Gender similarities and differences in the perception of caring among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Caring is the essence and core of nursing. Current studies on the effect of gender on nurses' perception of caring have been inconsistent. Most of these studies were quantitative and conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to explore the gender similarities and differences in nurses' perception of caring during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In 2020, a cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted in 11 cities in China using structured online questionnaire (n = 8030) and face-to-face individual interview (n = 42). Data collection tools included the Caring Dimensions Inventory and semi-structured interview. RESULTS: In stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis, female nurses scored 1.93 points higher on caring than male nurses, after completely controlling for the other factors. The interview results showed that both male and female nurses agreed that caring was to deal with three kinds of relationships, namely nurses and people, nurses and themselves, nurses and society. There were gender differences in the connotation of caring between nurses and themselves, but not in the connotations of caring between other relationships. The ranking of the importance of caring connotations among these relationships showed no gender difference except between nurses and themselves. CONCLUSION: The quantitative findings suggest that gender influences nurses' perception of caring. The qualitative findings demonstrate that nurses regard themselves as both recipients and implementers of caring. The qualitative results indicate nurses of different genders have similarities and differences in their perception of caring, and the biggest difference lies in the relationship between nurses and themselves.

The impact of caring for COVID-19 patients on nurse professional identity: A cross-sectional study using propensity score analysis.

Objective: To examine the impact of caring for COVID-19 patients on the professional identity of nurses. Methods: An online survey was conducted between 19 May and 7 August 2020 in 11 Chinese cities, including Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Macao, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai. Propensity score matching was used to adjust for confounding variables between nurses with and without experience caring for COVID-19 patients. To analyze the impact of caring for COVID-19 patients on nurses' professional identity, a nominal logistic regression model was used rather than an ordinal regression model because the parallel regression assumption was violated. Results: After propensity score matching, the final sample contained 1,268 participants, including 634 nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients. During the COVID-19 outbreak, 88.6% of nurses had high levels of professional identity. Nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients had the lowest percentage of high score level on the professional identity subscale for "sense of organizational influence," as did nurses who did not care for COVID-19 patients. The findings indicated that nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients were 17.95 times more likely to have a high professional identity than a low professional identity (95% CI 2.38-135.39, p = 0.005), after completely controlling for the other factors. There were significant differences between nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients and those who did not in scores on the subscales of professional identity, except for the subscales "sense of self-decision-making" (χ2 = 4.85, p = 0.089) and "sense of organizational influence" (χ2 = 4.71, p = 0.095). Conclusion: Nurses' professional identity is positively impacted by their experience caring for COVID-19 patients. Caring for COVID-19 patients should be highlighted as an opportunity to enhance nurses' professional identity. To further enhance the professional identity of nurses, we call for visible nursing leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and improve their working environment.

Factors influencing caring behaviour among registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A qualitative study using the COM-B framework.

AIM: The aim of this work is to explore the influencing factors of nurses' caring behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation as determinants of Behaviour (COM-B) theoretical framework. BACKGROUND: Nurse caring behaviour is vital to reduce and speed up the healing process of COVID-19 patients. It is important to understand the factors that influence caring behaviour among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research suggests that when it comes to understanding behaviour, using a theoretical framework is likely to be most effective, and the COM-B framework is a recommended approach. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with 42 nurses working in 11 Chinese cities were conducted, and their verbatim statements were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The results were mapped to COM-B framework. RESULTS: Ten key themes emerged: Capability (professional knowledge and skills, emotional intelligence, cross-cultural care competence); opportunity (resources, organizational culture, social culture); motivation (past experience, character, role, beliefs). CONCLUSIONS: Ten factors were found to influence nurses' caring behaviour. This study added two new influencing factors, social culture and past experiences, that further contributed to the understanding of nurses' care behaviours. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurses' caring behaviour is influenced not only by themselves but also by institutions and society, so interventions aiming to improve their caring behaviour should consider these elements. The negative impact of the pandemic on capability factors that influence nurses' caring behaviour should be counteracted as soon as possible.

Design, synthesis and bioactivities evaluation of novel oleanolic acid derivatives as potent PI3K inhibitors.

Oleanolic acid has previously been shown to possess PI3K inhibitory activity, thus, the purpose of this work was to generate a series of derivatives that improve the potency. Twenty rationally designed oleanolic acid derivatives were synthesized and tested the cytotoxicity and PI3K inhibitory activity. The results suggested that attachment of additional structural elements such as association of thiazole group to A ring and insertion of phenylurea group was important for increasing activities. The most active derivative was compound II2, which exhibited PI3K inhibitory activity (IC50 = 58.42 nmol/l) and improved interaction with activity site of PI3K according with docking studies.

What Makes Chinese Adult Children Behave Differently during Parents' End of Life: A Discriminant Analysis of Macao Chinese.

The daily practice of filial piety (FP) is well prescribed under the traditional filial norms in the Chinese community. However, exploration of FP practices at the end of parents' lives is limited. The current study explored the FP representation and good death preferences of Macao Chinese. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted and discriminant analysis was used to identify possible predictors of FP representation in the context of parents' end of life. Results showed that Macao Chinese were inclined to perform most of the filial duties in the last journey of their parents. Among 705 participants, 150 (21.3%) tended to practice authoritarian FP, and 555 (78.7%) tended to practice reciprocal FP. Age, education, religion, and good death preferences were identified as predictors of different FP representation groups. The findings could help clinicians to obtain a preliminary perception of FP representation of Chinese patients and to determine the appropriate approach for end-of-life care from a family perspective.

Prevalence and Predictors of Willingness to Make Advance Directives among Macao Chinese.

While advance directives (ADs) are considered to be part of government's healthcare agenda, there has not been any public consultation for legislation, nor investigation regarding the public's views about ADs in the Chinese culture of Macao. The current study explored the Macao Chinese people's willingness to make ADs. Data were collected from 724 residents aged 18 years and above. Results showed that 533 respondents (73.6%) claimed that they were willing to complete an AD if the document was recognized legally. The experience of caring for relatives or friends with terminal illnesses, palliative care as the preferred end-of-life treatment option, and scoring higher in the Hospice Care Attitude Scale were the predictors of willingness to make ADs. Results of the study suggested that there was a relatively high number of people who would consider setting up ADs. Our study recommends that healthcare professionals should equip themselves to raise ADs-related discussions with patients. Moreover, the Macao Government is responsible for facilitating the introduction and implementation of ADs in order to improve overall end-of-life care quality in Macao.

Nurses Who Are More Willing to Participate in the Fight against COVID-19: Evidence from China.

When facing an infectious disease disaster, nurses' willingness to work is critical. Nurses' lack of willingness to work during a pandemic may worsen the shortage of health care personnel. The purpose of this study is to assess the willingness of nurses to participate in the fight against COVID-19 in China and to identify factors associated therewith. This cross-sectional study examines nurses working in 11 Chinese cities including Macau, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai. Questionnaires were collected from 19 May to 7 August 2020. A total of 8065 questionnaires were received, of which 8030 valid questionnaires were included for analysis. A total of 53.4% of participants reported that they had signed up to support the COVID-19 pandemic response. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that being single (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60-0.87), having no children (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68-0.97), possessing higher professional qualifications (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.14-1.37), having a more prestigious professional title (OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.50-1.90), being an administrative supervisor (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.45-0.63), having a higher caring dimensions inventory score (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.01), working in a hospital (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.39-0.72), and receiving employer-provided care training (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.68-0.87) were predictive of nurses' willingness to participate in the fight against COVID-19. We suggest that unmarried nurses should be given priority when recruiting to fight an epidemic and, for married nurses with children who are recruited to fight an epidemic, supporting measures should be provided for childcare. We suggest strengthening workplace training of caring for nurses in order to better retain and recruit qualified support for an epidemic outbreak of infectious diseases.

A Chinese Version of the Caring Dimensions Inventory: Reliability and Validity Assessment.

Caring is central to nursing practice. Chinese nurses take care for the health of about 20% of the world's population and their perception of caring is critical. However, until recently, instrument specifically designed to measure the caring of nurses in China was not found. Caring dimensions inventory (CDI) is one of the most frequently used instrument when measuring caring and is applicable to nurses from different cultures. The aim of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the 25-item CDI. The English version of CDI was translated into Chinese according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Content validity was conducted among seven senior nurses from different institutions in different cities in China. A convenience sample of nurses from 11 cities in China was employed. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis of the CDI was carried out using a sample of 880 nurses. The overall content validity index was 0.98. Three factors (Nurturance, Collaboration, Skill) were identified in exploratory factor analysis and were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The three-factor solution explains 70.15% of the total variance. The Cronbach alpha for overall the CDI was 0.97. This study demonstrated that the Chinese version of the CDI showed satisfactory reliability and validity, indicating that it could be a useful measurement to assess nurses' perception of caring in China.

[The Relationship between Reducing of Peripheral Blood Treg in Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Patients and Poor Prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between Treg cells level in peripheral blood and prognosis of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: The percentage and absolute value of Treg cells in peripheral blood of DLBCL patients were detected by flow lytometry, and their correlation to prognosis was analyzed by survival analysis. The absolute count of Treg cells was detected by using maximally selected Log-rank statistic, and it was used as cutoff point to distinguish difference survival. The new group of Treg based on cutoff point was combined with age, sex, pathological subtype, risk stratification, treatment plan, and other indicators to include in the single factor survival analysis of Kaplan-Meier. Finally, the COX proportional risk model was used to verify the effect of the above indicators on progression-free survival. RESULTS: The absolute count of Treg cells in DLBCL patients was significantly lower in the disease progressed group than those in the remission group. The cutoff point of absolute value of the Treg cell was 19 cells /µl. The absolute count of Treg cells was an independent prognostic factor of the risk stratification. CONCLUSION: At the beginning of diagnosis, the reduction of the absolute count of Treg cells in peripheral blood of DLBCL patients show a poor prognosis.

Expression and role of MIG/CXCR3 axis in mantle cell lymphoma.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma with a generally aggressive and heterogeneous clinical course. Chemokines are one of the complex components in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and they play a vital role in tumor progression and metastasis. There is no information about the monokine induced by gamma interferon (MIG)/CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) axis in patients with MCL. In the present study, we discovered that CXCR3 was highly expressed in MCL tissues and some cell lines including Maver, Z138, and Jeko-1, and significantly associated with clinical factors reflecting high tumor burden in MCL patients. Moreover, elevated serum MIG at diagnosis showed a close relationship with advanced disease and poor prognosis in MCL patients. Additionally, the role of CXCR3 in promoting the proliferation and inhibiting the apoptosis of primary MCL cells and Jeko-1 cells was validated by in vitro experiments. Further research indicated that the MIG/CXCR3 axis mediated MCL cell migration to the TME through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, the MIG/CXCR3 axis might be a potential target with fewer off-target side effects than other targets in MCL.

[Diagnosis and Prognosis Value of Bone Marrow Aspirate Detection for the Bone Marrow Involvement in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare and evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and prognostic value of various assays for bone marrow involvement in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: A total of 351 patients with NHL who underwent concurrent bone marrow biopsy in Third Hospital of Peking University from January 2013 to November 2017 were selected. Bone marrow biopsy (BMB), flow cytometry (FCM), gene rearrangement detection, and bone marrow morphology examination were performed for evaluation of bone marrow involvement. Bone marrow biopsy was used as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of FCM, gene rearrangement and bone marrow morphology of bone marrow aspirate were analyzed, and their ROC curves were drawn. In the survival analysis of 77 patients with NHL, the overall survival (OS) time, progression-free survival (PFS) time, and complete remission rate (CRR) were counted. The survival of patients in the FCM positive group, the gene rearrangement positive group, the positive control group (BMB positive group) and the negative control group were compared. RESULTS: The detection rate of flow cytometry and gene rearrangement of bone marrow aspirate both were higher than that of bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow morphological examination, showing better diagnostic efficacy. The sensitivity of the combined method of flow cytometry and gene rearrangement was 82.5%, while the specificity was 90% and the AUC was 0.863. The gene rearrangement detection of bone marrow aspirate possessed the role suggesting the poor prognosis for NHL patients. The 3-year survival rate of patients in the gene rearrangement-positive group (RG group) was lower than that of patients in the no-bone involvement group (All negative group) (P＜0.05). Although the survival curve of patient in RG group was not significantly different from that of patients in All negative group (P＜0.1), it still showed a poor prognosis for NHL patients. And the significance of predicting death risk was reflected in Cox regression model (P＜0.05). There was no statistical difference in the prognosis of patients in the FCM-positive group (FCM group). CONCLUSION: In the bone marrow aspirate tests, flow cytometry and gene rearrangement detection have good diagnostic efficiency, and gene rearrangement can suggest the prognosis of patients. The combined detection efficacy of two methods is better.

[Expression and Clinical Significance of CXCR3 in Mantle Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of chemokine receptor CXCR3 in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to detect CXCR3 in lymph nodes and extranodal tissues in 25 newly diagnosed MCL patients. The correlation of the expression of CXCR3 level with clinical features and prognostic factors was analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-five tumor submitted specimens all expressed CXCR3 at varied degrees. The expression levels of CXCR3 in lymph nodes (LN) and bone marrow (BM) were higher than those in peripheral blood (PB), and the expression intensity in BM positively correlated with the involved tumor numbers. The absolute values of lymphocytes and hemoglobins level in PB of CXCR3high group were significantly lower than those in CXCR3low group (all P<005). The CXCR3 expression in tumor cells significantly correlated with LDH level, ß2-MG level, Ki-67 index, MIPI score and the BM involvement (all P<0.05). But, there was no correlation between the CXCR3 expression and clinical stage, histomorphology (all P>0.05). The overall response rate (ORR) in CXCR3low group was significantly higher than that in CXCR3high group (P=0.001). The expression level of CXCR3 in MCL cells of the effective group was significantly lower than that before treatment (P=0.038), and the CXCR3 expression in the ineffective group was significantly higher than that before treatment (P=0.002). After following up, it was found that the 3-year overall survival (OS) time and progression-free survival (PFS) time in CXCR3high group were significantly shorter than those in CXCR3low group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression level of CXCR3 in MCL closely relates with early metastasis and prognosis. CXCR3 can be used as one of the indicators for clinical efficacy and prognosis evaluation.

The Degree of Sex Reversal in Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata domestica) Induced by an Aromatase Inhibitor.

Under the same feeding conditions, the growth and development of male Muscovy ducks is significantly greater than that of females. Thus, controlling their sex expression can have economic benefits. However, reports on the degree of sex reversal in Muscovy ducks are scarce. In this study, we obtained sex-reversed Muscovy ducks by injecting letrozole before sex differentiation. We analyzed the degree of sex reversal in Muscovy ducks in terms of hormone levels, gonadal tissue development, and growth and found that the estradiol levels of AI-females (letrozole-induced female-to-male sex reversal) were not significantly different from those of normal males (p > 0.05), but the testosterone levels were significantly lower than those in normal males (p < 0.05). AI-female gonad tissue had changed, and the right gonad presented ovotestis tissue. The growth and development of AI-females was significantly less than that of normal males (p < 0.05) but was not significantly different from that of normal females (p > 0.05). Letrozole can induce female Muscovy ducks to convert into males, but the reversal cannot be completed. Thus, further studies are needed to elucidate how to entirely attain the change.

Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention in preventing postoperative pain, complications, and psychological pressure in the otolaryngology department.

This study aims to analyze the influence of comprehensive nursing intervention on the postoperative pain, complications, and psychological pressure of otolaryngology patients.A total of 300 otolaryngology patients in our hospital from February 2016 to October 2017 were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups using the random number table: control group (n = 150), patients were given routine nursing; experimental group (n = 150), patients were given comprehensive nursing intervention. Postoperative pain, complications, and psychological pressure between the 2 groups were analyzed.Residual pain in the experimental group at 3 months after the operation was lower than that in the control group (P < .05). The postoperative complications in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (P < .05). The acute psychological pressure score and the psychological pressure self-test score in the experimental group were both lower than that in the control group (P < .05).Comprehensive nursing intervention for otolaryngology patients was associated to relieving pain after the operation and psychological pressure of patients in the short and long term. Besides, comprehensive nursing intervention for otolaryngology patients was associated with a lower risk of complications.

MicroRNA-506 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of mantle cell lymphoma cells by targeting B7H3.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant expression of B7 homologue 3 (B7H3) has been observed in various malignancies. Our previous study demonstrated that knocking down of B7H3 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion and enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, the mechanism regulating of B7H3 expression remains unknown. Here, we present a new regulatory microRNA of B7H3, miR-506, that directly targets B7H3 and may play an inhibitory role in MCL progression. METHODS: The expression of miR-506 and B7H3 was investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). B7H3 was confirmed to be a novel direct target gene of miR-506 by a dual-luciferase assay and western blot analysis. MiR-506 overexpression in the Maver and Z138 MCL cell lines was established using lentiviral transduction. Cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry and Transwell assays were used to detect changes in cell proliferation, cycle distribution, migration and invasion, respectively. RESULTS: The RT-qPCR results showed that miR-506 was expressed at a low level, while B7H3 was overexpressed in MCL patients and cell lines. By using a bioinformatics analysis combined with a dual-luciferase assay, we determined that miR-506 could target the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of B7H3 mRNA. Moreover, miR-506 had a negative regulatory effect on B7H3 expression according to the western blotting and RT-qPCR results. In terms of function, increased expression of miR-506 led to reduced MCL cell proliferation, invasion and migration, caused cell cycle arrested at G0/G1 phase, similar to the effects of B7H3 knockdown. Furthermore, we measured the expression of invasion-related proteins by western blotting and found that miR-506 could reduce MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in MCL cells. Rescue experiments suggested that the restoration of B7H3 expression in MCL cells reversed the inhibition of proliferation and invasion induced by miRNA-506 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that miR-506 functions as a tumor suppressor miRNA and plays a significant role in inhibiting human MCL cell proliferation and metastasis by suppressing B7H3 expression.

[Relationship of the Changes of Peripheral Blood Immuno-Cell Subsets with the Prognosis of B Cell Lymphoma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of T lymphocyte subsets, B lymphocytes and NK cells with the genesis, progression and prognosis of B cell lymphoma. METHODS: The levels of T lymphocyte subsets, B lymphocytes and NK cells in peripheral blood of healthy control group and B cell lymphoma group were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). The clinical data were collected, and the relationship of these immune indexes with the general conditions, laboratory indexes, curative effect and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-four patients entolled in this study including 24 male and 20 females with the median age of 57 years old (17-82 years), all the patients were the first visit to our hospital and diagnosed. The total counts of lymphocytes, T, B and NK cells in the peripheral blood of patients with the first treatment of B-cell lymphoma were significantly lower than those in healthy controls, and the ratio of CD3+HLA-DR+ activated T cells was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (<0.05). In the newly diagnosed patients, the levels of total lymphocytes, total T cells, total B cells, CD4+ cells and NK cells in peripheral blood of patients with complete remission (CR) were higher than those in patients without complete remission ï¼»partial remission (PR) and disease progression（PD）］ (<0.01, <0.01, <0.05, <0.01, <0.05, respectively). The logistic regression analysis showed that NK cells, FAC-1（FAC-1 is a component factor for linear regression of total lymphocytes, total T cells, and total B cells）, the ECOG score and ß2-microglobulin level were significantly different between CR group and PR+SD group (<0.05, <0.01, <0.05, <0.01, respectively), among which ECOG score and ß2-microglobulin were independent risk factor respectively for the prognosis of patients. The NK cells and FAC-1 were the protective factors for the prognosis of patients. The survival analysis performed according to the NK cell level of patients at initial diagnosis, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve found that the overall survival (OS) of the 2 groups was significantly different (<0.01), the survial rate in patients with NK cell absolute count> 61.5 /µl was higher than that in patients with low level of NK cells. CONCLUSION: The level of total lymphocytes, total T cells, total B cells, NK cells and advanced activated T cells in the patients with B cell lymphoma were significantly different from those in normal subjects. Total count of lymphocytes, T cells, B cells, CD4+ cells and NK cells in peripheral blood are important prognostic indicators for BCL. The ECOG score and ß2-microglobulin level are independent risk factors for prognosis. The NK cell level and FAC-1 are independent protective factors for the prognosis of B cell lymphoma.

[MicroRNA-223 Regulates the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Dendritic Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a new inducing system for differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells to dendritic cells (DC), and further explore how microRNA-223 (miR-223) regulates DC differentiation from ES cells. METHODS: Human ES cells were cultured on plates coated by IV type collagen and differentiated into hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, common myeloid progenitor cells and DC step by step via adding different hematopoietic growth factors. The differentiated cells were identified by morphology, flow cytometry and hematopoietic colony forming unit (CFU) assays. Human ES cells were transfected with lentiviral vectors to overexpress miR-223 or inhibit miR-223 expression, then initiated the differentiation to DC. The differentiated cells at the different miR-223 levels were compared by the numbers of hematopoietic CFU and the expressions of specific surface markers. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to test whether miR-223 directly targets TGFBR3. RESULTS: Human ES cells were successfully induced into DC as the percentage of CD83 was approximately 82%, and the expression of miR-223 was up-regulated during the whole process. Supplementing miR-223 level using synthetic miR-223 mimics improved the proportions of CD34+CD45+, CD34+CD45+ and CD83+ in differentiated cells, which were significantly higher than those in synthetic miR-223 inhibitor group and negative control (P<0.05). The expressions of cell makers at each differentiated phase in miR-223 inhibitor group were significantly lower than those in negative control (P<0.05). The differentiated cells in miR-223 mimics group showed approximately 759 CFUs per 105 cells, which was significantly higher than that in others (P<0.05). Compared with negative control, miR-223 substantially inhibited the luciferase activity of Tgfbr3 3'UTR construct (by 37%) (P<0.05). In addition, the luciferase activity of the mutant construct was significantly higher than that of the WT construct in the presence of miR-223 mimics (P<0.05). With DC mature, the protein level of TGFBR3 gradually decreased using miR-223 mimics, and increased in miR-223 inhibitor group due to the suppression of the endogenous miR-223. CONCLUSION: MiR-223 promotes the differentiation of human ES cells to DC, probably through direet target to TGFBR3.

Dexmedetomidine attenuates acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice and to explore the possible mechanisms .METHODS:Kunming mice (n=50) were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10):normal saline control (NS) group, acute alcoholic hepatic injury model (E) group, low-dose (10μg/kg) DEX (E+L) group, medium-dose (50 μg/kg) DEX (E+M) group and high-dose (100 μg/kg) DEX (E+H) group.The animals were sacrificed at 6 h after gavage of alcohol or normal saline .The levels of alanine aminotransferase ( ALT) , as-partate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dis-mutase ( SOD) were measured .The livers were removed for evaluation of histological characteristics and determining the content of tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) amd interleukin-1β( IL-1β) in the liver tissues by ELISA .The expression levels of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) and nuclear factor -κB (NF-κB) in the liver tissues were evaluated by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with NS group, the levels of ALT, AST and TG were obviously increased in E group , which were obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1βand MDA were obviously increase in E group , which were obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the activity of SOD and the content of GSH were obviously decreased in E group , which were obviously increased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the expression of CYP2E1 and NF-κB was obviously increase in E group , which was obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group , ethanol induced marked liver histo- logical injury, which was less pronounced in E +M and E+H groups.CONCLUSION: DEX has a protective effect on mouse liver with acute alcoholic injury by the involvement in the processes of antioxidation and antiinflammation , and its mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of CYP 2E1 and NF-κB expression.

Dexmedetomidine attenuates acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice and to explore the possible mechanisms .METHODS:Kunming mice (n=50) were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10):normal saline control (NS) group, acute alcoholic hepatic injury model (E) group, low-dose (10μg/kg) DEX (E+L) group, medium-dose (50 μg/kg) DEX (E+M) group and high-dose (100 μg/kg) DEX (E+H) group.The animals were sacrificed at 6 h after gavage of alcohol or normal saline .The levels of alanine aminotransferase ( ALT) , as-partate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dis-mutase ( SOD) were measured .The livers were removed for evaluation of histological characteristics and determining the content of tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) amd interleukin-1β( IL-1β) in the liver tissues by ELISA .The expression levels of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) and nuclear factor -κB (NF-κB) in the liver tissues were evaluated by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with NS group, the levels of ALT, AST and TG were obviously increased in E group , which were obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1βand MDA were obviously increase in E group , which were obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the activity of SOD and the content of GSH were obviously decreased in E group , which were obviously increased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group, the expression of CYP2E1 and NF-κB was obviously increase in E group , which was obviously decreased in E +M and E+H groups.Compared with NS group , ethanol induced marked liver histo- logical injury, which was less pronounced in E +M and E+H groups.CONCLUSION: DEX has a protective effect on mouse liver with acute alcoholic injury by the involvement in the processes of antioxidation and antiinflammation , and its mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of CYP 2E1 and NF-κB expression.

[Correlation between Expression of CD200 and Regulatory T Cells in Multiple Myeloma and Its Significance in Prognostic Stratification].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between expression of CD200 and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in multiple myeloma(MM) patients and to explore its significance in prognostic stratification. METHODS: CD200 and other immunophenotypes, including CD38, CD138, CD56, CD19, CD20, CD117, cytoplasm light chain Kappa and Lambda in bone marrow samples, and Tregs in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry from 78 newly diagnosed MM patients. Serum concentrations of hemoglobin(Hb), ß2 microglobulin (ß2-MG) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were detected, respectively. The new risk stratification of patients was carried out according to international stage system (ISS) and cytogenetic characteristics. The correlation between expression of CD200 and Tregs in MM patients was analyzed and their differences in prognosis were compared. RESULTS: The positive rate of CD200 expression was 71.79% in 78 patients (56/78). The expression of CD200 in sex and age of patients was no significant different. The expression of CD117 in CD200+ group was significantly higher than that of in CD200- group (P=0.032). There was no significant difference in the expression of CD20, CD56 and CD19 between 2 groups. The level of Hb in CD200+ group was significantly lower than that in CD200- group (P=0.035). The level of ß2-MG in CD200+ group was significantly higher than that in CD200- group (P=0.013). There was no significant difference in the level of LDH between 2 groups. In CD200+ group, 17 patients were in stageⅠ, accounting for 58.62% (17/29), 30 patients were in stageⅡ, accounting for 75% (30/40), 9 patients were in stage Ⅲ, accounting for 100% (9/9). With the increase of CD200 expression intensity, the risk of prognostic stratification went up (P=0). The brighter CD200 expressed, the worse the prognosis was. The percentage of Trges in CD200+ group was significantly higher than that of in CD200- group (P=0.043). The content of Tregs was positively correlated with the expression of CD200 (r=0.743, P=0.044). Overall survival in CD200- group was significantly higher than that in CD200+ group (P=0.036). Progression-free survival in CD200- group was a bit higher than that of in CD200+ group, but it wasn't statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The expression of CD200 positively correlates with the percentage of Tregs in MM patients. It is an important factor of poor prognosis and a reliable indicator for the evaluation by clinical efficacy in MM patients.