Shifting Horizons: The Impact of Global Events on the Intention to Migrate of the Next Generation Romanian Nurses.

BACKGROUND: This article investigates the determinants of the intention to migrate of nursing students at a major medical university in Romania and relates them to major international developments, specifically the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An online survey about the intention to migrate was made available to nursing students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hațieganu", Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2016 (before Brexit) and again in 2016 (after Brexit), 2017, 2018, and 2021 and 2022 (during the pandemic). A total of 549 students responded (response rate: 84.6%). RESULTS: Before the Brexit referendum, 62.6% of the respondents had a plan to seek employment abroad, whereas after the Brexit referendum, only 34.7% indicated that they had such a plan after graduation. Before the pandemic, 43.6% of the students expressed an intention to work abroad, while during the pandemic, only 19.8% had such plans. CONCLUSIONS: This study documented the effect of significant international developments-such as the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic-on decreasing the intention to migrate. As expected, the change in preference for the UK as a destination country changed dramatically. Additionally, the study provides both theoretical and empirical insights into the types of and the consistency of preparation for migration of nursing students.

Nigella Sativa's Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidative Effects in Experimental Inflammation.

Nigella sativa (NS) has been used for centuries in various inflammatory conditions because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antioxidant activity of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) in two models of acute (carrageenan-induced) and sub-acute inflammation (complete Freund's adjuvant induced) in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NSO was administered orally 1, 2 and 4 mL/kg in the acute phase. For subacute phase, NSO was administered 4 mL/kg, 7 days before or after inflammation induction, or in association with diclofenac 5 mg/kg. RESULTS: The gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis showed that NSO is an important source of bioactive compounds, especially p-cymene and thymoquinone. In the acute phase, 1.5 h after administration, NSO (2 and 4 mL/kg) determined an anti-inflammatory effect comparable with that of diclofenac. In the sub-acute administration, NSO had no anti-inflammatory effect. The analgesic effect of NSO was observed only in the sub-acute inflammation in the analgesy-meter test. NSO as treatment proved its antioxidant effect through the reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and increases in hydrogen donor capacity (DH) compared to the control group, but the effect was not as intense as that of diclofenac. CONCLUSION: The present study has proven inconstant anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidative properties of NSO.

Liposomal Curcumin Enhances the Effect of Naproxen in a Rat Model of Migraine.

BACKGROUND Curcumin is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and pain. This study aimed to assess the effect of pretreatment with naproxen and liposomal curcumin compared with naproxen and curcumin solution on oxidative stress parameters and pain in a rat model of migraine. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-three male Wistar rats included a control group (n=9) and a rat model of migraine (n=54) induced by intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (1 mg/0.1 kg). The rat model group was divided into an untreated control group (n=9), a group pretreated with naproxen alone (2.8 mg/kg) (n=9), a group pretreated with naproxen (2.8 mg/kg) combined with curcumin solution (1 mg/0.1 kg) (n=9), a group pretreated with naproxen (2.8 mg/kg) combined with curcumin solution (2 mg/0.1 kg) (n=9), a group pretreated with naproxen (2.8 mg/kg) combined with liposomal curcumin solution (1 mg/0.1 kg) (n=9) a group pretreated with naproxen (2.8 mg/kg) combined with liposomal curcumin solution (2 mg/0.1 kg) (n=9). Spectroscopy measured biomarkers of total oxidative status and nociception was tested using an injection of 1% of formalin into the rat paw. RESULTS Expression of biomarkers of oxidative stress and enhanced nociception were significantly increased following pretreatment with combined naproxen and liposomal curcumin compared with curcumin solution or naproxen alone (P<0.001). Combined curcumin solution and naproxen were more effective at a concentration of 2 mg/0.1kg for the first nociceptive phase (P<0.005). CONCLUSIONS In a rat model of migraine, combined therapy with liposomal curcumin and naproxen showed an improved antioxidant effect and anti-nociceptive effect.

Multimarker Assessment of Diastolic Dysfunction in Metabolic Syndrome Patients.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) with preserved systolic function. This study aims at identifying the predictive factors for LVDD in MetS patients. METHODS: The studied group comprised 72 consecutive hospitalized patients (2010-2011) diagnosed with MetS based on AHA/NHLBI/IDF 2009 definition, free of cardiovascular disease (36.11% males, age 59.19 ± 5.26 years), who underwent echocardiographic examination. Laboratory measurements of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen (Fbg) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), 8-isoprostaglandin-F2alpa (8-isoPGF2α), uric acid, glutathione peroxidases, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured. RESULTS: LVDD was identified in 47 (65.27%) of the MetS patients. The diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was the strongest prediction factor for LVDD (areas under the receiver operating curve [AUC]: 0.73, odds ratios [OR]: 1.065). The number of MetS criteria was also significantly predictive for LVDD (AUC: 0.65, OR: 2.029, P < 0.04). IL-6, hs-CRP, Fbg, and NT-proBNP were predictive for LVDD when receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses were used. The multimarker model comprising age, sex, SBP and DBP, waist, circumference, triglycerides along with hs-CRP, IL-6, and NT-proBNP had the best predictive capacity (AUC: 0.88, P = 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, IL-6 remained an independent predictive biomarker for LVDD (OR: 2.045). CONCLUSION: Both MetS components and biomarkers of inflammation (IF) are predictive factors for LVDD. The best predictive multimarker model for LVDD in MetS patients is composed of waist, triglycerides (TGL), SBP, DBP, fasting glucose, IL-6, hs-CRP, and NT-proBNP. IL-6 remains an independent predictive biomarker for LVDD in MetS patients, underlining the importance of IF in the evolution of MetS to subclinical cardiac damage.