The development of compassionate engagement and action scales for self and others

Background Studies of the value of compassion on physical and mental health and social relationships have proliferated in the last 25 years. Although, there are several conceptualisations and measures of compassion, this study develops three new measures of compassion competencies derived from an evolutionary, motivational approach. The scales assess 1. the compassion we experience for others, 2. the compassion we experience from others, and 3. self-compassion based on a standard definition of compassion as a ‘sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it’. We explored these in relationship to other compassion scales, self-criticism, depression, anxiety, stress and well-being. Methods Participants from three different countries (UK, Portugal and USA) completed a range of scales including compassion for others, self-compassion, self-criticism, shame, depression, anxiety and stress with the newly developed ‘The Compassionate Engagement and Actions’ scale. Results All three scales have good validity. Interestingly, we found that the three orientations of compassion are only moderately correlated to one another (r < .5). We also found that some elements of self-compassion (e.g., being sensitive to, and moved by one’s suffering) have a complex relationship with other attributes of compassion (e.g., empathy), and with depression, anxiety and stress. A path-analysis showed that self-compassion is a significant mediator of the association between self-reassurance and well-being, while self-criticism has a direct effect on depressive symptoms, not mediated by self-compassion. Discussion Compassion evolved from caring motivation and in humans is associated with a range of different socially intelligent competencies. Understanding how these competencies can be inhibited and facilitated is an important research endeavour. These new scales were designed to assess these competencies. Conclusions This is the first study to measure the three orientations of compassion derived from an evolutionary model of caring motivation with specified competencies. Our three new measures of compassion further indicate important complex relationships between different potentiation’s of compassion, well-being, and vulnerability to psychopathologies.N/

Amazon tree dominance across forest strata

The forests of Amazonia are among the most biodiverse plant communities on Earth. Given the immediate threats posed by climate and land-use change, an improved understanding of how this extraordinary biodiversity is spatially organized is urgently required to develop effective conservation strategies. Most Amazonian tree species are extremely rare but a few are common across the region. Indeed, just 227 ‘hyperdominant’ species account for >50% of all individuals >10 cm diameter at 1.3 m in height. Yet, the degree to which the phenomenon of hyperdominance is sensitive to tree size, the extent to which the composition of dominant species changes with size class and how evolutionary history constrains tree hyperdominance, all remain unknown. Here, we use a large floristic dataset to show that, while hyperdominance is a universal phenomenon across forest strata, different species dominate the forest understory, midstory and canopy. We further find that, although species belonging to a range of phylogenetically dispersed lineages have become hyperdominant in small size classes, hyperdominants in large size classes are restricted to a few lineages. Our results demonstrate that it is essential to consider all forest strata to understand regional patterns of dominance and composition in Amazonia. More generally, through the lens of 654 hyperdominant species, we outline a tractable pathway for understanding the functioning of half of Amazonian forests across vertical strata and geographical locations

Chemosystematics of the Rosiflorae

The superorder Rosiflorae (sensu Dahlgren, 1980) belongs to the Angiospermae. It comprises twelve orders and thirty-eight families formed of species with varied habits widely distributed in temperate regions. The chemistry of Rosiflorae species is highly diversified; nevertheless it shows clearly phylogenetic affinity among the orders, except for Buxales. Flavonoids and triterpenoids are the real taxonomic markers for the superorder, due not only to the great number of occurrences, but also to the high structural diversity. On the other hand, the alkaloids are suitable as chemical markers only for the order Buxales. For orders and families of Rosiflorae, analysis of correlations among chemical parameters based on flavonoids and triterpenoids, with themselves and with the morphological and chemo-morphological parameters, showed evolutionary gradients among these taxa in which Trochodendrales occupy a primitive position while Saxifragales have the outpost. According to the types of flavonoids found in the superorder, there is clearly a higher incidence of flavonols than flavones, suggesting a primitive status of the Rosiflorae. Evolutionary advancement parameters relative to flavonoid hydroxyl protection show preferential protection mechanisms of glycosylation against methylation as well as a high percentage of free hydroxyl groups. The order Buxales has an isolated position in the superorder Rosiflorae with a high alkaloid production, which is quite exclusive to this taxon

Chemosystematics of the Rosiflorae

The superorder Rosiflorae (sensu Dahlgren, 1980) belongs to the Angiospermae. It comprises twelve orders and thirty-eight families formed of species with varied habits widely distributed in temperate regions. The chemistry of Rosiflorae species is highly diversified; nevertheless it shows clearly phylogenetic affinity among the orders, except for Buxales. Flavonoids and triterpenoids are the real taxonomic markers for the superorder, due not only to the great number of occurrences, but also to the high structural diversity. On the other hand, the alkaloids are suitable as chemical markers only for the order Buxales. For orders and families of Rosiflorae, analysis of correlations among chemical parameters based on flavonoids and triterpenoids, with themselves and with the morphological and chemo-morphological parameters, showed evolutionary gradients among these taxa in which Trochodendrales occupy a primitive position while Saxifragales have the outpost. According to the types of flavonoids found in the superorder, there is clearly a higher incidence of flavonols than flavones, suggesting a primitive status of the Rosiflorae. Evolutionary advancement parameters relative to flavonoid hydroxyl protection show preferential protection mechanisms of glycosylation against methylation as well as a high percentage of free hydroxyl groups. The order Buxales has an isolated position in the superorder Rosiflorae with a high alkaloid production, which is quite exclusive to this taxon

An optimized nanoparticle delivery system based on chitosan and chondroitin sulfate molecules reduces the toxicity of amphotericin B and is effective in treating tegumentary leishmaniasis

Tatiana G Ribeiro,1 Ju&ccedil;ara R Franca,1 Leonardo L Fuscaldi,1 Mara L Santos,2 Mariana C Duarte,3 Paula S Lage,3 Vivian T Martins,4 Lourena E Costa,3 Simone OA Fernandes,1,5 Valbert N Cardoso,1,5 Rachel O Castilho,1,6 Manuel Soto,7 Carlos AP Tavares,4 Andr&eacute; AG Faraco,1,6 Eduardo AF Coelho,3,8,* Miguel A Ch&aacute;vez-Fumagalli3,* 1Programa de P&oacute;s-Gradua&ccedil;&atilde;o em Ci&ecirc;ncias Farmac&ecirc;uticas, Faculdade de Farm&aacute;cia, 2Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ci&ecirc;ncias Biol&oacute;gicas, 3Programa de P&oacute;s-Gradua&ccedil;&atilde;o em Ci&ecirc;ncias da Sa&uacute;de: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, 4Departamento de Bioqu&iacute;mica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ci&ecirc;ncias Biol&oacute;gicas, 5Departamento de An&aacute;lises Cl&iacute;nicas e Toxicol&oacute;gicas, 6Departamento de Produtos Farmac&ecirc;uticos, Faculdade de Farm&aacute;cia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; 7Centro de Biolog&iacute;a Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Departamento de Biolog&iacute;a Molecular, Universidad Aut&oacute;noma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; 8Departamento de Patologia Cl&iacute;nica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Amphotericin B (AmpB) is active against leishmaniasis, but its use is hampered due to its high toxicity observed in patients. In this study, a nanoparticles-delivery system for AmpB (NQC-AmpB), containing chitosan and chondroitin sulfate molecules, was evaluated in BALB/c mice against Leishmania amazonensis. An in vivo biodistribution study, including biochemical and toxicological evaluations, was performed to evaluate the toxicity of AmpB. Nanoparticles were radiolabeled with technetium-99m and injected in mice. The products presented a similar biodistribution in the liver, spleen, and kidneys of the animals. Free AmpB induced alterations in the body weight of the mice, which, in the biochemical analysis, indicated hepatic and renal injury, as well as morphological damage to the kidneys of the animals. In general, no significant organic alteration was observed in the animals treated with NQC-AmpB. Mice were infected with L. amazonensis and treated with the nanoparticles or free AmpB; then, parasitological and immunological analyses were performed. The NQC-AmpB group, as compared to the control groups, presented significant reductions in the lesion size and in the parasite burden in all evaluated organs. These animals presented significantly higher levels of IFN-&gamma; and IL-12, and low levels of IL-4&nbsp;and IL-10, when compared to the control groups. The NQC-AmpB system was effective in reducing the infection in the animals, and proved to be effective in diminishing the toxicity evoked by AmpB, which was observed when it was administered alone. In conclusion, NQC-AmpB could be considered a viable possibility for future studies in the treatment of leishmaniasis. Keywords: in vivo treatment, Leishmania amazonensis, nanoparticles, chitosan, chondroitin sulfat