Dying is the Most Grown-Up Thing We Ever Do: But Do Health Care Professionals Prevent Us from Taking It Seriously?

This paper takes a somewhat slant perspective on flourishing and care in the context of suffering, death and dying, arguing that care in this context consists principally of ‘acts of work and courage that enable flourishing’. Starting with the perception that individuals, society and health care professionals have become dulled to death and the process of dying in Western advanced health systems, it suggests that for flourishing to occur, both of these aspects of life need to be faced more directly. The last days of life need to be ‘undulled’. Reflections upon the experiences of the author as carer and daughter in the face of her mother’s experience of death are used as basis for making suggestions about how care systems and professionals might better assist people in dealing with ‘the most grown up thing’ humans ever do, which is to die.     

Nanomedicines: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond

Advancing nanomedicines from concept to clinic requires integration of new science with traditional pharmaceutical development. The medical and commercial success of nanomedicines is greatly facilitated when those charged with developing nanomedicines are cognizant of the unique opportunities and technical challenges that these products present. These individuals must also be knowledgeable about the processes of clinical and product development, including regulatory considerations, to maximize the odds for successful product registration. This article outlines these topics with a goal to accelerate the combination of academic innovation with collaborative industrial scientists who understand pharmaceutical development and regulatory approval requirements—only together can they realize the full potential of nanomedicines for patients.     

Reciprocal Peer Support for Post-partum Patients with Diabetes: A Needs Assessment for the Diabetes Buddy Program

While peer support has been investigated in multiple clinical contexts, its application to the postpartum setting is unknown. The aim was to assess acceptability of a postpartum peer support program for women with diabetes. Observational survey-based needs assessment of forty low-income women with diabetes, receiving care at a major medical institution. Mean age and gravidity were 30.7 years and 3.15 ± 1.67 respectively. 45 % expressed interest in a “buddy.” There was no significant difference between groups desiring and not desiring this program. A majority of respondents desired telephone, text messaging, and in-person contacts (79.2, 72.1, 83.8 %), with 72.5 % of patients desiring diabetes-related activities during clinic waiting time. Many women desire a postpartum diabetes reciprocal peer program for support outside of clinician visits. Patients are receptive to educational services during their wait and outside of clinic time, a potentially valuable opportunity to share important health information.     

双球囊与缩宫素用于促宫颈成熟以及引产的效果比较

目的比较双球囊与缩宫素用于促宫颈成熟并引产的临床效果。方法选取于2017年7月—2018年7月在本院分娩的足月妊娠孕妇100例为研究对象,随机平均分为观察组和对照组各50例,观察组采用双球囊引产,对照组采用缩宫素进行引产,对比2组孕妇的总产程、宫颈成熟度、引产成功率和新生儿Apgar评分、并发症发生率等。结果观察组促宫颈成熟有效率(100%)、引产成功率(96%)均高于对照组(82%,74%),差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05),治疗后新生儿Apgar评分、并发症发生率差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);宫颈Bishop评分观察组(9.12±1.42)高于对照组(7.92±1.56),观察组总产程(8.23±2.54)h,对照组(13.45±3.77)h,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论双球囊用于妊娠引产效果显著,能明显促进宫颈成熟、缩短产程,保障分娩的顺利进行,安全可靠,值得在临床中推广。     

依维莫司联合全反式维甲酸逆转急性早幼粒细胞白血病细胞耐药的研究

目的探讨依维莫司联合全反式维甲酸(简称维甲酸)逆转急性早幼粒细胞白血病(APL)细胞株NB4-R1耐药的作用。方法应用CD11b染色流式细胞术及硝基四唑氮蓝(NBT)还原实验检测两药联合应用对细胞分化的影响, 流式细胞术检测细胞周期情况, Annexin V/PI双染色检测细胞凋亡情况, 蛋白质印迹法检测自噬相关蛋白微管结合蛋白轻链3(LC3)、Beclin 1及早幼粒白血病-维甲酸受体融合蛋白(PML-RARα)、磷酸化核糖体S6激酶(P-P70S6K)、磷酸化4E结合蛋白1(P-4E-BP1) 等表达水平。结果与维甲酸组比较, 联用组能诱导耐药细胞株NB4-R1细胞的分化, 并将细胞增殖阻止在G ₁期而对细胞凋亡无明显影响。100 nmol/L依维莫司组、1μmol/L维甲酸组、联用组、对照组NB4-R1细胞培养48 h后分化百分率分别为(2.29±0.57)%、(17.06±2.65)%、(54.47±4.91)%、(2.54±0.53)%; 处于G ₁期的细胞百分率分别为(35.20±11.97)%、(33.54±6.25)%、(53.70±8.73)%、(27.40±6.01)%; 四组细胞凋亡细胞百分率分别为(2.30±0.14)%、(2.25±0.21)%、(2.40±0.28)%、(1.95±0.07)%。与维甲酸组比较, 联用组mTOR信号通路下游的P70S6K、4E-BP1分子磷酸化水平下降, LC3-II和Beclin 1的表达上调, 且能部分降解融合蛋白PML-RARα。 结论依维莫司联合维甲酸能诱导NB4-R1细胞分化, 且能阻滞细胞周期而不致细胞凋亡, 其机制可能与依维莫司联合维甲酸抑制mTOR信号通路激活自噬作用从而降解PML-RARα蛋白有关。     

Assessment of toxicity using dehydrogenases activity and mathematical modeling

Dehydrogenase activity is frequently used to assess the general condition of microorganisms in soil and activated sludge. Many studies have investigated the inhibition of dehydrogenase activity by various compounds, including heavy metal ions. However, the time after which the measurements are carried out is often chosen arbitrarily. Thus, it can be difficult to estimate how the toxic effects of compounds vary during the reaction and when the maximum of the effect would be reached. Hence, the aim of this study was to create simple and useful mathematical model describing changes in dehydrogenase activity during exposure to substances that inactivate enzymes. Our model is based on the Lagergrens pseudo-first-order equation, the rate of chemical reactions, enzyme activity, and inactivation and was created to describe short-term changes in dehydrogenase activity. The main assumption of our model is that toxic substances cause irreversible inactivation of enzyme units. The model is able to predict the maximum direct toxic effect (MDTE) and the time to reach this maximum (T_MDTE). In order to validate our model, we present two examples: inactivation of dehydrogenase in microorganisms in soil and activated sludge. The model was applied successfully for cadmium and copper ions. Our results indicate that the predicted MDTE and T_MDTE are more appropriate than EC₅₀ and IC₅₀ for toxicity assessments, except for long exposure times.