Association of meaning in life with preventive healthcare use among Chinese adults: are there age and gender differences?

BACKGROUND: Meaning in life could be of clinical importance in stimulating healthy and preventive behaviors. The study aimed to investigate the association between meaning in life and preventive healthcare use among Chinese adults, and to assess their age and gender differences in the association. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1444 adults aged 18-64 years in February 2020 in China. Logistic regression models were employed to examine the association of meaning in life with preventive health checkups and assess their age and gender differences. RESULTS: The mean score of meaning in life was 5.801 (Standard Deviation = 1.349) out of 7. Each unit increase on the level of meaning in life was associated with 12.2% higher likelihood of using preventive health checkups (any type) (adjusted odds ratio 1.122, 95% confidence interval 1.015-1.241) after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, comorbidity and other psychological health factors. Meaning in life was significantly associated with the uses of X-ray (1.125, 1.010-1.253), B-ultrasound (1.176, 1.058-1.306), and blood testing (1.152, 1.042-1.274). The associations between meaning in life and these types of preventive healthcare increased with age, but there were no gender differences in these associations. CONCLUSION: Higher meaning in life was independently related to more preventive health checkups. Strategies to strengthen health education and interventions to improve experience of meaning in life might be an important component to increase preventive healthcare use in China.

The Effect of Walking on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Previous literature lacks summative information on the mental health benefits achieved from different forms of walking. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of different forms of walking in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methods: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of walking on depressive and anxiety symptoms. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, PsycINFO, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched on April 5, 2022. Two authors independently screened the studies and extracted the data. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to synthesize the data. Results were summarized as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% CIs in forest plots. The risk of bias was assessed by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Results: This review included 75 RCTs with 8636 participants; 68 studies reported depressive symptoms, 39 reported anxiety symptoms, and 32 reported both as the outcomes. One study reported the results for adolescents and was not included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results for adults indicated that walking could significantly reduce depressive symptoms (RCTs: n=44; SMD -0.591, 95% CI -0.778 to -0.403; I2=84.8%; τ2=0.3008; P<.001) and anxiety symptoms (RCTs: n=26; SMD -0.446, 95% CI -0.628 to -0.265; I2=81.1%; τ2=0.1530; P<.001) when compared with the inactive controls. Walking could significantly reduce depressive or anxiety symptoms in most subgroups, including different walking frequency, duration, location (indoor or outdoor), and format (group or individual) subgroups (all P values were <.05). Adult participants who were depressed (RCTs: n=5; SMD -1.863, 95% CI -2.764 to -0.962; I2=86.4%; τ2=0.8929) and those who were not depressed (RCTs: n=39; SMD -0.442, 95% CI -0.604 to -0.280; I2=77.5%; τ2=0.1742) could benefit from walking effects on their depressive symptoms, and participants who were depressed could benefit more (P=.002). In addition, there was no significant difference between walking and active controls in reducing depressive symptoms (RCTs: n=17; SMD -0.126, 95% CI -0.343 to 0.092; I2=58%; τ2=0.1058; P=.26) and anxiety symptoms (14 RCTs, SMD -0.053, 95% CI -0.311 to 0.206, I2=67.7%, τ2=0.1421; P=.69). Conclusions: Various forms of walking can be effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the effects of walking are comparable to active controls. Walking can be adopted as an evidence-based intervention for reducing depression and anxiety. More evidence on the effect of low-intensity walking is needed in the future.

Does It Matter Who You Live with during COVID-19 Lockdown? Association of Living Arrangements with Psychosocial Health, Life Satisfaction, and Quality of Life: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Living arrangements might greatly impact psychosocial health and quality of life, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown. This pilot study aimed to examine the association of different common living arrangements with psychosocial health, life satisfaction, and quality of life among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was conducted using convenience sampling through the WeChat application in February 2020. Mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, and meaning in life), social health (UCLA-3), quality of life (EQ5D and EQ-VAS), and life satisfaction were measured. Linear regression models were used. RESULT: The study included 1245 adults (mean age: 34.14 ± 10.71) in China. Compared to other living arrangements, participants who "live with partner and children" or "live with partner, children and parents" were more likely to have better outcomes of mental health, social health, quality of life, and life satisfaction. Participants who "live with parents or grandparents" or "live with partner" were more likely to have better health outcomes compared with those who "live with children" or "live alone". CONCLUSION: Living with a partner, children, and/or parents could be a protective factor against poor psychosocial health during lockdown and quarantine.

Simeprevir Potently Suppresses SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Synergizes with Remdesivir.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global threat to human health. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we identified and validated the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor simeprevir as an especially promising repurposable drug for treating COVID-19. Simeprevir potently reduces SARS-CoV-2 viral load by multiple orders of magnitude and synergizes with remdesivir in vitro. Mechanistically, we showed that simeprevir not only inhibits the main protease (Mpro) and unexpectedly the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) but also modulates host immune responses. Our results thus reveal the possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 mechanism of simeprevir and highlight the translational potential of optimizing simeprevir as a therapeutic agent for managing COVID-19 and future outbreaks of CoV.