ABSTRACT
Problematic mobile phone use is a pervasive issue globally and has aroused wide public concerns. Prior studies have indicated that problematic mobile phone use has a series of negative effects on individuals' physical and mental health. However, the effects on student learning have seldom been investigated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, home quarantine and social distancing have led to individuals' greater problematic mobile phone use, and it is essential to have a better understanding of individuals' problematic mobile phone use and its negative effects during this unprecedented period. Given this, the present study investigates the effects of university students' problematic mobile phone use on mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety, which play critical roles in mathematics learning. This study collected data from 420 students in March 2022, when a large-scale COVID-19 lockdown took place in Shanghai, China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Our findings show that university students' problematic mobile phone use can significantly impact mathematics anxiety and indirectly-yet considerably-influence mathematics self-efficacy. This study calls for increased public concern regarding students' problematic mobile phone use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and their associated diseases remain neglected. Through minor modifications in our diagnostic algorithm, we observed an unexpected higher number of cultivable NTM isolates. Therefore, a retrospective study was performed thoroughly to investigate the effect of changed laboratory procedures on NTM isolation in a specialized tuberculosis hospital. Methods: NTM isolation rates and composition of NTM species were compared for the two diagnostic algorithms: (1) by using traditional p-nitrobenzoic acid (PNB) selective medium as a preliminary test to identify NTM isolates among the positive cultures (procedure I) and (2) by using the MPT64 antigen detection method to distinguish between Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates and possible NTM isolates after a positive MGIT960 liquid culture (procedure II). Results: The NTM isolation rate in procedure II was significantly higher than the procedure I (18.08% vs 9.71%; P<0.001). A noticeable increase in the ratio of NTM isolates among the identified mycobacteria was observed over the studied years (ie, from 58.18% in 2019 to 72.93% in 2021), which indicated a more precise prescription of species identification test after prompt information was provided in procedure II. In addition, the consistency of the identified species using multiple specimens from the same patient did not present a significant difference between the procedures. Conclusion: According to our study, NTM infection might be far more underestimated than it is. A diagnostic procedure combining MGIT960 culture and MPT64 antigen detection could timely and easily identify clues of NTM isolates and improve the diagnosis of NTM infections.