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3.
Healthcare (Basel) ; 11(10)2023 May 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20240493

ABSTRACT

Loneliness is an issue of public health significance. Longitudinal studies indicate that feelings of loneliness are prevalent and were exacerbated by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With the advent of new media, more people are turning to social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit as well as online forums, e.g., loneliness forums, to seek advice and solace regarding their health and well-being. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the public messaging on loneliness via an unsupervised machine learning analysis of posts made by organisations on Twitter. We specifically examined tweets put out by organisations (companies, agencies or common interest groups) as the public may view them as more credible information as opposed to individual opinions. A total of 68,345 unique tweets in English were posted by organisations on Twitter from 1 January 2012 to 1 September 2022. These tweets were extracted and analysed using unsupervised machine learning approaches. BERTopic, a topic modelling technique that leverages state-of-the-art natural language processing, was applied to generate interpretable topics around the public messaging of loneliness and highlight the key words in the topic descriptions. The topics and topic labels were then reviewed independently by all study investigators for thematic analysis. Four key themes were uncovered, namely, the experience of loneliness, people who experience loneliness, what exacerbates loneliness and what could alleviate loneliness. Notably, a significant proportion of the tweets centred on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on loneliness. While current online interactions are largely descriptive of the complex and multifaceted problem of loneliness, more targeted prosocial messaging appears to be lacking to combat the causes of loneliness brought up in public messaging.

4.
Am J Obstet Gynecol ; 228(6): 714.e1-714.e13, 2023 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2286135

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Women are at greater risk than men of developing chronic inflammatory conditions and "long COVID." However, few gynecologic health risk factors for long COVID-19 have been identified. Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disorder associated with chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and comorbid presentation with autoimmune and clotting disorders, all of which are pathophysiological mechanisms proposed for long COVID-19. Therefore, we hypothesized that women with a history of endometriosis may be at greater risk of developing long COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between history of endometriosis before SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk of long COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN: We followed 46,579 women from 2 ongoing prospective cohort studies-the Nurses' Health Study II and the Nurses' Health Study 3-who participated in a series of COVID-19-related surveys administered from April 2020 to November 2022. Laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis was documented prospectively in main cohort questionnaires before the pandemic (1993-2020) with high validity. SARS-CoV-2 infection (confirmed by antigen, polymerase chain reaction, or antibody test) and long-term COVID-19 symptoms (≥4 weeks) defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were self-reported during follow-up. Among individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, we fit Poisson regression models to assess the associations between endometriosis and risk of long COVID-19 symptoms, with adjustment for potential confounding variables (demographics, body mass index, smoking status, history of infertility, and history of chronic diseases). RESULTS: Among 3650 women in our sample with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infections during follow-up, 386 (10.6%) had a history of endometriosis with laparoscopic confirmation, and 1598 (43.8%) reported experiencing long COVID-19 symptoms. Most women were non-Hispanic White (95.4%), with a median age of 59 years (interquartile range, 44-65). Women with a history of laparoscopically-confirmed endometriosis had a 22% greater risk of developing long COVID-19 (adjusted risk ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.42) compared with those who had never been diagnosed with endometriosis. The association was stronger when we defined long COVID-19 as having symptoms for ≥8 weeks (risk ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.50). We observed no statistically significant differences in the relationship between endometriosis and long COVID-19 by age, infertility history, or comorbidity with uterine fibroids, although there was a suggestive trend indicating that the association may be stronger in women aged <50 years (<50 years: risk ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.88; ≥50 years: risk ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.41). Among persons who developed long COVID-19, women with endometriosis reported on average 1 additional long-term symptom compared with women without endometriosis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that those with a history of endometriosis may be at modestly increased risk for long COVID-19. Healthcare providers should be aware of endometriosis history when treating patients for signs of persisting symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Future studies should investigate the potential biological pathways underlying these associations.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Endometriosis , Infertility , Male , Humans , Female , Middle Aged , Endometriosis/diagnosis , Prospective Studies , Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome , SARS-CoV-2
5.
Emerg Microbes Infect ; 12(1): 2185467, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2286131

ABSTRACT

Replicating SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to degrade HLA class I on target cells to evade the cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) response. HLA-I downregulation can be sensed by NK cells to unleash killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-mediated self-inhibition by the cognate HLA-I ligands. Here, we investigated the impact of HLA and KIR genotypes and HLA-KIR combinations on COVID-19 outcome. We found that the peptide affinities of HLA alleles were not correlated with COVID-19 severity. The predicted poor binders for SARS-CoV-2 peptides belong to HLA-B subtypes that encode KIR ligands, including Bw4 and C1 (introduced by B*46:01), which have a small F pocket and cannot accommodate SARS-CoV-2 CTL epitopes. However, HLA-Bw4 weak binders were beneficial for COVID-19 outcome, and individuals lacking the HLA-Bw4 motif were at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19. The presence of the HLA-Bw4 and KIR3DL1 combination had a 58.8% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 (OR = 0.412, 95% CI = 0.187-0.904, p = 0.02). This suggests that HLA-Bw4 alleles that impair their ability to load SARS-CoV-2 peptides will become targets for NK-mediated destruction. Thus, we proposed that the synergistic responsiveness of CTLs and NK cells can efficiently control SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication, and NK-cell-mediated anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune responses being mostly involved in severe infection when the level of ORF8 is high enough to degrade HLA-I. The HLA-Bw4/KIR3DL1 genotype may be particularly important for East Asians undergoing COVID-19 who are enriched in HLA-Bw4-inhibitory KIR interactions and carry a high frequency of HLA-Bw4 alleles that bind poorly to coronavirus peptides.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , HLA-B Antigens/genetics , Killer Cells, Natural , Receptors, KIR3DL1/genetics
6.
Front Psychol ; 14: 1097068, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2263404

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Adolescence is a crucial period for establishing ego identity and becoming a social individual. However, numerous adolescents suffer from mental health problems, especially after the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. Personality assessments are often used when adolescents look for psychological self-help services. However, the meaning and mechanism of these personality assessments remain unknown. Taking the increasingly popular MBTI personality assessment as an entry point, the current study examined the potential sequential mediation relationship of Barnum effect - ego identity on the link between personality assessment usage and mental health. Methods: The current study surveyed 308 Chinese high school students, including 109 males and 199 females. MBTI use, Barnum effect, ego-identity, and mental health (subjective well-being, depression, and anxiety) were measured by seven questionnaires, respectively. Sequential mediation models were constructed to analyze the relationship. Results: The results indicate that the Barnum effect and ego identity together function as a sequential mediation path between personality assessment use and teenagers' mental health, including subjective well-being, depression, and anxiety. Specifically, a higher level of MBTI use triggers a stronger Barnum effect. The Barnum effect then promotes adolescents' ego identity, ultimately increasing subjective well-being levels and reducing anxiety and depression. Discussion: Our findings suggest that by properly using personality assessment and stimulating the Barnum effect, we can enhance adolescents' mental health. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

7.
Antibiotics (Basel) ; 12(2)2023 Feb 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2243736

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is among the most common pathogens associated with healthcare-acquired infections, and is often antibiotic resistant, causing significant morbidity and mortality in cases of P. aeruginosa bacteremia. It remains unclear how the incidence of P. aeruginosa bacteremia changed during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with studies showing almost contradictory conclusions despite enhanced infection control practices during the pandemic. This systematic review sought to examine published reports with incidence rates for P. aeruginosa bacteremia during (defined as from March 2020 onwards) and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic literature search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and performed in Cochrane, Embase, and Medline with combinations of the key words (pseudomonas aeruginosa OR PAE) AND (incidence OR surveillance), from database inception until 1 December 2022. Based on the pre-defined inclusion criteria, a total of eight studies were eligible for review. Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa was on an uptrend. Several international reports found a slight increase in the incidence of P. aeruginosa bacteremia during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings collectively highlight the continued importance of good infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship during both pandemic and non-pandemic periods. It is important to implement effective infection prevention and control measures, including ensuring hand hygiene, stepping up environmental cleaning and disinfection efforts, and developing timely guidelines on the appropriate prescription of antibiotics.

8.
J Med Internet Res ; 24(12): e40341, 2022 Dec 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2243743

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In a rapidly digitalizing world, the inability of older adults to leverage digital technology has been associated with weaker social connections and poorer health outcomes. Despite the widespread digital adoption in Singapore, older adults, especially those of lower socioeconomic status (SES), still face difficulties in adopting information and communications technology and are typically digitally excluded. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the impact of the volunteer-led, one-on-one, and home-based digital literacy program on digital literacy and health-related outcomes such as self-reported loneliness, social connectedness, quality of life, and well-being for older adults of low SES. METHODS: A nonrandomized controlled study was carried out in Singapore between July 2020 and November 2021 involving 138 digitally excluded community-dwelling older adults aged ≥55 years and of lower SES. Older adults awaiting participation in the program served as controls. Older adults under the intervention were equipped with a smartphone and cellular data, underwent fortnightly to monthly digital literacy training with volunteers to learn digital skills, and digitally connected to their existing social networks. Primary outcome was the improvement in self-reported digital literacy. Secondary outcomes included improvements in University of California, Los Angeles 3-item loneliness scale, Lubben Social Network Scale-6, EQ-5D-3L and EQ visual analogue scale scores, and Personal Wellbeing Score. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in digital literacy scores in the intervention group as compared to controls (mean difference 2.28, 95% CI 1.37-3.20; P<.001). Through multiple linear regression analyses, this difference in digital literacy scores remained independently associated with group membership after adjusting for differences in baseline scores, age, gender, education, living arrangement, housing type, and baseline social connectivity and loneliness status. There was no statistically significant difference in University of California, Los Angeles 3-item loneliness scale, Lubben Social Network Scale-6, Personal Wellbeing Score, or EQ-5D Utility and visual analogue scale score. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing research on digital inclusion by showing that a volunteer-led, one-on-one, and home-based digital literacy program contributed to increase digital literacy in older adults of low SES. Future studies should look into developing more older adult-friendly digital spaces and technology design to encourage continued digital adoption in older adults and, eventually, impact health-related outcomes.


Subject(s)
Literacy , Quality of Life , Humans , Aged , Singapore , Income , Social Class
9.
Mol Biomed ; 3(1): 41, 2022 Dec 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2162454

ABSTRACT

Metformin, a biguanide drug, is the most commonly used first-line medication for type 2 diabetes mellites due to its outstanding glucose-lowering ability. After oral administration of 1 g, metformin peaked plasma concentration of approximately 20-30 µM in 3 h, and then it mainly accumulated in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney. Substantial studies have indicated that metformin exerts its beneficial or deleterious effect by multiple mechanisms, apart from AMPK-dependent mechanism, also including several AMPK-independent mechanisms, such as restoring of redox balance, affecting mitochondrial function, modulating gut microbiome and regulating several other signals, such as FBP1, PP2A, FGF21, SIRT1 and mTOR. On the basis of these multiple mechanisms, researchers tried to repurpose this old drug and further explored the possible indications and adverse effects of metformin. Through investigating with clinical studies, researchers concluded that in addition to decreasing cardiovascular events and anti-obesity, metformin is also beneficial for neurodegenerative disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, aging, cancer and COVID-19, however, it also induces some adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal complaints, lactic acidosis, vitamin B12 deficiency, neurodegenerative disease and offspring impairment. Of note, the dose of metformin used in most studies is much higher than its clinically relevant dose, which may cast doubt on the actual effects of metformin on these disease in the clinic. This review summarizes these research developments on the mechanism of action and clinical evidence of metformin and discusses its therapeutic potential and clinical safety.

10.
The Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry ; 31(1):19-27, 2022.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2144246

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental well-being of the Malaysian workforce. Aim: To determine the prevalence of mental health issues among the corporate staff of a private health-care university. Methodology: A total of 179 corporate staff from the International Medical University who were recruited into the study completed an online questionnaire of their demographics, including the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Results: About 10% were found to be depressed, anxious or stressed, 18% were unsatisfied with their life, and 18.4% had low mental resilience. Depression was significantly associated with race (P = 0.034) and marital status (P < 0.001). Similarly, stress was also associated with race (P = 0.039) and marital status (P = 0.049). SWLS was highly related to marital status (P < 0.001) and BRS was significantly comparable with age (P = 0.035) and education level (P = 0.043). Discussion: High prevalence of mental health issues during the pandemic can be explained by multiple reasons such as restriction in daily life events, reduction of household income, change in the working environment, social distancing, etc., Conclusion: Marital status and race are risk factors for mental health issues among corporate staff. Marriage tends to be more protective against many mental health issues.

11.
Am J Obstet Gynecol ; 2022 Jul 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1926160

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite anecdotal reports, the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual health have not been systemically investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the associations of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination with menstrual cycle characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: This study prospectively observed 3858 premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study 3 living in the United States or Canada who received biannual follow-up questionnaires between January 2011 and December 2021 and completed additional monthly and quarterly surveys related to the COVID-19 pandemic between April 2020 and November 2021. History of positive SARS-CoV-2 test, COVID-19 vaccination status, and vaccine type were self-reported in surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021. Current menstrual cycle length and regularity "before COVID-19" were reported at baseline between 2011 and 2016, and current menstrual cycle length and regularity "after COVID-19" were reported in late 2021. Pre- to post-COVID change in menstrual cycle length and regularity was calculated between reports. Logistic or multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination and change in menstrual cycle characteristics. RESULTS: The median age at baseline and the median age at end of follow-up were 33 years (range, 21-51) and 42 years (range, 27-56), respectively, with a median follow-up time of 9.2 years. This study documented 421 SARS-CoV-2 infections (10.9%) and 3527 vaccinations (91.4%) during follow-up. Vaccinated women had a higher risk of increased cycle length than unvaccinated women (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.19), after adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors. These associations were similar after in addition accounting for pandemic-related stress. COVID-19 vaccination was only associated with change to longer cycles in the first 6 months after vaccination (0-6 months: odds ratio, 1.67 [95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.64]; 7-9 months: odds ratio, 1.43 [95% confidence interval, 0.96-2.14]; >9 months: odds ratio, 1.41 [95% confidence interval, 0.91-2.18]) and among women whose cycles were short, long, or irregular before vaccination (odds ratio, 2.82 [95% confidence interval, 1.51-5.27]; odds ratio, 1.10 [95% confidence interval, 0.68-1.77] for women with normal length, regular cycles before vaccination). Messenger RNA and adenovirus-vectored vaccines were both associated with this change. SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with changes in usual menstrual cycle characteristics. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 vaccination may be associated with short-term changes in usual menstrual cycle length, particularly among women whose cycles were short, long, or irregular before vaccination. The results underscored the importance of monitoring menstrual health in vaccine clinical trials. Future work should examine the potential biological mechanisms.

12.
PLoS Pathog ; 18(6): e1010620, 2022 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1892334

ABSTRACT

Intestinal microbial metabolites have been increasingly recognized as important regulators of enteric viral infection. However, very little information is available about which specific microbiota-derived metabolites are crucial for swine enteric coronavirus (SECoV) infection in vivo. Using swine acute diarrhea syndrome (SADS)-CoV as a model, we were able to identify a greatly altered bile acid (BA) profile in the small intestine of infected piglets by untargeted metabolomic analysis. Using a newly established ex vivo model-the stem cell-derived porcine intestinal enteroid (PIE) culture-we demonstrated that certain BAs, cholic acid (CA) in particular, enhance SADS-CoV replication by acting on PIEs at the early phase of infection. We ruled out the possibility that CA exerts an augmenting effect on viral replication through classic farnesoid X receptor or Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 signaling, innate immune suppression or viral attachment. BA induced multiple cellular responses including rapid changes in caveolae-mediated endocytosis, endosomal acidification and dynamics of the endosomal/lysosomal system that are critical for SADS-CoV replication. Thus, our findings shed light on how SECoVs exploit microbiome-derived metabolite BAs to swiftly establish viral infection and accelerate replication within the intestinal microenvironment.


Subject(s)
Alphacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections , Swine Diseases , Alphacoronavirus/physiology , Animals , Bile Acids and Salts , Caveolae , Diarrhea , Swine
13.
Vaccines (Basel) ; 10(4)2022 Mar 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1822457

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was declared as pandemic in early 2020. While several studies reported the short-term adverse events (AE) of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, medium-term AE have not been extensively evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the 6-month side effect profiles of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital. Hospital workers who received two doses of the Cominarty (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine, six months post-vaccination, were invited to participate in this study. All participants completed a self-reported survey assessing AEs occurrence and severity, duration of onset and recovery and if they previously reported these AEs. RESULTS: Of the 670 respondents who completed the survey, 229 (34.2%) experienced at least one AEs, with a total of 937 AEs reported during the 6-month period. After the first dose, the most common reported localized symptoms were pain (n = 106, 27.2%), swelling (n = 38, 9.8%) and erythematous (n = 12, 3.1%) at injection site. Systemic symptoms reported include fatigue (n = 72, 18.5%), fever (n = 55, 14.1%) and headache (n = 46, 11.8%). After the second dose, pain at site of injection (n = 112, 20.4%), swelling (n = 42, 7.7%) and erythematous (n = 14, 2.6%) were among the localized AE reported, while fever (n = 121, 22.1%), fatigue (n = 101, 18.4%) and headache (n = 61, 11.1%) were the most common systemic AE. The proportion of respondents who experienced moderate (first dose: 156 events; second dose: 272 events) and severe (1st dose: 21 events; 2nd dose: 30 events) AEs were higher after the second dose. Most AEs commonly resolved within 1-2 days, and none required hospitalization. No new onset of AE was observed 7 days post-vaccination. A total of 137 (59.8%) participants did not proceed to formal AE reporting. CONCLUSION: Most of the AEs reported were of mild to moderate intensity and short-term, consistent with those reported in previous studies. No medium-term finding was detected in the survey. AE reporting was not routinely performed, necessitating the attention of health authorities in order to enhance pharmacovigilance.

15.
Hum Vaccin Immunother ; 18(1): 1-6, 2022 12 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1390111

ABSTRACT

Vaccinated or not? This is an attitude survey for 'approach-avoidance conflict' under uncertainty. Therefore, measuring people's attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination is relatively distinctive from an attitude over a general conflict. An online survey of 3123 respondents from 30 provincial-level regions - out of 31 - on the Chinese mainland was conducted from January 22 to 27, 2021 to measure their willingness to be vaccinated. We found that over half of the respondents chose the options 'not to be vaccinated now' and 'wait and see before making a vaccination decision,' thereby indicating that people's willingness to be vaccinated is not as optimistic as anticipated in the early stage of vaccination in China. Hence, investigators should carefully select the measuring method to assess the 'true' levels of willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Lastly, the relevant departments should fully predict obstacles to achieve immunity coverage and prepare for the 'vaccine hesitancy' of people in need.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , COVID-19/prevention & control , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Surveys and Questionnaires , Uncertainty
16.
Am J Clin Pathol ; 157(1): 109-118, 2022 01 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1379434

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To analytically and clinically evaluate the semiquantitative Elecsys anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein antibody (S-Ab) assay on the Roche cobas e602 analyzer. METHODS: The S-Ab assay is a 1-step, double-antigen sandwich electrochemiluminescent immunoassay that semiquantitatively measures total IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies specific for the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in serum or plasma. The S-Ab assay was evaluated for precision, linearity, interference (by hemoglobin, bilirubin, triglycerides, and biotin), cross-reactivity, and clinical performance, and was compared to the qualitative Elecsys anti-nucleocapsid (N-Ab) immunoassay, a lateral flow device that qualitatively detects S-Ab and N-Ab, and an anti-spike enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: S-Ab assay is precise, exhibits linearity from 0.4 to 250 U/mL, is unaffected by significant cross-reactivity or interferences, and qualitatively demonstrates greater than 90% concordance with N-Ab assay and lateral flow device. Readouts of S-Ab assay correlate with ELISA, which in turn correlates strongly with SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralization assay, and exhibit 100% sensitivity and specificity for COVID-19 patient samples obtained at or more than 14 days after PCR positivity. CONCLUSIONS: The S-Ab assay is a robust clinical test for qualitative and semiquantitative detection of seropositivity following SARS-CoV-2 infection or spike-encoding mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus , Antibodies, Viral , COVID-19 Vaccines , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Sensitivity and Specificity
17.
Front Psychiatry ; 12: 664808, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1278460

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had impact that may contribute to a rise in mental health problems. The present study was aimed to better understand psychological status among medical staff and medical students during the early epidemic and to explore the influence factors of psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online from February 2-14, 2020. We collected general information related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Respondents were assessed using the Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale (K6), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Stepwise multiple linear regression was performed to identify factors influencing psychological distress. Results: Five hundred and twenty-eight respondents returned valid questionnaires. Medical staff and Medical students scored averages of 6.77 ± 5.04, 15.48 ± 8.66 on the K6, 37.22 ± 11.39, 22.62 ± 11.25 on the SSRS and 18.52 ± 7.54, 28.49 ± 11.17 on the PSS, respectively. Most medical staff (279, 91.77%) and 148 medical students (66.07%) showed a positive coping style. Social support, perceived stress, hours spent watching epidemic-related information per day and frequency of epidemic-related dreams were identified as factors influencing psychological distress among medical staff and medical students. Coping style emerged as a determinant of psychological distress among medical staff. Conclusions: In the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, medical staff and medical students were at moderate to high risk of psychological distress. Our results suggest that psychological interventions designed to strengthen social support, reduce perceived stress and adopt a positive coping style may be effective at improving the mental health of medical staff and medical students.

20.
Clin Infect Dis ; 71(16): 2249-2251, 2020 11 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1153149

ABSTRACT

A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic threatens the world. Here, we first studied the dynamics profile of SARS-CoV-2 from 56 recovered patients with COVID-19. We found viral shedding occurred up to 6 weeks after onset of symptoms. A prolonged observation period is necessary for older patients.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/diagnosis , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Virus Shedding , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antibodies, Viral , COVID-19 Testing , Case-Control Studies , Female , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Preliminary Data , RNA, Viral , SARS-CoV-2
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