A Multicenter Study Investigating Empathy and Burnout Characteristics in Medical Residents with Various Specialties.

We assessed empathy in medical residents, including factors modifying empathy and the relationship between empathy and burnout. Participants (n = 317 residents, response rate = 42%) from 4 university hospitals completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (Health Professional version, Korean edition), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Participants were classified by medical specialty: "people-oriented specialty" (POS group) or "technology-oriented specialty" (TOS group), with more women in the POS than in the TOS group, χ(2) = 14.12, P < 0.001. Being female, married, and having children were factors related to higher empathy (gender, t = -2.129, P = 0.034; marriage, t = -2.078, P = 0.038; children, t = 2.86, P = 0.005). Within specialty group, POS residents showed higher empathy scores in the fourth as compared to the first year, F = 3.166, P = 0.026. Comparing POS and TOS groups by year, fourth year POS residents had significantly higher scores than did fourth year TOS residents, t = 3.349, P = 0.002. There were negative correlations between empathy scores and 2 MBI subscales, emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (DP). Additionally, first year POS residents had higher DP scores than did first year TOS residents, t = 2.183, P = 0.031. We suggest that factors important for empathy are type of medical specialty, marriage, siblings, and children. Burnout state may be related to decreasing empathy.

Differences in Personality, Defense Styles, and Coping Strategies in Individuals with Depressive Disorder According to Age Groups Across the Lifespan.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the differences in personality, defense style, and coping styles among patients with depression according to age groups. METHODS: A total of 211 participants ranging from 19 to 81 years old were recruited for the study. To assess participants' five dimensions of personality, the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) was administered. In addition, the Korean-Defense Style Questionnaire and the Korean version of the coping checklist were administered to examine the defense and coping style. RESULTS: In the analysis of NEO-PI-R, the mean value of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism showed significant differences between the young adult age group (20-34 years) and the late middle age group (50-64 years) (p<0.05). The young age group used more immature defense styles and made less use of problem-focused coping strategy than the old age patients (65 years and older) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In the young age group associations with lower Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, as well as higher Neuroticism than the late middle age group were observed. Moreover, the young age group had a higher usage of immature defense style, and restricted use of problem-focused coping style than other age groups.

Capsaicin promotes the development of burst-forming units--erythroid (BFU-E) from mouse bone marrow cells.

Capsaicin, the pungent component of chilli peppers, is known to induce mediators of hematopoiesis. We investigated the effect of capsaicin on hematopoiesis in mouse progenitor cells. Treatment of mouse bone marrow cells with capsaicin induced the formation of colony of burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E). We also found that the number of erythropoietin receptor (EpoR)-positive cells was increased by capsaicin. To clarify the effect of capsaicin on erythroid lineage, BFU-E colonies were separated from non-BFU-E colonies by colony-picking after in vitro culture of mouse bone marrow cells. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that capsaicin stimulated the expression of the erythroid-specific genes encoding EpoR, glycophorin A (GPA), beta-globin (Hbb-b1), GATA-1, PU.1, nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2 (NF-E2), and Krüppel-like factor 1 (KLF1) in the BFU-E colonies. Furthermore, capsaicin could effectively stimulate the transfected GATA-1 promoter in K562 cells. GATA-1 is known as an essential transcription factor for the development of erythroid cells. Our results show that development of the erythroid lineage from bone marrow cells can be induced by treatment with capsaicin, and that GATA-1 seems to play a role in this induced erythroid maturation.

A polysaccharide extracted from rice bran fermented with Lentinus edodes enhances natural killer cell activity and exhibits anticancer effects.

The objective of this study was to investigate the activation of natural killer (NK) cells and anticancer effects of exo-biopolymer from rice bran cultured with Lentinus edodes [rice bran exo-biopolymer (RBEP)]. Oral administration of RBEP induced the activation of NK cells in a dose-dependent manner. RBEP also prolonged the life spans of mice transplanted with Sarcoma-180 cells and inhibited growing Sarcoma-180 cells in intraperitoneum. Solid tumor growth was also suppressed by oral administration of RBEP in C57/Bl6 mice transplanted with B16/Bl6 melanoma. Intraperitoneal injection of RBEP was more effective than oral administration at the same dosage in mice with transplanted tumor cells. According to this result, when RBEP directly contacts immune cells, the anticancer activity is higher than by indirectly inducing an immune response through oral administration. Therefore, we suggest that the administration of RBEP may be effective for preventing and/or treating cancer through NK cell activation. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the possible mechanisms of the anticancer activity and to investigate the other beneficial effects of RBEP for the development of a new biological response modifier.

CKbeta8-1 alters expression of cyclin E in colony forming units-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) lineage from human cord blood CD34+ cells.

A C6 beta-chemokine, CKbeta8-1, suppressed the colony formation of CD34+ cells of human cord blood (CB). Molecular mechanisms involved in CKbeta8-1-medicated suppression of colony formation of CD34+ cells are not known. To address this issue, the level of various G1/S cell cycle regulating proteins in CKbeta8-1-treated CD34+ cells were compared with those in untreated CD34+ cells. CKbeta8-1 did not significantly alter the expression of the G1/S cycle regulation proteins (cyclin D1, D3, and E), CDK inhibitor (p27and Rb), and other cell proliferation regulation protein (p53) in CB CD34+ cells. Here we describe an in vitro system in which CB CD34+ cells were committed to a multipotent progenitor lineage of colony forming units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) by a simple combination of recombinant human (rh) GM-CSF and rhIL-3. In this culture system, we found that cyclin E protein appeared later and disappeared faster in the CKbeta8-1-treated cells than in the control cells during CFU-GM lineage development. These findings suggested that cyclin E may play a role in suppressing the colony formation of CFU-GM by CKbeta8-1.

Saengshik, a formulated health food, prevents liver damage in CCl4-induced mice and increases antioxidant activity in elderly women.

Saengshik is a Korean noncooked food made with of more than 30 different whole gains, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and seaweeds. All of these ingredients are frozen and dried to minimize the loss of nutrients. Saengshik has become popular among health-conscious people in the Republic of Korea. The study aims to investigate antioxidant effects of Saengshik by in vivo and human experiments. In in vivo tests, mice were fed Saengshik for 4 weeks, and oxidative damage was induced by CCl(4). Then the effects of Saengshik on oxidative damage were examined. It was found that plasma lipid hydroperoxide and protein oxidative damages were significantly suppressed and antioxidants, glutathione, and thiol groups were increased. The activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase was increased, and the level of glutamate pyruvate transaminase was decreased. In a human study, elderly people were given Saengshik for 24 weeks, and changes in antioxidant defense of the body were examined. Antioxidant activities in plasma were enhanced, although the difference was not significant. Therefore, it is expected that Saengshik is effective at removing oxidants from body tissues, preventing oxidative damage, and eventually boosting the antioxidant capacity of the body.