Factors Influencing Frontline Screening Nurses' Depression as a Long-Term Impact of COVID-19.

Frontline screening nurses experienced exhaustion and depressive symptoms as a long-term impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore fatigue, depression, and empowerment among frontline screening nurses and examine the factors influencing depression. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study included 140 frontline screening nurses in South Korea recruited from February to March 2021. The measures included a fatigue scale, the Text of Items Measuring Empowerment (TIME), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The STROBE checklist was used for reporting aspects of the cross-sectional design. Frontline screening nurses showed high fatigue scores (M = 3.47, SD = 0.55), and 55.7% (n = 78) of them were depressed and had low empowerment scores (M = 3.53, SD = 0.69). Empowerment and fatigue were predictors of depression. Increased empowerment and decreased fatigue were important in decreasing depression. Therefore, efforts to provide sufficient staffing, screening for depression, and listening to nurses' voices are necessary.

p38 MAPK activation is required for esculetin-induced inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation.

The phenolic compound esculetin is known to inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). However, the signaling pathway by which esculetin mediates its molecular effects in VSMC remains to be identified. The present results suggest an unexpected role of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway in esculetin-induced inhibition of VSMC growth. Treatment of VSMC with esculetin resulted in significant growth inhibition and G1-phase cell-cycle arrest, which was followed by down-regulation of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) expression. This G1-phase cell-cycle arrest was due to up-regulation of p21WAF1 expression. In addition, esculetin treatment activated p38 MAPK and ERK1/2. Pretreatment with SB203580, which is a p38 MAPK specific inhibitor, or expression of the dominant negative p38 MAPK (DN p38 MAPK) gene blocked esculetin-induced p38 MAPK activation and p21WAF1 expression. Finally, both the growth inhibition and the down-regulation of CDKs induced by esculetin were suppressed by either SB203580 or the DN p38 MAPK mutant gene. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that activation of p38 MAPK contributes to esculetin-induced p21WAF1 expression in VSMC by decreasing both the cyclin D1/CDK4 and cyclin E/CDK2 complexes. These novel results regarding the molecular mechanism of esculetin action suggest new preventive and therapeutic treatments for atherosclerosis.

Suppression of vascular smooth muscle cell responses induced by TNF-α in GM3 synthase gene transfected cells.

The natural accumulation of ganglioside GM3 (N-glycolylneuraminic acid) on atherosclerotic lesions is a common theory. The present study is the first to examine the effects of the GM3 synthase gene on the responses of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). We found that overexpression of the GM3 synthase gene inhibited DNA synthesis and ERK1/2 activity induced by TNF-α in VSMC, whereas the basal levels of DNA synthesis and ERK1/2 activity remained unchanged. In addition, GM3 synthase gene transfectants significantly reduced the migration and invasion of VSMC following TNF-α treatment, compared with empty vector transfectants. Furthermore, TNF-α-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and promoter activity were also decreased in GM3 synthase gene transfectants. GM3 synthase gene expression markedly suppressed the TNF-α-stimulated transcriptional activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which are the controlling factors of MMP-9 expression. Consistent with these results, the addition of anti-GM3 antibody into the GM3 synthase gene transfectants blocked inhibition of DNA synthesis, ERK1/2 activity, migration and invasion. Finally, GM3 synthase gene transfectants treated with anti-GM3 antibody reversed the suppression of MMP-9 expression by reducing AP-1 and NF-κB binding activity. These results suggest regulatory roles for the GM3 synthase gene in VSMC proliferation and migration during the formation of atherosclerotic lesions.

Esculetin inhibits cell proliferation through the Ras/ERK1/2 pathway in human colon cancer cells.

Esculetin, a phenolic compound, has been shown to inhibit the growth of colon tumors in animal studies. However, the roles of signaling pathways and cell cycle regulation in the esculetin-induced inhibition of cancer cell growth, remain to be elucidated. The present study suggests a novel mechanism for the Ras/ERK1/2 pathway in esculetin-treated human colon cancer HCT116 cells. The treatment of cells with esculetin resulted in significant growth inhibition and G1 phase cell cycle arrest, which led to the down-regulation of cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) expressions. This G1 phase cell cycle arrest was associated with the up-regulation of p27KIP expression. In addition, ERK1/2 was activated by esculetin. The pre-treatment of cells with the MEK1/2-specific inhibitor, PD98059, blocked the p27KIP expression induced by esculetin. Blockage of the ERK1/2 function consistently prevented the inhibition of cell proliferation and decreased G1 phase cell cycle protein levels. Furthermore, Ras activation was increased by the esculetin treatment. Transient transfection of the dominant negative Ras (RasN17) mutant gene abolished both the ERK1/2 activity and p27KIP expression induced by esculetin. Finally, the overexpression of RasN17 suppressed the esculetin-induced reduction in cell proliferation and cell cycle proteins. In conclusion, these results indicate that the Ras/ERK1/2 pathway is mediated by the p27KIP1 induction, leading to a reduction in cyclin/CDK complexes in the esculetin-induced inhibition of colon cancer cell growth. Overall, these findings indicate that the molecular action of esculetin has therapeutic potential for the treatment of colon malignancies.