Evaluation of BAX and BCL-2 Gene Expression and Apoptosis Induction in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cell Line CCRFCEM after High- Dose Prednisolone Treatment

Objective: Glucocorticoids are one of the most important drugs in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia for children. It is very important to response to glucocorticoid in the prognosis of these patients. Therefore, resistance to treatment is a major problem in lymphoid leukemia cases. In, this study, CCRF-CEM cell line was selected as a chemotherapy-resistant model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high dose prednisolone on induction of apoptosis and changes in BAX and BCL-2 gene expression at different times. Methods: CCRF-CEM cell lines were grown in standard conditions. Based on previous studies, a dose of 700 µM as subtoxic dose was selected. Changes in gene expression of BAX and BCL-2 were evaluated by using real time PCR techniques. Also stained with annexin V and the induction of apoptosis was assessed by FACS machine. Results: In this study it was found that prednisolone in high doses at different times significantly increased the gene expression of BAX and on the other hand the amount of BCL-2 expression was reduced. Cells that treated for 48 hours had more significant changes in gene expression. Based on flowcytometry data, prednisolone can induce apoptosis in a time dependent manner on this cancerous resistant cell line. Conclusions: Apoptosis induced by high-dose prednisolone in the CCRF-CEM cells, which is almost resistant, and possibly mediated by reducing the expression of BCL-2 and BAX up-regulation.

The effect of training problem-solving skills on coping skills of depressed nursing and midwifery students.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses have a considerable role in caring and health promotion. Depressed nurses are deficient in their coping skills that are important in mental health. This study evaluated the effectiveness of training problem-solving skills on coping skills of depressed nursing and midwifery students. METHODS: The Beck Depression Scale and coping skills questionnaire were administered in Tabriz and Urmia nursing and midwifery schools. 92 students, who had achieved a score above 10 on the Beck Depression Scale, were selected. 46 students as study group and 46 students as control group were selected randomly. The intervention group received six sessions of problem-solving training within three weeks. Finally, after the end of sessions, coping skills and depression scales were administered and analyzed for both groups. RESULTS: Comparing the mean coping skills showed that before the intervention there were no significant differences between the control and study groups. However, after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the control group and the study group. By comparing the mean coping skills before and after the intervention, a significant difference was observed in the study group. CONCLUSION: Training problem-solving skills increased the coping skills of depressed students. According to the role of coping skills in people's mental health, increasing coping skills can promote mental health, provide the basis for caring skills, and improve the quality of nurses' caring skills.