Aims Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major public health concern all over the world. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population. This study aimed to assess the mental health problems and associated factors among a large sample of college students during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Methods This cross-sectional and nation-wide survey of college students was conducted in China from 3 to 10 February 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial factors, COVID-19 epidemic related factors and mental health problems. Acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Chinese versions of the impact of event scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Univariate and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with mental health problems. Results Among 821 218 students who participated in the survey, 746 217 (90.9%) were included for the analysis. In total, 414 604 (55.6%) of the students were female. About 45% of the participants had mental health problems. The prevalence rates of probable acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were 34.9%, 21.1% and 11.0%, respectively. COVID-19 epidemic factors that were associated with increased risk of mental health problems were having relatives or friends being infected (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72–2.33). Students with exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 ≥3 h/day were 2.13 times more likely than students with media exposure <1 h/day to have acute stress symptoms. Individuals with low perceived social support were 4.84–5.98 times more likely than individuals with high perceived social support to have anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, senior year and prior mental health problems were also significantly associated with anxiety or/and depressive symptoms. Conclusions In this large-scale survey of college students in China, acute stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple epidemic and psychosocial factors, such as family members being infected, massive media exposure, low social support, senior year and prior mental health problems were associated with increased risk of mental health problems. Psychosocial support and mental health services should be provided to those students at risk.

Human p32 (also known as SF2-associated p32, p32͞TAP, and gC1qR) is a conserved eukaryotic protein that localizes predominantly in the mitochondrial matrix. It is thought to be involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and in nucleus-mitochondrion interactions. We report the crystal structure of p32 determined at 2.25 Å resolution. The structure reveals that p32 adopts a novel fold with seven consecutive antiparallel ␤-strands f lanked by one N-terminal and two C-terminal ␣-helices. Three monomers form a doughnut-shaped quaternary structure with an unusually asymmetric charge distribution on the surface. The implications of the structure on previously proposed functions of p32 are discussed and new specific functional properties are suggested.

Background: Previous studies on coronavirus disease 2019 have focused on populations with normal immunity, but lack data on immunocompromised populations. Objective: To evaluate the clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients. Design, setting, and participants: A total of 10 renal transplant recipients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia were enrolled in this retrospective study. In addition, 10 of their family members diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia were included in the control group. Intervention: Immunosuppressant reduction and low-dose methylprednisolone therapy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The clinical outcomes (the severity of pneumonia, recovery rate, time of virus shedding, and length of illness) were compared with the control group by statistical analysis. Results and limitations: The clinical symptomatic, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in the renal transplant recipients were similar to those of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in the general population. The severity of COVID-19 pneumonia was greater in the transplant recipients than in the control group (five severe/three critical cases vs one severe case). Five patients developed transient renal allograft damage. After a longer time of virus shedding (28.4 AE 9.3 vs 12.2 AE 4.6 d in the control group) and a longer course of illness (35.3 AE 8.3 vs 18.8 AE 10.5 d in the control group), nine of the 10 transplant patients recovered successfully after treatment. One patient developed acute renal graft failure and died of progressive respiratory failure. Conclusions: Kidney transplant recipients had more severe COVID-19 pneumonia than the general population, but most of them recovered after a prolonged clinical course and virus shedding. Findings from this small group of cases may have important implications for the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia in immunosuppressed populations. Patient summary: Immunosuppressed transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection had more severe pneumonia, but most of them still achieved a good prognosis after appropriate treatment.

Back and forth: The CO2 /N2 trigger of a switchable surfactant (neutral amidine/cationic amidinium) was transferred to mineral nanoparticles through in situ hydrophobization in water. Switchable oil-in-water Pickering emulsions that entail a CO2 /N2 trigger were obtained by using negatively charged silica nanoparticles and a trace amount of the switchable surfactant as the stabilizer.

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A stable oil-in-water Pickering emulsion stabilized by negatively charged silica nanoparticles hydrophobized in situ with a trace amount of a conventional cationic surfactant can be rendered unstable on addition of an equimolar amount of an anionic surfactant. The emulsion can be subsequently restabilized by adding a similar trace amount of cationic surfactant along with rehomogenization. This destabilization-stabilization behavior can be cycled many times, demonstrating that the Pickering emulsion is switchable. The trigger is the stronger electrostatic interaction between the oppositely charged ionic surfactants compared with that between the cationic surfactant and the (initially) negatively charged particle surfaces. The cationic surfactant prefers to form ion pairs with the added anionic surfactant and thus desorbs from particle surfaces rendering them surface-inactive. This access to switchable Pickering emulsions is easier than those employing switchable surfactants, polymers, or surface-active particles, avoiding both the complicated synthesis and the stringent switching conditions.

Novel oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions are prepared which are stabilised by a cationic surfactant in combination with similarly charged alumina nanoparticles at concentrations as low as 10 m and 10 wt %, respectively. The surfactant molecules adsorb at the oil-water interface to reduce the interfacial tension and endow droplets with charge ensuring electrical repulsion between them, whereas the charged particles are dispersed in the aqueous films between droplets retaining thick lamellae, reducing water drainage and hindering flocculation and coalescence of droplets. This stabilization mechanism is universal as it occurs with different oils (alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons and triglycerides) and in mixtures of anionic surfactant and negatively charged nanoparticles. Further, such emulsions can be switched between stable and unstable by addition of an equimolar amount of oppositely charged surfactant which forms ion pairs with the original surfactant destroying the repulsion between droplets.

pH-responsive oil-in-water Pickering emulsions were prepared simply by using negatively charged silica nanoparticles in combination with a trace amount of a zwitterionic carboxyl betaine surfactant as stabilizer. Emulsions are stable to coalescence at pH ≤ 5 but phase separate completely at pH > 8.5. In acidic solution, the carboxyl betaine molecules become cationic, allowing them to adsorb on silica nanoparticles via electrostatic interactions, thus hydrophobizing and flocculating them and enhancing their surface activity. Upon increasing the pH, surfactant molecules are converted to zwitterionic form and significantly desorb from particles' surfaces, triggering dehydrophobization and coalescence of oil droplets within the emulsion. The pH-responsive emulsion can be cycled between stable and unstable many times upon alternating the pH of the aqueous phase. The average droplet size in restabilized emulsions at low pH, however, increases gradually after four cycles due to the accumulation of NaCl. Experimental evidence including adsorption isotherms, zeta potentials, microscopy, and three-phase contact angles is given to support the postulated mechanisms.