Self-Efficacy, Trait Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion as Predictors of Risk of Substance Use Relapse

Previous research has demonstrated relationships among mindfulness, self-efficacy, and substance use relapse. Contrasting research has found mindfulness and self-efficacy are not consistently negatively associated with substance use relapse demonstrating a need for further research. An additional factor that has been found to associated with substance use is self-compassion; however, it has yet to be examined in relation to the process of relapse. The current study assessed self-efficacy, self-compassion, and mindfulness and their associations with substance use relapse, with the aim of predicting relapse risk. Higher levels of relapse risk were found to be negatively associated with self-efficacy, trait mindfulness, and self-compassion. Additionally, through a hierarchical regression, self-efficacy was found to significantly predict relapse risk. After adding trait mindfulness into the regression model, significantly more variance was explained for relapse risk. However, when self-compassion was added into the model, it was found to be still predictive of relapse risk but did not add a significant amount of variance to the model. Findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of self-compassion, self-efficacy and trait mindfulness are less likely to relapse while in recovery from substance use. The current study’s findings indicate these three variables play a role in substance use relapse and have potential to be utilized in integrated relapse prevention treatments. Implications for substance use programs and integrated treatments are discussed, as well as strengths and limitations of the study and suggestions for future research

Why do proteins use selenocysteine instead of cysteine?

Selenocysteine is present in a variety of proteins and catalyzes the oxidation of thiols to disulfides and the reduction of disulfides to thiols. Here, we compare the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of cysteine with its selenium-containing analogon, selenocysteine. Reactions of simple selenols at pH 7 are up to four orders of magnitude faster than their sulfur analogs, depending on reaction type. In redox-related proteins, the use of selenium instead of sulfur can be used to tune electrode, or redox, potentials. Selenocysteine could also have a protective effect in proteins because its one-electron oxidized product, the selanyl radical, is not oxidizing enough to modify or destroy proteins, whereas the cysteine-thiyl radical can do this very rapidl

Protein thiyl radical reactions and product formation: a kinetic simulation

Protein thiyl radicals are important intermediates generated in redox processes of thiols and disulfides. Thiyl radicals efficiently react with glutathione and ascorbate, and the common notion is that these reactions serve to eliminate thiyl radicals before they can enter potentially hazardous processes. However, over the past years increasing evidence has been provided for rather efficient intramolecular hydrogen transfer processes of thiyl radicals in proteins and peptides. Based on rate constants published for these processes, we have performed kinetic simulations of protein thiyl radical reactivity. Our simulations suggest that protein thiyl radicals enter intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions to a significant extent even under physiologic conditions, i.e. in the presence of 30 μM oxygen, 1 mM ascorbate and 10 mM glutathione. At lower concentrations of ascorbate and glutathione, frequently observed when tissue is exposed to oxidative stress, the extent of irreversible protein thiyl radical-dependent protein modification increases

Heart Failure Family Caregivers: Psychometrics of a New Quality of Life Scale and Variables Associated with Caregiving Outcomes

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)The number of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) is at an all-time high and the incidence is expected to increase as our population ages. HF patients experience impaired cognition, exertional shortness of breath, and persistent fatigue; therefore, family members are needed to assist with their care at home. Although existing literature suggests that HF caregivers experience negative physical, mental, and social outcomes, there is a lack of studies guided by a conceptual model to determine factors associated with these outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with HF caregiver depressive symptoms, life changes, and quality of life guided by a conceptual model derived from Lazarus and colleagues’ transactional approach to stress. Psychometric properties of a new HF caregiver-specific quality of life (HFCQL) scale were also determined. Using a descriptive design, a convenience sample of 100 HF caregivers was interviewed by telephone using established measures along with the new HFCQL scale. The 16-item HFCQL scale, which measures physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being demonstrated evidence of internal consistency reliability (alpha = .89); 2-week test-retest reliability (ICC = .83); construct validity, as evaluated with factor analysis (loadings > .32) and hierarchical multiple regression (59% variance, p < .001); and criterion validity, as shown with significant (p < .001) correlations with the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (r = .73), SF-36 general and mental health (r = .45; .59), and a single overall QOL item (r = .71). Using hierarchical multiple regression, the model constructs accounted for 35% variance of depressive symptoms, 46% variance of life changes, and 59% variance of HFCQL (p < .001). Factors significantly associated with these outcomes included caregiving task difficulty, uncertainty, social support, and threat appraisal. Support for the conceptual model was provided, and potential areas for intervention development were identified. The new HFCQL scale showed potential as a quality outcome measure in HF caregivers, and might be used to screen HF caregivers for poor quality of life. Further research using the proposed conceptual model and the HFCQL scale is warranted. Tamilyn Bakas, DNS, RN, Chai

Reduction of protein radicals by GSH and ascorbate: potential biological significance

The oxidation of proteins and other macromolecules by radical species under conditions of oxidative stress can be modulated by antioxidant compounds. Decreased levels of the antioxidants glutathione and ascorbate have been documented in oxidative stress-related diseases. A radical generated on the surface of a protein can: (1) be immediately and fully repaired by direct reaction with an antioxidant; (2) react with dioxygen to form the corresponding peroxyl radical; or (3) undergo intramolecular long range electron transfer to relocate the free electron to another amino acid residue. In pulse radiolysis studies, in vitro production of the initial radical on a protein is conveniently made at a tryptophan residue, and electron transfer often leads ultimately to residence of the unpaired electron on a tyrosine residue. We review here the kinetics data for reactions of the antioxidants glutathione, selenocysteine, and ascorbate with tryptophanyl and tyrosyl radicals as free amino acids in model compounds and proteins. Glutathione repairs a tryptophanyl radical in lysozyme with a rate constant of (1.05±0.05)×105M-1s-1, while ascorbate repairs tryptophanyl and tyrosyl radicals ca. 3 orders of magnitude faster. The in vitro reaction of glutathione with these radicals is too slow to prevent formation of peroxyl radicals, which become reduced by glutathione to hydroperoxides; the resulting glutathione thiyl radical is capable of further radical generation by hydrogen abstraction. Although physiologically not significant, selenoglutathione reduces tyrosyl radicals as fast as ascorbate. The reaction of protein radicals formed on insulin, β-lactoglobulin, pepsin, chymotrypsin and bovine serum albumin with ascorbate is relatively rapid, competes with the reaction with dioxygen, and the relatively innocuous ascorbyl radical is formed. On the basis of these kinetics data, we suggest that reductive repair of protein radicals may contribute to the well-documented depletion of ascorbate in living organisms subjected to oxidative stres

Pain Experiences and Their Relation to Opioid Misuse Risk and Emotion Dysregulation

Pain is a complex, multidimensional experience but often is measured as a unidimensional experience. This study aimed to separately assess the sensory and affective components of pain and identify their relations to important pain-related outcomes, particularly in terms of opioid misuse risk and emotion dysregulation among patients with chronic pain receiving treatment in Appalachia. Two hundred and twelve patients presenting to a multidisciplinary pain center completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18), Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain—Revised (SOAPP-R), and short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). The sensory experience of pain was unrelated to emotion dysregulation (r = 0.06, p = 0.57) and weakly related to opioid misuse risk (r = 0.182, p \u3c 0.05). In contrast, the affective experience of pain was moderately related to emotion dysregulation (r = 0.217, p \u3c 0.05) and strongly related to opioid misuse risk (r = 0.37, p \u3c 0.01). In addition, emotion dysregulation predicted variance in opioid misuse risk above and beyond the affective and sensory experiences of pain ((b = 0.693, p \u3c 0.001). The results suggest patients with a strong affective experience versus sensory experience of pain and challenges with emotion regulation may require a more comprehensive intervention to address these underlying components in order to reduce their risk of misusing opioid medications