This study investigated the psychological reactions of survivors of the 512 Wenchuan earthquake in China and the risk factors associated with those reactions. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised ...(IES-R), Type D Scale-14 (DS14), a self-developed trauma experience questionniare, and a demographic questionnaire were administered to 956 earthquake survivors (389 males and 567 females) in Mianzhu, one of the cities most affected by the earthquake. The results showed that postraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms affected 84.8% of survivors one to two months after the earthquake. Significant risk factors associated with PTSD symptoms included: (1) being female; (2) older age; (3) higher exposure to traumatic events during the earthquake; and (4) negative affect in Type-D personality.
Antimicrobial C-type lectin regenerating islet-derived 3 gamma (REG3G) is suppressed in the small intestine during chronic ethanol feeding. Our aim was to determine the mechanism that underlies REG3G ...suppression during experimental alcoholic liver disease.
Interleukin 22 (IL-22) regulates expression of REG3G. Therefore, we investigated the role of IL-22 in mice subjected to chronic-binge ethanol feeding (NIAAA model).
In a mouse model of alcoholic liver disease, we found that type 3 innate lymphoid cells produce lower levels of IL-22. Reduced IL-22 production was the result of ethanol-induced dysbiosis and lower intestinal levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a microbiota-derived ligand of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which regulates expression of IL-22. Importantly, faecal levels of IAA were also found to be lower in patients with alcoholic hepatitis compared with healthy controls. Supplementation to restore intestinal levels of IAA protected mice from ethanol-induced steatohepatitis by inducing intestinal expression of IL-22 and REG3G, which prevented translocation of bacteria to liver. We engineered
to produce IL-22 (
/IL-22) and fed them to mice along with the ethanol diet; these mice had reduced liver damage, inflammation and bacterial translocation to the liver compared with mice fed an isogenic control strain and upregulated expression of REG3G in intestine. However,
/IL-22 did not reduce ethanol-induced liver disease in
mice.
Ethanol-associated dysbiosis reduces levels of IAA and activation of the AHR to decrease expression of IL-22 in the intestine, leading to reduced expression of REG3G; this results in bacterial translocation to the liver and steatohepatitis. Bacteria engineered to produce IL-22 induce expression of REG3G to reduce ethanol-induced steatohepatitis.
Abstract
Active and avoidant coping styles are important dispositional factors in the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Children use both active and avoidant coping strategies together ...in daily life. No studies have investigated the relationship between active–avoidant coping profiles and internalizing symptoms in children. The present study aimed to investigate children’s active–avoidant coping profiles and assess the relationship that active–avoidant coping profiles have with anxiety and depression symptoms. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 322 Chinese children in the People’s Republic of China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist-Revised 1 at Time 1 and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale at Time 1 and 6 months later (Time 2). Four active–avoidant coping profiles were revealed: low active copers, high active copers, balanced copers, and avoidant copers. Low and high active copers had lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than balanced copers and avoidant copers. Avoidant copers showed a larger decrease in depression symptoms than balanced copers and high active copers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to improve children’s active–avoidant coping profiles to relieve anxiety and depression symptoms.
•The mean age of the healthcare workers (HCW) reported was 38.37 years (95% CI, 36.72–40.03).•Males comprised of 21.4% (95% CI, 12.4–34.2) of the population.•For HCW with COVID-19 the most prevalent ...symptoms were fever 27.5% (95% CI, 17.6–40.3) and cough 26.1% (95% CI, 18.1–36).•The prevalence of hospitalization was 15.1% (95% CI, 5.6–35) and mortality rate was 1.5% (95% CI, 0.5–3.9).•Risk of COVID-19 in HCW related to PPE use, workplace setting, profession, contacts, and testing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has focused attention on the challenges and risks faced by frontline healthcare workers (HCW). This study aimed to describe the clinical outcomes and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW.
Three databases were surveyed and 328 articles were identified. Of these, 225 articles did not meet inclusion criteria; therefore, 97 full-text article were reviewed. Finally, after further revision, 30 articles were included in the systematic review and 28 were used for meta-analysis.
Twenty-eight studies were identified involving 119,883 patients. The mean age of the patients was 38.37 years (95% CI 36.72–40.03) and males comprised 21.4% (95% CI 12.4–34.2) of the population of HCW. The percentage of HCW who tested positive for COVID-19 was 51.7% (95% CI 34.7–68.2). The total prevalence of comorbidities in seven studies was 18.4% (95% CI 15.5–21.7). The most prevalent symptoms were fever 27.5% (95% CI 17.6–40.3) and cough 26.1% (95% CI 18.1–36). The prevalence of hospitalisation was 15.1% (95% CI 5.6–35) in 13 studies and of death was 1.5% (95% CI 0.5–3.9) in 12 studies. Comparisons of HCW with and without infection showed an increased relative risk for COVID-19 related to personal protective equipment, workplace setting, profession, exposure, contacts, and testing.
A significant number of HCW were reported to be infected with COVID-19 during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a prevalence of hospitalisation of 15.1% and mortality of 1.5%. Further data are needed to track the continued risks in HCW as the pandemic evolves and health systems adapt.
Jaw correction surgery can cause significant psychosocial impacts on patients. This prospective study investigated the longitudinal changes of psychosocial characteristics of patients with ...dentofacial deformities after jaw correction surgery and the factors that predict the psychological resilience in Hong Kong Chinese undergoing jaw correction surgery.
A longitudinal cohort study was conducted on 92 Hong Kong Chinese patients (32 males, 60 females; mean age = 24.75 ± 5.65 years), who had jaw correction surgery as treatment for their dentofacial deformities, from 1st June 2011 to 30th June 2015. Self-completed psychological inventories including Brief Symptom Inventory, Life Orientation Test, and the Adult Trait Hope Scale were used to measure distress, optimism, and hope levels respectively. Patients completed the inventories in five time points: the surgical consent signing day (usually two to three months before the surgery) (T1); one day before operation (T2), first to second post-operative week (T3), third post-operative month (T4) and sixth post-operative month (T5).
Latent class growth analysis revealed two outcome trajectory classes: a resilience trajectory (n = 45, 48.9%) and a chronic dysfunction trajectory (n = 14, 15.2%). Another 33 (35.9%) showed erratic trajectory patterns that would not be classified into any categories. The psychological distress levels of patients in the resilience trajectory group, on average, were below the clinical threshold of the Brief Symptom Inventory at all time points. However, the opposite result was obtained for patients in the chronic dysfunctional group. Patients exhibiting a resilience trajectory pattern, when compared to those showing a chronic dysfunction pattern, had higher optimism (t(57) = 3.69, p < .0001) and hope (t(57) = 2.46, p < .05) levels at T1. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare the relative power of optimism and hope levels at T1 to predict resilience or chronic dysfunctional group membership. A test of the full model against a constant only model was statistically significant (χ2(2) = 24.096, p < .01). Preoperative baseline optimism (B = -.276, p < .05) but not hope (B = -.25, ns) was a significant variable to classify the outcome trajectories for psychological distress.
Most patients were resilient to dentofacial deformities jaw correction surgery. About 15% exhibited a chronic distress pattern. An optimistic view about the surgery may enhance resilience. Pre-surgical counselling or educational sessions to facilitate a realistic positive outlook about the operation would be beneficial.
Approximately half of all deaths from liver cirrhosis, the tenth leading cause of mortality in the United States, are related to alcohol use. Chronic alcohol consumption is accompanied by intestinal ...dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth, yet little is known about the factors that alter the microbial composition or their contribution to liver disease. We previously associated chronic alcohol consumption with lower intestinal levels of the antimicrobial-regenerating islet-derived (REG)-3 lectins. Here, we demonstrate that intestinal deficiency in REG3B or REG3G increases numbers of mucosa-associated bacteria and enhances bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes and liver, promoting the progression of ethanol-induced fatty liver disease toward steatohepatitis. Overexpression of Reg3g in intestinal epithelial cells restricts bacterial colonization of mucosal surfaces, reduces bacterial translocation, and protects mice from alcohol-induced steatohepatitis. Thus, alcohol appears to impair control of the mucosa-associated microbiota, and subsequent breach of the mucosal barrier facilitates progression of alcoholic liver disease.
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•REG3 lectins restrict the access of bacteria to the intestinal epithelium•REG3 proteins reduce bacterial translocation associated with ethanol administration•Decreased bacterial translocation protects mice from alcohol-induced steatohepatitis•Mucosa-adherent bacteria are increased in the duodenum of alcohol-dependent patients
The mechanism by which chronic alcohol consumption alters the microbial composition in the intestine is unknown. Wang et al. demonstrate that alcohol reduces intestinal expression of REG3 lectins, increasing the number of mucosa-associated bacteria. The subsequent translocation of bacteria to mesenteric lymph nodes and liver exacerbates alcoholic liver disease.
The present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct constructs and whether hope can moderate the ...relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation.
Hope, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation were measured in a community sample of 2106 participants through a population-based household survey.
Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a measurement model with separate, correlated second-order factors of hope and hopelessness provided a good fit to the data and was significantly better than that of the model collapsing hope and hopelessness into a single second-order factor. Negative binomial regression showed that hope and hopelessness interacted such that the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation was lower in individuals with higher hope than individuals with lower hope.
Hope and hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation. Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention.
This study aimed to establish a new COVID‐19 Fear (Higher Education) scale to investigate the relationship between fear and generalised anxiety symptoms among Chinese students in mainland China, Hong ...Kong, and other countries. 219 Chinese university students studying in universities in mainland China (n = 76, 34.7%), Hong Kong (n = 66, 30.1%), and overseas (i.e., outside of China as international students, n = 77, 35.2%) participated in an online study from March 31, 2020 to April 4. Participants completed a newly developed COVID‐19 Fear (Higher Education) scale to measure three domains of fear including fear of infection, fear of instability and fear of insecurity related to the COVID‐19 pandemic. They also completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item scale (GAD‐7) on the severity of anxiety symptoms. About 9.6% of the participants could be classified as exhibiting high anxiety level according to the GAD‐7. More students studying overseas (about 15%) were classified into the high GAD group when compared to students studying in both mainland China (6.6%) and Hong Kong (6.1%). MANOVA results showed that students studying in Hong Kong and overseas had more concerns related to preventive measures related to COVID‐19 than their mainland counterparts did. We concluded that international students studying away from their home country would have higher risk to develop anxiety problems during a collective trauma such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. Education institutions should provide support services including online support groups, social media groups for mutual support to alleviate the fear and anxiety of international students.
Medicine is one of the most demanding academic fields with an extensive curriculum that entails plenty of potential stressors. There is sufficient evidence that medical students are more prone to ...psychological distress when compared to their peer group of other disciplines. Despite the established need to prioritize resilience skills building within the medical curriculum, very few medical programmes in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) proactively empower the students to help themselves in sustaining their mental health. The purpose of the current study is to explore the perception of medical students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding their understanding of, and personal experience with building resilience, and their engagement with the content of an innovative curriculum-based resilience skills building course, designed in alignment with the constructivism theory of education.
The current study utilized a qualitative phenomenological research design. The curriculum-based resilience skills building course, that was investigated as part of this study, is offered at a medical school in Dubai, UAE. A total of 37 students submitted reflective essays about resilience building, in general, and the respective course, in specific. The collected data was inductively analysed following a six-step framework.
The qualitative analysis generated three interlinked themes, namely: Awareness, Application, and Appraisal.
This study showed that integrating a resilience skills building course into medical curricula is likely to be positively appraised by the students, where it raises their level of awareness and likelihood of proactively applying the learned concepts in their daily lives. This is especially true when the course is anchored in constructivism experiential learning theory and designed to foster self-directed learning.
This study was conducted to provide ratings of valence/pleasantness, arousal/excitement, and threat/potential harm for 160 Chinese words. The emotional valence classification (positive, negative, or ...neutral) of all of the words corresponded to that of the equivalent English language words. More than 90% of the participants, junior high school students aged between 12 and 17 years, understood the words. The participants were from both mainland China and Hong Kong, thus the words can be applied to adolescents familiar with either simplified (e.g. in mainland China) or traditional Chinese (e.g. in Hong Kong) with a junior secondary school education or higher. We also established eight words with negative valence, high threat, and high arousal ratings to facilitate future research, especially on attentional and memory biases among individuals prone to anxiety. Thus, the new emotional word list provides a useful source of information for affective research in the Chinese language.
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