Effects of endoscopic reprocessing on disinfection and its influential factors during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Objective To explore the effects of endoscopic reprocessing on disinfection and its influential factors under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods A total of 450 endoscopes cleaned and disinfected according to Technical Specifications for Cleaning and Disinfection of Endoscopes from November 2019 to January 2020, and 450 endoscopes cleaned and disinfected according to The recommended procedure for cleaning and disinfection of gastrointestinal endoscopes during COVID-19 epidemic by Chinese Society of Digestive Endoscopology from February to April 2020 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled in the control group and observation group respectively by random number method. Both the control group and the observation group contained 200 gastroscopes, 200 enteroscopes and 50 ultrasound endoscopes. ATP fluorescence detection method and pour plate technique were used to evaluate the disinfection effect of endoscopes. Single factor analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors for unqualified sterilization after endoscopic reprocessing. Results The disinfection pass rates of gastroscopes, enteroscopes and ultrasound endoscopes in the observation group were not significantly different compared with those of the control group (P>0. 05). The sterilization pass rates and ATP test pass rates of gastroscopes, enteroscopes and ultrasound endoscopes in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0. 05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that non-strict implementation of endoscopic reprocessing (OR = 7. 96, 95%CI: 4. 55-22. 84, P<0. 001), non-standard operation (OR = 2. 26, 95%CI: 1. 24-5. 63, P<0. 001), insufficient concentration of disinfectant (OR = 5. 43, 95% CI: 2. 52-9. 02, P < 0. 001), insufficient concentration ratio of multi-enzyme solution (OR = 4. 38, 95% CI: 1. 95-8. 61, P < 0. 001), non-timely cleaning (OR= 2. 86, 95%CI: 1. 33-6. 42, P<0. 001), incomplete cleaning (OR = 3. 75, 95%CI: 1. 61-7. 49, P<0. 001) and improper endoscopic preservation (OR= 2. 12, 95%CI: 1. 36-4. 12, P<0. 001) were independent risk factors for unqualified sterilization after endoscopic reprocessing. Conclusion In COVID-19 pandemic, endoscope reprocessing can significantly improve the disinfection effect of endoscopes, worthy of further clinical promotion. The failure to strictly implement the reprocessing procedure is an important factor that may lead to unqualified sterilization.Copyright © 2021 The authors.

The Analysis of Oral and Fecal Virome Detects Multiple Novel Emerging Viruses in Snakes

Wild animals are considered reservoirs for emerging and reemerging viruses, such as the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Previous studies have reported that bats and ticks harbored variable important pathogenic viruses, some of which could cause potential diseases in humans and livestock, while viruses carried by reptiles were rarely reported. Our study first conducted snakes' virome analysis to establish effective surveillance of potential transboundary emerging diseases. Consequently, Adenoviridae, Circoviridae, Retroviridae, and Parvoviridae were identified in oral samples from Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Elaphe dione, and Gloydius angusticeps based on sequence similarity to existing viruses. Picornaviridae and Adenoviridae were also identified in fecal samples of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus. Notably, the iflavirus and foamy virus were first reported in Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, enriching the transboundary viral diversity in snakes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed that both the novel-identified viruses showed low genetic similarity with previously reported viruses. This study provided a basis for our understanding of microbiome diversity and the surveillance and prevention of emerging and unknown viruses in snakes.

Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China: An online cross-sectional study

Objective: To examine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China. Method(s): An online cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of teenagers in Zhejiang, China from May 1 to 31, 2022. Data were interpreted via univariate and multivariate analyses using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program. Result(s): A total of 11115 (96.11%) participants and 11449 (99.00%) of their children in Zhejiang, China had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Children whose parents did not receive COVID-19 vaccination were 19 times (aOR 18.96, 95%CI 12.36-29.08) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts. In addition, children with no previous influenza vaccination, those whose parents doubted the COVID-19 vaccine's safety or effectiveness, were 6.11 times (aOR 6.11, 95%CI 2.80-13.34), 8.27 times (aOR 8.27, 95%CI 5.33-12.83), and 2.69 times (aOR 2.69, 95%CI 1.11-6.50) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts, respectively. COVID-19 vaccine uptake varied between different sociodemographic groups. However, the odds of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine decreased as age and education level increased. The main refusal reasons claimed by participants were that they had medical conditions that may not qualify them for vaccination (53.78%), followed by safety concerns about the vaccine (13.56%), not knowing where to get vaccinated (6.44%), and concerns about fertility issues (5.56%). Conclusion(s): Despite a highly encouraging level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Zhejiang, China, the elderly and highly educated people had lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It is suggested that tailored health education strategies should be taken to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake in such groups. Furthermore, with vaccination rates at such a high level, the pandemic is still ongoing, and public confidence in vaccines may decline. Thus, sufficient evidence-based information regarding COVID-19 vaccines should be provided to the public. Copyright © 2023 Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China: An online cross-sectional study

Objective: To examine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of teenagers in Zhejiang, China from May 1 to 31, 2022. Data were interpreted via univariate and multivariate analyses using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program. Results: A total of 11115 (96.11%) participants and 11449 (99.00%) of their children in Zhejiang, China had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Children whose parents did not receive COVID-19 vaccination were 19 times (aOR 18.96, 95%CI 12.36-29.08) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts. In addition, children with no previous influenza vaccination, those whose parents doubted the COVID-19 vaccine's safety or effectiveness, were 6.11 times (aOR 6.11, 95%CI 2.80-13.34), 8.27 times (aOR 8.27, 95%CI 5.33-12.83), and 2.69 times (aOR 2.69, 95%CI 1.11-6.50) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts, respectively. COVID-19 vaccine uptake varied between different sociodemographic groups. However, the odds of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine decreased as age and education level increased. The main refusal reasons claimed by participants were that they had medical conditions that may not qualify them for vaccination (53.78%), followed by safety concerns about the vaccine (13.56%), not knowing where to get vaccinated (6.44%), and concerns about fertility issues (5.56%). Conclusions: Despite a highly encouraging level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Zhejiang, China, the elderly and highly educated people had lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It is suggested that tailored health education strategies should be taken to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake in such groups. Furthermore, with vaccination rates at such a high level, the pandemic is still ongoing, and public confidence in vaccines may decline. Thus, sufficient evidence-based information regarding COVID-19 vaccines should be provided to the public.

Restoration of Humoral Response to Covid-19 Vaccination in Rituximab-Treated Patients

Background: Previous studies had demonstrated that patients with hematologic malignancies had suboptimal antibody response after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, especially among those having previously treated with anti- CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Method(s): Adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were enrolled before receiving the second dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Determinations of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid IgG titers were performed every 1-3 months, after they received the second and the third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, respectively. Patients were excluded from analysis if they were diagnosed with COVID-19. All serum samples were tested for anti-nucleocapsid antibody and those tested positive were excluded from subsequent analyses. Result(s): A total of 85 participants were enrolled, including 42 (49.4%) with diffused large B-cell lymphoma, and 13 (15.3) with follicular lymphoma and 9 with CLL. 72 (84.7%) participants had received anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, with a median interval of 24 months between last anti-CD20 treatment and the second dose of vaccine, and 21 (24.7%) had HIV infection. Factors associated with failure to achieve an anti-spike IgG titer >141 BAU/ mL within 12 weeks after the second dose of vaccine included HIV infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.14;95% CI, 0.04-0.51), active hematologic disease (aOR, 5.50;95% CI 1.42-21.32), receipt of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (aOR, 6.65;95% CI 1.52-29.07), and receipt of two doses of homologous mRNA vaccination (aOR, 0.17;95% CI 0.05-0.56). In the participants having previously treated with anti-CD20 regimen, only 8.6% achieved an antibody response ( >141 BAU/mL) in the first year, while 78.3% achieved anti-spike IgG titer > 141 BAU/mL after two years post B-cell depleting treatment. After the third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, 53.6% achieved an antispike IgG titer > 141 BAU/mL in the first year post anti-CD20 treatment. Conclusion(s): Our study demonstrated that previous treatment with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies was associated a lower antibody response among patients with lymphoproliferative disorders receiving two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. While two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines might not be sufficient even one year apart from the last dose of rituximab, a third dose of vaccine may boost anti-spike IgG particularly in the subset of recent exposure to rituximab. Anti-spike IgG determined 1-3 months after the second (A) / third (B) dose of COVID-19 vaccine, stratified by the interval between last anti-CD20 regimen and the second / third dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (Figure Presented).

Scalable one-stage multi-view subspace clustering with dictionary learning

The clustering of large numbers of heterogeneous features is a hot topic in multi-view communities. Most existing multi-view clustering (MvC) methods employ matrix factorization or anchor strategies to handle large-scale datasets. The former operates on the original data and is, therefore, sensitive to noise and feature redundancy, which is reflected in the final clustering performance. The latter requires post -processing steps to generate the clustering results, which may be suboptimal owing to the isolation steps. To address the above problems, we propose one-stage multi-view subspace clustering with dictionary learning (OSMvSC). Specifically, we integrate dictionary learning, representation coefficient matrix learning, and matrix factorization as a unified learning framework, which directly learns the dictionary and representation coefficient matrix to encode the original multi-view data, and obtains the clustering results with linear time complexity without any postprocessing step. By manipulating the class centroid with the nuclear norm, a more compact and discriminative class centroid representation can be obtained to further improve clustering performance. An effective optimization algorithm with guaranteed convergence is designed to solve the proposed method. Substantial experiments on various real-world multi-view datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. The source code is available at https://github.com/justcallmewilliam/OSMvSC.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Analysis on infection sources and transmission chains of three outbreaks caused by 2019-nCoV Omicron variant in Beijing, China].

Objective: To investigate the infection sources and the transmission chains of three outbreaks caused by 2019-nCoV Omicron variant possibly spread through cross-border logistics in Beijing. Methods: Epidemiological investigation and big data were used to identify the exposure points of the cases. Close contacts were traced from the exposure points, and the cases' and environmental samples were collected for nucleic acid tests. Positive samples were analyzed by gene sequencing. Results: The Omicron variant causing 3 outbreaks in Beijing from January to April, 2022 belonged to BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2. The outbreaks lasted for 8, 12 and 8 days respectively, and 6, 42 and 32 cases infected with 2019-nCoV were reported respectively. International mail might be the infection source for 1 outbreak, and imported clothes might be the infection sources for another 2 outbreaks. The interval between the shipment start time of the imported goods and the infection time of the index case was 3-4 days. The mean incubation period (Q1, Q3) was 3 (2,4) days and the mean serial interval (Q1, Q3) was 3 (2,4)days. Conclusions: The 3 outbreaks highlighted the risk of infection by Omicron variant from international logistics-related imported goods at normal temperature. Omicron variant has stronger transmissibility, indicating that rapid epidemiological investigation and strict management are needed.

Implementation of radiotherapy in a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang province during the epidemic of COVID-19.

Objective: To explore the clinical practice of delivering radiotherapy during the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19). Method(s): During this epidemic period, available method including but not limited to: strict disinfection, body temperature monitoring and staff training of relevant knowledge, were used to ensure the safety of radiotherapy treatment. Statistical analysis was performed to study the relevant data including proportion of patients receiving radiotherapy for different purposes, time from scanning to the first time of radiation delivery and degree of satisfaction in the view of staffs and patients, respectively. Result(s): A total of 60 patients received radiation therapy in the department of radiotherapy of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (2020-02-11). Compared with the same period in 2019 (after the Spring Festival), the total number of patients receiving radiotherapy was decreased from 72 to 60(83.3%). Among them, the number of patients receiving palliative radiation therapy decreased significantly, while the proportion of radical, preoperative and/or postoperative radiotherapy/radiochemotherapy did not significantly decrease. There was significant difference between two years (chi2=6.967, P<0.05). The median time for newly admitted patients to receive radiotherapy was two days, which was not significantly longer than the interval in 2019 (P>0.05). Staff and patients were generally satisfied with the current prevention measures. Conclusion(s): Using a variety of prevention and control method, and taking full account of medical safety and patient benefits, radiation-related activities can be carried out during the epidemic.Copyright © 2020 by the Chinese Medical Association.

Exploring the Influence of Touch Points on Tourist Experiences at Crisis Impacted Destinations

Customer journeys in tourism are becoming more complex, often including multiple touch points that can influence expectations, experiences, and travel behaviors. The management of these different interactions is further complicated if tourist destinations face natural or man-made crises (e.g., financial crises, COVID-19). The current research takes a comprehensive look at how negative word-of-mouth (WOM) shapes pre-consumption expectations that drive actual tourist experiences and subsequent satisfaction behaviors. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), findings from 188 tourists confirm the influence of uncontrollable, negative WOM on destination image. Yet an actual, positive experience negates these negative pre-trip influences. Tourism managers are rewarded with satisfied and loyal tourists in response to creating positive experiences even at crisis impacted destinations. © The Author(s) 2021.

A telehealth-based training model for an ambulatory care pharmacy skills course

Description: Increasingly, pharmacy services are provided using telehealth-based modalities. This paper describes a pharmacy skills course that utilised telehealth principles to train students on the technical and communications skills necessary for the ambulatory care setting. Zoom breakout rooms, electronic health records, YouTube video vignettes, and teaching assistants portraying patients/physicians simulated a telehealth-based ambulatory care setting. Evaluation: Five quizzes and six written assignments were utilised to measure student's knowledge and skills. At the end of the course, students were evaluated through a three-station objective structured clinical exam (OSCE). Students also completed a pre/post attitudes survey. Result(s): Overall, students performed well on various assessments including quizzes and written assignments. The majority of the students performed well on the OSCE. Significant improvement was noted on all items in the attitudes survey. Conclusion(s): This study suggests that a telehealth training model can be effective in teaching pharmacy students both the technical and communication skills necessary for practice in the ambulatory care setting. Copyright © 2021 FIP.

STRESS AND RESILIENCE ACROSS PHASES OF COVID-19: A QUALITATIVE STUDY WITH OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged older Chinese immigrants' lives in physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. This study employed a socioecological perspective of resilience to examine how older Chinese immigrants perceived and navigated through pandemic-related adversities. We conducted a time-bound retrospective qualitative investigation to capture participants' lived experiences between December 2019 to August 2021. Three phases of the pandemic-related adversities were identified, including uncertain threats and psychological impacts at the beginning, unmet needs and fatigue at 2nd and 3rd wave of infections, and benefit-risk balance after vaccinated. Despite adversities, the integration of strengths, opportunities, and social services at the individual, interpersonal, and neighborhood levels allows participants to appraise and individualize their problem-focus coping (e.g., risk mitigation), selective engagement (e.g., maintaining habits through other means), or emotion-focus coping strategies (e.g., acceptance). Findings highlight the importance of personal and community resources in fostering resilient responses.

SOCIAL NETWORK AND MENTAL HEALTH OF OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Chinese older immigrants who live in senior housing communities are at high risks of experiencing discrimination and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines how and to what extent the pandemic has affected this population's social network and mental health. Participants reported a decrease in social contact with their family and friends. Before the pandemic, many paid regular visits back to the home country and could not do so in the past two years. The loss of connection left some feeling despaired and expressed uncertainty on whether they could ever go back "home” before death. Participants also reported being in a low mood and feeling bored constantly. Participants reported resilience generated from their religious beliefs, having neighbors as role models, and wisdom learned from past life experiences. Knowledge produced in this project can inform the planning for responding to future crises in affordable senior housing.

Virtual screening for finding inhibitor against the main protease of SARS-Cov-2 from the FDA-approved drugs database

At the end of 2019,a new coronavirus suddenly broke out all over the world.To date, there is still no targeted medicine available for the treatment of this disease. Vaccineis essential for controlling the epidemicofSARS-CoV-2. But the effective ofvaccine was reduced because of the SARS-CoV-2constant mutation. It is gratifying that scientistuncover theinfection mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2. The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 is highly conserved and plays an important role of the life cycle of virus. Therefore, we executed virtual screening on the FDA-approved database and hoped to find a potential candidate against the main protease. As a result, we obtained eight available active compounds derived from the database through molecular dynamics simulations. As antiviral treatment candidates, the drugs can also be used to clinical emergencies. © 2022 SPIE. All rights reserved.

DISCRIMINATION AND COPING AMONG OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Discriminatory events against Asians, especially Chinese, became rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is difficult for older Chinese immigrants to effectively protect themselves from racism-related attacks due to their personal and social disadvantages. This study explored older Chinese immigrants' experience of discrimination and coping strategies, as well as factors that influence their perceptions, attitudes, and coping preferences. Among 27 interviewees, 11 experienced discriminatory incidents themselves or known people around had been discriminated against during the pandemic. Thematic analysis revealed negative psychological impact of discrimination risk or experience. Most participants tended to adopt disengagement coping styles, such as avoidance, rationalization, and reducing social participation. Three primary influencing factors are: (1) perceived unkindness from government and public opinions;(2) concern for own health;(3) limited acculturation. Our findings suggest needing efforts to protect the safety of older Chinese immigrants, and raise their awareness and ability to defend themselves from racism and discrimination.

Investigating Student Learning about Disease Spread and Prevention in the Context of Agent-Based Computational Modeling

COVID-19 has brought increased attention to the importance of health literacy, including understanding of the transmission and prevention of disease. This study presents data from a project aimed at developing a computational modeling microworld to help middle school students learn about these topics. Specifically, the microworld is meant to help students model and test their ideas about how a disease spreads through a population and how an epidemic can be prevented. The paper analyzes one student's knowledge refinement through the building, testing, and debugging of a disease spread and prevention model. We model student refinement of thinking through steps of building initial models and predicting results, testing initial models and making sense of the results, debugging and retesting models, observing final models, and explaining results. Our findings suggest adolescents can learn about strategies for disease prevention through computational modeling. © ISLS.

Students' Prior Knowledge of Disease Spread and Prevention

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a need for students to learn about public health issues, including the transmission of disease and methods for the prevention of epidemics. This study presents data from a project focused on developing an emergent systems microworld to help middle school students learn about these topics. The microworld is designed to help students model and test their ideas about how a disease spreads through a population and how an epidemic can be prevented. The paper presents an analysis of students' prior knowledge of disease spread and prevention, which they shared during an activity preceding their exploration of the microworld. We present student ideas in categories of disease transmission, recovery from disease, and disease protection strategies. We describe their ideas and suggest how they may be integrated into the design of the microworld. © ISLS.

[Epidemiological characteristics of an epidemic of 2019-nCoV Omicron variant infection in Beijing].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and transmission chain of an epidemic of COVID-19 in Haidian district, Beijing. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the epidemic, and field investigation and big data technology were used to analyze the transmission chain of the epidemic. Results: From April 27 to May 13, 2022, an epidemic of COVID-19 occurred in Haidian district. The strains isolated from the cases were identified by whole genome sequencing as Omicron variant (BA.2.2 evolutionary branch). A total of 38 infection cases were detected, including 34 confirmed cases and 4 asymptomatic cases. Most cases were mild ones (88.2%), no severe, critical or death cases occurred. The early clinical symptoms were mainly sore throat (50.0%) and cough (29.4%). The epidemic lasted for 17 days, resulting in 7 generations of the cases and involving 3 community transmissions, 2 working place transmissions and 8 family transmissions; the main infection routes were co-residence (47.6%) and co-space exposure (31.6%). The intergenerational interval M(Q1, Q3)was 3 (1, 6) days. The overall secondary attack rate was 1.5% (37/2 482), and the family secondary attack rate was 36.7% (18/49). Conclusions: The cases in this COVID-19 epidemic caused by Omicron variant had mild clinical symptoms, but the case clustering in families and communities was obvious, the transmission was rapid, and the risk for co-space exposure was high. It is necessary to use information technology to identify close contacts in the local population for the rapid and effective blocking of the epidemic spread.

Mental health of students during the Covid-19 pandemic: The effects of different parental practices

Mental health issues are a serious problem globally and have worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic. School students are experiencing high levels of stress due to the closure of schools. Students have to quickly adapt to online learning with minimal guidance during the early stage of the pandemic. Subsequently, students are allowed to go to school on a rotation basis. Therefore, a conducive home environment with support from parents plays an important role in helping students to cope with the uncertainties during the pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study where 761 high school students, aged between 13 to 18 years old were recruited in Malaysia. There was 468 female and 293 male students who participated in this study. Students' mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) while parental practices were measured using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Parental practices were measured separately for father and mother in terms of positive parenting, involvement, poor monitoring and corporal punishment. Pearson correlation analysis showed that all parental practices were correlated significantly with mental health issues among high school students. However, based on the multiple regression analysis, only paternal poor monitoring, maternal corporal punishment, maternal positive parenting and paternal corporal punishment significantly predicted students' mental health with paternal poor monitoring being the strongest predictor of students' mental health. This study supported the importance of utilizing good parental practices in order to reduce mental health issues among students. © 2022 ACM.

Experience with Travel Mobile Apps and Travel Intentions-The Case of University Students in China

The popularization of smart phones has fostered the use of e-hailing apps, which can effectively reduce information asymmetry and provide ease and convenience during travel. Meanwhile, problems such as product homogeneity, slow operation speed, and interface confusion in travel apps also exist, leading to negative user experience. Building on the theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance model, this study examines multiple features of travel apps and their influence on university students' experience and travel intentions. Findings of the study suggest that, compared to the contents of travel apps, the ease of use seems to have a stronger influence on students' attitude, perceived behavioral control, and travel intention. The study contributes to the integration of the technology acceptance model and the theory of planned behavior in travel contexts. The findings also offer meaningful practical implications and recommendations on product and service design to relevant stakeholders willing to offer a better travel app user experience.