[Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of The Journal of Nursing].

The Journal of Nursing (JN) was first published in Taiwan seventy years ago in 1953 under its former name, Nursing Quarterly. The first issue of JN under its current name was published in 1961. JN mainly publishes academic papers. Despite the vicissitudes of history, the Taiwan Nurses Association (TWNA) remained true to its mission of serving its members, and resumed publication of JN after relocating to Taiwan from China after 1949. JN articles published over the past seven decades have focused on promoting professional competence, advocating clinical practice, advancing nursing education, introducing new concepts of administrative reform, and disseminating research findings and clinical case reports with goals of promoting nurses' understanding of nursing professional theory, cultivating critical thinking and creativity, helping nurses acquire and accumulate knowledge and skills in scientific language, and solving problems encountered in clinical care and education. In addition, in response to advances in medical care and the COVID-19 pandemic, the content of JN published in 2020 highlighted the current pandemic situation in special articles, research, and case reports to provide readers with knowledge about related care and research results. Through the publication of journal papers, we are promoting more interactions and inspiring more sparks of insight. JN is valued by readers around the world because the contributions and support of its many authors have allowed the journal to grow and thrive. At the same time, I would also like to thank the editor of each topic for their enthusiasm and enthusiastic welcoming of manuscript contributions and all Review Committee members for their careful review of manuscripts and tireless modification and review of articles, so as to provide readers with reliable reference resources. Therefore, the quality of the content published in JN has been recognized globally, and has been successively indexed in the globally recognized databases, including MEDLINE/PubMed (indexed from 2004), CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature; indexed from 1996), EBSCO Publishing (indexed from 2002), Scopus (indexed from 2004), ProQuest (indexed from 2012), and Airiti Library (indexed from 2004). Moreover, JN has been a RIHSS-accredited tier three journal since 2019. In addition, JN has won awards for five consecutive years since 2017. The excellent content quality of JN has made it an important source of knowledge dissemination and influence in domestic academic circles. Since becoming Editor-in-Chief of JN, I have read many contributors' articles and feel regularly grateful to the authors for their submissions, whether their articles are accepted for publication or not. With the efforts of previous Editors-in-Chief and Editorial Committee members, JN has continuously adjusted its mode of operations to meet social changes and has gradually established a comprehensive process for submission, review and publication. In recognition of JN's 70th anniversary in publication, we look forward to continued, sustainable development of the journal and of service for our global readership. We look forward for JN to do even more in the coming decade and beyond!

[Human Health Rights: Discussing Health Inequality for Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples and the Appropriateness of Current Epidemic Policies].

Many studies from around the world demonstrate that COVID-19 has had significantly higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality among indigenous and other vulnerable groups than among mainstream population groups. This situation has exposed and reinforced pre-existing health inequalities. This article investigates the rates of infection and mortality among different cultural groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then deconstructs the key elements related to systemic or structural racism. The impacts on the human rights and health of indigenous peoples and issues of policy formulation and resource equity during the epidemic are also mentioned. Based on the identified root causes of health inequality, suggestions for reducing health inequality for Taiwanese indigenous peoples are proposed. Further, during epidemics, policymakers must design and implement culturally appropriate epidemic prevention policies, systems, and strategies for indigenous and other disadvantaged populations.

[The Spread of the Epidemic Among Vulnerable Groups and Related Epidemic Prevention Issues].

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the adverse health, economic and social consequences of longstanding social inequality on various communities, groups, and individuals. Because they lack sufficient access to health and social resources, vulnerable groups affected by lower incomes, geographic remoteness, and/or low awareness of disease prevention and control measures are more susceptible to infection (McDonald, 2022; Mein, 2020; Moghanibashi-Mansourieh, 2021). According to The Lancet (2020) editorial board, vulnerable groups are defined as segments of the population disproportionately exposed to risk. People not considered vulnerable at the start of the pandemic may become vulnerable afterward due to pandemic-related effects such as loss of income and lack of access to social support. Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable groups include not only traditionally vulnerable populations (e.g., older adults, infants, immuno-compromised individuals) but socioeconomic groups that may be financially, mentally, or physically struggling to cope. In addition, schools of all levels around the world have adopted remote online synchronous or asynchronous teaching methods to avoid pandemic-related school closures and interruptions in student learning (Dreesen et al., 2020). However, issues such as the accessibility, availability, acceptability, and applicability of online learning equipment for vulnerable students should be comprehensively considered by the government. Governments encounter multiple challenges related to the above-mentioned issues, including (1) dealing with the public health effects of the pandemic crisis; (2) dealing with related economic and social impacts such as social and economic depression due to isolation, tax reductions, increased payments, subsidies, compensation, and the provision of unemployment insurance (Moghanibashi-Mansourieh, 2021); and (3) reforming education teaching methods and providing appropriate information and equipment of vulnerable groups. In responding to COVID-19, policymakers should consider the risks of exacerbating the inequalities faced by vulnerable groups. Moreover, vulnerable groups should be clearly identified to limit the long-term consequences of the pandemic. Governments must continually identify vulnerable / at-risk populations and provide equitable support to those most at risk.

Serum magnesium in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from Wuhan, China.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the significance of hypomagnesemia in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and clarify its possible pathogenesis. A retrospective cohort study was conducted by reviewing 83 patients hospitalized in Guanggu district, Wuhan Third Hospital, China. Clinical histories, laboratory findings and outcome data were collected. Eighteen patients had hypomagnesemia during hospitalization. Fourteen patients were in the critical group and six died. In the critical group, serum magnesium (0.72 ± 0.15 mmol/L) was much lower than that in the moderate and severe groups. At the same time, we also found that several indicators are correlated with the level of magnesium. The level of magnesium was positively associated with the lymphocyte count (r = 0.203, P = 0.004) and platelet count (r = 0.217, P = 0.002) but negatively related to the levels of CRP (r = -0.277, P = 0.000), LDH (r = -0.185, P = 0.011) and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (r = -0.198, P = 0.008) in the critical group. Hypomagnesemia might increase symptoms and may be associated with mortality in COVID-19 by affecting enzyme activity and activating the inflammatory response. Thus, magnesium might play a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

[Intensive Care During a Global Epidemic].

The global spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly increasing the number of patients who are critically ill with this disease, with the related rate of mortality expected to peak in 2020 (Alhazzani et al., 2020). As severe acute respiratory syndrome is the major cause of mortality after COVID-19 infection, patients with COVID-19 who are prone to severe acute respiratory problems may require mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; Alhazzani et al., 2020). Ongoing advances in intensive care medicine are continuing to improve survival in critically ill patients (Kaukonen, Bailey, Suzuki, Pilcher, & Bellomo, 2014). However, intensive care unit (ICU) survivors may experience complications and problems related to their disease and treatment such as critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and post intensive care syndrome (PICS; Alhazzani et al., 2020). Harvey (2012) reported that 85%-95% of ICU patients have ICU-acquired weakness after ICU discharge and 74% of ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome have cognitive impairment after ICU discharge. Physical disabilities, cognitive impairment, and mental or psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder) after ICU discharge may be symptoms of PICS, and may continue to affect surviving patients for several years after ICU discharge (Elliott et al., 2014; Held & Moss, 2019; Jackson et al., 2014; Jubran et al., 2010). Efforts to prevent and treat COVID-19 in Taiwan have proven more effective compared to most other places in the world. In addition to the low number of diagnosed cases, the mortality rate (seven of 440 confirmed cases) in Taiwan has been significantly lower than in most other countries (Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, ROC, 2020, May 14). However, post-discharge care for ICU survivors, especially those hospitalized after a sudden onset of severe disease symptoms and then discharged after a long ICU stay or after receiving mechanical ventilation, require specialized care to minimize PICS. Nurses are responsible not only for treating patients with the disease but also for preventing the further spread of disease. Therefore, providing continued care to patients discharged from the ICU is essential. Specifically, interventions to avoid PICS must be implemented rapidly by multidisciplinary medical teams during and immediately after ICU discharge.