Histochemical determination of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in normal and ethanol-induced chick embryo during neural tube development

Alcohol as a teratogenic agent inhibits cell growth, function, proliferation and migration by affecting macromolecules, and can induce cell death. Prenatal ethanol exposure causes neural tube defects (NTD) and growth deficiency in experimental animals. NTDs are a group of malformations that result in failure of neural tube (NT) closure in early embryonic development and are among the most common congenital malformations in humans. NTDs are also associated with a number of other central nervous system malformations. Basal layers are the most densely stained structures with Alcian blue which determines glycosaminoglycan (GAG) types. While all sulphated GAGs were observed in the basal layers of NT of the embryos in control and saline-injected groups, hyaluronic acid was dominant in the 10% alcohol-administered embryos. It was reduced in the 15% alcohol-administered embryos and keratan sulphate was significantly low in 20% samples. Especially in the control and saline-injected groups, chondroitin sulphate and dermatan sulphate were highly expressed around cells migrating from the NT, while the same were reduced in 10% alcohol-administered embryos. In 15% alcoholadministered embryos, while the heparine and heparane sulphate were dense around cells migrating from the NT, staining specificities were decreased in 20% alcohol-administered embryos in same regions. Increased alcohol degrees cause decrease of the GAG types in both areas.Key words: Neural tube development, alcohol, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), chick

Quality of life (QoL) as predictive mediator variable for survival in patients with intracerebral neoplasma during radiotherapy

Background: The prognosis for patients with malignant astrocytoma or brain metastases is often fatal despite intensive therapy. Therefore we wished to elucidate whether the quality of life (QoL) is a determinant of overall survival (OAS). Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2000 153 patients with brain tumours were screened; 39 patients (26%) refused to participate and further 47 patients were excluded (cerebral impairment 14%, amaurosis/language problems 3%, Karnofsky performance score < 50% 7%, death 8%, non-compliance 7%). Thus, 57 patients were analysed (33 with primary brain tumours, 24 with brain metastases). With the FACT-G questionnaire cancer-specific aspects of health-related QoL were assessed. Results: Patients with metastases showed a lower QoL in the physical sphere than patients with astrocytoma, but there were no significant differences in OAS. Median survival of patients with good QoL was 31.3 months versus 14.2 months in patients with bad QoL. Only the two variables `living with a spouse' and FACT-G sum score had a statistically significant influence on survival (p = 0.033 and p = 0.003) modelled by the Cox-PH regression. Patients who did not live with a spouse had shorter survival times than the other patients. Conclusion: Health-related QoL can serve to identify a patient group with higher risks of death

Radiotherapy: Impact of quality of life and need for psychological care: Results of a longitudinal study

Background: In the framework of a prospective longitudinal study, the quality of life (QoL) and support requirements of patients from a university hospital department of radiotherapy were evaluated for the first time by means of established psychodiagnostic questionnaires. Patients and Methods: At first, 732 patients were screened, of whom 446 (60.9%) fulfilled the criteria for inclusion; 39.1% did not (refusals 21.0%, low Karnofsky performance status 6.6%, management problems 3.4%, language barriers 3.0%, cognitive restrictions 2.6%, death 2.5%). Disease-specific aspects of QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment - General, FACT-G) and moderating variables {[}Social Support Scale (SSS), Disease Coping (FKV), Self-Assessment Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-Defined Care Requirements (BB)] were self-rated by patients with different tumor types before radiotherapy (T1), after radiotherapy (T2), and 6 weeks after the end of radiotherapy (T3). We studied 265 patients (157 male, 108 female; median age 58.6 years) with complete data of three time points. Results: In general, QoL of patients decreased significantly over all time points in all subscales. Social support was rated high and remained constant throughout the treatment. Apparent coping mechanisms were active problem-oriented coping, leisure activities, and self-support. The patients' depression proved to be an important and constant factor without significant changes. The support requirement is characterized by the need for more medical information and dialogue with a physician. Conclusions: Early specific support from personnel with radiotherapeutic skills, during the disease-coping process as well as during rehabilitation, should be a permanent component of an integrated radiooncological treatment schedule

Coping of cancer patients during and after radiotherapy - a follow-up of 2 years

Aim: We wanted to understand coping strategies specific to different phases up to two years after radiotherapy, to identify patients who are at higher risk of mood disturbances and to characterise the association between coping strategies and psychosocial adaptation. Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2001, 2,169 patients with different diagnoses were screened (27.8% refused to participate). Data of 276 patients from the beginning of radiotherapy (ti1) and 5 follow-up investigations (ti6/2 years) could be analysed. With the FKV ( Freiburg Questionnaire Coping with Disease) cancer-specific coping aspects were assessed. The association between coping styles and psychosocial adaptation was evaluated using the Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients (QSC) and the questionnaire on Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment (FACT-G). Results: `Active problem-orientated' coping and `distractions' are the most important coping strategies. Only `active problem-orientated' and `depressive' coping showed a significant decrease. We observed higher means on the scales of the FKV in women. Marital status ( single, married, divorced/widowed) had a significant influence on active problem-orientated coping and spirituality. Age, children, education, T/M status and curative/ palliative intention of treatment had no influence on coping styles. Breast cancer patients and lymphoma patients demonstrated the highest use of coping strategies after radiotherapy with a significant decrease of `active problem-orientated coping'. Depressive coping and minimizing importance at ti1 were associated with high psychosocial distress and low quality of life (QoL) at ti6. Conclusion: The correlation of coping mechanisms at the beginning of radiotherapy with low QoL and high psychosocial stress at 2 years could help to identify patients at risk for low psychosocial adaptation. Psychooncologically trained teams of physicians would best correspond to this profile of needs and would contribute significantly to an ameliorated adaptation of patients to cancer which could lead to higher life satisfaction

Testing three dimentional occupational commitment scale on Turkish sample: An empirical investigation

Öz (Tr): Bu çalışmanın amacı Meyer ve diğerleri tarafından (1993) geliştirilmiş olan üç boyutlu mesleki bağlılık ölçeğinin Türkiye bağlamında güvenilir ve geçerli bir araç olup-olmadığını incelemektir. Bu amaçla bir dizi prosedür izlenerek bir saha çalışması yürütülmüştür. Bir kamu üniversite hastanesinde görev yapan 425 hemşireden veri toplanmıştır. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçlan ölçeğin duygusal, devamlılık ve normatif olmak üzere üç boyuta ayrıştığını göstermektedir. Çalışmada her bir boyuta ilişkin analiz sonuçlarına yer verilmiştir. Bu kapsamda mesleki devamlılık bağlılık boyutu için ıç tutarlılık katsayısının düşük (Cronbach alfa katsayısı--0,27) ve ölçeği oluşturan maddeler arası korelasyonun zayıf olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bundan başka, keşfedıcı faktör analizi sonuçlan da duygusal, normatif ve devamlılık bağlılığı boyutlarında bazı ifadelerin net bir şekilde ilgili faktöre yüklenmediklerini ortaya koymuştur. Araştırma bulgularına ilişkin kısıtlar ve gelecek çalışmalar için öneriler tartışılmıştır. Öz (Yabancı): This study attempts to examine if the three dimensional occupational commitment scale developed by Meyer et al. (1993) is a reliable and valid measure in the Turkish context. Using a combination of methodological procedures, this measure was tested by conducting a field study. Data was obtained from 425 nurses in a public university hospital. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three component measures (affective, continuous and normative) occupational commitment were distinguishable from one another. Reliability and validity data for affective, continuous and normative occupational measures were reported. Item analysis of the continuous occupational commitment scale yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.27, indicating low inter-item correlation. In addition, exploratory factor analysis results suggest that some items questioning affective, normative and continuous occupational commitment were not clearly loaded on one factor. Research implications and suggestions for future research were also discussed

Initial Semantics for Strengthened Signatures

We give a new general definition of arity, yielding the companion notions of signature and associated syntax. This setting is modular in the sense requested by Ghani and Uustalu: merging two extensions of syntax corresponds to building an amalgamated sum. These signatures are too general in the sense that we are not able to prove the existence of an associated syntax in this general context. So we have to select arities and signatures for which there exists the desired initial monad. For this, we follow a track opened by Matthes and Uustalu: we introduce a notion of strengthened arity and prove that the corresponding signatures have initial semantics (i.e. associated syntax). Our strengthened arities admit colimits, which allows the treatment of the \lambda-calculus with explicit substitution.Comment: In Proceedings FICS 2012, arXiv:1202.317