Background: In this study, we aimed to explore the attitude of medical students toward their role and social accountability in this pandemic era. An online survey was developed to elicit information on (1) the role of medical students in the pandemic era; (2) Medical education in the “new normal,” and (3) the impact of COVID-19 on medical students.Methods: The online survey, developed by a team consisting of three medical students, three psychiatry residents, and three professors of psychiatry, was conducted on 574 participants (213 medical students, 180 graduates, and 181 professors) in the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. Anxiety symptom rating scales, including the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 (SAVE-6) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder−7 (GAD-7) scale, were applied to measure participant anxiety level.Results: Medical students indicated their willingness to join the healthcare response to the COVID-19 pandemic, if requested; however, graduates and professors recommended that medical students continue their training rather than join the pandemic healthcare response. In the new normal era, medical education has had to change appropriately. Moreover, adequate knowledge of COVID-19 infection and spread must be considered for the continuation of clinical clerkships during the pandemic. Overall, medical students who indicated anxiety about treating possible or confirmed cases of COVID-19 rated higher on the SAVE-6 scale. Finally, medical students who reported that COVID-19 had an impact on their studies and daily life rated higher on the general anxiety scale (GAD-7).Conclusion: Social accountability is an important issue for medical students in the pandemic era. At the same time, non-disruption of their academic calendar would ensure continuous availability of component medical professionals, which is important for adequate future healthcare responses.

Introduction: Self-efficacy signifies an individual's belief in their own ability to perform the actions required to achieve a particular performance. In this study, we used an online survey to assess the mediation effect of resilience and self-efficacy on the overall psychological well-being of Lebanese people during the crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut explosion.Methods: Overall, 567 Lebanese people participated in an online survey between March 17–28, 2021. The survey included the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale-2 items, WHO-5 Well-being Index, General Self-Efficacy scale, and a single item on insomnia. We also assessed their risk perception regarding exposure to COVID-19 or explosions.Results: About 53% of participants were assessed as having depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) in the recent crisis. About half of participants (53.2%) reported feeling more stressed by COVID-19 than by the Beirut explosion, and 23.4% felt more stressed by the Beirut explosion than by COVID-19. Only the SAVE-6 score differed significantly between groups with greater stress responses to COVID-19 and the Beirut explosion. Self-efficacy mediated the influence of depression on people's psychological well-being, and self-efficacy and resilience mediated the influence of viral anxiety on psychological well-being.Conclusion: Self-efficacy is important for reducing people's depression and improving their psychological well-being during the Lebanon crises and also mediates the influence of anxiety in response to the viral epidemic on their psychological well-being in some people.

Background The purpose of this study is to introduce our modified disc plication technique using MITEK mini anchors and to evaluate the clinical outcome for patients with internal derangement (ID) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Patients and methods We evaluated 65 joints in 46 patients, comprised 32 women and 14 men, who first visited the Asan Medical Center from December 2012 to December 2016. The age of the patients ranged from 14 to 79 years, with a mean age of 36.6 years. The patients presented with joint problems including pain, joint noise, and mouth opening limitation (MOL). Patients who met our inclusion criteria underwent unilateral or bilateral disc repositioning surgery with our minimally invasive disc plication technique using MITEK mini anchors and No. 2-0 Ethibond® braided polyester sutures. The variables taken into account in this study were the range of maximum mouth opening (MMO), painful symptoms (evaluated with the visual analog scale, VAS), and the type of noise (click, popping, crepitus) in the TMJ. Results Preoperative examination revealed painful symptoms in 50.7% (n = 35) of the operated joints (n = 69) and the presence of clicks in 56.5% (n = 39). Postoperative examination revealed that 4.3% (n = 3) of the operated joints had painful symptoms with lower intensity than that in the preoperative condition. Additionally, 17.4% (n = 12) had residual noise in the TMJ, among which two were clicking and the other 10 had mild crepitus. The intensity of the postoperative residual noise was significantly decreased in all cases compared to that in the preoperative condition. Among patients with MOL below 38 mm (n = 18), the mean MMO was 31.4 mm preoperatively and 44.2 mm at 6 months postoperatively, with a mean increase of 13.8 mm. A barely visible scar at the operation site was noted during the postoperative observation period, with no significant complications such as facial palsy or permanent occlusal disharmony. Conclusion Subjective symptoms in all patients improved following the surgery. TMJ disc plication using MITEK mini anchors with our minimally invasive approach may be a feasible and effective surgical option for treating TMJ ID patients who are not responsive to conservative treatment.