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Aim: Uncontrolled hypertension is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is the leading cause of mortality in haemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of self‐management support (SMS) for blood pressure (BP) control and health behaviours. Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which 90 adult haemodialysis patients were assigned to either an SMS or common intervention (CI) group. The SMS group received an intervention consisting of self‐management education and motivational interviewing. The CI group received standard care and routine health education. The primary outcome was the BP monitored before each haemodialysis. Secondary outcomes included salt intake (measured using a balance formula), home BP monitoring (HBPM) (assessed using two self‐administered questions), and medication adherence (measured using the Medication‐taking Behavior Scale). Data were collected at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months post‐intervention. Results: The SMS group showed continuous reductions in systolic BP from baseline: –9.2, −8.7, and −8.4 mmHg at 1, 3 and 6 months after the intervention, respectively (P < 0.01). Compared with the CI group, the SMS group had a greater decrease in systolic BP at 1 month: –5.9 mmHg (P = 0.0388), but no significant difference was found at 3 or 6 months (P > 0.05). SMS patients showed an improvement in health behaviours relative to baseline (less salt intake, more consistent HBPM, and greater medication adherence) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Self‐management support obtained short‐term success in improving salt restriction, regular performance of HBPM and medication adherence, which led to better BP control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Understanding how individuals make decisions about Pap tests concerning their personal values helps health-care providers offer tailored approaches to guide patients' decision making. Yet research has largely ignored decision making about Pap tests among immigrant women who experience increased risk of cervical cancer. Objective To explore decision making about Pap tests among Korean immigrant women. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using 32 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Korean immigrant women residing in a north-eastern metropolitan area. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive coding. Results Although most women with positive decisions made their own decisions, some women deferred to their providers, and others made decisions in collaboration with their providers and significant others. While women making positive decisions tended to consider both barriers to and facilitators of having Pap tests, women making negative decisions predominantly discussed the barriers to having Pap tests, such as modesty and differences between the South Korean and US health-care systems. The women's reflections on their decisions differed regarding their Pap test decisions. Conclusions Women's desired roles in the decision-making process and reflection on their decision outcome appeared to vary, although most participants with positive decisions made their own decisions and were satisfied with their decisions. Future research should conduct longitudinal, quantitative studies to test our findings regarding decision-making processes and outcomes about Pap tests. Implications The findings should be incorporated into cervical cancer screening practices to fulfil the unmet needs of immigrant women in patient-provider communication and to facilitate women's decision making about Pap tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct arylation represents a favourable alternative to traditional cross-coupling reactions and has found widespread use with simple aryls and robust heterocycles. Herein a direct arylation protocol has been optimised and applied to more delicate, privileged biological motifs. The intramolecular direct arylation of 2-pyrones, 2-coumarins, 2-pyridones and 2-quinolones occurs in very good to excellent yields using a Pd0 source and pivalic acid as a crucial additive. Preliminary mechanistic investigations were also carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although self-management education programs for persons with schizophrenia are being developed and advocated, uncertainty about their overall effectiveness remains. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine outcomes of self-management education interventions in persons with schizophrenia. Six electronic databases were searched. Manual searches were conducted of the reference lists of the identified studies and major psychiatric journals. Randomized controlled trials of self-management education interventions aimed at reducing relapse and hospital readmissions, as well as improving symptoms, psychosocial functioning, and adherence to medication treatment were identified. Data were extracted and the quality of included studies were rated by two authors independently. Finally, 13 studies with 1404 patients were included. Self-management education interventions were associated with a significant reduction of relapse events and re-hospitalizations. Patients who received self-management education were more likely to improve adherence to medication and symptoms compared to patients receiving other care. However, a benefit on psychosocial functioning was not confirmed in the current meta-analysis. The study concludes that self-management education intervention is a feasible and effective method for persons with schizophrenia and should be routinely offered to all persons with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role terminally ill patients would opt to have their loved ones and physicians play in healthcare decisions should they lose decision-making capacity and how this changes over time. DESIGN: Serial interviews. SETTING: The study institutions were The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, and St. Vincent's Hospital, in New York. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-seven patients with cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or heart failure, at baseline and 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: Patients' baseline decision control preferences varied widely, but most opted for shared decision-making, leaning slightly toward independence from their loved ones. This did not change significantly at 3 or 6 months. Fifty-seven percent opted for the same degree of decision control at 3 months as at baseline. In a generalized estimating equation model adjusted for time, more-independent decision-making was associated with college education ( P=.046) and being female ( P=.01), whereas more-reliant decision-making was associated with age ( P<.001). Patients leaned toward more reliance upon physicians to make best-interest determinations at diagnosis but opted for physicians to decide based upon their own independent wishes (substituted judgment) over time, especially if college educated. CONCLUSION: Terminally ill patients vary in how much they wish their own preferences to control decisions made on their behalf, but most would opt for shared decision-making with loved ones and physicians. Control preferences are stable over time with respect to loved ones, but as they live longer with their illnesses, patients prefer somewhat less reliance upon physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In its recent report on organ donation, the Institute of Medicine has recommended rigorous studies of how living organ donors make the decision to donate. In this pilot study, 65 donor applicants were interviewed while being evaluated in the outpatient donor clinic and 20 were surveyed again three months after donation. Fifteen and six of these subjects were surveyed again in six and 12 months respectively. Several strategies for retaining donors in a prospective longitudinal study are discussed. Half of the donors indicated that the decision to donate was a shared family decision. Married donors were slightly more likely than non-married donors to involve another family member in this decision. Several donors made practical recommendations for improved education of donors during what many perceived to be a very lengthy evaluation process. Some subjects recommended more discussion about post-operative pain and the expected pace of recovery after discharge. Others spoke of the challenge of completing basic homemaking tasks when the donor and recipient were in the same nuclear family. We are continuing to explore these and other aspects of donor decision-making and outcomes and have expanded our sample to include non-donors in the post-evaluation period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intramolecular coupling of 3-halo-2-pyrones (I) and (III) by activation of a pyrone C-Br or C-Cl bond and a phenoxy C-H bond is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]