Rural Midwestern Primary Care Nurse Practitioners’ Transition to Practice

Transition to practice experiences for new primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) is of interest, particularly considering the lack of requirements and options for formal training programs. The purpose of this article is to describe new primary care NPs’ experience and perceived needs of transitioning to practice. New Nebraska NPs were surveyed. The main findings include increased confidence and perceived preparedness after 3 months of practice, as well as challenges and helpful supportive services for transitioning to practice. Additional information on the transition to practice experience was provided and supports developing a formal program.     

Preparing Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Students for Role Transition Through Hospital Immersion

The study explored adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) student’s self-perception of confidence and competence in essential domains of nurse practitioner (NP) skills. A preclinical hospital immersion experience was developed to improve transition to the ACACNP role. AGACNP students participated in once-weekly sessions for 3 consecutive weeks, with 14 students completing the experience over a 3-year period. Data showed a 28.7% improvement in student’s self-perception of confidence and competence, with statistically significant improvement in clinical decision-making skills and NP role. AGACNP students requested additional days and appreciated direct faculty feedback, while faculty efficiently supported AGACNP role transition.     

Bone regeneration in critical-sized mandibular symphysis defects using bioceramics with or without bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in healthy,diabetic, osteoporotic,and diabetic-osteoporotic rats

ObjectivesTo compare new bone formation in mandibular critical-sized bone defects (CSBDs) in healthy, diabetic, osteoporotic, and diabetic-osteoporotic rats filled with bioceramics (BCs) with or without bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).MethodsA total of 64 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into four groups (n = 16 per group): Group 1 healthy, Group 2 diabetic, Group 3 osteoporotic, and Group 4 diabetic-osteoporotic rats. Streptozotocin was used to induce type 1 diabetes in Group 2 and 4, while bilateral ovariectomy was used to induce osteoporosis in Group 3 and 4. The central portion of the rat mandibular symphysis was used as a physiological CSBD. In each group, eight defects were filled with BC (hydroxypatatite 60% and β-tricalcium phosphate 40%) alone and eight with BMSCs cultured on BC. The animals were sacrificed at 4 and 8 weeks, and the mandibles were processed for micro-computed tomography to analyze radiological union and bone mineral density (BMD); histological analysis of the bone union; and immunohistochemical analysis, which included immunoreactivity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2).ResultsIn all groups (healthy, diabetics, osteoporotics, and diabetics-osteoporotics), the CSBDs filled with BC + BMSCs showed greater radiological bone union, BMD, histological bone union, and more VEGF and BMP-2 positivity, in comparison with CSBDs treated with BC alone (at 4 and 8 weeks).ConclusionsApplication of BMSCs cultured on BCs improves bone regeneration in CSBDs compared with application of BCs alone in healthy, diabetic, osteoporotic, and diabetic-osteoporotic rats.     

黄芪多糖对人鼻咽癌CNE-1细胞的放疗增敏及上皮间质转化的作用

目的:采用黄芪多糖(APS)与放射治疗(IR)联用,研究APS对人鼻咽癌CNE-1细胞的放疗敏感性及上皮间质转化(EMT)的作用机制。方法:采用细胞计数(CCK-8)法检测不同质量浓度APS(0,6.25,12.5,25,50,100,200 g·L-1)对CNE-1细胞的细胞毒性;克隆形成实验计算12.5 g·L-1APS与不同放射剂量(0,2,4,6 Gy)联用后对CNE-1细胞的存活分数(SF),利用线性二次方程数学模型(LQ)根据SF值绘制放射敏感曲线;细胞划痕和transwell小室实验分别检测各组细胞的迁移和侵袭能力;流式细胞仪检测各组细胞的凋亡情况;蛋白免疫印迹法(Western blot)检测各组细胞的EMT标记物、凋亡标记物以及蛋白激酶B/细胞外调节蛋白激酶(Akt/ERK)通路蛋白的表达水平。结果:克隆形成实验和放射敏感曲线结果表明,非毒性剂量12.5 g·L-1APS与4 Gy放射剂量联合给药可以明显增加CNE-1细胞的放疗敏感性;与空白组及IR组比较,APS与IR联用可以抑制CNE-1细胞的迁移和侵袭能力(P0.05),明显增加CNE-1细胞的凋亡率(P0.05)。与空白组及IR组比较,APS与IR联用可以显著下调间质型钙黏蛋白(N-cadherin),p-Akt和p-ERK蛋白表达水平,明显上调上皮型钙黏蛋白(E-cadherin),B淋巴细胞瘤-2相关X蛋白(Bax)和半胱天冬氨酸蛋白酶-3(Caspase-3)蛋白表达水平(P0.05)。结论:APS与IR联用可以抑制CNE-1细胞的迁移和侵袭,增加放疗引起的细胞凋亡,其可能通过抑制EMT和Akt/ERK通路有关。     

七氟烷预处理对大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞在缺氧复氧环境下的作用和机制初探

目的:研究七氟烷预处理对大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞（MSCs）在缺氧复氧环境下的作用和机制初探。方法:分离培养SD大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞，通过流式细胞仪和诱导分化培养鉴定其免疫表型和分化潜能。细胞随机分为3组:组1空白对照组；组2缺氧复氧组（缺氧24 h，复氧24 h）；组3七氟烷预处理组（2%七氟烷预处理2 h后，缺氧24 h，复氧24 h）。处理后收集各组细胞，用流式细胞仪测定其凋亡率，线粒体膜电位变化及细胞周期。Western blot测定细胞外调节蛋白激酶（ERK）的蛋白表达。结果:与组2相比，组3 MSCs凋亡率明显下降，处于S期细胞增多，细胞增殖能力增强。Western blot结果显示:与组2相比，组3磷酸化ERK蛋白表达上升。结论:七氟烷预处理能提高缺氧复氧环境下骨髓间充质干细胞存活率，降低MSCs凋亡数量，并能增强MSCs的增殖能力，这一机制与七氟烷促进MSCs细胞p-ERK蛋白表达相关。     

高迁移率族蛋白A2与肿瘤关系的研究进展

高迁移率族蛋白A2(HMGA2)是一种非组蛋白,本身不具有转录活性,但它可通过与染色质结合改变其结构,继而调节其他基因的转录,从而促进肿瘤的侵袭和转移。相关RNA基因能够调控HMGA2在肿瘤中的作用,同时肿瘤的侵袭性与上皮间质转化密切相关,可以通过靶向HMGA2基因治疗相关肿瘤。文章主要介绍HMGA2与肿瘤之间关系的研究进展。     

Assessment of oral ciprofloxacin impaired gut barrier integrity on gut bacteria in mice

Gut bacteria and gut barrier plays important roles in body homeostasis. Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) is widely used to treat bacterial infections. However, whether high dosage of CPFX has side effects on gut barrier integrity is still unclear. Our results indicated that the High CPFX treatment (1 mg/ml) caused weight loss, nervousness, anorexia, and increased apoptosis cells in gut, but less influence was observed in the Low CPFX group (0.2 mg/ml). Meanwhile, the High CPFX treatment impaired tight junction molecules Ocln/ZO-1 level and down-regulated antibacterial genes expression (reg3γ, pla2g2α and defb1). Further, the High CPFX treatment increased pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β in intestinal tract, decreased IL-17A of duodenum but increased IL-17A of colon at day 37. In addition, the gut bacterial diversity and richness behaved significantly loss regarding CPFX treatment, especially in the High CPFX group during the experiment. Indole exhibited sharply decline in both Low and High CPFX groups at day 7, and the High CPFX mice needed longer time on restoring indole level. Meanwhile, CPFX treatment strongly decreased the concentrations of butyric acid and valeric acid at day 1. Correlation analysis indicated that the linked patterns between the key bacteria (families Bacteroidales_S247, Ruminococcaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae) and metabolites (indole and butyric acid) were disturbed via the CPFX treatment. In conclusion, the High CPFX treatment impaired the gut barrier with the evidence of reduced expression of tight junction proteins, increased apoptosis cells and inflammatory cells, decreased the bacterial diversity and composition, which suggesting a proper antibiotic-dosage use should be carefully considered in disease treatment.     

E-cadherin在妇科三大恶性肿瘤中表达的意义及研究进展

E-钙黏蛋白（E-cadherin）是一种主要存在于人和动物上皮的黏附分子，主要功能是维持正常上皮细胞形态和结构完整性。现已在多种肿瘤研究中发现，E-cadherin表达的下调，极易造成肿瘤细胞向外周组织发生浸润和远端转移，但与E-cadherin相关研究在妇科恶性肿瘤中进展缓慢，E-cadherin在子宫内膜癌、卵巢癌和宫颈癌病变过程的调控机制尚不完全清楚，而且肿瘤的发生和发展是多因素作用的过程，需要进一步加强研究，该文章就 E-cadherin在妇科三大妇科恶性肿瘤中表达的意义及研究进展进行综述。     

The FABP12/PPARγ pathway promotes metastatic transformation by inducing epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and lipid‐derived energy production in prostate cancer cells

Early stage localized prostate cancer (PCa) has an excellent prognosis; however, patient survival drops dramatically when PCa metastasizes. The molecular mechanisms underlying PCa metastasis are complex and remain unclear. Here, we examine the role of a new member of the fatty acid‐binding protein (FABP) family, FABP12, in PCa progression. FABP12 is preferentially amplified and/or overexpressed in metastatic compared to primary tumors from both PCa patients and xenograft animal models. We show that FABP12 concurrently triggers metastatic phenotypes (induced epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) leading to increased cell motility and invasion) and lipid bioenergetics (increased fatty acid uptake and accumulation, increased ATP production from fatty acid β‐oxidation) in PCa cells, supporting increased reliance on fatty acids for energy production. Mechanistically, we show that FABP12 is a driver of PPARγ activation which, in turn, regulates FABP12''s role in lipid metabolism and PCa progression. Our results point to a novel role for a FABP‐PPAR pathway in promoting PCa metastasis through induction of EMT and lipid bioenergetics.

Abbreviations

AR

androgen receptor

ATP

adenosine triphosphate

CN

copy number

CPT1

carnitine palmitoyltransferase I

CS

citrate synthase

EMT

epithelial–mesenchymal transition

ET

electron transfer‐state

FABP

fatty acid‐binding protein

LD

lipid droplet

OA

oleic acid

PCa

prostate cancer

PPAR

peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor

PPRE

peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor response element

TZD

thiazolidinediones