Changes in suicidal ideation and related influential factors in college students during the COVID-19 lockdown in China.

This study aims to investigate the patterns and predictors of suicidal ideation (SI) trajectories among college students during extended lockdowns in China. A three-wave survey was conducted during the outbreak period, remission period, and prevention period of COVID-19. Distinct patterns of SI trajectories were established by grouping respondents based on temporal changes in SI. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine predictors for delay-occurrence and persistent SI. From a total of 35,516 college students included in the study, rates of SI increased significantly from T1 to T2 (7.3% v. 9.4%) and from T2 to T3 (9.4% v. 12.6%). Five SI trajectories were observed: resilient (80.5% of the sample), recovery (3.6%), relapsing/remitting (4.8%), persistent dysfunction (2.3%) and delayed dysfunction (8.7%). Further, junior-year undergraduates, postgraduates, only-child families, mental health history, confirmed cases in the community of residence, depressive symptoms, and negative coping strategies were significant predictors of distinct SI trajectories, whereas greater social support, more positive coping strategies, and better family functioning were associated with a lower probability of developing delayed or persistent dysfunction during the lockdown period. These findings suggest that continuous preventive and intervening measures for college students during COVID-19 lockdowns are of global importance, particularly among vulnerable groups who experience the most distress.

Trajectories of mental health status during the early phase pandemic in China: A longitudinal study on adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases.

Sufficient research reports that individuals living in the community with confirmed COVID-19 cases are more likely to exhibit poor mental health condition. However, little is known about the longitudinal trajectories of mental health status among these people who are exposed to increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Using a 3-wave longitudinal survey between February and June 2020, data has been collected from 2,352 adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases. Depressive/anxiety symptoms, soc-demographic, and other psychological factors of interest (e.g., social support) were measured. Using latent growth mixture modeling, we identified two subgroups (Resistance vs. Dysfunction) of adolescents based on their depressive and anxiety symptoms. More social support and positive coping are identified as protective factors for mental health, whereas higher level of negative coping predicts unfavorable outcomes. These findings suggested that adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are a group to which researchers should pay more attention when studying the impacts of quarantine on mental health. It is also crucial to emphasize the role of social support and positive coping in planning psychological interventions for adolescents.

The Moderating Role of Lifestyle on Insomnia in Home Quarantine College Students During the COVID-19 Epidemic

There has been sufficient evidence for the relationship between lifestyle and insomnia in the general population, but for individuals who already suffer from insomnia, it is not clear whether a healthy lifestyle can also pose similar benefits. The present study investigated the roles of different aspects of lifestyle in the development of individual insomnia by tracking insomnia symptoms of college students during the COVID-19 lock-down. Two surveys were conducted on 65,200 college students in the process of home isolation in Guangdong Province of China, at the pandemic outbreak period (T1) and the initial remission period (T2), respectively. Given the objectives of the present study, a total of 1,702 college students with clinical insomnia from T1 were selected as subjects. Insomnia symptoms were assessed using the Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), while demographic information, epidemic exposure, and lifestyle were all measured by self-developed questionnaire, through network survey. The 1,702 college students (mean age ± standard deviation, 20.06 ± 1.46, range 16–25;71.9% females) with insomnia symptoms were divided into three trajectory groups: recovery group, remission group, and chronic insomnia group according to their insomnia scores in T2 phase. The results showed that there was no significant difference in demographic backgrounds or epidemic exposure among the three groups, however, there were significant differences in food intake, exercise, and Internet use. The regression results further showed that both the recovery group and the remission group adopted more regular food intake than the chronic group. The recovery group exhibited better daily exercise habits than both the remission group and the chronic group. The duration of Internet use was significantly shorter for the recovery group than for the chronic group. These findings indicate a strong relationship between the lifestyle and the recovery of insomnia for college students isolated at home during the epidemic period. Significance of the different aspects of lifestyle on the recovery of insomnia are discussed.

CoVac501, a self-adjuvanting peptide vaccine conjugated with TLR7 agonists, against SARS-CoV-2 induces protective immunity.

Safe, effective, and economical vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are needed to achieve adequate herd immunity and end the pandemic. We constructed a novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, CoVac501, which is a self-adjuvanting peptide vaccine conjugated with Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonists. The vaccine contains immunodominant peptides screened from the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and is fully chemically synthesized. It has been formulated in an optimized nanoemulsion formulation and is stable at 40 °C for 1 month. In non-human primates (NHPs), CoVac501 elicited high and persistent titers of protective neutralizing antibodies against multiple RBD mutations, SARS-CoV-2 original strain, and variants (B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2). Specific peptides booster immunization against the B.1.351 variant has also been shown to be effective in improving protection against B.1.351. Meanwhile, CoVac501 elicited the increase of memory T cells, antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses, and Th1-biased CD4+ T-cell immune responses in NHPs. Notably, at an extremely high SARS-CoV-2 challenge dose of 1 × 107 TCID50, CoVac501 provided near-complete protection for the upper and lower respiratory tracts of cynomolgus macaques.

Assessment to China's Recent Emission Pattern Shifts

Energy and emission data are crucial to climate change research and mitigation efforts. The accuracy of energy statistics is essential for mitigation strategies and evaluating the performance of low carbon energy transition efforts. This study provides the most up‐to‐date emission inventories for China and its provinces for 2018 and 2019. We also update the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission inventories of China and 30 provinces since 2012 based on the newly revised energy statistics. The inventories are compiled in a combined accounting approach of scope 1 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change territorial emissions from 17 types of fossil fuel combustion and cement production by 47 socioeconomic sectors) and scope 2 (emissions from purchased electricity and heat consumption). The most recent energy revision led to an increase in reported national CO2 emissions by an average of 0.3% from 2014 to 2017. The results show that data revisions raised China's carbon intensity mitigation baseline (in 2005) by 5.1%–10.8% and thus made it more challenging to fulfill the mitigation pledges. However, the 2020 carbon intensity mitigation target was achieved ahead of schedule in 2018. A preliminary estimate of China's national emissions for 2020 shows that the COVID‐19 pandemic and lockdown was not able to offset China's annual increase in CO2 emissions. These emissions inventories provide an improved evidence base for China's policies toward net‐zero emissions.

Insomnia and other sleep-related problems during the remission period of the COVID-19 pandemic: A large-scale survey among college students in China.

This study aimed to evaluate the sleep-related problems and predictors of probable clinical insomnia among college students during the COVID-19 remission period in China. 146,102 college students from 22 colleges/universities in Guangdong province participated in this study from 1th to 15th June, 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess demographic characteristics. Sleep-related problems, depression and anxiety symptoms were measured by Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, respectively. The prevalence of difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, sleep insufficiency, unrefreshing sleep and daytime functioning impairment were 7.2%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 9.6%, 14.6%, and 7.6%, respectively. 16.9% students had varying degrees of insomnia and 6.3% were considered as displaying probable clinical insomnia. Moreover, being urban residents, having a history of physical or mental illness, and probable clinical depression or anxiety were significant risk factors of probable clinical insomnia, while college senior degree and 7-8 hours' sleep duration per day was the protective factor for probable clinical insomnia. Unrefreshing sleep was the most prominent sleep problem among college students during COVID-19 remission in China. Good sleep hygiene practices are strongly suggested to develop in the time of prolonged home isolation.

Characterization of MW06, a human monoclonal antibody with cross-neutralization activity against both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in widespread social and economic disruption. Effective interventions are urgently needed for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have demonstrated their prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, and several have been granted authorization for emergency use. Here, we discover and characterize a fully human cross-reactive mAb, MW06, which binds to both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) and disrupts their interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. Potential neutralization activity of MW06 was observed against both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV in different assays. The complex structure determination and epitope alignment of SARS-CoV-2 RBD/MW06 revealed that the epitope recognized by MW06 is highly conserved among SARS-related coronavirus strains, indicating the potential broad neutralization activity of MW06. In in vitro assays, no antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed for MW06. In addition, MW06 recognizes a different epitope from MW05, which shows high neutralization activity and has been in a Phase 2 clinical trial, supporting the development of the cocktail of MW05 and MW06 to prevent against future escaping variants. MW06 alone and the cocktail show good effects in preventing escape mutations, including a series of variants of concern, B.1.1.7, P.1, B.1.351, and B.1.617.1. These findings suggest that MW06 recognizes a conserved epitope on SARS-CoV-2, which provides insights for the development of a universal antibody-based therapy against SARS-related coronavirus and emerging variant strains, and may be an effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent.

Is returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic stressful? A study on immediate mental health status of Chinese college students.

BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic has posed substantial impacts on individual's daily routine and psychological state. For the first time at great scale, Chinese college students had their educational activities moved online in spring 2020. Due to this unexpected isolation and unconventional learning method, their mental health following returning to school is worth investigating. METHODS: Between June 1 and June 15, 2020, a total of 8,921 returning college students' mental health status were assessed using instruments designed for psychiatric disorders, namely the 9-Item Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), 6-Item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6), Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), and self-developed questionnaire. RESULTS: Our results showed that 8.7%, 4.2%, 10.5%, and 6.1% of the participants experienced depression, anxiety, acute stress, and insomnia, respectively, with a total of 19.8% reporting having at least one psychiatric symptom following their return to school. Sophomore and Senior year, and presence of previous psychiatric conditions contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric issues. The level of impact by COVID-19 on one's daily functioning is also positively associated with poor mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested no significant increase in the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, following the first batch of students' return to school. These findings aim to complement the current understanding of the psychiatric impact of COVID-19 on students and assist school principals to plan their return-to-school approaches in a mental-health sensitive way.