Predictors of First-Time NCLEX-RN Pass Rate in Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: An accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program was introduced in an effort to reduce the nursing shortage in response to the growing health demands. Nursing educators strive to examine factors that promote students' success in passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on their first attempt. However, little is known about which factors predict the NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate of ABSN students. METHOD: This descriptive retrospective study examined academic and nonacademic indicators (e.g., age) that can predict ABSN students' NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates between 2008 and 2019. RESULTS: A total of 591 ABSN students were included in the study. Both GRE (Graduate Record Examination) verbal reasoning scores (p < .001) and cumulative grade point averages (p < .001) were significant predictors. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can help inform ABSN programs in terms of admission criteria and curriculum consideration for including standardized tests to improve ABSN students' NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(1):10-16.].

A study on specific factors related to inflammation and autophagy in BEAS-2B cells induced by urban particulate matter (PM, 1648a) and histological evaluation of PM-induced bronchial asthma model in mice.

As particulate matter (PM) poses an increasing risk, research on its correlation with diseases is active. However, researchers often use their own PM, making it difficult to determine its components. To address this, we investigated the effects of PM with known constituents on BEAS-2B cells, examining cytokine levels, reactive oxygen species ROS production, DNA damage, and MAPK phosphorylation. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of PM on normal and OVA-induced asthmatic mice by measuring organ weight, cytokine levels, and inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and examining histological changes. PM markedly increased levels of IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-α, ROS, nitric oxide, and DNA damage, while surprisingly reducing IL-8 and MCP-1. Moreover, PM increased MAPK phosphorylation and inhibited mTOR and AKT phosphorylation. In vivo, lung and spleen weights, IgE, OVA-specific IgE, IL-4, IL-13, total cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, mucus generation, and LC3II were higher in the asthma group. PM treatment in asthmatic mice increased lung weight and macrophage infiltration, but decreased IL-4 and IL-13 in BALF. Meanwhile, PM treatment in the Nor group increased total cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, and mucus generation. Our study suggests that PM may induce and exacerbate lung disease by causing immune imbalance via the MAPK and autophagy pathways, resulting in decreased lung function due to increased smooth muscle thickness and mucus generation.

Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applications.

Iron oxide-based nanomagnets have attracted a great deal of attention in nanomedicine over the past decade. Down to the nanoscale, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can only be magnetized in the presence of an external magnetic field, which makes them capable of forming stable colloids in a physio-biological medium. Their superparamagnetic property, together with other intrinsic properties, such as low cytotoxicity, colloidal stability, and bioactive molecule conjugation capability, makes such nanomagnets ideal in both in-vitro and in-vivo biomedical applications. In this review, a chemical, physical, and biological synthetic approach to prepare iron oxide-based nanomagnets with different physicochemical properties was illustrated and compared. The growing interest in iron oxide-based nanomagnets with multifunctionalities was explored in cancer diagnostics and treatment, focusing on their combined roles in a magnetic resonance contrast agent, hyperthermia, and magnetic force assisted drug delivery. Iron oxides as magnetic carriers in gene therapy were reviewed with a focus on the sophisticated design and construction of magnetic vectors. Finally, the iron oxide-based nanomagnet also represents a very promising tool in particle/cell interfacing in controlling cellular functionalities, such as adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and cell patterning, in stem cell therapy and tissue engineering applications.