A project for future life—Swedish women's thoughts on childbearing lacking experience of giving birth and parenthood

A lifeworld hermeneutic approach was used in order to understand Swedish women's thoughts on childbearing. Nine women were interviewed, and they ranged in age from 22 to 28 years and represented diverse socioeconomic, educational, sexual, and fertility backgrounds. All women were similar in that they lacked experience of giving birth and parenthood. The analysis showed that childbearing includes dimensions of both immanence and transcendence. Immanence, as childbearing is seen as stagnant to women's freedom in present life. Transcendence, as childbearing is thought of as a project for future life, a part of female identity, and a conscious standpoint for which the woman wants to be prepared and for which she wants to create the best conditions

Single-fraction radiation therapy provides highly effective palliation for cutaneous t-cell lymphoma

Purpose/Objective(s): A variety of dose fractionation schemes and techniques have been reported when treating cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) lesions for palliation. We sought to report our experience with single-fraction palliative radiation therapy. Materials/Methods: We reviewed 59 lesions in 17 patients with CTCL treated with a single fraction for palliative intent. Tumor characteristics, treatment approach, response to treatment, and toxicity were reviewed. Clinical response to treatment was defined as complete response (CR, 100% reduction), partial response (PR, \u3e50% but \u3c100%), and no response (NR). Results: All lesions were treated to a dose of 8 Gy, with a mean followup for all patients of 8 months (range 1-21 months). One lesion on the left knee was treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) iridium-192 brachytherapy because of its location, depth, irregular shape, and body contour. Another deeper lesion was treated with 6 MV photons, using a 3D plan with a 0.5 cm bolus. All remaining lesions (57) were treated with 6-12 MeVelectrons prescribed to the 90% isodose line, using an en face technique with a 0.5 cm bolus. There was a CR in 56 (94.9%) lesions. Three lesions (5.1%) had an initial PR and were re-treated to a dose of 8Gy in 1 fraction. These lesions went on to have a CR. The time interval between first and second fraction in lesions with PR ranged from 1-4 months. Lesions that had a PR were large (\u3e14 cm) and involved the anterior thigh, posterior thigh, and left buttock region. The thickness of the lesions did not predict for response. Tumor stage lesions responded equally well as plaque or patch lesions. Twelve of these lesions in 3 patients were those that were persistent after total skin electron therapy (TSET) to a dose of 36Gy in 24 fractions. These lesions were in areas of skin folds and were treated 6-8 weeks after completion of TSET. CR was achieved in all these residual lesions with an additional single fraction dose of 8Gy. No treatment related toxicity was observed in any of the patients. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a highly effective palliative approach for treating CTCL lesions with minimal toxicity. Larger lesions may need re-treatment. Treatment after total skin electron therapy is safe and well tolerated

Trends in the utilization of adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma: Results of an updated period analysis of SEER data

PURPOSE: Adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VB) is a well-established and effective radiation treatment modality in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma. We sought to evaluate and update published trends in the utilization of VB vs. other radiation therapy modalities (pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or the combination of VB and pelvic EBRT using the National Cancer Institute\u27s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for adult females with histologically confirmed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 1988 Stage I-II endometrial carcinoma diagnosed from 1995 to 2012 and treated definitively with hysterectomy and adjuvant radiation therapy. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences by radiation type (VB, EBRT, and VB + EBRT) and various demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: We identified 15,201 patients that met inclusion criteria. There was a significant overall increase in the use of VB was observed from 17.1% in 1995-2000 compared to 57.1% in 2007-2012 (p \u3c 0.0001). Similarly, there was a proportional decrease in the use of EBRT from 54.0% to 25.5% (p \u3c 0.0001) as well as in the use of VB + EBRT from 28.9% to 17.4% during the same period (p \u3c 0.0001). The observed increase in utilization of VB was not limited to any variables (age, race, histological type, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and the status of lymph node dissection [yes or no]) or the number of dissected lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: In this large national database set, there continues to be an increasing trend for the use of VB in the adjuvant setting in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma

Degradation of organic effluents containing wastewater by photo-Fenton oxidation process

1681-1684Photooxidation of some organic pollutants (p-nitroaniline, p-aminophenols and acetanilide) has been carried out in the presence of photo-Fenton reagent. The effect of various parameters like pH, concentrations of organic compounds, ferric ions and hydrogen peroxide and light intensity, etc. on the reaction rate has been studied. The degradation is found to be pseudo first order. The optimum pHs for the degradation of p-aminophenol, p-nitroaniline and acetanilide are found to be 3.0, 3.5 and 2.5, respectively while the rate degradations of the three compounds are found to be comparable. The study shows that the photo-Fenton process are more effective and faster than Fenton's reagent in oxidation of organic compounds, and that the organic compounds are completely oxidized and degraded into CO₂ and H₂O. A tentative mechanism has been proposed. Excellent removal has been obtained using photo-Fenton process assisted with artificial irradiation. This study demonstrates that the use of photo-Fenton process on organic effluents wastewater treatment is very promising, especially when solar light is used

Pediatric head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Patient demographics, treatment trends and outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To examine patient demographics, temporal and treatment trends, and survival outcomes of pediatric non-nasopharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinomas using the National Cancer Database. METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried for pediatric patients (age 0-19 years) diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (including oral cavity, oropharynx, nasal cavity, larynx, hypopharynx, and salivary glands) from 2004 to 2013. RESULTS: Of 159 patients identified, the majority had oral cavity SCC (55%). There was no discernable change in incidence trends over the study period with the number of cases per year ranging from 10 to 20 (R CONCLUSION: Although pediatric non-nasopharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are rare, practitioners should be aware of this entity and consider it in the differential diagnosis of pediatric malignancies

Radiation Utilization Trends in the Treatment of Brain Metastases from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose/Objective(s): Brain metastases are the most common intracranial tumor, affecting up to 40% of all patients with cancer. More than half of these cases are lung cancer metastases. While targeted systemic therapies continue to advance, the primary modalities of treatment for brain metastases are surgery and/or whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Radiation treatment utilization patterns in this group of patients have not been well elucidated. We evaluated trends in the use of WBRT and SRS in the treatment of brain metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Purpose/Objective(s): The NCDB was used to identify patients \u3e 18 years old with metastatic NSCLC who were treated with SRS to the brain or WBRT between 2004 and 2014. Patients receiving radiation within the range of 12-24 Gy in 1 fraction were classified as SRS and those who received 30 Gy in 10 fractions, 20 Gy in 5 fractions, or 37.5 Gy in 15 fractions were classified as WBRT. Patients who did not receive a radiotherapy dose to the brain within these ranges were excluded. Chi-square test, t-test, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to compare potential demographic, clinicopathologic, and health care system predictors of SRS versus WBRT. Results: Of 40,803 patients identified, 34,183 (83.8%) received WBRT and 6,620 (16.2%) received SRS. Over time, the proportion of patients receiving SRS increased from 7% (152 cases) in 2004 to 37% (1,346 cases) in 2014 (p \u3c 0.001). The proportion of patients undergoing SRS delivered by linear accelerator versus Gamma Knife increased from 13% in 2004 to 29% in 2014 (p \u3c 0.001). SRS was utilized more by academic than community facilities (overall 22% versus 13%, p \u3c 0.001). On multivariable analysis, the strongest independent predictors of SRS use included year of diagnosis in 2010-2014 versus 2004-2009 (odds ratio [OR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.46-2.79, p \u3c0.0001), metropolitan versus rural location (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.79-2.85, p \u3c0.0001), distance from cancer-reporting facility of ≥ 30 versus \u3c 30 miles (OR 2.36, 95% CI 2.18-2.56, p \u3c0.0001), private insurance versus non-insured patients (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.68-2.29, p \u3c0.0001), and academic versus community facility type (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.66-1.87, p \u3c0.0001). Conclusion: The use of SRS for NSCLC brain metastases has steadily increased over time in the United States, especially in the academic setting, but WBRT remains the most commonly used radiation treatment modality. Wide geographic and socioeconomic variation exists in the utilization of SRS and WBRT for this patient population

Semen quality in ejaculates produced by masturbation in men with spinal cord injury

Retrospective study. Most men with spinal cord injury are anejaculatory. Much has been reported about their semen quality collected by penile vibratory stimulation and electroejaculation (EEJ). What is not well-described is the nature of semen quality in SCI patients who can ejaculate by masturbation. This study was performed to understand the degree to which their semen quality differed from that of anejaculatory SCI patients versus that of healthy non-SCI control subjects. University of Miami. Retrospective chart review of Male Fertility Research Program participants from 1991 to 2011. Of 528 SCI subjects, 444 met inclusion criteria of completing an algorithm in which ejaculation occurred by masturbation (n=43), PVS (n=243), or EEJ (n=158). Sperm motility was higher in the SCI-masturbation group (36.9%) than the PVS group (25.9%, P<0.001) or EEJ group (15.0%, P<0.001), but lower compared with a control group of 61 non-SCI healthy men who collected their semen by masturbation (58.0%, P<0.001). The SCI-masturbation group had similar antegrade sperm concentration (83.3×10(6) cc(-1)) as the PVS group (77.4×10(6) cc(-1)) and control group (82.0×10(6) cc(-1)), but higher than the EEJ group (49.8×10(6) cc(-1), P<0.001). The SCI-masturbation group had significantly more men with incomplete injuries (84%) than the PVS group (54%, P<0.01) or EEJ group (41%, P<0.001). This is the first report focusing on semen quality obtained by masturbation in men with SCI. Sperm motility was higher in men with SCI who could, versus could not, ejaculate by masturbation. Completeness of injury may contribute to this difference

Synthesis and evaluation of novel 4-substituted styryl quinazolines as potential antimicrobial agents

In an attempt to afford possible antibacterial and anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) agents, a series of 22 novel styryl quinazoline-based heterocyclic entities were designed and synthesized. Various substituted aryl urea and thiourea cores were incorporated at position 4 of quinazoline, followed by styrylation of position 2, aiming at an augmented biological potential. The synthesized compounds were well characterized through IR, (1) H NMR, (13) C NMR and elemental analyses. All compounds were screened for their in vitro anti-HIV activity against the HIV-1 (IIIB) and HIV-2 (ROD) strains. The antibacterial activity was also evaluated against various pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.status: publishe