Assessing the efficacy and safety of Yinqiao powder-maxing Ganshi decoction in the treatment of the major symptoms of mild and moderate COVID-19 by telemedicine-study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the largest global epidemic in recent time. Chinese medicine has been recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for COVID-19, but there is still a lack of high-quality randomized, double-blind trials using placebo as the control to support its application, which may hinder its further promotion locally and internationally. Objectives: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yinqiao Powder-Maxing Ganshi Decoction with variation in relieving major symptoms of mild and moderate COVID-19 by telemedicine. Methods and design: This clinical study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that applies telemedicine to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yinqiao Powder-Maxing Ganshi Decoction in the treatment of mild and moderate COVID-19. Eligible subjects will be randomly divided into either treatment or placebo groups for up to 14 days after stratification according to age (A:18-49, B:50-65) and the number of vaccinations (a: ≥3 doses, b: ≤2 doses). The treatment group will receive Yinqiao Powder-Maxing Ganshi Decoction granules along with certain variation based on their symptoms, and the placebo group will receive the same amount of placebo granules. Subjects will be prescribed different additions based on their symptoms and pathogenesis at the inclusion. The oral temperature, oximeter, result of rapid antigen test and symptom score will be recorded by subjects until they have stopped the medication. Subjects are required to have follow-up assessment by video-conference on days 7, 14 and 35. The time for the body temperature returning to normal will be used as the primary outcome. Discussion: This trial will provide scientific evidence on the use of Yinqiao Powder-Maxing Ganshi Decoction for the treatment of COVID-19, and the results would help raise the awareness in Hong Kong and the international community on the use of Chinese herbal medicine for treating COVID-19. Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05787327.

Heavy internet use and correlations with interpersonal behaviours among university entrants in Hong Kong.

This paper summarizes the effects of Internet use on interpersonal behaviours among university students in Hong Kong. 2427 university matriculants in Hong Kong (mean age = 18.9, response rate 92.1%) completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire at the pre-enrollment health check-up. In the week preceding the survey, 99.4% of students had used the Internet with an average of 2.8 h/day; 14.9% reported heavy Internet use (> 4 h/day). Males (OR = 2.48) and Hong Kong-born students were more likely to be heavy users (OR = 1.67) while students with a religious affiliation (OR = 0.70), with a parent with tertiary education (OR = 0.68), or those in a romantic relationship (OR = 0.72) were less likely to be heavy users. Heavy users were less likely to socialize face-to-face (OR = 0.75) or talking to someone in person (OR = 0.61) in order to relieve feelings of stress, but were more likely to engage in online chatting (OR = 1.73) and online interactive games (OR = 2.43). They were also more likely to skip school (OR = 2.21), to be yelled at by family members (OR = 2.05) and to meet strangers from the Internet in person (OR = 3.31). There is strong evidence of the adverse effects of heavy internet use on interpersonal behaviours among Hong Kong university students, warranting further studies.