Importance of social support for functional status in breast cancer patients

The role of social support in functional status to a diagnosis of cancer was examined in 84 patients with breast cancer. Multivariate techniques were used to assess the relationships among the dimensions of social support, as measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and functional status, assessed with the Inventory of the Functional Status Cancer (IFSA-CA). The results indicated significant independent associations between support and functional status outcomes, underscoring the importance of examining social support to evaluate functional status of patients. Nurses cognizant of breast cancer survivors challenges and concerns in areas of social support and are in a unique position to enhance functional status

Changes in functional status and physical and psychological symptoms in women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer

Aims: This study was planned to determine whether there were changes in breast cancer women's functional status and presence of physical and psychological symptoms before and after chemotherapy. Methods: The research sample comprised 101 women with breast cancer receiving oncology services at university hospitals (Pamukkale and Ege Universities) in two cities in western Turkey (Izmir and Denizli) who volunteered to participate in the study. The Patient and Medical Information Questionnaire, Symptoms List, and the Inventory of Functional Status-Cancer (IFS-CA) were used for data collection to determine the functional status. Results: According to the IFS-CA in the examination of the women's functional status the after chemotherapy scores were lower and significantly different for household and family activities (p<0.0001), social and community activities (p<0.0001), personal care activities (p<0.0001) and occupational activities (p<0.003). Similarly there was also a statistically significant increase in presence of physical and psychological symptoms after chemotherapy, particularly affected the personal care activities subscale of the functional status inventory. Conclusions: It was determined that the worsening of the functional status of breast cancer women was associated with chemotherapy and more physical and psychological discomforts were experienced

Psychosocial stressors, social support and socio-demographic variables as determinants of quality of life of Turkish breast cancer patients

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of psychosocial stressors, social support and socio-demographic variables on quality of life of breast cancer patients. Tools and methods: The study was conducted between December 2004 and May 2005 and included 101 patients, treated in the Oncology Departments of Ege and Pamukkale University Hospitals and Denizli State Hospital. Patients' demographic data were collected by questionnaire. The methods used in the interviews were the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). Psychosocial stressors were classified according to life events using the DSM-IV multi-axial diagnostic system. Results: It was found that increase of cancer stage triggers a decrease in psychological quality of life (p<0,05); overall global life quality (p<0,001), perceived social support and performance status (p<0,05), all of these being negatively affected by family stressors. The patients with increased social support, better psychological and overall quality of life (p<0,01) and younger age had more physical wellness besides overall quality of life (p<0,05); lower incomes negatively affected overall global life quality (p<0,01) and working at a job decreased the psychological stressors (p<0,05). Conclusion: From these results, it can be postulated that psychosocial stressors, social support and some socio-demographic variables mostly affected quality of life of the breast cancer patients

Phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacological properties of the genus opopanax W.D.J. Koch: A Mini-Review

The genus Opopanax W.D.J. Koch is a member of the Apiaceae family, distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and comprises only three recognized and well-defined species, O. chironium (L.) W.D.J. Koch, O. hispidus (Friv.) Griseb. and O. persicus Boiss. The species of this genus with yellow flowers are well-known in traditional medicine and consumed as food. This review critically appraises published literature on the phytochemistry, traditional usages, and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax. In addition, it provides evidence to suggest that the plants from this genus have potential phytotherapeutic applications. Previous phytochemical and bioactivity studies revealed that the genus Opopanax predominantly produces coumarins, diterpenes, phenolics, and phthalides, and possesses various biological and pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The phytochemical profile and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax could be useful for further study and might find additional medicinal applications in evidence-based phytotherapy

Pathophysiological lessons from rare associations of immunological disorders

Rare associations of immunological disorders can often tell more than mice and rats about the pathogenesis of immunologically mediated human kidney disease. Cases of glomerular disease with thyroiditis and Graves’ disease and of minimal change disease with lymphoepithelioma-like thymic carcinoma and lymphomatoid papulosis were recently reported in Pediatric Nephrology. These rare associations can contribute to the unraveling of the pathogenesis of membranous nephropathy (MN) and minimal change disease (MCD) and lead to the testing of novel research hypotheses. In MN, the target antigen may be thyroglobulin or another thyroid-released antigen that becomes planted in the glomerulus, but other scenarios can be envisaged, including epitope spreading, polyreactivity of pathogenic antibodies, and dysregulation of T regulatory cells, leading to the production of a variety of auto-antibodies with different specificities [immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX syndrome)]. The occurrence of MCD with hemopathies supports the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of proteinuria, although the characteristics of those T cells remain to be established and the glomerular permeability factor(s) identified

Common Phenolic Metabolites of Flavonoids, but Not Their Unmetabolized Precursors, Reduce the Secretion of Vascular Cellular Adhesion Molecules by Human Endothelial Cells

Background: Flavonoids have been implicated in the prevention of cardiovascular disease; however, their mechanisms of action have yet to be elucidated, possibly because most previous in vitro studies have used supraphysiological concentrations of unmetabolized flavonoids, overlooking their more bioavailable phenolic metabolites. Objective: We aimed to explore the effects of phenolic metabolites and their precursor flavonoids at physiologically achievable concentrations, in isolation and combination, on soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1). Method: Fourteen phenolic acid metabolites and 6 flavonoids were screened at 1 μM for their relative effects on sVCAM-1 secretion by human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The active metabolites were further studied for their response at different concentrations (0.01 μM–100 μM), structure-activity relationships, and effect on vascular cellular adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 mRNA expression. In addition, the additive activity of the metabolites and flavonoids was investigated by screening 25 unique mixtures at cumulative equimolar concentrations of 1 μM. Results: Of the 20 compounds screened at 1 μM, inhibition of sVCAM-1 secretion was elicited by 4 phenolic metabolites, of which protocatechuic acid (PCA) was the most active (−17.2%, P = 0.05). Investigations into their responses at different concentrations showed that PCA significantly reduced sVCAM-1 15.2–36.5% between 1 and 100 μM, protocatechuic acid-3-sulfate and isovanillic acid reduced sVCAM-1 levels 12.2–54.7% between 10 and 100 μM, and protocatechuic acid-4-sulfate and isovanillic acid-3-glucuronide reduced sVCAM-1 secretion 27.6% and 42.8%, respectively, only at 100 μM. PCA demonstrated the strongest protein response and was therefore explored for its effect on VCAM-1 mRNA, where 78.4% inhibition was observed only after treatment with 100 μM PCA. Mixtures of the metabolites showed no activity toward sVCAM-1, suggesting no additive activity at 1 μM. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that metabolism of flavonoids increases their vascular efficacy, resulting in a diversity of structures of varying bioactivity in human endothelial cells

Transmitted antiretroviral drug resistance mutations in newlydiagnosed HIV-1 positive patients in Turkey

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) in newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive patients in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out between 2009 and 2014 and antiretroviral naïve 774 HIV-1 infected patients from 19 Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Departments in Turkey were included; gender: 664 (86%) male, median age: 37 (range; 1–77), median CD4+T-cell: 360 (range; 1–1320) count/mm3, median HIV-RNA load: 2.10+E6 (range; 4.2+E2–7.41+E8) IU/mL. HIV-1 drug resistance mutations were detected by population based sequencing of the reverse transcriptase (codon 41–238) and protease (codon 1–99) domains of pol gene of HIV-1, and analyzed according to the criteria by the World Health Organization 2009 list of surveillance drug resistance mutations [1]. Results: The patients had TDRMs to NRTIs (K65R, M184V), NNRTIs (K101E, K103N/S, G190A/E/S, Y181I/C, Y188H/L) and PIs (M46L, I54V, L76V, V82L/T, N83D, I84V, L90M). The prevalence of overall TDRMs was 6.7% (52/774). Resistance mutations were found to be 0.7% (6/774), 4.1% (32/774) and 2.1% (17/774) to NRTIs, NNRTIs and PIs drug groups, respectively. Three patients had NRTIs+NNRTs resistance mutations (M184V+K103N) as multi-class drug resistance. However, thymidine analogue resistance mutations (TAMs) determined two distinct genotypic profiles in the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase: TAM1: M41L, L210W and T215Y, and TAM2: D67N, K70R, K219E/Q, and T215F. The prevalence of TAM1 and TAM2 were 7.7% (60/774) and 4.3% (34/774), respectively. Conclusions: The TDRMs prevalence of antiretroviral naïve HIV-1 infected patients may be suggested current situation of Turkey. These long-term and large-scale results show that the resistance testing must be an integral part of the management of HIV infection in Turkey

Effect of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) treatment on restraint stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alteration in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A stressful stimulus is a crucial determinant of health and disease. Antidepressants are used to manage stress and their related effects. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of St. John's Wort (<it>Hypericum perforatum</it>) in restraint stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations in mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Animals were immobilized for a period of 6 hr. St. John's Wort (50 and 100 mg/kg) was administered 30 minutes before the animals were subjecting to acute immobilized stress. Various behavioral tests parameters for anxiety, locomotor activity and nociceptive threshold were assessed followed by biochemical assessments (malondialdehyde level, glutathione, catalase, nitrite and protein) subsequently.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>6-hr acute restraint stress caused severe anxiety like behavior, antinociception and impaired locomotor activity as compared to unstressed animals. Biochemical analyses revealed an increase in malondialdehyde, nitrites concentration, depletion of reduced glutathione and catalase activity as compared to unstressed animal brain. Five days St. John's Wort treatment in a dose of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg significantly attenuated restraint stress-induced behavioral (improved locomotor activity, reduced tail flick latency and antianxiety like effect) and oxidative damage as compared to control (restraint stress).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Present study highlights the modest activity of St. John's Wort against acute restraint stress induced modification.</p

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor for stroke treatment: mechanisms of action and efficacy in preclinical studies

G-CSF is widely employed for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Recently, neuroprotective effects of G-CSF in animal stroke models were discovered including infarct size reduction and enhancement of functional recovery. The underlying mechanisms of action of G-CSF in ischemia appear to be a direct anti-apoptotic activity in neurons and a neurogenesis inducing capacity. Additional effects may be based on the stimulation of new blood-vessel formation, the stimulation of immunocompetence and -modulation as well as on bone marrow mobilization. In addition to a discussion of these mechanisms, we will review the available preclinical studies and analyze their impact on the overall efficacy of G-CSF in experimental stroke