Supporting Personhood in Dementia: Examining the Impact of Volition on Function in Everyday Occupations

Understanding volition and preferences for occupation is a critical underpinning of effective occupational therapy services that promote and preserve identity for persons with moderate dementia. Although it has been posited that this population has significant difficulty expressing volition for daily occupations, little research has examined the role of volition in guiding engagement in occupations. This phenomenological study provides an in-depth description and analysis of volition in eight persons with moderate dementia. Guiding questions related to understanding patterns of past life interests, outward demonstration of volition, volitional continuity. and the relationship of the social environment to volition and engagement in daily occupations, were used. Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit from one memory-support assisted living in a Midwestern continuing care retirement community. Participants were enrolled sequentially over an 11-month period. Participant observation and interviews of family and staff were the main data collection methods. The Volitional Questionnaire (VQ) was used to gain additional data about participants’ volition, and the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) provided a general indicator of cognitive impairment. Data analysis used van Manen’s phenomenological approach to uncover the phenomenon of volition. Three major themes emerged, and had a dynamic interaction: a) variation in volitional expression in the areas of interests, values, and personal causation, b) redefining meaningful occupation, reflected in four categories, and c) potency of the social environment, highlighting the pervasive influence of other people on participants’ volition. Participants’ lived experience of volition reflected the importance of the dynamic between the social environment and the person.The findings of this study support the importance of assessing volition for individuals in the context of their social world in order to maximize function and minimize excess disability. Further research is needed to address caregivers’ perceptions about volition, as well as examining the use of the VQ and specific intervention strategies that target volition

Phytochemical characterization of Tabernanthe iboga root bark and its effects on dysfunctional metabolism and cognitive performance in high-fat-fed C57BL/6J mice

Preparations of the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga have long been used in Central and West African traditional medicine to combat fatigue, as a neuro-stimulant in rituals, and for treatment of diabetes. The principal alkaloid of T. iboga, ibogaine, has attracted attention in many countries around the world for providing relief for opioid craving in drug addicts. Using a plant metabolomics approach, we detected five phenolic compounds, including 3- O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 30 alkaloids, seven of which were previously reported from T. iboga root bark. Following a report that iboga extracts contain insulinotropic agents, we aimed to determine the potential alleviating effects of the water extract of iboga root bark on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperglycemia as well as its effects on cognitive function in male C57BL/6J mice. Feeding a HFD to mice for 10 weeks produced manifestations of metabolic syndrome such as increased body weight and increased plasma levels of glucose, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, insulin, leptin, and pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-6, MCP-1, ICAM-1), as compared to mice fed a low-fat diet (LFD). Supplementation of HFD with iboga extract at ibogaine doses of 0.83 (low) and 2.07 (high) mg/kg/day did not improve these HFD-induced metabolic effects except for a reduction of plasma MCP-1 in the low dose group, indicative of an anti-inflammatory effect. When the HFD mice were tested in the water maze, the high-dose iboga extract caused hippocampus-dependent impairments in spatial learning and memory, as compared to mice receiving only a HFD.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Promoting Self-Management of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Through the Remotivation Process

Background. Lymphedema affects a significant number of women with breast cancer. Self-Management Programs (SMP) are important in the long-term management of chronic conditions such as lymphedema. Motivation is crucial in the daily performance of the SMP. The study explored the effect of the Remotivation Process on the motivation of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema to incorporate an SMP into their daily routine. Methodology. The study was a within-subjects quasi-experimental design that used the Volitional Questionnaire, frequency count of the SMP, and circumferential measurement as outcome measures. Eleven participants (n = 11) with breast cancer-related lymphedema completed the study that used the Remotivation Process as the intervention for 4 weeks with a follow-up session during the 8th week. Results. The participants progressed to a higher state of motivation on the Volitional Questionnaire at the end of the study. There was an increase in the performance of the exercise component of the SMP in 7 days, and a significant decrease in the circumferential measurement of the affected arm. There was also a positive correlation between VQ and circumferential measurements. Conclusion. The study suggests the usefulness of the Remotivation Process in an occupational therapy intervention to promote self-management. It can possibly facilitate motivation, improvement in the manifestation of lymphedema, and the daily performance of the self-management program for lymphedema

The rise and fall of aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Aspirin is one of the most frequently used drugs worldwide and is generally considered effective for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. By contrast, the role of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is controversial. Early trials evaluating aspirin for primary prevention, done before the turn of the millennium, suggested reductions in myocardial infarction and stroke (although not mortality), and an increased risk of bleeding. In an effort to balance the risks and benefits of aspirin, international guidelines on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease have typically recommended aspirin only when a substantial 10-year risk of cardiovascular events exists. However, in 2018, three large randomised clinical trials of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease showed little or no benefit and have even suggested net harm. In this narrative Review, we reappraise the role of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, contextualising data from historical and contemporary trials

Most Probable Number Rapid Viability PCR Method to Detect Viable Spores of Bacillus anthracis in Swab Samples

This note presents a comparison of Most-Probable-Number Rapid Viability (MPN-RV) PCR and traditional culture methods for the quantification of Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores in macrofoam swabs generated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a multi-center validation study aimed at testing environmental swab processing methods for recovery, detection, and quantification of viable B. anthracis spores from surfaces. Results show that spore numbers provided by the MPN RV-PCR method were in statistical agreement with the CDC conventional culture method for all three levels of spores tested (10{sup 4}, 10{sup 2}, and 10 spores) even in the presence of dirt. In addition to detecting low levels of spores in environmental conditions, the MPN RV-PCR method is specific, and compatible with automated high-throughput sample processing and analysis protocols

Antimicrobial Peptides Pom-1 and Pom-2 from Pomacea poeyana Are Active against Candida auris, C. parapsilosis and C. albicans Biofilms

Recently two peptides isolated from the Cuban freshwater snail Pomacea poeyana (Pilsbry, 1927) were described to have antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens. Here we show considerable activities of Pom-1 and Pom-2 to reduce the viability of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and the less common species C. auris measured as the decrease of metabolic activity in the resazurin reduction assay for planktonic cells. Although these activities were low, Pom-1 and Pom-2 turned out to be highly potent inhibitors of biofilm formation for the three Candida species tested. Whereas Pom-1 was slightly more active against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis as representatives of the more common Candida species Pom-2 showed no preference and was fully active also against biofilms of the more uncommon species C. auris. Pom-1 and Pom-2 may represent promising lead structures for the development of a classical peptide optimization strategy with the realistic aim to further increase antibiofilm properties and other pharmacologic parameters and to generate finally the first antifungal drug with a pronounced dedication against Candida biofilms

The neuroscience of social feelings:mechanisms of adaptive social functioning

Social feelings have conceptual and empirical connections with affect and emotion. In this review, we discuss how they relate to cognition, emotion, behavior and well-being. We examine the functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology of social feelings and their role in adaptive social functioning. Existing neuroscience literature is reviewed to identify concepts, methods and challenges that might be addressed by social feelings research. Specific topic areas highlight the influence and modulation of social feelings on interpersonal affiliation, parent-child attachments, moral sentiments, interpersonal stressors, and emotional communication. Brain regions involved in social feelings were confirmed by meta-analysis using the Neurosynth platform for large-scale, automated synthesis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Words that relate specifically to social feelings were identfied as potential research variables. Topical inquiries into social media behaviors, loneliness, trauma, and social sensitivity, especially with recent physical distancing for guarding public and personal health, underscored the increasing importance of social feelings for affective and second person neuroscience research with implications for brain development, physical and mental health, and lifelong adaptive functioning