1.Narrative Empowerment for Medical Students in Narrative Medicine Education in Public Health Crises
Chinese Medical Ethics 2022;35(7):714-719
Narrative competence is one of the factors to reflect humanistic literacy of doctors and nurses. According to the advice of many experts, the narrative competence should be improved from the stage of medical students through the two major tools including close reading of text and reflective writing. Based on the background of prevention and control of COVID-19 outbreak, this paper aimed to clarify the focus and methodology of close reading and reflective writing, that was, close reading was supposed to focus on the analysis of disease metaphors in classic literature and narrative function in clinical works and realism works, and writing tended to focus on the the differentiation of writing purpose and the writing guidance in different texts. The proper guidance plus solid training in close reading and writing will definitely lay a strong foundation for medical students in achieving humanistic quality.
2.Diagnostic value of microRNA-29b for left ventricular hypertrophy in elderly patients with coronary heart disease
Xiaojing LI ; Qi YAO ; Jun YANG ; Xiaomin CHEN ; Hanbin CUI ; Hongyu XU ; Yinwei ZHANG ; Wenjie LI ; Jingbo YU
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2020;39(5):518-521
Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of microRNA-29b(miR-29b)for left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH)in elderly patients with coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods:From January 2015 to December 2018, 140 elderly patients with CHD admitted in our hospital were enrolled, including 70 CHD patients without LVH(the NLVH group)and 70 CHD patients with LVH(the LVH group). Seventy healthy elderly adults without CHD who underwent heart examination at our hospital during the same period were included as the control group.The interventricular septum thickness(IVSD), left ventricular posterior wall thickness(LVPWD) and the relative expression level of microRNA-29b were detected and compared among the three groups.The correlation of microRNA-29b with IVSD and LVPWD was analyzed, and the diagnostic value of microRNA-29b for LVH in elderly CHD patients was analyzed.Results:There were significant differences in IVSD, LVPWD and the relative expression level of microRNA-29b among the three groups( F=22.838, 22.147 and 114.096, all P=0.000). The IVSD, LVPWD and the relative expression level of microRNA-29b were higher in the LVH group than in the NLVH group( t=3.479, 3.206 and 9.852, all P=0.000)and than in the control group( t=3.904, 3.553 and 10.792, all P=0.000). The relative expression level of microRNA-29b was higher in the NLVH group than in the control group( t=2.306, P=0.420). The receiver-operating characteristics(ROC)curve analysis of microRNA-29b for the diagnosis of LVH in elderly CHD patients showed that the maximum entry point of Youden index was 0.80, the optimal critical value was 3.52, the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of LVH was 91.73% and 88.27%.Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression level of microRNA-29b was positively correlated with IVSD and LVPWD( r=0.63 and 0.61, P=0.000). Conclusions:The expression level of microRNA-29b is significantly increased in elderly CHD patients with LVH, and positively correlated with IVSD and LVPWD.The expression level of microRNA-29b has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of LVH in elderly CHD patients.
3.Effects of IL-17A and IFN-γ on the fibrosis of CD34 - orbital fibroblasts in Graves orbitopathy
Yi LU ; Yazhuo HUANG ; Yinwei LI ; Yu WU ; Sijie FANG ; Jing SUN ; Huifang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology 2020;38(11):923-928
Objective:To observe the effects of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) on CD34 - orbital fibroblasts (OFs) in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy (GO), and to explore the pathogenesis of GO. Methods:Orbital adipose connective tissue and lacrimal gland tissue of 5 patients with GO were collected during orbital decompression surgery.These tissue was cultured by tissue explant culture method.CD34 - OFs were enriched by immunomagnetic beads after passage and expansion.The cultured cells were divided into transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) group, TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group, TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group, TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group and TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group.The fibrosis of the cells was induced with 5 ng/ml TGF-β and then was treated with different concentrations of IL-17A or IFN-γ according to grouping.The expression of fibronectin, collagen type Ⅰ, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) in CD34 - OFs derived from both orbital adipose connective tissue and lacrimal gland tissue were detected by Western blot.This study protocol was approved by an Ethic Committee of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital (SH9H-2020-TK195-1) and written informed consent was obtained from each patient. Results:For CD34 - OFs derived from orbital adipose connective tissue, the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen, α-SMA and TIMP-1 protein were significantly higher in the TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group than those in the TGF-β group and TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group (all at P<0.05); the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen and α-SMA in the cells in the TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group were significantly lower than those in the TGF-β group and the TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group (all at P<0.05). For CD34 - OFs derived from lacrimal gland, the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen, α-SMA and TIMP-1 protein in the TGF-β+ 100 ng/ml IL-17A group were significantly higher than those in the TGF-β group and the TGF-β+ 10 ng/ml IL-17A group (all at P<0.05); the relative expressions of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen and TIMP-1 protein in the TGF-β+ 1 ng/ml IFN-γ group were significantly higher than those in the TGF-β group and TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group, and the relative expression of α-SMA protein was significantly higher than that in the TGF-β+ 5 ng/ml IFN-γ group (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:High level of IL-17A can promote the fibrosis of TGF-β-induced CD34 - OFs, and high level of IFN-γ inhibits the fibrosis of TGF-β-induced CD34 - OFs.
4.Relaxin-2 Prevents Erectile Dysfunction by Cavernous Nerve, Endothelial and Histopathological Protection Effects in Rats with Bilateral Cavernous Nerve Injury
Kang LIU ; Taotao SUN ; Wenchao XU ; Jingyu SONG ; Yinwei CHEN ; Yajun RUAN ; Hao LI ; Kai CUI ; Yan ZHANG ; Yuhong FENG ; Jiancheng PAN ; Enli LIANG ; Zhongcheng XIN ; Tao WANG ; Shaogang WANG ; Jihong LIU ; Yang LUAN
The World Journal of Men's Health 2023;41(2):434-445
Purpose:
Cavernous nerve injury induced erectile dysfunction (ED) is a refractory complication with high incidence in person under radical prostatectomy. Studies have shown that relaxin-2 (RLX-2) plays a vital role of endothelial protection, vasodilation, anti-fibrosis and neuroprotection in a variety of diseases. However, whether penile cavernous erection can benefit from RLX-2 remains unknown. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the effects of RLX-2 on ED in the rat suffering with bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI).
Materials and Methods:
The rats were divided into three groups: Sham group was underwent sham operation, BCNI+RLX group or BCNI group was underwent bilateral cavernous nerve crush and then randomly treated with RLX-2 (0.4 mg/kg/d) or saline by continuous administration using a subcutaneously implanted micro pump for 4 weeks respectively. Then, erectile function was evaluated by electrical stimulation of cavernous nerves. Cavernous nerves and penile tissues and were collected for histological evaluation.
Results:
Erectile function of rats with BCNI was partially improved after RLX-2 treatment. The BCNI group had lower expression of relaxin family peptide receptor (RXFP) 1, p-AKT/AKT, p-eNOS/eNOS ratios than sham operation rats, but RLX-2 could partially reversed these changes. Histologically, the BCNI+RLX group had a significant effect on preservation of neurofilament, neuronal glial antigen 2 of penile tissue and nNOS of cavernous nerves when compared with BCNI group. RLX-2 could inhibited the lever of BCNI induced corporal fibrosis and apoptosis via regulating TGFβ1-Smad2/3-CTGF pathway and the expression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase3.
Conclusions
RLX-2 could improve erectile function of BCNI rats by protecting cavernous nerve and endothelial function and suppressing corporal fibrosis and apoptosis via RXFP1 and AKT/eNOS pathway. Our findings may provide a promising treatment for refractory BCNI induced ED.