AIM To explore the effects of Kaixin Powder (Polygalae Radix,Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Poria and Acori tatarinowii Rhizoma) on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in vivo in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and expression of PSD-95 in hippocampus CA1 area and cerebral cortex.METHODS Thirty-two 3-monthold male APP/PS1 mice were randomly divided into model group,Donepezil [0.75 mg/(kg · d)] group,Kaixin Powder [1.5,3 g/(kg · d)] groups.C57/BL6 mice were used as the control group.Kaixin Powder and Donepezil were administered to the APP/PS1 mice for three months,respectively.Afterwards,the LTP in vivo was recorded in a perforant pathway-dentate gyrus in the hippocampus.Immunohistochemical method was used for measuring the expression of PSD-95 in hippocampus CA1 area and cerebral cortex.RESULTS The fEPSPs slopes were significantly decreased in the model group as compared with the control group.Kaixin Powder or Donepezil treatment significantly enhanced the fEPSPs slopes in the model group.The average optical density of PSD-95 positive cells in hippocampus CA1 area and cerebral cortex was obviously decreased in the model group.Donepezil increased the average optical density of PSD-95 positive cells in hippocampus CA1 area.Kaixin Powder [1.5 g/(kg · d)] increased the average optical density of PSD-95 positive cells in hippocampus CA1 area and cerebral cortex.Kaixin Powder [3 g/(kg · d)] increased the average optical density of PSD-95 positive cells in cerebral cortex.CONCLUSION Kaixin Powder can promote the LTP formation in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and enhance synaptic plasticity,which may be related to the regulation of protein expression of PSD-95.

OBJECTIVE: Ambulance personnel who witness trauma experienced by patients have been reported to experience positive changes, known as vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG). We examined VPTG and its relationship with social support and resilience among ambulance personnel. METHODS: The sample (n=227) was recruited from six emergency centers in China. The measures included the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) and the bootstrapping procedure were used to examine indirect effects. RESULTS: The participants' mean score for VPTG was 68.96 (SD=15.51). Social support had significant direct effects on resilience (β=0.51, p < 0.001) and VPTG (β=0.25, p=0.001), and resilience (β=0.58, p < 0.001) had a significant direct effect on VPTG. Furthermore, social support had a significant indirect effect (0.51×0.58=0.30, p < 0.001) on VPTG through resilience. CONCLUSION: Although the nature of the work of ambulance personnel is not expected to change, the negative effects of the trauma they encounter can be reduced by providing them with more support resources and interventions to foster their resilience, which in turn, promote VPTG.
Ambulances* ; China* ; Emergencies ; Humans

Objective To construct a grading nursing care system at public hospitals based on the severity of illness and activities of daily living ( ADL). Methods Multi-center stratified random sampling was used to investigate the general adult patients hospitalized in 12 wards of six tertiary-level hospitals in the eastern, central and western parts of China from January to December of 2016. The Barthel index and simple clinical score ( SCS) were used to evaluate their ADL and severity of illness, while a customized direct nursing hour scale was applied to record the direct nursing time needed by patients in 24 hours. Nursing grades were defined according to different conditions and ADL and to the difference of patient needs of 24 h direct nursing hours. Results 7 200 patients were investigated in total, and 7 073 effective questionnaires were collected (98. 24% ). Seven new grades of nursing care were defined based on patients′ severity of illness, ADL and different 24 h direct nursing time. These grades match the existing four grading nursing care levels to become refined sub-levels. Conclusions Patients can be graded according to their conditions, ADL and the 24 h direct nursing time needed. Such a new method is more objective, specific and quantitative than before, conducive to upgrading fine management level of nursing.

Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Smoke/adverse effects* ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a micro-barrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells. METHODS: The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. RESULTS: Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts. CONCLUSIONS The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.
Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Actins/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Glycolysis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Mammals/metabolism* ; Tripartite Motif Proteins/metabolism* ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism* ; Integrin beta Chains