Mental Health Status and Influencing Factors of Pediatricians in Guangzhou / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo investigate the mental health of pediatricians in Guangzhou and its influencing factors， and to provide countermeasures for improving the mental health of pediatricians. MethodsA stratified random sampling method was used to randomly select 400 pediatricians in 11 districts of Guangzhou， and they were surveyed using the Symptom Check List（SCL-90） and the Job Stressor Scale. ResultsThe top three job stressors scored by pediatricians in Guangzhou were external environment （3.23±0.59）， workload （3.19±0.56）， and organizational management （2.74±0.55）. All factor scores were higher than those of the clinician group except for career interest， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.01）. The number of pediatricians with mental health problems was 109， accounting for 27.25%. All factor scores were higher than the physician norm except for anxiety and paranoia. The correlations between each factor of work stressors and each factor of SCL-90 were positive and statistically significant （P<0.05）， except for two pairs of factors， workload and terror as well as external environment and terror. The results of univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences in the mental health scores of pediatricians with different health status， years of work experience， job satisfaction， job stress， and career prospects （P<0.05）. The results of multiple linear regression showed that health status， years of work experience， professional interest， interpersonal relationship， and doctor-patient relationship were influential factors in the mental health of pediatricians （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe mental health of pediatricians in Guangzhou is unsatisfactory， and the factors affecting them are mainly external objective factors such as workload and organizational management.

Effects of isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase silencing on the proliferation and apoptosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#This study aimed to explore the effects of silencing isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransfe-rase (Icmt) through small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference on the proliferation and apoptosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).@*METHODS@#Three siRNA were designed and constructed for the Icmt gene sequence and were then transfected into TSCC cells CAL-27 and SCC-4 to silence Icmt expression. The tested cells were divided as follows: RNA interference groups Icmt-siRNA-1, Icmt-siRNA-2, and Icmt-siRNA-3, negative control group, and blank control group. The transfection efficiency of siRNA was detected by the fluorescent group Cy3-labeled siRNA, and the expression of Icmt mRNA was screened by quantitive real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) selected the experimental group for subsequent experiments. The expression of Icmt, RhoA, Cyclin D1, p21, extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK), and phospho-extracellular regulated protein kinases (p-ERK) were analyzed by Western blot. The proliferation abilities of TSCC cells were determined by cell counting kit-8 assay. The change in apoptosis was detected by AnnexinV-APC/propidium staining (PI) assay. Cell-cycle analysis was conducted by flow cytometry.@*RESULTS@#The expression of Icmt mRNA and protein in TSCC cells significantly decreased after Icmt-siRNA transfection (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Silencing Icmt can effectively downregulate its expression in TSCC cells, reduce the RhoA membrane targeting localization and cell proliferation, and induce apoptosis. Thus, Icmt may be a potential gene therapy target for TSCC.

Effects of isoprenylcysteine carboxylmethyltransferase silencing on the migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#The effect of isoprenylcysteine carboxymethyltransferase (ICMT) silencing on the migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma was investigated by constructing the small interfering RNA (siRNA) of ICMT.@*METHODS@#Through liposomal transfection, siRNA was transfected into human tongue squamous cell carcinoma CAL-27 and SCC-4 cells (ICMT-siRNA group) with a negative control group (transfected with NC-siRNA) and a blank control group (transfected with a transfection reagent but not with siRNA). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the mRNA expression of ICMT and RhoA in each group of cells after transfection and to measure the silencing efficiency. Western blot was applied to examine the expression levels of ICMT, total RhoA, membrane RhoA, ROCK1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9 proteins in each group. The migration and invasion abilities were evaluated via wound healing and Transwell motility assays.@*RESULTS@#After CAL-27 and SCC-4 cells were transfected with ICMT-siRNA, the expression levels of ICMT genes and proteins decreased significantly in the experimental group compared with those in the negative and blank control groups (@*CONCLUSIONS@#The migration and invasion abilities of CAL-27 and SCC-4 cells were reduced significantly after the transfection of ICMT-siRNA, and the involved mechanism might be related to the RhoA-ROCK signaling pathway.

Effects of silencing Rce1 in vitro on the invasion and migration of tongue carcinoma / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to explore the influence of Rce1 on invasion and migration of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells by silencing the Rce1 gene with RNA interference.@*METHODS@#The tongue squamous cell carcinoma Cal-27 and SCC-4 cells were cultured in vitro. The small interfering RNA (siRNA) of the Rce1 gene was designed, and the Rcel gene expression was silenced vialiposome transfection. According to the siRNA transfected by liposome, the experimental group was divided into three groups, namely, Rce1-siRNA-1, Rce1-siRNA-2, and Rce1-siRNA-3 groups. Negative control group was transfected by siCON, and the blank control group was untransfected by siRNA. The Rce1, RhoA, and K-Ras gene expression levels in each group were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The Rce1, RhoA, K-Ras, MMP-2, and MMP-9 protein expression levels were analyzed by Western blot. The invasiveness of tongue cancer cell Cal-27 and SCC-4 were determined by Transwell invasion assay, and cell migration assay was performed by cell scratch assay.@*RESULTS@#Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot results showed that compared with the negative and blank control groups, the Rce1 gene and protein expression levels in three experimental groups decreased (P0.05). Meanwhile, the MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels decreased (P<0.05). Transwell invasion assay results showed that the total number of cells in the PET film of the experimental groups was significantly decreased compared with the control group (P<0.05). The cell scratch test showed that the cell closure time of the scratch in the interference group was significantly longer than those in the control and blank groups (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Silencing Rce1 in vitro can effectively downregulate its expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells Cal-27 and SCC-4 and reduce the migration and invasion abilities of these cells.

Relationship between Rho GTPase family regulation and vascular endothelial barrier function / 药学学报

Injury of vascular endothelial barrier function is implicated in several pathophysiological processes. The integrity of vascular endothelium is regulated by cytoskeleton and cell-cell junctions. Small guanosine triphosphatases of the Rho family (Rho GTPases) are known to play a central role in vascular endothelial barrier function. It has been reported that RhoA, Rac1, Cdc42 and RhoB are involved and they exert both positive and negative effect on endothelial barrier integrity, depending on their subcellular location. When inflammatory factors such as thrombin attack the vascular endothelial cells, GEF of RhoA will be widely distributed throughout the cells. Thus, activated RhoA causes aggregation of F-actin fibers in a short time and disrupts the vascular endothelial barrier, a process named acute cell contraction. However, RhoA may also induce the production and maturation of intercellular junctions in new cells. Rac1 and Cdc42 help to maintain the integrity of vascular endothelial barrier at the resting state. They cause the phosphorylation of LIM kinase and inhabitation of cofilin, resulting in less remodeling of cytoskeletal in the vascular endothelial cells. On the other hand, Cdc42 can translocate to the cortex rapidly after a stimulation, where Cdc42 will activate the myosin Ⅱ and promote the reorganization of adjective junction to facilitate the recovery of vascular endothelial barrier. In this review, we overviewed how Rho GTPases regulate the vascular endothelial barrier integrity.