The role of self-compassion in mediating the effect of perfectionism on personal growth initiative in dental hygienists

OBJECTIVE

This study explored perfectionism, self-compassion and personal growth initiative in clinical dental hygienists.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey research was conducted with a non-probability sample of clinical dental hygienists (n = 877). The survey had 55 items and consisted of three validated instruments: Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Brief (including evaluative concerns and perfectionistic striving subscales), Neff's Self-Compassion Scale and Robitschek's Personal Growth Initiative Scale. Descriptive, correlation, t-test, ANOVA and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships among variables. Mediation analysis was conducted to determine the presence of a mediated moderation effect of self-compassion on perfectionism and personal growth initiative.

RESULTS

The completion rate for the survey was 89% (n = 788). Evaluative concerns (M = 11.83) and perfectionistic strivings (M = 15.44) among dental hygienists were high, levels of self-compassion (SC) were moderate (M = 2.87) and levels of personal growth initiative (PGI) were low (M = 38.07) compared to others not in the dental field. The mediation analysis found that SC mediates the relationship between perfectionistic evaluative concerns and PGI. It was also determined that SC mediates the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and PGI.

CONCLUSION

Dental hygienists have high levels of perfectionism and may lack necessary levels of self-compassion to counteract those perfectionistic tendencies resulting in a decrease in taking the initiative to engage in opportunities for growth. This suggests the importance of dental hygienists developing a more adaptive perfectionism to balance self-criticism along with not having unrealistic expectations for perfection while engaging in self-compassion that includes self-kindness and mindfulness to support their continued growth.

Intracranial arteriovenous malformations: real-time auto-triggered elliptic centric-ordered 3D gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography--initial assessment

Auto-triggered elliptic centric-ordered three-dimensional (3D) gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography was compared with 3D multiple overlapping thin-slab acquisition time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography in the evaluation of intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in 10 patients. Intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was the reference standard. Gadolinium-enhanced MR angiograms were found to be equivalent to DSA images in AVM component depiction in 70%--90% of cases and were consistently superior to TOF MR angiograms.

Isolation and expression in Escherichia coli of cslA and cslB, genes coding for the chondroitin sulfate-degrading enzymes chondroitinase AC and chondroitinase B, respectively, from Flavobacterium heparinum

In medium supplemented with chondroitin sulfate, Flavobacterium heparinum synthesizes and exports two chondroitinases, chondroitinase AC (chondroitin AC lyase; EC 4.2.2.5) and chondroitinase B (chondroitin B lyase; no EC number), into its periplasmic space. Chondroitinase AC preferentially depolymerizes chondroitin sulfates A and C, whereas chondroitinase B degrades only dermatan sulfate (chondroitin sulfate B). The genes coding for both enzymes were isolated from F. heparinum and designated cslA (chondroitinase AC) and cslB (chondroitinase B). They were found to be separated by 5.5 kb on the chromosome of F. heparinum, transcribed in the same orientation, but not linked to any of the heparinase genes. In addition, the synthesis of both enzymes appeared to be coregulated. The cslA and cslB DNA sequences revealed open reading frames of 2,103 and 1,521 bp coding for peptides of 700 and 506 amino acid residues, respectively. Chondroitinase AC has a signal sequence of 22 residues, while chondroitinase B is composed of 25 residues. The mature forms of chondroitinases AC and B are comprised of 678 and 481 amino acid residues and have calculated molecular masses of 77,169 and 53,563 Da, respectively. Truncated cslA and cslB genes have been used to produce active, mature chondroitinases in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. Partially purified recombinant chondroitinases AC and B exhibit specific activities similar to those of chondroitinases AC and B from F. heparinum.

Effects of root colonizing bacteria on nodulation of soybean roots by Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Eighteen strains of soybean root colonizing soil bacteria were tested for interference with nodulation of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) grown in a field soil – perlite mix or in a soil-less planting medium. Seventeen of the strains were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens or Pseudomonas putida and one as Aeromonas hydrophila. All strains colonized soybean roots at levels of log 3.9 to 5.7 cfu/g root. Although nine strains increased significantly the weights of nodules formed by Bradyrhizobium japonicum 110 on soybeans grown in the soil–perlite mix, numbers of nodules increased in only three treatments. Significant increases in nodule numbers were not observed when the soil bacteria were tested with B. japonicum 118, and only two treatments increased nodule weights when compared with the controls. One of the 18 treatments increased and 1 decreased significantly the dry weights of shoots of plants inoculated with B. japonicum 110 and grown in the soil-less mix. Only one treatment reduced the dry weights of roots. Several strains stimulated increases in the dry weights of shoots and roots of plants inoculated with B. japonicum 118, but these effects were not correlated with changes in nodule numbers or weights. The results suggest that root colonizing bacteria generally do not interfere with the ability of B. japonicum to form nodules in soybean roots and that certain strains may actually enhance nodulation and plant growth. The relevance of these results for the development of improved Bradyrhizobium inoculant products by the addition of selected plant growth promoting rhizobacteria is discussed.