Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a plethora of psychological problems worldwide since its onset in December 2019. In the upheaval period, compared with medical college students, nonmedical students' psychological state deserves additional concern due to their lack of medical knowledge. Although the epidemic in China has been largely controlled for several months, the mental health problems resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic persist to this day. In this study, we assessed the mental health problems and associated risk factors experienced by nonmedical vs. medical college students in universities of Shandong Province during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period.Methods: An online survey was conducted over the period from 17 to 19 December 2020. A total of 954 Chinese college students (486 nonmedical and 468 medical students) from three universities of Shandong Province participated in the survey. Mental health variables were assessed with use of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).Results: Compared with medical students, nonmedical college students had higher prevalence rates of depression (53.9 vs. 46.4%; p = 0.020) and insomnia (28.0 vs. 22.4%, p = 0.049), as well as higher total scores on the PHQ-9 (p = 0.03) and ISI (p < 0.01). Among nonmedical college students, being female and native of non-Shandong were risk factors for anxiety and depression (p < 0.01), while only native of non-Shandong for insomnia (p < 0.01). Among medical students, age (p < 0.01) and living in rural areas (p = 0.04) were risk factors for depression, while only age (p < 0.05) was a risk factor for anxiety and insomnia.Conclusion: Nonmedical college students in the universities of Shandong Province had more mental health problems and more risk factors for developing them during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period than medical students. These nonmedical students require additional attention and recovery programs to alleviate the increased incidence of psychological problems related to COVID-19.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> COVID-19, a continuously emerging human-to-human infectious disease, has exerted a significant impact on the mental health of college students. However, little is known regarding the variations in the mental health issues experienced by college students during the peak versus reopening stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> To assess these issues, an online longitudinal survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. Undergraduates (<i>n</i> = 300) were recruited from 26 universities throughout Jinan in February 2020 (T1 – the epidemic peak stage) and in January 2021 (T2 – the society reopening stage). Their mental status was determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item, and the Insomnia Severity Index. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the original 300 college students recruited for this survey, 294 responses at T1 and 285 at T2 were analyzed. Compared with responses obtained at T1, college students at T2 showed a greater prevalence of depression (65.3 vs. 51.0%; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and anxiety (47.7 vs. 38.1%, <i>p</i> = 0.019), and experienced more severe depression (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) and anxiety (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). Both males (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and females (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01) showed higher levels of depression at T2 versus T1, while no differences were obtained with regard to anxiety and insomnia. At T1, Grade 4 students showed greater levels of depression (<i>p</i> = 0.005) and anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.008) than that of Grade 1 students. While at T2, only greater levels of depression (<i>p</i> = 0.004) were present when compared with that of Grade 1 students. Additionally, Grade 4 college students demonstrated a greater prevalence of depression at T2 versus T1 (<i>p</i> = 0.03), but no statistically differences were present for anxiety and insomnia. No statistically significant differences were obtained among the 4 grades of college students for insomnia at either the T1 or T2. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> With progression of the COVID-19 epidemic, college students showed increasing levels of depression and anxiety, with Grade 4 college students being most seriously affected. It is imperative that intervention strategies be implemented to mitigate against these mental health issues resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic.

While blended learning has been growing in popularity in recent years, the effectiveness of this procedure remains controversial. In this report, we assess the effectiveness of blended learning of embryology within international medical students. The participants were international medical students taking embryology in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery program. The blended learning group (BLG) consisted of students (n = 43) in the 2018-2019 academic year, taught with blended learning model via a customized small private online course (SPOC). The control traditional teaching group (TTG) consisted students (n = 48) in the 2017-2018 academic year, taught with traditional teaching model. Academic performance, including mean scores and passing ratios on the final exam of two groups were compared and analyzed with a t-test. In addition, a questionnaire directed toward evaluating student's perceptions with the blended learning was administered to students in BLG.The majority of students in BLG actively participated in online self-study activities and discussion in face-to-face class sessions. The mean score and passing ratio were significantly greater than those of students in TTG (p < 0.01). Results from the questionnaire revealed that the majority of BLG students felt that this method was beneficial for their learning of human embryology. The blended learning model, that integrates SPOC with face-to-face class lectures proved a more effective means for the teaching of embryology than the traditional lecture-based teaching model. This blended learning method may serve as a feasible model that can be readily applied for use in other medical courses.

Background: Glioma is one of the most aggressive malignant brain tumors that is characterized with highly infiltrative growth and poor prognosis. ARST is a novel lncRNA which expression is significantly decreased in the patients with glioblastoma multiforme. However, the exact mechanisms of ARST in gliomagenesis are largely unknown. Methods: The expressions of ARST in the glioma samples and cell lines were analyzed by qRT-PCR. FISH was utilized to detect the distribution of ARST in the glioma cells. CCK-8, EdU and flow cytometry were used to examine cellular viability, proliferation and apoptosis. Transwell and wound-healing assays were performed to determine the migratory and invasive abilities of the cells. Intracranial tumorigenesis models were established to explore the roles of ARST in vivo. RNA pulldown assay was used to examine proteins that bound to ARST. The activities of key enzymes in the glycolysis and production of lactate acid were measured by colorimetry. In addition, RIP, Co-IP, western blot, immunofluorescence were used to investigate the interaction and regulation between ARST, F-actin, ALDOA and cofilin.Results: In this study, we reported that ARST was downregulated in the gliomas. Overexpression of ARST in the glioma cells significantly suppressed various cellular vital abilities such as cell growth, proliferation, migration and invasion. The tumorigenic capacity of these cells in vivo was reduced as well. We further demonstrated that the tumor suppressive effects of ARST could be mediated by a direct binding to a glycolytic enzyme aldolase A (ALDOA), which together with cofilin, keeps the polymerization and depolymerization of actin filaments in an orderly dynamic equilibrium. Upregulation of ARST interrupted the interaction of ALDOA and actin cytoskeleton, which led to a rapid cofilin-dependent loss of F-actin stress fibers. Conclusions: Taken together, it is concluded that ARST performs its function via a non-metabolic pathway associated with ALDOA, which otherwise modifies the morphology and invasive properties of the glioma cells. This has added new perspective to its role in tumorigenesis, thus providing potential target for glioma diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis.

Chinese universities have been conducting a variety of sexuality education programs, including a Sexuality Curriculum (SC) to increase SRH knowledge and improve sexual attitude and practice among college students. However, little is known regarding the effect of SC on students' sexual attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of SC on SRH knowledge, sexual attitude and practice among college students of Shandong University. To assess these issues, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. 449 Freshmen were recruited from Shandong university, including 209 students with SC and 240 students without SC. We assessed their SRH knowledge, sexual attitude and practice. 15.8% engaged in sexual activities, while 59.2% had viewed non-scientific books or videos describing sexual behavior within the past 2 weeks. Regarding the initial source of their SRH information，65.9% taught themselves through reading or viewing SRH content in the media, 46.8% participated in school lectures on SRH, while only 31.2% of the participants discussed SRH matters with their parents. As compared with students without SC, students with SC had significantly greater total scores with regard to reproductive health knowledge (p < 0.001) and sexual health knowledge (p < 0.001). Students without SC showed a significant degree of prejudice against STD patients and were more resistant to interact with acquaintances infected with HIV (p < 0.001). Exposure to a school-based SC had a beneficial effect on increasing the SRH knowledge of these students as well as mitigating risky sexual attitudes and behaviors.