Background COVID-19 was first reported in 2019, and the Chinese government immediately carried out stringent and effective control measures in response to the epidemic. Objective Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may have impacted incidences of other infectious diseases as well. Potential explanations underlying this reduction, however, are not clear. Hence, in this study, we aim to study the influence of the COVID-19 prevention policies on other infectious diseases (mainly class B infectious diseases) in China. Methods Time series data sets between 2017 and 2021 for 23 notifiable infectious diseases were extracted from public data sets from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Several indices (peak and trough amplitudes, infection selectivity, preferred time to outbreak, oscillatory strength) of each infectious disease were calculated before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Results We found that the prevention and control policies for COVID-19 had a strong, significant reduction effect on outbreaks of other infectious diseases. A clear event-related trough (ERT) was observed after the outbreak of COVID-19 under the strict control policies, and its decreasing amplitude is related to the infection selectivity and preferred outbreak time of the disease before COVID-19. We also calculated the oscillatory strength before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and found that it was significantly stronger before the COVID-19 outbreak and does not correlate with the trough amplitude. Conclusions Our results directly demonstrate that prevention policies for COVID-19 have immediate additional benefits for controlling most class B infectious diseases, and several factors (infection selectivity, preferred outbreak time) may have contributed to the reduction in outbreaks. This study may guide the implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions to control a wider range of infectious diseases.

BackgroundEpidemics of infectious diseases have a great negative impact on people's daily life. How it changes over time and what kind of laws it obeys are important questions that researchers are always interested in. Among the characteristics of infectious diseases, the phenomenon of recrudescence is undoubtedly of great concern. Understanding the mechanisms of the outbreak cycle of infectious diseases could be conducive for public health policies to the government.MethodIn this study, we collected time-series data for nine class C notifiable infectious diseases from 2009 to 2021 using public datasets from the National Health Commission of China. Oscillatory power of each infectious disease was captured using the method of the power spectrum analysis.ResultsWe found that all the nine class C diseases have strong oscillations, which could be divided into three categories according to their oscillatory frequencies each year. Then, we calculated the oscillation power and the average number of infected cases of all nine diseases in the first 6 years (2009–2015) and the next 6 years (2015–2021) since the update of the surveillance system. The change of oscillation power is positively correlated to the change in the number of infected cases. Moreover, the diseases that break out in summer are more selective than those in winter.ConclusionOur results enable us to better understand the oscillation characteristics of class C infectious diseases and provide guidance and suggestions for the government's prevention and control policies.

Around the world, gay population suffer numerous mental distress problem, especially for those live under a conservative culture, like China. To deal with it, searching for protective factors and interventions to improve gay population’s mental health have become increasingly urgent. Masculinity, as a vital aspect of gay men’s gender roles, is observed to be a protective factor for certain population, yet haven’t been certified among gay population. Furthermore, potential mechanism of how masculinity subserve as a protective factor for gay population could distinct from those for normal population and leverage differential mediator loops. Notably, mindfulness, as an individual level variable which can be improved by certain practice or intervention, can mediate the relationship between masculinity and mental distress in both certain and gay population. Whether mindfulness could subserve a substantial mediator for masculinity in gay population to influence their mental distress remain unclear due to lacking of both theory and empirical evidence. To tackle these challenges, in current research we recruited 210 Chinese gay men who finished an online questionnaire containing demographic information and scales of FFMQ, BSRI and DASS-21. The present paper found that the protective role of masculinity can be observed among Chinese gay men, and mindfulness negatively mediated that relationship between masculinity and mental distress, however such mediation effect can’t be observed between femininity and mental distress. As for the sub-dimensions of mindfulness, acting with awareness and describing had negative mediation effects while non-reactivity had a positive mediation effect between masculinity and mental distress. Overall, current research suggests that it’s important and necessary to separate mindfulness into different sub-facets to investigate their mediation effects, besides, more attention should be focused on undifferentiated and feminine gay men, and mindfulness training could be an effective way to improve their life quality.

BACKGROUND COVID-19 was first reported in 2019, and the Chinese government immediately carried out stringent and effective control measures in response to the epidemic. OBJECTIVE Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may have impacted incidences of other infectious diseases as well. Potential explanations underlying this reduction, however, are not clear. Hence, in this study, we aim to study the influence of the COVID-19 prevention policies on other infectious diseases (mainly class B infectious diseases) in China. METHODS Time series data sets between 2017 and 2021 for 23 notifiable infectious diseases were extracted from public data sets from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Several indices (peak and trough amplitudes, infection selectivity, preferred time to outbreak, oscillatory strength) of each infectious disease were calculated before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. RESULTS We found that the prevention and control policies for COVID-19 had a strong, significant reduction effect on outbreaks of other infectious diseases. A clear event-related trough (ERT) was observed after the outbreak of COVID-19 under the strict control policies, and its decreasing amplitude is related to the infection selectivity and preferred outbreak time of the disease before COVID-19. We also calculated the oscillatory strength before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and found that it was significantly stronger before the COVID-19 outbreak and does not correlate with the trough amplitude. CONCLUSIONS Our results directly demonstrate that prevention policies for COVID-19 have immediate additional benefits for controlling most class B infectious diseases, and several factors (infection selectivity, preferred outbreak time) may have contributed to the reduction in outbreaks. This study may guide the implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions to control a wider range of infectious diseases.