Predictors of quality of life in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy

Background: Today, the quality of life studies has an important role in health care especially in chronic diseases. Breast cancer has third order among women\u2032s malignancies. Now, survival rate for this cancer is long. However breast cancer has several complications that affected the patient\u2032s life. Aims : The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life in Breast cancer patients under chemotherapy. Setting and Design: A cross-sectional study conducted on 119 breast cancer patients that were admitted and treated in chemotherapy ward of Namazi hospital in Shiraz city, south of Iran, between Jan and Feb 2006. Materials and Methods: The QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used to assess quality of life in these patients. Statistical Analysis: We used univariate methods. A multiple regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of quality of life. Results: Mean age of patients was 48.27\ub111.42 with quality of life total score 64.92\ub124.28. All symptoms scales had reverse association with quality of life except appetite loss (P>0.05) and diarrhea (P=0.752). The results of the regression analyses showed that only grade of tumor, occupational status, menopausal status, financial difficulties and dyspnea were statistically significant in predicting patients\u2032 quality of life. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the strength of the relationship between clinical and sociodemographical factors and breast cancer patients\u2032 quality of life. Psychological and financial support for women experiencing breast cancer diagnosis may improve quality of life

Predictors of quality of life in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy

Background: Today, the quality of life studies has an important role in health care especially in chronic diseases. Breast cancer has third order among women′s malignancies. Now, survival rate for this cancer is long. However breast cancer has several complications that affected the patient′s life. Aims : The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life in Breast cancer patients under chemotherapy. Setting and Design: A cross-sectional study conducted on 119 breast cancer patients that were admitted and treated in chemotherapy ward of Namazi hospital in Shiraz city, south of Iran, between Jan and Feb 2006. Materials and Methods: The QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used to assess quality of life in these patients. Statistical Analysis: We used univariate methods. A multiple regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of quality of life. Results: Mean age of patients was 48.27±11.42 with quality of life total score 64.92±24.28. All symptoms scales had reverse association with quality of life except appetite loss (P>0.05) and diarrhea (P=0.752). The results of the regression analyses showed that only grade of tumor, occupational status, menopausal status, financial difficulties and dyspnea were statistically significant in predicting patients′ quality of life. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the strength of the relationship between clinical and sociodemographical factors and breast cancer patients′ quality of life. Psychological and financial support for women experiencing breast cancer diagnosis may improve quality of life

A novel approach to modelling water transport and drug diffusion through the stratum corneum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The potential of using skin as an alternative path for systemically administering active drugs has attracted considerable interest, since the creation of novel drugs capable of diffusing through the skin would provide a great step towards easily applicable -and more humane- therapeutic solutions. However, for drugs to be able to diffuse, they necessarily have to cross a permeability barrier: the <it>stratum corneum </it>(SC), the uppermost set of skin layers. The precise mechanism by which drugs penetrate the skin is generally thought to be diffusion of molecules through this set of layers following a "tortuous pathway" around corneocytes, i.e. impermeable dead cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this work, we simulate water transport and drug diffusion using a three-dimensional porous media model. Our numerical simulations show that diffusion takes place through the SC regardless of the direction and magnitude of the fluid pressure gradient, while the magnitude of the concentrations calculated are consistent with experimental studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results support the possibility for designing arbitrary drugs capable of diffusing through the skin, the time-delivery of which is solely restricted by their diffusion and solubility properties.</p

Using Data Reduction Methods To Predict Quality Of Life In Brest Cancer Patients

Background: Quality of life study has an important role in health care especially in chronic diseases, in clinical judgment and in medical resources supplying. Statistical tools like linear regression are widely used to assess the predictors of quality of life. But usually existed a lot of factor cause difficulty for fitting the models and predicting. In statistical method there are different methods of data reduction that recommended. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on 119 breast cancer patients that admitted and treated in chemotherapy ward of Namazi hospital in Shiraz. QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used to assessment quality of life in these patients. Principal component analyzing and factor analyzing are tow statistical method of data reduction was used for reducing the number of predictors. Results: The mean score for the global health status for breast cancer patients was 64.92±11.42. univariate Linear regression showed that only role function, social function and diarrhea were not significant. Principal component analyzing and factor analyzing, consider all of 14 factors to 7 component and 7 factors. According to adjusted R square model fitting with reducing predictors were better than model fitting withinitial predictors. Conclusion: when there are a lot of factors existed in a model, use different method of data reduction causing better and easier model fitting and predictin

The effect of fruit Cassia fistula aqueous extract on sleeping time and the level of anxiety in mice

Background and Objective: Several investigations have indicated the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic effects and smooth muscle relaxant activity of Cassia species. This study was done to determine the effect of Cassia fistula on sleeping time and the level of anxiety in mice. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 80 male albino mice (25-30 g) randomly allocated in 8 groups. For measuring the sleeping time we used the Angle method and animals were divided into three experimentals (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) and one control group. For evaluating of anxiety levels, animals randomly were divided into three experimentals and one control group, and elevated plus maze (EPM) model was used. The evaluation of anxiety indices included number and percent of time spent in open arm. Different doses of the aqueous extract of Cassia fistula (250, 500, 1000 mg/kg IP) were injected intraperitoneally to the treated groups. Controls were recived 10 ml/kg/BW normal saline intraperitoneally in both methods. Results: The extract of Cassia fistula (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) significantly increased sleeping time [F (3, 39)=23.19, P<0.05]. Also open time [F (3,39)=15.55, P<0.05] and the number of open arm entries [F (3, 39)=24.21, P<0.05] were significantly in doses (250mg and 500 mg) were singnificantly more than control group, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the aqueous extract of Cassia fistula fruit incerase the sleeping time and deereasing level of anxity in mice

Effect of Yoga Exercise on General Health Status (GHS) and Sense of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction & Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a type of progressing and degenerating disease of myelin membrane of nervous cells in the Central Nervous System (CNS) which could cause the incidence of many signs and complications in patients. The disease could affect different aspects of an individual’s life and disturb his/her normal life. This study was carried out in order to survey the effect of yoga exercise on general health status (GHS) and sense of life in patients with multiple sclerosis. Materials & Methods: This research was a clinical trial study carried out at Yasouj University of Medical Sciences on 60 female patients with multiple sclerosis from Kohgiloyeh and Boyerahmad province in 2009.The data collecting tool consisted was MSQoL-54 questionnaire contained demographic information of patients. Patients were randomly divided into two control and case groups (30 persons in each group). Then, the general health status (GHS) and sense of life of the subjects were evaluated. Yoga therapy was done in the case group for three months and each month included eight sessions of 1-1.5 hours while no intervention was carried out on the control group. One month after Yoga therapy, the general health status (GHS) and sense of life for both groups were evaluated and compared with each other. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive tests, statistical independent t-test and paired t-test by the SPSS software. Results: The mean age of samples was 31.6±8.0 with the range of 18-45 years. Forty two (70%) of the subjects were married and 18 (30%) were single. Forty four (73.3%) had high school education and 16 (26.6%) had a university degree. Regarding occupation, most of them (63.3%) were housewives. Results of the study showed that after Yoga therapy, the mean rate of general health status (GHS) and sense of life as a whole had significant statistical difference between two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Yoga has improved the general health status (GHS) and sense of life of multiple sclerosis patients in our study. Considering the less cost, feasibility and rapid learning of Yoga techniques, the training of doing such exercise to patients with multiple sclerosis is recommended

Phage antibody display libraries: a powerful antibody discovery platform for immunotherapy.

Phage display technology (PDT), a combinatorial screening approach, provides a molecular diversity tool for creating libraries of peptides/proteins and discovery of new recombinant therapeutics. Expression of proteins such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) on the surface of filamentous phage can permit the selection of high affinity and specificity therapeutic mAbs against virtually any target antigen. Using a number of diverse selection platforms (e.g. solid phase, solution phase, whole cell and in vivo biopannings), phage antibody libraries (PALs) from the start point provides great potential for the isolation of functional mAb fragments with diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes. Given the pivotal role of PDT in the discovery of novel therapeutic/diagnostic mAbs, in the current review, we provide an overview on PALs and discuss their impact in the advancement of engineered mAbs