Improving Clinician-Patient Communication Alleviates Stigma in Patients With Functional Dyspepsia Receiving Antidepressant Treatment

( Xiu-juan Yan ),( Hong-yi Qiu ),( Qing-qing Luo ),( Bo Wang ),( Ping Xu ),( Chen-feng Ji ),( Sheng-liang Chen ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2022 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.28 No.1

Background/Aims Antidepressants are effective in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). However, stigma associated with FD and antidepressants may affect treatment adherence. This study aims to explore possible communication strategies to alleviate stigma and improve adherence in patients with FD. Methods In this randomized, single-center, and single-blind trial, 160 patients with FD initiating antidepressant treatment were recruited. Different communication strategies were performed when prescribing antidepressants. Participants in Group 1 were told that brain is the “headquarters” of gut, and that antidepressants could act as neuromodulators to relieve symptoms of FD through regulating the functions of gut and brain. Participants in Group 2 were told that antidepressants were empirically effective for FD. Stigma scores, medication-related stigma, treatment compliance, and efficacy were analyzed. Results After 8-week antidepressant treatment, the proportion of patients with FD with decreased stigma scores in Group 1 was significantly higher than in Group 2 (internalized stigma: 64.10% vs 12.00%; perceived stigma: 55.13% vs 13.33%; P < 0.01). Medication-related stigma was lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P < 0.05 for 3 of 4 questions). Concurrently, patients in Group 1 had better treatment compliance (0.71 ± 0.25 vs 0.60 ± 0.25, P < 0.01) and efficacy. In Group 1, participants with decreased post-treatment stigma scores showed better treatment compliance and efficacy than those with non-decreased scores. Decrease in stigma scores positively correlated with treatment compliance. Conclusion Improving knowledge of patients with FD of the disease and antidepressants via proper communication may be an effective way to alleviate stigma and promote adherence. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2022;28:95-103)

Alu Tandem Sequences Inhibit GFP Gene Expression by Triggering Chromatin Wrapping

Xiu Fang Wang,Xiao Yan Wang,Jing Liu,Jing Jing Feng,Wen Li Mu,Xiao Juan Shi,Qin Qing Yang,Xiao Cui Duan,Ying Xie,Zhan Jun Lu 한국유전학회 2009 Genes & Genomics Vol.31 No.3

Alu elements belonging to the short interspersed nuclear elements (SINE) of repetitive elements are present in more than one million copies which altogether represent 10% of the whole human genome. In this study, the roles of Alu tandem sequences in the process of GFP gene (GFP) expression and packing into chromatin of its DNA were studied. To detect the effect of Alu repeats on gene expression, different copies of Alus were inserted GFP downstream respectively in pEGFP-C1 vector. We found that Alu sequences decreased the amount of GFP transcription, the percentage of GFP positive cells and the accessibility to DNase I in length-dependent manner. Inserting Alu caused the production of higher-molecular-mass RNA, indicating Alu sequence did not induce premature transcriptional termination. Tight packing chromatins keep silent and resist to DNase I digestion, which is a general phenomenon. We suggested that head and tail tandem Alu sequences suppressed GFP expression in length dependent manner by triggering chromatin packing.

Protective effects of phillyrin against influenza A virus in vivo

Xin-yan Qu,Qing-jun Li,Hui-min Zhang,Xiao-juan Zhang,Peng-hui Shi,Xiu-juan Zhang,Jing Yang,Zhe Zhou,Sheng-qi Wang 대한약학회 2016 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.39 No.7

Influenza A virus infection represents a great threat to public health. However, owing to side effects and the emergence of resistant virus strains, the use of currently available anti-influenza drugs may be limited. In order to identify novel anti-influenza drugs, we investigated the antiviral effects of phillyrin against influenza A virus infection in vivo. The mean survival time, lung index, viral titers, influenza hemagglutinin (HA) protein and serum cytokines levels, and histopathological changes in lung tissue were examined. Administration of phillyrin at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day for 3 days significantly prolonged the mean survival time, reduced the lung index, decreased the virus titers and interleukin-6 levels, reduced the expression of HA, and attenuated lung tissue damage in mice infected with influenza A virus. Taken together, these data showed that phillyrin had potential protective effects against infection caused by influenza A virus.

CCNG2 Suppressor Biological Effects on Thyroid Cancer Cell through Promotion of CDK2 Degradation

Li, Wei-Juan,Liu, Ge-Ling,Yu, Fang,Xiang, Xiu-Xiu,Lu, Yi-Fang,Xiao, Hong-Zhen,Shi, Yan-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

This study aimed to analyze the expression and clinical significance of cyclin G2 (CCNG2) in thyroid carcinoma and the biological effects of CCNG2 overexpression in a cell line. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to analyze CCNG2 protein expression in 63 cases of thyroid cancer and normal tissues to allow the relationship with clinical factors to be assessed. CCNG2 lentiviral and empty vectors were transfected into the thyroid cancer K1 cell line. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were applied to detect the mRNA and protein levels of CCNG2. MTT assay and cell cycle were also conducted to assess the influence of up-regulated expression of CCNG2 on K1 cell biology. The level of CCNG2 protein expression was found to be significantly lower in thyroid cancer tissue than normal tissues (P<0.05). Western blot: The relative amount of CCNG2 protein in thyroid cancer tissue was respectively found to be significantly lower than in normal tissues (P<0.05), correlating with lymph node metastasis, clinic stage and histological grade (P<0.05), but not gender, age or tumor size (P>0.05). Loss of CCNG2 expression correlated significantly with poor overall survival time on Kaplan-Meier analysis (P<0.05). The results for biological functions showed that K1 cell transfected CCNG2 had a lower survival fraction, a greater percentage in the G0/G1 phases, and lower cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) protein expression compared with K1 cells non-transfected with CCNG2 (P<0.05). CCNG2 expression decreased in thyroid cancer and correlated significantly lymph node metastasis, clinic stage, histological grade and poor overall survival, suggesting that CCNG2 may play important roles as a negative regulator in thyroid cancer K1 cells by promoting degradation of CDK2.

Effect of Li on the microstructure and electrical properties of (K_0.17Na_0.83)NbO_3 lead-free piezoceramics

Guo-Zhong Zang,Yan Wang,Xiu-Jie Yi,Juan Du,Zhi-Jun Xu 한국물리학회 2011 Current Applied Physics Vol.11 No.2

Lead-free (K_0.17Na_(0.83-x)Li_x)NbO_3 piezoceramics were synthesized by conventional solid state sintering and the effect of Li on the microstructure and electrical properties was investigated. The experimental results show that 4 mol% Li doping facilitates the grain growth and increases the density of the ceramics. The measurement of dielectric properties reveals that the orthorhombic-tetragonal (T_(O-T)) and tetragonalcubic (T_C) phase transition temperatures change linearly with increasing Li content and the sample with x = 0.06 exhibits the highest T_C of 429 ℃ and lowest T_(O-T) of 181 ℃. Because of the wide apart of T_(O-T) from room temperature, no polymorphic phase structures were obtained and the piezoelectric strain coeffi-cient d_33 and piezoelectric coupling constant k_p varied between low values of 57, 61 pC/N and 0.18, 0.24,respectively with less than 6 mol% Li doping.

Altered mRNA Levels of MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Zhi-Wei Song,Yan-Xiu Ma,Li-Juan Fu,Bao-qing Fu,Xu Teng,Si-Jia Chen,Wei-Zhen Xu,Hong-Xi Gu 한국미생물학회 2014 The journal of microbiology Vol.52 No.6

To explore the relationship of the MOV10, A3G, and IFN-αmRNA levels with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection,Blood samples from 96 patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB) and 21 healthy individuals as control were collected. HBV DNA load and aminotransferase in the serum weretested using real time PCR and velocity methods, respectively. The MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α mRNA levels in theperipheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were examinedthrough qRT-PCR. The MOV10, A3G, and IFN-α mRNAlevels in CHB group was significantly lower than those inthe control group (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). TheA3G mRNA level in the high-HBV DNA load group waslower than that in the low-HBV DNA load group (P<0.05). However, no statistical difference was found in the MOV10and IFN-α mRNA levels between the two HBV DNA loadgroups. Furthermore, the MOV10 mRNA level showed positivecorrelation with IFN-α in the control group. These resultsindicated that the expression of the innate immune factorsMOV10, A3G, and IFN-α is affected by chronic HBV infection.

Interference of Fisetin with Targets of the Nuclear Factor-κB Signal Transduction Pathway Activated by Epstein-Barr Virus Encoded Latent Membrane Protein 1

Li, Rong,Liang, Hong-Ying,Li, Ming-Yong,Lin, Chun-Yan,Shi, Meng-Jie,Zhang, Xiu-Juan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.22

Fisetin is an effective compound extracted from lacquer which has been used in the treatment of various diseases. Preliminary data indicate that it also exerts specific anti-cancer effects. However, the manner in which fisetin regulates cancer growth remains unknown. In this study, we elucidated interference of fisetin with targets of the nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ signal transduction pathway activated by Epstein-Barr virus encoding latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1)in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, Results showed that fisetin inhibited the survival rate of CNE-LMP1 cells and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation caused by LMP1. Fisetin also suppressed nuclear translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ (p65) and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation, while inhibiting CyclinD1, all key targets of the NF-${\kappa}B$ signal transduction pathway. It was suggested that interference effects of fisetin with signal transduction activated by LMP1 encoded by the Epstein-Barr virus may play an important role in its anticancer potential.

Clinical Risk Factor Analysis for Breast Cancer: 568,000 Subjects Undergoing Breast Cancer Screening in Beijing, 2009

Pan, Lei,Han, Li-Li,Tao, Li-Xin,Zhou, Tao,Li, Xia,Gao, Qi,Wu, Li-Juan,Luo, Yan-Xia,Ding, Hui,Guo, Xiu-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.9

Objectives: Although there are many reports about the risk of breast cancer, few have reported clinical factors including history of breast-related or other diseases that affect the prevalence of breast cancer. This study explores these risk factors for breast cancer cases reported in Beijing in 2009. Materials and Methods: Data were derived from a Beijing breast cancer screening performed in 2009, of 568,000 women, from 16 districts of Beijing, all aged between 40 and 60 years. In this study, multilevel statistical modeling was used to identify clinical factors that affect the prevalence of breast cancer and to provide more reliable evidence for clinical diagnostics by using screening data. Results and Conclusion: Those women who had organ transplants, compared with those with none, were associated with breast cancer with an odds ratio (OR)=65.352 [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.488-503.165] and those with solid breast mass compared with none had OR=1.384 (95% CI: 1.022-1.873). Malignant tendency was strongly associated with increased risk of breast cancer, OR=207.999(95% CI: 151.950-284.721). The risk of breast cancer increased with age, $OR_1$=2.759 (95% CI: 1.837-4.144, 56-60 vs. 40-45), $OR_2$=2.047 (95% CI: 1.394-3.077, 51-55 vs. 40-45), $OR_3$=1.668 (95% CI: 1.145-2.431). Normal results of B ultrasonic examination show a lower risk among participants, OR= 0.136 (95% CI: 0.085-0.218). Those women with ductal papilloma compared with none were associated with breast cancer, OR=6.524 (95% CI: 1.871-22.746). Therefore, this study suggests that clinical doctors should pay attention to these high-risk factors.

Stigma and Efficacy of Zhizhu Kuanzhong Capsules Versus Doxepin in the Treatment of Refractory Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Qian-Qian Wang,Li Cheng,Bi-Yu Wu,Hong-Yi Qiu,Ping Xu,Bo Wang,Xiu-Juan Yan,Sheng-Liang Chen 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2023 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.29 No.3

Background/AimsStigma related with antidepressants is prevalent in patients with functional dyspepsia. It affects medication compliance and efficacy. Herbal medicine acquired a deep-rooted cultural identity in relieving dyspeptic symptoms in Asians. The research was designed to compare the effectiveness of Zhizhu Kuanzhong capsules (ZZKZ) versus doxepin hydrochloride (doxepin) on alleviating stigma and medication nonadherence among patients with refractory FD (rFD). MethodsPatients with rFD from February 2021 to February 2022 were randomly allocated to receive either doxepin (n = 56) or ZZKZ (n = 57) combined with omeprazole for 4 weeks. Medication possession ratio (MPR), the disease- and medication-associated stigma were analyzed. The scales were utilized to assess dyspeptic symptoms (Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire) and psychological conditions (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire). ResultsThe MPR values for ZZKZ were significantly higher than those for doxepin (P < 0.001). The stigma scores decreased in ZZKZ group while increased in doxepin group compared to baseline after treatment. The proportion of patients showing ZZKZ-associated stigma was significantly lower than doxepin-associated stigma (P < 0.001). The MPR values were negatively correlated with post-treatment stigma scores in both groups (P < 0.001). Dyspeptic symptoms and psychological condition were improved in both groups after treatment, with no significant difference on post-treatment Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, or Patient Health Questionnaire scores between 2 groups. ConclusionZZKZ is superior to doxepin in alleviating stigma and medication non-adherence, with comparable efficacy in improving dyspeptic symptoms and psychological condition of patients with rFD.