Sense of purpose in life and extending the cognitive healthspan: evidence from multistate survival modeling.

Having a sense of purpose in life predicts better maintenance of cognitive function in older adulthood and reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. However, little research has examined its influence on the rate of cognitive decline and length of cognitive healthspan. This study evaluated the role of sense of purpose on the risk and timing of transitions between normal cognition, MCI, and dementia. Older adults from the Memory and Aging Project (MAP; n = 1821) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 10,542) were followed annually for 19 years and biennially for 12 years, respectively. Multistate survival models assessed whether sense of purpose predicted transitions across normal cognition, MCI, dementia, and death. More purposeful older adults had lower risk of developing MCI (HR = 0.82 in MAP; HR = 0.93 in HRS), higher likelihood of cognitive improvement, and longer cognitively healthy life expectancies. Results suggest sense of purpose may extend the cognitive healthspan.

Reflective practice is a prerequisite for One Health development.

One Health is being promoted as a transformative approach in health, conservation, and environmental sustainability. The polycrisis of climate change, pandemics, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, pollution and inequity is creating an urgency to evolve the epistemology and methods of One Health. However, the amount of effort placed into critical and systematic reflection on One Health is outweighed by advocacy for its use, or for expanding its scope of practice. This paper advocates for reflective One Health practice to foster new ways of knowing and doing that are helpful in the face of a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to preserve the social and environmental factors that secure health and resilience for all species and generations. We propose six areas for reflection; (1) how to moderate conformity so that One Health does not become its own silo; (2) finding the moral purpose of One Health to align actions with desired outcomes; (3) coping with the problem of too many interacting problems; (4) the strategic trajectory of growth to accelerate action on root causes and ensure One Health is future-ready; (5) how to identify priorities across a vast array of problems, values, and needs and (6) how to know if we are making the world healthier and safer and for whom. Reflective practice requires investment in ongoing conversation to guard against over-confidence that we have captured the "one right way" to meet changing expectations and circumstances in a fair and effective way. Our intention is to stimulate thinking and discussion within the One Health community to ensure that "doing is shaped by knowing". We hope One Health will continue to be an emergent and highly variable set of ever more effective practices that constantly changes in response to the complex, interconnected and changing problems facing the health of people, animals, and the environment.

Relations of optimism and purpose in life to immune markers in aging.

OBJECTIVE: Optimism and purpose in life are associated with improved health outcomes. More information is needed on biological mechanisms, including immunosenescence. We investigated if psychological well-being is associated with healthier immunosenescence-related measures including naïve and terminally differentiated CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages, CD4+:CD8+, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG response. METHODS: Participants were adults over age 50 from the Health and Retirement Study. Optimism was measured using the Life Orientation Test Revised. Purpose in life was assessed using the subscale from the Ryff psychological well-being measure. We examined the cross-sectional associations of optimism and purpose in life with measures of T cell subsets using linear regression and with CMV IgG using ordered logit regression, controlling for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: The final analytic sample ranged from 7250 to 7870. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, a 1-SD increment in optimism was associated with the percentage of naïve CD4+ T cells increasing by 0.6 (95%CI 0.2%, 1.0%). A 1-SD increment in purpose in life was associated with the percentage of naïve CD4+ T cells increasing by 0.9 (95%CI 0.5%, 1.3%) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and the association was maintained after further adjustments for health conditions, depression, and health behaviors. For naïve CD8+ T cell percentages, CD4:CD8 ratios, and CMV IgG antibodies, associations were seen only in models that adjusted for age. No significant associations were seen in any models for the terminally differentiated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: We found associations of optimism and purpose in life with naïve CD4+ T cell percentages.

Role of self-actualization in green production behavior: Evidence from rice smallholders in China.

Understanding who adopt green production and why they choose this strategy is an important issue that needs to be addressed in the context of increasingly severe agricultural pollution. Previous studies have generally investigated subsistence-oriented smallholders, typically employing profit maximization or risk minimization models. However, Chinese farmers have differentiated, and have unique characteristics. This study collected data from 960 random samples of rice farmers and conducted quantitative analysis. The findings reveal that 94.9 % of the farmers had less than 2-ha rice-planting area, and 80.21 % of farmers reported that their purpose of planting rice was for family self-feeding. Furthermore, the new standard to define smallholder based on whether their production purpose is self-feeding or selling and found that non-smallholders had an overall advantage and passed the t-test. Even more non-smallholder (76.32 %) intentionally chose green pesticide than smallholders (66.1 %), but their decision-making logic was different. Binary logistic regression results show that three aspects of self-actualization (environmental, market, and personal) positively and significantly affected the green production behavior of smallholders, but not significant for non-smallholders. This study suggests that in China, where smallholders are the mainstay of agriculture production, green production by smallholders will greatly improve the ecological environment and provide high quality agricultural products.

Social connection and self-neglect: A case for broader exploration.

Self-neglect (SN) is the most common report to Adult Protective Services (APS) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality risks for older adults. Lack of instrumental support is a well-evidenced etiologic factor in the development and continuation of SN, but little is known about other modifiable social connection characteristics. The social connection framework, provides a host of evidence-based characteristics across structure, function, quality missing from SN studies that could be identified if explored. These factors could provide prevention and intervention targets related to poor health. We present a narrative case study using quantitative and qualitative data to explore social connection across structure, function, and quality in the context of SN. The findings highlight the complexity of social connection that may be frequently observed in SN cases reported to APS. Strategic utilization of direct and indirect social interventions to support social connection in this case is presented and provides general considerations that may be generalizable to other SN cases. Thoughts for future research on social connection in this population are provided.

Functional connectivity density aberrance in type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without mild cognitive impairment.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping and their impact on functional connectivity (FC) among individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) across different cognitive states. Moreover, the study sought to explore the potential association between aberrant FCD/FC patterns and clinical or cognitive variables. Methods: A total of 211 participants were recruited for this study, consisting of 75 healthy controls (HCs), 89 T2DM patients with normal cognitive function (DMCN), and 47 T2DM patients with mild cognitive impairment (DMCI). The study employed FCD analysis to pinpoint brain regions exhibiting significant FCD alterations. Subsequently, these regions showing abnormal FCD served as seeds for FC analysis. Exploratory partial correlations were conducted to explore the relationship between clinical biochemical indicators, neuropsychological test scores, and altered FCD or FC. Results: The FCD analysis revealed an increased trend in global FCD (gFCD), local FCD (lFCD), and long-range FCD (lrFCD) within the bilateral supramarginal gyrus (SMG) among individuals with DMCN. Additionally, significant lFCD alterations were observed in the right inferior frontal gyrus and left precuneus when comparing DMCN to HCs and DMCI. Conclusion: When comparing individuals with T2DM and healthy controls (HCs), it was revealed that DMCN exhibited significant improvements in FCD. This suggests that the brain may employ specific compensatory mechanisms to maintain normal cognitive function at this stage. Our findings provide a novel perspective on the neural mechanisms involved in cognitive decline associated with T2DM.

"What Is the Point of Human Beings?"

Climate change caused by human activities is a serious threat to the survival of our species, and one that we have not yet mustered the perspective and the will to address. Our vision tends to focus on what is useful to ourselves as individuals in the short term, instead of more broadly on what is needed for the long-term good of our species. We do not consider what our purpose and role could be in the life of our planet. We do not ask "What is the point of human beings?" In this time of climate crisis, answering this question by developing a shared sense of purpose, a purpose centered on caring for the world as a whole, might give our species the perspective and will we need to survive.

A hybrid IA-LC-MS/MS method for adrenocorticotropic hormone(1-24) to support interpretation of low-dose cosyntropin-stimulation test.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone 1-24 (ACTH[1-24]) has a similar effect as endogenous ACTH(1-39) to generate cortisol by targeting the MC2R receptor on the adrenal gland. A new investigational ACTH receptor antagonist drug is being developed to treat diseases of ACTH excess (e.g., Cushing's disease) by binding to the MC2R receptor. Administration of ACTH(1-24) was used in a Phase I clinical study to assess the ability of this drug candidate to suppress the cortisol response to ACTH stimulation. A hybrid immunoaffinity-LCMS assay measuring ACTH(1-24) with a concentration range of 10 to 400 pg/ml was developed to support the study. Consistent and acceptable A&P results were achieved. The assay development and qualification will be discussed.

[Box: see text].

Patient-advocate-led global coalition adapting fit-for-purpose outcomes measures to assure meaningful inclusion of DEEs in clinical trials.

Existing clinical tools that measure non-seizure outcomes lack the range and granularity needed to capture skills in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE)-affected individuals who also fall in the severe to profound range of intellectual disability. This effectively excludes those with severe impairments from clinical trials, impeding the ability of sponsors to evaluate disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). The Inchstone Project, an international, patient advocate-led collaboration, brings together leading researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, and advocates to develop an adapted, validated assessment battery within 5 years. The goal is to support trials of DMTs for the DEEs by providing sufficiently sensitive measurement tools to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy. An initial pilot study administered 7 established assessments to 10 individuals affected by SCN2A-DEE, identifying specific limitations of existing measures and areas for improvement. It was clear that most tools do not account for challenges throughout the DEE population, including vision impairments, significant motor impairments and profound intellectual disability, which need to be accounted for in creating a 'fit-for-purpose' battery for the DEE population. Several novel assessments, including two measures of responsivity developed for use in monitoring recovery after acquired brain injury as well as individualized Goal Attainment Scaling, showed promise in this group. The team also completed a DEE-wide survey with over 270 caregivers documenting their children's abilities and priorities for their improvement from new treatments. The Inchstone team is using this information to evaluate how existing tools might be updated to better capture what is most important to families and measure their child's small but important improvements over time. These efforts are building a coherent picture across multiple DEEs of what domains, or concepts of interest, have the greatest impact on most patients and families. The Inchstone team is on course to adapt non-seizure outcome measures that are (1) sufficiently sensitive to measure small increments of meaningful change ('Inchstones') and (2) applicable to multiple DEE conditions.

DEE-P Connection's Inchstone project is adapting assessment tools to measure the smallest developmental changes in those affected by developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) - severe epilepsy and related developmental disorders. More sensitive measures will allow profoundly impacted individuals to be effectively included in clinical trials and result in better DEE treatments. Caregivers of children with DEEs understand firsthand that clinical tools intended to measure non-seizure outcomes, like communication and motor skills, were not designed for and don't work for their children. More sensitive tools are needed to measure the small changes that occur in DEEs. The limitations of existing measurement tools for DEEs have significant consequences: - Non-seizure responses to new therapies cannot be measured without tools designed specifically for individuals with severe to profound intellectual disability.- If a response cannot be measured in a trial, a potentially beneficial impact will be missed and a therapy, having failed to demonstrate an effect, may not gain regulatory approval.- DEE-affected individuals are less likely to benefit from the wave of new disease-modifying therapies providing hope for many other rare genetic diseases. DEE-P Connections, a patient advocacy organization supporting families caring for those severely affected by DEEs, launched The Inchstone Project to address this problem. This team science research collaborative unites researchers, pharmaceutical companies, advocates and others around a shared vision of adapting existing tools to reliably capture the small but important changes in skills in those severely affected by DEEs. To better understand these gaps, the Inchstone team conducted a pilot study with 10 children with SCN2A DEE. The team administered multiple assessments to explore how to adapt the tools to better capture the abilities and growth of this population. The team also completed a comprehensive DEE-wide survey with over 270 caregivers documenting their children's abilities and priorities for their improvement from new treatments, helping to document how existing tools may be updated to better capture what's most important to families and measure their children's small but important improvements over time. The Inchstone Project is on course to assure those profoundly impacted by DEEs are meaningfully included in clinical trials by establishing trusted and reliable non-seizure measurement tools.

Social participation and mental well-being: Does purpose in life mediate the association among older adults?

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association of social participation with mental well-being among older people and whether purpose in life mediates the potential association. METHOD: Cross-sectional (n = 1014) and longitudinal (n = 660, four-year follow-up) data comprised of three age cohorts (75, 80, and 85 years) of community-dwelling people. Life satisfaction was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale, depressive symptoms with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and purpose in life with the Scales of Psychological Well-Being purpose in life subscale. Social participation was assessed with questions concerning the frequency of meeting close friends and acquaintances, and volunteering. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Higher social participation was associated with higher life satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms both cross-sectionally and after a four-year follow-up. Higher purpose in life mediated the associations of more social participation with higher life satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms cross-sectionally. In the longitudinal data, the mediation effect was not observed. CONCLUSION: Older people with frequent social participation who had a sense of purpose in their lives will likely have higher mental well-being than those with less social participation. Enabling and supporting them to conduct purposeful actions in social contexts may help maintain their mental well-being.

Evaluation of selection strategies in dual-purpose and specialized breeding of indigenous chicken.

This study aimed to evaluate various selection strategies for adoption in dual-purpose (ICD), meat (ICM) and layer (ICL) breeding goals in indigenous chicken breeding programs. The ICM goal aimed to improve live weight (LW12), daily gain (ADG) and egg weight (EW12) or together with feed efficiency and antibody response. For the ICL goal, age at first egg (AFE) and egg number (EN12) or together with feed efficiency and antibody response were targeted. In the ICD goal, the objective was to improve LW12, ADG, AFE and EN12 or together with feed efficiency and antibody response. Highest total index responses of US$ 49.83, US$ 65.71, and US$ 37.90 were estimated in indices targeting only production traits in the ICD, ICM and ICL goals, respectively. Highest index accuracy estimates of 0.77 and 0.70 were observed in indices that considered production and feed-related traits in the ICD and ICL goals, respectively, while in the ICM goal, the highest estimate of 0.96 was observed in an index targeting only production traits. Inbreeding levels ranged from 0.60 to 1.14% across the various indices considered in the breeding goals. Targeting only production traits in the ICD, ICM and ICL goals required the least number of generations of selection of 7.46, 5.50, and 8.52, respectively, to achieve predefined gains. Generally, a strategy targeting only production traits in a goal was the most optimal but resulted to unfavorable correlated responses in feed efficiency and antibody response. Addition of feed efficiency or/and antibody response in a goal was, however, not attractive due to the decline in total index response and accuracy and increase in inbreeding levels and number of generations of selection. Considering the feed availability and disease challenges in the tropics, choice of including feed efficiency or/and antibody response in the ICD, ICM and ICL goals should depend on targeted production system, resource availability to support breeding activities and magnitude of correlated responses on these traits when not included in the goals.

Purpose in life moderates the relationship between loneliness and caregiving stress among family caregivers of people with mental health problems.

OBJECTIVE: Providing care to others can exert a profound impact on caregivers' sense of purpose or meaning in life, thereby reciprocally influencing the caregivers' overall health and well-being. This study aims to investigate whether the sense of purpose in life moderates the association between loneliness and caregiving stress among family caregivers of people with mental health problems. METHODS: A sample of family caregivers of people with mental health problems (N = 468, 57.1 % female) drawn from the 2020 survey of the Caregiving in the U.S. was investigated. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and a multiple regression with an interaction term were performed. RESULTS: Higher levels of loneliness were associated with enhanced caregiving stress. Moreover, after demographic and care-related factors were controlled for, the association between loneliness and caregiving stress was moderated by purpose in life; namely, as the sense of purpose in life increased, so did the intensity of the relationship between loneliness and caregiving stress. CONCLUSION: Reducing loneliness or strengthening the sense of purpose helps alleviate caregiving stress, and lonely family caregivers with a strong sense of purpose deserve extra attention.

Purpose in life and stress: An individual-participant meta-analysis of 16 samples.

Background: Purpose in life is a psychological resource that has been associated with better regulation of stress. The present research reports a coordinated analysis of the association between purpose in life and subjective stress and evaluates potential sociodemographic and mental health moderators of this association. Methods: With individual participant data from 16 samples (total N=108,391), linear regression examined the association between purpose in life and general subjective feelings of stress, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Greater purpose in life was associated with less subjective stress (meta-analytic estimate=-.228, 95% Confidence Interval=-.292, -.164; p<.001). Interaction terms between sociodemographic factors and purpose tested in the individual samples and synthesized with meta-analysis were not significant, which indicated that the association between purpose and stress was similar across age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education. The association was also not moderated by psychological distress. Meta-regressions further indicated that this association was generally similar across scale length, content of the purpose measure, and across samples from Eastern and Western countries. Limitations: The associations reported are observational. Experimental work is needed to evaluate causality. Conclusions: Purpose in life is associated with less subjective stress across populations. Less subjective stress may be one mechanism through which purpose contributes to better mental and physical health.

Review of Codonopsis Radix biological activities: A plant of traditional Chinese tonic.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Codonopsis Radix, commonly known as Dangshen in Chinese, is frequently used to treat deficiencies of spleen and lung Qi, gastrointestinal discomfort, fatigue, asthmatic breathing, sallow complexion, lack of strength, shortness of breath, deficiencies of both Qi and blood, as well as impairments to both Qi and body fluids in suboptimal health status. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This review systematically expounds on the modern pharmacological studies related to the use of Codonopsis Radix in invigorating Qi and nourishing the body in recent years. The aim is to provide theoretical research and reference for the in-depth and systematic exploration and development of the applications of Codonopsis Radix in the fields of food and medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study employs "Codonopsis Radix," "Codonopsis," and "Dangshen" as keywords to gather pertinent information on Codonopsis Radix medicine through electronic searches of classical literature and databases such as PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Wiley, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Baidu Scholar. RESULTS: From previous studies, activities such as immune system modulation, gastrointestinal motility regulation, cardiac function revitalization, lung function improvement, blood circulation enhancement, aging process deceleration, learning and memory augmentation, fatigue resistance enhancement, and liver and kidney damage protection of Codonopsis Radix have been reported. Recognized as an important medicine and food homologous traditional Chinese herbal remedy for supplementing deficiencies, its mode of action is multi-elemental, multi-systemic, multi-organ, multi-mechanistic, and multi-targeted. Furthermore, the benefits of its tonic surpass its therapeutic value, establishing it as an extraordinary preventive and therapeutic medicine. CONCLUSIONS: With its long history of traditional applications and the revelations of contemporary pharmacological research, Codonopsis Radix exhibits great potential as both a therapeutic agent and a dietary supplement for further research in medicine, nutrition, and healthcare.

Examining the Impact of Race and Poverty on the Relationship Between Purpose in Life and Functional Health: Insights from the HANDLS Study.

INTRODUCTION: While research has shown a positive association between a higher sense of purpose in life and functional health, there is a gap in understanding its benefits for racially minoritized and low SES individuals. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between purpose in life and physical functional health in a diverse sample, hypothesizing that purpose in life would be negatively associated with functional difficulties, with potentially stronger associations in White and high SES groups. METHODS: Data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study were utilized (166 participants, mean age 59.44 [SD = 8.28], 59.6% females, 65.06% Black participants, 40.36% below poverty). Purpose in life was measured by Ryff's Psychological Well-being Purpose in Life subscale. Functional health was measured by functional difficulties in mobility and daily living. Race (Black and White) and poverty status (above and below) were used as moderators to probe the purpose-functional health association using zero-inflated Poisson regression while adjusting for age, education, depressive symptomology, and previous functional difficulties in four hierarchical models. RESULTS: Results showed that purpose in life was negatively associated with functional difficulty, indicating fewer difficulties in mobility and daily activities among those with a high sense of purpose. While the association did not remain significant after including previous functional difficulty as a covariate in Model 4, suggesting that race may not be a consistent moderator, poverty status remained a consistent moderator. The association was stronger for individuals above the poverty level. DISCUSSION: These findings underscore the complex interplay between purpose in life, race, poverty status, and functional health, emphasizing the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in interventions aimed at eliminating functional health disparities among diverse adult populations.

Effects of Changes in Frequency of Going Out during the COVID-19 Pandemic on ikigai (Sense of Purpose in Life) and Mental Health in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Japan.

To clarify whether changes in frequency of going out due to the COVID-19 pandemic affect ikigai (sense of purpose in life) and mental health in Japanese middle-aged and older adults. In a questionnaire survey mailed to 16,866 adults aged > 40 years in Japan in September 2020, 7,973 responses were received (response rate, 47.3%) in October 2020. Following exclusions, data from 6,978 individuals (50.6% female, mean age 67.8 ± 12.2 years) were available for analysis. Respondents were categorized based on changes in frequency of going out, reflecting changes in social and/or physical activity, during the pandemic compared with before it: the previously active group went out often before but less often during the pandemic; the remained active group continued going out often; and the inactive group continued not going out often. Whether these changes affected the respondents' ikigai and mental health was investigated. The previously active group had a significantly higher proportion of individuals with decreased ikigai during the pandemic than the other groups. Mental health score decreased in all groups during the pandemic, but more so in the previously active group (-3.21), followed by the inactive and then the remained active groups (-1.45 and -1.28, respectively). Previously active individuals showed the greatest decline in ikigai and mental health among the three groups. These findings suggest that continuing to engage in appropriate physical and social activities, including going out, while following appropriate infection control measures, even under restrictions, can help people maintain ikigai and mental health.

Prediction of internet addiction among high school students in a rural Southern Karnataka, India-A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization, there is an explosion in the use of electronic devices, the internet, and gaming platforms. In many countries, it is a significant public health concern, prompting calls to identify adequate public policy. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) among high school students and to assess the relationship between the internet addiction level of high school students and their demographic features with internet use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 424 high school children studying in eighth standard-tenth standard. Among 121 public and private high schools listed by the BEO (Block Education Officer) Office in Kolar Taluk four high schools were selected by lottery method from July 2021 to August 2021. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) by Young was used to assess the intensity of internet usage. RESULTS: The mean IAT score of study participants was 29.6. The mean age of the study population was 14.4 ± 0.84 years. The odds of internet addiction among female students were 4.5 times higher than among male students. The majority (91.5%) of the students had used the internet for educational purpose and the other common reasons for internet usage is social media (43%), entertainment (43%), and gaming purpose (21%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of IA among high school students is 14.6% with the moderate-risk population was 12.5% and the high-risk population was 2.1%. Students using the internet for both academic and non-academic purposes were more internet addicted. The real challenge is to have control over the usage of social sites-the amount of time being spent and the type of activities adolescents are doing online.

Measuring the purpose in life in the adult population: A scoping review.

Background: The purpose in life can motivate individuals to realize that life is essential for existence and well-being. Adults might experience crises that can lead to a lack of purpose in life. Consequently, promoting purpose in life is necessary, but it requires a suitable measurement scale. Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify and map the content, psychometric properties, and answer option scales of instruments intended to measure purpose in life in adult populations. Design: A scoping review was employed. Data Sources: The database used was PubMed. The libraries were APA PsycNet, Wiley Online Library, and Cochrane Library. The search strategy was performed between 1 November 2023 and 14 February 2024. Review Methods: This review used the scoping review framework described by Arksey and O'Malley. The identified instruments were assessed for quality based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) criteria. This study also used the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) reporting guideline. Results: A total of 348 studies were identified, and seven articles were involved in the final synthesis. These seven articles included five instruments measuring the concept of purpose in life, of which two instruments had two versions: 1) Purpose in Life Test (20 items, 4 items); 2) Life Engagement Test (6 items); 3) Psychological Well-Being (120 items, 18 items); 4) Self-Assessment Goal Achievement (9 items); and 5) National Institutes of Health Tuberculosis Meaning and Purpose Scale Age 18+ (18 items). The validity of all instruments was tested using factor analysis, known groups, face, concurrent, convergent, discriminant, and construct validity. The reliability of four instruments was tested by Cronbach's alpha and Spearman-Brown formula. Conclusion: Five instruments measuring purpose in life in the adult population with adequate psychometric properties were identified. The clinical implication of this study suggests that nurses may consider employing an appropriate instrument to assess the purpose of life in the adult population, thus enabling them to offer holistic, individualized care to adults, particularly addressing the spiritual dimension.

(Re)imagining purpose: A framework for sustainable nanotechnology innovation.

To fully understand and predict the impact of nanotechnologies, a truly multidisciplinary approach is required. However, the practicalities relating to how innovation, commercialisation, risk assessment, informatics, and governance in nanotechnology should intersect remain somewhat of a black box. To begin to shed light on this intersection, we identify a need to place 'purpose' at the heart of the nanotechnology innovation ecosystem. There is a growing appetite for responsible, sustainable, and purposeful innovation from business, financiers, regulators, consumers, and other stakeholders - an appetite that we foresee will permeate all spheres of commercialisation, including that of nanotechnology. Ultimately, nanotechnologies will only have the ability to sustainably address the global challenges of the 21st century if they are developed and implemented with purpose, and in full consideration of their social and environmental impacts. We (re)define purpose as it relates to sustainable nanotechnology innovation, in an effort to create a more-broadly shared language that can bridge the diverse stakeholder needs and perspectives that are required to address these challenges. To enable innovation, standardisation, promote interdisciplinarity, increase transparency, and enhance regulatory and corporate accountability, we propose a four stage, principles-based framework for purposeful nanotechnology development. This framework offers a practical way forward for nanotechnology innovation, shedding light on how nano-impact can be approached by multidisciplinary teams and describing how interrelated systems and stakeholders can interact successfully to achieve shared goals.

Equivalence study of the resin-dentine interface of internal tunnel restorations when using an enamel infiltrant resin with ethanol-wet dentine bonding.

This preregistered ex vivo investigation examined the dentinal hybrid layer formation of a resinous infiltrant (Icon), with reference to both thickness (HLT) and homogeneity when combined with modified tunnel preparation (occlusal cavity only) and internal/external caries infiltration. The adhesives Syntac and Scotchbond MP were used as controls (Groups 1 and 3) or in combination with Icon (Groups 2 and 4). A split-tooth design using healthy third molars from 20 donors resulted in 20 prepared dentine cavities per experimental group. The cavity surfaces (n = 80) were etched (37% H3PO4), rinsed, and air-dried. Rewetting with ethanol was followed by application of the respective primers. After labeling with fluorescent dyes, either Syntac Adhesive/Heliobond or Scotchbond MP Adhesive was used alone or supplemented with Icon. HLT, as evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, did not significantly differ (P > 0.05), and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed homogeneously mixed/polymerized resin-dentine interdiffusion zones in all groups. Icon can be successfully integrated into an ethanol-wet dentine bonding strategy, and will result in compact and homogeneous hybrid layers of comparable thickness considered equivalent to the non-Icon controls, thus allowing for preservation of the tooth's marginal ridge and interdental space in the case of internal/external infiltration of proximal caries.