Psychological Distress Reported by Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in China During COVID-19 (preprint)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted routine cardiovascular health assessments and services. The objective of this study was to explore the factors associated with self-reported psychological distress among a sample of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in China in relation to COVID-19. Methods: An online survey was administered to 288 patients with AF at several hospitals in China. The survey consisted of three sections: demographic characteristics, questions related to COVID-19, and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Results: A total of 177 patients with AF completed the baseline survey; 177 (61.46%) were male and 133 (46.18%) were older than 65 years. High levels of psychological distress (GHQ-12 ≥3) were observed in 27 (9.4%) participants of the sample. These high levels were found to be associated with older age, radiofrequency ablation, drinking, and combined basic diseases (p values < .05). Logistic regression analysis showed that psychological distress in patients with AF was associated with radiofrequency ablation (OR = 0.316, 95% CI = 0.147–0.666), drinking (OR = 4.761, 95% CI = 2.076–10.916), and concerns regarding infection (OR = 1.244, 95% CI = 1.052–1.472). Conclusions: COVID-19 has resulted in high levels of psychological distress in approximately 9.4% of patients with AF in China. Factors associated with high levels of psychological distress in AF patients include older age, radiofrequency ablation, drinking, and combined comorbidities. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing psychological health throughout the course of infectious pandemics.

Screening of cell-virus, cell-cell, gene-gene crosstalk among animal kingdom at single cell resolution.

BACKGROUND: The exact animal origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains obscure and understanding its host range is vital for preventing interspecies transmission. METHODS: Herein, we applied single-cell sequencing to multiple tissues of 20 species (30 data sets) and integrated them with public resources (45 data sets covering 26 species) to expand the virus receptor distribution investigation. While the binding affinity between virus and receptor is essential for viral infectivity, understanding the receptor distribution could predict the permissive organs and tissues when infection occurs. RESULTS: Based on the transcriptomic data, the expression profiles of receptor or associated entry factors for viruses capable of causing respiratory, blood, and brain diseases were described in detail. Conserved cellular connectomes and regulomes were also identified, revealing fundamental cell-cell and gene-gene cross-talks from reptiles to humans. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study provides a resource of the single-cell atlas of the animal kingdom which could help to identify the potential host range and tissue tropism of viruses and reveal the host-virus co-evolution.

Occupational Stress and Insomnia Symptoms Among Nurses During the Outbreak of COVID-19 in China: The Chain Mediating Effect of Perceived Organizational Support and Psychological Capital.

Background: Nurses play an important role in medical and health services and insomnia symptoms were relatively high among nurses, especially during the epidemic of 2019 coronavirus disease. Insomnia not only damages the physical and mental health of the individual, but also reduces the efficiency of their work and the quality of care, ultimately impacting on patient care. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the role of perceived organizational support and psychological capital in the relationship between occupational stress and insomnia among Chinese nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study has been carried out in a tertiary grade A hospital in Shandong Province, China from March 2021 to May 2021. The self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 810 nurses, which including Chinese Effort-Reward Imbalance Scale, Athens Insomnia Scale, Perceived Organizational Support Questionnaire, Chinese Psychological Capital Questionnaire, gender, age, education level and other demographic characteristics. Effective respondents were 658 (81.2%). Descriptive analysis, independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analyses, ordinary least-squares regression and the bootstrap method were used for data analysis. Results: The prevalence of insomnia symptoms in this study was found to be 57.3%. There were significant differences in insomnia symptoms in weekly working hours (t = -2.027, P = 0.043), with chronic disease (t = -2.825, P = 0.005), negative life events (t = -5.340, P < 0.001), departments (F = 3.077, P = 0.006) and position (t = 2.322, P = 0.021) among nurses. Overall, the serial-multiple mediations of perceived organizational support and psychological capital in the relationship between occupational stress and insomnia were found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: The prevalence of insomnia symptoms was comparatively high among Chinese nurses, and occupational stress had direct negative influence on it. Perceived organizational support and psychological capital acted as chained mediating factor could partially relieve insomnia symptoms related to occupational stress. Supportive working environment should be provided, and improving psychological capital levels to help nurses coping with insomnia symptoms.

Identification of coronaviruses in farmed wild animals reveals their evolutionary origins in Guangdong, southern China.

Coronavirus infections cause diseases that range from mild to severe in mammals and birds. In this study, we detected coronavirus infections in 748 farmed wild animals of 23 species in Guangdong, southern China, by RT-PCR and metagenomic analysis. We identified four coronaviruses in these wild animals and analysed their evolutionary origins. Coronaviruses detected in Rhizomys sinensis were genetically grouped into canine and rodent coronaviruses, which were likely recombinants of canine and rodent coronaviruses. The coronavirus found in Phasianus colchicus was a recombinant pheasant coronavirus of turkey coronavirus and infectious bronchitis virus. The coronavirus in Paguma larvata had a high nucleotide identity (94.6-98.5 per cent) with a coronavirus of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates). These findings suggested that the wildlife coronaviruses may have experienced homologous recombination and/or crossed the species barrier, likely resulting in the emergence of new coronaviruses. It is necessary to reduce human-animal interactions by prohibiting the eating and raising of wild animals, which may contribute to preventing the emergence of the next coronavirus pandemic.

Chromosome-Scale Genome of Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata) Shows Genomic Signatures of Its Biological Characteristics and Evolution.

The masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) is a small carnivore with distinct biological characteristics, that likes an omnivorous diet and also serves as a vector of pathogens. Although this species is not an endangered animal, its population is reportedly declining. Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003, the public has been particularly concerned about this species. Here, we present the first genome of the P. larvata, comprising 22 chromosomes assembled using single-tube long fragment read (stLFR) and Hi-C technologies. The genome length is 2.41 Gb with a scaffold N50 of 105.6 Mb. We identified the 107.13 Mb X chromosome and one 1.34 Mb Y-linked scaffold and validated them by resequencing 45 P. larvata individuals. We predicted 18,340 protein-coding genes, among which 18,333 genes were functionally annotated. Interestingly, several biological pathways related to immune defenses were found to be significantly expanded. Also, more than 40% of the enriched pathways on the positively selected genes (PSGs) were identified to be closely related to immunity and survival. These enriched gene families were inferred to be essential for the P. larvata for defense against the pathogens. However, we did not find a direct genomic basis for its adaptation to omnivorous diet despite multiple attempts of comparative genomic analysis. In addition, we evaluated the susceptibility of the P. larvata to the SARS-CoV-2 by screening the RNA expression of the ACE2 and TMPRSS2/TMPRSS4 genes in 16 organs. Finally, we explored the genome-wide heterozygosity and compared it with other animals to evaluate the population status of this species. Taken together, this chromosome-scale genome of the P. larvata provides a necessary resource and insights for understanding the genetic basis of its biological characteristics, evolution, and disease transmission control.

Comparison of Ocular Trauma Between Normalized and The COVID-19 Epidemic Periods in China: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study (preprint)

Background: To compare the feature of ocular trauma between normalized period and the COVID-19 epidemic period in China, to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control eye injuries in special times in future. Methods: This study is a multi-center cross-sectional study with 30 participated hospitals involving the China Ocular Trauma Society members. All hospitalized cases who visited the ophthalmology department in participated hospitals with eye injuries during the normalized period (2019) and the COVID-19 epidemic period (2020) were included in this study. Demographic characteristic of cases, date of injury, sites and types of injury were collected. Results: This study involved 13525 (61cases with both eyes) injured cases. There were 7269 (53.74%) eye-injured cases and 6256 (46.26%) eye-injured cases in 2019 and 2020 separately. Compared with 2019, the incidence of ocular trauma in retirees, housewives and unemployed increased with year-on-year of 4.96%, 102.67% and 11.64% among all occupations. In 2020, the incidence of eye injuries decreased in all injury sites except for an increase in home (30.29% year-on-year). The incidence of mechanical eye injuries decreased, while that of non-mechanical eye injuries (Chemical/Thermal/Radiation) increased (47.45% year-on-year). There were 255 (3.50%, 255/7269) and 376 (6.01%, 376/6256) non-mechanical injured cases in 2019 and 2020 (Pearson chi2 = 47.33, P < 0.001) separately. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 epidemic period, the incidence of eye injuries decreased. The prevention and control measures should be focused on the non-mechanical injuries, and the retirees, unemployed and housewives during public events period in future.

Correction: Are pangolins the intermediate host of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008421.].

Epidemiological Study of Betacoronaviruses in Captive Malayan Pangolins.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has significantly affected international public health safety. It has been reported that the pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, could originate from bats and utilize the Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) as an intermediate host. To gain further insights into the coronaviruses carried by pangolins, we investigated the occurrence of Betacoronavirus (ß-CoV) infections in captive Malayan pangolins in the Guangdong province of China. We detected three ß-CoV-positive M. javanica individuals with a positive rate of 6.98% and also detected ß-CoV in two dead pangolins sampled in August 2019. The CoV carried by pangolins is a new ß-CoV, which is genetically related to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was detected in eight organs of pangolins, with the highest ACE2 mRNA levels in the kidney, suggesting that these organs could be at a risk of ß-CoV infection. These results enable us to better understand the status of ß-CoV carried by Malayan pangolins, while providing a theoretical basis for better pangolin protection and viral control.