Association between Shift Work and Health Outcomes in the General Population in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Shift work may adversely affect individuals' health, thus, the current study aimed to investigate the association between shift work and health outcomes in the general population. A total of 41,061 participants were included in this online cross-sectional survey, among which 9612 (23.4%) individuals engaged in shift work and 31,449 (76.6%) individuals engaged in non-shift work. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between shift work and health outcomes (psychiatric disorders, mental health symptoms, and physical disorders). In addition, associations between the duration (≤1 year, 1-3 years, 3-5 years, 5-10 years, ≥10 years) and frequency of shift work (<1 or ≥1 night/week) and health outcomes were also explored. The results showed that compared to non-shift workers, shift workers had a higher likelihood of any psychiatric disorders (odds ratios [OR] = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.56-2.09, p < 0.001), mental health symptoms (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.68-1.85, p < 0.001), and physical disorders (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.39-1.57, p < 0.001). In addition, inverted U-shaped associations were observed between the duration of shift work and health outcomes. These results indicated that shift work was closely related to potential links with poor health outcomes. The findings highlighted the importance of paying attention to the health conditions of shift workers and the necessity of implementing comprehensive protective measures for shift workers to reduce the impact of shift work.

Epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management of long COVID: an update.

The increasing number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections have highlighted the long-term consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection called long COVID. Although the concept and definition of long COVID are described differently across countries and institutions, there is general agreement that it affects multiple systems, including the immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neuropsychological, musculoskeletal, and other systems. This review aims to provide a synthesis of published epidemiology, symptoms, and risk factors of long COVID. We also summarize potential pathophysiological mechanisms and biomarkers for precise prevention, early diagnosis, and accurate treatment of long COVID. Furthermore, we suggest evidence-based guidelines for the comprehensive evaluation and management of long COVID, involving treatment, health systems, health finance, public attitudes, and international cooperation, which is proposed to improve the treatment strategies, preventive measures, and public health policy making of long COVID.

[Challenges of and Responses to Mental Health Problems in the Post-COVID-19 Era].

Since the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), prevention and control of the pandemic remains a grim issue because of the continuous emergence of new variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19, and the constant emergence of new domestic outbreaks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental and psychological problems have increased significantly among different populations, including patients of COVID-19 and their families, health workers, college students, adolescents, children, and even the general population. At present, the COVID-19 epidemic situation in China is rather complicated. The general population is confronted with a variety of challenges, including the threat of infection or reinfection, lower efficiency in study and work, and reduced incomes, and is hence experiencing many mental health problems related to the epidemic situation. Therefore, the relevant governmental departments and health institutions in China have attached high importance to the mental health issue in the process of implementing pandemic control measures of COVID-19. Close collaboration to implement the required epidemic prevention and control measures, improvements in the mental health services for public health emergencies in China, and commitment to the protection of the mental health and well-being of the people in the post-pandemic era have become the top priorities for now. Based on a review of the mental health problems related to COVID-19 pandemic, we suggested strategies to deal with mental health problems in the post-COVID-19 era.

The phenotype and prediction of long-term physical, mental and cognitive COVID-19 sequelae 20 months after recovery, a community-based cohort study in China.

Long-term sequelae clustering phenotypes are important for precise health care management in COVID-19 survivors. We reported findings for 1000 survivors 20 months after diagnosis of COVID-19 in a community-based cohort in China. Sequelae symptoms were collected from a validated questionnaire covering 27 symptoms involved in five organ systems including self-reported physical condition, dyspnea, cognitive function and mental health. The generalized symptoms were reported with the highest rate (60.7%), followed by the mental (48.3%), cardiopulmonary (39.8%), neurological (37.1%; cognitive impairment, 15.6%), and digestive symptoms (19.1%). Four clusters were identified by latent class analysis: 44.9% no or mild group (cluster 1), 29.2% moderate group with mainly physical impairment (cluster 2), 9.6% moderate group with mainly cognitive and mental health impairment (cluster 3), and 16.3% severe group (cluster 4). Physical comorbidities or history of mental disorders, longer hospitalization periods and severe acute illness predicted severe group. For moderate group, adults less than 60 years, with physical comorbidities and severe acute illness were more likely to have physical symptoms, while adult women with longer hospitalization stays had increased risk of cognitive and mental health impairment. Overall, among more than half of community COVID-19 survivors who presented moderate or severe sequelae 20 months after recovery, three-tenth had physical vulnerability that may require physical therapy aiming to improve functioning, one-tenth mental or cognitive vulnerable cases need psychotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation, and one-sixth severe group needs multidisciplinary clinical management. The remaining half is free to clinical intervention. Our findings introduced an important framework to map numerous symptoms to precise classification of the clinical sequelae phenotype and provide information to guide future stratified recovery interventions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of long term physical and mental sequelae of COVID-19 pandemic: call for research priority and action.

The long-term physical and mental sequelae of COVID-19 are a growing public health concern, yet there is considerable uncertainty about their prevalence, persistence and predictors. We conducted a comprehensive, up-to-date meta-analysis of survivors' health consequences and sequelae for COVID-19. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched through Sep 30th, 2021. Observational studies that reported the prevalence of sequelae of COVID-19 were included. Two reviewers independently undertook the data extraction and quality assessment. Of the 36,625 records identified, a total of 151 studies were included involving 1,285,407 participants from thirty-two countries. At least one sequelae symptom occurred in 50.1% (95% CI 45.4-54.8) of COVID-19 survivors for up to 12 months after infection. The most common investigation findings included abnormalities on lung CT (56.9%, 95% CI 46.2-67.3) and abnormal pulmonary function tests (45.6%, 95% CI 36.3-55.0), followed by generalized symptoms, such as fatigue (28.7%, 95% CI 21.0-37.0), psychiatric symptoms (19.7%, 95% CI 16.1-23.6) mainly depression (18.3%, 95% CI 13.3-23.8) and PTSD (17.9%, 95% CI 11.6-25.3), and neurological symptoms (18.7%, 95% CI 16.2-21.4), such as cognitive deficits (19.7%, 95% CI 8.8-33.4) and memory impairment (17.5%, 95% CI 8.1-29.6). Subgroup analysis showed that participants with a higher risk of long-term sequelae were older, mostly male, living in a high-income country, with more severe status at acute infection. Individuals with severe infection suffered more from PTSD, sleep disturbance, cognitive deficits, concentration impairment, and gustatory dysfunction. Survivors with mild infection had high burden of anxiety and memory impairment after recovery. Our findings suggest that after recovery from acute COVID-19, half of survivors still have a high burden of either physical or mental sequelae up to at least 12 months. It is important to provide urgent and appropriate prevention and intervention management to preclude persistent or emerging long-term sequelae and to promote the physical and psychiatric wellbeing of COVID-19 survivors.

Public Willingness and Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination at the Initial Stage of Mass Vaccination in China.

The present study assessed the willingness of the general population to receive COVID-19 vaccines and identified factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and resistance. A national online survey was conducted from 29 January 2021 to 26 April 2021 in China. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and resistance. Of the 34,041 participants surveyed, 18,810 (55.3%) were willing to get vaccinated, 13,736 (40.3%) were hesitant, and 1495 (4.4%) were resistant. Rates of vaccine acceptance increased over time, with geographical discrepancies in vaccine hesitancy and resistance between provinces in China. Vaccine safety was the greatest concern expressed by most participants (24,461 [71.9%]), and the major reason for participants' refusing vaccination (974 [65.2%]). Government agencies (23,131 [68.0%]) and social media (20,967 [61.6%]) were the main sources of COVID-19 vaccine information. Compared with vaccination acceptance, female, young and middle-aged, high income, and perceived low-risk of infection were associated with vaccine hesitancy. Histories of allergic reactions to other vaccines and depression symptoms were related to vaccine resistance. Common factors that influenced vaccine hesitancy and resistance were residing in cities and perceiving less protection with vaccines than with other protective measures. The results indicate that the rate of vaccine resistance is relatively low, but vaccine hesitancy is common. Individuals who are female, young and middle-aged, with a high income, and residing in cities are more likely to be hesitant for vaccination and should be the target populations for vaccination campaigns. Specific vaccine messaging from the government and social media could alleviate public concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy.

Mental and neurological disorders and risk of COVID-19 susceptibility, illness severity and mortality: A systematic review, meta-analysis and call for action.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has evolved into a worldwide pandemic, and has been found to be closely associated with mental and neurological disorders. We aimed to comprehensively quantify the association between mental and neurological disorders, both pre-existing and subsequent, and the risk of susceptibility, severity and mortality of COVID-19. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane library databases for studies published from the inception up to January 16, 2021 and updated at July 7, 2021. Observational studies including cohort and case-control, cross-sectional studies and case series that reported risk estimates of the association between mental or neurological disorders and COVID-19 susceptibility, illness severity and mortality were included. Two researchers independently extracted data and conducted the quality assessment. Based on I2 heterogeneity, we used a random effects model to calculate pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression analysis were also performed. This study was registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD 42021230832). FINDING: A total of 149 studies (227,351,954 participants, 89,235,737 COVID-19 patients) were included in this analysis, in which 27 reported morbidity (132,727,798), 56 reported illness severity (83,097,968) and 115 reported mortality (88,878,662). Overall, mental and neurological disorders were associated with a significant high risk of infection (pre-existing mental: OR 1·67, 95% CI 1·12-2·49; and pre-existing neurological: 2·05, 1·58-2·67), illness severity (mental: pre-existing, 1·40, 1·25-1·57; sequelae, 4·85, 2·53-9·32; neurological: pre-existing, 1·43, 1·09-1·88; sequelae, 2·17, 1·45-3·24), and mortality (mental: pre-existing, 1·47, 1·26-1·72; neurological: pre-existing, 2·08, 1·61-2·69; sequelae, 2·03, 1·66-2·49) from COVID-19. Subgroup analysis revealed that association with illness severity was stronger among younger COVID-19 patients, and those with subsequent mental disorders, living in low- and middle-income regions. Younger patients with mental and neurological disorders were associated with higher mortality than elders. For type-specific mental disorders, susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 was associated with pre-existing mood disorders, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); illness severity was associated with both pre-existing and subsequent mood disorders as well as sleep disturbance; and mortality was associated with pre-existing schizophrenia. For neurological disorders, susceptibility was associated with pre-existing dementia; both severity and mortality were associated with subsequent delirium and altered mental status; besides, mortality was associated with pre-existing and subsequent dementia and multiple specific neurological diseases. Heterogeneities were substantial across studies in most analysis. INTERPRETATION: The findings show an important role of mental and neurological disorders in the context of COVID-19 and provide clues and directions for identifying and protecting vulnerable populations in the pandemic. Early detection and intervention for neurological and mental disorders are urgently needed to control morbidity and mortality induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was substantial heterogeneity among the included studies, and the results should be interpreted with caution. More studies are needed to explore long-term mental and neurological sequela, as well as the underlying brain mechanisms for the sake of elucidating the causal pathways for these associations. FUNDING: This study is supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Special Research Fund of PKUHSC for Prevention and Control of COVID-19, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

AlInGaAs Multiple Quantum Well-Integrated Device with Multifunction Light Emission/Detection and Electro-Optic Modulation in the Near-Infrared Range.

A monolithic photonic chip with multifunctional light emission/detection and electro-optic modulation capabilities in the near-infrared range is proposed and realized on an InP-based wafer. Two identical AlInGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) diodes operating independently as light emission/detection devices are fabricated using a two-step etching process on a single wafer and connected via a straight waveguide. The photocurrent induced in the MQW diode for the detection process is generated by the infrared light emitted by the MQW diode during the emission process and transmitted via the straight waveguide. The MQW diode has an electro-optic modulation characteristic, and its spectral responsivity exhibits a blueshift with an increasingly negative bias voltage under external infrared laser excitation. An on-chip communication test is conducted to study the potential applications of the proposed monolithic photonic chip for transmission of optical signals in the near-infrared range.