The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has rapidly grown worldwide,
and many governments have implemented policies to control the infection rate. For example, school suspension, ...self-quarantine, requirement of citizens to stay at home,
travel and border controls, and discouragement of outdoor activities
have been used. Although these actions emphasizing the importance of "spatial distancing" are based on the perspective of public health, they may result in health problems other than COVID-19 infection, such as psychological distress and fear.
Therefore, the present authors examined the potential predictors for psychological distress among schoolchildren during COVID-19 school suspension.
Cancer cells display altered glucose metabolism characterized by a preference for aerobic glycolysis. The aerobic glycolytic phenotype of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often correlated with tumor ...progression and poorer clinical outcomes. However, the issue of whether glycolytic metabolism influences metastasis in HCC remains unclear. In the current study, we showed that knockdown of taurine up‐regulated gene 1 (TUG1) induces marked inhibition of cell migration, invasion, and glycolysis through suppression of microRNA (miR)‐455‐3p. MiR‐455‐3p, which is transcriptionally repressed by p21, directly targets the 3′ untranslated region of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase subunit beta 2 (AMPKβ2). The TUG1/miR‐455‐3p/AMPKβ2 axis regulates cell growth, metastasis, and glycolysis through regulation of hexokinase 2 (HK2). TUG1 is clearly associated with HK2 overexpression and unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients. Conclusion: Our data collectively highlight that novel regulatory associations among TUG1, miR‐455‐3p, AMPKβ2, and HK2 are an important determinant of glycolytic metabolism and metastasis in HCC cells and support the potential utility of targeting TUG1/HK2 as a therapeutic strategy for HCC. (Hepatology 2018;67:188‐203)
Background
The emergence of the COVID-19 and its consequences has led to fears, worries, and anxiety among individuals worldwide. The present study developed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to ...complement the clinical efforts in preventing the spread and treating of COVID-19 cases.
Methods
The sample comprised 717 Iranian participants. The items of the FCV-19S were constructed based on extensive review of existing scales on fears, expert evaluations, and participant interviews. Several psychometric tests were conducted to ascertain its reliability and validity properties.
Results
After panel review and corrected item-total correlation testing, seven items with acceptable corrected item-total correlation (0.47 to 0.56) were retained and further confirmed by significant and strong factor loadings (0.66 to 0.74). Also, other properties evaluated using both classical test theory and Rasch model were satisfactory on the seven-item scale. More specifically, reliability values such as internal consistency (
α
= .82) and test–retest reliability (ICC = .72) were acceptable. Concurrent validity was supported by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (with depression,
r
= 0.425 and anxiety,
r
= 0.511) and the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (with perceived infectability,
r
= 0.483 and germ aversion, r = 0.459).
Conclusion
The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, has robust psychometric properties. It is reliable and valid in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general population and will also be useful in allaying COVID-19 fears among individuals.
Objectives
Rates of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infections have rapidly increased worldwide and reached pandemic proportions. A suite of preventive behaviours have been recommended to ...minimize risk of COVID‐19 infection in the general population. The present study utilized an integrated social cognition model to explain COVID‐19 preventive behaviours in a sample from the Iranian general population.
Design
The study adopted a three‐wave prospective correlational design.
Methods
Members of the general public (N = 1,718, Mage = 33.34, SD = 15.77, male = 796, female = 922) agreed to participate in the study. Participants completed self‐report measures of demographic characteristics, intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and action self‐efficacy at an initial data collection occasion. One week later, participants completed self‐report measures of maintenance self‐efficacy, action planning and coping planning, and, a further week later, measures of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours. Hypothesized relationships among social cognition constructs and COVID‐19 preventive behaviours according to the proposed integrated model were estimated using structural equation modelling.
Results
The proposed model fitted the data well according to multiple goodness‐of‐fit criteria. All proposed relationships among model constructs were statistically significant. The social cognition constructs with the largest effects on COVID‐19 preventive behaviours were coping planning (β = .575, p < .001) and action planning (β = .267, p < .001).
Conclusions
Current findings may inform the development of behavioural interventions in health care contexts by identifying intervention targets. In particular, findings suggest targeting change in coping planning and action planning may be most effective in promoting participation in COVID‐19 preventive behaviours.
Statement of contribution
What is already known on this subject?
Curbing COVID‐19 infections globally is vital to reduce severe cases and deaths in at‐risk groups.
Preventive behaviours like handwashing and social distancing can stem contagion of the coronavirus.
Identifying modifiable correlates of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours is needed to inform intervention.
What does this study add?
An integrated model identified predictors of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours in Iranian residents.
Prominent predictors were intentions, planning, self‐efficacy, and perceived behavioural control.
Findings provide insight into potentially modifiable constructs that interventions can target.
Research should examine if targeting these factors lead to changes in COVID‐19 behaviours over time.
A multi-omics quantitative integrative analysis of lignin biosynthesis can advance the strategic engineering of wood for timber, pulp, and biofuels. Lignin is polymerized from three monomers ...(monolignols) produced by a grid-like pathway. The pathway in wood formation of Populus trichocarpa has at least 21 genes, encoding enzymes that mediate 37 reactions on 24 metabolites, leading to lignin and affecting wood properties. We perturb these 21 pathway genes and integrate transcriptomic, proteomic, fluxomic and phenomic data from 221 lines selected from ~2000 transgenics (6-month-old). The integrative analysis estimates how changing expression of pathway gene or gene combination affects protein abundance, metabolic-flux, metabolite concentrations, and 25 wood traits, including lignin, tree-growth, density, strength, and saccharification. The analysis then predicts improvements in any of these 25 traits individually or in combinations, through engineering expression of specific monolignol genes. The analysis may lead to greater understanding of other pathways for improved growth and adaptation.
Summary
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) changed lifestyles worldwide and subsequently induced individuals’ sleep problems. Sleep problems have been demonstrated by ...scattered evidence among the current literature on COVID‐19; however, little is known regarding the synthesised prevalence of sleep problems (i.e. insomnia symptoms and poor sleep quality) for males and females separately. The present systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to answer the important question regarding prevalence of sleep problems during the COVID‐19 outbreak period between genders. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guideline and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale checklist, relevant studies with satisfactory methodological quality searched for in five academic databases (Scopus, PubMed Central, ProQuest, Web of Science , and EMBASE) were included and analysed. The protocol of the project was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; identification code CRD42020181644). A total of 54 papers (N = 67,722) in the female subgroup and 45 papers (N = 45,718) in the male subgroup were pooled in the meta‐analysis. The corrected pooled estimated prevalence of sleep problems was 24% (95% confidence interval CI 19%–29%) for female participants and 27% (95% CI 24%–30%) for male participants. Although in both gender subgroups, patients with COVID‐19, health professionals and general population showed the highest prevalence of sleep problems, it did not reach statistical significance. Based on multivariable meta‐regression, both gender groups had higher prevalence of sleep problems during the lockdown period. Therefore, healthcare providers should pay attention to the sleep problems and take appropriate preventive action.
Internet addiction has been found to be prevalent worldwide, including Asian countries, and related to several negative outcomes and other behavioral addictions. The Bergen Social Media Addiction ...Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), and nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9) have been extensively used to assess internet-related addictions. However, the three aforementioned instruments have rarely been used in Asian countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 were appropriate for use in heterogeneous subsamples from Hong Kong and Taiwan. University students from Hong Kong (n = 306) and Taiwan (n = 336) were recruited via an online survey. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was used to assess measurement invariance of the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 across the two subcultures. The original unidimensional structures of BSMAS, SABAS and IGDS-SF9 were confirmed through confirmatory factorial analysis in both subcultures. The MGCFA results showed that the unidimensional structures of the BSMAS and IGDS-SF9 were invariant across the two Chinese cultural areas (Hong Kong and Taiwan). However, the measurement invariance of the SABAS was established after some model modifications. In conclusion, the present study found that the Chinese BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 were all adequate instruments to validly assess internet-related addictions among university students. The three brief instruments used for assessing addictions to social media, smartphone applications, and online gaming are valid and psychometrically robust across two Chinese subcultures and can be used by healthcare professionals in these regions.
•Chinese Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale has unidimensional structure.•Chinese Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale has unidimensional structure.•Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form has unidimensional structure.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of university students.
This study examined the psychological responses toward COVID-19 among university students from 3 ...countries-Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand.
We used a web-based, cross-sectional survey to recruit 1985 university students from 5 public universities (2 in Indonesia, 1 in Thailand, and 1 in Taiwan) via popular social media platforms such as Facebook, LINE, WhatsApp, and broadcast. All students (n=938 in Indonesia, n=734 in Thailand, and n=313 in Taiwan) answered questions concerning their anxiety, suicidal thoughts (or sadness), confidence in pandemic control, risk perception of susceptibility to infection, perceived support, resources for fighting infection, and sources of information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the 3 student groups, Thai students had the highest levels of anxiety but the lowest levels of confidence in pandemic control and available resources for fighting COVID-19. Factors associated with higher anxiety differed across countries. Less perceived satisfactory support was associated with more suicidal thoughts among Indonesian students. On the other hand, Taiwanese students were more negatively affected by information gathered from the internet and from medical staff than were Indonesian or Thai students.
Our findings suggest that health care providers in Thailand may need to pay special attention to Thai university students given that high levels of anxiety were observed in this study population. In addition, health care providers should establish a good support system for university students, as the results of this study indicate a negative association between support and suicidal thoughts.
The pathological use of the internet – conceptualized as ‘internet addiction’ – might be crucial in initiating and increasing sleep disturbances in the community. While inconsistent evidence is ...reported regarding the association of internet addiction and sleep disturbances, the severity of this association remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to increase our understanding of the relationship between internet addiction and sleep disturbances. A systematic review was conducted through Scopus, PubMed Central, ProQuest, ISI Web of Knowledge, and EMBASE using keywords related to internet addiction and sleep problems. Observational studies (cohort, case-control or cross-sectional studies) focusing on association between internet addiction and sleep disturbances including sleep problems and sleep duration were selected. A meta-analysis using random-effect model was conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for experiencing sleep problems and standardized mean differences (SMDs) for sleep duration. Eligible studies (N = 23) included 35,684 participants. The overall pooled OR of having sleep problems if addicted to the internet was 2.20 (95% CI: 1.77–2.74). Additionally, the overall pooled SMDs for sleep duration for the IA group compared to normal internet users was −0.24 (95% CI: −0.38, −0.10). Results of the meta-analysis revealed a significant OR for sleep problems and a significant reduced sleep duration among individuals addicted to the internet.
Summary
Food addiction (FA) has been as a construct that is associated with childhood obesity. However, relatively little is known regarding the prevalence of FA among children and adolescents. An ...instrument designed to assess FA among youth, the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children and Adolescents (YFAS‐C), has been developed and used to estimate FA prevalence among pediatric populations. The present systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to synthesize the results of FA prevalence among youth. Using keywords related to FA and children to search PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, we identified and analyzed 22 cross‐sectional studies. No longitudinal studies were identified in the search. Meta‐analysis with Freeman‐Tukey Double Arcsine transformation was conducted to estimate FA prevalence. Meta‐regression was applied to understand whether weight status (i.e., data from community samples vs. overweight/obese samples) is associated with FA. Eligible studies (N = 22) were analyzed using 6,996 participants. The estimated FA prevalence was 15% (95% CI 11–19%) for all samples, 12% (95% CI 8–17%) for community samples, and 19% (95% CI 14–26%) for overweight/obese samples. Meta‐regression indicated that weight status was associated with FA severity (p = 0.002) and marginally with FA prevalence (p = 0.056). Healthcare providers should consider and address the high FA prevalence among pediatric population.
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