Effect of brief social contact video compared with expert information video in changing knowledge and attitude towards psychosis patients among medical students.

OBJECTIVE: Direct contact interventions are known to reduce stigma. Effects of both filmed and direct social contact were found similar in reducing stigma. This study aims to understand the effect of video intervention, especially the effects between patient-sharing video and expert information video, among the medical students. METHODS: Seventy-two medical students were recruited from two consecutive clinical study periods. Students from one period were in the patient-sharing group, watching a 7-minute patient-sharing video. The others were in expert information group watching a 5-minute psychosis video. Subject's desire of social distance (Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale) knowledge (the Social Contact Intended Learning Outcome) attitude towards mental illness (Clinicians Attitudes Scales version 4) and emotional reactions (the Emotional Reactions to Mental illness Scales) were measured. Assessments were done at baseline, immediately after video watching and at 1 to 2 weeks follow-up. Within-group ANOVA was used to assess the difference between time points. Group by time effect was explored. RESULTS: Significant improvement in knowledge level was found with a significant group by time effect (F = 6.261, P = .004) for PS group and was maintained at follow-up. Post-intervention attitude was significantly improved in PS group but not maintained. Only social distance was improved significantly in EX group (F = 8.093, P = 0.003). Both groups had a significant reduction in fear sub-score. CONCLUSION: This study provided evidence on the effect of patient-sharing video in improving the attitude and knowledge of medical students. Expert information video about psychosis can improve social proximity. Combining these approaches may improve stigma and knowledge among medical students.

Application of coamplification at lower denaturation temperature-PCR sequencing for early detection of antiviral drug resistance mutations of hepatitis B virus.

Nucleoside/nucleotide analogue for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is hampered by the emergence of drug resistance mutations. Conventional PCR sequencing cannot detect minor variants of <20%. We developed a modified co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature-PCR (COLD-PCR) method for the detection of HBV minority drug resistance mutations. The critical denaturation temperature for COLD-PCR was determined to be 78°C. Sensitivity of COLD-PCR sequencing was determined using serially diluted plasmids containing mixed proportions of HBV reverse transcriptase (rt) wild-type and mutant sequences. Conventional PCR sequencing detected mutations only if they existed in ≥25%, whereas COLD-PCR sequencing detected mutations when they existed in 5 to 10% of the viral population. The performance of COLD-PCR was compared to conventional PCR sequencing and a line probe assay (LiPA) using 215 samples obtained from 136 lamivudine- or telbivudine-treated patients with virological breakthrough. Among these 215 samples, drug resistance mutations were detected in 155 (72%), 148 (69%), and 113 samples (53%) by LiPA, COLD-PCR, and conventional PCR sequencing, respectively. Nineteen (9%) samples had mutations detectable by COLD-PCR but not LiPA, while 26 (12%) samples had mutations detectable by LiPA but not COLD-PCR, indicating both methods were comparable (P = 0.371). COLD-PCR was more sensitive than conventional PCR sequencing. Thirty-five (16%) samples had mutations detectable by COLD-PCR but not conventional PCR sequencing, while none had mutations detected by conventional PCR sequencing but not COLD-PCR (P < 0.0001). COLD-PCR sequencing is a simple method which is comparable to LiPA and superior to conventional PCR sequencing in detecting minor lamivudine/telbivudine resistance mutations.