One-quarter of COVID-19 patients developed PTSD symptoms: a one-year longitudinal study

This study investigated the longitudinal development of PTSD symptoms and respiratory sequelae among COVID-19 patients one year after hospital discharge. The cumulative occurrence of probable PTSD in COVID-19 survivors (n=329) was 26.7%, which significantly decreased over the 12-month period (23.1% to 4.3%). Non-severe patients showed marked improvement in all four clusters of PTSD symptoms at 12 months compared to 3 months, while severe patients only showed improvements in re-experiencing and numbing symptoms. Moreover, being female and having respiratory sequelae increased the risk for chronic PTSD. Psychological interventions are required for COVID-19 patients during long-term convalescence.

One-quarter of COVID-19 patients developed PTSD symptoms: A one-year longitudinal study.

This study investigated the longitudinal development of PTSD symptoms and respiratory sequelae among COVID-19 patients one year after hospital discharge. The cumulative occurrence of probable PTSD in COVID-19 survivors (n = 329) was 26.7%, which significantly decreased over the 12-month period (23.1% to 4.3%). Non-severe patients showed marked improvement in all four clusters of PTSD symptoms at 12 months compared to 3 months, while severe patients only showed improvements in re-experiencing and numbing symptoms. Moreover, being female and having respiratory sequelae increased the risk for chronic PTSD. Psychological interventions are required for COVID-19 patients during long-term convalescence.

Global research trends in the COVID-19 and digestive disease: A review of visualization and bibliometric study.

BACKGROUND: The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has attracted worldwide attention. There were also reported gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with COVID-19. This work aims to analyze the global research trends in COVID-19 and digestive disease. METHODS: The related papers on COVID-19 and digestive disease were identified with Pubmed and web of science core collection on September 3, 2021. Bibliometric visualization was conducted through VOSviewer and CiteSpace. RESULTS: The analytic research was based on original articles and reviews. There were 997 articles found, with citations ranging from 0 to 878. These articles were distributed among 86 countries and 355 journals. The USA mainly contributed (288 articles), where 3 of the top 10 institutions were located. Followed by China (215 articles) and Italy (160 articles). The highest level of scientific collaboration has been formed between the USA to China. The World Journal of Gastroenterology (39 papers) published the most significant number of articles. Concerning the research topic, the colon/small bowel had the largest number of articles, followed by the liver and pancreaticobiliary. "Liver injury," "inflammatory bowel disease," "management," and "endoscopy" were the hotspot keywords. The largest cluster of liver transplantation had offered hints regarding research frontiers. CONCLUSION: The analytic results showed that the liver, especially liver transplantation, and inflammatory bowel disease were the 2 most influential research topics in COVID-19 and digestive disease.

What Determines the Success of Charitable Crowdfunding Campaigns? Evidence from China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The dramatic rise of charitable crowdfunding has changed the landscape of fundraising and giving. Little empirical work, however, has been done to explore critical factors that are associated with successful charitable crowdfunding campaigns run both by formal charities and non-charities. To advance the literature on donation-based charitable crowdfunding, we draw on a unique dataset of 427 COVID-19 crowdfunding campaigns in China, examining whether and how external and internal quality signals are related to crowdfunding success measured by total donation amount. Our results show that crowdfunding success is positively associated with internal signals (updates and predefined duration), whereas the role of external signals (platform and award) is less certain. While we find a positive relationship between award information and funding success, informal campaigns using an alternative medium seem to generate more donations than formal campaigns using authorized platforms. The implications of this study for theory, practice and policy are also discussed.

Global research trends in the COVID-19 and digestive disease: A review of visualization and bibliometric study

Background: The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has attracted worldwide attention. There were also reported gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with COVID-19. This work aims to analyze the global research trends in COVID-19 and digestive disease. Methods: The related papers on COVID-19 and digestive disease were identified with Pubmed and web of science core collection on September 3, 2021. Bibliometric visualization was conducted through VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Results: The analytic research was based on original articles and reviews. There were 997 articles found, with citations ranging from 0 to 878. These articles were distributed among 86 countries and 355 journals. The USA mainly contributed (288 articles), where 3 of the top 10 institutions were located. Followed by China (215 articles) and Italy (160 articles). The highest level of scientific collaboration has been formed between the USA to China. The World Journal of Gastroenterology (39 papers) published the most significant number of articles. Concerning the research topic, the colon/small bowel had the largest number of articles, followed by the liver and pancreaticobiliary. "Liver injury,” "inflammatory bowel disease,” "management,” and "endoscopy” were the hotspot keywords. The largest cluster of liver transplantation had offered hints regarding research frontiers. Conclusion: The analytic results showed that the liver, especially liver transplantation, and inflammatory bowel disease were the 2 most influential research topics in COVID-19 and digestive disease.

The scientific progress and prospects of artificial intelligence in digestive endoscopy: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used for diagnosis and outcome prediction in clinical practice. Furthermore, AI in digestive endoscopy has attracted much attention and shown promising and stimulating results. This study aimed to determine the development trends and research hotspots of AI in digestive endoscopy by visualizing articles. Publications on AI in digestive endoscopy research were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on April 25, 2022. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to assess and plot the research outputs. This analytical research was based on original articles and reviews. A total of 524 records of AI research in digestive endoscopy, published between 2005 and 2022, were retrieved. The number of articles has increased 27-fold from 2017 to 2021. Fifty-one countries and 994 institutions contributed to all publications. Asian countries had the highest number of publications. China, the USA, and Japan were consistently the leading driving forces and mainly contributed (26%, 21%, and 14.31%, respectively). With a solid academic reputation in this area, Japan has the highest number of citations per article. Tada Tomohiro published the most articles and received the most citations.. Gastrointestinal endoscopy published the largest number of publications, and 4 of the top 10 cited papers were published in this journal. "The Classification," "ulcerative colitis," "capsule endoscopy," "polyp detection," and "early gastric cancer" were the leading research hotspots. Our study provides systematic elaboration for researchers to better understand the development of AI in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Current status of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine research based on bibliometric analysis.

Vaccination is considered the most effective way to reduce the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several new vaccines have been manufactured. This study aimed to assess the current status and prospects of COVID-19 vaccine research using a bibliometric analysis. We analyzed 3,954 scientific articles on COVID-19 vaccines in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric visualization. Original articles and reviews were used for the analysis. A total of 2,783 (70.38%) studies were published in 2021. The USA contributed the highest, publishing 1,390 articles with 41,788 citations, followed by China and the UK. The USA's primary collaborators were the UK (n = 133), China (n = 87), and Canada (n = 65). The most active institutions were the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School, while Emory University was the most influential. The Vaccines journal had the most number of publications (402). The most cited journal was the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2021, the focus was on RNA vaccines, attitudes toward vaccination, and hesitancy. In contrast, studies in 2022 focused on vaccine double-blind trials, viral mutations, and antibodies. In the context of rapid virus transmission, vaccine studies on immunogenicity, spike proteins, efficacy, safety, and antibody response have been prioritized. Additional phased clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness, acceptance, and side effects of vaccines against mutated strains of the virus.

15-Month Health Outcomes and the Related Risk Factors of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients From Onset: A Cohort Study.

Objective: The long-term impact of COVID-19 on patient health has been a recent focus. This study aims to determine the persistent symptoms and psychological conditions of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 15 months after onset, that patients first developed symptoms. The potential risk factors were also explored. Methods: A cohort of COVID-19 patients discharged from February 20, 2020 to March 31, 2020 was recruited. Follow-ups were conducted using validated questionnaires and psychological screening scales at 15 months after onset to evaluate the patients' health status. The risk factors for long-term health impacts and their associations with disease severity was analyzed. Findings: 534 COVID-19 patients were enrolled. The median age of the patients was 62.0 years old (IQR 52.0-70.0) and 295 were female (55.2%). The median time from onset to follow-up was 460.0 (451.0-467.0) days. Sleep disturbance (18.5%, 99/534) and fatigue (17.2%, 92/534) were the most common persistent symptoms. 6.4% (34/534) of the patients had depression, 9.2% (49/534) were anxious, 13.0% (70/534) had insomnia and 4.7% (25/534) suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Multivariate adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that glucocorticoid use during hospitalization (OR 3.58, 95% CI 1.12-11.44) was significantly associated with an increased risk of fatigue. The OR values for anxiety and sleep disorders were 2.36 (95% CI 1.07-5.20) and 2.16 (95% CI 1.13-4.14) in females to males. The OR value of PTSD was 25.6 (95% CI 3.3-198.4) in patients with persistent symptoms to those without persistent symptoms. No significant associations were observed between fatigue syndrome or adverse mental outcomes and disease severity. Conclusions: 15-month follow-up in this study demonstrated the need of extended rehabilitation intervention for complete recovery in COVID-19 patients.

Virtual Reality in Treatment for Psychological Problems in First-Line Health Care Professionals Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Series.

ABSTRACT: Virtual reality therapy (VRT) is a new psychotherapeutic approach integrating virtual reality technology and psychotherapy. This case series aimed to study effectiveness of VRT in treating psychological problems. We described four cases of first-line health care professionals with emerging clinically significant early psychological problems during the COVID-19 outbreak, and specifically received the VRT treatment. We compared the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 items (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), PHQ-15, and Athens Insomnia Scale to evaluate psychological symptoms and sleep quality before and after sessions. All four cases showed a reduction in scale comparison. General scores of the PHQ-9 reduced 65%, GAD-7 reduced 52.17%, PHQ-15 decreased 38.17%, and scores of the Athens Insomnia Scale reduced 67.44%. Meanwhile, a reduction in depression, anxiety, psychosomatic, and sleeping symptoms was also found, which decreased 76.92% in general. These results are highly significant statistically. This case series demonstrated the effectiveness of VRT on psychological problems as a promising approach to apply on various psychological distress and disorders.

Six-month follow-up of functional status in discharged patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: The long-term functional outcome of discharged patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unresolved. We aimed to describe a 6-month follow-up of functional status of COVID-19 survivors. METHODS: We reviewed the data of COVID-19 patients who had been consecutively admitted to the Tumor Center of Union Hospital (Wuhan, China) between 15 February and 14 March 2020. We quantified a 6-month functional outcome reflecting symptoms and disability in COVID-19 survivors using a post-COVID-19 functional status scale ranging from 0 to 4 (PCFS). We examined the risk factors for the incomplete functional status defined as a PCFS > 0 at a 6-month follow-up after discharge. RESULTS: We included a total of 95 COVID-19 survivors with a median age of 62 (IQR 53-69) who had a complete functional status (PCFS grade 0) at baseline in this retrospective observational study. At 6-month follow-up, 67 (70.5%) patients had a complete functional outcome (grade 0), 9 (9.5%) had a negligible limited function (grade 1), 12 (12.6%) had a mild limited function (grade 2), 7 (7.4%) had moderate limited function (grade 3). Univariable logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between the onset symptoms of muscle or joint pain and an increased risk of incomplete function (unadjusted OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.33-12.37). This association remained after adjustment for age and admission delay (adjusted OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.06-10.81, p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: A small proportion of discharged COVID-19 patients may have an incomplete functional outcome at a 6-month follow-up; intervention strategies are required.

Gendered Factors Associated with Preventive Behaviors and Mental Health among Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic Home Quarantine

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly impacted the life and mental health of many people globally. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with preventive behaviors and mental health among Chinese adults during their home quarantine in the COVID-19 period. An online questionnaire survey was administered in March 2020. The study participants were adults aged between 18 and 70 years old from 31 provinces in China. Of the 3878 participants, 1314 reported moderate levels of anxiety, and the remaining participants reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety. Findings revealed that females aged between 18 and 30 years old who had higher educational qualifications, greater levels of preventive knowledge, trust in the government, and resided in urban and medium-risk areas (R2 = 0.100, F = 27.97, p <0.001) were more likely to exhibit preventive behaviors. In contrast, a higher negative emotional response was generally seen in males who had low levels of preventive knowledge and behaviors, higher risk perception of infection, lower trust in the government, and unhealthy lifestyles (R2 = 0.127, F = 32.33, p <0.001). In addition, the high-risk perception of infection was positively associated with high odds of anxiety (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10–1.24), whereas a greater level of preventive knowledge (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.19–0.70) and behaviors (AOR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57–0.84), higher trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.71–0.83), and a healthier lifestyle (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99) were negatively associated with high odds of anxiety. Results showed that a lower level of anxiety and negative emotional response were associated with better preventive behaviors against COVID-19, which were influenced by preventive knowledge, risk perception, trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures, and healthy lifestyle. Findings in this study could help formulate health interventions for vulnerable groups related to gendered vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 environment to improve their mental health and preventive behaviors, especially during the period of a pandemic.

PTSD Symptoms and Sleep Quality of COVID-19 Patients During Hospitalization: An Observational Study from Two Centers.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has developed into a pandemic. Data are required that specifically address the psychological consequences in COVID-19 confirmed patients. This study mainly aimed to examine posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and sleep quality among COVID-19 confirmed patients during hospitalization. METHODS: An observational study was conducted in two designated hospitals in Wuhan, China. Data were collected from 190 patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection between February 10, 2020 and March 13, 2020. RESULTS: The mean age of the 190 confirmed patients was 55.7 years (SD = 13.7), of which 96 (50.5%) were female and 88 (46.3%) had family members or acquaintances infected with COVID-19. Lymphocytopenia was presented in 62 (32.6%) patients and 25 (13.2%) patients showed oxygen desaturation. The prevalence of high PTSD symptoms was 22.6% among the 190 patients. The median time from symptom onset to first medical visit and hospitalization was 2 days (IQR, 1-5) and 16 days (IQR, 10-27), respectively. Patients' PTSD symptoms were positively related to the time from symptom onset to first medical visit (r = 0.156, p < 0.05) and hospitalization (r = 0.181, p < 0.01). There were significant correlations between sleep quality and PTSD symptoms (r = 0.312-0.547, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of high PTSD symptoms was 22.6% among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Early diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 symptoms are beneficial to infected patients both physically and psychologically. With the recovery of physical symptoms, psychological intervention is desired to promote the trauma recovery in COVID-19 patients.

Persistent viral RNA positivity during the recovery period of a patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

As an emerging infectious disease, the clinical course and virological course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remain to be further investigated. In this case report, we described a case of SARS-CoV-2 infection with the clinical course for more than 2 months. This patient had recovered from pneumonia after treatment. The viral RNA of throat swabs became negative and the viral-specific antibodies were produced during the recovery period. However, the viral RNA reappeared and additionally persisted in throat swabs for more than 40 days. In addition, the viral RNA was detected in multiple types of specimens with extremely high titers in the saliva. In conclusion, these findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can cause a long clinical course. The coexistence of viral RNA and viral-specific antibodies may imply an immune evasion of SARS-CoV-2 from the host's immune system.

Vaccination status, acceptance, and knowledge toward a COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers: a cross-sectional survey in China.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are considered both a high-risk population regarding infections and effective vaccine recommenders whose willingness to be vaccinated is the key to herd immunity. However, the vaccination status, acceptance, and knowledge of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine among HCWs remain unknown. Therefore, we conducted an online survey regarding the above among HCWs in China after the vaccine was made available. Questionnaires returned by 1,779 HCWs were analyzed. Among these participants, 34.9% were vaccinated, 93.9% expressed their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccine knowledge level was high (89.2%). A bivariate analysis found that participants with a college degree, low level of knowledge, non-exposure to COVID-19 status, and those who are females or nurses have a lower vaccination rate, while participants who are married, with a monthly income of more than 5,000 yuan, and low knowledge levels are less willing to be vaccinated. A multivariate analysis found that participants with a high (OR = 7.042, 95% CI = 4.0918-12.120) or medium (OR = 3.709, 95% CI = 2.072-6.640) knowledge level about COVID-19 vaccines were more willing to be vaccinated. Participants were less likely to accept a COVID-19 vaccine if they were married (OR = 0.503, 95% CI = 0.310-0.815). In summary, Chinese HCWs have a strong willingness to be vaccinated and a high level of knowledge. Measures, such as targeted education for HCWs with low willingness and low level of knowledge, open vaccine review procedures, increased government trust, reduced vaccine costs, and provide vaccination guarantee policies, may improve the vaccination coverage of the at-risk group.

Danshensu alleviates pseudo-typed SARS-CoV-2 induced mouse acute lung inflammation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can induce acute inflammatory response like acute lung inflammation (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome, leading to severe progression and mortality. Therapeutics for treatment of SARS-CoV-2-triggered respiratory inflammation are urgent to be discovered. Our previous study shows that Salvianolic acid C potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of a Salvia miltiorrhiza compound, Danshensu, in vitro and in vivo, including the mechanism of S protein-mediated virus attachment and entry into target cells. In authentic and pseudo-typed virus assays in vitro, Danshensu displayed a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 with EC50 of 0.97 µM, and potently inhibited the entry of SARS-CoV-2 S protein-pseudo-typed virus (SARS-CoV-2 S) into ACE2-overexpressed HEK-293T cells (IC50 = 0.31 µM) and Vero-E6 cell (IC50 = 4.97 µM). Mice received SARS-CoV-2 S via trachea to induce ALI, while the VSV-G treated mice served as controls. The mice were administered Danshensu (25, 50, 100 mg/kg, i.v., once) or Danshensu (25, 50, 100 mg·kg-1·d-1, oral administration, for 7 days) before SARS-CoV-2 S infection. We showed that SARS-CoV-2 S infection induced severe inflammatory cell infiltration, severely damaged lung tissue structure, highly expressed levels of inflammatory cytokines, and activated TLR4 and hyperphosphorylation of the NF-κB p65; the high expression of angiotensinogen (AGT) and low expression of ACE2 at the mRNA level in the lung tissue were also observed. Both oral and intravenous pretreatment with Danshensu dose-dependently alleviated the pathological alterations in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 S. This study not only establishes a mouse model of pseudo-typed SARS-CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2 S) induced ALI, but also demonstrates that Danshensu is a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients to inhibit the lung inflammatory response.

The Experience of Patients with COVID-19 in China: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

AIM: The present study examined the experiences of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to better understand their concerns and inspiration and provide better care. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were performed with 10 COVID-19 patients from the Optical Valley Branch of Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital of Hubei Province. Interviews were recorded on audiotape and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Four superordinate themes emerged: psychological distress caused by COVID-19 uncertainty, ethical dilemmas that will be faced after returning to the family and society, resources to cope with COVID-19, and event-related growth experience. CONCLUSION: Patients with COVID-19 were generally at high risk of having mental and social health challenges. Although the epidemic obviously affected their overall health, which led to their negative emotions or concerns, it also had a positive effect, such as viewing their relationship with families or others more positively and having more thoughts and outlooks on life. The study prompted medical staff to take their time listening to patients and pay more attention to specific psychological and social health problems in future care.

Does pre-existent physical inactivity have a role in the severity of COVID-19?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Physical inactivity is considered an important lifestyle factor for overweight and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to investigate the association between pre-existent physical inactivity and the risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We included 164 (61.8 ± 13.6 years) patients with COVID-19 who were admitted between 15 February and 14 March 2020 in this retrospective study. We evaluated the association between pre-existent physical inactivity and severe COVID-19 using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of 164 eligible patients with COVID-19, 103 (62.8%) were reported to be physically inactive. Univariable logistic regression analysis showed that physical inactivity was associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 [unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 6.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.88-22.62]. In the multivariable regression analysis, physical inactivity remained significantly associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 (adjusted OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.12-15.14) after adjustment for age, sex, stroke, and overweight. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that pre-existent physical inactivity was associated with an increased risk of experiencing severe COVID-19. Our findings indicate that people should be encouraged to keep physically active to be at a lower risk of experiencing a severe illness when COVID-19 infection seems unpredicted.The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Decreased COVID-related adaptive behavior and increased negative affect: A multivariate latent growth curve model.

Data from a longitudinal questionnaire investigation of three time waves were used to investigate affective and behavioral changes and their covariant relationship among Chinese general population during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to May 2020. 145 participants aging from 15 to 63 completed three waves of survey. Latent growth curve analyses found that negative affect gradually increased as the pandemic continued. A faster increase in negative affect was related to a greater decrease in adaptive behavior and faster increase in non-adaptive behavior. A higher initial level of negative affect was related to a slower increase in non-adaptive behavior.

Biomimetic Design and Mass Production of Sustainable Multiscale Cellulose Fibers‐Based Hierarchical Filter Materials for Protective Clothing

As a core part of personal protective equipment (PPE), filter materials play a key role in individual protection, especially in the fight against the COVID‐19. Here, a high‐performance multiscale cellulose fibers‐based filter material is introduced for protective clothing, which overcomes the limitation of mutual exclusion of filtration and permeability in cellulose‐based filter materials. With the hierarchical biomimetic structure design and the active surface of multiscale cellulose fibers, high PM2.5 removal efficiency of ≈92% is achieved with the high moisture transmission rate of 8 kg m−2 d−1. Through a simple and effective dip‐coating and roll‐to‐roll process, the hierarchical filter materials can be made on a large scale and further fabricated into high‐quality protective clothing by industrial production equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Advanced Materials Technologies is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 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.)