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

BACKGROUND: Individual attitudes toward suicide are known to markedly influence suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with attitudes toward suicide.METHODS: This study was conducted on 3,213 adult men and women living in a province of Korea. After excluding 281 participants because of unreliable responses, the remaining 2,932 were included in the data analysis. Demographic factors were investigated, and psychological factors were evaluated. Attitudes toward suicide were evaluated using the Attitudes Towards Suicide-20, physical symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), self-compassion was evaluated using the Korean Self-Compassion Scale, and stress was evaluated using the Global Assessment of Recent Stress (GARS) scale. One-way analysis of variance was used to examine the psychological characteristics of attitudes toward suicide.RESULTS: Differences in various factors based on demographic characteristics were observed regarding attitudes toward suicide. Significant differences in attitudes toward suicide were observed based on severity of suicide, acceptability (F=20.332, p<0.001), prevention of suicide (F=7.700, p<0.001), and universality (F=13.741, p<0.001). The duration of suicidal ideation, self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, and over-identification showed differences, as did the GARS and PHQ-15 scores.CONCLUSION: This study explored the demographic and psychological factors affecting attitudes toward suicide. Adequate mediation of these factors is needed to prevent suicidal ideation and behavior.
Adult ; Demography ; Empathy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Negotiating ; Psychology ; Statistics as Topic ; Stress, Psychological ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the mediating effects of basic psychological needs between patient autonomy support from healthcare providers, and self-management among cancer survivors.METHODS: This study collected data from 148 cancer patients who had visited D hospitals in B city, Korea. A structured questionnaire was distributed to determine patient characteristics, healthcare provider autonomy support, basic psychological needs, and self-management. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and regression analysis that implemented Baron and Kenny's method for mediation were used for analyses.RESULTS: Self-management was significantly correlated with the level of healthcare provider autonomy support (r = 0.38, p < 0.001), autonomy (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), competence (r = 0.25, p = 0.002), and relatedness (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). Furthermore, autonomy (β = 0.30, p < 0.001) and relatedness (β = 0.22, p = 0.008) had partial mediating effects on the relationship between healthcare provider autonomy support and self-management (Z = 3.13, p = 0.002 and Z = 2.29, p = 0.022, respectively).CONCLUSION: Autonomy and relatedness mediated the impact of healthcare provider autonomy support for self-management among cancer survivors. This suggests that strategies for enhancing autonomy and relatedness should be considered when developing self-management interventions for cancer survivor patients.
Delivery of Health Care ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Methods ; Negotiating ; Self Care ; Survivors

OBJECTIVE: The most existing research has predominantly focused on city rather than township hospitals. This study aimed to explore depressive symptoms and its associated factors among general practitioners and nurses in Chinese township hospitals.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Liaoning, China in 2016. 2,000 general practitioners and nurses in Chinese township hospitals were recruited and 1,736 of them became final subjects (effective response rate: 86.8%). Data on depressive symptoms, workplace violence (WPV), psychological capital (PsyCap), and demographic factors were collected through questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to explore the factors related to depressive symptoms. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were applied to examine the potential mediating effect of PsyCap.RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the participants was 49.9%. Workplace violence was positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas psychological capital and its components of hope, optimism and resilience were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Psychological capital and its components of hope, optimism and resilience all played partial mediating roles between workplace violence and depressive symptoms.CONCLUSION: Nearly half of general practitioners and nurses surveyed suffered from depressive symptoms. Reduction of workplace violence and development of psychological capital can be targeted for interventions to combat depressive symptoms.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Demography ; Depression ; General Practitioners ; Hope ; Humans ; Negotiating ; Optimism ; Prevalence ; Workplace Violence

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

OBJECTIVES: In recent decades, due to the high prevalence of divorce in numerous countries and the detrimental aftermath thereof, it has become increasingly important to study the components of marital stability. The current study explored fundamental protective factors in long-term marriage through a systematic review.METHODS: Searches for relevant publications were conducted in Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Magiran, and Scientific Information Database from their inception through January 30, 2019. Through the keyword search, 1,706 articles were found, of which 25 articles remained after screening based on the eligibility criteria.RESULTS: The extracted protective factors associated with marital stability in long-term marriage were classified as interpersonal and intrapersonal. Notable extracted factors included spirituality and religion, commitment, sexual relationship, communication, children, love and attachment, intimacy, and conflict resolution approach. These findings show that some aspects of relationships, such as commitment, act to preserve the pillars of marriage in critical situations, while other aspects, such as intimacy, help to construct marital identity and satisfaction.CONCLUSIONS: The identified components of marital stability are structures that enhance a couple's identity and sense of togetherness. Identifying the specific aspects of marital relationships that contribute to marital stability may help specialists and researchers to target specific types of marital interaction that may enhance the happiness and longevity of relationships, thereby preventing avoidable divorces.
Child ; Divorce ; Happiness ; Humans ; Longevity ; Love ; Marriage ; Mass Screening ; Negotiating ; Prevalence ; Protective Factors ; Specialization ; Spirituality