Mental health problems and correlates among 746 217 college students during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in China

AIMS

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major public health concern all over the world. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population. This study aimed to assess the mental health problems and associated factors among a large sample of college students during the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and nation-wide survey of college students was conducted in China from 3 to 10 February 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial factors, COVID-19 epidemic related factors and mental health problems. Acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Chinese versions of the impact of event scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Univariate and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with mental health problems.

RESULTS

Among 821 218 students who participated in the survey, 746 217 (90.9%) were included for the analysis. In total, 414 604 (55.6%) of the students were female. About 45% of the participants had mental health problems. The prevalence rates of probable acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were 34.9%, 21.1% and 11.0%, respectively. COVID-19 epidemic factors that were associated with increased risk of mental health problems were having relatives or friends being infected (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72-2.33). Students with exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 ≥3 h/day were 2.13 times more likely than students with media exposure <1 h/day to have acute stress symptoms. Individuals with low perceived social support were 4.84-5.98 times more likely than individuals with high perceived social support to have anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, senior year and prior mental health problems were also significantly associated with anxiety or/and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large-scale survey of college students in China, acute stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple epidemic and psychosocial factors, such as family members being infected, massive media exposure, low social support, senior year and prior mental health problems were associated with increased risk of mental health problems. Psychosocial support and mental health services should be provided to those students at risk.

[Observation and analysis of lens turbidity lesion induced by low intensity 635 nm laser radiation]

Objective: To study the characteristics of the lens turbidity after long-term exposure to low intensity 635nm laser. Methods: Cluster sampling method was adopted to select 812 employees in a laser leveler workshop in a city of Guangdong Province from January 2014 to December 2018. They were divided into the control group, diffuse reflection (DR) group and direct vision (DV) group for retrospective observation and analysis of lens turbidity. The laser irradiation intensity of each group was investigated, the position and shape of lens opacity were analyzed, and the influencing factors were statistically analyzed with the repeated measurement data of dichotomy. Results: The laser irradiance and radiant exposure of DV group were between 0.72×10(-4) and 9.92×10(-4) mW/cm(2) and between 2.61×10(-2) and 1.53 J/cm(2), respectively. The subjects were mainly diagnosed with lens turbidity lesion, especially for the DV group. Most of lesions occurred in the pole and periphery of the anterior cortex. The lesions exhibited multipoint patterns with greyish white color. The turbidity rates in DV group (before work and work for 1, 2, 3 years) were 0%, 1.99% (8/402) , 4.98% (20/402) and 6.72% (27/402) , respectively, in the order of observation points. The statistical analysis of single factor effect showed that the turbidity rate was higher in DV group and higher in the second year in the DV group (P<0.01) . Multi-factor analysis of the laser effect on the lens showed that the main effect between groups, between the observation point were statistically significant (P<0.05) , but no statistical significance in the interaction between group×observation points (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Lens turbidity lesion can be caused by long-term exposure to low intensity 635 nm laser, so the product safety classification should be strictly strengthened. It is necessary to strengthen the protection of laser photochemical damage in the production process.

von Willebrand factor promotes platelet-induced metastasis of osteosarcoma through activation of the VWF-GPIb axis

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Immunohistochemistry results directly show VWF is increased during tumor progression.

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VWF is expressed as low molecular weight multimer in OS cell line SAOS2.

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VWF promotes platelet-induced metastasis of OS through VWF-GPIb pathway.

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is exclusively expressed in endothelial cells (ECs) and megakaryocytes, which plays a crucial role in the initiation of arterial thrombosis. Recent studies have shown that VWF is also expressed in osteosarcoma (OS) cells and participates in adhesion of cancer cells to platelets, thus promoting metastasis of OS cells. However, it is unclear how OS cell-derived VWF-platelet interaction contributes to the metastasis of OS. We hypothesized that the interaction is mediated by the binding between VWF A1 and GPIbα of platelets, a molecular mechanism similar to that of thrombosis. The increased expression of VWF in SAOS2 cells may contribute to the enhancement of platelet adhesion through the VWF-GPIb pathway, which could promote the migration and invasion capacities of SAOS2 cells in vitro. Antibodies that block the pathway could significantly inhibit the platelet-induced metastasis of OS cells. Our results suggest a theoretical basis for the development of new anti-OS metastasis drugs, and further enrich the mechanism of OS metastasis.

Solution-Processed Organic Solar Cells with High Open-Circuit Voltage of 1.3 V and Low Non-Radiative Voltage Loss of 0.16 V

Compared with inorganic or perovskite solar cells, the relatively large non-radiative recombination voltage losses (ΔV_non-rad ) in organic solar cells (OSCs) limit the improvement of the open-circuit voltage (V_oc ). Herein, OSCs are fabricated by adopting two pairs of D-π-A polymers (PBT1-C/PBT1-C-2Cl and PBDB-T/PBDB-T-2Cl) as electron donors and a wide-bandgap molecule BTA3 as the electron acceptor. In these blends, a charge-transfer state energy (E_CT ) as high as 1.70-1.76 eV is achieved, leading to small energetic differences between the singlet excited states and charge-transfer states (ΔE_CT ≈ 0.1 eV). In addition, after introducing chlorine atoms into the π-bridge or the side chain of benzodithiophene (BDT) unit, electroluminescence external quantum efficiencies as high as 1.9 × 10^-3 and 1.0 × 10^-3 are realized in OSCs based on PBTI-C-2Cl and PBDB-T-2Cl, respectively. Their corresponding ΔV_non-rad are 0.16 and 0.17 V, which are lower than those of OSCs based on the analog polymers without a chlorine atom (0.21 and 0.24 V for PBT1-C and PBDB-T, respectively), resulting in high V_oc of 1.3 V. The ΔV_non-rad of 0.16 V and V_oc of 1.3 V achieved in PBT1-C-2Cl:BTA3 OSCs are thought to represent the best values for solution-processed OSCs reported in the literature so far.

Miscibility-Controlled Phase Separation in Double-Cable Conjugated Polymers for Single-Component Organic Solar Cells with Efficiencies over 8

A record power conversion efficiency of 8.40 % was obtained in single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs) based on double-cable conjugated polymers. This is realized based on exciton separation playing the same role as charge transport in SCOSCs. Two double-cable conjugated polymers were designed with almost identical conjugated backbones and electron-withdrawing side units, but extra Cl atoms had different positions on the conjugated backbones. When Cl atoms were positioned at the main chains, the polymer formed the twist backbones, enabling better miscibility with the naphthalene diimide side units. This improves the interface contact between conjugated backbones and side units, resulting in efficient conversion of excitons into free charges. These findings reveal the importance of charge generation process in SCOSCs and suggest a strategy to improve this process: controlling miscibility between conjugated backbones and aromatic side units in double-cable conjugated polymers.

Effect of Nitro-Substituted Ending Groups on the Photovoltaic Properties of Nonfullerene Acceptors

Chemical modification of end groups has proved to be an effective way to design new acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-structured nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) for high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we designed and synthesized two nitro-substituted end groups, N1 and N2. Using the two end groups as A units, two A-D-A acceptors, F-N1 and F-N2, were obtained. It also has been found that the nitro substitution position on end groups affects not only the absorptions and energy levels of the resultant acceptor materials but also their molecular packing behavior and active layer morphologies. In addition, the devices based on the two acceptors showed different energy losses. Power-conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 10.66 and 11.86% were achieved for F-N1- and F-N2-based devices, respectively. This work reveals that the nitration of end groups is one of the potential strategies for designing high-performance photovoltaic active layer materials.

Correction to: Maternal Hypertension, Advanced Doppler Haemodynamics and Therapeutic Precision: Principles and Illustrative Cases

The original publication of this article, unfortunately, contains the following errors.

Relative deprivation, social exclusion, and quality of life among Chinese internal migrants

OBJECTIVES

Factors contributing to diminishing quality of life (QOL) of migrants have been examined, but little is known about the impact of relative deprivation. This study aimed to clarify the effects of relative deprivation on QOL and mediating effects of social exclusion among Chinese internal migrants.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a secondary data analysis of a nationally representative survey.

METHODS

We obtained data from 14,816 internal immigrants, aged 15-59 years, throughout China using the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). We measured relative deprivation via a modified Yitzhaki Index, social exclusion using a four-point Likert scale, and QOL using the Kessler Psychological Distress Short Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a subscale of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. Survey data of 15,996 local residents were also retrieved and analyzed to make possible comparisons between the local and migrant population. Furthermore, we used descriptive and statistical analyses with data from the CMDS to identify relative deprivation and social exclusion.

RESULTS

The results show relative deprivation both directly and indirectly influences Chinese internal migrants' QOL. Specifically, compared with the local population, relative deprivation triggers serious social exclusion (β = 0.008, P < 0.001), ultimately deteriorating QOL. Social exclusion partially mediated the total effects of relative deprivation on mental illness (β = 0.004, P < 0.001), self-rated health (β = -0.285, P < 0.001), and life satisfaction (β = -0.020, P < 0.001) among Chinese internal migrants.

CONCLUSION

Relative deprivation significantly impacts QOL by exacerbating mental illness, eroding self-rated health, and inhibiting life satisfaction. Relative deprivation is significantly directly associated with various indicators of QOL and indirectly affects QOL through social exclusion. In addition, our results demonstrate that the relative deprivation theoretical approach and the modified Yitzhaki Index are worthy of future investigation in studies of migrants' health.

[Influence of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy on immune function and coagulation function and prognosis]

Objective: To explore the influence of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy on patients'immune functions, coagulation functions and prognoses. Methods: Fifty-eight patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (laparoscopic group) and 40 patients with gastric cancer who underwent traditional open surgery (traditional group) in Henan People's Hospital from May 2016 to May 2018 were selected as the subjects. The immune function and coagulation function were compared between the two groups before and after operation. The prognoses of patients underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and the influencing factors were analyzed. Results: Three days after operation, the CD4(+) level and CD4(+) /CD8(+) ratio in laparoscopic group were (29.78±3.58)% and (1.01±0.18), higher than (27.23±3.47)% and (0.93±0.14) in control group (P<0.05). Three days after operation, the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in laparoscopic group was (26.55±2.56) seconds, shorter than (27.86±2.73) seconds in traditional group, while the levels of fibrinogen (FIB) and D-dimer were (4.24±0.84) g/L and (377.91±47.19) μg/L, higher than (3.88±0.75) g/L and (330.28±45.11) μg/L in traditional group (P<0.05). The 5-year survival rate was 77.5% in traditional group and 72.4% in laparoscopic group, without significant difference (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis was the independent risk factor for prognosis of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (P<0.05). Conclusions: Laparoscopic radical gastrectomy can effectively reduce postoperative immunosuppression, but affect postoperative coagulation function. Lymph node metastasis is closely related to the prognosis of patient with gastric cancer. The patient's condition should be comprehensively evaluated before and after operation to determine whether the laparoscopic operation is suitable, for reducing postoperative complications and improving the prognosis.