Artemisia lactiflora is an important medicinal plant in China. The antitumor and antioxidant activities of the extracts of 54 endophytic fungi from the plant were screened via MTT assay and DPPH scavenging radical assay, respectively. The bioactive strains were identified based on similarity of 5.8S gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The results showed that extracts from ten (18.5%) isolates exhibited antitumor activity, and which from two (3.7%) isolates exhibited antioxidant activity. The Alternaria sp. GYBH47 strain was simultaneously having antagonistic activity against HL-60 leukemia, MCF-7 breast and COLO205 colon cell lines, and Phomopsis sp. GYBH42 strain having cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. The results indicated that endophytic fungi from Artemisia lactiflora are potential resources to find valuable bioactive components.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Artemisia ; microbiology ; Biphenyl Compounds ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Endophytes ; chemistry ; classification ; physiology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Fungi ; classification ; physiology ; Humans ; Picrates ; metabolism

AIM:To investigate how to design personalized cataract surgery programs to achieve surgical correction of preoperative corneal astigmatism with surgical astigmatism under the guidance of corneal topography, improve postoperative visual quality and reduce the cost of treatment.
METHODS: Totally 202 cases ( 226 eyes ) cataract patients were divided into randomized treatment group and individualized treatment group. According to the method and location of the incision, randomized treatment group were divided into 8 groups. Surgical astigmatism after different incision were calculated with the use of preoperative and postoperative corneal astigmatism through vector analysis method. Individualized treatment groups were designed personably for surgical method with reference of every surgically induced astigmatism, the surgical method chooses the type of surgical incision based on close link between preoperative corneal astigmatism and surgically induced astigmatism, and the incision was located in the steep meridian. The postoperative corneal astigmatism of individualized treatment group was observed.
RESULTS: Postoperative corneal astigmatism of individualized treatment group were lower than that of 3.0mm clear corneal tunnel incision in the randomized treatment group, there were statistically significance difference, while with 3. 0mm sclera tunnel incision group there were no statistically significance difference. After 55. 8% of patients with the use of individualized surgical plan could undergo the operation of extracapsular cataract extraction with relatively low cost and rigid intraocular lens implantation, the per capita cost of treatment could be reduced.
CONCLUSION: Personalized cataract surgery programs are designed to achieve surgical correction of preoperative corneal astigmatism under the use of corneal topography, improve postoperative visual quality and reduce the cost of treatment.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure on sleep quality and pruritus in patients undergoing hemodialysis and to propose an effective and evidence-based nursing intervention. Methods: This was a single-blind, nonequivalent, group comparison study with 42 participants. The experimental period was a total of 8 weeks, and five different acupressure sites were applied in each group. Dependent variables were measured before the intervention, at the 4th week of the intervention, and at the 8th week of the intervention. Results: There were significant differences in the Pittsburgh sleep quality index, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, light sleep, deep sleep, number of awakenings, serum melatonin levels, subjective pruritus and skin hydration. No significant difference was found in skin pH between the two groups. Conclusion Auricular acupressure was found to be an effective nursing intervention to improve sleep quality and to reduce pruritus in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Purpose: : This study aimed to identify the incidence of peripheral cyanosis and the characteristics and clinical results of patients with therapeutic hypothermia after a cardiac arrest. Methods: : Data were collected from April to June 2021 via the electrical medical records of 95 patients with therapeutic hypothermia for 72 hours after a cardiac arrest admitted to an acute care unit at a tertiary hospital between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression using SPSS/WIN. Results: : The incidence of peripheral cyanosis was 20%. In the peripheral cyanosis group, peripheral vascular disease, fibrinogen, vasopressor, infection, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute physiology, chronic health evaluation II score on the second hospital day, nursing intervention, and mortality on the seventh hospital day were higher. The level of fibrinogen and use of vasopressors affected the occurrence of peripheral cyanosis. Conclusion : Considering the influencing variables, careful observation is necessary for patients with high fibrinogen levels and vasopressor use. These results provide basic data to recognize the need for nursing intervention for peripheral cyanosis and encourage nurses to deliver them during therapeutic hypothermia.

Purpose: The number of Korean adolescents engaging in gambling is increasing, especially among out-of-school adolescents. This study aimed to identify patterns of gambling activities and factors related to specific subgroups of out-of-school adolescent gambling activities. Methods: This descriptive study analyzed secondary data from the 2015 Korea Youth Gambling Problem Survey, including 1,200 out-of-school adolescents. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify patterns of gambling activities. The factors related to gambling subgroups were verified with multinomial logistic regression. Results: Three latent classes of gambling activities were identified: rarely gambling (RG), immediate gain gambling (IGG), and broad gambling (BG). These subgroups differed significantly in terms of gender, age at and type of first gambling experience, number and type of gambling activities, gambling frequency, time and money spent on gambling, problem gambling severity, and motivation for gambling. Compared to the RG subgroup, both the IGG and BG subgroups were strongly associated with an older age at the first gambling experience. Conclusion Out-of-school adolescents who first gambled at an older age and who gambled mainly in order to gain money immediately were at risk of problem gambling. Developing strategies for early screening and referral to professionals is necessary to prevent gambling problems from worsening.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the transition of simulation-based learning (SBL) in nursing schools.METHODS: The study was conducted in accordance with Walker and Avant's conceptual analysis process. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and RISS (Korean Education and Research Information Service) databases, resulting in nine studies for an in-depth review.RESULTS: The attributes of transition of SBL include (1) preparing for a professional role, (2) practicing in a real clinical setting, and (3) progressing toward expected competency. Antecedents of the concept include novice status, changing roles, clinical experience in controlled settings, and expected competency in the clinical setting.CONCLUSION: The transition of SBL includes the important feature of progression toward expected competency. Further research is needed to identify graduate nurses' experiences during this transition to establish a strategy for improving it and developing a measurement tool that reflects attributes of the concept.
Education ; Learning ; Nursing ; Professional Role ; Schools, Nursing ; Walkers

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plays a pivotal role in early atherosclerosis, vascular remodeling and development of atherosclerotic lesion. The potentially functional MMP-9 gene polymorphism may contribute to the susceptibility of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed to investigate the association between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (-1562C>T, R279Q) of the MMP-9 gene in patients with ACS in the Uygur population of China. METHODS: This case-control study was composed of 361 ACS patients and 432 control subjects, who had undergone coronary angiography. Among the ACS patients, 162 (44.9％) had single-vessel disease, 145 (40.2％) had two-vessel disease, and 54 (14.9％) had three-vessel disease. The genotypes of the two selected SNPs were determined by the method of polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR). The relationship between the polymorphism of the MMP-9 gene and the severity of coronary arterial stenosis was analyzed. RESULTS: Analysis of the two SNPs showed that the frequency of CT and TT genotypes in patients with ACS was significantly higher than that in the control group (ACS vs. controls; CT+TT:25.5％ vs. 15.8％, P=0.001). And the -1562 gene allele (C/T) was significantly associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS vs. controls; C allele: 85.7％ vs. 91.5％, T allele: 14.3％ vs. 8.5％, P<0.001). But the frequencies of CT+TT and CC genotypes were not statistically different among ACS patients with one, two and three or more significantly diseased vessels (P=0.55). The R279Q polymorphism site with regard to the association with ACS was not significant (P>0.05). The presence of CT or TT genotypes, assuming codominant effect of the T allele, was independently associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease when adjustment was made for age, body mass index, smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus [odds ratio=1.737 (95％ confidence interval, 1.337-2.257), P=0.018]. CONCLUSIONS: MMP-9-1562C>T polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to ACS in the Uygur population of China. However, this mutation apparently is not related to the severity of coronary arterial stenosis. Another SNP (R279Q) polymorphism of MMP-9 is not significantly associated with the risk of ACS.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficiency and safety of two-micron laser resection of the prostate-tangerine technique (TmLRP-TT) for the treatment of large-volume ( > 70 ml) prostate in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODSThis retrospective analysis included 80 BPH patients with the prostatic volume larger than 70 ml, all treated by TmLRP-TT. We comparatively analyzed the levels of hemoglobin and serum sodium before and after surgery, recorded intra- and post-operative com- plications, and followed up the patients at 6 and 12 months after operation for International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QOL), maximum flow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR).

RESULTSAll the operations were successfully completed. The mean hemoglobin decreased (0.68 +/- 0.43) g/dl intraoperatively, but no apparent reduction was observed in serum sodium. Lower urinary tract symptoms were relieved significantly in all the cases. At 12 months after surgery, IPSS was decreased by 73.89% as compared with the baseline (20.03 +/- 6.9 vs 5.23 +/- 3.59), QOL by 64.55% (4.09 +/- 1.19 vs 1.45 +/- 1.36), and PVR by 79.30% (97.31 +/- 57.90 vs 20.14 +/- 24.20 ml), while Qmax increased by 140.42% ([8.04 +/- 3.62] vs [19.33 +/- 3.28] ml/s). The incidence of complications was low either intraoperatively or during the 12 months after operation.

CONCLUSIONTmLRP-TT is a safe and effective surgical endoscopic approach to the treatment of large-volume prostate in BPH patients.

Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDMyocardial apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis-related myocardial depression. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study investigated the role of mitochondrial damage and mitochondria-induced oxidative stress during cardiac apoptosis in septic rats.

METHODSSeventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group and septic group receiving lipopolysaccharide injection. Heart tissue was removed and changes in cardiac morphology were observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In situ apoptosis was examined using terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay and nuclear factor-kappa B activation in myocardium by Western blotting to estimate myocardial apoptosis. Appearance of mitochondrial cristae and activation of cytochrome C oxidase were used to evaluate mitochondrial damage. Oxidative stress was assessed by mitochondrial lipid and protein oxidation, and antioxidant defense was assessed by mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity.

RESULTSSepsis-induced inflammatory cell infiltration, myocardium degeneration and dropsy were time-dependent. Expanded capillaries were observed in the hearts of infected rats 24 hours post-challenge. Compared with sham-treated rats, the percentage of cell apoptosis increased in a time-dependent manner in hearts from septic rats at 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours post-injection (P < 0.05). The expression of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 decreased gradually in the cytosol and increased in the nucleus during sepsis, indicating that septic challenge provoked the progressive activation of nuclear factor-kappa B. Mitochondrial cristae and activation of cytochrome C oxidase increased in a time-dependent manner. Both superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities decreased, while mitochondrial lipid and protein oxidation increased between 6 and 24 hours after lipopolysaccharide challenge.

CONCLUSIONSSeptic challenge induced myocardial apoptosis and mitochondrial damage. Furthermore, mitochondrial damage via alteration of defenses against reactive oxygen species might play an important role in myocardial apoptosis during sepsis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Male ; Mitochondria, Heart ; metabolism ; pathology ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oxidative Stress ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sepsis ; metabolism ; physiopathology

Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Infant ; Pulmonary Artery ; abnormalities