ADGRG1, an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor, forms oligomers

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) oligomerization is a highly debated topic in the field. While initially believed to function as monomers, current literature increasingly suggests that these cell surface receptors, spanning almost all GPCR families, function as homo- or hetero-oligomers. Yet, the functional consequences of these oligomeric complexes remain largely unknown. Adhesion GPCRs (aGPCRs) present an intriguing family of receptors characterized by their large and multi-domain N-terminal fragments (NTFs), intricate activation mechanisms, and the prevalence of numerous splice variants in almost all family members. In the present study, bioluminescence energy transfer (BRET) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) were used to study the homo-oligomerization of adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G1 (ADGRG1; also known as GPR56) and to assess the involvement of NTFs in these receptor complexes. Based on the results presented herein, we propose that ADGRG1 forms 7-transmembrane-driven homo-oligomers on the plasma membrane. Additionally, Stachel motif interactions appear to influence the conformation of these receptor complexes.

Psychometric properties of the pediatric ward nurses' caring self-efficacy scale: A Turkish validity and reliability study

PURPOSE

To translate the 51-item Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale into Turkish and to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the scale in the Turkish population.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was conducted with 308 nurses working in the pediatric/pediatric wards of two hospitals in Turkey between September 2021 and January 2022. A Personal Information Form, the Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Nursing Profession Self-Efficacy Scale (NPSES) were used to determine the care self-efficacy levels of the research sample.

RESULTS

The Cronbach alpha value of the scale, which was adapted to Turkish culture, was 0.982, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.994. Factor loads varied between 0.40 and 0.89. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin sample fit coefficient of the scale was 0.963 and the Barlett sphericity test χ2 value was 15,259.02 (p < 0.001). It was determined to have a six-factor structure in Turkish culture and showed good fit indices for the Turkish scale (GFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96 and RMSEA = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

The Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale was found to be valid and reliable for sensitively detecting changes in the care self-efficacy levels of nurses working in pediatric wards.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The scale can be used by professionals interested in scientific knowledge about pediatric population.

Associations between knowledge level and attitudes towards cyber-dating abuse and dating violence in nursing students

BACKGROUND

Dating violence is an increasing issue among young people and affects them psychologically. It also includes characteristics like controlling and/or monitoring. Cyber-dating abuse is dating violence characterized as harassing another person in a romantic connection via texting or online emails to control, threaten, or stalk them.

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to investigate nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes towards dating, dating violence, and cyber-dating violence.

DESIGN

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample consisted of 448 nursing students from three universities in Istanbul, Turkey.

METHODS

Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Dating Violence Knowledge Form (DVKF), the Dating Violence Scale (DVS), and the Cyber-Dating Abuse Questionnaire (CDAQ).

RESULTS

Participants had a mean age of 20.9 ± 1.9 years. Most participants were women (83.7 %). More than a quarter of the participants were involved in romantic relationships (30.6 %). Participants had a mean DVKF score of 82.0 ± 9.1. One in ten participants was subjected to dating violence (11.2 %). Participants had a mean DVS score of 4.69 ± 0.25. There was no significant difference in CDAQ scores between participants who used violence (28.3 ± 11.5) and those subjected to violence (27.0 ± 8.9). There was a negative correlation between participants' DVKF and CDAQ scores (p < 0.05). The results showed that participants had a high DVKF score and disapproved of dating violence. Participants with a higher DVKF score were less likely to use or be exposed to cyber violence.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, we should develop interventions to strengthen young people's mental health because they are subjected to dating violence. Nurse educators and nurses should also plan interventions to protect young people's mental health and raise their awareness of cyber violence.

University students' attitudes toward gender roles and infertility: A descriptive and correlational study

PURPOSE

To examine the relationship between university students' attitudes toward gender roles and infertility.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 743 university students between September and December 2020. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Gender Roles Attitude Scale, and the Attitudes Towards Infertility Scale through online forms.

FINDINGS

It was found that attitudes toward gender roles and infertility could be influenced by some sociodemographic factors, for instance, students' sex, education, and family type. There was also a moderate and positive correlation between attitudes toward gender roles and infertility.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The present study contributes to a better understanding of the social construction and attitudes toward gender roles and infertility. For a better future, it is recommended that nurses help and support university students in raising awareness about such an important social problem.

Examination of the relationship between smartphone addiction and cyberchondria in adolescents

In this descriptive and correlational study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between adolescents' smartphone addiction and cyberchondria. Data were obtained from 384 adolescent high school students in Istanbul between December 2020 and January 2021, using a Personal Information Form, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Cyberchondria Severity Scale. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the students. The adolescents' smartphone use duration was 3.67 ± 1.66 years. Almost all (97.9%) connected to the internet via smartphones and 39.3% spent 3-4 h per day on the internet. It was determined that 61.7% of them checked their phones as soon as they woke up in the morning and 75.3% of them before going to bed in the evening. For those whose smartphone use duration is high, their cyberchondria also increases. The authors suggest that nurses should understand smartphone addiction and cyberchondria to identify and apply nursing interventions when necessary in adolescents.

The effectiveness of motivational messages to intensive care unit nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

To examine the effect of motivational messages on optimism, hopelessness, and life satisfaction of intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Design

This is a multicenter, randomized controlled, open-label study.

Research Methodology/Design

The study was conducted with a total of 87 nurses working in the COVID-19 intensive care units of three hospitals in Istanbul. Motivational messages were sent via SMS to the participants in the motivational group (n=41) for 21 days. The data were obtained using a Personal Information Form, the Life Orientation Test, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale.

Results

The nurses’ mean age in the motivational and control groups was 28.4±7.6 and 26.9±3.7 years, respectively. Before the messages, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of life orientation (p=0.059), hopelessness (p=0.214), and satisfaction with life (p=0.898) scores. After the messages, life orientation (p=0.042) and life satisfaction (p=0.040) scores were significantly higher in the motivational group compared with the control group, and the hopelessness score was significantly lower (p=0.005).

Conclusion

According to our study, motivational messages sent to intensive care nurses during the pandemic increased their level of optimism and life satisfaction and decreased their level of hopelessness.

Trial registration: blinded for review

Ste2p Under the Microscope: the Investigation of Oligomeric States of a Yeast G Protein-Coupled Receptor

Oligomerization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) may play important roles in maturation, internalization, signaling, and pharmacology of these receptors. However, the nature and extent of their oligomerization is still under debate. In our study, Ste2p, a yeast mating pheromone GPCR, was tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), mCherry, and with split florescent protein fragments at the receptor C-terminus. The Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique was used to detect receptors' oligomerization by calculating the energy transfer from EGFP to mCherry. Stimulation of Ste2p oligomers with the receptor ligand did not result in any significant change on observed FRET values. The bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay was combined with FRET to further investigate the tetrameric complexes of Ste2p. Our results suggest that in its quiescent (nonligand-activated) state, Ste2p is found at least as a tetrameric complex on the plasma membrane. Intriguingly, receptor tetramers in their active form showed a significant increase in FRET. This study provides a direct in vivo visualization of Ste2p tetramers and the pheromone effect on the extent of the receptor oligomerization.

Determination of stress, depression and burnout levels of front-line nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

All healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are affected psychosocially due to reasons such as uncertainty and work intensity experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this descriptive study, it was aimed to determine the stress, depression and burnout levels of front-line nurses. Data were obtained from 705 nurses who worked at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic between May and July 2020, using a Personal Information Form, the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data collection tools were sent online to nurse managers, requesting front-line nurses to answer the forms and scales. The nurses were mostly women and had bachelor's degrees, single and worked as nurses for between 1 and 10 years. They had high levels of stress and burnout and moderate depression. Those who were younger and had fewer years of work experience felt inadequate about nursing care and had higher levels of stress and burnout. More burnout was detected in nurses who had a positive COVID-19 test and did not want to work voluntarily during the pandemic. The authors suggest that preventive and promotive interventions in mental health should be planned and implemented to improve the mental health and maintain the well-being of front-line nurses during the pandemic, and to prepare nurses who may work during pandemics in the future.

Ribavirin shows antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and downregulates the activity of TMPRSS2 and the expression of ACE2 in vitro

Ribavirin is a guanosine analog with broad-spectrum antiviral activity against RNA viruses. Based on this, we aimed to show the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of this drug molecule via in vitro, in silico, and molecular techniques. Ribavirin showed antiviral activity in Vero E6 cells following SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas the drug itself did not show any toxic effect over the concentration range tested. In silico analysis suggested that ribavirin has a broad-spectrum impact on SARS-CoV-2, acting at different viral proteins. According to the detailed molecular techniques, ribavirin was shown to decrease the expression of TMPRSS2 at both mRNA and protein levels 48 h after treatment. The suppressive effect of ribavirin in ACE2 protein expression was shown to be dependent on cell types. Finally, proteolytic activity assays showed that ribavirin also showed an inhibitory effect on the TMPRSS2 enzyme. Based on these results, we hypothesized that ribavirin may inhibit the expression of TMPRSS2 by modulating the formation of inhibitory G-quadruplex structures at the TMPRSS2 promoter. As a conclusion, ribavirin is a potential antiviral drug for the treatment against SARS-CoV-2, and it interferes with the effects of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 expression.

The Relationship between University Students' Beliefs toward Mental Illness and Stigmatization

Aim

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the beliefs toward mental illness and stigmatization of health sciences faculty students.

Method

This descriptive study was carried out with the students of health sciences faculty in Istanbul. The sample population was composed of 792 students who agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected using the Information Form, Beliefs toward Mental Illness (BMI) scale, and Stigma scale through e-mail.

Results

The sociodemographic data of the students showed that 82.8% were female, 98.7% were single, and 30.8% were third-grade students. Of the students, 4.7% were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, and 27% of them were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, and 73.1% had not received any education related to mental illness. The mean scores of all BMI scale subdimensions were statistically significant for students diagnosed with mental illness than those for the ones who were not diagnosed with mental illness. The average stigmatization score was statistically significantly higher for students diagnosed with mental illness than that for the ones who were not diagnosed with mental illness.

Conclusion

As the negative beliefs toward mental illness increase, the stigmatization rates also increase; furthermore, students who are not educated are more likely to stigmatize.

Correlation between the development of calcium oxalate stones and polymorphisms in the fibronectin gene in the Uighur population of the Xinjiang region of China

Here, we have investigated the correlation between calcium oxalate stone formation and Fn gene polymorphisms in urinary calculi patients among the Uighur population (Xinjiang region). In this case control study, genomic DNA extracted from the peripheral blood of 129 patients with calcium oxalate stones (patient group) and 94 normal people (control group) was used to genotype polymorphisms in the rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 sites of the Fn gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Subsequently, the association between different genotypes and susceptibility to calcium oxalate stone formation was compared among the patient and control groups. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 sites of the Fn gene among the patient and control groups. The genotype distributions of the three loci complied with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The results of allele frequencies of the patient/control group for polymorphisms in the rs6725958 site of the Fn gene were C = 179 (69.92%)/119 (63.30%) and A = 77 (30.08%)/69 (36.70%), in the rs10202709 site were C = 245 (95.70%)/176 (93.63%) and T = 11 (4.30%)/12 (6.38%), and in the rs35343655 site of the Fn gene were A = 139 (54.30%)/87 (46.28%) and G = 117 (45.70%)/101 (53.72%). We observed no significant differences between the three SNPs and development of calcium oxalate stones. Polymorphisms in rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 of the Fn gene had no obvious effect on the susceptibility to the development of calcium oxalate stones in the Uighur population, residing in the Xinjiang region of China.

Brain herniation into the middle ear cavity: MR imaging

A CT and MR study of a case of brain hernia within the middle ear cavity is reported. MR allows differentiation between brain tissue and other abnormalities of the ear with a similar appearance on CT.

[Lumbar intradural disk herniation. X-ray computed tomographic diagnosis]

Intradural disk herniation is a rare condition. Most of reported cases involve the lumbar spine and have histories of chronic low back pain followed by an acute episode of radicular pain with neurologic deficit. The authors report the myelographic and lopamidol-CT findings in a case of a L4-5 intradural disk herniation. These two examinations demonstrated an intradural multilobular mass associated with an extradural component at the level of the disk space and with a same density as it. Anatomic adherences between dura-mater and posterior longitudinal ligament could explain the primary mechanism of these intradural disk herniations; but operative or traumatic antecedents are often noted. Most often operation discloses only the intradural component with a small anterior dural cleft, without extradural abnormalities. Postoperative follow up is usually good.