Self-compassion is associated with optimum self-care behaviour, medical outcomes and psychological well-being in a cross-sectional sample of adults with diabetes.

AIM: To investigate the role of self-compassion in diabetes outcomes. Self-compassion is a construct which may be relevant to chronic conditions, given its focus on compassion toward oneself, especially in times of difficulty. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study we collected data online from 310 adults diagnosed with diabetes. The questionnaire measured three primary outcomes: self-management behaviours; HbA1c levels and psychological well-being. Potential predictors were also assessed, including self-compassion, locus of control, social support and demographics. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses showed that self-compassion had the most consistent association with better outcomes, including all forms of self-management behaviour, HbA1c levels and psychological well-being. Self-compassion was independently associated with 55.1% of the variance in well-being. Internal locus of control was also significantly associated with better well-being and HbA1c outcomes. Chance and external locus of control and social support were generally associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of self-compassion are typically associated with improved self-management behaviour, medical outcomes and psychological well-being in adults with diabetes mellitus. The present findings suggest that self-compassion may be a parsimonious and suitable intervention target. Future interventions and consultations with medical professionals may benefit from fostering self-compassion in adults with diabetes mellitus.

Analytical methods for the monitoring of solid phase organic synthesis.

Solid phase synthesis (SPS) is a powerful technique to assemble compound libraries in high-throughput parallel and combinatorial synthesis. The widespread applications of these techniques required the development of analytical methods for both structural elucidation and reaction monitoring. This review covers some recently developed techniques for on-bead analyses together with solution-state ones. Particular emphasis is devoted to software and hardware improvements for automated high-throughput analysis.

Dansyl and dabsyl analytical constructs as tools for the accurate estimation of compounds in solid-phase synthesis.

The presence of dansyl or dabsyl chromogenic moieties in a solid-phase analytical construct, an assembly of linkers/spacers/sensitizers for improving analytical characterization, allows the accurate estimation of products from solid-phase synthesis by UV detection during liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis in the cleavage solution. The spectroscopic properties of dansylated molecules have been evaluated to verify the "compound-independent UV absorption" necessary for using the chromophore in the accurate estimation. First, measurements on commercial dansylated compounds were made, then a series of construct-like molecules were prepared by solution-phase synthetic procedures and their UV properties were determined. Compound calibration curves were determined, and UV absorption was shown to be both proportional to the compound concentration and compound-independent. An example of a dansyl construct derivative was then prepared on a polymeric matrix, and an accurate estimation using the calibration curves was carried out in the cleavage solution. Good agreement was found between the calculated amount of released compound using the UV calibration curves and the calculated amount using both (1)H NMR and LC/chemiluminescent nitrogen detection quantitative techniques. Preliminary studies using the dabsyl moiety as an improved chromophore with higher wavelength and extinction coefficient are also reported.

Synthesis and SAR of new 5-phenyl-3-ureido-1,5-benzodiazepines as cholecystokinin-B receptor antagonists.

A series of 5-phenyl-3-ureidobenzodiazepine-2,4-diones was synthesized and evaluated as cholecystokinin-B (CCK-B) receptor antagonists. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed the importance of the N-1 substituent for potent and selective CCK-B affinity. Addition of substituents at the urea side chain provided in some cases more potent compounds. Moreover the introduction of bulky substituents such as adamantylmethyl at N-1 and resolution of the racemic ureas resulted in our lead compound GV150013.

Solid-phase/solution-phase combinatorial synthesis of neuroimmunophilin ligands.

A novel solid-phase/solution-phase strategy for the synthesis of neuroimmunophilin ligands based on GPI 1046 was developed. The synthesis employs a solid-phase esterification strategy followed by a solution-phase pyruvic amide formation to produce multi-milligram quantities of discrete compounds for assay. The protocol was applied to a production library of 880 discrete compounds. A highlight of the strategy is an aqueous extractive purification of the final compounds using a novel liquid/ice extraction system developed for high throughput.