The ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins are a family of membrane-associated proteins known to play roles in cell-shape determination as well as in signaling pathways. We have previously shown that amphetamine decreases phosphorylation levels of these proteins in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), an important neuronal substrate mediating rewarding effects of drugs of abuse. In the present study, we further examined what molecular pathways may be involved in this process. By direct microinjection of LY294002, a PI3 kinase inhibitor, or of S9 peptide, a proposed GSK3β activator, into the NAcc core, we found that phosphorylation levels of ERM as well as of GSK3β in this site are simultaneously decreased. These results indicate that ERM proteins are under the regulation of Akt-GSK3β signaling pathway in the NAcc core. The present findings have a significant implication to a novel signal pathway possibly leading to structural plasticity in relation with drug addiction.
Amphetamine ; Animals ; Glycogen Synthase Kinases ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; Microinjections ; Negotiating ; Neurons ; Nucleus Accumbens ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Plastics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Rats ; Reward ; Signal Transduction ; Street Drugs ; Substance-Related Disorders

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the ability of readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI)-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in assessing the microstructural change of extraocular muscles (EOMs) and optic nerves in patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) as well as in evaluating disease activity.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 35 TAO patients and 22 healthy controls (HCs) who underwent pre-treatment rs-EPI-based DTI. Mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, and RD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the medial and lateral EOMs and optic nerve for each orbit were calculated and compared between TAO and HC groups and between active and inactive TAO groups. Factors such as age, sex, disease duration, mediation, and smoking history between groups were also compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of significant variables for disease activity.RESULTS: Disease duration was significantly shorter in active TAOs than in inactive ones (p < 0.001). TAO patients showed significantly lower FA and higher MD, AD, and RD than HCs for both medial and lateral EOMs (p < 0.001), but not the AD value of lateral EOMs (p = 0.619). Active patients had significantly higher FA, MD, and AD than inactive patients for medial EOMs (p < 0.005), whereas only FA differed significantly in the lateral EOMs (p = 0.018). The MD, AD, and RD of optic nerves were significantly lower in TAO patients than HCs (p < 0.05), except for FA (p = 0.129). Multivariate analysis showed that the MD of medial EOMs and disease duration were significant predictors for disease activity. The combination of these two parameters showed optimal diagnostic efficiency for disease activity (area under the curve, 0.855; sensitivity, 68.4%; specificity, 96.9%).CONCLUSION: rs-EPI-based DTI is promising in assessing microstructural changes of EOMs and optic nerves and can help to indicate the disease activity of TAO, especially through the MD of medial EOMs.
Anisotropy ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Diffusion ; Echo-Planar Imaging ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Muscles ; Negotiating ; Optic Nerve ; Orbit ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Troleandomycin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation model on nursing work outcomes based on Youssef and Luthans' positive psychological capital and integrated conceptual framework of work performance.METHODS: This study used a structured questionnaire administered to 340 nurses. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.RESULTS: Positive psychological capital showed indirect and direct effects on job satisfaction, retention intention, organizational citizenship behavior, and nursing performance. While, the nursing work environment had direct and indirect effects on job satisfaction and nursing performance, it only had indirect effects on intention to work and organizational citizenship behavior. Additionally, a mediating effect on retention intention and organizational citizenship behavior was found between job satisfaction and nursing performance variables.CONCLUSION: The nursing organization needs to build a supportive work environment and reinforce positive psychological capital to improve nursing performance. Additionally, it needs to actively manage the necessary parameters involved in the stages of job satisfaction, retention intention, nursing performance, and organizational citizenship behavior of nurses. The findings propose the continuous management of nursing personnel based on nurses' attitude outcome, behavioral intention, behavioral outcome, and stage of role performance.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction ; Negotiating ; Nursing ; Psychology, Industrial ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Work Performance

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body dissatisfaction on Smartphone addiction and to determine the relative magnitudes of specific mediation effect of personality characteristics.METHODS: One hundred and fifteen young and healthy participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination-Self Report, and NEO Five-Factor Inventory. By using Indirect SPSS macros, multiple-mediation analyses were performed.RESULTS: Body dissatisfaction had a significant total, direct and indirect effect on Smartphone addiction. Indirect effect of Body dissatisfaction on Smartphone addiction was significantly mediated via personality characteristics (Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness).CONCLUSION: These results suggest the importance of evaluating both patients' personality characteristics and body dissatisfaction for managing Smartphone addiction. Consequently, they will be useful in the prevention and treatment of Smartphone addiction.
Body Dysmorphic Disorders ; Healthy Volunteers ; Negotiating ; Smartphone

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the correlations of the temperament and character, depression, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment and the mediating effects of the depression, anxiety on the relationship between temperament and character and maternal-fetal attachment.METHODS: A hundred and eleven high-risk pregnant women were recruited in this study. All subjects were administered a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire, Temperament and Character Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State, and Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale.RESULTS: The results of this study were as follows. Higher scores on the reward dependence, persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence scale were associated with higher scores on maternal-fetal attachment scale. Higher scores on the harm avoidance scale and lower scores on the self-directedness scale were associated with higher depression scores. Higher scores on the harm avoidance scale and lower scores on the persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness scale were associated with higher anxiety scores. Higher anxiety scores were associated with higher scores on maternal-fetal attachment scale. The anxiety was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between persistence and the maternal-fetal attachment. It was also found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between cooperativeness and the maternal-fetal attachment.CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that the anxiety has partial mediating effect on the relationship between temperament and character and maternal-fetal attachment. Based on these findings, it is suggested that examining temperament and character and screening vulnerable pregnant women can help to prevent negative results for high-risk pregnant women.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Negotiating ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Pregnant Women ; Reward ; Temperament

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of perceptions regarding the importance of patient safety management in the relationship between incident reporting attitudes and patient safety care activities for nurses in small-and medium-sized general hospitals. The objective was to provide a basis for planning tailored training programs aimed at improving patient safety care activities.METHODS: This study was conducted with 187 participants in small- and medium-sized general hospitals in K city in South Korea from March 15 to March 31, 2019. The data collected from participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and a multiple regression using IBM SPSS/WIN 21.0 software.RESULTS: Patient safety care activities were found to be correlated with incident reporting attitudes (r=.27, p < .001) and perceptions of the importance of patient safety management (r=.59, p < .001). Further, perceptions of the importance of patient safety management had a complete mediating effect (β=.409, p < .001) on the relationship between incident reporting attitudes and patient safety care activities.CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, tailored training programs regarding patient safety care activities focused on boosting perceptions of the importance of patient safety management are highly recommended to improve nurses' patient safety care activities in small- and medium-sized general hospitals.
Education ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Negotiating ; Patient Safety ; Risk Management ; Safety Management

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the moderating and mediating effects of resilience in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction among nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs).METHOD: The participants were 144 ICU nurses from three university hospitals. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis, using SPSS 25.0. The mediating effect of resilience in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction was analyzed by multiple regression analysis according to Baron and Kenny's procedure.RESULTS: Statistically significant negative correlations were found between emotional labor and resilience (r=−.21, p<.014) and between emotional labor and job satisfaction (r=−.34, p<.001). A significant positive correlation was found between resilience and job satisfaction (r=.31 p<.001). A partial mediating effect by resilience was found between emotional labor and job satisfaction (Z=−2.11, p =.034), but no moderating effect was found.CONCLUSION: To improve the job satisfaction of ICU nurses, evaluation of their emotional labor, resilience, and interventions are necessary to alleviate emotional labor and improve resilience.
Hospitals, University ; Intensive Care Units ; Job Satisfaction ; Methods ; Negotiating

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine both actor and partner effects of perceived marital relationship on quality of life, as well as the mediating effect of holding back cancer-related concerns.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in an outpatient setting. Participants were 150 couples consisting of patients with lung cancer and their spouses. Perceived marital relationship, holding back cancer-related concerns, and quality of life were measured with self-report scales. Actor and partner effects on quality of life were analyzed using the actorepartner interdependence mediation model by using structural equation modeling.RESULTS: A couple's quality of life had a significant direct actor effect on the perceived marital relationship. However, the partner effect and the indirect effect of holding back cancer-related concerns on quality of life was not significant.CONCLUSION: When patients with lung cancer and their spouses perceived their marital relationship positively, they assessed their quality of life positively. They were also found to be less hesitant when talking about cancer-related concerns. However, holding back on talking concerns did not have a significant impact on the quality of life (of either oneself or the spouse). Therefore, nurses should first check how they perceive their marital relationship before encouraging communication between patients with lung cancer and their spouses. Nurses can assess these risk factors and intervene if needed, along their cancer trajectory.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; Marriage ; Negotiating ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Spouses ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study examined the mediating effects of self-esteem and resilience on the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life in people with schizophrenia.METHODS: The participants were 123 people with schizophrenia (mean age = 41.87 years; 62.6% men) recruited from Soonchunhyang university hospital, a mental health center, and daytime rehabilitation facilities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. Using a cross-sectional survey, participants completed structured questionnaires with psychometric adequacy. The regression method of Baron and Kenny was used to test the mediating effects of self-esteem and resilience on the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life.RESULTS: Self-esteem and resilience were found to be full and partial mediators, respectively, in the relationship between internalized stigma and quality of life.CONCLUSION: The findings of this study imply that effective future intervention strategies should target improvements in self-esteem and resilience to reduce the negative impact of internalized stigma on the quality of life of people with schizophrenia.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Gyeonggi-do ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Methods ; Negotiating ; Psychometrics ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation ; Resilience, Psychological ; Schizophrenia ; Seoul ; Social Stigma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effects of emotional intelligence and working environment on nursing performance of nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals were mediated by communication competence.METHODS: The data was collected between Aug. 1 and Aug. 30, 2018 from 240 nurses caring for cancer patients from 11 small and medium hospitals in B city. Variables included in this study were the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), the Global Interpersonal Communication Competence (GICC), and nursing performance. The collected data were analyzed by t-tests, ANOVA and Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and 3 step multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 24.0 and the Sobel test.RESULTS: Communication competence, in the relationship between emotional intelligence and nursing working environment on nursing performance in nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals, showed a partial mediating effect (Z=5.24, p < .001; Z=2.44, p=.001 respectively).CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the effects of emotional intelligence and nursing working environment on nursing performance of nurses caring for cancer patients in small and medium hospitals were mediated by communication competence.
Emotional Intelligence ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Mental Competency ; Negotiating ; Nursing