Clinical Efficacy of Modified Sanxiaoyin in Treatment of Mild or Moderate COVID-19 Patients:Based on Retrospective Analysis.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 52 patients with coronavirus disease-2019 COVID-19 and explore the clinical efficacy of modified Sanxiaoyin on mild/moderate COVID-19 patients. Method(s): The propensity score matching method was used to collect the clinical data of mild or moderate COVID-19 patients enrolled in the designated hospital of the Second Hospital of Jingzhou from December 2019 to May 2020. A total of 26 eligible patients who were treated with modified Sanxiaoyin were included in the observation group,and the 26 patients treated with conventional method were the regarded as the control. The disappearance of clinical symptoms,disappearance time of main symptoms,efficacy on traditional Chinese medicineTCMsymptoms,hospitalization duration,laboratory test indicators,and CT imaging changes in the two groups were compared. Result(s): The general data in the two groups were insignificantly different and thus they were comparable. After 7 days of treatment,the disappearance rate of fever,cough, fatigue,dry throat,anorexia,poor mental state,and poor sleep quality in the observation group was higher than that in the control groupP<0.05,and the difference in the disappearance rate of expectoration and chest distress was insignificant. For the cases with the disappearance of symptoms,the main symptomsfever, cough,fatigue,dry throat,anorexia,chest distressdisappeared earlier in the observation group than in the control groupP<0.01. After 7 days of treatment,the scores of the TCM symptom scale of both groups decreasedP<0.01,and the decrease of the observation group was larger that of the control groupP<0.01. All patients in the two groups were cured and discharged. The average hospitalization duration in the observation group12.79+/-2.68dwas shorter than that in the control group15.27+/-3.11dP<0.01. The effective rate in the observation group92.31%,24/26was higher than that in the control group76.92%,20/26. After 7 days of treatment,the lymphocyteLYMcount increasedP<0.05,and white blood cellWBCcount and neutrophilNEUTcount decreased insignificantly in the two groups. Moreover,levels of C-reactive protein CRP,erythrocyte sedimentation rateESR,and procalcitoninPCTreduced in the two groups after treatmentP<0.01and the reduction in the observation group was larger than that in the control group P<0.01. Through 7 days of treatment,the total effective rate on pulmonary shadow in the observation group 90.00%,18/20was higher than that in the control group77.27%,17/22P>0.05and the improvement of lung shadow in the observation group was better than that in the control groupP<0.01. Conclusion(s):Modified Sanxiaoyin can significantly alleviate fever,cough,fatigue,anorexia,chest distress,poor sleep quality,and other symptoms of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19,improve biochemical indicators,and promote the recovery of lung function. This paper provides clinical evidence for the application of modified Sanxiaoyin in the treatment of mild or moderate COVID-19.Copyright © 2022, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Institute of Chinese Materia Medica. All rights reserved.

Social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mobility, accessibility, and behaviors of visitors dramatically. Under the impact of COVID-19, the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in parks and recreation areas are expected to change due to the uncertainty of health risks associated with visitors' behaviors. This study con-ducted an on-site visitor survey at Leiqiong Global Geological Park, a national park located in urban-proximate areas in Haikou, China. This study aims to examine factors impacting visitors' perceived crowding and emotions under varying levels of visitor use in urban national parks in the context of COVID-19. Study results suggest that visitors have the highest level of motivation for scenery and culture viewing and are generally satisfied with the environmental quality and design and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation efforts within the park. Moreover, this study suggests that the level of crowding and COVID-19 prevention strategies and imple-mentation can affect visitors' emotions in urban natioanl parks significantly. These findings highlight the importance of enforcing the social carrying capacity limits and COVID-19 prevention strategies for urban parks and protected areas to mitigate physical and mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Management implication: This study is one of the pilot studies that examines the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results identify the thresholds of social carrying capacity and visitors' positive emotions based on the indicator of People Per View (PPV). Moreover, COVID-19 prevention strategies (e.g., mask-wearing and social distancing) can reduce visitors' perceived crowding and enhance positive emotions. These findings suggest that urban national parks should monitor visitor use levels based on the social carrying capacity framework to reduce visitors' perceived crowding and maintain positive emotions in the post-COVID-19 era.

Screening of Potential Inhibitors Against SARS-CoV-2 Based on Prescription Mining and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Objective To detect the active ingredients in the traditional Chinese medicine prescription and its molecular mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2 by prescription mining and molecular dynamics simulations. Methods Herein, prescription mining and virtual screening of drugs were performed to screen the potential inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations were further performed to explore the molecular recognition and inhibition mechanism between the potential inhibitors and SARS-CoV-2. Results The natural compounds library was constructed by 143 prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, which contained 640 natural compounds. Ten compounds were screened out from the natural compounds library. Among the 10 compounds, 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid, the main active constituent of the Loquat leaf, showed the best binding affinity targeting the recognizing interface of SARS-CoV-2 S protein/ACE2. Upon binding 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid, the key interactions between SARS-CoV-2 S protein and ACE2 were almost interrupted. Conclusion Ten compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 S protein/ACE2 interface were screened out from natural compound library. And we inferred that 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid is a potential inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2, which would contribute to the development of the antiviral drug for SARS-CoV-2. © 2022 Institute of Biophysics,Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Screening of Potential Inhibitors Against SARS-CoV-2 Based on Prescription Mining and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Objective To detect the active ingredients in the traditional Chinese medicine prescription and its molecular mechanisms against SARS-CoV-2 by prescription mining and molecular dynamics simulations. Methods Herein, prescription mining and virtual screening of drugs were performed to screen the potential inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations were further performed to explore the molecular recognition and inhibition mechanism between the potential inhibitors and SARS-CoV-2. Results The natural compounds library was constructed by 143 prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, which contained 640 natural compounds. Ten compounds were screened out from the natural compounds library. Among the 10 compounds, 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid, the main active constituent of the Loquat leaf, showed the best binding affinity targeting the recognizing interface of SARS-CoV-2 S protein/ACE2. Upon binding 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid, the key interactions between SARS-CoV-2 S protein and ACE2 were almost interrupted. Conclusion Ten compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 S protein/ACE2 interface were screened out from natural compound library. And we inferred that 23-trans-p-coumaryhormentic acid is a potential inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2, which would contribute to the development of the antiviral drug for SARS-CoV-2.

Screening potential Q-Marker from Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS fingerprints and molecular docking

Objective To screen the potential quality markers (Q-Marker) of anti-coronavirus of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui (, HZS) based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) fingerprints and molecular docking. Methods UPLC-Q-TOF-MS fingerprints and chemometric methods were employed to establish fingerprints and find out the difference between the peaks for the 27 batches of HZS samples. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibition potential of the differential compounds among the 27 batches of HZS were further predicted by molecular docking with remdesivir as positive control. Results The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS fingerprints of 27 batches of HZS samples were set up with 27 common peaks. Combined with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), 14 common peaks were determined as differential compounds, and nine of them were identified as hesperidin, oxypeucedanin, neobyakangelicol, sinensetin, glycyrrhizic acid, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone, tangeretin, imperatorin and phellopterin. Molecular docking results showed that a total of six differential compounds were proven to have a certain inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, which can be used as potential Q-Marker of HZS, including hesperidin, oxypeucedanin, neobyakangelicol, glycyrrhizic acid, imperatorin and phellopterin. Conclusion The potential Q-Marker of HZS was determined by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS fingerprints, chemometric analysis and molecular docking. This method may provide a certain reference for the identification of various drug components, analysis of the differences of the same type drug components and pharmaceutical activity evaluation. Copyright © 2022 Editorial Office of Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. All rights reserved.

[Evaluation of efficiency of different anti-cysticercus antibody test kits for serodiagnosis of cysticercosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of four anti-cysticercus IgG, IgG4 or IgM antibody test kits (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA) by different manufacturers, so as to provide insights into the epidemiological investigation and clinical detection of cysticercosis. METHODS: Forty serum samples from cerebral cysticercosis patients, 100 serum samples from healthy volunteers, 30 serum samples from paragonimiasis skrjabini patients, 17 serum samples from cystic echinococcosis and 19 serum samples from subcutaneous or cerebral sparganosis patients were collected and detected using anti-cysticercus IgG, IgG4 or IgM antibody test kits (brand A) and the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand B). The sensitivity, specificity and false negative rate of the four kits for detection of cysticercosis were estimated. RESULTS: The anti-cysticercus IgG, IgG4 or IgM antibody test kits (brand A) showed 95.00% (38/40), 87.50% (35/40), 7.50% (3/40) sensitivities and 98.00% (98/100), 100.00% (100/100) and 100.00% (100/100) for detection of cysticercosis, while the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand B) presented a 75.00% (30/40) sensitivity and 100.00% (100/100) specificity for detection of cysticercosis. The sensitivity for detection of cysticercosis was significantly higher by the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand A) than by the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand B) (χ2 = 6.28, P < 0.05); however, no significant difference was seen in the specificity by two kits (χ2 = 2.01, P > 0.05). The four ELISA kits showed overall false positive rates of 37.88% (25/66), 22.73% (15/66), 62.12% (41/66) and 15.15% (10/66) for detection of paragonimiasis, echinococcosis and sparganosis (χ2 = 37.61, P < 0.05), and the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand A) presented the highest overall false positive rate for detection of paragonimiasis, echinococcosis and sparganosis (χ2 = 7.56, P' < 0.008), while a higher overall false positive rate was seen for detection of paragonimiasis, echinococcosis and sparganosis by the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand A) than by the anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand B) (χ2 = 8.75, P' < 0.008). The four ELISA kits showed false positive rates of 40.00% (12/30), 16.67% (5/30), 76.67% (23/30) and 13.33% (4/30) for detection of paragonimiasis (χ2 = 32.88, P < 0.05) and 21.05% (4/19), 26.32% (5/19), 73.68% (14/19) and 15.79% (3/19) for detection of sparganosis (χ2 = 19.97, P < 0.05), and the highest false positive rates were found by the anti-cysticercus IgM antibody test kit (brand A) for detection of paragonimiasis and sparganosis (all P' < 0.008). However, the four ELISA kits showed comparable false positive rates of 52.94% (9/17), 29.41% (5/17), 23.53% (4/17) and 17.65% (3/17) for detection of echinococcosis (χ2 = 8.24, P > 0.05). In addition, the anti-cysticercus IgM anti-body test kit (brand A) showed false positive rates of 76.67% (23/30), 23.53% (4/17) and 73.68% (14/19) for detection of paragonimiasis, echinococcosis and sparganosis (χ2 = 14.537, P < 0.05), with the lowest false positive rate seen for detection of echinococcosis (χ2 = 14.537, P' < 0.014), while no significant differences were seen in the false positive rate for detection of paragonimiasis, echinococcosis and sparganosis by other three ELISA kits (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The four anti-cysticercus IgG, IgG4 or IgM antibody test kits exhibit various efficiencies for serodiagnosis of cysticercosis. The anti-cysticercus IgG antibody test kit (brand A) has a high sensitivity for serodiagnosis of cysticercosis; however, it still needs to solve the problems of cross-reaction with other parasitic diseases and stability.

Clinical Efficacy of Modified Sanxiaoyin in Treatment of Mild or Moderate COVID-19 Patients：Based on Retrospective Analysis

［］ Objective： To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 52 patients with coronavirus disease-2019 （COVID-19） and explore the clinical efficacy of modified Sanxiaoyin on mild/moderate COVID-19 patients. Method： The propensity score matching method was used to collect the clinical data of mild or moderate COVID-19 patients enrolled in the designated hospital of the Second Hospital of Jingzhou from December 2019 to May 2020. A total of 26 eligible patients who were treated with modified Sanxiaoyin were included in the observation group，and the 26 patients treated with conventional method were the regarded as the control. The disappearance of clinical symptoms，disappearance time of main symptoms，efficacy on traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）symptoms，hospitalization duration，laboratory test indicators，and CT imaging changes in the two groups were compared. Result： The general data in the two groups were insignificantly different and thus they were comparable. After 7 days of treatment，the disappearance rate of fever，cough， fatigue，dry throat，anorexia，poor mental state，and poor sleep quality in the observation group was higher than that in the control group（P<0.05），and the difference in the disappearance rate of expectoration and chest distress was insignificant. For the cases with the disappearance of symptoms，the main symptoms（fever， cough，fatigue，dry throat，anorexia，chest distress）disappeared earlier in the observation group than in the control group（P<0.01）. After 7 days of treatment，the scores of the TCM symptom scale of both groups decreased（P<0.01），and the decrease of the observation group was larger that of the control group（P<0.01）. All patients in the two groups were cured and discharged. The average hospitalization duration in the observation group［（12.79±2.68）d］was shorter than that in the control group［（15.27±3.11）d］（P<0.01）. The effective rate in the observation group（92.31%，24/26）was higher than that in the control group（76.92%，20/26）. After 7 days of treatment，the lymphocyte（LYM）count increased（P<0.05），and white blood cell（WBC）count and neutrophil（NEUT）count decreased insignificantly in the two groups. Moreover，levels of C-reactive protein （CRP），erythrocyte sedimentation rate（ESR），and procalcitonin（PCT）reduced in the two groups after treatment（P<0.01）and the reduction in the observation group was larger than that in the control group （P<0.01）. Through 7 days of treatment，the total effective rate on pulmonary shadow in the observation group （90.00%，18/20）was higher than that in the control group（77.27%，17/22）（P>0.05）and the improvement of lung shadow in the observation group was better than that in the control group（P<0.01）. Conclusion：Modified Sanxiaoyin can significantly alleviate fever，cough，fatigue，anorexia，chest distress，poor sleep quality，and other symptoms of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19，improve biochemical indicators，and promote the recovery of lung function. This paper provides clinical evidence for the application of modified Sanxiaoyin in the treatment of mild or moderate COVID-19. © 2022, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Institute of Chinese Materia Medica. All rights reserved.

EXAMINING GENDER DIFFERENCES IN STUDENT LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A MODEL FROM THE SWITCHING COSTS AND QUALITY- RELATED PERSPECTIVES

Aim/Purpose The aim of this study is to address the research questions on: (1) what factors can significantly influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic? and (2) what are the gender differences, if any, in this context? To do this, the authors developed a research model from the switch ing costs (defined as the time and effort students have been put to change from one learning platform to another) and quality-related perspectives. In addition, gender differences are examined and identified by testing the proposed research model on male and female students, respectively. Background The recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has changed many aspects of people's lives, including higher education. To better protect students and faculty, many universities have moved most of their classes online. Such a sudden change could make significant impacts on student learning. Thus, this study aims to empirically examine factors that can influence student learning in remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate potential gender differences in such a context. Methodology The survey method is used in this study. The survey invitation was sent to students in multiple classes that had switched from in-person learning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was distributed in the online format. In total, 428 students completed the survey, with 202 being males and 226 being females. Contribution This study contributes to the current literature on student learning during emergency situations such as COVID-19 by developing a research model to systematically investigate potential factors that could influence their perceptions of academic performance and learning enjoyment. A second contribution is the integration of theoretical perspectives of switching costs and three types of quality-related constructs in the proposed research model. In addition, the authors also investigate gender differences based on the proposed research model, and some interesting differences have been found and reported in this study. Findings Data analysis indicates that perceived value has a significant impact on perceived academic performance for female but not male students. In addition, male students find information quality to be a significant factor in perceived academic performance, but not perceived learning enjoyment;on the contrary, their female counterparts find it to be significant in influencing perceived learning enjoyment, but not perceived academic performance. Also, female students perceive system quality to be influential on their learning enjoyment and support service quality to be influential on their academic performance, but no such significant perceptions are found among male students. Recommendations for Practitioners The results of this study could help bring some insights to educators on teaching remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic (or potentially in other similar emergency situations). For example, when moving classes to the remote platform because of an emergency situation, in order to make sure a smooth transition and achieve a higher rate of student learning success, educators, as well as the institution, need to focus on reducing the costs and, in the meanwhile, increasing the benefits associated with such a change from the students' perspective. In addition, educators may need to keep in mind the gender differences identified in this study, which may help them better understand the learning needs of different gender groups. Recommendation for Researchers Researchers could validate and apply the proposed research model on students from different types of institutions (such as public universities vs. private universities) and students at different levels (such as undergraduate vs. graduate students). It could also be valuable to apply and extend the current model on students from other nations who have different cultural backgrounds. Impact on Society Understanding influential factors on student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as gender differences in this context, could help educators better adjust their teaching of remote classes in such an emergency situation, thus meeting the learning needs of students in both gender groups. Future Research Future research could further validate the research model proposed in this study by applying it to students in other institutions and other nations. Also, in addition to perceived academic performance and learning enjoyment, future research may expand the current model or create new models on other student learning-related dependent variables.

[Effectiveness of the "14 plus 7 day quarantine" and "nucleic acid plus total antibody testing" strategy for screening imported patients with COVID-19 in Xiamen].

Objective: To analysis effectiveness of the "14 plus 7 day quarantine" and "nucleic acid plus total antibody testing" strategy (combined screening strategy) for screenin the imported patients with COVID-19 in Xiamen. Methods: The study populations were overseas travelers arriving in Xiamen from March 17 to December 31, 2020, and overseas travelers who had quarantine outside Xiamen for less than 21 days from July 18 to December 31, 2020. Data were collected and analyzed on the timing of detection, pathways, and test results of the imported patients with COVID-19 after implementing combined screening strategy. Results: A total of 304 imported patients with COVID-19 were found from 174 628 overseas travelers and 943 overseas travelers from other cities. A total of 163 cases (53.6%) were diagnosed by multitime, multisite intensive nucleic acid testing after positive finding in total antibody testing. Among them, 27 (8.9%) were first positive for nucleic acid in 14 plus 7 day quarantine and 136 were first positive for nucleic acid in 14-day quarantine. Only 8 of these individuals were tested positive for nucleic acid after positive total antibody testing. The other 128 individuals were tested positive for nucleic acid after being negative for average 2.3 times (maximum of 6 times). Aditional 155 cases might be detected by using the combined "14 plus 7 day quarantine" and " nucleic acid plus total antibody testing" strategy compared with "14-day quarantine and nucleic acid testing" strategy, accounting for 51.0% of the total inbound infections. So the combined screening strategy doubled the detection rate for imported patients with COVID-19. No second-generation case caused by overseas travelers had been reported in Xiamen as of February 26, 2021. Conclusions: Xiamen's combined screening strategy can effectively screen the imported patients with COVID-19 who were first positive for nucleic acid after 14 day quarantine. Compared with "14 day quarantine and nucleic acid testing", the combined screening strategy improved detection rate and further reduced the risk of the secondary transmission caused by the imported patients with COVID-19.

Fluorescence Spectral Shape Analysis for COVID-19 Virus Identification: Machine Learning Approach

Fast and reliable tests for the new coronavirus are urgently needed. Current Polymerase Chain Reaction based virus detection approaches are typically time-consuming and expensive. Technologies capable of providing a fast, real-time and non-contact detection of virus contamination and real-time virus classification are not yet available. Here, we demonstrate the potential of a fluorescence detection technique along with machine-learning based classification for virus detection. The ultraviolet (UV) light irradiated virus emits a fluorescent signal with a characteristic spectrum, which is regarded as a fingerprint for the virus. We analyzed eight virus samples including a heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (virus causing COVID-19) and collected a number of emission spectra. Machine learning techniques are applied to discriminate among the candidate viruses via classifying a number of spectra data collected. First, Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce spectra data dimensionality. Then support vector machine (SVM) with various kernel functions (kernel-SVM), k-nearest-neighbor (k-NN) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) methods were used to classify these viruses with dimension-reduced data from PCA. We found that dimension-reduced data in 3 principal components (PCs) space performs better than that in 2 PCs space in the machine learning algorithms mentioned above. Variance ratio analysis is able to explain nearly 95% of variance which allows nearly 100% accuracy of predictions for 25% data test set randomly chosen from the whole dataset. Finally, cross validation (CV) analysis is applied to kernel-SVM and k-NN methods.

Citizen Assessments of Government Actions in the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

This study investigates citizen assessments of government actions in the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Empirical analyses based on a large-scale online survey indicate that the Chinese public expects the government to improve its support for the frontline medical staff, management of public stress and anxiety, and disclosure of government information. Specifically, indirect exposure to COVID-19 through second-hand information is negatively associated with citizen assessments of government actions;by contrast, the first-hand frontline experience with the epidemic is positively associated with citizen assessments of government actions. Findings suggest that citizens with first-hand experience might be more able to judge government actions under the actual constraints of resources and opportunities, and are less likely to overemphasize the costs or risks associated with government actions than others without frontline experience. Our work suggests that governments should effectively communicate detailed information regarding government actions to the public during public health emergencies, as more informed citizens might be more supportive of governments with limited resources and, probably, more actively collaborate with governments.