Study of nonsynchronous online teaching of regional anatomy for international students integrated with medical humanities and local culture during COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unexpected disruptions to anatomical educational practice, the teaching of regional anatomy for international students which has changed to an online format and faces various challenges. The challenges include creating online education homogeneous/equivalent to offline education, introducing local culture to international students, and educating students in medical humanities and ethics. METHODS: To address these problems, the teaching staff integrated medical humanities and local culture into nonsynchronous online teaching of regional anatomy. RESULTS: The nonsynchronous online teaching with interpreted videos of dissections does not significantly affect the experimental and total scores of regional anatomy courses for international students. Integrating medical humanities and local culture into this teaching model is appreciated by them and also has a good teaching effect. CONCLUSION: Students not only gained professional knowledge but also obtained enhanced exposure to local culture and professional spirit from this regional anatomy education.

Variation in Public Trust, Perceived Societal Fairness, and Well-Being before and after COVID-19 Onset-Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies.

The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on all aspects of people's lives, including their attitudes toward society and psychological well-being. This study aimed to analyze the variation in public trust, perceived societal fairness, and well-being before and after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study used two-wave longitudinal data of 15,487 residents (2018, T1; 2020, T2) derived from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS). A repeated measures analysis of variance showed that (a) public trust, perceived societal fairness, and subjective well-being significantly improved and (b) depression significantly increased. Linear regression analysis showed that education and socioeconomic status had a significant predictive effect on public trust, perceived societal fairness, and depression; socioeconomic status had a significant predictive effect on subjective well-being. This study provides evidence and direction for current social governance, namely, policy implementation and pandemic response.

Estimating daily ground-level NO2 concentrations over China based on TROPOMI observations and machine learning approach

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an important target for monitoring atmospheric quality. Deriving ground-level NO2 concentrations with much finer resolution, it requires high-resolution satellite tropospheric NO2 column as input and a reliable estimation algorithm. This paper aims to estimate the daily ground-level NO2 concentrations over China based on machine learning models and the TROPOMI NO2 data with high spatial resolution. In this study, four tree-based algorithm machine learning models, decision trees (DT), gradient boost decision tree (GBDT), random forest (RF) and extra-trees (ET), were used to estimate ground-level NO2 concentrations. In addition to considering many influencing factors of the ground-level NO2 concentrations, we especially introduced simplified temporal and spatial information into the estimation models. The results show that the extra-trees with spatial and temporal information (ST-ET) model has great performance in estimating ground-level NO2 concentrations with a cross-validation R2 of 0.81 and RMSE of 3.45 μg/m3 in test datasets. The estimated results for 2019 based on the ST-ET model achieves a satisfactory accuracy with a cross-validation R2 of 0.86 compared with the other models. Through time-space analysis and comparison, it was found that the estimated high-resolution results were consistent with the ground observed NO2 concentrations. Using data from January 2020 to test the prediction power of the models, the results indicate that the ST-ET model has a good performance in predicting ground-level NO2 concentrations. Taking four ground-level NO2 concentrations hotspots as examples, the estimated ground-level NO2 concentrations and ground-based observation data during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic were lower compared with the same period in 2019. The findings offer a solid solution for accurately and efficiently estimating ground-level NO2 concentrations by using satellite observations, and provide useful information for improving our understanding of the regional atmospheric environment.

Deep Learning for Predicting Winter Temperature in North China

It is difficult to improve the seasonal prediction skill of winter temperature over North China, owing to the complex dynamics of East Asian winter and the relatively low prediction skill level of current climate models. Deep learning (DL) may be an informative and promising tool to enhance seasonal prediction, particularly in regions where the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Here, using a DL model based on the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), we have found that the prediction skill for North China winter temperature (NCWT) can be extended up to five months by considering the remote impact of the Northeast Pacific sea-surface temperature (SST) on North China. Based on historical simulations of winter temperatures in North China, we selected six CMIP5 models with relatively small deviations for training the CNN, and the period chosen for training was 1852–1991. The N1 -https://media.proquest.com/media/hms/PFT/1/Ruo5N?_a=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%3D%3D&_s=2fC0CTd0WocPaF%2FXuQegxUXRgWY%3D ERA5 data during 1995–2017 were utilized to evaluate the performance of the CNN. Our CNN shows the best performance in a recent 10-year period (2008–2017), showing a significantly improved level of NCWT prediction skill with a correlation skill of 0.65 at a 5-month lead time, which is much better than the forecast skill of the state-of-the-art dynamic seasonal prediction system. Heat map analysis was used to explore the possible physical mechanisms associated with the NCWT anomaly from the perspective of the CNN;the results showed that the SST over the Northeast Pacific is highly relevant to NCWT prediction. The Northeast Pacific warming in the boreal summer is related to the development of the El Niño event in the coming winter, which may induce NCWT anomalies by atmospheric teleconnection. Climate model experiments support the role of Northeast Pacific warming in the boreal summer on NCWT. The improved capability for prediction from using the CNN may help to establish the energy policy for the coming winter and reduce the economic losses from extremely cold in North China.

The Association of Restrained Eating and Overeating during COVID-19: A Cross-Lagged Model.

Widespread overeating has been found during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The present study investigated whether pre-pandemic restrained eating (RE) predicted overeating during the pandemic, and further explored the behavioral (mortality threat, negative affect) mechanisms underlying this association. An eight-month longitudinal survey was conducted with a large sample of 616 undergraduates from Southwest university. From September 2019 to April 2020, three measurements were conducted. RE was tested before the pandemic (T1), and data of mortality threat, negative affect, and overeating were collected at the middle (T2) and end of (T3) the COVID-19 crisis in China. The correlation results showed that baseline RE was positively associated with mortality threat, negative affect, and overeating at T2 and T3. Moreover, negative affect and mortality threat were positively correlated with overeating. Results from longitudinal mediation showed that baseline RE would positively predict T3 overeating through T2 negative affect, but not T2 mortality threat. This study supports and extends the counterregulatory eating hypothesis that RE positively predicts future overeating, especially through negative emotions. These findings further reveal the core psychological mechanism underlying this positive RE-overeating relation in the context of COVID-19, indicating that the individuals with higher RE could not cope with negative affect adequately, contributing to more overeating.

Sex difference in neural substrates underlying the association between trait self-control and overeating in the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people are at risk of developing disordered eating behaviors. The present study utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how trait self-control and its neural mechanisms predict overeating tendencies in young adults during the pandemic. Data on trait self-control, the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) were collected before COVID-19 (September 2019, T1), and data on overeating were collected during COVID-19 (February 2020, T2). Whole-brain regression analyses (N = 538) revealed that higher trait self-control was associated with higher ALFF in the right dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, VLPFC) and the left anterior insula, and lower ALFF in the left fusiform gyrus and precuneus. With the DLPFC, fusiform gyrus and precuneus as seed regions, trait selfcontrol was associated with decreased connectivity of the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, temporal pole, and insula, and increased connectivity between the right VLPFC and anterior cerebellum. Longitudinal mediation models showed that trait self-control (T1) negatively predicted overeating (T2), and the mediating effects of the fusiform gyrus, DLPFC, and VLPFC were moderated by sex. The present study reveals that the brain networks for trait self-control are mainly involved in cognitive and executive control and incentive and emotional processing, demonstrating the longitudinal benefits of trait self-control in alleviating disordered eating behaviors during the pandemic. Sex differences in the neural substrates underlie this association. These finding may have implications of the interventions for behavioral maladjustment.

Trait self-control and disinhibited eating in COVID-19: The mediating role of perceived mortality threat and negative affect.

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads globally, people are at risk of developing disinhibited eating behaviors. This study aimed to examine whether perceived mortality threat and negative affect mediate the relationship between trait self-control and disinhibited eating during the pandemic. A longitudinal survey was administered to a sample of college students (N = 634) before the outbreak (September 2019, T1), during the mid-term (February 2020, T2), and in the later stage of the pandemic (April 2020, T3). Self-report measures of trait self-control (T1), perceived mortality threat (T2, T3), negative affect (T2, T3), and disinhibited eating (T2, T3) were successively completed. Trait self-control was found to be negatively associated with negative affect, perceived mortality threat, and disinhibited eating during the mid-term and later stage of the pandemic. Disinhibited eating was positively associated with negative affect and perceived mortality threat. The longitudinal mediation results demonstrated that trait self-control (T1) could negatively predict disinhibited eating (T3) through negative affect (T2) rather than through perceived mortality threat. These findings suggest that trait self-control is of great importance in regulating psychological discomfort and disinhibited eating during stressful periods and that negative affect might be the main psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between self-control ability and disinhibited eating.

Transplantation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Adjuvant Therapy for COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which has posed an increasing serious public health threat. However, still there are no approved antiviral agents or vaccines available yet. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as a novel promising adjuvant therapy for the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. MSCs may exert anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic, as well as regenerative effects through a series of mechanisms. Remarkably, MSCs may be resistant to virus infection, which is fundamental for the treatment of COVID-19. The beneficial therapeutic effects of MSCs have been preliminarily proved to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of COVID-19 in current clinical trials. This work aims to review the beneficial effects of MSCs in treating ALI/ARDS, which provides novel insight into the potential therapeutic strategies against COVID-19. However, further research is warranted regarding both safety and efficacy of MSCs.

Retrospective analysis of the effect of current clinical medications and clinicopathological factors on viral shedding in COVID-19 patients.

The aim of the present study was to identify the risk factors associated with prolonged shedding in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to evaluate the effects of current clinical and clinicopathological factors on viral shedding in patients. A total of 186 COVID-19 inpatients were enrolled in this multicentre retrospective analysis. Detailed clinical data of each patient were collected, and the factors that affected the duration of viral shedding were retrospectively analysed. The median duration of viral shedding in the 186 COVID-19 patients was 13 days. The median duration of viral shedding was 12 days in non-severe patients, and 17 days in severe patients, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). Multi-factor regression analysis suggested that the onset-hospitalization interval [odds ratio (OR), 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.41; P<0.001] and comorbidity with a chronic disease (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.14-5.17; P=0.021) were independent risk factors for prolonged viral shedding, whereas lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) was an independent protective factor (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11-0.75; P=0.011). Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed that the onset-drug interval was positively correlated with the duration of viral shedding (r=0.446; P<0.0001). Umifenovir, and low and short courses of glucocorticoids were not associated with prolonged viral shedding. The prolonged viral shedding was the initial causative factor of persistent aggravation of the patient's conditions. The interval between presentation of symptoms and hospitalization as well as complications with a comorbid chronic disease were independent risk factors for prolonged viral shedding. LPV/r shortened the duration of viral shedding, and the smaller the interval between presentation and LPV/r onset was, the faster viral shedding occurred.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 26 Asymptomatic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Carriers.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively analyzed 26 persistently asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) carriers. METHODS: Epidemiological and clinical characteristics from the 26 asymptomatic patients with positive results for SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid testing were obtained. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (84.6%) correlated with clustering occurrence. The median period from contact to diagnosis and the last positive nucleic acid test was 19 (8-24 days) and 21.5 days (10-36 days), respectively. The median period from diagnosis to negative nucleic acid test was significantly different between patients with normal or atypical chest computed tomography (CT) findings (n = 16, 61.5%; 7.5 days [2-20 days]) and patients with typical ground-glass or patchy opacities on CT (n = 10, 38.5%; 12.5 days [8-22 days]; P < .01). Seven patients (70.0%) with initial positive nucleic acid test results had a negative result simultaneously with improved CT findings. Obvious improvement in CT findings was observed in 3 patients (30.0%) despite positive nucleic acid test results. CONCLUSIONS: In asymptomatic patients, changes in biochemical and inflammatory variables are small and changes on chest CT can occur. It is worth noting that the long existence of SARS-CoV-2 in some asymptomatic patients and false-negative results need to be considered in SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test.