Lanqing Qu^1,2,#, Jinbiao Zhang^1,2,#, Wei Jiang^1,2, Jiayu Zhang^1,2, Die Li¹, Wei Cheng³, Linghua Tao⁴, Hongdan Zhu⁵, Jing Li⁶, Min Xue⁷, Feng Chen⁸, Cuicui Xu⁹, Qiang Shu^1,2,*, Weize Xu^1,2,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.20, No.5, pp. 571-580, 2025, DOI:10.32604/chd.2025.066258 - 30 November 2025

Abstract Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly, but whether the COVID-19 pandemic affects its prevalence is unknown. We aimed to compare the incidence of CHD during the COVID-19 pandemic with that before the pandemic in China. Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study involved all newborns in seven representative cities of China between 01 September 2019, and 31 December 2021. All the newborns underwent pulse oximetry monitoring combined with cardiac murmur auscultation in the first 6 h to 72 h after birth for CHD screening. We defined fetuses born in and beyond September… More >

Traci N. Adams^1,#,*, Haley Belt^1,#, E. Whitney Pollio², Leah Cohen¹, Roma M. Mehta¹, Hetal J. Patel¹, Rosechelle M. Ruggiero¹, Carol S. North³

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 1369-1382, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066495 - 30 September 2025

Abstract Background: While quantitative research has determined that emotional distress and psychiatric illness among frontline healthcare workers increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, detailed qualitative data describing their personal experiences are needed in order to make appropriate plans to address provider mental health in future pandemics. This study aims to further explore the psychological effects of the pandemic on COVID-19 ICU clinicians and administrators through focus groups. Methods: Two separate 2-h focus groups of physicians were conducted, one with frontline faculty clinicians and another with administrators. Qualitative data analysis was conducted. Results: In September and November 2023, volunteer… More >

Marie Chaumel¹, Nicolas Brichart², Franck Bruyère¹, Ali Bourgi^1,*

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.32, No.4, pp. 359-366, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.066470 - 29 August 2025

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems globally, raising concerns about delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment. In France, transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) was prioritized in national urology guidelines to ensure the timely management of urothelial carcinoma. This study aimed to assess the impact of care reorganization on tumor staging, recurrence, palliative care, and mortality in bladder cancer patients from the pre-pandemic through late-pandemic periods. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study including all patients who underwent TURBT with histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma between April and December of 2019 (pre-pandemic), 2020 (early pandemic), 2021… More >

Melissa Mashaba¹, Curwyn Mapaling^2,*, Wandile F. Tsabedze³

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.1, pp. 29-35, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066007 - 30 April 2025

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic introduced significant psychosocial stressors for morticians in South Africa, yet their coping mechanisms remain underexplored. This study investigated how South African morticians (N = 10, Black males) coped with these stressors during the pandemic through semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) informed thematic analysis identified five themes: (i) death overload distress associated with trauma and fear of exposure; (ii) insomnia due to worry, workload, and fear of infection; (iii) stigmatisation from community avoidance and negative perceptions; (iv) social isolation and anxiety related to emotional disconnection, personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, More >

Agar Marín-Morales^1,2,*, Sofia Amaoui², Carmen Fernández-Fillol^2,3,4, Gustavo Carlo⁵, Sandra Rivas-García^2,6

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 561-576, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.058881 - 30 April 2025

Abstract Background: Prosocial behavior plays a crucial role in improving interpersonal relationships and social well-being, especially in times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe humanitarian crisis, prompting governments to implement measures such as social confinement. The main objective of the study was to analyze the psychological and sociodemographic variables that may predict prosocial behavior during quarantine. Methods: The sample consisted of 172 participants from Spain, divided into two groups based on whether they reported an increase in prosocial behaviors during quarantine. An online survey was administered to analyze the psychological and sociodemographic variables. Results: Overall, More >

Shikha Kukreti^1,#, Min-Chi Hsieh^2,#, Musheer A. Aljaberi³, Ru-Yi Huang^4,5,6, I-Ting Hwang⁷, Carol Strong², Jung-Sheng Chen⁸, Ming-Ta Hsieh^9,10,*, Mark D. Griffiths¹¹, Chung-Ying Lin^12,13,*, Nai-Ying Ko¹

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.12, pp. 987-996, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2024.057708 - 31 December 2024

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted medical education and caused psychological distress and worry about clinical learning for those who received clinical medical education during this period. Although the acute phase of COVID-19 has now ended, understanding its impact is essential for strengthening medical system preparedness. Therefore, the present study examined the association between changes in medical education and worry about clinical learning, considering the mediating role of psychological distress among participants who received clinical training. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 542 post-graduate year (PGY) doctors and allied health students from the… More >

MEHRSA JALALIZADEH^1,#, HEVELINE RAYANE MOURA ROESCH^1,#, FERNANDO KORKES², QUOC DIEN-TRINH³, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA REIS^1,4,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.10, pp. 1565-1573, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.052179 - 18 September 2024

Abstract Objectives: The Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde−SUS) is the universal public healthcare system of Brazil that maintains a nationwide database of its patients. Our primary objective was to analyze regional and temporal trends, while our secondary goal was to establish correlations between states’ health economy status and their prostate cancer (PCa) epidemiology. Methods: We analyzed Brazil’s nationwide data on prostate cancer (PCa) incidence, mortality, and care gathered between 2013 and 2021 by the Information Technology Department of SUS (DATA-SUS), updated monthly using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) code. Results: In the period,… More >

Wenxiang Dong, H. Vicky Zhao^*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.140, No.1, pp. 139-170, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2024.047156 - 16 April 2024

Abstract Understanding and modeling individuals’ behaviors during epidemics is crucial for effective epidemic control. However, existing research ignores the impact of users’ irrationality on decision-making in the epidemic. Meanwhile, existing disease control methods often assume users’ full compliance with measures like mandatory isolation, which does not align with the actual situation. To address these issues, this paper proposes a prospect theory-based framework to model users’ decision-making process in epidemics and analyzes how irrationality affects individuals’ behaviors and epidemic dynamics. According to the analysis results, irrationality tends to prompt conservative behaviors when the infection risk is low More >

Xinqiao Liu^*, Linxin Zhang, Xinran Zhang

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.2, pp. 105-116, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2023.042359 - 08 March 2024

Abstract Under the effects of COVID-19 and a number of ongoing lockdown tactics, anxiety symptoms and poor sleep quality have become common mental health issues among college freshmen and are intimately related to their emotional adaptation. To explore this connection, this study gathered data from a sample of 256 freshmen enrolled in an elite university in China in September 2022. The association between sleep quality, anxiety symptoms, and emotional adaptation was clarified using correlation analysis. Additionally, the mediating function of anxiety symptoms between sleep quality and emotional adaptation was investigated using a structural equation model. The… More >

Rong Fu^*, Luze Xie

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.1, pp. 21-30, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2023.041730 - 05 February 2024

Abstract COVID-19, as one of the most serious sudden public health problems in this century, is a serious threat to people’s mental health. College students, as a vulnerable group, are more likely to develop mental health problems. When the body is unable to adapt to new changes in the environment, the main mental health problem that arises is adjustment disorder. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and influencing factors of adjustment disorder among college students during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Cross-sectional data collected by web-based questionnaires were obtained through convenience sampling… More >