Spiritual care needs and their attributes among Chinese inpatients with advanced breast cancer based on the Kano model: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous previous research have established the need for spiritual care among patients with cancer globally. Nevertheless, there was limited research, primarily qualitative, on the spiritual care needs of Chinese inpatients with advanced breast cancer. Furthermore, the need for spiritual care was rarely explored using the Kano model. To better understand the spiritual care needs and attributes characteristics of inpatients with advanced breast cancer, this study examined the Kano model. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design study was conducted in the oncology departments of three tertiary grade-A hospitals in China from October 2022 to May 2023. To guarantee high-quality reporting of the study, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Checklist was used. Data on the demographic characteristics questionnaire, the Nurse Spiritual Therapeutics Scale (NSTS), and the Kano model-based Nurse Spiritual Therapeutics Attributes Scale (K-NSTAs) were collected through convenience sampling. The Kano model, descriptive statistics, two independent samples t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The overall score for spiritual care needs was 31.16 ± 7.85. The two dimensions with the highest average scores, "create a good atmosphere" (3.16 ± 0.95), and the lowest average scores, "help religious practice" (1.72 ± 0.73). The 12 items were distributed as follows: three attractive attributes were located in Reserving Area IV; five one-dimensional attributes were distributed as follows: three one-dimensional attributes were located in Predominance Area I, and two were found in Improving Area II; two must-be attributes were located in Improving Area II; and two indifference attributes were located in Secondary Improving Area III. CONCLUSION: The Chinese inpatients with advanced breast cancer had a middle level of spiritual care needs, which need to be further improved. Spiritual care needs attributes were defined, sorted, categorized, and optimized accurately and perfectly by the Kano model. And "create a good atmosphere" and "share self-perception" were primarily one-dimensional and must-be attributes. In contrast, the items in the dimensions of "share self-perception" and "help thinking" were principally attractive attributes. Nursing administrators are advised to optimize attractive attributes and transform indifference attributes by consolidating must-be and one-dimensional attributes, which will enable them to take targeted spiritual care measures based on each patient's characteristics and unique personality traits.

Resveratrol suppresses lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 expression by reducing oxidative stress in macrophages and animal models.

SCOPE: Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound with known cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2 ) is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigated the effects of resveratrol on Lp-PLA2 expression in vitro and in vivo and explored the underlying mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Human monocytic cells (THP-1) were induced to differentiate into macrophages for an in vitro experimental model. Resveratrol suppressed Lp-PLA2 expression and reduced inflammation; lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µg/mL), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, 10 ng/mL) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were employed to stimulate an increase in Lp-PLA2 expression and ROS levels, and the stimulation was inhibited by resveratrol (50 µM) and other antioxidants. The inhibition of resveratrol was inversed partially by sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) inhibitors (Nicotinamide, 1-10 mM) (p<0.05). Next, a chronic inflammation mouse model induced by a HFD (high fat diet) supplemented with resveratrol 100 mg/kg/day orally for 12 weeks, resulted in resveratrol-induced decreases in the Lp-PLA2 levels in the plasma and liver and increases in the superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) expression in the liver (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on our results, the protective effects of resveratrol on cardiovascular events may be related to its ability to suppress Lp-PLA2 expression.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids attenuates triglyceride and inflammatory factors level in hfat-1 transgenic pigs.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is important to human health, especially in cases of cardiovascular disease. Although beneficial effects of n-3 PUFAs have been observed in a number of studies, the mechanisms involved in these effects have yet to be discovered. METHODS: We generated hfat-1 transgenic pigs with traditional somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. The fatty acid composition in ear tissue of pigs were detected with gas chromatography. The cholesterol, triglycerides (TAG) and inflammation mediators in circulation were investigated. RESULTS: The hfat-1 transgenic pigs were developed which accumulate high levels of n-3 PUFAs than wild-types pigs. Gas chromatography results demonstrated that the total n-3 PUFAs in the ear tissues of the transgenic founders were 2-fold higher than the wild-type pigs. A lipid analysis demonstrated that the levels of TAG in the transgenic pigs were decreased significantly. The basal levels of the inflammation mediators tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in transgenic pigs were inhibited markedly compared with the wild-type pigs. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that n-3 PUFAs accumulation in vivo may have beneficial effects on vascular and hfat-1 transgenic pigs may be a useful tool for investigating the involved mechanisms.

ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids suppress lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 expression in macrophages and animal models.

SCOPE: ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs) have beneficial effects on cardiovascular function, and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2 ) is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigated the effects of ω3-PUFAs on Lp-PLA2 expression in vitro and in vivo and explored the mechanisms involved. METHODS AND RESULTS: Human monocyticcells (THP-1) were induced into macrophages in an in vitro model. ω3-PUFAs suppressed Lp-PLA2 expression; the suppression induced by docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was related to reduced inflammation. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was employed to stimulate the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and Lp-PLA2 expression in macrophages. The stimulation was inhibited by DHA and the anti-inflammatory drug sodium salicylate. Moreover, the stimulation of Lp-PLA2 expression by TNF-α could be suppressed by NF-κB and MAPK pathway inhibitors. Then, chronic inflammation was induced in an in vivo mouse model, resulting in an increase in Lp-PLA2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and arteries. This increase was suppressed by ω3-PUFAs. Inhibition of Lp-PLA2 transcription in PBMCs was also observed in ω3-PUFA-enriched swine. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the protective effects of ω3-PUFAs against cardiovascular events may be related to the suppression of Lp-PLA2 levels.

[Effect of Chuanhuang No. 1 recipe on renal function and micro-inflammation in phase 3 chronic kidney disease patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Chuanhuang No.1 Recipe (CHR) on renal function and micro-inflammation in phase 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. METHODS: Totally 60 phase 3 CKD patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group (treated by CHR) and the control group (treated by Losartan Potassium), 30 in each group. All patients received basic treatment. Patients in the treatment group took CHR decoction, 400 mL each time, one dose per day, while those in the control group took Losartan Potassium, 50-100 mg per day. All medication lasted for 24 weeks. Changes of serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum uric acid (UA), 24 h urinary protein excretion (24 h U-pro), urinary microalbumin (U-Alb), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and serum IL-6 were detected and compared before and after treatment. Efficacy was also compared. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, SCr and BUN significantly decreased in the treatment group (P<0.05, P<0.01); eGFR in- creased (P<0.05). Only UA obviously decreased in the control group (P<0.05), but with no obvious change in SCr, BUN, or eGFR. Compared with before treatment, 24 h U-pro decreased after treatment in the treatment group (P<0.05), but with less decreased level when compared with the control group. U- Alb was also significantly decreased in the control group (P<0.01). There was statistical difference in 24 h U-pro and U-Alb between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, hs-CRP obviously decreased after treatment in the two groups, but serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 obviously decreased only in the treatment group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was obviously higher in the treatment group than in the control group (70.00% vs. 43.33%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: CHR could efficiently improve the renal function of phase 3 CKD patients and alleviate the micro-inflammation.

Direct conversion of porcine embryonic fibroblasts into adipocytes by chemical molecules.

Direct reprogramming of terminally differentiated cells to specify different cell types may allow somatic cells to be reprogrammed to an alternative, differentiated fate without intervening stem or progenitor cells. Recent studies have shown that the conversion of fibroblasts to other cell lines can be accomplished by the introduction of master regulator transcription factors. These findings have raised the question as to whether chemical molecules could replace transcription factor cocktails to directly alter defined somatic cell fate. Here, we demonstrate the generation of adipocytes directly from porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs) using defined chemical molecules. Treatment with SB431542 and Thiazovivin, which are transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) and ROCK signaling pathway inhibitors, respectively, allowed PEFs to directly convert to fat-laden adipocytes. These induced adipocytes expressed multiple fat marker genes. We believe that these findings demonstrate that committed adipocytes can be directly reprogrammed from differentiated somatic cells using defined chemical molecules. The generation of adipocytes from nonadipogenic lineages has important implications for studies of adipogenesis, obesity modeling, and regenerative medicine. Additionally, these findings may enlighten a new method that direct reprogramming committed cell lines to other somatic cells using defined chemical molecules.