Essential Oil Composition and Enantioselective Profile of Agastache urticifolia (Lamiaceae) and Monardella odoratissima (Lamiaceae) from Utah.

Two species within the Lamiaceae (mint) family, Agastache urticifolia and Monardella odoratissima, are aromatic plants that are native to the Intermountain Region (USA). Essential oil produced through steam distillation was examined to establish the essential oil yield and both the achiral and chiral aromatic profiles of both plant species. The resulting essential oils were analyzed by GC/MS, GC/FID, and MRR (molecular rotational resonance). For A. urticifolia and M. odoratissima, achiral essential oil profiles were largely composed of limonene (71.0%, 27.7%), trans-ß-ocimene (3.6%, 6.9%), and pulegone (15.9%, 4.3%), respectively. Between the two species, eight chiral pairs were analyzed and, interestingly, the dominant enantiomer (calculated as ee%) of limonene and pulegone switched between the two species. Where enantiopure standards were not commercially available, MRR was used as a reliable analytical technique for chiral analysis. This study verifies the achiral profile for A. urticifolia and, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, establishes the achiral profile for M. odoratissima and chiral profile for both species. Additionally, this study confirms the utility and practicality of using MRR for determining chiral profiles in essential oils.

The hard talk: Managing conflict in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Conflict between parents and providers is common in the cardiac intensive care setting, particularly in patients with prolonged length of stay. Poor communication is the most commonly cited reason for conflict and is exacerbated when providers and families cannot find common ground and develop mutual trust. It is critically important that healthcare providers learn strategies to better partner with families in order to optimize patient medical and psychosocial outcomes. This requires providers to avoid falling prey to their own implicit (or unconscious) biases, including those towards families labeled as "difficult". Building a healthy family-provider relationship is part of a healthcare provider's duty to treat, has a measurable effect on patient outcomes, and sets up a foundation for the provider-family dyad to more easily navigate any conflicts that do develop. Once a relationship is built, providers and families can talk through their conflicts. They are more likely to have open and transparent communication and are more able to give each other the benefit of the doubt when navigating difficult situations and/or behaviors, rather than labeling each other as intrinsically "difficult" people.