Results of a psychosomatic training program in China, Vietnam and Laos

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: With the "ASIA-LINK" program, the European Community has supported the development and implementation of a curriculum of postgraduate psychosomatic training for medical doctors in China, Vietnam and Laos. Currently, these three countries are undergoing great social, economic and cultural changes. The associated psychosocial stress has led to increases in psychological and psychosomatic problems, as well as disorders for which no adequate medical or psychological care is available, even in cities. Health care in these three countries is characterized by the coexistence of Western medicine and traditional medicine. Psychological and psychosomatic disorders and problems are insufficiently recognized and treated, and there is a need for biopsychosocially orientated medical care. Little is known about the transferability of Western-oriented psychosomatic training programs in the Southeast Asian cultural context. METHODS: The curriculum was developed and implemented in three steps: 1) an experimental phase to build a future teacher group; 2) a joint training program for future teachers and German teachers; and 3) training by Asian trainers that was supervised by German teachers. The didactic elements included live patient interviews, lectures, communication skills training and Balint groups. The training was evaluated using questionnaires for the participants and interviews of the German teachers and the future teachers. RESULTS: Regional training centers were formed In China (Shanghai), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City and Hue) and Laos (Vientiane). A total of 200 physicians completed the training, and 30 physicians acquired the status of future teacher. The acceptance of the training was high, and feelings of competence increased during the courses. The interactive training methods were greatly appreciated, with the skills training and self-experience ranked as the most important topics. Adaptations to the cultural background of the participants were necessary for the topics of "breaking bad news," the handling of negative emotions, discontinuities in participation, the hierarchical doctor-patient relationship, culture-specific syndromes and language barriers. In addition to practical skills for daily clinical practice, the participants wanted to learn more about didactic teaching methods. Half a year after the completion of the training program, the participants stated that the program had a great impact on their daily medical practice. CONCLUSIONS: The training in psychosomatic medicine for postgraduate medical doctors resulted in a positive response and is an important step in addressing the barriers in providing psychosomatic primary care. The transferability of western concepts should be tested locally, and adaptations should be undertaken where necessary. The revised curriculum forms the basis of training in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy for medical students and postgraduate doctors in China, Vietnam and Laos.     

Chromatin organization in relation to the nuclear periphery

In the limited space of the nucleus, chromatin is organized in a dynamic and non-random manner. Three ways of chromatin organization are compaction, formation of loops and localization within the nucleus. To study chromatin localization it is most convenient to use the nuclear envelope as a fixed viewpoint. Peripheral chromatin has both been described as silent chromatin, interacting with the nuclear lamina, and active chromatin, interacting with nuclear pore proteins. Current data indicate that the nuclear envelope is a reader as well as a writer of chromatin state, and that its influence is not limited to the nuclear periphery.     

种子老化诱导小麦染色体畸变及大麦醇溶蛋白带型频率变化的研究

通过时20份小麦种质发芽率和根尖细胞染色体畸变的测定,结果表明同一品种贮藏于中期库的低发芽率种质,其染色体畸变率明显高于贮藏于长期库的高发芽率种质.从总体上看,种子根尖细胞染色体畸变率与发芽率呈负显著相关,而与贮藏年限无显著相关.但对长期库和中期库的种质分别进行统计分析,种子根尖染色体畸变率与发芽率和贮藏年限均无显著相关.对大麦地方品种"普乃干木"的醇溶蛋白分析表明,该品种有4种biotype,随着发芽率的下降,其群体中的4种bio-type的频率发生了变化,当发芽率从95%降到34%时,其中一种biotype出现了消失,而有一种biotype频率从83%上升至95%,此结果表明,种子生活力下降和不同biotype种子存活能力存在差异,可能导致了异质种质材料遗传选择和漂变的发生.     

石菖蒲与马蹄莲幼苗结构的比较解剖学研究

菖蒲属的分类和系统地位近两个世纪以来一直存在较大的争议。以菖蒲属的石菖蒲及马蹄莲属的马蹄莲为代表进行幼苗的比较解剖学研究,从幼苗结构的视角为菖蒲属独特的分类及系统地位提供证据。研究发现石菖蒲幼苗的子叶节区下部为较原始的“工”字形中始式的单中柱,而马蹄莲为散生中柱;石菖蒲根的维管柱为2—8原型星状中柱,马蹄莲为2—5原型星状中柱。石菖蒲根的内皮层细胞壁为马蹄形五面加厚;而马蹄莲为凯氏带四面加厚。石菖蒲细胞内的晶体为柱状晶,而马蹄莲为针晶。此外在子叶吸器的结构和其它贮藏物等方面也存在差异。据此认为菖蒲属应从天南星科中分出并单独成科;同时支持菖蒲属位于单子叶植物基部较孤立的系统地位。     

Gymnosperm Orthologues of Class B Floral Homeotic Genes and Their Impact on Understanding Flower Origin

Class B floral homeotic genes play a key role in specifying the identity of male reproductive organs (stamens) and petals during the development of flowers. Recently, close relatives (orthologues) of these genes have been found in diverse gymnosperms, the sister group of the flowering plants (angiosperms). The fact that such genes have not been found so far, despite considerable efforts, in mosses, ferns or algae, has been taken as evidence to suggest that B genes originated 300–400 million years ago in a lineage that led to extant seed plants. Gymnosperms do not develop petals, and their male reproductive organs deviate considerably from angiosperm stamens. So what is the function of gymnosperm B genes? Recent experiments revealed that B genes from diverse extant gymnosperms are exclusively expressed in male reproductive organs (microsporophylls). At least for some of these genes it has been shown that they can partially substitute for the Arabidopsis B genes AP3 and PI in ectopic expression experiments, or even partially substitute these genes in different class B floral organ identity gene mutants. This functional complementation, however, is restricted to male organ development. These findings strongly suggest that gymnosperm and angiosperm B genes have highly related interaction partners and equivalent functions in the male organs of their different host species. It seems likely that in extant gymnosperms B genes have a function in specifying male reproductive organs. This function was probably established already in the most recent common ancestor of extant gymnosperms and angiosperms (seed plants) 300 million years ago and thus represents the ancestral function of seed plant B genes, from which other functions (e.g., in specifying petal identity) might have been derived. This suggests that the B gene function is part of an ancestral sex determination system in which B gene expression specifies male reproductive organ development, while the absence of B gene expression leads to the formation of female reproductive organs. Such a simple switch mechanism suggests that B genes might have played a central role during the origin of flowers. In the out-of-male and out-of-female hypotheses changes in B gene expression led to the origin of hermaphroditic flower precursors out of male or female gymnosperm reproductive cones, respectively. We compare these hypotheses with other recent molecular hypotheses on the origin of flowers, in which C/D and FLORICAULA/LEAFY-like genes is given a more prominent role, and we suggest how these hypotheses might be tested in the future.     

气体分子的信号转导作用研究

气体分子在生物体内细胞通讯与信号传递过程中具有重要作用.对NO、CO、活性氧、H2S等气体性信号分子的信号转导作用进行了综述.     

HCV NS5A基因表达及其在血清学检测中的应用评估

人丙型肝炎病毒 (ＨＣＶ)感染可引起丙型肝炎、肝硬化和肝细胞癌[1] 。丙型肝炎病毒是单股正链ＲＮＡ病毒 ,基因组约长 9.5ｋｂ ,仅有一个开放阅读框 ,编码一个大的聚蛋白前体 ,由宿主蛋白酶和病毒编码的蛋白酶加工成多个成熟蛋白。非结构蛋白ＮＳ5Ａ分子量为 56ｋＤ/ 58ｋＤ。目前对ＮＳ5Ａ蛋白的功能尚不清楚 ,ＮＳ5Ａ蛋白可降低干扰素治疗效果[2 ] ;ＮＳ5Ａ蛋白含核定位序列 ,因此人们推测它在ＨＣＶＲＮＡ复制过程中可能起一定的作用[3～ 4 ] 。本研究在大肠杆菌中表达全长ＮＳ5Ａ蛋白 ,提纯后ＮＳ5Ａ蛋白能与大多数丙肝阳性血清起强烈…     

螺旋藻细胞培养与光能利用的关系

对钝顶螺旋藻(Spirulina platensis Geitler)细胞培养体系的光衰减以及连续培养条件下藻细胞生长对光能的利用特性进行了分析,结果表明改进的Lambert-Beer定律I=I0exp(-αxL)可较好地描述细胞浓度及光程对光衰减的综合影响;引入平均光强和细胞平均比消光量概念,借鉴Monod方程形式,较好地描述了它们与比生长速率之间的关系,并求得最大比生长速率μm、光强半饱和参数kI、光能维持系数m和得率系数YG分别为μm=1.75/d,kI=1.453×10     

端粒酶反义cDNA对乳腺癌细胞损伤修复能力的影响

 利用反义核酸技术将端粒酶RNA的全长cDNA反向导入乳腺癌MCF 7细胞基因组中 .通过单细胞凝胶电泳实验发现 ,其DNA受H2 O2 损伤后的修复能力下降 .但端粒酶活性抑制为何引起其DNA损伤修复能力下降的原因尚待进一步研究 .