Impact of a Parent’s Neurodegenerative Disease and Care on the Daily Life of Children

The purpose of the study described in this chapter was to explore children’s and parents’ views of how a neurodegenerative disease in a parent influences the daily life of the child. Focus groups were carried out with nine families of children, adolescents and parents with and without Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. Each group met twice over a period of 4 weeks. Data were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results explored the meaning of the two categories: consequences in daily life and influence of disease on children. These categories emerged out of the following subcategories: economy, responsibility, living with personal assistants, being and feeling, being different, activities and the symptoms of the disease. A parent’s disease has an impact on the individual child who is affected emotionally and psychologically, and with regard to practical issues and basic needs. The parent’s and the family’s needs for support create a conflict between the child’s rights for health, well‐being and privacy and the needs and rights of the parent with the disease for high quality care. The negative impacts also relate to lack of information and knowledge about the disease and the family’s need for economic support

Prostate Cancer and Its Influence on Men´s Daily Lives

Prostate cancer has been a disease of older men but age at diagnosis is falling in Sweden. Fatigue has been regarded as a common symptom of cancer and may compromise quality of life in prostate cancer patients. The overall purpose of this thesis was to identify and describe fatigue and its influence on men’s lives when undergoing examinations for suspected prostate cancer and diagnosed with prostate cancer. Further, the purpose was to understand if prostate cancer affects the men’s daily lives. The data were collected consecutively at the outpatient clinics of two different hospitals in Sweden. Data from qualitative interviews using the same topics, with modification in paper IV, were analysed by Gadamer´s hermeneutics. Paper I: Eleven men undergoing routine examination for prostate cancer (transrectal ultrasound and biopsy), but diagnosed as having benign disease were interviewed during the spring of 2002. At the time of the prostate cancer examination, the men did not feel fatigue, i.e. not because of the examination; they felt healthy. Paper II: Sixteen men newly (within 2-4 weeks) diagnosed as having localized prostate cancer and with a prostate-specific antigen level of <10 ng/ml and untreated at the time of the interview participated between spring and autumn 2003. Most of the men did not experience fatigue due to the diagnosis but experienced every day fatigue and cancer influenced the men´s daily lives. The men felt healthy. Paper III: Ten men newly (within 2-4 weeks) diagnosed as having advanced prostate cancer PSA of > 100 ng/ml and treated for no more than 2 weeks at the time of the interview participated between autumn 2003 and December 2005. The men did not experience fatigue due to advanced prostate cancer but they experienced normal every day fatigue. The men felt healthy with some dysfunction influencing their daily lives. Paper IV: All 22 men who were still alive since the first interview (in studies II and III) were followed up between May 2005 and November 2007. The men were living with a sense of feeling healthy, even when having lived with prostate cancer for approximately two years; both cancer stage and age had an influence on them. All the men experienced Every Day Fatigue. Conclusions: Personality and anxiety contributed to fatigue when undergoing examination for suspected prostate cancer. Localized prostate cancer affected the men´s emotions and contacts giving them a new perspective on life. Advanced prostate cancer affects men´s lives: they are placed in a new life situation, against their will, and in this new situation, they form a new life perspective. The follow-up study confirmed the men´s view that age influences them, they live with uncertainty but with strengthened self-esteem, finding a balance in a changed life situation. According to the present studies the men felt healthy in spite of prostate cancer. Complementary findings were found about existential thoughts. Health professionals have a unique position to identify the different stages of the men´s adaptation to prostate cancer to guide them towards their individual needs at each stage of their adjustment

Adolescent-Centered Pain Management in School When Adolescents Have Chronic Pain : A Qualitative Study

Chronic pain is common among Swedish adolescents, and stress is an independent factor in the onset and persistence of chronic pain. When Swedish school nurses conduct their health dialogs they have a unique opportunity to find adolescents with chronic pain. The aim of this study was to explore school nurses’ and adolescents’ experiences of factors that influence adolescent-centered pain management in school health care, when adolescents have chronic pain. The study context is schools in Sweden where primary health care is available through school nurses. A total of 15 school nurses and 15 adolescents participated in individual interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed by qualitative conventional content analysis. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model was used to explain how these factors are directed at the individual or society. The results demonstrated eight different categories of factors that influenced the pain management. The categories focused mainly on the adolescents’ micro- and mesosystems; few strategies were conducted on an exo- and macrosystem level. On the micro- and mesosystem levels, it was necessary to build trust to be able to influence the adolescents’ behavior in the pain management. Pharmacological strategies were paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; non-pharmacological strategies were physical activities and stress-reducing activities. Research and practice involving a more holistic perspective, studying the possibilities of both change at the organizational level and individual support for adolescents, are essential

Fusarium mycotoxin enniatin B : Cytotoxic effects and changes in gene expression profile

The mycotoxin enniatin B, a cyclic hexadepsipeptide produced by the plant pathogen Fusarium, is prevalent in grains and grain-based products in different geographical areas. Although enniatins have not been associated with toxic outbreaks, they have caused toxicity in vitro in several cell lines. In this study, the cytotoxic effects of enniatin B were assessed in relation to cellular energy metabolism, cell proliferation, and the induction of apoptosis in Balb 3T3 and HepG2 cells. The mechanism of toxicity was examined by means of whole genome expression profiling of exposed rat primary hepatocytes. Enniatin B altered cellular energy metabolism and reduced cell proliferation in Balb 3T3 and HepG2 cell lines. Furthermore, the proportion of apoptotic cell populations of Balb 3T3 cells slightly increased. On the other hand, enniatin B caused necrotic cell death in primary hepatocytes. Gene expression studies revealed the alteration of energy metabolism due to effects on mitochondrial organization and function and the assembly of complex I of the electron transport chain. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe