Risk of Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Coronavirus Disease 2019 Messenger RNA Vaccination - A Nationwide Study (preprint)

BackgroundAn extended interval between the two primary doses may reduce the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Taiwan has implemented a two-dose regimen with a 12-week interval for adolescents. Here we present nationwide data of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination-associated myocarditis and pericarditis in Taiwan. MethodsData on adverse events of myocarditis/pericarditis were from the Taiwan Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System between March 22, 2021, and February 9, 2022. The rates according to sex, age, and vaccine type were calculated. We investigated the reporting rates among young individuals under different two-dose intervals and among those who received two doses of different vaccines. ResultsAmong 204 cases who met the case definition of myocarditis/pericarditis, 75 cases occurred after the first dose and 129 after the second. The reporting rate of myocarditis/pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination varied across sex and age groups and was highest after the second dose in males aged 12-17 years (126.79 cases per million vaccinees) for the BNT162b2 vaccine and in males aged 18-24 years (93.84 cases per million vaccinees) for the mRNA-1273 vaccine. The data did not suggest an association between longer between-dose interval and lower rate of myocarditis/pericarditis among males and females aged 18-24 or 25-29 years who received two doses of the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine. Rates of myocarditis/pericarditis in males and females aged 18-49 years after receiving ChAdOx1-S - mRNA-1273 vaccination was significantly higher than after ChAdOx1-S - ChAdOx1-S vaccination. ConclusionsMyocarditis and pericarditis are rare following mRNA vaccination, with higher risk occurring in young males after the second dose.

Psychological distress and its relationship to orthodontic emergencies in orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China (preprint)

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate psychological distress among orthodontic patients and its relationship to orthodontic emergencies related to different appliances during the COVID-19 lockdown.  Methods: This was a cross-sectional online questionnaire survey involving orthodontic patients in Shanghai, China. Data collection occurred from May 15 to June 1 2022. The demographic information and orthodontic emergencies were collected, while the peritraumatic distress symptoms were assessed by the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI). Data analysis was performed by SPSS software.  Results: A total of 480 patients were examined, including 331 fixed appliance patients, 131 clear aligner patients and 18 removable appliance patients. Patients who encountered emergencies and suffered from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain reported significantly higher CPDI scores in each group (p<0.01). Multivariate linear analysis showed that patients aged above 18 years old (p<0.01), emergencies in fixed appliance patients (p<0.05), emergencies among clear aligner patients (p<0.01), and higher TMJ-pain scores were significantly associated with increasing CPDI scores. Conclusions: Orthodontic patients encountered emergencies, especially those who suffered from TMJ pain and were at higher risk of psychological distress related to COVID-19; thus, targeted intervention and self-management guidelines should be designed to relieve anxiety and strengthen coping capacity for orthodontic patients during the pandemic.

Comparison of liver biochemical abnormality between COVID-19 patients with liver cirrhosis versus COVID-19 alone and liver cirrhosis alone: A STROBE observational study.

ABSTRACT: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients frequently develop liver biochemical abnormality. However, liver biochemical abnormality in COVID-19 patients with liver cirrhosis is under-recognized.Patients hospitalized during COVID-19 pandemic in China (ie, from February to April 2020) were screened. All of 17 COVID-19 patients with liver cirrhosis consecutively admitted to the Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital were identified. Meanwhile, 17 age-, sex-, and severity-matched COVID-19 patients without liver cirrhosis admitted to this hospital were selected as a control group; all of 14 cirrhotic patients without COVID-19 consecutively admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology of the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command were selected as another control group. Incidence of liver biochemical abnormality and decompensated events were primarily compared.Among the COVID-19 patients with liver cirrhosis, the incidence of liver biochemical abnormality at admission and during hospitalization were 76.50% and 84.60%, respectively; 7 (41.20%) had decompensated events at admission; 1 was transferred to intensive care unit due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Among the COVID-19 patients without liver cirrhosis, the incidence of liver biochemical abnormality at admission and during hospitalization were 58.80% (P = .271) and 60.00% (P = .150), respectively. Among the cirrhotic patients without COVID-19, the incidence of liver biochemical abnormality at admission and during hospitalization were 69.20% (P = .657) and 81.80% (P = .855), respectively; 11 (78.60%) had decompensated events at admission (P = .036). None died during hospitalization among the three groups.Liver biochemical abnormality is common in COVID-19 patients with liver cirrhosis. Management of decompensated events in cirrhotic patients without COVID-19 should not be neglected during COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese Public’s Knowledge, Perceived Severity, and Perceived Controllability of COVID-19 and Their Associations with Emotional and Behavioural Reactions, Social Participation, and Precautionary Behaviour: A National Survey (preprint)

Background: The outbreak of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has caused enormous stress among the public in China. Intellectual input from various aspects is needed to fight against COVID-19, including understanding of the public’s emotion and behaviour and their antecedents from the psychological perspectives. Drawing upon the cognitive appraisal theory, this study examined three cognitive appraisals (i.e., perceived severity, perceived controllability, and knowledge of COVID-19) and their associations with a wide range of emotional and behavioural outcomes among the Chinese public. Methods: : Participants were 4607 citizens (age range: 17–90 years, Mage=23.71 years) from 31 provinces in China and they took part in a cross-sectional survey online. Results: : The results showed that the public’s emotional and behavioural reactions were slightly affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. Moreover, the public had limited participation in the events regarding COVID-19 but actively engaged in precautionary behaviour. In addition, results of structural equation model with latent variables revealed that the three appraisals were differentially related to the outcome variables (i.e., negative emotion, positive emotion, sleep problems, aggression, substance use, mobile phone use, social participation, and precautionary behaviour). Conclusions: : The findings highlight the utility of cognitive appraisal, as a core process of coping stress, in explaining the public’s emotion and behaviour in the encounter of public health concern. Practically, the findings facilitate the government and practitioners to design and deliver targeted intervention programs to the public.

Self-control moderates the association between perceived severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and mental health problems among the Chinese public (preprint)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of death in China. Prior research suggests that individuals’ perceived severity of the COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioural reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of the COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this possibility. Participants were 4,607 citizens from 31 regions in China (Mage=23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for demographic variables, perceived severity of the COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the “perceived severity of the COVID-19 – mental health problems” association, with the said link attenuating as the levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Chinese public’s knowledge, perceived severity, and perceived controllability of the COVID-19 and their associations with emotional and behavioural reactions, social participation, and precautionary behaviour: A national survey (preprint)

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has caused enormous stress among the public in China. Intellectual input from various aspects is needed to control the COVID-19, including the understanding of the public’s emotion and behaviour and their antecedents from the psychological perspectives. Drawing upon the cognitive appraisal theory, this study examined three cognitive appraisals (i.e., knowledge, perceived severity and perceived controllability of the COVID-19) and their associations with a wide range of emotional and behavioural outcomes among the Chinese public. Participants were 4607 citizens (age range: 17–90 years, Mage=23.71 years) from 31 provinces in China and they took part in an online survey. The results showed that the public’s emotional and behavioural reactions were slightly affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19. Moreover, the public had limited participation in the events regarding the COVID-19 but actively engaged in precautionary behaviour. In addition, results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the three appraisals were differentially related to the outcome variables. Theoretically, the findings highlight the utility of cognitive appraisal, as a core process of coping stress, in explaining the public’s emotion and behaviour in the encounter of public health concern. Practically, the findings facilitate the government and practitioners to design and deliver targeted intervention programs to the public affected by the COVID-19.