COVID-19 has had far-reaching economic, social and health consequences, with vulnerable groups disproportionally affected. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, concern was expressed about university students' mental health, with global data suggesting students are more vulnerable than the general population to mental disorders. Yet, it is unclear what the pandemic's impact has been on the mental health of students in South Africa. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on first-year students at two universities in South Africa by analysing changes in the prevalence and age-of-onset of three common mental disorders (namely major depressive episode, generalised anxiety disorder, and suicidal ideation) before and during the pandemic, and comparing these to changes between 2015 and 2017. Our analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected in 2015, 2017 and 2020 shows no clear or consistent pattern of increases in prevalence of common mental disorders following the start of the pandemic. Lifetime prevalence rates of common mental disorders among students have been steadily increasing since 2015, and where increases before and during COVID-19 were observed, they are not consistently larger than increases between 2015 and 2020. No significant changes were observed in the 12-month prevalence of common mental disorders before and during COVID-19, except for an increase in prevalence of depression at one institution, and a decrease in suicidal ideation at the other. Findings suggest that in the context of ongoing adversity and disruptions on South African university campuses in recent years, COVID-19 may be just one more stressor local students face and that its impact on student mental health may not have been as marked in South Africa compared to other regions. SIGNIFICANCE: • This study is the first to explore COVID-19's impact on university students' mental health in South Africa, using data collected before and during the pandemic. • High rates of psychopathology confirm the need for sustainable campus-based interventions to support student well-being. • Rates of mental disorders among students have been increasing since 2015, and increases observed in 2020 were no larger than those observed in prior years. • In the context of disruptions on university campuses in recent years, COVID-19 is just one more stressor for students, and its impact may not have been as marked in South Africa compared to other regions.

Abstract Ascospherosis or chalkbrood is an infectious disease of honey bees (Apis mellifera) caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis that results in the death of larvae. In severe cases it can cause a decrease of the population of adult bees and in the productivity of the colony. This is the first study performed in Mexico with the objective of determining the prevalence of A. apis in honeybee colonies in a beekeeping region. It was carried out in nine municipalities of southern Jalisco, distributed in two climatic zones (sub-humid and subhumid temperate warm), and the relationship of the fungus with factors such as height above sea level, precipitations and temperature was analyzed. Samples of bees were collected from 365 breeding colonies, of which 74.1 % were proven chalkbrood-positive by microscopic analysis. 75.6 % of the colonies in the warm area and 72.2 % of those of the temperate area were A. apis-positive and were not significantly different in terms of the prevalence of chalkbrood (P>0.05). The logistic regression analysis indicated that the increase in rainfall also significantly increases the number of colonies infected with A. apis (odds= 3.53; P<0.01). There was a significant correlation between the rainfall and the proportion of ascospherosis-positive cases (r= 0.87, P= 0.003). The other studied factors had no significant relationship with cases of ascospherosis. Due to the high percentages of colonies infected with A. apis found in this study, further research should be considered in order to determine the causes of the high prevalence of this fungus in honey bee colonies in the state of Jalisco.

Resumen La ascosferosis o cría de cal, es una enfermedad infecciosa de las abejas melíferas (Apis mellifera) causada por el hongo Ascosphaera apis que ocasiona la muerte a sus larvas. En casos severos puede causar disminución de la población de abejas adultas y de productividad de la colonia. Este es el primer estudio que se realiza en México con la finalidad de determinar la prevalencia de A. apis en colonias de abejas melíferas en una región apícola. Se llevó a cabo en nueve municipios del sur de Jalisco, distribuidos en dos zonas climáticas (cálida subhúmeda y templada subhúmeda) y se analizó la relación del hongo con factores como altura sobre el nivel del mar, precipitación pluvial y temperatura ambiental. Se tomaron muestras de cría de abejas de 365 colonias, de las cuales, el 74.1 % fueron positivas a ascosferosis mediante análisis microscópico. El 75.6 % de las colonias de la zona cálida y el 72.2 % de la templada resultaron positivas a A. apis, respectivamente, y no fueron significativamente diferentes en la prevalencia de este hongo (P>0.05). El análisis de regresión logística indicó que al incrementarse la precipitación pluvial también se incrementa significativamente el número de colonias infectadas por A. apis (odds= 3.53; P<0.01). Hubo una correlación significativa entre precipitación pluvial y proporción de casos positivos a ascosferosis (r= 0.87, P= 0.003). Los otros factores estudiados no tuvieron relación significativa con casos de ascosferosis. Debido a los altos porcentajes de colonias infectadas con A. apis encontrados en este estudio, debieran considerarse investigaciones posteriores para determinar cuáles son las causas de la alta prevalencia de este hongo en colonias de abejas del estado de Jalisco.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Varroa destructor, the degree of mite infestation and the relationship of the parasite with geographic and climatic variables in 369 colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) from nine municipalities of temperate and warm areas from the state of Jalisco, Mexico. An average prevalence of 88% and an infestation level of 5.2% of V. destructor were found, with significant differences between municipalities for theses parameters (p < 0.05), but with no significant differences between climatic zones. The prevalence of V. destructor was particularly high in some municipalities, where the average of positive samples reached 100%, with percentages of infestation of > 8%. The 5.2% mite infestation level was similar to that recommended by SAGARPA as tolerable in Mexico (5%), however, more than a third of the colonies exceeded these levels and some had > 35% infestation. The climatic factors analyzed did not have a significant relationship with the prevalence and levels of V. destructor parasitism. This was due to the high variability of the data, which suggests that other factors influence the prevalence and degree of V. destructor infestation of honey bee colonies to a greater extent within each geographic region. Similarly, the altitude above sea level did not have significant effects on the prevalence and infestation levels of V. destructor in this study. Due to the high prevalence of V. destructor in honey bee colonies of southern Jalisco as well as to the high percentage of them having levels of parasitism > 5%, a subsequent study should be carried out to determine what are the causes of these findings, in order to take measures for its control.

Resumen: El objetivo fue determinar la prevalencia de Varroa destructor, el grado de infestación del ácaro y la relación del parásito con variables geográficas y climáticas en 369 colonias de abejas Apis mellifera de nueve municipios de zonas templadas y cálidas del estado de Jalisco, México. Se encontró una prevalencia promedio de 88% y nivel de infestación de 5.2% del parásito, con diferencias significativas entre municipios para estos parámetros (p < 0.05), pero sin diferencias entre zonas climáticas. La prevalencia de V. destructor fue alta en algunos municipios, con el promedio de muestras positivas del 100% y porcentajes de infestación de más del 8%. El nivel promedio de infestación del 5.2% fue similar al que recomienda la SAGARPA como tolerable en México (5%), sin embargo, más de la tercera parte de la colonias rebasaban estos niveles y algunas tenían más de 35% de infestación. Los factores climáticos analizados y la altura sobre el nivel del mar no tuvieron una relación significativa con la prevalencia y niveles de parasitismo de V. destructor. Esto se puede deber a la alta variabilidad de los datos, lo que sugiere que otros factores influencian en mayor medida la prevalencia y grado de infestación de las colonias de abejas dentro de cada región geográfica. Debido a la alta prevalencia de V. destructor se debe considerar realizar estudios posteriores para determinar cuáles son las causas de estos hallazgos, a fin de que se tomen medidas para su control.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relative importance of common physical and mental disorders with regard to the number of days out-of-role (DOR; number of days for which a person is completely unable to work or carry out normal activities because of health problems) in a population-based sample of adults in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil. METHODS: The São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey was administered during face-to-face interviews with 2,942 adult household residents. The presence of 8 chronic physical disorders and 3 classes of mental disorders (mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders) was assessed for the previous year along with the number of days in the previous month for which each respondent was completely unable to work or carry out normal daily activities due to health problems. Using multiple regression analysis, we examined the associations of the disorders and their comorbidities with the number of days out-of-role while controlling for socio-demographic variables. Both individual-level and population-level associations were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 13.1% of the respondents reported 1 or more days out-of-role in the previous month, with an annual median of 41.4 days out-of-role. The disorders considered in this study accounted for 71.7% of all DOR; the disorders that caused the greatest number of DOR at the individual-level were digestive (22.6), mood (19.9), substance use (15.0), chronic pain (16.5), and anxiety (14.0) disorders. The disorders associated with the highest population-attributable DOR were chronic pain (35.2%), mood (16.5%), and anxiety (15.0%) disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Because pain, anxiety, and mood disorders have high effects at both the individual and societal levels, targeted interventions to reduce the impairments associated with these disorders have the highest potential to reduce the societal burdens of chronic illness in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area.