Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of Mild Cognitive Impairment Questionnaire among Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of instruments for measuring quality of life (QOL) in Chinese patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aimed to translate the Mild Cognitive Questionnaire (MCQ) into the Chinese language and to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the MCQ-Chinese among older adults with MCI. METHODS: Linguistic translation and validation of the questionnaire were conducted according to the MCQ developer and Oxford University Innovation guidelines. After a pilot test, the final version of the MCQ-Chinese was applied to a convenience sample of older adults with MCI (n = 186). Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the reliability and construct validity of the MCQ-Chinese. In addition, non-parametric analysis was used to assess convergent and discriminant validity. RESULTS: The total scale and all the factors had good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.90 to 0.92. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated satisfactory goodness of fit for the 2-factor MCQ. The MCQ-Chinese had a good convergent validity, and the discriminant validity was confirmed with a significant difference in MCQ scores in different health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: MCQ-Chinese is a reliable tool for assessing QOL among Chinese older adults with MCI.

Moderating effect of work-related social support on the relationship between role conflicts and job satisfaction among female nurses pursuing a further degree in China.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the moderating effect of work-related social support on the relationship between work-family-school role conflicts and job satisfaction among female registered nurses pursuing further degrees in China. METHODS: The study had a cross-sectional correlational design. Convenience sampling was applied to recruit participants from eight hospitals in China from January to August 2017. SPSS software and the PROCESS macro were used to conduct the data analyses in the present study. RESULTS: A total of 320 nurses were included in the present study. Work-family-school role conflicts were negatively correlated with job satisfaction (r = -0.21, P < 0.001). Work-related social support was a significant moderator (interaction effect: ß = 0.22, P = 0.039) on the relationship between work-family-school role conflicts and job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that when nurses perceived that they received a low or moderate level of social support in the workplace that strengthened the relationship between work-family-school role conflicts and job satisfaction. Hospital administrators should implement school- and family-friendly policies that increase the social support provided to nurses pursuing further degrees to balance their responsibilities of work, family and school and to improve their job satisfaction.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Work-Family-School Role Conflicts Scale among nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To translate and validate the Chinese version of the Work-Family-School Role Conflicts Scale (WFSRCs-S) among nurses with multiple roles. METHODS: A sample of 233 registered nurses pursuing an advanced degree was recruited from 8 university hospitals in 5 cities in China from March to July 2016. The original scale of WFSRCs-S was translated into Chinese and revised to reflect cultural meaning, using standard translation methodology, and its reliability and validity were assessed. RESULTS: The content validity index of the 12-item WFSRCs-S-Chinese was 0.83, and the item level of content validity index ranged from 0.79 to 1.00. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution (work-school-to-family role conflict, family-school-to-work role conflict, and work-family-to-school role conflict) and explained 71.9% of the total variance for WFSRCs-S-Chinese. The Cronbach's α coefficients for the total scale and the three sub-scales were 0.87, 0.79, 0.78, and 0.87. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the measurement model was satisfied, and the test-retest reliability of WFSRCs-S-Chinese was 0.85. The WFSRCs-S-Chinese score was positively associated with burnout (r = 0.36, P < 0.001) and negatively related to role-related social support (r = -0.18, P = 0.046), thereby establishing concurrent validity. CONCLUSION: The reliability and construct validity of the WFSRCs-S-Chinese suggest that this scale could be useful to assess inter-role conflicts among nurses with multiple roles in China.

Macrophage-Restricted Shp2 Tyrosine Phosphatase Acts as a Rheostat for MMP12 through TGF-ß Activation in the Prevention of Age-Related Emphysema in Mice.

Persistent activation of macrophages in lungs plays a critical role in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that contributes to the destruction of alveolar walls, a hallmark for pulmonary emphysema. Dysregulated TGF-ß1 signaling has been an essential determinant in the elevation of MMPs during the development of emphysema. Nevertheless, the mechanism for this MMP-dependent pathogenesis has yet to be clearly investigated. Recently, we identified an important role for tyrosine phosphatase Src homology domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (Shp2) in regulating the activation of alveolar macrophages. Over a long-term observation period, mice with Shp2 deletion in macrophages (LysMCre:Shp2fl/fl ) develop spontaneous, progressive emphysema-like injury in the lungs, characterized by massive destruction of alveolar morphology, interstitial extracellular matrix degradation, and elevated levels of MMPs, particularly, significant increases of macrophage elastase (MMP12) in aged mice. Further analysis demonstrated that MMP12 suppression by TGF-ß1 activation was apparently abrogated in LysMCre:Shp2fl/fl mice, whereas the TGF-ß1 concentration in the lungs was relatively the same. Mechanistically, we found that loss of Shp2 resulted in attenuated SMAD2/3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation in response to TGF-ß activation, thereby upregulating MMP12 expression in macrophages. Together, our findings define a novel physiological function of Shp2 in TGF-ß1/MMP12-dependent emphysema, adding insights into potential etiologies for this chronic lung disorder.

Extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge on the cytokines of rat endometriosis models.

Endometriosis is a common mysterious and fascinating gynaecological condition with diverse clinical manifestations, highly variable and unpredictable clinical course with decreased quality of life. Clinically, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB, Chinese Danshen) has been applied to treat endometriosis and get satisfactory results. The present study was aimed to explore the effects of the extracts of SMB (ESMB) on the serum levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) and the levels of interleukin (IL)-13, IL-18 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the peritoneal fluids of rat endometriosis models. Three extraction methods for SMB were compared, which are the sample extracted with conventional method, the sample extracted with espresso coffee machine and the commercial condensed powder of natural products. We determined tanshinone IIA, salvianolic acid B and danshensu in the ESMB of different extraction methods. Forty female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into ESMB group, Danazol (positive control) group, model group and the sham-operation group (Sham group). After all the treatment ended, the serum levels of CA125 and the levels of IL-13, IL-18 and TNF-alpha in the peritoneal fluids of rat endometriosis models were measured using enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) as directed by the manufacturer. The extraction efficiency of the ESMB samples extracted with coffee machine ranged from 600µm to 710µm was the highest. The serum levels of CA-125 and the levels of IL-18 and TNF-alpha in the peritoneal fluids of ESMB group, Danazol group and Sham group were significantly lower than those of the Model group (P<0.05). The serum levels of CA-125 and the levels of IL-18 and TNF-alpha in the peritoneal fluids of Danazol group and ESMB group were significantly higher than those of Sham group, respectively (P<0.05), and no marked difference existed between them (P>0.05). The levels of IL-13 in the peritoneal fluids of ESMB group, Danazol group and Sham group were significantly higher than those of the Model group (P<0.05). The levels of IL-13 in the peritoneal fluids of ESMB group and Danazol group were significantly lower than those of Sham group (P<0.05), and there was no marked difference between ESMB group and Sham group (P>0.05). ESMB shows promises in treating endometriosis by markedly decreasing the serum levels of CA-125 and the levels of IL-18 and TNF-alpha in the peritoneal fluids and significantly increasing the levels of IL-13 in the peritoneal fluids.

Abnormal expression of MMP-9 and imbalance of MMP-9/TIMP-1 is associated with prolonged uterine bleeding after a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitory of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in women who had undergone a medical abortion and explore their possible role in the mechanism of prolonged uterine bleeding after a mifepristone-misoprostol abortion. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary referral university hospital. SAMPLE: Forty women were recruited following a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol, 20 with duration of bleeding >14 days and 20 with duration of bleeding 14 days after a medical abortion (bleeding group), whereas each sample of women with duration of bleeding