Spiritual coping within medical professions: A psychometric analysis of the Numinous Motivations Inventory short form.

AIM: To examine the psychometric properties of a short form version of the Numinous Motivation Inventory (NMI) for use with healthcare providers in measuring their existential engagement with life and to assess its relationship with spiritual coping and emotional dysphoria. DESIGN: Correlational and psychometric study. METHOD: Data were collected from June to December 2022. Participants included 102 physicians, recruited from across the United States. Qualtrics was utilized to collect data, and they were evaluated with the NMI short form, Spiritual Coping Questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21). RESULTS: Obtained fit statistics from structural equation modelling analysis indicated close fit of the NMI short form with the original model. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated the value of the NMI as a predictor of negative affect independent of spiritual coping. The NMI did not interact with Spiritual Coping, which was independent of negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: The Numinous represents an important aspect of physicians' coping. The constructs can be utilized in training and clinical settings as a valuable and easy-to-use metric for promoting and assessing wellness. The implications of these findings and the value of the NMI were discussed. IMPACT: An understanding of existential drivers can equip one to cope with the stressors of healthcare. The NMI short form has the capability to explore an individual's existential drivers through the understanding of three domains. REPORTING METHOD: Adhered to proper EQUATOR guidelines (GRRAS). PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Seize the Data: An Analysis of Guardianship Annual Reports.

Courts have a legal and ethical duty to monitor adult guardianship cases to protect the rights of individuals with guardians. Aging and disability advocates have been recommending improvements to adult guardianship monitoring for decades. The aim of this study is to examine annual guardianship reporting procedures in each state. Using the National Guardianship Association's (NGA) Standards of Practice as a guide, we summarize what is missing from adult guardianship annual report forms in each state. Since 2000, the NGA Standards have been the benchmark for guiding guardianship best practices, making it a valuable tool for guardianship reporting and monitoring. Results show that most states are not collecting thorough data on adults with guardians, their guardians, or the guardian-client relationship. Additionally, many existing annual report forms may be difficult to complete due to confusing question structure and reading levels that are above the national average, especially since most adult guardians are nonprofessional guardians. Improved reporting procedures would help courts monitor guardianships more effectively, ensure that the rights of individuals with guardians are being protected, and provide meaningful data on the overall state of guardianship. Limitations and plans for future research are also discussed.

Cognitive change checklist: psychometric characteristics in community-dwelling older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To extend the psychometric study of the Cognitive Change Checklist (3CL) by examining the reliability, factor structure, and external correlates of 3CL informant and self-report ratings in community-dwelling adults. We also conducted receiver operating characteristic analyses examining rating scores from this normative sample with those of clinical samples. DESIGN: Scale reliability and validity study. SETTING: Community sites. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred seventy-nine older adults. RESULTS: The pattern of scale relationships within and across versions, and the failure to find associations with age and education, were consistent with findings in clinic samples reported previously. Factor analysis replicated the four-factor structure of the informant ratings. All informant version scales significantly discriminated amnestic mild cognitive impairment cases and patients with mild dementia from normals. CONCLUSION: These findings provide support for the use of the checklist as a clinical tool to facilitate identification of cases of mild cognitive impairment and early dementia.

Hair Cortisol Concentration and Perceived Chronic Stress in Low-Income Urban Pregnant and Postpartum Black Women.

Black women are more likely to experience short- or long-term health consequences from their labor and delivery and die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Similarly, infants born to Black women also have heightened health risks. Developing research suggests that a contributing factor to Black health disparities may be maternal chronic stress. A widely used biomarker for chronic stress is hair cortisol concentration (HCC). Few prior studies have explored the HCC of pregnant Black women or comprehensively examined perceived chronic stress in this population. Using a mixed-methods focus group framework, we assessed HCC and perceived chronic stress among low-income pregnant and postpartum Black women. Four focus groups were conducted (N = 24). The mean HCC for our pregnant Black participants was greater than pregnant White women in reviewed published studies. The high levels of stress evidenced at all pregnancy stages indicate that many of these women are experiencing chronic stress, which can contribute to higher Black maternal morbidity and mortality rates, and possibly infant mortality rates. From the open coding of the focus group transcripts, 4 themes emerged: chronic stress, experiences of racism, experiences of trauma, and negative thinking. Selective coding based on these themes revealed cumulative experiences of chronic stress, various traumatic experiences, and frequent encounters with racism. Negative thinking styles were observed across the 4 focus groups. More studies of HCC and perceived stress among pregnant Black women are encouraged. Findings suggest the need for tailored multi-level interventions given the layers of stressors present in this population.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphatidylinositol phosphate affinity probes.

The synthesis of the complete family of phosphatidylinositol phosphate analogues (PIPs) from five key core intermediates A-E is described. These core compounds were obtained from myo-inositol orthoformate 1 via regioselective DIBAL-H and trimethylaluminium-mediated cleavages and a resolution-protection process using camphor acetals 10. Coupling of cores A-E with phosphoramidites 34 and 38, derived from the requisite protected lipid side chains, afforded the fully-protected PIPs. Removal of the remaining protecting groups was achieved via hydrogenolysis using palladium black or palladium hydroxide on carbon in the presence of sodium bicarbonate to afford the complete family of dipalmitoyl- and amino-PIP analogues 42, 45, 50, 51, 58, 59, 67, 68, 76, 77, 82, 83, 92, 93, 99 and 100. Investigations using affinity probes incorporating these compounds have identified novel proteins involved in the PI3K intracellular signalling network and have allowed a comprehensive proteomic analysis of phosphoinositide interacting proteins.

Optimizing Community and Hospital Services Using the Cancer Support Source Program.

BACKGROUND: The Cancer Support Community developed the Cancer Support Source (CSS) to assess the needs of cancer patients with distress. Each item on this self-administered questionnaire represents an area of concern which the patient rates and indicates their need for action with a "staff person," but no details about the category of staff is given. OBJECTIVE: To examine the factor structure of the CSS and to increase its utility to triage patients for referral to services based on a needs assessment. METHODS: Data from 690 patients who completed the CSS over a 1-year period were analyzed. In study 1, an exploratory principal component analysis was conducted. In study 2, the fit of this proposed model was evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). RESULTS: Three factors were retained in the final CFA: emotional distress, physical health concerns, and resource needs. This model demonstrated adequate fit, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)= 0.056, Comparitive Fit Index (CFI) = .907, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.050. CONCLUSIONS: Three factors are proposed as CSS subscales to guide referral and coordinate services: Emotional Distress/Patient and Family Counselor, Physical Health Concerns/Medical Care Provider, and Resource Needs/Case Management-Clinical Social Worker. The clinical utility of these referral subscales should be established with additional research.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel cardiolipin affinity matrix.

Cardiolipin (1) is a dimeric phospholipid found in the mitochondrial membranes of both plants and animals. In order to understand better its role, we report the preparation of an immobilised analogue (2) using phosphoramidite chemistry; the probe has been used successfully to bind a recombinant protein containing a cardiolipin-binding domain.

Tetracarboxylate Bis-Bipyridine Ruthenium Dyes: Synthesis, Structural and Electronic Characterisation.

The preparation of ruthenium complexes with novel 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) ligands bearing four carboxylic acid groups was investigated with a view to creating dyes containing more than two potential anchoring groups per bpy unit for attachment to a titania surface. Synthetic challenges are encountered upon using the 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxylic acid ligand because it readily decarboxylates. The use of the methyl esterified derivative (3) proved to be more successful for complex preparation, with a robust preparation of the [Ru(3)2 Cl2 ] complex identified with diglyme as the solvent. This complex was further converted into the thiocyanato complex, [Ru(3)2 (NCS)2 ], which could not be completely de-esterified. X-ray analysis of crystals obtained from a mixture of isomers for this complex provided data for the S,S- and N,S-coordinated isomers; both showed a twisted arrangement of the pyridine rings in the 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxylic acid ligand, owing to steric hinderance. Conversely, the isosteric 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4',5,5'-tetracarboxylic acid ligand was easily converted into the desired [Ru(2)2 (NCS)2 ] complex through a standard one-pot procedure in N,N-dimethylformamide solvent. All of the complexes presented herein exhibit a significant redshift for the metal to ligand charge-transfer bands, relative to the benchmark ruthenium dye N719 and derivatives thereof. All complexes exhibit a quasi-reversible process for the ruthenium(II/III) couple at approximately 0.4 V versus the ferrocene couple, comparable to analogous ruthenium dyes.

Enantiopure pseudo-C3-symmetric titanium alkoxide with propeller-like chirality.

An enantiopure amine tris(phenolate) ligand containing a single stereogenic center has been used to control the propeller-like chirality of a derived pseudo-C3-symmetric titanium isopropoxide complex with excellent levels of diastereocontrol. [structure: see text].

An (E)-selective synthesis of trisubstituted (E)-alpha,beta-unsaturated acid derivatives.

Potassium alkoxides of N-acyloxazolidin-2-one derived syn-aldolates undergo a novel tandem intramolecular cyclisation elimination reaction to afford trisubstituted (E)-alpha,beta-unsaturated amides in high d.e., which may be converted into their corresponding acids or oxazolines in good yield.

Left upper quadrant cannula insertion.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and efficacy of primary left upper quadrant laparoscopic cannula insertion. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Tertiary care medical center. PATIENT(S): Women undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic indications. INTERVENTION(S): Left upper quadrant cannula insertion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Intraoperative complications. RESULT(S): Primary left upper quadrant cannula insertion was performed 58 times. There were no intraoperative complications. In one woman there was more pain at the LUQ site than at her other incisions. In 12 women (21%) adhesiolysis was performed before insertion of the umbilical cannula. CONCLUSION(S): Primary left upper quadrant cannula insertion is a safe and effective alternative to primary umbilical cannula insertion.

An air stable moisture resistant titanium triflate complex as a Lewis acid catalyst for C-C bond forming reactions.

An air and moisture stable C(3)-symmetric titanium(IV) triflate, supported by a tripodal amine-(tris-phenolate) ligand, has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and shown to be a good Lewis acid catalyst for a range of aza-Diels-Alder, Diels-Alder, syn aldol, allylation, and alkylation reactions.

An enantiopure pseudo-C3-symmetric titanium triflate with propeller-like chirality as a catalyst for asymmetric sulfoxidation reactions.

A chiral pseudo-C(3)-symmetric titanium triflate that employs the point chirality of a single stereogenic centre to control the propeller chirality of its aryl rings has been used to catalyse an asymmetric sulfoxidation reaction.

PI(3,4,5)P3 Interactome.

Immobilizing chemically synthesized analogues of PI(3,4,5)P3 onto Affi-10 beads and incorporating them into liposomes allowed their use as affinity absorbents in the comprehensive analysis of the phosphoinositide interactome using cytosolic cell extracts of the LIM1215 colon cancer cell line. This led to the identification of 282 proteins that either interact with PI(3,4,5)P3 or are indirectly captured as part of a complex containing a PI(3,4,5)P3 binding partner. Identification of the proteins was achieved using affinity/LC-MS/MS experiments.