Social distancing policy and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic: an 18-month longitudinal cohort study in South Korea

BackgroundDespite the effectiveness of social distancing policies in preventing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), their impact on mental health remains a concern. Longitudinal studies investigating the psychological effects of social distancing are limited.MethodsLongitudinal data on psychological variables were collected eight times between May 2020 and November 2021 through online surveys in South Korea.ResultsThe participants in the study reported a worsening of depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicide risk, and psychological distress with increasing levels of social distancing. Specifically, during the third wave, when social distancing levels peaked, the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were observed, and the second-lowest levels of vitality were reported. Furthermore, psychological risk factors, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal risk, were closely associated with vitality levels in daily life.DiscussionsDuring the pandemic, although social distancing helped prevent the spread of COVID-19, it also led to increased depression, anxiety, suicide risk, psychological distress, and decreased vitality. Engagement at a personal level in fundamental daily activities is important to cope with psychological distress. Our results indicate that commitment to fundamental daily activities and following routines is an important protective factor against psychological distress, notwithstanding COVID-19

Indentations on Air Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings Prepared by Different Starting Granules

The effect of starting granules on the indentation properties of air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is investigated in this paper. Various kinds of spray-dried granules are prepared from different processing conditions, especially varying solvent and dispersant, showing a deformed hollow-typed and a filled spherical-typed granule. The similar coating thicknesses are prepared by adjusting process parameters during air plasma spray. All XRD peaks in phase analysis are tetragonal and cubic phases without any monoclinic phase after the starting granules were heat-treated. A relatively porous microstructure of the coating layer could be obtained from the monodisperse granules, while a relatively dense microstructure resulted from the hollow-typed granules. The morphology and distribution of the granules crucially affect the microstructure of thermal barrier coatings and thus have influences on indentation properties such as indentation stress-strain curves, contact damage, and hardness. The implication concerning microstructure design of TBCs for gas turbine applications is considered

Risk Factors for an Iatrogenic Mallory-Weiss Tear Requiring Bleeding Control during a Screening Upper Endoscopy

Background and Aim. In some cases of iatrogenic Mallory-Weiss tears (MWTs), hemostasis is needed due to severe mucosal tearing with bleeding. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors for severe iatrogenic MWTs and the methods of endoscopic bleeding control. Materials and Methods. Between January 2008 and December 2012, 426,085 cases of screening upper endoscopy were performed at the Asan Medical Center. We retrospectively analyzed the risk factors for severe iatrogenic MWTs requiring an endoscopic procedure and the treatment modalities of bleeding control. Results. Iatrogenic MWTs occurred in 546 cases (0.13%) of screening upper endoscopy in 539 patients. Bleeding control due to severe bleeding was applied in 71 cases (13.0%), and rebleeding after initial bleeding control occurred in 1 case. Multivariate analysis showed that old age, a history of distal gastrectomy, and a less-experienced endoscopist (fewer than 2,237.5 endoscopic procedures at the time of the MWT) were associated with severe iatrogenic MWTs requiring an endoscopic procedure. Among 71 cases requiring bleeding control, a hemoclip was used in 81.7% (58 cases). Conclusions. Screening endoscopy procedures should be carefully performed when patients are in their old age and have a history of distal gastrectomy, particularly if the endoscopist is less experienced

Is Ex Vivo Training before In Vivo Training Effective in Learning Gastric Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection?

Background/Aims The learning curve is essential in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) training to improve outcomes and reduce the risk of procedure-related complications. We compared the outcomes of gastric ESD in live pigs performed by inexperienced endoscopists with or without ex vivo training. Materials and Methods At the Olympus Medical Training and Education Center, nine endoscopists inexperienced in ESD were randomly divided into two groups (group A: ex vivo training followed by in vivo training; group B: in vivo training only), and they performed gastric ESDs. Results A total of 18 ESDs were performed. The en bloc resection rate was 88.9% (16/18), and the complete resection rate was 94.4% (17/18). The median specimen size was 2.5 cm in group A and 2.1 cm in group B (P=0.227). There was no significant difference in the procedure time between the two groups, except for the marking time (0′58″ vs. 2′58″, P=0.027). However, group A took a shorter time in dissecting the same area than group B (109 vs. 246 sec/cm2, P=0.083). Complication rates were not significantly different between both groups. Conclusions The procedure time during in vivo ESD training in pigs may be shortened by prior ex vivo training. However, the ex vivo model presented poor air inflation, unstable fixation, and excessive mucosal hardness for cutting. An advanced simulator or sufficient ex vivo training may be effective in training for the ESD procedure

Piceatannol, Natural Polyphenolic Stilbene, Inhibits Adipogenesis via Modulation of Mitotic Clonal Expansion and Insulin Receptor-dependent Insulin Signaling in Early Phase of Differentiation

Piceatannol, a natural stilbene, is an analog and a metabolite of resveratrol. Despite a well documented health benefit of resveratrol in intervention of the development of obesity, the role of piceatannol in the development of adipose tissue and related diseases is unknown. Here, we sought to determine the function of piceatannol in adipogenesis and elucidate the underlying mechanism. We show that piceatannol inhibits adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner at noncytotoxic concentrations. This anti-adipogenic property of piceatannol was largely limited to the early event of adipogenesis. In the early phase of adipogenesis, piceatannol-treated preadipocytes displayed a delayed cell cycle entry into G2/M phase at 24 h after initiation of adipogenesis. Furthermore, the piceatannol-suppressed mitotic clonal expansion was accompanied by reduced activation of the insulin-signaling pathway. Piceatannol dose-dependently inhibited differentiation mixture-induced phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR)/insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)/Akt pathway in the early phase of adipogenesis. Moreover, we showed that piceatannol is an inhibitor of IR kinase activity and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Our kinetics study of IR further identified a Km value for ATP of 57.8 μm and a Ki value for piceatannol of 28.9 μm. We also showed that piceatannol directly binds to IR and inhibits IR kinase activity in a mixed noncompetitive manner to ATP, through which piceatannol appears to inhibit adipogenesis. Taken together, our study reveals an anti-adipogenic function of piceatannol and highlights IR and its downstream insulin signaling as novel targets for piceatannol in the early phase of adipogenesis

Non-biomimetic route to deoxyadenosine adducts of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Aminotriols are prepared by direct aminolysis of the diol epoxides of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, providing a substantial improvement over literature methods. The condensation of aminotriols with 6-halopurine deoxyribonucleosides provides a regio- and stereospecific synthesis of deoxyadenosine N6 adducts.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29083/1/0000118.pd

Outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal neoplasms in patients with liver cirrhosis

Background/Aims The treatment of superficial esophageal neoplasms (SENs) in cirrhotic patients is challenging and rarely investigated. We evaluated the outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to determine the efficacy and safety of treating SENs in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods The baseline characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients who underwent ESD for SENs between November 2005 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Results ESD was performed in 437 patients with 481 SENs, including 15 cirrhotic patients with 17 SENs. En bloc resection (88.2% vs. 97.0%) and curative resection (64.7% vs. 78.9%) rates were not different between the cirrhosis and non-cirrhosis groups (p=0.105 and p=0.224, respectively). Bleeding was more common in cirrhotic patients (p=0.054), and all cases were successfully controlled endoscopically. The median procedure and hospitalization duration did not differ between the groups. Overall survival was lower in cirrhotic patients (p=0.003), while disease-specific survival did not differ between the groups (p=0.85). Conclusions ESD could be a safe and effective treatment option for SENs in patients with cirrhosis. Detailed preprocedural assessments are needed, including determination of liver function, esophageal varix status, and remaining life expectancy, to identify patients who will obtain the greatest benefit

Visceral Myopathy of Intestinal Pseudoobstruction

Intestinal pseudoobstruction is a syndrome complex caused by a variety of disorders of various etiology. It can be classified pathologically as visceral myopathy and visceral neuropathy. The sporadic form of visceral myopathy is characterized histologically by vacuolar degeneration and fibrosis of smooth muscle but differs from the familial form only by the absence of other affected family members. We studied 6 cases with intestinal pseudoobstruction classified as sporadic visceral myopathy. They were four boys and two girls, and were two neonates, two infants and two children. The duration of symptoms ranged from two days to two years. Two babies were dead from pneumonia and sepsis. Others were alleviated after surgical resection of the bowel. Both small and large intestines were found affected in autopsy cases. Histopathologic features were vacuolar degeneration of muscularis propria, disproportionate hypoplasia of outer muscle layer, abnormal muscle direction of muscularis propria, submucosal and/or interstitial fibrosis and extra muscle layering. It is presumed that a variety of histopathologic features accounts for visceral myopathy of intestinal pseudoobstruction