Strategies and Advances in Combating COVID-19 in China

PTSD prevalence and factors in intern nursing students after COVID-19 full liberalization in China: a cross-sectional study

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its influencing factors among intern nursing students after the full liberalization of the COVID-19 prevention and control policy in China.

Methods

Participants completed the online survey from January 14 to January 19, 2023. A demographic questionnaire, COVID-19 and internship-related questionnaire, the Fear of COVID-19 scale, the Primary Care PTSD Screen, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used to conduct the online survey.

Results

Of 438 participants, 88.4% tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 6 months. The prevalence of fear, resilience, and PTSD was 16.9, 15.5, and 11.2%, respectively. Direct care of COVID patients in hospital (OR = 2.084, 95%CI 1.034 ~ 4.202), the experience of occupational exposure (OR = 2.856, 95%CI 1.436 ~ 5.681), working with an experienced team (OR = 2.120, 95%CI 1.070 ~ 4.198), and fear COVID-19 (OR = 8.269, 95%CI 4.150 ~ 16.479) were significantly and positively associated with PTSD in nursing internship students.

Conclusion

After COVID-19 full liberalization in China, intern nursing students still experienced pandemic-related mental distress, which can bring PTSD. Adequate support and counseling should be provided, as needed, to intern nursing students who are about to enter the workforce and have experienced severe PTSD symptoms related to COVID-19. Our findings indicated that should understand the importance of screening, formulate intervention strategies and preventive measures to address psychosocial problems, and provide coping skills training to intern nursing students.

The characteristics of BCR-CDR3 repertoire in COVID-19 patients and SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated volunteers

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 1 billion infections, and numerous SARS-CoV-2 vaccines developed rapidly have been administered over 10 billion doses. The world is continuously concerned about the cytokine storms induced by the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and host, long COVID, breakthrough infections postvaccination, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants. BCR-CDR3 repertoire serves as a molecular target for monitoring the antiviral response "trace" of B cells, evaluating the effects, mechanisms, and memory abilities of individual responses to B cells, and has been successfully applied in analyzing the infection mechanisms, vaccine improvement, and neutralizing antibodies preparation of influenza virus, HIV, MERS, and Ebola virus. Based on research on BCR-CDR3 repertoire of COVID-19 patients and volunteers who received different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in multiple laboratories worldwide, we focus on analyzing the characteristics and changes of BCR-CDR3 repertoire, such as diversity, clonality, V&J genes usage and pairing, SHM, CSR, shared CDR3 clones, as well as the summary on BCR sequences targeting virus-specific epitopes in the preparation and application research of SARS-CoV-2 potential therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. This review provides comparative data and new research schemes for studying the possible mechanisms of differences in B cell response between SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination, and supplies a foundation for improving vaccines after SARS-CoV-2 mutations and potential antibody therapy for infected individuals.

The efficacy of hydrogen/oxygen therapy favored the recovery of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection: results of a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial

Clinical studies had found that hydrogen/oxygen mixed inhalation was beneficial to ameliorate the respiratory symptoms in the adjuvant treatment of patients with COVID-19. We aimed to explore the efficacy of hydrogen/oxygen therapy in favoring the recovery of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection. There were 64 patients who randomly assigned to receive hydrogen/oxygen inhalation (32 patients) and oxygen inhalation (32 patients). The average shedding duration of Omicron in hydrogen/oxygen group was shorter than oxygen group. The trend of cumulative negative conversion rate of Omicron increased gradually after the third day. The IL-6 levels in hydrogen/oxygen group decreased by 22.8% compared with the baseline. After hydrogen/oxygen mixed gas inhalation, the lymphocyte count increased to 61.1% of the baseline on the 3rd day in the hydrogen/oxygen group. More patients in the hydrogen/oxygen group had resolution of pulmonary lesions. Our study showed the beneficial trends of molecular hydrogen in treating patients with COVID-19, which may offer a prospective solution to adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 Patients.

Study on disinfection effect of a 222-nm UVC excimer lamp on object surface

Effective disinfection of contaminated surfaces is essential for preventing the transmission of pathogens. In this study, we investigated the UV irradiance and wavelength distribution of a 222-nm ultraviolet C (UVC) excimer lamp and its disinfection efficacy against microorganisms in laboratory conditions. By using a carrier quantitative germicidal test with stainless steel sheets as carriers, we examined the disinfection effect of the 222-nm UVC lamp on three standard strains-Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We tested the disinfection efficacy under different conditions by adjusting irradiation time, as well as the state and temperature of the stainless steel carriers. Our results indicated that a bacterial suspension in PBS and not-dried stainless steel carriers yielded better disinfection than in TSB and dried carriers. Additionally, carrier temperature had no significant impact on disinfection efficacy. When utilizing a bacterial suspension in PBS and non-dried carriers at a temperature of 20 °C, the three bacteria were eliminated by 222-nm UVC excimer lamp irradiation in just 15 s. In contrast, when using a bacterial suspension in TSB and dried carriers at temperatures of 20 °C, 4 °C, or - 20 °C, the three bacteria were eradicated by 222-nm UVC excimer lamp irradiation in 60 s. Comparatively, the LPM lamp required more than 10 min to achieve the same disinfection effect. Our data demonstrate that the 222-nm UVC excimer lamp has higher irradiance and a more potent microbial disinfection effect than the LPM lamp, requiring significantly less irradiation time to achieve the same disinfection effect under identical conditions. Furthermore, the 222-nm UVC excimer lamp exhibited a substantial disinfection effect on bacterial propagules at low temperatures. Our findings support the optimization of "tunnel-type" cold-chain goods disinfection devices, providing an alternative, highly efficient, and practical tool to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through cold-chain systems.

Reduction in the duration of postoperative fever following NUSS surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Our study aimed to compare the prevalence of postoperative fever during the COVID-19 pandemic period with that of the preceding non-pandemic period.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with pectus excavatum (PE) undergoing minimally invasive repair (also called NUSS procedure) at Nanjing Children's Hospital from January 1, 2017 to March 1, 2019 (Group 2019), and from January 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021 (Group 2021). Data from a total of 284 patients, consisting of 200 (70.4%) males and 84 (29.6%) females with an average age of 9.73 ± 3.41 (range, 4 to 17) years, were collected. The presence of post-operative fever (defined as a forehead temperature of 37.5℃ or above within 72 h post-surgery), as well as the time of operation, duration of postoperative mechanical ventilator and urinary catheter use, and length of hospitalization were all assessed in admitted patients from Group 2019 (n = 144) and Group 2021 (n = 140). Postoperative white blood cell (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and prevalence of postoperative complications (i.e., pneumothorax, pulmonary atelectasis, pneumonia, wound infection, and dehiscence) were also determined.

RESULT

Our results showed a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of postoperative fever within 24 to 72 h of surgery in patients admitted from Group 2019 as compared to Group 2021 (p < 0.001), as well as a decrease in peak body temperature within 72 h (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, no significant differences were observed in age and body mass index (BMI), time of operation, or duration of postoperative mechanical ventilator and urinary catheter use between the two groups (p > 0.05). The average hospitalization length of Group 2021 was significantly shorter than Group 2019 (12.49 ± 2.57 vs. 11.85 ± 2.19 days, p < 0.05). Furthermore, while the WBC count between the two groups 24 h after surgery showed a statistical difference (p < 0.05), no differences in CRP levels or the incidence of postoperative complications were observed (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of postoperative fever within 72 h of surgery and the length of hospital stay for patients with PE undergoing NUSS surgery were both decreased in Group 2021. We propose that the above phenomenon may be related to increased used of personal protection equipment (such as surgical masks and filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs)) by physicians, nurses, and the patients themselves.

Effect of medium-density fiberboard wastes ash on calcium silicate hydrate crystal of concrete

Due to the high consumption of Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), waste products of this material are growing worldwide. In this research, the feasibility of using Medium-density fiberboard waste ash (MDFWA) as part of cement in concrete was investigated. For this purpose, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% of the cement in concrete was substituted with MDFWA. For all design mixes, the water/blind ratio and the volume of aggregates were same. The slump, compressive strengths, SEM, EDX, TGA, DSC, and FTIR tests were conducted on the samples. At 28 days, the results demonstrated that the compressive strength of the sample containing 20% MDFWA increased by 13.6% compared to the control sample. Furthermore, the microstructure of the concrete show that the voids of the sample containing 20% MDFWA reduced compared to the control sample and also more calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) crystal formed.Implications: The significance of the present paper is to solve the environmental issue caused by large amount of Medium-density fiberboard waste ash (MDFWA) and produce also sustainable concrete. In addition, the replacement of cement with MDFWA increases the compressive strength and enhancement of the microstructure of concrete due to extra C-S-H products. Therefore, the findings confirm that by using 20% MDFWA, a more eco-friendly production, denser, sustainable, economical, and stronger concrete would be achieved.

Public Health Measures and the Control of COVID-19 in China

In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic quickly spread throughout China and beyond, posing enormous global challenges. With prompt, vigorous, and coordinated control measures, mainland China contained the spread of the epidemic within two months and halted the epidemic in three months. Aggressive containment strategy, hierarchical management, rational reallocation of resources, efficient contact tracing, and voluntary cooperation of Chinese citizens contributed to the rapid and efficient control of the epidemic, thus promoting the rapid recovery of the Chinese economy. This review summarizes China's prevention and control strategies and other public health measures, which may provide a reference for the epidemic control in other countries.

Quantitative determination of the electron beam radiation dose for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation to decontaminate frozen food packaging

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from cold-chain foods to frontline workers poses a serious public health threat during the current global pandemic. There is an urgent need to design concise approaches for effective virus inactivation under different physicochemical conditions to reduce the risk of contagion through viral contaminated surfaces of cold-chain foods. By employing a time course of electron beam exposure to a high titer of SARS-CoV-2 at cold-chain temperatures, a radiation dose of 2 ​kGy was demonstrated to reduce the viral titer from 10^4.5 to 0 median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID₅₀)/mL. Next, using human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) as a suitable SARS-CoV-2 surrogate, 3 ​kGy of high-energy electron radiation was defined as the inactivation dose for a titer reduction of more than 4 log units on tested packaging materials. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to test three viral genes, namely, E, N, and ORF1ab. There was a strong correlation between TCID₅₀ and RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. However, RT-qPCR could not differentiate between the infectivity of the radiation-inactivated and nonirradiated control viruses. As the defined radiation dose for effective viral inactivation fell far below the upper safe dose limit for food processing, our results provide a basis for designing radiation-based approaches for the decontamination of SARS-CoV-2 in frozen food products. We further demonstrate that cell-based virus assays are essential to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 inactivation efficiency for the decontaminating strategies.

Herbal Medicine on Response Immune Patient with COVID-19 Infection a Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has spread through the world and has caused a global pandemic. There is a lot of evidence that taking herbal medicines could increase the immune response but otherwise, the relation of herbal medicine and inflammation factors that lead to cytokine storm is still discussing. AIM: The purpose of this article is to review the evidence of herbal medicine that use in COVID-19 patients and the effect on the immune response of patients with COVID-19 infection. METHOD: We conducted a scoping review on the PubMed and Science Direct databases from January 1 to July 2020 using searching terms “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV2 Infection”, “Herbal Medicine” AND “Immune Response” Or “Humoral Immune, Response”. We use only scientific articles that discuss herbal medicine and its effect on the immune response. There were eight articles included in the analysis, many types of herbal medicines are used to maintain symptom management and to enhance the patient’s immune response, including, Echinacea, QPD (qingfei paidu) and Western medicine, Jiedu Capsule (SFJDC), Yidu-toxicity blocking lung decoction and Ayush Kwath, nagella sative, and LHQW. RESULTS: This article concludes that several alternative herbal medicines affect the immune response in COVID-19 patients, especially in reducing inflammatory agents, cytokine levels, and immunomodulators. Echinacea, Jiedu Capsule (SFJD), QPD (qingfei paidu) and Western medicine, and Ayush Kwath, nagella sative, and Lianhuaqingwen (LHQW) are the alternative herbal medicines that could provide benefits for COVID-19 patients, although research on the target mechanism must need more exploration.

Discovery of diminazene as a dual inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 human host proteases TMPRSS2 and furin using cell-based assays

The proteases TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease serine 2) and furin are known to play important roles in viral infectivity including systematic COVID-19 infection through priming of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses. To discover small-molecules capable of inhibiting these host proteases, we established convenient and cost-effective cell-based assays employing Vero cells overexpressing TMPRSS2 and furin. A cell-based proteolytic assay for broad-spectrum protease inhibitors was also established using human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Evaluation of camostat, nafamostat, and gabexate in these cell-based assays confirmed their known TMPRSS2 inhibitory activities. Diminazene, a veterinary medicinal agent and a known furin inhibitor was found to inhibit both TMPRSS2 and furin with IC₅₀s of 1.35 and 13.2 μM, respectively. Establishment and the use of cell-based assays for evaluation TMPRSS2 and furin inhibitory activity and implications of dual activity of diminazene vs TMPRSS2 and furin are presented.

Antibacterial mechanism of Cu-bearing 430 ferritic stainless steel

Copper (Cu)-bearing stainless steel has testified its effectiveness to reduce the risk of bacterial infections. However, its antibacterial mechanism is still controversial. Therefore, three 430 ferritic stainless steels with different Cu contents are selected to conduct deeper research by the way of bacterial inactivation from two aspects of material and biology. Hereinto, electrochemical and antibacterial results show that the increase in Cu content simultaneously improves the corrosion resistance and antibacterial property of 430 stainless steel. In addition, it is found that Escherichia coli (E. coli) on the surface 430 Cu-bearing stainless steel by the dry method of inoculation possesses a rapid inactivation ability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) aids with ion chelation experiments prove that Cu (I) plays a more crucial role in the contact-killing efficiency than Cu (II), resulting from more production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Changes in Incidence of Notifiable Infectious Diseases in China Under the Prevention and Control Measures of COVID-19

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in incidence of notifiable infectious diseases in China under the prevention and control measures of COVID-19. Methods: Using descriptive epidemiological methods, data were collected from the official website of the Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and the prevalence characteristics of notifiable infectious diseases in the country in 2020 were analyzed and compared with the historical data in 2019. Monthly reporting data on influenza and tuberculosis from 2015 to 2019 were also collected. Results: Except for COVID-19, the total number of notifiable infectious diseases cases in 2020 was 6,366,176, a decrease of 41.38% year-on-year compared with 2019. Category B and C notifiable infectious diseases decreased by 14.84 and 54.98% year-on-year, respectively (P < 0.01). The top three incidence rates were influenza (87.63 cases/100,000), hepatitis B (81.36 cases/100,000) and other infectious diarrhea (76.33 cases/100,000). Three types of diseases with the largest decline were influenza (-2,280,502 cases), hand-foot-mouth disease (-1,174,588 cases), and other infectious diarrhea diseases (-275,746 cases). Compared with 2019, respiratory infectious diseases were reported to be in the largest decline in 2020, followed by intestinal infectious diseases, blood-borne and sexually transmitted diseases, natural foci, and insect-borne infectious diseases. The monthly reported incidences of influenza and tuberculosis in 2020 were lower than the average of the previous 5 years. Conclusion: In 2020, the incidence of most notifiable infectious diseases in China showed a downward trend, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)such as the wearing of masks, frequent hand-washing, more ventilation, less gathering, etc, played an positive role in the prevention and control of respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases. The various public health intervention strategies and measures adopted by China to contain COVID-19 can provide a reference for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in other countries.