Diversified Teaching Methods in Nursing:Using Animal Experimentation to Promote Core Professional Competencies in Basic Nursing Training

Objective： The aim of this project was to train highly professional and specialized nursing students from medical colleges to adapt to bedside clinical care by exploring and discussing various methods of injection and IV infusion in animal experimentation to hone the core professional nursing competencies. Methods： Two classes from the 2012 senior graduating nursing class were randomly selected by a computer to conduct the diversified practical teaching methods based on animal experimentation. A hospital environment was simulated by requiring students to perform different types of injections and practical IV infusion techniques. A comprehensive evaluation of the core professional competencies, as well as other integrated competencies, was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the teaching methods. Results： Two-sampled, pairwise u-tests were performed between the scores of the experimental （nursing class 2） and control （nursing class 1） groups. These findings showed that the overall test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group and that the average P-values for the competencies in various categories were 〈0.01, which indicated statistically significant results. Conclusions： Based on the data from this project, diversified teaching methods for basic nursing training founded on animal experimentation can help nursing students perfect their core professional competencies and improve their overall professional standing. The introduction of animal experimentation requires further verification, and an increased acknowledgement of its benefits through the widespread dissemination of this information.

Measurement of Acceleration Due to Gravity Using Arduino and Ultrasonic Sensor

In this study, a simple Arduino-based experiment was designed to examine the acceleration of the object during free fall and to calculate the value of “g” (acceleration due to gravity). Experimental data on the free fall of a plastic box through the air was gathered with the help of an ultrasonic distance sensor (HC-SR04). Readings were taken at different intervals during the fall to obtain distance time curves. Acceleration during the free fall was then determined by applying the standard kinematic equations. The shape of the distance-time graphs obtained from the experimental setup was in good agreement with the predicted graphs and the calculated values of g lie within the expected range. After repeated experiments, value of gravitational acceleration was found to be 9.805 m/s2. Hardware and software prepared for the experiment are sufficient to examine movement of ordinary objects during free fall, therefore the experiment can be easily settled in a laboratory for the purpose of learning and teaching.

Effect of Bushen Yisui Capsule(补肾益髓胶囊) on Oligodendrocyte Lineage Genes 1 and 2 in Mice with Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Objective： To study the effects of Bushen Yisui Capsule（补肾益髓胶囊, BSYSC） on the oligodendrocyte lineage genes（Olig） 1 and Olig2 in C57BL/6 mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis（EAE） in order to explore the remyelination effect of BSYSC. Methods： The mice were randomly divided into normal control（NC）, EAE model（EAE-M）, prednisone acetate（PA, 6 mg/kg）, BSYSC high-dose（3.02 g/kg） and BSYSC low-dose（1.51 g/kg） groups. The mice were induced by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein（MOG） 35-55. The neurological function scores were assessed once daily. The pathological changes in mice brains were observed with hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining and transmission electron microscope（TEM）. The protein expressions of myelin basic protein（MBP）, Olig1 and Olig2 in brains were measured by immunohistochemistry. The m RNA expressions of Olig1 and Olig 2 was also determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results： Compared with the EAE-M mice,（1） the neurological function scores were significantly decreased in BSYSC-treated mice on days 22 to 40（P〈0.01）;（2） the inflammatory cells and demyelination in brains were reduced in BSYSC-treated EAE mice;（3） the protein expression of MBP was markedly increased in BSYSC-treated groups on day 18 and 40 respectively（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）;（4） the protein expression of Olig1 was increased in BSYSC（3.02 g/kg）-treated EAE mice on day 40（P〈0.01）. Protein and m RNA expression of Olig2 was increased in BSYSC-treated EAE mice on day 18 and 40（P〈0.01）. Conclusion： The effects of BSYSC on reducing demyelination and promoting remyelination might be associated with the increase of Olig1 and Olig2.