The impact of parent-created motivational climate on adolescent athletes' perceptions of physical self-concept

This is a preliminary version of this article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below.Grounded in expectancy-value model (Eccles, 1993) and achievement goal theory (Nicholls, 1989), this study examined the perceived parental climate and its impact on athletes' perceptions of competence and ability. Hierarchical regression analyses with a sample of 237 British adolescent athletes revealed that mothers and fathers' task- and ego-involving climate predicted their son's physical self-concept; the father in particular is the strongest influence in shaping a son's physical self-concept positively and negatively. It was also found that the self-concept of the young adolescent athlete is more strongly affected by the perceived parental-created motivational climate (both task and ego) than the older adolescent athlete's self-concept. These findings support the expectancy-value model assumptions related to the role of parents as important socializing agents, the existence of gender-stereotyping, and the heavy reliance younger children place on parents' feedback

Olefin Cyclopropanation via Carbene Transfer Catalyzed by Engineered Cytochrome P450 Enzymes

Transition metal–catalyzed transfers of carbenes, nitrenes, and oxenes are powerful methods for functionalizing C=C and C–H bonds. Nature has evolved a diverse toolbox for oxene transfers, as exemplified by the myriad monooxygenation reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes. The isoelectronic carbene transfer to olefins, a widely used C–C bond–forming reaction in organic synthesis, has no biological counterpart. Here we report engineered variants of cytochrome P450_BM3 that catalyze highly diastereo- and enantioselective cyclopropanation of styrenes from diazoester reagents via putative carbene transfer. This work highlights the capacity to adapt existing enzymes for the catalysis of synthetically important reactions not previously observed in nature

Beyond service education: Impacting the human experience with sustained training utilizing the Experience Model of Communication

Patients scheduling or checking in for medical appointments often share with frontline employees’ details of their stories, including their worries, prior negative experiences, and hopes. These interactions require employees to not only complete their task, but also to be mindfully present, picking up on important social cues and showing appropriate emotional congruence and empathic understanding. Based on a review of recorded patient calls, a gap was identified in the communication skills of desk and scheduling staff at this large academic medical center, and a sustained training program was created to fill this gap. The training is centered on an evolving set of theoretical principles and skills that have come to be known as the Experience Model of Communication (XMOC). We wanted to understand if training in XMOC, a set of skills essential for healthcare providers, would also be beneficial for frontline staff. The training was evaluated with pre/post surveys, listening sessions, an annual evaluation, and quarterly tracking of patient experience scores, and findings suggest that the training content has had a positive impact. We continue to build and evaluate the training program to identify and refine the elements that make up XMOC and the most effective ways to transfer that learning to the staff who benefit. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Staff & Provider Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Mutating a Highly Conserved Residue in Diverse Cytochrome P450s Facilitates Diastereoselective Olefin Cyclopropanation

Cytochrome P450s and other heme-containing proteins have recently been shown to have promiscuous activity for the cyclopropanation of olefins using diazoacetate reagents. Despite the progress made thus far, engineering selective catalysts for all possible stereoisomers for the cyclopropanation reaction remains a considerable challenge. Previous investigations of a model P450 (P450BM3) revealed that mutation of a conserved active site threonine (Thr268) to alanine transformed the enzyme into a highly active and selective cyclopropanation catalyst. By incorporating this mutation into a diverse panel of P450 scaffolds, we were able to quickly identify enantioselective catalysts for all possible diastereomers in the model reaction of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate. Some alanine variants exhibited selectivities that were markedly different from the wild-type enzyme, with a few possessing moderate to high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivities up to 97 % for synthetically challenging cis-cyclopropane diastereomers

Structure-Guided Directed Evolution of Highly Selective P450-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sensors for Dopamine and Serotonin

New tools that allow dynamic visualization of molecular neural events are important for studying the basis of brain activity and disease. Sensors that permit ligand-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are useful reagents due to the noninvasive nature and good temporal and spatial resolution of MR methods. Paramagnetic metalloproteins can be effective MRI sensors due to the selectivity imparted by the protein active site and the ability to tune protein properties using techniques such as directed evolution. Here, we show that structure-guided directed evolution of the active site of the cytochrome P450‐BM3 heme domain produces highly selective MRI probes with submicromolar affinities for small molecules. We report a new, high‐affinity dopamine sensor as well as the first MRI reporter for serotonin, with which we demonstrate quantification of neurotransmitter release in vitro. We also present a detailed structural analysis of evolved cytochrome P450‐BM3 heme domain lineages to systematically dissect the molecular basis of neurotransmitter binding affinity, selectivity, and enhanced MRI contrast activity in these engineered proteins

Diet-associated vertically transferred metabolites and risk of asthma, allergy, eczema, and infections in early childhood

BackgroundEvidence suggests maternal pregnancy dietary intake and nutrition in the early postnatal period to be of importance for the newborn child's health. However, studies investigating diet-related metabolites transferred from mother to child on disease risk in childhood are lacking. We sought to investigate the influence of vertically transferred metabolites on risk of atopic diseases and infections during preschool age. MethodsIn the Danish population-based COPSAC(2010) mother-child cohort, information on 10 diet-related vertically transferred metabolites from metabolomics profiles of dried blood spots (DBS) at age 2-3 days was analyzed in relation to the risk of childhood asthma, allergy, eczema, and infections using principal component and single metabolite analyses. ResultsIn 678 children with DBS measurements, a coffee-related metabolite profile reflected by principal component 1 was inversely associated with risk of asthma (odds ratio (95% CI) 0.78 (0.64; 0.95), p = .014) and eczema at age 6 years (0.79 (0.65; 0.97), p = .022). Furthermore, increasing stachydrine (fruit-related), 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoate (fish-related), and ergothioneine (fruit-, green vegetables-, and fish-related) levels were all significantly associated with reduced risks of infections at age 0-3 years (p < .05). ConclusionThis study demonstrates associations between pregnancy diet-related vertically transferred metabolites measured in children in early life and risk of atopic diseases and infections in childhood. The specific metabolites associated with a reduced disease risk in children may contribute to the characterization of a healthy nutritional profile in pregnancy using a metabolomics-based unbiased tool for predicting childhood health

Metal-substituted protein MRI contrast agents engineered for enhanced relaxivity and ligand sensitivity

Engineered metalloproteins constitute a flexible new class of analyte-sensitive molecular imaging agents detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but their contrast effects are generally weaker than synthetic agents. To augment the proton relaxivity of agents derived from the heme domain of cytochrome P450 BM3 (BM3h), we formed manganese(III)-containing proteins that have higher electron spin than their native ferric iron counterparts. Metal substitution was achieved by coexpressing BM3h variants with the bacterial heme transporter ChuA in Escherichia coli and supplementing the growth medium with Mn3+-protoporphyrin IX. Manganic BM3h variants exhibited up to 2.6-fold higher T1 relaxivities relative to native BM3h at 4.7 T. Application of ChuA-mediated porphyrin substitution to a collection of thermostable chimeric P450 domains resulted in a stable, high-relaxivity BM3h derivative displaying a 63% relaxivity change upon binding of arachidonic acid, a natural ligand for the P450 enzyme and an important component of biological signaling pathways. This work demonstrates that protein-based MRI sensors with robust ligand sensitivity may be created with ease by including metal substitution among the toolkit of methods available to the protein engineer.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Grant R01-DA28299 )National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH NRSA Fellowship (Award F32-GM087102))California Institute of Technology (Caltech Jacobs Grant

The impact of clothing style on bone mineral density among post menopausal women in Morocco: a case-control study

BACKGROUND: The clothing style is an important factor that influences vitamin D production and thus bone mineral density. We performed a case-control study in order to evaluate the effect of veil wearing (concealing clothing) on bone mineral density in Moroccan post menopausal women. METHODS: The cases were osteoporotic women whose disease was assessed by bone mineral density measurement. Each patient was matched with a non osteoporotic woman for age, and body mass index. All our patients were without secondary causes or medications that might affect bone density. The veil was defined as a concealing clothing which covered most of the body including the arms, the legs and the head. This definition is this of the usual Moroccan traditional clothing style. RESULTS: 178 post menopausal osteoporotic patients and 178 controls were studied. The mean age of the cases and the controls was 63.2 years (SD 7) and the mean body mass index was 32.1 (SD 8). The results of crude Odds Ratios analyses indicated that wearing a veil was associated with a high risk of osteoporosis: OR 2.29 (95% CI, 1.38–3.82). Multiparity or a history of familial peripheral osteoporotic fractures had also a significant effect on increasing the osteoporosis risk (ORs: 1.87 (95% CI, 1.05–3.49) and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.20–3.38)). After a multiple regression analysis, wearing the veil and a history of familial osteoporotic fractures remained the both independent factors that increased the osteoporosis risk (ORs: 2.20 (95% CI, 1.22–3.9) and 2.19 (95% CI, 1.12–4.29) respectively). CONCLUSION: our study suggested that in Moroccan post menopausal women, wearing a traditional concealing clothing covering arms, legs and head increased the risk of osteoporosis. Further studies are required to evaluate the clinical impact of the above findings and to clarify the status of vitamin D among veiled women in Morocco

A serine-substituted P450 catalyzes highly efficient carbene transfer to olefins in vivo

Whole-cell catalysts for non-natural chemical reactions will open new routes to sustainable production of chemicals. We designed a cytochrome 'P411' with unique serine-heme ligation that catalyzes efficient and selective olefin cyclopropanation in intact Escherichia coli cells. The mutation C400S in cytochrome P450_(BM3) gives a signature ferrous CO Soret peak at 411 nm, abolishes monooxygenation activity, raises the resting-state FeIII-to-FeII reduction potential and substantially improves NAD(P)H-driven activity