The Relationship Between Dialectical Self and Hedonic, Eudaimonic, and Social Well-Being

Many researchers in psychology have sought to identify and examine various factors that foster mental health and psychological well-being. The way one perceives and experiences one\u27s self (also called sense of self\u27) has been one of these factors. The concept of a dialectical self refers to a specific way we sense or view ourselves. An individual with a dialectical sense of self recognizes not only positive attributes of the self but also negative qualities. It represents an ability to accept and tolerate contradictions and fluidity in the self. Although previous studies have shown that a dialectical self is associated with lower levels of self-control and well-being (Spencer-Rodgers, Peng, Wang, & Hou. 2004), These studies have only addressed the relationship of a dialectical self with hedonic forms of well-being (i.e., basic global judgments of life satisfaction and experiencing more positive emotions over negative ones). The purpose of this study is to examine if such a negative relationship holds true with other notions of well-being, specifically eudaimonic and social well-being. The latter types of well-being go beyond hedonic well-being and tap into other elements of well-being such as meaning in life, self-actualization, personal growth, social integration, and coherence. It is anticipated that a more dialectical self will be generally associated with lower levels of hedonic well-being, but with higher levels of eudaimonic and social well-being

The Relationship Between Dialectical Self and Hedonic, Eudaimonic, and Social Well-Being

Many researchers in psychology have sought to identify and examine various factors that foster mental health and psychological well-being. The way one perceives and experiences one\u27s self (also called sense of self\u27) has been one of these factors. The concept of a dialectical self refers to a specific way we sense or view ourselves. An individual with a dialectical sense of self recognizes not only positive attributes of the self but also negative qualities. It represents an ability to accept and tolerate contradictions and fluidity in the self. Although previous studies have shown that a dialectical self is associated with lower levels of self-control and well-being (Spencer-Rodgers, Peng, Wang, & Hou. 2004), These studies have only addressed the relationship of a dialectical self with hedonic forms of well-being (i.e., basic global judgments of life satisfaction and experiencing more positive emotions over negative ones). The purpose of this study is to examine if such a negative relationship holds true with other notions of well-being, specifically eudaimonic and social well-being. The latter types of well-being go beyond hedonic well-being and tap into other elements of well-being such as meaning in life, self-actualization, personal growth, social integration, and coherence. It is anticipated that a more dialectical self will be generally associated with lower levels of hedonic well-being, but with higher levels of eudaimonic and social well-being

Tau phosphorylation at Alzheimer\u27s disease-related Ser356 contributes to tau stabilization when PAR-1/MARK activity is elevated.

Abnormal phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is observed in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). AD-related phosphorylation of two tau residues, Ser262 and Ser356, by PAR-1/MARK stabilizes tau in the initial phase of mismetabolism, leading to subsequent phosphorylation events, accumulation, and toxicity. However, the relative contribution of phosphorylation at each of these sites to tau stabilization has not yet been elucidated. In a Drosophila model of human tau toxicity, we found that tau was phosphorylated at Ser262, but not at Ser356, and that blocking Ser262 phosphorylation decreased total tau levels. By contrast, when PAR-1 was co-overexpressed with tau, tau was hyperphosphorylated at both Ser262 and Ser356. Under these conditions, the protein levels of tau were significantly elevated, and prevention of tau phosphorylation at both residues was necessary to completely suppress this elevation. These results suggest that tau phosphorylation at Ser262 plays the predominant role in tau stabilization when PAR-1/MARK activity is normal, whereas Ser356 phosphorylation begins to contribute to this process when PAR-1/MARK activity is abnormally elevated, as in diseased brains

2008年の診療報酬改定が医療ソーシャルワーカーの業務に与えた変化に関する一考察 : 質問紙・インタビュー調査を用いて

医療機関における退院支援業務が2008年の診療報酬改定によって社会福祉士による退院支援として点数評価を受けた後に医療ソーシャルワーカー(MSW)の業務や役割がどのように変化したのかを検証するために社会福祉士、6医療機関に所属する20名に質問紙調査とインタビュー調査を実施した。結果は所属と業務変化に関連性があることが明らかになった。退院調整加算として評価され、社会福祉士がMSWとして働く場の拡大や増員に貢献できることを確認できたが、経営面や病院の機能を重視する点も強調されていた。今後は診療報酬上で評価された背景をおさえ、MSWとして医療現場で実践する社会福祉士の動向を注目していく必要がある。This questionnaire and interview surveys were conducted in order to verify how the work and roles of medical social workers have changed since hospital discharge support services provided by social workers in medical institutions have become assessed on the basis of points according to FY 2008 revision of medical fee. The subjects were 20 medical social workers belonging to six medical institutions and working in the medical field. As a result, it was clarified that there was a relationship between the tasks that they were carrying out and the changes in their practices. It was confirmed that the hospital discharge support service was evaluated as discharge planning activties and that it contributed to expansion of the social warkers\u27 workplaces in medical institutions as well as an increase in personnel. However, it was also insisted that the management and facilities of hospitals should be emphasized. In the future, it is necessary to pay attention to the movement of certified social workers who will practice in the medical field as medical social workers based on the background of evaluation by the medical fee system

Correlation of Ischemia-Modified Albumin with SOFA and APACHE II Scores in Preoperative Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Purpose. Critical illnesses are assessed according to the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II. Circulating ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a biomarker generated under ischemic and oxidative conditions and may reflect disease severity in preoperative patients. This study investigated the correlations of IMA with SOFA and APACHE II scores in inpatients admitted for colorectal surgery. Methods.We examined 27 patients with advanced colorectal cancers (mean age 69 years, men/women = 15/12). Correlations between SOFA and APACHE II scores in addition to preoperative serum IMA and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were analyzed. Results. The mean IMA level was 0.5AU, and the median CRP level was 0.6mg/dL. Median scores for SOFA and APACHE II were 2 and 12 points, respectively. Significant positive correlations between IMA and SOFA ( = 0.45, \u3c 0.05) and IMA and APACHE II ( = 0.45, \u3c 0.05) were identified which remained significant in confounder-adjusted analyses. In contrast, weak correlations were observed between CRP and the SOFA and APACHE II scores. Conclusions.The positive correlations between IMA and both SOFA and APACHE II scores suggest that serum IMA measurements reflect the severity of systemic failure in patients admitted for colorectal surgery in the preoperative phase

Comparison of Three Different Analyzers to Measure Canine Serum Progesterone

The canine estrous cycle is unique compared to other domestic animal species. During estrus, serum progesterone concentrations ([P4]) rise two days prior to ovulation. In fact, the luteinization of pre-ovulatory follicles resulting in this initial increase in [P4] (1.5-2.5 ng/ml) cannot be temporally dissociated from the onset of the surge in luteinizing hormone. For this reason, measuring progesterone from daily blood samples is commonly used to determine the optimal breeding day in female dogs. In addition, the fall in [P4] (<2 ng/ml) prior to parturition can be used for the purposes of determining the timing of an elective C-section in dogs. There are several methods veterinarians can use to measure [P4] but directly comparing results between assays without formulaic adjustments often yields unreliable results. The objective of this research was to compare [P4] measured on three different veterinary analyzers (enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA), colorimetric immunoassay (CIA), and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA)). It was hypothesized that irrespective of analyzer used, the [P4] measurement would be reliable for determining timing for breeding or C-section. Venous blood samples (n=116) were collected from privately-owned female dogs (n=44) at the Waipahu Waikele Pet Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dogs were fasted 6 to 8 hours prior to each blood collection and blood samples were collected into tubes containing a clot activator but not serum separating gel. Blood samples were allowed to clot for 30 to 60 minutes and then were centrifuged for five minutes at 3,500 rpm to allow for serum removal. In accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, [P4] was determined from three analyzers. Data were managed in Google Sheets and analyzed using R. Using simple linear regression, the coefficients of determination (R2) between CIA and ELFA, CIA and CLIA, and CLIA and ELFA was 0.88, 0.914, and 0.957, respectively. The simple linear regression was also used to determine the regression equation, which was CLIA = 0.536*CIA+0.688, CLIA = 0.417*ELFA+0.321, and CIA = -0.45*ELFA+0.73. Using a Passing-Bablok regression, the Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.938, 0.956, and 0.978, respectively. However, analysis of the residuals showed an increase in the spread as the [P4] increased. The results from this study show that comparison of [P4] between the analyzers is accurate at lower values (<5 ng/mL) but the variability in [P4] increases as the value increases

Predicting rectal cancer T stage using circumferential tumor extent determined by computed tomography colonography

SummaryBackground and aimPatients with stage T3 or T4 rectal cancer are candidates for neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. The aim of this study is to clarify the usefulness of circumferential tumor extent determined by computed tomography (CT) colonography in differentiating T3 or T4 from T1 or T2 rectal cancer.MethodsSeventy consecutive rectal cancer patients who underwent curative-intent surgery were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent colonoscopy and CT colonography on the same day. The circumferential tumor extent was estimated in 10% increments. The pathological T stage was used as the reference.ResultsThe median circumferential tumor extent evaluated by colonoscopy for T1 (n = 6), T2 (n = 21), and T3/T4 (n = 43) were 10%, 30%, and 80%, respectively (T1/T2 vs. T3/T4, p < 0.0001). The median circumferential tumor extent evaluated by CT colonography for T1, T2, and T3/T4 is 10%, 30%, and 70%, respectively (T1/T2 vs. T3/T4, p < 0.0001). The correlation coefficient between colonoscopy and CT colonography was very high (0.94). By defining a circumferential tumor extent ≥50% by CT colonography as the criterion for stage T3 or T4, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and accuracy were 72%, 88%, 91%, and 79%, respectively.ConclusionCircumferential tumor extent ≥50% determined by CT colonography is a simple and potentially useful marker to identify candidates for neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy

Fibulin-5 Contributes to Microfibril Assembly in Human Periodontal Ligament Cells

The elastic system fibers comprise oxytalan, elaunin and elastic fibers, which differ in their relative microfibril and elastin content. Human periodontal ligaments (PDL) contain only oxytalan fibers (pure microfibrils) among them. Since fibulin-5 regulates the organization of elastic fibers to link the fibers to cells, we hypothesized that fibulin-5 may contribute to the formation of oxytalan fibers. We used siRNA for fibulin-5 in PDL cell culture to examine the extracellular deposition of fibrillin-1 and -2, which are the major components of microfibrils. Fibulin-5 was labeled on microfibrils positive for fibrillin-1 and -2. Fibulin-5 suppression reduced the level of fibrillin-1 and -2 deposition to 60% of the control level. These results suggest that fibulin-5 may control the formation of oxytalan fibers, and play a role in the homeostasis of oxytalan fibers