Integrative Smoking Cessation Stage Model for Chinese Students Studying in Korea

PURPOSE: The present study aimed at developing an integrative stage model of smoking cessation behavior by combining highly predictable constructs extracted from previously verified health behavior models. The fitness of the hypothetical model was also tested. METHODS: The study participants were 214 Chinese students studying in Korea, presenting high smoking rates. Perceived severity, benefit, barrier, self-efficacy, and social support were measured using the modified AttitudeseSocial InfluenceseSelf Efficacy Questionnaire. Demographic and smoking-related characteristics were also evaluated. RESULTS: Results showed that the hypothetical model provides a good fit. Significant psychosocial predictors of smoking cessation stage were perceived benefit (p = .050), barrier (p = .003), and social support (p = .003). Among demographic and smoking-related characteristics, gender (p = .030), duration of smoking (p = .010), and previous smoking cessation experience (p = .020) were found to influence smoking cessation stage. In addition, gender, age, number of cigarettes smoked, previous smoking cessation experience, smoking-related symptoms, and smoking cessation education needs were found to influence psychosocial constructs significantly. CONCLUSION: The significant psychosocial predictors and demographic and smoking-related characteristics defined in the present study appear to be potent and promising predictors of smoking cessation behavior stages for a cohort of Chinese students studying in Korea.

Blockade of intrinsic oscillatory activity of cerebellar Purkinje cells by apamin and nickel

Intracellular recordings of oscillatory firing (bursting activity) were obtained from Purkinje cells (PCs) in rat cerebellar slices. Apamin inhibited post-burst hyperpolarizations (PBHs) progressively and finally terminated oscillatory firing activity of PCs. Apamin did not affect the amplitude or duration of the after-hyperpolarization (AHP) between spikes within the burst. In the voltage clamp mode, apamin shifted the whole-cell, quasi-steady state I/V relationship in an inward direction and abolished the zero slope resistance (ZSR) region by blocking outward current. Nickel (Ni2+) terminated oscillatory activity and also abolished the ZSR region. However, Ni2+ did not have progressive blocking action on the post-burst hyperpolarization before it blocked oscillatory activity. Ni2+ blocked an inward current at potentials positive to approximately -65 mV, which was responsible for the ZSR region and outward current at more negative potentials. These data indicated that oscillatory activity of PCs is sustained by a balance between a slow Ni2+ -sensitive inward current and an apamin-sensitive outward current in the region of ZSR of the whole-cell I/V curve.