Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and related factors among COVID-19 patients during the fourth wave of the pandemic in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and their related factors among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during the fourth wave of the pandemic in Vietnam. METHODS: Vietnamese-fluent confirmed COVID-19 patients for at least 3 d were recruited in this online cross-sectional study to answer a three-part questionnaire including participants' sociodemographic characteristics, PTSD (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Associated factors were determined using multivariable binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 1544 responses, the majority were female (53.0%), ages 18-39 y (74.8%) and were isolated and treated at field hospitals (72.2%). Family or friends were the greatest sources of mental support (68.2%), followed by healthcare providers (51.1%). The overall prevalence rates of PTSD, anxiety and depression among COVID-19 patients were 22.9%, 11.2% and 17.4%, respectively. Risk factors included older age, higher education, getting infected from the public, knowing someone who died from COVID-19 and high perception of life threat. Meanwhile, mental assistance from family or friends, a greater number of supporters, living with someone not vulnerable and higher salaries were significantly protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: The psychological responses associated with some sociodemographic details. Family or friends should be the first line of mental interventions for COVID-19 patients.

Oxidized Xanthan Gum Crosslinked NOCC: Hydrogel System and Their Biological Stability from Oxidation Levels of the Polymer.

Dynamic hydrogel systems from N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC) are investigated in the past years, which has facilitated their widespread use in many biomedical engineering applications. However, the influence of the polymer's oxidation levels on the hydrogel biological properties is not fully investigated. In this study, chitosan is converted into NOCC and introduced to react spontaneously with oxidized xanthan gum (OXG) to form several injectable hydrogels with controlled degradability. Different oxidation levels of xanthan gum, as well as NOCC/OXG volume ratios, are trialed. The infrared spectroscopy spectra verify chemical modification on OXG and successful crosslinking. With increasing oxidation levels, more dialdehyde groups are introduced into the OXG, resulting in changes in physical properties including gelation, swelling, and self-healing efficiency. Under different volume ratios, the hydrogel shows a stable structure and rigidity with higher mechanical properties, and a slower degradation rate. The shear-thinning and self-healing properties of the hydrogels are confirmed. In vitro assays with L929 cells show the biocompatibility of all formulations although the use of a high amount of OXG15 and OXG25 limited the cell proliferation capacity. Findings in this study suggested a suitable amount of OXG at different oxidation levels in NOCC hydrogel systems for tissue engineering applications.