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Background: Recent studies have reported changes in the electroencephalograms (EEG) of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little research has explored EEG differences between adolescents with MDD and healthy controls, particularly EEG microstates differences. The aim of the current study was to characterize EEG microstate activity in adolescents with MDD and healthy controls (HCs).Methods: A total of 35 adolescents with MDD and 35 HCs were recruited in this study. The depressive symptoms were assessed by Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the anxiety symptoms were assessed by Chinese version of DSM-5 Level 2-Anxiety-Child scale. A 64-channel EEG was recorded for 5 min (eye closed, resting-state) and analyzed using microstate analysis. Microstate properties were compared between groups and correlated with patients' depression scores.Results: We found increased occurrence and contribution of microstate B in MDD patients compared to HCs, and decreased occurrence and contribution of microstate D in MDD patients compared to HCs. While no significant correlation between depression severity (HAMD score) and the microstate metrics (occurrence and contribution of microstate B and D) differing between MDD adolescents and HCs was found.Conclusions: Adolescents with MDD showed microstate B and microstate D changes. The obtained results may deepen our understanding of dynamic EEG changes among adolescents with MDD and provide some evidence of changes in brain development in adolescents with MDD.

One of the most significant societal occurrences of the twenty-first century is the COVID-19 epidemic, which still affects many people around the world today, from all developing to developed countries. This paper connects the COVID-19 epidemic to German sociologist Ulrich Beck's theory of risk society. This research is beneficial to the management of future epidemics. This paper examines COVID-19's manufacturing and distribution, management and influence using a case study methodology based on Beck's theory. This research found the COVID-19 pandemic can infect any person, eliminating the boundaries of social inequality. But the COVID-19 pandemic has also widened the boundaries of inequality, because in developing countries or regions, people's vaccination rates are low. Meanwhile, vulnerable groups such as the poor or the elderly are not adequately protected and have a greater risk of being infected. So it is important to take action at the global level and pay greater attention to vulnerable groups.