Isolation and characterization of feline endometrial mesenchymal stem cells

Background@#Recently, there has been a growing interest in stem cells for human medicine.Limited feline endometrial mesenchymal stem cell (fEM-MSC) research in veterinary medicine necessitates reporting for future feline disease research and therapy. @*Objectives@#This study aimed to isolate fEM-MSCs from feline endometrial tissues and evaluate their morphology, proliferative ability, differentiation ability, and immunophenotype. @*Methods@#Feline endometrial tissues were obtained from the ovariohysterectomies of healthy cats and isolated using an enzymatic method. The morphology and proliferative ability of the isolated cells were assessed using a doubling time (DT) assay from passages 3 to 6 (P3 − P6). We measured pluripotency gene expressions of cells in P2 using quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). To investigate MSC characteristics, a trilineage differentiation assay was conducted in P4, and cells in P4 were immunophenotyped using flow cytometry. @*Results@#fEM-MSCs showed a typical spindle-shaped morphology under a microscope, and the DT was maintained from P3 to P6. fEM-MSCs could differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes, and expressed three pluripotency markers (OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG) by qRT-PCR. Immunophenotypic analysis showed that the fEM-MSCs were CD14− , CD34− , CD45− , CD9+ , and CD44+ . @*Conclusions@#In this study, the feline endometrium was a novel source of MSCs, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation method and characteristics of fEM-MSCs.

The effect of grit on the work engagement of nurses: The mediating effects of positive psychological capital and burnout / 한국간호교육학회지

Purpose@#This study was conducted to identify the effects of grit on the work engagement of nurses and to identify the mediating effects of positive psychological capital and burnout in the relationship between grit and work engagement. @*Methods@#The study subjects were 182 nurses who had been working in a general hospital for more than six months. The data were collected from July 12 to July 26, 2021. The collected 182 sets of data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and a hierarchical regression analysis using IBM SPSS statistics version 23.0 and also by bootstrapping using SPSS Process Macro. @*Results@#As a result of the analyses, it was found that higher work engagement was associated with higher grit, higher positive psychological capital, and lower burnout. The mediating effects of positive psychological capital and burnout in the relationship between grit and work engagement were found to be both direct and indirect. @*Conclusion@#This study provides basic data suggesting that an education program designed to reduce burnout and reinforce grit and positive psychological capital is necessary to promote the work engagement of nurses in clinical settings.

Qualitative Content Analysis of Nursing Students’ Experiences in Simulation Practice using Patient Simulators / 의료커뮤니케이션

Background@# : The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes of nursing students’ simulation practice experiences utilizing a patient simulator. @*Methods@# : Data collection was conducted through one-on-one in-depth interviews between March 10 and May 3, 2023. The participants were 15 fourth-year nursing students who had experienced simulation practice using a patient simulator. For analysis, all interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcriptions were analyzed using Hsieh and Shannon’s (2005) qualitative content analysis method. @*Results@# : The following four themes were derived: ‘Replicated clinical environment in nursing practical room’, ‘Course requiring preparation’, ‘Learning that varies depending on the instructor’, and ‘Process of nurse development through teamwork’. These results show the characteristics of nursing students who engage in simulation practice using a patient simulator. @*Conclusion@# : For effective simulation practice for nursing students, a program that complements the contents and methods based on simulation practice experience is needed.

PRR16/Largen Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition through the Interaction with ABI2 Leading to the Activation of ABL1 Kinase

Advanced or metastatic breast cancer affects multiple organs and is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Cancer metastasis is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal metastasis (EMT). However, the specific signals that induce and regulate EMT in carcinoma cells remain unclear. PRR16/Largen is a cell size regulator that is independent of mTOR and Hippo signalling pathways. However, little is known about the role PRR16 plays in the EMT process. We found that the expression of PRR16 was increased in mesenchymal breast cancer cell lines. PRR16 overexpression induced EMT in MCF7 breast cancer cells and enhances migration and invasion. To determine how PRR16 induces EMT, the binding proteins for PRR16 were screened, revealing that PRR16 binds to Abl interactor 2 (ABI2). We then investigated whether ABI2 is involved in EMT. Gene silencing of ABI2 induces EMT, leading to enhanced migration and invasion. ABI2 is a gene that codes for a protein that interacts with ABL proto-oncogene 1 (ABL1) kinase. Therefore, we investigated whether the change in ABI2 expression affected the activation of ABL1 kinase. The knockdown of ABI2 and PRR16 overexpression increased the phosphorylation of Y412 in ABL1 kinase. Our results suggest that PRR16 may be involved in EMT by binding to ABI2 and interfering with its inhibition of ABL1 kinase. This indicates that ABL1 kinase inhibitors may be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of PRR16-related breast cancer.

Loss of EMP2 Inhibits Melanogenesis of MNT1 Melanoma Cells via Regulation of TRP-2

Melanogenesis is the production of melanin from tyrosine by a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, in which tyrosinase and DOPA oxidase play key roles. The melanin content in the skin determines skin pigmentation. Abnormalities in skin pigmentation lead to various skin pigmentation disorders. Recent research has shown that the expression of EMP2 is much lower in melanoma than in normal melanocytes, but its role in melanogenesis has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the role of EMP2 in the melanogenesis of MNT1 human melanoma cells. We examined TRP-1, TRP-2, and TYR expression levels during melanogenesis in MNT1 melanoma cells by gene silencing of EMP2. Western blot and RT-PCR results confirmed that the expression levels of TYR and TRP-2 were decreased when EMP2 expression was knocked down by EMP2 siRNA in MNT1 cells, and these changes were reversed when EMP2 was overexpressed. We verified the EMP2 gene was knocked out of the cell line (EMP2 CRISPR/Cas9) by using a CRISPR/Cas9 system and found that the expression levels of TRP-2 and TYR were significantly lower in the EMP2 CRISPR/Cas9 cell lines. Loss of EMP2 also reduced migration and invasion of MNT1 melanoma cells. In addition, the melanosome transfer from the melanocytes to keratinocytes in the EMP2 KO cells cocultured with keratinocytes was reduced compared to the cells in the control coculture group. In conclusion, these results suggest that EMP2 is involved in melanogenesis via the regulation of TRP-2 expression.

Educational Status and Needs of Premature Birth Prevention and Its Association with Preconception Health Behavior among Women of Childbearing Age in Korea

Purpose@#The aim of this study was to investigate the educational status and needs of premature birth prevention, and to identify factors associated with preconception health behaviors. @*Methods@#The study design was a crosssectional descriptive study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire survey, and the subjects were 192 women of childbearing age in Korea. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. @*Results@#The proportion of subjects who received education on premature birth prevention was 8.9%, and 75.5% of subjects answered that they needed education on premature birth prevention. They demanded education through online media, small groups, cases, cartoons (webtoon) with stories, pictures, and videos. A related factor of preconception health behavior was self-efficacy for high-risk pregnancy health care (β=.20, p=.012), which accounted for 8.2% of the total variance related to preconception health behavior. @*Conclusion@#There was a need for more development of education programs to prevent premature birth for women of childbearing age. Its education programs should be applied with online, small group activities using various educational media. It is also required to promote preconception health behavior through self-efficacy for high-risk pregnancy health care.

Variables related to self-leadership of Korean nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis / 한국간호교육학회지

Purpose@#This study considers the variables related to self-leadership of Korean nursing students and verifies the results of precedent studies through meta-analysis. @*Methods@#This study selected a total of 48 precedent studies regarding the investigation of the correlation between variables related to self-leadership of nursing students conducted between 2009 and 2019 and carried out a meta-analysis. @*Results@#For the effect size of variables related to self-leadership of nursing students, individual characteristics had a medium effect size (ESr=.49) and the effect size was larger for meta-cognition (ESr=.65), emotional intelligence (ESr=.58), and self-efficacy (ESr=.54). The characteristics of nursing competency (ESr=.45) also had a medium effect size and the effect size was larger for professional self-concept (ESr=.60), social support (ESr=.58), and critical thinking (ESr=.56). This result shows that individual characteristics were highly correlated with self-leadership compared to the characteristics of nursing competency. @*Conclusion@#This study is significant in that it verified the effect of variables related to self-leadership and presented the direction and preliminary data for a follow-up study. It is necessary to include variables considering individual characteristics in the development of an educational program for improving self-leadership in the future.

Influence of Social Support on the Job Satisfaction of Nurses in General Hospitals: Mediating Effect of Emotional Intelligence / 한국직업건강간호학회지

Purpose@#This study aimed to determine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between the social support and job satisfaction of general hospital nurses. @*Methods@#The data of 197 nurses in general hospitals located in three different cities were collected for analysis. Collected data were analyzed using the t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 23.0. @*Results@#The social support of the subjects showed positive correlations with job satisfaction (r=.56, p<.001) and emotional intelligence (r=.42, p<.001). Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction were positively correlated (r=.54, p<.001). Emotional intelligence was found to perform the partial mediation in the relationship between social support and job satisfaction. @*Conclusion@#To improve job satisfaction, an organizational culture which enhances social support may be required as an intervention strategy, and programs should be developed to induce positive emotional intelligence.

Induction of Angiogenesis by Malarial Infection through Hypoxia Dependent Manner

Malarial infection induces tissue hypoxia in the host through destruction of red blood cells. Tissue hypoxia in malarial infection may increase the activity of HIF1α through an intracellular oxygen-sensing pathway. Activation of HIF1α may also induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to trigger angiogenesis. To investigate whether malarial infection actually generates hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, we analyzed severity of hypoxia, the expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors, and numbers of blood vessels in various tissues infected with Plasmodium berghei. Infection in mice was performed by intraperitoneal injection of 2×10⁶ parasitized red blood cells. After infection, we studied parasitemia and survival. We analyzed hypoxia, numbers of blood vessels, and expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors including VEGF and HIF1α. We used Western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry to analyze various tissues from Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. In malaria-infected mice, parasitemia was increased over the duration of infection and directly associated with mortality rate. Expression of VEGF and HIF1α increased with the parasitemia in various tissues. Additionally, numbers of blood vessels significantly increased in each tissue type of the malaria-infected group compared to the uninfected control group. These results suggest that malarial infection in mice activates hypoxia-induced angiogenesis by stimulation of HIF1α and VEGF in various tissues.

Effects of Infant Massage Therapy on Transcutaneous Bilirubin, Feeding, and Excretion in Neonates with Jaundice Undergoing Phototherapy

PURPOSE: This paper reports the results of a massage therapy on transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) in the forehead and inguinal regions, feeding intake, urine amount, and defecation frequency for neonates with jaundice who are receiving phototherapy. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group, pre-post, quasi-experimental design was used. Participants were 33 neonates with jaundice admitted for phototherapy and were randomly assigned to one of two groups—an experimental group (n=16), which received 3 days of routine plus 15 minutes of massage three times a day, and a control group (n=17), which received the routine care only. Data were analyzed using χ²-test and Mann-Whitney U test with SPSS 21.0 Win program. RESULTS: On the second day of hospitalization, the experimental group showed significantly lower TcB in the inguinal region (Z=−2.12, p=0.017); on the third day, the experimental group showed significantly lower TcB in the inguinal region (Z=−2.31, p=0.011) and higher defecation frequency (Z=−2.22, p=0.013) compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that massage for jaundice neonates receiving phototherapy is an effective intervention to reduce TcB in the inguinal region and to increase defecation frequency.