Objective Wuhan was the first Chinese city to be lockdown for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in springtime of 2020. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep status, body mass index, anxiety and depression in college students during the post-pandemic era in the universities of Wuhan, China. Methods A total of 1457 college students completed the online surveys from December 25, 2020 to January 16, 2021. Collected data included gender, age, school name, native place, grade, major, body mass index (BMI), the scores of self-assessment lists of sleep (SRSS), Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and Zung depression self-rating scale (SDS). Results 1445 valid questionnaires (99.18%) were received. Of all the respondents, the prevalence of insomnia, overweight and obesity, anxiety and depression were 32.73%, 19.45%, 15.43% and 62.91%, respectively. Female students were more likely to have insomnia and anxiety than male students. The rate of insomnia, overweight and obesity in postgraduates were higher than undergraduates. Non-medical students were more likely to be overweight and obese than medical students. In addition, insomnia severity was positively correlated to anxiety severity, and BMI was positively correlated to anxiety or depression severity. There was also a positive correlation between the severity of anxiety and depression. Conclusion During the post-pandemic era, insomnia and depression are common problems among college students in Wuhan, suggesting that we should strengthen the sleep education of college students to improve sleeping disorders and psychosomatic health.

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Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation is recognized as a key pathophysiological mechanism of insulin resistance. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a molecule derived from arachidonic acid, is a potent neutrophil chemoattractant. The excessive amount of LTB4 that is combined with its receptor BLT1 can cause chronic low-grade inflammation, aggravating insulin resistance. Berberine (BBR) has been shown to relieve insulin resistance due to its anti-inflammatory properties. However, it is not clear whether BBR could have any effects on the LTB4–BLT1 axis.Methods: Using LTB4 to induce Raw264.7 and HepG2 cells, we investigated the effect of BBR on the LTB4–BLT1 axis in the progression of inflammation and insulin resistance.Results: Upon exposure to LTB4, intracellular insulin resistance and inflammation increased in HepG2 cells, and chemotaxis and inflammation response increased in RAW264.7 cells. Interestingly, pretreatment with BBR partially blocked these changes. Our preliminary data show that BBR might act on BLT1, modulating the LTB4–BLT1 axis to alleviate insulin resistance and inflammation.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that BBR treatment could reduce intracellular insulin resistance and inflammation of hepatic cells, as well as chemotaxis of macrophages induced by LTB4. BBR might interact with BLT1 and alter the LTB4–BLT1 signaling pathway. This mechanism might be a novel anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic function of BBR.