Assessing Patient Preferences: Examination of the German Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences

Despite the positive effects of including patients’ preferences into therapy on psychotherapy outcomes, there are still few thoroughly validated assessment tools at hand. We translated the 18-item Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP) into German and aimed at replicating its factor structure. Further, we investigated the reliability of the questionnaire and its convergence with trait measures. A heterogeneous sample of N = 969 participants took part in our online survey. Performing ESEM models, we found acceptable model fit for a four-factor structure similar to the original factor structure. Furthermore, we propose an alternative model following the adjustment of single items. The German C-NIP showed acceptable to good reliability, as well as small correlations with Big-Five personality traits, trait and attachment anxiety, locus of control, and temporal focus. However, we recommend further replication of the factor structure and further validation of the C-NIP.

Economic and Social Impacts of Social Entrepreneurship Implementation Service to Community

The government's policy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has limited physical interaction between communities, creating problems for various everyday economic activities. One of which is the existence of a grant given by the Ministry of Research and Technology / National Innovation Research Agency of the Republic of Indonesia for the implementation of community service by guiding the development of micro?businesses in society. This type of research is a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. Data collection was conducted by interviewing eight informants consisting of recipients of the Family Hope Program assistance. Documentation and observation were also carried out to strengthen the data. Data analysis used an interactive model following Milles and Huberman's opinion, namely: data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing.

Activity of Free and Liposome-Encapsulated Essential Oil from Lavandula angustifolia against Persister-Derived Biofilm of Candida auris

The high virulence of Candida auris, a pathogen fungus considered as a global threat for public health, is due to its peculiar traits such as its intrinsic resistance to conventional antifungals. Its biofilm lifestyle certainly promotes the prolonged survival of C. auris after disinfection or antifungal treatments. In this work, for the first time, we detected persister cells in a biofilm of C. auris in a microwell plate model, following caspofungin treatment. Furthermore, we showed how persisters can progressively develop a new biofilm in situ, mimicking the re-colonization of a surface which may be responsible for recalcitrant infections. Plant-derived compounds, such as essential oils, may represent a valid alternative to combat fungal infections. Here, Lavandula angustifolia essential oil, as free or encapsulated in liposomes, was used to eradicate primary and persister-derived biofilms of C. auris, confirming the great potential of alternative compounds against emergent fungal pathogens. As in other Candida species, the action of essential oils against C. auris involves ROS production and affects the expression of some biofilm-related genes.

Witnessing death does not necessarily relieve the dis-comfort of death: analysis of the relationship between religiosity and thanatophobia in medicine undergraduate students

Introduction: It is known that very few issues related to death and religiosity/spirituality are addressed during medical graduation. Understanding the process of death and dying is still a problem for medical students before the terminal condition of a patient. Probably the medical students of the fifth graders overestimate their abilities, probably because they have not yet had contact with terminally ill patients or because they have not graduated, they do not take responsibility for the death of a patient they are following. In Brazil, many students believe that the topic of spirituality influences health, but they do not feel prepared to address this issue with patients. Objective: It was to analyze whether there is a relationship between religiosity and thanatophobia in medical students. It also analyzed whether there was a correlation between fear of death and specific religions, sex and age, and the index of religiosity with sex and age. Methods: Followed a prospective observational cross-sectional model, following the STROBE clinical research rules. This study was analyzed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) according to a substantiated opinion number 2,031,705, and obtaining the patient's consent. Results: A total of 542 students (61.2% of the total) answered the questionnaire. Most were female (65.7%) and with a mean age of 22.31 (ranging from 17 to 39 years). The majority of students have a religion (90.1%) and 90.4% considered it important to address the issue of death and religiousness during graduation. In this study, it was observed that most students, in addition to having some kind of religion, consider it important to address the themes highlighted during the course. This was similar to the findings in other studies. There was no statistically significant relationship between having a religion and being less afraid of death. However, students with higher levels of intrinsic religiosity showed greater discomfort when dealing with terminal patients. Furthermore, no studies comparing these two subjects were found. It was also found in this research that students with high levels of religiosity consider it more important to address the issues in question, with the majority being female students. Conclusion: It is necessary to include the topic in the medical academy, and it is essential to prepare a more humanistic and dedicated professional for patients, whether active or palliative treatment.

Investigations on the Accumulation, Tissue Distribution and Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Amammalian Model

The current work aimed to investigate the potential toxicity of Ag-NPs in male rabbits as a mammalian model, following acute and sub-acute dermal exposure terms. The rabbits were topically exposed to a single acute dose of 2.0% Ag-NPs and the assessments were conducted4 days latter, while a dose of 0.5% was administered every other day for the sub-acute exposure in two time periods (7 and 14 days). The accumulation and retention of Ag+ ions in the skin and their distribution in other vital tissues were measured. In addition, the concentrations of total proteins, lipidparameters and levels of different oxidative stress biomarkers in the skin were also evaluated. The results demonstrated the ability of Ag-NPs to penetrate the skin and accumulate rapidly in the dermal skin, then spread out to the blood and other vital organs. The spleen and liver seemed to be the main target organs. The high levels of Ag+ tissue accumulation affected the concentration of total proteins and acted as a stressor stimulus within the skin, thereby, initiating oxidative stress. The liberated ROS caused disruption of the activities of the antioxidant enzymes GST, GSH, GR, GPx, SOD and CAT as well as increased levels of H2O2 and MDA. The current work showed that the toxicity of Ag-NPs could be attributed to the release of Ag+ ions and the subsequent excessive generation of ROS.

The Artemiside-Artemisox-Artemisone-M1 Tetrad: Efficacies against Blood Stage P. falciparum Parasites, DMPK Properties, and the Case for Artemiside

Because of the need to replace the current clinical artemisinins in artemisinin combination therapies, we are evaluating fitness of amino-artemisinins for this purpose. These include the thiomorpholine derivative artemiside obtained in one scalable synthetic step from dihydroartemisinin (DHA) and the derived sulfone artemisone. We have recently shown that artemiside undergoes facile metabolism via the sulfoxide artemisox into artemisone and thence into the unsaturated metabolite M1; DHA is not a metabolite. Artemisox and M1 are now found to be approximately equipotent with artemiside and artemisone in vitro against asexual P. falciparum (Pf) blood stage parasites (IC50 1.5–2.6 nM). Against Pf NF54 blood stage gametocytes, artemisox is potently active (IC50 18.9 nM early-stage, 2.7 nM late-stage), although against the late-stage gametocytes, activity is expressed, like other amino-artemisinins, at a prolonged incubation time of 72 h. Comparative drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) properties were assessed via po and iv administration of artemiside, artemisox, and artemisone in a murine model. Following oral administration, the composite Cmax value of artemiside plus its metabolites artemisox and artemisone formed in vivo is some 2.6-fold higher than that attained following administration of artemisone alone. Given that efficacy of short half-life rapidly-acting antimalarial drugs such as the artemisinins is associated with Cmax, it is apparent that artemiside will be more active than artemisone in vivo, due to additive effects of the metabolites. As is evident from earlier data, artemiside indeed possesses appreciably greater efficacy in vivo against murine malaria. Overall, the higher exposure levels of active drug following administration of artemiside coupled with its synthetic accessibility indicate it is much the preferred drug for incorporation into rational new artemisinin combination therapies.

Proposal to Test a Transient Deviation from Quantum Mechanics’ Predictions for Bell’s Experiment

Quantum mechanics predicts correlations between measurements performed in distant regions of a spatially spread entangled state to be higher than allowed by intuitive concepts of Locality and Realism. These high correlations forbid the use of nonlinear operators of evolution (which would be desirable for several reasons), for they may allow faster-than-light signaling. As a way out of this situation, it has been hypothesized that the high quantum correlations develop only after a time longer than L/c has elapsed (where L is the spread of the entangled state and c is the velocity of light). In shorter times, correlations compatible with Locality and Realism would be observed instead. A simple hidden variables model following this hypothesis is described. It is based on a modified Wheeler–Feynman theory of radiation. This hypothesis has not been disproved by any of the experiments performed to date. A test achievable with accessible means is proposed and described. It involves a pulsed source of entangled states and stroboscopic record of particle detection during the pulses. Data recorded in similar but incomplete optical experiments are analyzed, and found consistent with the proposed model. However, it is not claimed, in any sense, that the hypothesis has been validated. On the contrary, it is stressed that a complete, specific test is absolutely needed.