The meaning of life for an elderly man living alone : a narrative approach

Aim: To improve nursing care for the elderly in order to allow them to live independently. This study has used the narrative of an elderly man to learn about what has given his life meaning.Method: Fifteen key concepts were extracted from interviews using the narrative approach.Results and Conclusions: Mr. A, now near the end of his life, has found meaning in living his life, not only for himself, but also for those around him. The elderly support their own physical and mental health,and adjust to day-to-day life. Nursing care for the elderly should watch for and support these self-supporting efforts

Photoreductive dechlorination of chlorinated benzene derivatives catalyzed by ZnS nanocrystallites

ZnS nanocrystallites effectively enhanced photo-reduction of chlorinated benzene derivatives in the presence of triethylamine as a sacrificial electron donor under UV irradiation (l > 300 nm), leading to selective and stepwise dechlorination to give benzene at the final stage. Photochemical detoxification of halogenated compounds, such as PCB, dioxin, and DDT, has been attracting much attention because this can be regarded as a promising process to eliminate C-Cl bonds under environmentally relevant and mild conditions. In particular, TiO 2 -catalyzed photoprocesses involving oxidation and reduction in aqueous systems have been extensively investigated. 1 In such systems, however, photooxidation proceeds through the formation of hydroxyl radical (HO•), leading to unavoidable formation of unknown photoproducts especially from polychlorinated compounds. 2,3 Further, the rate of such photodegradation often slows in the case of polychlorinated compounds because they are electron-deficient molecules, i.e. their oxidation potentials are very positive in nature, showing resistance to the electrophilic attack of HO•. A DMF solution of ZnS nanocrystallites was prepared by the reaction of Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 with H 2 S under cooling with ice and water as described elsewhere. 7 Photoreactions were carried out under cooling with water by UV irradiation of a DMF solution (2 ml) containing a substrate (25 mM), ZnS nanocrystallites (2.5 mM in diatomic concentration as ZnS) and triethylamine (TEA, 1 M) in a Pyrex glass tube using a 500 W high pressure mercury lamp. The reaction mixtures were analyzed by gas chromatography with a fused silica capillary column (HiCap-CBP20, 25 m 3 0.2 mm, Shimadzu) using dodecane as an internal standard. The dechlorination proceeded at a relatively high rate even without ZnS nanocrystallites. The absorption spectrum measured for the mixture of 1,4-dichlorobenzene and TEA showed the appearance of a shoulder at the long wavelength edge of the absorption of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, suggesting the formation of the exciplex between the two compounds. The formation of the exciplex should contribute to the photochemical dechlorination without the catalyst. In our earlier report, ZnS nanocrystallites prepared in DMF act as a photocatalyst for the two-electron reduction of CO 2 to HCOOH or CO in the presence of triethylamine

Exploring autistic-like traits relating to empathic attitude and psychological distress in hospital pharmacists

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are expected to play a key role in modern cancer care. Research suggests that an empathic approach and attitude in medical staff improves the quality of patient care. An empathic attitude and psychological distress are thought to be associated with autistic-like traits, but little is known about such traits. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to clarify the associations among autistic-like traits, empathic attitude in a medical context, and psychological health in hospital pharmacists. SETTING: Eligibility criteria for inclusion were certified pharmacists working at hospitals for patient care who returned their questionnaires. METHOD: Eight hundred and twenty-three hospital pharmacists completed a number of self-administered questionnaires anonymously by mail. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scores were obtained on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Perspective Taking, IRI-Empathic Concern, IRIPersonal Distress). We performed correlation and mediation analyses to confirm that the empathy and general health questionnaires were associated with autism-spectrum quotient scores, and with each IRI subscale. RESULTS: Complete responses were obtained from 379 pharmacists comprising 151 males (39.8 %) with a mean age of 37.7 ± 10.8 years (missing data, n = 13) and a median of 11 years after qualification as a pharmacist. Autism-Spectrum Quotient scores were inversely correlated with empathy (r = -0.22, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with general health scores (r = 0.40, p < 0.001). In the models with mediation, the inverse correlation between autism-spectrum quotient and empathy scores was mediated indirectly by IRI-Perspective Taking and IRI-Empathic Concern, and the positive correlation between autism-spectrum quotient and general health was mediated indirectly by IRI-Personal Distress. There were also direct effects, with significant effects of autism-spectrum quotient on empathy and general health scores. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that autistic-like traits affect both empathic attitude in a medical context and the psychological health of pharmacists. We recommend that to improve empathy in those with high levels of autistic-like traits, we may need to develop specialized interventions, such as improving communication skills training

cis interaction of CD153 with TCR/CD3 is crucial for the pathogenic activation of senescence-associated T cells

老化T細胞が自己免疫病や慢性炎症疾患を引き起こすメカニズムを解明 --老化関連疾患克服への新しいアプローチ--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-09-22.With age, senescence-associated (SA) CD4+ T cells that are refractory to T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation are increased along with spontaneous germinal center (Spt-GC) development prone to autoantibody production. We demonstrate that CD153 and its receptor CD30 are expressed in SA-T and Spt-GC B cells, respectively, and deficiency of either CD153 or CD30 results in the compromised increase of both cell types. CD153 engagement on SA-T cells upon TCR stimulation causes association of CD153 with the TCR/CD3 complex and restores TCR signaling, whereas CD30 engagement on GC B cells induces their expansion. Administration of an anti-CD153 antibody blocking the interaction with CD30 suppresses the increase in both SA-T and Spt-GC B cells with age and ameliorates lupus in lupus-prone mice. These results suggest that the molecular interaction of CD153 and CD30 plays a central role in the reciprocal activation of SA-T and Spt-GC B cells, leading to immunosenescent phenotypes and autoimmunity

"Phase separation of co-evaporated ZnPc:C

We demonstrate phase separation of co-evaporated zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and fullerene (C 60) for efficient organic photovoltaic cells. With introducing a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) film and a crystalline copper iodide film on indium tin oxide, 20-nm-thick ZnPc film adopts a lying-down crystalline geometry with grain sizes of about 50 nm. This surface distributed with strong interaction areas and weak interaction areas enables the selective growth of ZnPc and C 60 molecules during following co-evaporation, which not only results in a phase separation but also improve the crystalline growth of C 60. This blend film greatly enhances the efficiencies in photocurrent generation and carrier transport, resulting in a high power conversion efficiency of 4.56 under 1 sun. © 2012 American Institute of Physics