Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers' food safety knowledge and behavior in China.

This study assesses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese residents' food safety knowledge and behavior, and explores the possible influence mechanism, namely, focus on media information. The study is based on internet survey data of 1 373 residents in China. A series of econometric models are developed to estimate food safety knowledge and behavior of residents. Both the descriptive and econometric results indicate that the existence of COVID-19 cases in a community has a significantly positive effect on residents' food safety knowledge and behavior. Residents focusing on food safety-related information tend to have higher food safety knowledge and practice food safety behavior. When controlling the variable focused on food safety-related information, the marginal effects of the existence of COVID-19 cases in a community on residents' food safety knowledge and behavior significantly decrease. However, the decrease in consumers' food safety knowledge is quite minor. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic indeed improves Chinese residents' food safety knowledge and behavior, while focus on food safety-related information is an important mechanism for improving food safety behavior. Moreover, the estimation results of the simultaneous equations model reveal that consumers' food safety knowledge has a significant and positive effect on their food safety behavior. Heterogeneous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents' food safety knowledge and behavior among different regions and income groups are observed. The findings of this study provide evidence that public health events could enhance residents' safety awareness and behavior, while residents' focus on relevant information plays an important role in improving knowledge and impacting behavior.

[Clinical research on nasal endoscopic surgery for rhinogenous optic function damage].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the surgical treatment of rhinogenous optic function damage (ROFD) through transnasal endoscopic approach. METHODS: Twenty-three patients (25 eyes) with ROFD were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were operated on through transnasal endoscopic approach, and 9 patients underwent endoscopic optic nerve decompression. RESULTS: Four patients had bilateral pansinusitis, 6 patients had unilateral posterior ethmoidal sinusitis and sphenoiditis. One patient had frontal and ethmoidal sinusitis. Five patients had fungal sinusitis occurred in the sphenoid sinus and unilateral posterior ethmoid sinus. Two patients had unilateral pyocyst and cyst of the sphenoid and ethmoid sinus. The preoperative visual acuity preoperative were as follows: 2 patients (2 eyes) no light perception (NLP), 6 patients (7 eyes) hand movement (HM), 7 patients (7 eyes) fingers counting (FC) less than 20 cm and 8 patients (9 eyes) were vision impaired in different degree. One patient (1 eye) was ophthalmoptosis, direct and indirect light reflex vanished. Three patients (3 eyes) diplopia, 2 patients (2 eyes) abduction paralysis, 3 patients (3 eyes) defect of visual field. One patient ptosis of upper lid. The visual acuity postoperative: 2 eyes failed, 10 eyes cured;13 eyes improved from HM or FC to FC (30-60 cm). CONCLUSIONS: The endoscopic sinus surgery combined with appropriate medical therapy are effective to ROFD. Patients who suffered from severe visual damage and either unresponsive or intolerant to medical treatment should be administrated endoscopic sinus surgery including endoscopic optic nerve decompression.

[Effect of berberine hydrochloride on the expression of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in periodontal tissues in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of berberine hydrochloride on the expressions of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in periodontal tissues in rat periodontitis model. METHODS: Based on the successful rat periodontitis model, the experimental rats were randomized into different groups followed by oral treatment with berberine hydrochloride for 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks and then the rats were sacrificed and analyzed. Pathological assay and HE staining were used to detect the general conditions and pathological changes of rat periodontal tissues. And immunohistochemical staining was conducted to determine the expressions of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in rats periodontitis model periodontal tissues. RESULTS: The levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in the periodontitis tissues were significantly higher than that in the control group. Treatment with berberine hydrochloride decreased the levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in periodontitis tissues (P<0.05). Moreover, the general conditions and pathological changes in the control group and groups treated with berberine hydrochloride were much better than that in periodontitis groups. CONCLUSION: Berberine hydrochloride inhibited the expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in periodontal tissues in rats periodontitis model and promoted the regeneration of the periodontal tissues. This study suggested that berberine hydrochloride may have potential clinical application.

[Early treatment of middle ear disease in cleft palate infants].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of myringotomy with insertion of tube and tympanocentesis on alleviating secretory otitis media (SOM) and hearing loss in cleft palate infants. METHODS: Nineteen cleft lip and palate infants with SOM and hearing loss (38 ears) were treated with myringotomy with insertion of ventilation tube at the same time of repair of the cleft lip, who were performed averagely at 6.9 months of age. Fifteen cleft lip and palate infants with SOM (30 ears) were treated with tympanocentesis at the same time of repair of the cleft lip averagely at 6.6 months of age. All cases were followed up from 1 week to 12 months and estimated by auditory brainstem response (ABR) and acoustic immitance audiometry. RESULTS: The average wave V reacting thresholds of ABR were separately 55.41 dBnHL and 28.48 dBnHL, and 79.17% tympanogram B changed to tympanogram A in cleft palate infants with insertion of tube before and after operation. The average wave V reacting thresholds of ABR were separately 40.63 dBnHL and 26.50 dBnHL, and 40.91% tympanogram B changed to tympanogram A in cleft palate infants with tympanocentesis preoperatively and in 1 week postoperatively, in whom the average hearing thresholds and tympanograms had no significant difference preoperatively and in 1 or 3 months postoperatively (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The early myringotomy with insertion of tube is effective to restore the function of the middle ear in cleft palate infants with SOM, so to suggest to be performed at the same time of the repair of cleft lip within the first 1-year of life. The tympanocentesis should not be used as a regular management in the cleft palate infants with SOM.

[Relationship between levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6 and airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with allergic rhinitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6 and airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and 20 controls were included in the study. The levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in nasal lavage fluid, gathered 1 hour after specific allergen nasal provocation test (SANPT), were detected by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The pulmonary function (FEV1) and nonspecific bronchial provocation test were measured in 54 patients with AR, 36 patients with AR and bronchial asthma (BA) and 20 controls. At the same time, the correlation between levels of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in nasal lavage fluid and pulmonary function (FEV1) was studied. RESULTS: The levels of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in nasal lavage fluid from patients with AR were (272.75 +/- 32.25) pg/ml and (52.11 +/- 16.54) pg/ml, significantly higher than those the controls, which were (158.82 +/- 33.88) pg/ml and (25.64 +/- 10.14) pg/ml (P < 0.01). The pulmonary function (FEV1) in patients with AR and BA was (78.82 +/- 7.41)%. It was obviously lower than that in patients with AR [(83.90 +/- 4.87)%], much lower than that in normal controls [(90.25 +/- 4.69)%]. The difference among them was significant. In patients with AR, the positive percentage of bronchial provocation test was 64.81%, in patients with AR and BA, it was 83.33% in normal controls, it was 0. The differences among them had very significant meaning. The levels of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in nasal provocation fluid had closely negative correlation with pulmonary function (FEV1), r = -0.7071, -0.6248, P < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: The close correlation was observed in upper and lower airway for allergic inflammation. The pulmonary function of patients with AR was lower, and 64. 8% of them had airway hyperresponsiveness, so that they had the potent possibility to have bronchial asthma.