mechanisms of resistance of unspecific esterases and oxidases of multiple function are involved in the resistance to pyrethroids in both strains from Santiago de Cuba and San Luis. It was determined by the biochemical tests that there existed a high frequency of the mechanisms of esterases and altered acetylcholinesterase. The results of the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that esterase B1 appears more frequently associated with esterases A6 and B6. It was inferred that this association could be connected with the resistance to pyrethroids.

In Culex pipiens mosquitoes, AChE1 encoded by the locus Ace.1 is the target of organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. In several resistant strains homozygous for Ace.1RR, insensitive AChE1 is exclusively found. An unusual situation occurs in two Caribbean resistant strains where each mosquito, at each generation, displays a mixture of sensitive and insensitive AChE1. These mosquitoes are not heterozygotes, Ace.1RS, as preimaginal mortalities cannot account for the lethality of both homozygous classes. This situation is best explained by the existence of two Ace.1 loci, coding, respectively, a sensitive and an insensitive AChE1. Thus, we suggest that in the Caribbean a duplication of the Ace.1 locus occurred before the appearance of insecticide resistance at one of the two copies.

The occurrence of two acetylcholinesterases, AChE1 and AChE2, in the mosquito Culex pipiens has been recently documented. Resistance to organophosphates and carbamates due to target insensitivity is the result of a qualitative change of only AChE1, encoded by the Ace.1 gene. Because AChE1 and AChE2 differ in their sensitivity to inhibitors, Ace.1 genotypes can be misclassified by previous tests. We describe a new rapid microplate test that allows unambiguous identification of Ace.1 genotypes. This test involves comparing AChE activities in the absence of insecticide and in the presence of two propoxur concentrations: a low concentration that inhibits only the sensitive AChE1 and a higher concentration that inhibits also AChE2 but not the insensitive AChE1 responsible of insecticide resistance. This comparison allows the identification of the three Ace.1 genotypes: resistant (Ace.1RR), susceptible (Ace.1SS) homozygotes, and heterozygotes (Ace.1RS). The similarity of propoxur sensitivity of modified AChE1s found in various resistant strains from the United States, Europe, and Africa indicates that this test is probably suitable for all the Ace.1 alleles described so far in C. pipiens.

Several over-produced esterases confer resistance to organophosphorus insecticides in the Culex pipiens complex. We describe their distribution in islands and countries of the Caribbean region based on new collections and previous studies, and discuss the need to: 1) undertake DNA studies to correctly identify the esterase B alleles that are amplified in different regions, and 2) investigate the variability among gene copies within each amplification system in order to fully understand their origin and their evolution through time.

A Culex quinquefasciatus Say 1823 strain with resistant genes to organophosphates was tested in the laboratory to know the reproductive potential after exposure, as larvae, at the LC30 and LC70 (mg/l) of three organophosphorus insecticides: malathion, chlorpyrifos and methyl-pirimiphos. Data showed that fecundity was decreased significantly by malathion at LC30 = 0.0025 and LC70 = 0.0075, whereas fertility has a no significant decrement by chlorpyrifos and methyl-pirimiphos at the LC70 (0.000016, 0.00043). The sexual index was affected by chlorpyrifos and methyl-pirimiphos showing a greater number of adult females.