Wisdom is a field of growing interest both inside and outside academic psychology, and researchers are increasingly interested in using measures of wisdom in their work. However, wisdom is a highly complex construct, and its various operationalizations are based on quite different definitions. Which measure a researcher chooses for a particular research project may have a strong influence on the results. This study compares four well-established measures of wisdom—the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (Webster, 2003, 2007), the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (Ardelt, 2003), the Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (Levenson et al., 2005), and the Berlin Wisdom Paradigm (Baltes and Smith, 1990; Baltes and Staudinger, 2000)—with respect to content, reliability, factorial structure, and construct validity (relationships to wisdom nomination, interview-based wisdom ratings, and correlates of wisdom). The sample consisted of 47 wisdom nominees and 123 control participants. While none of the measures performed “better” than the others by absolute standards, recommendations are given for researchers to select the most suitable measure for their substantive interests. In addition, a “Brief Wisdom Screening Scale” is introduced that contains those 20 items from the three self-report scales that were most highly correlated with the common factor across the scales.

The AIRO(®) system is an easy-to-use and versatile iCT for navigated spinal instrumentation and provides high pedicle screw accuracy rates. Although the authors' experience suggests that the learning curve associated with AIRO(®)-based spinal navigation is steep, a systematic user-based approach to the technology is required.

Currently, there is no adequate technique for intraoperative monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF). To evaluate laser speckle imaging (LSI) for assessment of relative CBF, LSI was performed in 30 patients who underwent direct surgical revascularization for treatment of arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease (ACVD), Moyamoya disease (MMD), or giant aneurysms, and in 8 control patients who underwent intracranial surgery for reasons other than hemodynamic compromise. The applicability and sensitivity of LSI was investigated through baseline perfusion and CO2 reactivity testing. The dynamics of LSI were assessed during bypass test occlusion and flow initiation procedures. Laser speckle imaging permitted robust (pseudo-) quantitative assessment of relative microcirculatory flow and standard bypass grafting resulted in significantly higher postoperative baseline perfusion values in ACVD and MMD. The applicability and sensitivity of LSI was shown by a significantly reduced CO2 reactivity in ACVD (9.6±9%) and MMD (8.5±8%) compared with control (31.2±5%; P<0.0001). In high- and intermediate-flow bypass patients, LSI was characterized by a dynamic real-time response to acute perfusion changes and ultimately confirmed a sufficient flow substitution through the bypass graft. Thus, LSI can be used for sensitive and continuous, non-invasive real-time visualization and measurement of relative cortical CBF in excellent spatial-temporal resolution.

Inhaled glutathione in the dose administered did not demonstrate clinically relevant improvements in lung function, pulmonary exacerbation frequency, or patient-reported outcomes. Glutathione delivery to the airways was not associated with changes in markers of oxidation, proteolysis, or inflammation. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00506688) and https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/index.html (EudraCT 2005-003870-88).

Objectives.This study investigated the relationship of gratitude to wisdom. Both constructs are conceptually related to self-reflectivity, but they differ in their emphasis on extrapersonal resources. Previous wisdom research has focused mainly on intrapersonal capacities.Method.In Study 1, 47 wisdom nominees and 47 control participants were interviewed about their most difficult and best life event and filled out a questionnaire on sources of gratitude. Study 2 was a quantitative study (N = 443) of the relationship between a wisdom scale and scale measures and individual sources of gratitude.Results.Significantly more wisdom nominees expressed feelings of gratitude spontaneously in their interview. Wisdom nominees reported gratitude for their life in general, religion, and partner more often than control participants. In Study 2, wisdom was related to all gratitude scales and to similar sources of gratitude as in Study 1. Both studies found gender differences in gratitude but not wisdom.Discussion.Two important implications of these findings are that wisdom entails an appreciation of life and its experiences, especially the growth opportunities that may result from negative events, and that there may be substantial differences between male and female pathways to wisdom.