OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability. METHODS: Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24⁺), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO₁₅), Gan (CO₁₂) and Shen (CO₁₀). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.
Humans ; Depression ; Quarantine ; Serotonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; COVID-19 ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Comorbidity

Humans ; COVID-19 ; Quarantine ; Renal Dialysis ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Hospitals

To explore early prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） outbreak based on system dynamics model analysis. The data of early outbreak of COVID-19 were collected from the World Health Organization，covering countries of the China，United States，United Kingdom，Australia，Serbia and Italy. The susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered （SEIR） model was generalized and then its parameters were optimized. According to the parameters in the basic infection number expression，the sensitivity in the system dynamics model was used to quantitatively analyze the influence of the protection rate，infection rate and average quarantine time on the early spread of the outbreak. Based on the analysis results，targeted prevention and control measures for the early outbreak of COVID-19 were proposed. The generalized SEIR model had a good fit for the early prediction and evaluation of COVID-19 outbreaks in six countries. The spread of COVID-19 was mainly affected by the protection rate，infection rate and average quarantine time. The improvement of the protection rate in the first ays was the most important:the greater the protection rate，the fewer the number of confirmed cases. The infection rate in the first 5 days was the most critical:the smaller the infection rate，the fewer the number of confirmed cases. The average quarantine time in the first 5 days was very important:the shorter the average quarantine time，the fewer the number of confirmed cases. Through the comparison of key parameters of six countries，Australia and China had implemented strict epidemic prevention policies，which had resulted in good epidemic prevention effects. In the early stage of the outbreak，it is necessary to improve the protection rate，shorten the average quarantine time，and implement strict isolation policies to curb the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Quarantine ; SARS-CoV-2

BACKGROUND: Current studies on the COVID-19 depicted a general incubation period distribution and did not examine whether the incubation period distribution varies across patients living in different geographical locations with varying environmental attributes. Profiling the incubation distributions geographically help to determine the appropriate quarantine duration for different regions. METHODS: This retrospective study mainly applied big data analytics and methodology, using the publicly accessible clinical report for patients (n = 543) confirmed as infected in Shenzhen and Hefei, China. Based on 217 patients on whom the incubation period could be identified by the epidemiological method. Statistical and econometric methods were employed to investigate how the incubation distributions varied between infected cases reported in Shenzhen and Hefei. RESULTS: The median incubation period of the COVID-19 for all the 217 infected patients was 8 days (95% CI 7 to 9), while median values were 9 days in Shenzhen and 4 days in Hefei. The incubation period probably has an inverse U-shaped association with the meteorological temperature. The warmer condition in the winter of Shenzhen, average environmental temperature between 10 °C to 15 °C, may decrease viral virulence and result in more extended incubation periods. CONCLUSION Case studies of the COVID-19 outbreak in Shenzhen and Hefei indicated that the incubation period of COVID-19 had exhibited evident geographical disparities, although the pathological causality between meteorological conditions and incubation period deserves further investigation. Methodologies based on big data released by local public health authorities are applicable for identifying incubation period and relevant epidemiological research.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Geography ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Incubation Period ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quarantine ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: School closure is one of the main policies of global health care strategies performed worldwide. Despite all benefits, there might be some threats for younger groups spending their time in quarantine. This study aims to determine the impacts of lockdown and school closure on children's major lifestyle aspects, especially their leisure and sleep pattern during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: For the purpose of this study, an online questionnaire was distributed from 14th to 31st of March 2020 among the schools and students from the first grade to the 12th grade (before university) in Fars province, southern Iran. The questionnaire consisted of five sections which included data regarding the students' general information, activity priorities, adherence to quarantine, attitude toward school closure, and sleep patterns. RESULTS: In our study, 20,697 filled questionnaires were received from the participants with an average age of 13.76 years; 29.7% of them were male, 80.6% were from urban areas, and 83.3% were from public schools. The overall first preference of students during school closure was mobile and computer games (30.1%), followed by studying (26.6%) and watching television (13.8%). Our results demonstrated that the majority of students adhered to social distancing and there was also a significant correlation among education levels and desire for schools to be closed till the end of the semester (P = 0.015). Also, regarding sleep patterns, the majority (53.5%) had above 12 h of sleep throughout the day. CONCLUSION It seems that lockdown following COVID-19 pandemic has changed various aspects of the students' lifestyle remarkably, especially by increasing screen time and even sleep duration and pattern. We believe that certain strategies should be implemented by the Health and Educational Ministry to control not only the visible side effects of the quarantine period, but also the collateral consequences on their psychological and mental health.
Adolescent ; COVID-19/psychology* ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Iran/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Male ; Quarantine/statistics & numerical data* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Schools ; Sleep Hygiene ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

An epidemiological investigation was carried out on a local cluster of outbreak caused by imported cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in rural areas of Chengdu in December 2020, to find out the source of infection and the chain of transmission. According to
COVID-19 ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemics ; Humans ; Quarantine ; SARS-CoV-2

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19 ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quarantine ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States ; Young Adult

ABSTRACT The study aimed to quantify the impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on new case referrals to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) service. The researchers retrospectively reviewed all new referrals received during a government-imposed 47-day lockdown period and a similar period pre-lockdown as a control group. The main outcome was the differences in the number of new case referrals between the two periods. The contributing clinical and demographic factors were also explored. Appropriate bivariate statistics were computed and the level of significance was set at 0.05 for all tests. A total of 309 referrals were received during the study period. There was a reduction of new referrals due to the lockdown from five to two cases per day. There was a statistically significant reduction of cases referred from outpatient and emergency departments. There was also a statistically significant difference with regard to home address distance to the centre. Medically compromised and orofacial infection referrals were not affected by lockdown. The lockdown imposed due to the pandemic has significantly impacted the pattern of new OMS referrals. Referrals for orofacial infections, the medically compromised and inpatients were minimally affected by lockdown.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ; Quarantine ; COVID-19

Background: With the increasing number of COVID positive cases still being reported in the country, coupled with the possible vulnerability of pregnant patients to the disease, aggressive measures must be taken by all institutions to ensure safety of the patients. Objective: This study aimed to the determine the clinical profile and pregnancy outcome of patients who were admitted at a tertiary private hospital in Metro Manila from March 16, 2020 to June 15, 2020 in relation to the protocols that were implemented in response coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: The protocols and guidelines implemented by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of a private tertiary hospital in Metro Manila from March 16, 2020 to June 15, 2020 were retrieved. The case record of patients who were admitted and delivered during this period were retrieved and reviewed for pertinent data, which were recorded in a patient data collection form. Results: During the 3-month study period, COVID positive pregnant patients were effectively separated from COVID negative patients from admission to discharge based on a health declaration form and universal reverse transcriptase polymerized chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. Discharge was facilitated after 12–48 h for uncomplicated deliveries and post partum follow-up was done via telemedicine. Conclusion The separation of COVID positive from COVID negative patients based on symptoms and RT-PCR results were effective in ensuring the safety of patients.
COVID‑19 ; Pandemics ; Quarantine

On the base of the idea of traditional Chinese medicine as "disease prevention", the mode and the protocol of the moxibustion intervention for the group under quarantine after close contact with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were explored. The group under quarantine after close contact with COVID-19 was taken as the subjects. By the non-contact physician-patient communication network platform co-developed by China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, Hunan Provincial Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, Data Center of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Yuge Medicine Company, an exploratory randomized controlled trial was designed. A total of 100 cases were included and randomized into a moxibustion group and a conventional intervention group, 50 cases in each one. In the moxibustion group, moxibustion intervention was used. In the conventional intervention group, the conventional observation was adopted without moxibusiton intervention applied. The outcomes included the symptoms changes, e.g. anxiety, emotional disturbance, fatigue, headache and diarrhea, as well as whether quarantine release and the case confirmed or not, etc. The results were evaluated before intervention, in 14 days of intervention and 2 weeks after intervention separately. In this research, on the base of internet plus technology and with the internet communication platform adopted, through mobile phone WeChat App, it was to implement the subject screen, the random allocation and the instruction of moxibustion intervention as well as the quality control of patient's diary and data collection. It is anticipated that the significance and the implementation mode of moxibustion intervention can be assessed preliminarily for the group under quarantine after close contact with COVID-19.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; therapy ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; therapy ; Quarantine