Rain Classroom and PAD class blended learning mode effectively improves teaching quality in a surgical nursing course.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of Rain Classroom and Presentation-Assimilation-Discussion (PAD) class blended learning mode on a surgical nursing course. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 212 nursing undergraduates of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities were selected as the research objects. There were 102 participants taking the traditional teaching model, assigned into the control group. The remaining 110 participants taking Rain Classroom and PAD class blended learning mode were assigned into the observation group. A questionnaire survey was conducted after the intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, the comprehensive assessment score of the observation group was higher than the control group ((83.8 ± 2.64) vs. (81.71 ± 3.74), P = 0.01). The independent learning ability ((81.61 ± 12.04) vs. (77.46 ± 4.23), P = 0.001), and self-efficacy ((27.78 ± 4.18) vs. (26.39 ± 4.67), P = 0.023) were higher in the observation group than those in the control group. The course satisfaction of the observation group was higher than that in the control group (79.09% and 65.69%, P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The blended mode of Rain Classroom with PAD class effectively improves teaching quality, academic performance, self-learning ability, self-efficacy of students, and increased students' satisfaction with teaching methods.

Circular RNA circVEGFC accelerates high glucose-induced vascular endothelial cells apoptosis through miR-338-3p/HIF-1α/VEGFA axis.

More and more findings illustrate the critical roles of circular RNA (circRNA) in diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. A major pathological characteristic for DM is the apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs) induced by high glucose (HG), however, the function of circRNA in the ECs' phenotypes is still elusive. Here, this study identified an up-regulated circRNA (circVEGFC) in the HG-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Functionally, knockdown of circVEGFC alleviated the apoptosis and recovered the proliferation in HUVECs induced by HG administration. Mechanistically, circVEGFC functioned as the sponge of miR-338-3p, and miR-338-3p was found to target the 3'-Untranslated Regions (3'-UTR) of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). HIF-1α, a critical transcription factor in DM, could activate the transcription of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and promote its protein product. In conclusion, these findings reveal the promotion of circVEGFC/miR-338-3p/HIF-1α/VEGFA axis in the HG-induced ECs' apoptosis, providing a potential treatment strategy for ECs' damage in DM.

Correlates of HBV infection among high school students in Guangxi / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection in high school students in Guangxi, and to provide scientific foundation for hepatitis B prevention and control strategies.@*Methods@#A selfdesigned epidemiological questionnaire was used among 2 632 participants. Information regarding general demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, HBV infection history, knowledge of viral hepatitis prevention and control, as well as hepatitis B vaccination. Univariate and multivariate logistics regression analysis was used to analyze associated factors for hepatitis B infection.@*Results@#A total of 192 out of 2 632 participants were found HBsAg positive and 2 440 were HBsAg negative. Multivariate analysis showed that family liver disease history and hairdressing injury positively associated with hepatitis B virus infection risk (OR=3.62, 95% CI=2.28-5.73;OR=3.06, 95%CI=1.94-4.83), and hepatitis B vaccination was negatively associated with hepatitis B virus infection risk (OR=0.08, 95%CI=0.05-0.11).@*Conclusion@#Family history of liver disease, hairdressing injury experiences, as well as low rate of hepatitis B vaccination may associate with relatively high prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among high school students in Guangxi.