Intentions of frontline nurses regarding COVID-19 patient care: A cross-sectional study in Korea.

AIM: This cross-sectional study, conducted from August to September 2020, examined nurses' stress, self-efficacy and nursing intentions when caring for COVID-19 patients and identified the predictors of nursing intentions during the pandemic. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has increased nurses' role expectations and imposed a heavy social responsibility. In particular, frontline nurses are under significant stress when caring for patients during a novel epidemic because of the lack of accurate information. METHODS: A total of 232 nurses with experience in providing care for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients from seven large hospitals in three cities in Korea completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Self-Efficacy Scale and Predictive Nursing Intention Scale. RESULTS: Multiple regression confirmed that completing COVID-19-related education and self-efficacy were significant predictors of nursing intentions during the current pandemic; the regression model explained 22.0% of the variance in nursing intentions. CONCLUSION: Stress did not affect frontline nurses' nursing intentions towards COVID-19 patient care, but completing COVID-19-related education and higher self-efficacy predicted improved nursing intentions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse leaders should recognize that to improve nursing intentions during a novel infection outbreak, infection-related education should be provided and strategies to improve self-efficacy should be implemented.

Treadmill exercise ameliorates disturbance of spatial learning ability in scopolamine-induced amnesia rats.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and this disease induces progressive loss of memory function Scopolamine is a non-selective muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist and it induces impairment of learning ability. Exercise is known to ameliorate memory deficits induced by various brain diseases. In the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill exercise on spatial learning ability in relation with cell proliferation in the hippocampus using the scopolamine-induced amnesia mice. For the induction of amnesia, 1 mg/kg scopolamine hydrobromide was administered intraperitoneally once a day for 14 days. Morris water maze test for spatial learning ability was conducted. Immonofluorescence for 5-bromo-2-deoxyuri-dine (BrdU) and western blot for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) were performed. In the present results, scopolamine-induced amnesia mice showed deterioration of spatial learning ability. Inhibition of cell proliferation and suppression of BDNF and TrkB expressions were observed in the scopolamine-induced amnesia mice. Treadmill exercise improved spatial learning ability and increased cell proliferation through activating of BDNF-TrkB pathway in the amnesia mice. These findings offer a possibility that treadmill exercise may provide preventive or therapeutic value for the memory loss induced by variable neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease.

Treadmill exercise ameliorates short-term memory disturbance in scopolamine-induced amnesia rats.

PURPOSE: Scopolamine is a nonselective muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, which induces impairment of learning ability and memory function. Exercise is known to ameliorate brain disturbance induced by brain injuries. In the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill exercise on short-term memory in relation to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression in the hippocampus, using a scopolamine-induced amnesia model in mice. METHODS: To induce amnesia, 1 mg/kg scopolamine hydrobromide was administered intraperitoneally once per day for 14 days. A step-down avoidance test for short-term memory was conducted. AChE histochemistry, immunohistochemistry for collagen IV, and doublecortin were performed. RESULTS: Short-term memory deteriorated in the mice with scopolamine-induced amnesia, concomitant with enhanced AChE expression and suppression of angiogenesis in the hippocampus. Critically, treadmill exercise ameliorated short-term memory impairment, suppressed AChE expression, and enhanced angiogenesis in the mice with scopolamine-induced amnesia. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of AChE is implicated in both brain and renal disease. The findings of our study indicate that treadmill exercise may be of therapeutic value in neurodegenerative and renal diseases by suppressing the effects of AChE expression.

Metal-free decarboxylative three-component coupling reaction for the synthesis of propargylamines.

A metal-free decarboxylative three-component coupling reaction was developed. When alkynyl carboxylic acids, paraformaldehyde, and amines were reacted in CH3CN at 65 °C for 3 h, the desired propargylamines were obtained in good yields. This coupling reaction also showed good yield in water solvent. This reaction showed higher selectivity toward alkynyl carboxylic acids than a terminal alkyne.

Copper-catalyzed, one-pot, three-component synthesis of benzimidazoles by condensation and C-N bond formation.

Benzimidazoles were synthesized by the copper-catalyzed, one-pot, three-component reaction of 2-haloanilines, aldehydes, and NaN(3). The reaction was optimized when 2-iodo- or 2-bromoanilines (1.0 equiv), aldehydes (1.2 equiv), NaN(3) (2.0 equiv), 5 mol% of CuCl, and 5 mol % of TMEDA were reacted in DMSO at 120 °C for 12 h. Good yields resulted, and the reaction showed tolerance toward functional groups such as ester, nitro, and chloro. Aliphatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes also afforded the desired products in moderate to good yields.