Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Career Growth Scale for Nurses

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to develop the career growth scale for nurses (CGSN) and evaluate its psychometric properties. @*Methods@#This study was conducted in four phases: (1) creating a pool of potential items through a qualitative design; (2) developing a preliminary scale using a modified two-round Delphi process; (3) refining the preliminary scale to finalize the scale using a cross-sectional survey; and (4) evaluating the psychometric properties of the final scale using another cross-sectional survey. A sample of 858 registered nurses from 12 general hospitals was recruited for this study. @*Results@#The final scale consisted of 17 items categorized into three factors: career goal progress, professional ability and attribute improvement, and career promotion and prestige increase. The three factors accounted for 75.4% of the observed variance in career growth. The overall Cronbach's α was .96, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was .92. The content validity index was .97. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable model fitness. @*Conclusions@#These results showed that the CGSN has good psychometric properties and can be used to evaluate specific career growth among nurses. This new instrument can further help nurse managers and clinical nurses themselves assess career growth and identify unsatisfactory aspects of growth, thereby designing tailored training programs and evaluating the effectiveness of such interventions.

Discussion on Quality Control of Armeniacae Semen Amarum and Its Preparations / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Armeniacae Semen Amarum is one of the most commonly used Chinese medicinal materials， with the homology of medicine and food. It is mild toxicity， in addition to raw product， there are blazed and fried Armeniacae Semen Amarum and other processed products. The prescription， process and quality standard of Chinese herbal preparations containing Armeniacae Semen Amarum in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （volume Ⅰ）， were studied and analyzed in this paper. The quality control and safety problems of them were discussed， and the proposals were put forward：①To strengthen the quality control of medicinal materials from the origin， including processing， storage， producing area and so on. ②Production technology is the key factor affecting the safety and effectiveness of preparations， so it is necessary to strengthen the control of production process. ③To strengthen the quality research of Armeniacae Semen Amarum preparations， to develop safety quality control projects， and to further improve the quality standards of Armeniacae Semen Amarum preparations. ④To improve the safety tips of Armeniacae Semen Amarum preparations and standardize the instructions. These suggestions can provide reference for scientific understanding and evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine preparations containing Armeniacae Semen Amarum， in order to promote the quality control level of Chinese medicine preparation containing Armeniacae Semen Amarum and its processed products.

Efficacy of Han-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (HUPPP) combined with radiofrequency ablation of tongue base or HUPPP with traction of tongue base on moderate to severe patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS):a multicenter randomized controlled trial / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To compare the therapeutic efficacy of Han-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (HUPPP) combined with radiofrequency ablation of tongue base or HUPPP with traction of tongue base on moderate to severe patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial. From March 2017 to July 2019, moderate to severe OSAHS patients from three clinical center in Shanghai who were intolerant to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and with velopharyngeal and glossopharyngeal plane obstruction were enrolled in this study. According to the surgical type, they were 1∶1 randomized to HUPPP plus radiofrequency ablation of tongue base group (Ablation group) or HUPPP plus traction of tongue base group (Traction group). All patients completed over-night standard Polysomnography (PSG), upper-airway assessment (Friedman classification, Müller test, CT and cephalometric examination), preoperative routine examination, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Quebec sleep questionnaire (QSQ). Six to 12 months after operation, all the above-mentioned examinations were repeatedly performed. Changes of aforementioned variables before and after operation were assessed. Results: A total of 43 patients with moderate to severe OSAHS were enrolled in this study. One patient lost to follow-up, the remaining 21 were allocated to Ablation group and 21 were allocated to Traction group. The total therapeutic efficacy of all patients was 69.05% (61.90% in Ablation group and 76.19% in Traction group), but there was no statistical significance between the two groups (P= 0.317). The value of sleep scale score (ESS and QSQ), objective sleep variables (apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen saturation, percentage of time with blood oxygen less than 90% in total sleep time, oxygen desaturation index and micro-arousals) and upper airway cross-sectional area (palatopharyngeal and retrolingual area) of the two groups were improved (P<0.05), but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: For moderate to severe OSAHS who had glossopharyngeal plane obstruction, both HUPPP plus radiofrequency ablation of tongue base or HUPPP plus traction of tongue base are effective treatment for OSAHS, and the curative effect is similar. The choice of surgical type could be selected according to patient's or surgical conditions.

Clinical experience and academic thoughts of Professor LIU Feng-bin on case series of gastroesophageal reflux disease based on data mining / 中国中药杂志

To analyze and summarize Professor LIU Feng-bin's clinical experience and academic thoughts on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the study group adopted the retrospective study for case series and expert interview, extracted the retrospective data, including the herbs, diseases, syndrome type, medical expense and quantity of herbs of GERD patients attended the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. Statistical description and binary Logistic regression were used for the identification and modification of syndrome type and initial core herbs. After expert interviews were performed for the syndrome type and herbs, the final scheme were formed. A total of 112 GERD patients ages（48.97±13.13）y; male: 35 (31.3%), female: 77(68.7%) were enrolled. The numbers of patients with liver and stomach incoordination syndrome, heat stagnation of liver and stomach syndrome, syndrome of dual deficiency of Qi and Yin, syndrome of spleen deficiency and dampness-heat, spleen-stomach disharmony syndrome were 40, 26, 19, 17 and 10, respectively. The patients used totally 80 herbs, and 26 of them had significant differences among different syndrome groups. According to the logistic regression analysis on the 23 herbs used by 112 patients, the herbs scheme was modified for the second time. After the expert interviews and modification, the final consensus was reached. The main causes for GERD were dietary irregularities, moodiness, and weak constitution. The basic mechanism of GERD was spleen deficiency with Qi adverseness. The spleen-stomach disharmony syndrome was deleted by expert interviews. The 10 core herbs for GERD treatment were Taizishen(Pseudostellariae Radix), Fuling(Poria), Baizhu(Atractylodismacrocephalae Rhizoma), Gancao(Glycyrrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma), Zhebeimu(Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus), Haipiaoxiao(Sepiae Endoconcha), Zhiqiao(Aurantii Fructus), Chenxiang(Alosewood), Pugongying(Taraxaci Herba), Zhizitan(Cape Jasmine Fruit). The modification and psychological and diet interventions were also identified. This study summarized Professor LIU Feng-bin's clinical experience and academic thoughts of chronic atrophic gastritis based on data mining of case series and expert interviews. The quality of methodologies and report were both well. The results provide a foundation and ideas for further study on the complex intervention for GERD, and can be directly applied in clinical practice.

Determination of eight active components in Radix Hedysari by HPLC and its cluster analysis / 药学学报

An HPLC method was established for the determination of adenosine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and six flavonoids (calycosin-7-glucoside, ononin, calycosin, isoliquiritigenin, formononetin and medicarpin) in Radix Hedysari. The samples were extracted with methanol by refluxing for 4 h. The HPLCDAD was performed on a Diamonsil C18 column (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) with acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase. The column temperature was at 40℃ and the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, while the temperature of drift tube was 110.5℃ and the nebulizing gas flow was 3.1 L·min-1 for the ELSD system. The results showed all the eight components had good linear relationships (r2=0.992 8-1.000 0) in the range of the test concentration. The RSD of precision, stability and repeatability were less than 2%. The average recovery rates were 96.78%-103.45%, and RSD were 0.29%-1.61%. The index component contents of Radix Hedysari form 24 different origins were determined and used as variable factors in clustering analysis. The results were classified into 2 groups basically in accordance with the regional cluster. And the consequence was in consistent with the results of principal component analysis. This HPLC method is simple, shows good sensitive and accurate, and provides the experimental basis for multi-index control of Radix Hedysari. Clustering analysis for Radix Hedysari quality control has a certain reliability and objectivity.

Discussion on polysaccharide determination methods in new Chinese drug research / 中国中药杂志

According to existing problems in polysaccharide determination methods in new Chinese drug applications, the method suitability, chemical reference selection, components interference and method research were introduced. The author suggests that suitable determination method should be selected according to the structure and property of the polysaccharide, and validated. Some influent factors should be examined to assure the accuracy of the method, such as the stability and using amount of the visualizing reagent, visualizing time, maximum detection wavelength etc. Monosaccharide and other water soluble components should be removed from polysaccharide sample, and suitable reference substance and detection wavelength should be selected. It should pay attention to mutual interference of neutral and acidic saccharide, and use inhibitor to eliminate the interference. Because the slopes of the standard curves are different for different monosaccharide, it is proposed that the types and ratios of the monosaccharide in heteroglycan should be understood, and mixed reference substance solution in the ratio is prepared for determination.

Expression of epithelial Na+ channel in human nasal polyp / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the expression of epithelial sodium channel in nasal polyps and normal nasal mucosa and to characterize the ENaC-mediated Na(+) absorption and the mechanism of the liquid transport in human upper airway epithelia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The tissue from 12 patients with nasal polyps (NP) and the normal ethmoid cornu mucosa (ECM) from 5 patients were obtained through endoscopic surgery. The expression of ENaC was detected by Immunofluorescence and the concentration of ENaC alpha, beta, gamma-mRNA were detected by RT real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ENaC in NP group (35.79 +/- 5.47) was higher than that in ECM group (22.17 +/- 5.43, t = 4.687, P < 0.01). The expression of ENaC-alpha, beta, gamma mRNA in NP group (respectively 2.06 +/- 0.42, 1.97 +/- 0.32, 1.96 +/- 0.54) was higher than that in ECM group (respectively 1.01 +/- 0.10, 0.98 +/- 0.08, 0.97 +/- 0.06; t = 5.482, 6.659, 4.036, all P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of three subunits of ENaC was as follows: alpha > beta > gamma in both groups. The mRNA expression of alpha, beta, gamma subunit of ENaC in NP group was higher than that in ECM group(P < 0.01). The expression of three subunits of ENaC was correlated respectively with that of mRNA in NP group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The up-regulation of ENaC in human NP was associated with the expression of ENaC mRNA, that made hydrops and might be one of the most important cause of the develop of nasal polyp.</p>

Effects of human recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist on isolated trachea smooth muscle of the guinea pig / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To study the effects of human recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on isolated trachea smooth muscle (TSM) of the guinea pig.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Changes of the tension of isolated trachea were measured by force-displacement transducer and MedLab recording system in vitro.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IL-1ra showed direct relaxed effect on TSM in normal and ovalbumin sensitized guinea pig. The EC50 values were 8.06 x 10(-8) and 5.88 x 10(-7) mol.L-1 respectively. IL-1ra (1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) mol.L-1) concentration-dependently inhibited the contraction of TSM induced by 1 x 10(-3) mol.L-1 histamine (His), 1 x 10(-3) mol.L-1 acetylcholine (ACh) and 1 x 10(-6) mol.L-1 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (P < 0.05 or 0.01). When IL-1ra was given in advance, the contractile actions of His, ACh and 5-HT were antagonized by IL-1ra (1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) mol.L-1), the pD'2 value for His was 6.6 +/- 0.3. However, the contractile action of ACh was enhanced by IL-1ra at low concentration of 1 x 10(-9)-1 x 10(-8) mol.L-1. IL-1ra significantly prevented and inhibited the contraction of sensitized TSM induced by antigen ovalbumin, the IC50 value was 4.48 x 10(-7) mol.L-1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicate that IL-1ra, within certain concentration, can relax the normal, contracted and sensitized ISM of the guinea pig in vitro.</p>

Study on the preserving techniques of squeezed juice of fresh ginger and Glutinous rehannia / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the preserve techniques of squeezed juice of Chinese medicinal materials.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The techniques of refrigeration, rapid freezing, 60Cogamma-ray sterilization, freeze-drying and spray-drying were used for preservation of squeezed juice of Ginger and Glutinous Rehannia. Different results were compared.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The period of preservation was half or one year.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The rapid freezing, freeze-drying and spray-drying are suitable for preservation of squeezed juice of Chinese medicinal materials.</p>

IDENTIFICATION OF A NEW TYPE OF AMYLASE AND MUTAGENESIS OF STRAIN ZX99 SECRETING THE ENZYME FOR PRODUCTION OF ISOMALTOOLIGOSACCHARIDE / 微生物学通报

This paper reported a new type of amylase (neoamylase) secreted by a Bacillus strain ZX99. The enzyme was a kind of ectoenzyme that could catalyze starch into isomalto-oligosaccharide effectively, but could not act on pullulan as substrate. The strain Bacillus ZX99 was mutated by ultraviolet ray and a mutant strain BS3.232 was screened. The activity of the neoamylase produced from BS3.232 increased by 60% over that from ZX99 under the same conditions. The results of thin-layer chromatography of products from starch and pullulan catalyzed by the enzyme demonstrated that the enzyme was different from neopullulanase and can be used to produce isomaltooligosaccharide from starch, including isomaltose, panose, isomaltotriose, isomaltotetose.