106 research outputs found
Pilot Study: Systemic response after lung SBRT analyzing immune Cells phenotyping
To investigate changes of immune-phenotyping values in
patients treated with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
(SBRT) over the lung in order to evaluate the immune
response after radiation therapy
INTRABEAM: precision hypo-fractionated radiotherapy with a systemic immune response
Purpose or Objective: To evaluate the changes in immune-cell phenotype in peripheral blood following intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in breast cancer patients
A structural equation model of achievement emotions, coping strategies and engagement-burnout in undergraduate students: a possible underlying mechanism in facets of perfectionism
Achievement emotions that the university student experiences in the learning process
can be significant in facilitating or interfering with learning. The present research looked for linear
and predictive relations between university studentsÂż achievement emotions, coping strategies, and
engagement-burnout, in three dierent learning situations (classroom, study time, and testing).
Hypotheses were identified for a possible model that would analyze the two facets of perfectionism
based on these relations. In the case of perfectionistic strivings, the test hypothesis was that positive
emotions would predispose the use of problem-focused coping strategies and an emotional state of
engagement; in the case of perfectionistic concerns, however, negative emotions would predispose
the use of emotion-focused strategies and a state of burnout. A total of 654 university students
participated in the study, using an online tool to complete validated questionnaires on the three study
variables. All students provided informed consent and corresponding permissions. Given the ex-post
facto linear design, the predictions could be verified for each situation by means of logistic regression
analyses and Structural Equations Models (SEM). Empirical results lent support, in varying degree,
to the proposed theoretical relations. The testing situation was of particular interest. We discuss
implications for perfectionism research and for the practice of prevention, education and health care
in the university setting
Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging and cognitive control studies in schizophrenia: preliminary elucidation of a core dysfunctional timing network
Timing and other cognitive processes demanding cognitive control become interlinked
when there is an increase in the level of difficulty or effort required. Both functions are
interrelated and share neuroanatomical bases. A previous meta-analysis of neuroimaging
studies found that people with schizophrenia had significantly lower activation, relative
to normal controls, of most right hemisphere regions of the time circuit. This finding
suggests that a pattern of disconnectivity of this circuit, particularly in the supplementary
motor area, is a trait of this mental disease. We hypothesize that a dysfunctional
temporal/cognitive control network underlies both cognitive and psychiatric symptoms of
schizophrenia and that timing dysfunction is at the root of the cognitive deficits observed.
The goal of our study was to look, in schizophrenia patients, for brain structures activated
both by execution of cognitive tasks requiring increased effort and by performance of time
perception tasks. We conducted a signed differential mapping (SDM) meta-analysis of
functional neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia patients assessing the brain response
to increasing levels of cognitive difficulty. Then, we performed a multimodal meta-analysis
to identify common brain regions in the findings of that SDM meta-analysis and our
previously-published activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis of neuroimaging
of time perception in schizophrenia patients. The current study supports the hypothesis
that there exists an overlap between neural structures engaged by both timing tasks and
non-temporal cognitive tasks of escalating difficulty in schizophrenia. The implication is
that a deficit in timing can be considered as a trait marker of the schizophrenia cognitive
profile
Trends in non-metastatic prostate cancer management in the Northern and Yorkshire region of England, 2000â2006
Background:
Our objective was to analyse variation in non-metastatic prostate cancer management in the Northern and Yorkshire region of England.
Methods:
We included 21â334 men aged â©Ÿ55, diagnosed between 2000 and 2006. Principal treatment received was categorised into radical prostatectomy (11%), brachytherapy (2%), external beam radiotherapy (16%), hormone therapy (42%) and no treatment (29%).
Results:
The odds ratio (OR) for receiving a radical prostatectomy was 1.53 in 2006 compared with 2000 (95% CI 1.26â1.86), whereas the OR for receiving hormone therapy was 0.57 (0.51â0.64). Age was strongly associated with treatment received; radical treatments were significantly less likely in men aged â©Ÿ75 compared with men aged 55â64 years, whereas the odds of receiving hormone therapy or no treatment were significantly higher in the older age group. The OR for receiving radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy or external beam radiotherapy were all significantly lower in the most deprived areas when compared with the most affluent (0.64 (0.55â0.75), 0.32 (0.22â0.47) and 0.83 (0.74â0.94), respectively) whereas the OR for receiving hormone therapy was 1.56 (1.42â1.71).
Conclusions:
This study highlights the variation and inequalities that exist in the management of non-metastatic prostate cancer in the Northern and Yorkshire region of England
Validation of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS)
BACKGROUND: Boredom, which is a common problem in the general population, has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. The Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) was developed, based on a theoretically and empirically grounded definition of boredom, to assess this construct. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish validated version of the MSBS in a multi-age sample recruited from the general population. METHODS: The patients (Nâ=â303) were recruited from primary care settings. In addition to the sociodemographic variables and the MSBS, the General Health Questionnaire 28 items (GHQ-28), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Negative subscale and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were administered. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyse the dimensionality of the MSBS. Cronbachâs α coefficient was used to analyse the internal consistency of the scale. The consistency of the MSBS over time (test-retest reliability) was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient. The construct validity was examined by calculating Pearsonâs r correlations between the MSBS with theoretically related and unrelated constructs. Cronbachâs α for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87â0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. RESULTS: The characteristics of the final sample (Nâ=â303) were that the participants were primarily female (66.77 %) with a mean age of 49.32 years (SD, 11.46) and primarily European (94.71 %). The CFA of the MSBS confirmed that the original five-factor model showed good fit indices: CFIâ=â.96; GFIâ=â.94; SRMRâ=â.05; and RMSEAâ=â.06 [.05â.08]. Cronbachâs α for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87â0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. The MSBS showed a test-retest coefficient measured with an ICC of 0.90 (95 % CI, 0.88â0.92). The ICC for the 5 subscales ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. The MSBS showed a significant negative correlation with MAAS and a significant positive correlation with the GHQ (total score and subscales) and PANAS-Negative Affect. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the MSBS has been validated as a reliable instrument for measuring boredom in the general population. This study will facilitate the assessment of boredom for clinical and research purposes in Spanish-speaking populations
Polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes in a cohort of prostate cancer patients from different areas in Spain: heterogeneity between populations as a confounding factor in association studies
Background: Differences in the distribution of genotypes between individuals of the same ethnicity are an important confounder factor commonly undervalued in typical association studies conducted in radiogenomics. Objective: To evaluate the genotypic distribution of SNPs in a wide set of Spanish prostate cancer patients for determine the homogeneity of the population and to disclose potential bias. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 601 prostate cancer patients from Andalusia, Basque Country, Canary and Catalonia were genotyped for 10 SNPs located in 6 different genes associated to DNA repair: XRCC1 (rs25487, rs25489, rs1799782), ERCC2 (rs13181), ERCC1 (rs11615), LIG4 (rs1805388, rs1805386), ATM (rs17503908, rs1800057) and P53 (rs1042522). The SNP genotyping was made in a Biotrove OpenArrayH NT Cycler. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Comparisons of genotypic and allelic frequencies among populations, as well as haplotype analyses were determined using the web-based environment SNPator. Principal component analysis was made using the SnpMatrix and XSnpMatrix classes and methods implemented as an R package. Non-supervised hierarchical cluster of SNP was made using MultiExperiment Viewer. Results and Limitations: We observed that genotype distribution of 4 out 10 SNPs was statistically different among the studied populations, showing the greatest differences between Andalusia and Catalonia. These observations were confirmed in cluster analysis, principal component analysis and in the differential distribution of haplotypes among the populations. Because tumor characteristics have not been taken into account, it is possible that some polymorphisms may influence tumor characteristics in the same way that it may pose a risk factor for other disease characteristics. Conclusion: Differences in distribution of genotypes within different populations of the same ethnicity could be an important confounding factor responsible for the lack of validation of SNPs associated with radiation-induced toxicity, especially when extensive meta-analysis with subjects from different countries are carried out
- âŠ