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Objective: To analyze the vaccination status of SARS-CoV-2 in children, and explore the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and COVID-19 in children. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 335 cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection from February 15, 2022 to March 18, 2022 in Shenzhen Third People's Hospital. Results: Among 335 children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 174(51.9%) cases were vaccinated with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;33(31.4%) cases were vaccinated in the 3-<6 years old group;141(61.3%) cases were vaccinated in the 6-<14 years old group. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination between the 6-<14 years old group and the 3-<6 years old group (X2=26.1, P < 0.05). In the study cohort, 3-<6 years old group and 6-<14 years old group, there was no significant difference in the incidence of COVID-19 in the vaccinated group compared with the unvaccinated group (P > 0.05). In the study cohort, the proportion of confirmed cases of 1 dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and 2 doses or more of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was 89.5% (68 cases) and 77.6% (76 cases), respectively;in the 6~<14 years old group, the proportion of confirmed cases of 1 dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and 2 doses or more of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was 90.0% (54 cases) and 76.5% (62 cases), respectively;the differences were statistically significant (X2=4.264, P < 0.05;X2=4.279, P < 0.05). The IgG levels of 18.28 (6.61, 55.2) AU/mL and 58.3 (25.85, 131.41) AU/mL in the study cohort who were vaccinated for 1 dose, 2 doses and more, respectively;the IgG levels of 20.13 (8.33, 44.33) AU/mL and 56.57 (25.85, 150.07) AU/mL in the 6~<14 years old group who were vaccinated for 1 dose, 2 doses and more, respectively;and the differences were statistically significant (Z=-4.37, P < 0.05;Z=-3.96, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Children who received 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine have a lower incidence of COVID-19 and higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared with who received 1 dose. It is recommended that children are advised to be vaccinated against the COVID-19.
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OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of nosocomial infection informatics surveillance system in the prevention and control of multidrug-resistant organisms(MDROs) infections. METHODS: The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University was selected as the study subjects, which had adopted the nosocomial infection informatics surveillance system since Jan.2020. The period of Jan.to Dec.2020 were regarded as the study period, and Jan.to Dec.2019 were regarded as the control period. The situation of nosocomial infection and MDROs infections in the two periods were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of nosocomial infections and underreporting of nosocomial infection cases in this hospital during the study period were 2.52%(1 325/52 624) and 1.74%(23/1 325), respectively, and the incidences of ventilator associated pneumonia(VAP), catheter related bloodstream infection(CRBSI), catheter related urinary tract infection(CAUTI)were 4.10(31/7 568), 2.11(14/6 634), and 2.50(25/9 993) respectively, which were lower than those during the control period(P< 0.05). The positive rate of pathogenic examination in the hospital during the study period was 77.95%(1 269/1 628), which was higher than that during the control period(P<0.05), the overall detection rate of MDROs was 15.77%(206/1 306), the detection rates of MDROs in Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were lower than those during the control period(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The development and application of the informatics technology-based surveillance system of nosocomial infection could effectively reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections and device related infections, decrease the under-reporting of infection cases, and also reduce the detection rate of MDROs as well as the proportion of MDROs detected in common pathogenic species.
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Objective To investigate the clinical features of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant infection and abnormal liver function in Guangdong Province, China. Methods The patients with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection who belonged to the same chain of transmission in Guangdong Province (Guangzhou and Foshan) and were admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University from May 21 to June 18, 2021 were enrolled in this study, and the judgment criteria for liver function were alanine aminotransferase (male/female) > 50/40 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase > 40 U/L, total bilirubin > 26 mumol/L, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase > 60 U/L, and alkaline phosphatase (ALK) > 125 U/L. Abnormality in any one item of the above criteria was defined as abnormal liver function, and such patients were included in analysis (the patients, aged < 18 years, who had a mild or moderate increase in ALP alone were not included in analysis). Clinical data were compared between the patients with normal liver function and those with abnormal liver function, and the etiology and prognosis of abnormal liver function were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Among the 166 patients with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection, 32 (19.3%) had abnormal liver function with mild-to-moderate increases in liver function parameters, and compared with the normal liver function group, the abnormal liver function group had a significantly higher proportion of critical patients (chi2=38.689, P < 0.001) and significantly higher age and inflammatory cytokines [C-reactive protein type, serum amyloid A, and interleukin-6 (IL-6)](all P < 0.05). Among the 32 patients with abnormal liver function, 13 patients had abnormal liver function on admission (defined as primary group), while 19 patients had normal liver function on admission but were found to have abnormal liver function by reexamination after treatment (defined as secondary group). For the primary group, the evidence of abnormal liver function was not found for 3 patients (3/13, 23.1%), and the possibility of toxic liver injury directly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection was considered. Among the 19 patients in the secondary group, 9 (47.4%) had mild/common type and 10 (52.6%) had critical type, and all critical patients had the evidence of liver injury indirectly caused by the significant increases in C-reactive protein type, serum amyloid A, and IL-6 and hypoxemia;the evidence of abnormal liver function was not found for only 1 patient (1/19, 5.3%), and the possibility of toxic liver injury directly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection was considered. All 32 patients with abnormal liver function had [JP2]significant reductions in liver function parameters after treatment including liver protection. Conclusion As for the patients with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection who belong to the same chain of transmission in Guangdong Province, the critical patients show a significantly higher proportion of patients with abnormal liver function than the patients with other clinical types, and other factors except SARS-CoV-2 infection and indirect injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection are the main cause of liver injury.Copyright © 2022 Editorial Board of Jilin University. All rights reserved.
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The socioeconomic disruption of COVID-19 has strong implications for water management. However, it remains unclear how water use related to urban and rural household consumption responded to the outbreak. Taking 15 provincial regions in China for a case study, we quantified the variations of consumption-based household water footprint induced by the first outbreak of the pandemic and tracked the responsive changes of interregional virtual water flows and control relationships. We found in many regions, the most drastic change occurred only a quarter after the major outbreak, when the average water footprint of urban and rural households decreased by 13% and 9%, respectively. This indicates the presence of a hysteretic effect of disruption to household expenditures. With the subsequent recovery of household consumption, the water footprints in many regions rebounded and even surpassed the historical values. Guangdong had a fast rebound in its net virtual water inflow related to urban households because of the fast recovery of its manufacturing and services activities. The pandemic-related water footprint dynamics suggest not only the necessity of timely managing supply chains to prevent shortage of water and water-intensive products, but also the importance of fostering consumption adjustments for conserving water in a post-pandemic era. © 2023 The Authors. Earth's Future published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.
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Objective: To investigate the chest computed tomography (CT) manifestations and dynamic changes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the patients younger than 18 years old infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant, and to provide a basis for determining the chest CT changes and efficacy of COVID-19 caused by Omicron virus variant in patients younger than 18 years old. Methods The clinical and imaging data of 30 cases of patients younger than 18 years old infected with COVID-19 Omicron variant, who admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen from February 11 to March 26, 2022 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The clinical manifestations, imaging features and dynamic changes of lesions were summarized. Results A total of 41 intrapulmonary lesions in 30 patients with COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The main manifestations were patchy or nodular ground-glass opacities and/or consolidation, with focal subpleural distribution, lesions mainly occur in the right lung (70.73%, 29/41). There were 42 lesion morphologies, with 22 (52.38%) striped shadows and 16 (38.10%) nodular shadows, with small lamellar and patchy shadows predominating. There were 36 lesion density variations, with ground glass shadows being the most common, with a total of 24 ground glass shadows (66.66%) in each lobe of the lung, and also 6 consolidation lesions (16.67%) and 6 mixed ground glass opacity and consolidation lesions (16.67%). With the progression of the disease, lesions gradually enlarged, appeared on the 2nd day (312.93 mm3), peaked on the 9th day (1 837.18 mm3). The average absorption time of the lesions was (16+or-3) days, and there was no significant difference between the absorption time of patchy and nodular lesions (ground glass and/or consolidation) (t=0.853, P > 0.05). The lesions showed focal ground-glass opacity in the early stage, 77.78% lesions were absorbed after treatment in the late stage. Inflammatory nodules were absorbed slowly (9-19 days), without residual fibrotic changes. Conclusions The imaging manifestations of COVID-19 in patients younger than 18 years old infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant have certain characteristics, showed patchy or nodular ground glass opacities and/or consolidation, mainly distributed in the subpleural area, with small and few lesions and slow change, didn't remain fibrosis. Being familiar with its clinical and imaging manifestations can assist in early diagnosis, but confirming the diagnosis requires a combination of epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid and radiological manifestations.
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The volume on China: The Bankable State rejects neoliberal consensus and focuses on crucial contributions of the Chinese state in shaping Chinese economy. This book makes crucial theoretical contributions to the study of local political economy of China. This book engages with Chinese state responses to challenges China faces in the processes of reform, transition and development of both commercial and non-commercial banks. This book explores Chinese economic growth and development policy processes and its uniqueness in the wider world economy. The book examines Chinese financial policy praxis and offers an insightful account of its successes for the wider resurgence of alternative political economy of local development. Additionally, this book also showcases state led entrepreneurship in China. The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.
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Objective: To understand the epidemiological changes of children infected with 8 respiratory viral pathogens under the protection strategy of the new coronavirus epidemic in Guangzhou. Methods: A total of 13 606 children diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Children were divided into four groups: infant group, toddler group, preschool group and school age group. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to detect eight major respiratory virus pathogens, including: adenovirus (ADV), respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), influenza A virus (IV-A), influenza B virus (IV-B), parainfluenza virus (PIV), Chlamydia pneumonia(CP), Legionella pneumophila (LP) and Mycoplasma pneumonia (MP). Results: Sinc ethe outbreak of COVID-19, the positive rates of eight respiratory pathogens had decreased, especially influenza A and B. The positive rate of IV-A showed significant decrease from 30.126% to 12.930%, and the positive rate of IV-B from 25.597% to 19.268%, the defferences were statistically significant (X2=52.849, 369.778, all P < 0.05). Among different age groups, the positive rates of IV-A and ADV infection in each group decreased significantly, especially in infant group and toddler group. The positive rate of IV-A showed significant decrease from 4.588% to 1.979%, and the positive rate of ADV from 43.007% to 21.240%, the defferences were statistically significant(X2=18.910, 197.714, all P < 0.05). Before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, the differences in ADV, IV-A, IV-B, MP and PIV between the male and female groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Novel coronavirus protective measures were effective in preventing some common respiratory diseases in children.
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Objective: To investigate the serum levels of human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (YKL-40), 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 [25-hydroxy vitamin D3, 25 (OH)D3] and high mobility group protein B1 (high mobility group protein B1, HMGB1) level changes in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia infection type and the application of disease assessment. Methods: A total of 105 children with NP who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Longhua District People's Hospital of Shenzhen from January to December 2020 were selected as the research objects. According to different infectious pathogens, they were divided into a bacterial pneumonia group of 40 cases and a non-bacterial pneumonia group of 65 cases. According to the severity of the disease, they could be divided into 69 cases of mild pneumonia group and 36 cases of severe pneumonia group, and 85 healthy newborns were selected as the control group during the same period. Serum levels of YKL-40, 25 (OH)D3 and HMGB1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ROC curve was used to analyze the differential diagnosis value of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 for NP alone or in combination. Spearman rank correlation was used the relationship between serum YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 levels and the severity of the disease in children with NP was analyzed. Results: The serum levels of YKL-40 (46.39 +or- 8.36 ng/ml, 40.28 +or- 8.47 ng/ml)and HMGB1 (23.38 +or- 5.66 ng/ml, 17.32 +or- 4.18 ng/ml) in the bacterial pneumonia groups and non-bacterial pneumonia groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (30.49 +or- 6.35 ng/ml, 12.56 +or- 3.22 ng/ml), and the differences were statistically significant (F=939.480, 99.507, all P < 0.05), while bacterial and non-bacterial pneumonia groups serum 25 (OH) D3 (12.76 +or- 3.57 g/L, 18.33 +or- 4.21 g/L) levels were significantly lower than those in the control group (19.76 +or- 4.87 g/L), and the difference was statistically significant (F=225.752, P < 0.05). The serum levels of YKL-40 (52.56 +or- 9.68 ng/ml) and HMGB1 (26.74 +or- 4.57 ng/ml) in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild group (16.63 +or- 5.32 ng/ml, 9.63 +or- 2.38 ng/ml) and the control group (11.63 +or- 3.32 ng/ml, 6.34 +or- 2.06 ng/ml), the differences were all statistical significance (F=265.331, 55.426, all P < 0.05), and serum 25 (OH) D3 (9.76 +or- 3.54 g/L, 31.16 +or- 5.01 g/L)levels in the severe and mild were significantly lower than control groups (35.16 +or- 5.88 g/L) (F=55.426, P < 0.05) . The results of Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the disease severity was positively correlated with serum YKL-40 and HMGB1 levels (r=0.727, 0.210, all P < 0.05), but negatively correlated with 25 (OH) D3 levels (r= -0.566, P < 0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the combined detection of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 had the highest efficacy in diagnosing NP, the AUC was 0.912 (95%CI: 0.864-0.932), the sensitivity and specificity were 96.34%, 85.72%, respectively. In the single detection of each index, the differences in AUC were statistically significant (Z=0.746, 2.843, 3.662, all P < 0.05). The combined detection of the three had the highest diagnostic efficiency in distinguishing neonatal bacterial pneumonia from non-bacterial pneumonia, and its AUC was 0.894 (95%CI: 0.832-0.941), the sensitivity and specificity were 97.26%, 80.66%, respectively. Which was higher than the single test of each index, and the difference in AUC was statistically significant (Z=1.573, 3.228, 2.689, all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum levels of YKL-40, 25 (OH) D3 and HMGB1 had important clinical value in diagnosis of NP infection types and in reflecting the severity of children's disease, the combined detection of the three has better clinical diagnostic performance.
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What is already known about this topic?: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection by variants is being reported commonly and has caused waves of epidemic in many countries. Because of dynamic zero policy, the SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was less reported in China. What is added by this report?: SARS-CoV-2 reinfections were observed in Guangdong Province between December 2022 and January 2023. This study estimated that the reinfection incidence was 50.0% for the original strain primary infections, 35.2% for the Alpha or Delta variants, and 18.4% for the Omicron variant; The reinfection incidence within 3-6 months after primary infection by Omicron variant was 4.0%. Besides, 96.2% reinfection cases were symptomatic while only 7.7% sought medical attention. What are the implications for public health practice?: These findings suggest a reduced likelihood of an Omicron-driven epidemic resurgence in the short term but emphasize the importance of maintaining vigilant surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and conducting population-based antibody level surveys to inform response preparedness.
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To analyze the population density, seasonal fluctuation of Aedes albopictus in Haizhu District, Guangzhou from 2017 to 2021, so as to provide a scientific basis for the monitoring and prevention and control of mosquito vector density of dengue fever. The data of dengue fever cases and Aedes surveillance data in Haizhu District, Guangzhou from 2017 to 2021 were collected, and the data of 2017-2019 and 2020-2021 were grouped to compare and analyze the characteristics of dengue epidemic and the density fluctuation of Aedes mosquitoes. A total of 517 dengue cases were reported in Haizhu District, Guangzhou from 2017 to 2021, of which only 7 cases were reported from 2020 to 2021, and the peak period of reported cases every year was August to November. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a positive correlation between the number of local cases and the number of imported cases(rs=0.63, P<0.05) and BI(rs=0.73, P<0.05). The peak density of Aedes was from May to October, and the differences of mean BI(X~2=1 143.40,P<0.001), MOI(X~2=188.30,P<0.001), and SSI(X~2=4 499.43,P<0.001)before and after the COVID-19 pandemic were statistically significant. In general, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the density of Aedes in high-risk areas was higher than that in low-risk areas. After COVID-19 pandemic, the number of reported cases and the density of Aedes in Haizhu District decreased, but the density of Aedes in the high-risk area was still higher than that in low-risk areas, and a certain risk of outbreak still existed, so the government should continue to take more precise measures to strictly prevent dengue epidemic.
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In order to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire aquaculture value chain in China and what strategy and measures have been taken to support the stakeholders to address the impact of the pandemic on the sector, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supported the Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre (FFRC) in carrying out a preliminary investigation. The investigation focused on channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) farming in Hubei Province and tilapia farming (Oreochromis spp.) in Guangdong Province. The results indicated a significant difference in the impact of the pandemic on different stakeholders in the two subsectors. The investigation also identified the most significant specific impact of the pandemic on production and operation at different value chain links. The investigation also covered the impact of the pandemic on the livelihood of households engaged in the value chain, which significantly reduced income due to lower payment and business revenue. As an important output of the study, a set of strategies and measures were recommended for supporting the aquaculture sector and stakeholders in the value chain to cope with the pandemic and other similar risks in the future.
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Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of a local cluster of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2, and thus provide scientific evidence for the formulation of scientific prevention and control measures. Method: Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the causes, transmission, vaccination effects and prevention measures of 12 local clustered outbreaks in Haizhu district in March and April 2022 by retrospective investigation. Results: A total of 12 infected patients were reported, all of which were confirmed infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2. Clinical manifestations: 10 cases had fever (83.33%), 7 cases had sore throat (58.33%), 7 cases had cough (58.33%), 5 cases had fatigue (41.67%), and 4 cases had headache or dizziness (33.33%), 2 cases had gastrointestinal symptoms (16.67%), and 1 case had muscle soreness (8.33%). The clinical classification is as follows: 10 cases of mild disease (83.33%), 2 cases of common type (16.67%), no severe disease and no death. The earliest infection time was March 27, and the last case was April 15. The peak incidence was concentrated on April 8 and April 10, with a total of 5 cases (41.67%). The shortest incubation period was 2 days and the longest was 14 days, with an average of 6.55 days. The geographical distribution indicated that 7 cases from Yangyang Clothing Company (58.33%), 3 cases from Guangzhou No. 3 Middle School (25.00%), and 2 cases of family clusters (16.67%). The sex ratio of all patients was 1:3. The youngest age was 18 years old and the oldest was 59 years old. The 12 cases were young adults;of which, 9 cases were 21- < 60 years old (accounting for 75.00%), and 3 cases were 18- < 21 years old (25.00%). Occupational distribution;employees were accounting for 58.33%, followed by unemployed accounting for 25.00%, and students accounting for 16.67%. A 1:3+ matched case-control analysis in 58 high-risk close contacts was conducted, and found that infection and vaccination were not statistically correlated (X2 = 0.861, P > 0.05). Similarly, by conducting a 1:1+ matched case-control analysis, we failed to observed a statistically significantly in the effect of sex on infection (X2 = 0.325, P > 0.05). Conclusions: The outbreak was caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2;the source of infection was still unknown, and there was hidden transmission. Therefore, strengthening personal protection and giving full play to the role of medical units and pharmacies as sentinel points and industry monitoring should be necessary for the normalization of COVID-19 pneumonia prevention and control.
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Objective: To study the changed trend of IgM and IgG specific antibody with chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) and RT-PCR in SARS-CoV-2 infection patients during hospitalization. Methods: A total of 100 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who admitted to the First People's Hospital of Zhaoqing were divided into vaccinated group and unvaccinated group according to whether they were vaccinated COVID-19 vaccine or not. The unvaccinated group was further divided into severe, normal, mild and asymptomatic groups. The nucleic acid test results, the positive rate of IgM and IgG antibodies measured by CLIA, and the dynamic trend of S/CO values of all SARS-CoV-2 infected patients since admission 0-<8 days, 8-<15 days, 15-<22 days, 22-<29 days, 29-<36 days and36 days were monitored, and the statistical differences between different groups were compared. Results: The positive rate of IgM antibody in the unvaccinated group 55.6% (15/27) and 0 (0/27) were all significantly higher than that in the vaccinated group 68.5% (50/73) and 49.0% (36/73) at 8-<15 days and 36 days of hospitalization (X2=11.048, 20.805, P < 0.05). The positive rate of IgG antibody in the vaccinated group 96.3% (26/27) and 100% (27/27) were all significantly higher than that in the unvaccinated group 45.2% (31/73) and 78.1% (57/73) at 0-< 8 days and 8-<15 days of hospitalization (X2=21.268, 7.576, P < 0.05). The positive rate of RNA in the unvaccinated were all significantly higher than that in the vaccinated group at 8-<15 days 76.7% (56/73) and 29.6% (8/27), 15-<22 days 65.8% (48/73) and 14.8% (4/27), 22-<29 days 42.5%(31/73) and 7.4% (2/27), 29~<36 days 26.0% (19/73) and 7.4% (2/27) of hospitalization (X2=18.694,20.490, 10.957, 4.119, all P < 0.05). The S/CO value of IgG antibody in the vaccinated group were all significantly higher than that in the unvaccinated group at differentperiods of hospitalization (t=2.841, 7.135, all P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the S/CO value of IgM antibodyat different periods of hospitalization in pairwise comparison (P > 0.05). The IgM and IgG antibody levels of severe patients in the unvaccinated group were significantly higher than those in the normal, mild, and asymptomatic groups at 22-<29 days and 29-<36 days of hospitalization (F=17.694,15.116, 4.037, 4.115, all P < 0.05). Conclusion: IgM and IgG antibody levels in severe patients are more activated by immune defense during recovery. In the case of vaccination, IgM antibody can well reflect the whole course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Since the outbreak of COVID-19, digital nomads, a group of people who work remotely while traveling, have been emerging as a hot research topic in the global academic community. With the rising number of digital nomads in China, several tourist destinations, such as Dali in Yunnan, and Anji in Zhejiang, have evolved into digital nomad destinations, and this trend is expanding. However, the concept of digital nomads remains relatively unexamined by China's academic community, as evidenced by the limited academic research and considerable lag of academic research behind industry practice. First, this paper establishes the conceptual foundations of digital nomads based on content analysis. It offers a detailed definition established through an exploration of the work, travel, and lifestyle perspectives of digital nomads. Six indicators have been identified to distinguish digital nomads from remote workers, business travelers, and working tourists, including location independence, mobility, work focus, work digitization, precarity, and travel frequency. Further, the characteristics (including the pursuit of freedom, uninterrupted travel, working while traveling, professional and informational literacy, and invasion and integration of the destination culture) and supporting systems (co-spaces, digital and technical support, and economic and social support) are discussed. Next, this paper investigated the origin and evolution of digital nomads through an analysis of the evolutionary paths of work style from nomadic worker to digital knowmad, and from knowledge worker to digital knowledge worker to digital knowmad, the evolution of leisure travel style from backpacker to flashpacker to flashpacker nomad and the evolution of lifestyle from nomad to global/neo-nomad to digital nomad. Finally, the current state of digital nomad research is surveyed, highlighting research themes, key theoretical frameworks, gaps in knowledge, and areas for future research. Insights into digital nomads are explored, including (1) the applicability of conceptual definitions of digital nomads at the operational level, (2) the practical validity of theoretical frameworks for digital nomad research, (3) the impact of digital nomads on the evolution of destinations, the urban-rural development, digital economic development, and the mechanisms involved, and (4) the emerging research on digital nomads in China with a focus on understanding the unique economic, social and cultural characteristics of digital nomads in China compared to other countries. Based on the insights shared in this paper, future research directions for digital nomads are envisaged. This paper establishes a baseline for the research on digital nomads to guide future scholarly attention toward digital nomad research and provide a basis for the development and practical application of relevant theories in the context of the digital economy.
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Background Since the outbreak of COVID-19, primary health care workers have been facing unprecedented work pressure, and their occupational stress should be taken seriously. Objective To analyze the occupational stress situation and its influencing factors of primary health care workers in Guangdong Province, and to propose targeted interventions. Methods Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, each prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province was classified into "good", "medium", or "poor" category based on its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 released by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. In September 2021, four primary health care institutions were randomly selected from each stratum, and a total of 1327 staff members were selected for the study. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) and a basic information questionnaire designed by the authors were used. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the means between two groups, and Kruskal-Walis H test was used to compare the means among multiple groups. The comparison of categorical data was performed by trend χ2 test or Pearson χ2 test;the analysis of factors influencing occupational stress was performed by dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis. Results There were 365 health care workers reporting occupational stress in this survey, and the positive rate of occupational stress was 27.5%. The total occupational stress score in M (P25, P75) and the scores of social support, organization and reward, demand and effort, and control were 45.0 (40.0, 50.0), 20.0 (17.0, 21.0), 14.0 (12.0, 17.0), 12.0 (10.0, 15.0), and 5.0 (4.0, 6.0), respectively. The results of dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high education, low income, doctor positions, long working hours in a day, and shift work were associated with the occurrence of reporting occupational stress (P<0.05). Conclusion Education, average monthly income, job category, daily working hours, and shifts are factors influencing the occurrence of reporting occupational stress in primary health care workers;targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce their occupational stress levels.
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Objective: To summarize and analyze the features of liver function in pediatric patients infected with Delta variant versus Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: In this study, an analysis was performed for the liver function test results of the locally transmitted or imported pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during isolation who were admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, since May 21, 2021, and the clinical data and the constituent ratio of liver injury were compared between the pediatric patients infected with Delta variant and those infected with Omicron variant. The independent samples t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results: A total of 85 pediatric patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled, among whom there were 32 (37.6%) pediatric patients infected with Delta variant and 53 (62.4%) pediatric patients infected with Omicron variant, and there were no significant differences between the two groups in age, sex, body height, body weight, and comorbidities (all P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in elating aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, total bilirubin, albumin, and cholinesterase (all P > 0.05), and the pediatric patients infected with Omicron variant had a significantly higher level of total bile acid (TBA) than those infected with Delta variant (Z=-2.336, P=0.020). However, the median values of TBA were within the normal range and the ratios of abnormal TBA were no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Among the 85 pediatric patients, 10 (11.8%) had a mild increase in liver function parameters, among whom 7 had an increase in TBA, 1 had an increase in ALT, 1 had increases in ALT and AST, and 1 had an increase in ALP. The analysis of liver injury in the pediatric patients infected with Delta variant or Omicron variant showed that there was no significant difference in the constituent ratio of liver injury caused by the two variants (6.3% vs 15.1%, X2=0.691, P=0.406). Conclusion: Mild liver injury is observed in pediatric patients infected with Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, but further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term influence of such infection on liver function.
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Objective: To analyze the laboratory indexes of patients infected with malaria patients and COVID-19, so as to provide reliable evidence for the diagnosis of mixed infection of both. Methods The routine clinical laboratory items such as routine blood, biochemistry and lymphocyte subsets were tested in three cases of COVID-19 complicated with falciparum malaria who admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University from July to December 2020 were tested. Laboratory data were stage-wise analyzed in conjunction with changes in the course of disease. Results Three patients confirmed COVID-19 infection recruited all had malaria infection history. Fever, headache, and other symptoms emerged on the 4rd to 11th day after admission. Malaria parasite was detected by malaria parasite antigen testing and blood smear testing, and all three patients had re-ignition of malaria after being confirmed COVID-19 infection. In the early stage of malaria relapse, lymphocytes decreased, CRP and SAA increased, and gradually returned to normal level after antimalarial treatment. Interestingly, we only found one patient at the initial stage of malaria detection showed PLT decreased, no other unnormal changes in other routine blood results (WBC, ESO) and liver function results (ALT, AST, GGT, TBIL, DBIL, CG) were found from the beginning to end course of the disease. Conclusion COVID-19 infection may promote the resurgence of malaria, so the relapse of malaria should be monitored especially for the patient with malaria infection history who begin to develop fever and other symptoms a few days after the diagnosis of COVID-19. The inflammatory indicators would be worth able as an auxiliary judgment basis for the effective treatment of the two combined infection.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of respiratory tract viruses infections in sentinel hospitals of Guangming District, Shenzhen, from 2018 to 2021. METHODS: A total of 1 183 influenza-like patients who were treated in University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital(Guangming District) from Jan 2018 to Dec 2021 were recruited as the research subjects. The respiratory viruses that were isolated from throat swab specimens were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and the prevalence of the infections was observed. RESULTS: Among the throat swab specimens that were collected from the 1 183 influenza-like patients, 45.48%(538/1183) were tested positive for respiratory viruses. Among the 538 positive samples, 533 were single infection, and 5 were mixed infection;the patients with influenza virus infection accounted for 77.51%(417 cases), higher than the patients with infections of other viruses [adenovirus infection(6.51%), respiratory syncytial virus infection(1.30%), human metapneumovirus infection(1.67%), rhinovirus infection(6.88%), coronavirus infection(1.86%), parainfluenza virus infection(3.16%), boca virus infection(0.19%), P<0.05]. The incidence of respiratory viruses infections was higher in winter than in spring, summer and autumn(P<0.05), the proportion of the influenza virus was higher than that of other viruses in winter(P<0.05). The population aged between 26 and 40 years old was dominant among the patients with influenza virus infection, and the infection rate of the age group was higher than that of other age groups(P<0.05). The population aged between 26 and 40 years old was dominant among the patients with coronavirus infection, while the population aged less than 15 years old was dominant among the patients with infections of other respiratory viruses;the patients aged less than 15 years accounted for 59.46%(22 cases) among the patients with rhinovirus infection;the patients aged less than 5 years old accounted for 42.86%(15 cases) among the patients with adenovirus infection. There was no significant difference in the proportion of the patients with respiratory viruses infection between genders. CONCLUSION: The influenza virus is dominant among the viruses causing the respiratory tract infection, which is prevalent in winter. The incidence of respiratory tract infections is relatively high among the patients aged between 26 and 40 years old but is not associated with the gender.
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Objective: To investigate the psychological resilience of medical staff participating in nucleic acid sampling outside hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic and its influence factors. Methods: A total of 197 medical staff in a general tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong were selected by convenience sampling method and survey with the general data questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Statistical analysis was performed using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The total score of resilience of these staff was (69.95 +or- 12.85) points. Correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between psychological resilience and positive response, self-efficacy(P < 0.01). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that: compared with medical staff without professional titles, medical staff with intermediate professional title or above had a high level of psychological flexibility (beta = 0.150, 0.145, P < 0.05);compared with medical staff with sampling time less than 4 h, the psychological resilience level of those with sampling time longer than 4 h was lower (beta = -0.143, P < 0.05);the medical staff who can respond positively had higher psychological resilience (beta = 0.422, P < 0.01);and the medical staff with higher levels of self-efficacy had higher psychological resilience (beta = 0.296, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Medical staff participating in nucleic acid sampling during the COVID-19 epidemic had low psychological resilience. Managers should improve the emergency management mechanism, strengthen the relevant knowledge training and timely psychological counseling to promote their physical and mental health.
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Affected by the new coronavirus pneumonia from the year 2019 to 2022, the economic development of the tourism industry was bleak. According to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, domestic tourism revenue in 2019 was 5.73 trillion yuan. In 2020, under the impact of the epidemic, the domestic tourism market has entered a low stage, with annual domestic tourism revenue of 2.23 trillion yuan, down 61.07 % year-on-year. Judging from the situation of people's travel in recent years, the development of tourism is growing. Under the epidemic, the tourism industry was pressed the pause button and the expected recovery is full of uncertainty. The epidemic has brought great challenges to the tourism industry, but it is not impossible to break through. This will be a good time for transformation and upgrading. If the tourism industry wants to make more stable and better pace of development, more intelligent information construction services need to be created into it in order to achieve breakthrough and develop characteristic products. In the era of marine economy in the 21st century, island tourism is an important part of the marine industry group. It is favored because it gives tourists a psychological feeling of staying away from the hustle and bustle of the city and returning to nature completely. The island has become a popular attraction in the world. In view of this, it is of great significance to summarize the research on island tourism. Taking Nan'ao Island in Guangdong as an example, this paper analyzes the existing problems of island tourism and formulates corresponding marketing strategies, aiming at improving its competitiveness in the travel industry and forming differentiated competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Technium Social Sciences Journal is the property of Technium Press Constanta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)