PENGARUH TERAPI KELOMPOK KOGNITIF TERHADAP TINGKAT KECEMASAN KLIEN SKIZOFRENIA DI RSJD SURAKARTA

Skizofrenia yang merupakan suatu penyakit otak persisten dan serius yang mengakibatkan perilaku psikotik, pemikiran konkret dan kesulitan dalam memproses informasi, hubungan interpersonal serta memecahkan masalah. Pasien skizofrenia sering menunjukkan perilaku menarik diri, terisolasi, sulit diatur dan cemas. Salah satu bentuk terapi yang biasa digunakan untuk menangani kecemasan adalah dengan tehnik terapi kelompok kognitif. Terapi kelompok kognitif merupakan salah satu terapi modalitas yang dilakukan perawat pada sekelompok klien yang memiliki masalah keperawatan yang sama. kognitif digunakan sebagai terapi, dan kelompok digunakan sebagai target asuhan. Terapi ini telah banyak digunakan untuk mengurangi cemas dengan berfokus pada penanganan masalah klien yang menimbulkan cemas. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh terapi kelompok kognitif terhadap tingkat kecemasan klien skizofrenia di RSJD Surakarta. Metode penelitian menggunakan metode ekperimental semu atau Quasi ekperimental dengan rancangan pre-test-post-test design. Penelitian dilaksanakan di RSJD Surakarta. Penelitian ini mengggunakan metode purposive sampling dengan jumlah sampel 16 responden. Tehnik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner. Data yang terkumpul dianalisis dengan uji t-test. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan: (1) tingkat kecemasan sebelum diberi intervensi pada kelompok perlakuan sebagian besar kecemasan ringan, (2) tingkat kecemasan pada kelompok kontrol sebelum diberikan intervensi sebagian besar kecemasan sedang, (3) tingkat kecemasan pada kelompok perlakuan setelah diberikan intervensi sebagian besar adalah menjadi tidak cemas, (4) tingkat kecemasan pada kelompok kontrol setelah diberikan perlakuan adalah menjadi kecemasan ringan. Pengujian secara statistik menunjukkan pengatuh terapi kelompok kognitif terhadap tingkat kecemasan klien skizofrenia di RSJD Surakarta

Interleukin-4 enhances proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells: evidence for autocrine and paracrine actions

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an immunomodulatory cytokine, which can inhibit the growth of tumour cells. Pancreatic cancer cells and tissues express high levels of IL-4 receptors. The aim of this study was to characterise the effects of IL-4 on the growth and signalling pathways of pancreatic cancer cells. Cell growth was determined by cell counting and MTT assays in association with fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis, IL-4 expression using ELISA and real-time PCR techniques, and signal transduction using immunoprecipitation or immunoblot analysis. We now report for the first time that IL-4 significantly enhanced the growth of five out of six cultured pancreatic cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner in association with an increased fraction of cells in S-phase. Surprisingly, all six cell lines expressed endogenous IL-4, and IL-4 was detectable in the supernatant. Incubating cells with neutralising IL-4 antibodies resulted in a significant inhibition of basal growth in three cell lines, including IL-4-unresponsive MIA PaCa-2 cells, which however expressed the highest endogenous IL-4 levels. Interleukin-4 enhanced activity of MAPK, Akt-1, and Stat3 in IL-4-responsive, but not in IL-4-unresponsive MIA PaCa-2 cells; however, IL-4 enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and -2 in all cell lines. Our results demonstrate for the first time that pancreatic cancer cells produce IL-4 and that IL-4 can act as a growth factor in pancreatic cancer cells. Together with the observation that neutralising IL-4 antibodies can inhibit the growth of these cells, our results suggest that IL-4 may act as an autocrine growth factor in pancreatic cancer cells and also give rise to the possibility that cancer-derived IL-4 may suppress cancer-directed immunosurveillance in vivo in addition to its growth-promoting effects, thereby facilitating pancreatic tumour growth and metastasis

Recurrence in oral and pharyngeal cancer is associated with quantitative MGMT promoter methylation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Biomarkers that predict clinical response, tumor recurrence or patient survival are severely lacking for most cancers, particularly for oral and pharyngeal cancer. This study examines whether gene-promoter methylation of tumor DNA correlates with survival and recurrence rates in a population of patients with oral or pharyngeal cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The promoter methylation status of the DNA repair gene <it>MGMT </it>and the tumor suppressor genes <it>CDKN2A and RASSF1 </it>were evaluated by methylation-specific PCR in 88 primary oral and pharyngeal tumors and correlated with survival and tumor recurrence. Quantitative <it>MGMT </it>methylation was also assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>29.6% of the tumors presented with <it>MGMT </it>methylation, 11.5% with <it>CDKN2A </it>methylation and 12.1% with <it>RASSF1 </it>methylation. <it>MGMT </it>promoter methylation was significantly associated with poorer overall and disease-free survival. No differences in methylation status of <it>MGMT </it>and <it>RASSF1 </it>with HPV infection, smoking or drinking habits were observed. A significant inverse trend with the amount of <it>MGMT </it>methylation and overall and disease-free survival was observed (p_trend= 0.002 and 0.001 respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results implicate <it>MGMT </it>promoter methylation as a possible biomarker for oral and pharyngeal cancer prognosis. The critical role of MGMT in DNA repair suggests that defective DNA repair may be correlative in the observed association between <it>MGMT </it>promoter methylation and tumor recurrence. Follow-up studies should include further quantitative MSP-PCR measurement, global methylation profiling and detailed analysis of downstream DNA repair genes regulated by promoter methylation.</p

MicroRNAs Dynamically Remodel Gastrointestinal Smooth Muscle Cells

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) express a unique set of microRNAs (miRNAs) which regulate and maintain the differentiation state of SMCs. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of miRNAs during the development of gastrointestinal (GI) SMCs in a transgenic animal model. We generated SMC-specific Dicer null animals that express the reporter, green fluorescence protein, in a SMC-specific manner. SMC-specific knockout of Dicer prevented SMC miRNA biogenesis, causing dramatic changes in phenotype, function, and global gene expression in SMCs: the mutant mice developed severe dilation of the intestinal tract associated with the thinning and destruction of the smooth muscle (SM) layers; contractile motility in the mutant intestine was dramatically decreased; and SM contractile genes and transcriptional regulators were extensively down-regulated in the mutant SMCs. Profiling and bioinformatic analyses showed that SMC phenotype is regulated by a complex network of positive and negative feedback by SMC miRNAs, serum response factor (SRF), and other transcriptional factors. Taken together, our data suggest that SMC miRNAs are required for the development and survival of SMCs in the GI tract

Atomization Characteristics of Camelina-Based Alternative Aviation Fuels Discharging From Dual-Orifice Injector

The atomization characteristics of blends of bioderived camelina hydrogenated renewable jet (HRJ) alternative fuel with conventional aviation kerosene (Jet A-1) discharging into ambient atmospheric air from a dual-orifice atomizer used in aircraft engines are described. The spray tests are conducted in a spray test facility at six different test flow conditions to compare the atomization of alternative fuels with that of Jet A-1. The fuel sprays are characterized in terms of fuel discharge, spray cone angle, drop size distribution, and spray patternation. The measurements of spray drop size distribution are obtained using laser diffraction based Spraytec equipment. The characteristics of fuel discharge and cone angle of alternative fuel sprays do not show any changes from that of Jet A-1 sprays. The characteristics of spray drop size, evaluated in terms of the variation of mean drop size along the spray axis, for the alternative fuel sprays remain unaffected by the variation in fuel properties between the alternative fuels and Jet A-1. The measurements on spray patternation, obtained using a mechanical patternator at a distance 5.1 cm from the atomizer exit, show an enhanced fuel concentration in the vicinity of spray axis region for the alternative fuel sprays discharging from the dual-orifice atomizer