COVID-racism on social media and its impact on young Asians in Australia

COVID-19 has fueled discrimination against people of Asian descent across the world, and anti-Asian sentiment has become pervasive across social media platforms. However, little research has been conducted to understand Asians' experiences of COVID-related racism outside the USA. Drawing insights from cultivation theory and minority stress theory, this study examines how young Asians' use of social media in Australia affects their experiences of individual and vicarious racial discrimination on social media, and how racial discrimination experienced on social media is associated with their concerns about real-world racism and well-being. A survey of 413 social media users aged 16–30 who self-identified as Asians or Asian Australians shows that active use of social media relating to COVID-19 increases their likelihood of experiencing both individual and vicarious racial discrimination on social media. Racism experienced on social media contributes to their concerns about real-world racism, which leads to negative emotions and low life satisfaction. © AMIC/WKWSCI-NTU 2023.

A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Multiple Ascending Dose Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of HM15136 in Obese or Overweight Subjects with Co-morbidities

HM15136 is a novel long-acting glucagon analogue with an extended half-life. In vivo efficacy studies of HM15136 in animal models showed its therapeutic potential in obesity, and treatment requiring hypoglycemia. We enrolled an obese and overweight subjects without diabetes (study Part 1) and with diabetes (study Part 2) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of multiple subcutaneous doses of HM15136 for 12 weeks (NCT04167553). In Part 1, a total of 36 non-diabetic subjects randomly received HM15136 or its matching placebo in a ratio of 9: 3 in 3 cohorts (0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 mg/kg). The baseline mean age was 37.5 years, BMI was 33.9 kg/m2, and Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) was 92.3 mg/dL. The FPG increased with escalating doses of HM15136. The mean (SD) changes from baseline in FPG at week 12 were -1.0 (13.0) mg/dL for 0.02 mg/kg, 12.0 (10.7) mg/dL for 0.04 mg/kg, 17.9 (16.9) mg/dL for 0.06 mg/kg vs. 0.6 (6.5) mg/dL for placebo group. The FPG had returned to baseline at 3 weeks after study drug discontinuation. The presence of Anti-Drug Antibodies (ADAs) was confirmed in 5 subjects (18.5%) but dose-dependency was not observed. One (1) out of 5 ADA positive subjects had neutralizing ADA activity with no cross reactivity to endogenous glucagon. The most frequent Treatment Related Adverse Event (TRAE) was injection site erythema (11.1%), the frequency of TRAEs was not dose dependent. Throughout Part 1 and Part 2, all TRAEs were mild except for moderate hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes. Part 2 was completed earlier than planned due to the impact of COVID-19 and discontinued subjects due to the hyperglycemia. Part 2 was not included in this presentation because the interpretability of the data was limited. In conclusion, HM15136 was safe and well tolerated in non-diabetic obese subjects during the 12-week treatment at various dose levels. Treatment with HM15136 showed a dose dependent blood glucose increase. These results suggest future development opportunities for the management of treatment requiring hypoglycemia. A phase 2, Proof-of-Concept study in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism is currently ongoing (NCT04732416).Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Problematic mobile phone use and cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents

The phenomenon of problematic mobile phone use has become increasingly common among adolescents during the lockdowns mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research is still scarce on the impact of such use on delinquent cyberspace conduct (i.e. cyberbullying). This study applies the theoretical framework of general strain theory to examine how problematic mobile phone use affects the perpetration of cyberbullying. The results of this empirical examination of longitudinal survey data obtained from 2,161 adolescents in South Korea reveal that problematic mobile phone use is positively associated with engagement in cyberbullying. It is a type of strain that induces negative emotional states and results in the perpetration of cyberbullying. Furthermore, this study investigates the moderating roles of both traditional bullying experiences (i.e. traditional bullying and victimisation) in the association between problematic mobile phone use and the perpetration of cyberbullying. We found traditional bullying perpetration positively moderates the effects of problematic mobile phone use on cyberbullying. On the other hand, we found the moderating effect of traditional bullying victimisation of adolescents was insignificant. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Participation in physical activity among people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Background: Quarantine, social distancing, and restricted movement and social interaction due to the eoronavinis disease (COVID-19) have been reported reduce physical activity across several countries. However, few studies have evaluated the changes in physical activity patterns before and after COVID-19 among people with disabilities. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how physical activity participation has changed during COVID-19 among people with disabilities in South Korea. Methods: This study was conducted among 3871 persons with disabilities, aged 10-69 years, who participated in the 2020 Sports Survey for the Disabled conducted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March 2020. This survey collected data regarding participants' demographic characteristics (age, gender, etc.) and disability along with the type of physical activity (intensity, frequency, time, etc.), method (facilities, home training, classes/lectures, club), and type (swimming, resistance training, walking and jogging, etc.) of participation in physical activity before and after COVID-19. A chi-squared frequency test was performed to confirm the difference in the ratio of participation frequency, time, intensity, and method and type of physical activity before and after COVID-19. Results: After the COVID-19 outbreak, the frequency, duration, and intensity of physical activity of people with disabilities were reduced compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, in terms of physical activity participation method, attendance of classes, lectures, and clubs decreased, while physical activity at home increased. In participation types of physical activity, participation in walking and jogging, gymnastics, mountain climbing, and cycling increased, whereas swimming, weight training, and other activities decreased. Conclusion: Public health guidelines and social distancing due to COVID-19 have reduced the frequency, duration, and intensity of physical activity, while changing the types and methods of participation in physical activity for people with disabilities. Therefore, public health support to promote adherence to physical activity should be needed.

Analysis on Applicability of Air Purifiers in Schools to Prevent the Spread of Airborne Infection of SARS-CoV-2

The social and economic losses caused by viruses such as SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 has been serious. In this study, the size of airborne droplet nuclei particles and the number of virions generated by speaking or coughing were analyzed. Particle collection efficiencies of E11 and H13 grade air filters used in commercial air purifiers were evaluated for different particle sizes and the possibility of removing the airborne droplet nuclei particles by air purifiers was studied. In addition, the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 virion concentration and dose by using air purifiers was theoretically investigated for elementary school classrooms. When an infected student continuously emits virions with a rate of 6.0x10(5) virions/h in a 165 m(3)-sized classroom, the virion concentration and dose was estimated to be reduced by more than 60% by using an air purifier of clean air delivery rate (CADR) 780 m(3)/hr and by more than 70% by using two air purifiers (that is, CADR 1560 m(3)/h) compared to when not in use of the air purifier. However, to prevent the spread of infection by the air stream generated by the air purifier, it is necessary to operate an instruction for using the air purifier such as facing the air outlet toward the ceiling and installing at least 50 cm away from occupants.