A dyadic approach to understanding the impact of breast cancer on relationships between partners during early survivorship

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: The shared impact of breast cancer for women and their male partners is emerging as an important consideration during the experience of a breast cancer diagnosis, particularly during survivorship. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women and their partners during early survivorship and contributes a range of insights into the lives of those intimately affected by breast cancer. Methods: In-depth interviews were completed with Australian women survivors of breast cancer (n = 8) and their partners (n = 8), between six months and five years following cessation of treatment. Questions included a focus on the women and their partners' daily experiences during early survivorship, including the management of ongoing symptoms, engagement in leisure and social interests, returning to work, communicating with each other, maintenance of the current relationship and other important roles and responsibilities. Thematic analysis was employed to determine key themes arising from the dyadic accounts of women and their partners' experiences during early breast cancer survivorship. Results: Women and their partners experienced many changes to their previous roles, responsibilities and relationships during early breast cancer survivorship. Couples also reported a range of communication, intimacy and sexuality concerns which greatly impacted their interactions with each other, adding further demands on the relationship. Three significant themes were determined: (1) a disconnection within the relationship - this was expressed as the woman survivor of breast cancer needing to prioritise her own needs, sometimes at the expense of her partner and the relationship; (2) reformulating the relationship - this reflects the strategies used by couples to negotiate changes within the relationship; and (3) support is needed to negotiate the future of the relationship - couples emphasised the need for additional support and resources to assist them in maintaining their relationship during early survivorship. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the early survivorship period represents a crucial time for both women and their partners and there are currently limited options available to meet their shared needs and preferences for support. Findings indicate that a suitable model of care underpinned by a biopsychosocial framework, access to comprehensive assessment, timely support and the provision of targeted resources are urgently needed to assist women and their partners during this critical time

The risks and benefits of long-term use of hydroxyurea in sickle cell anemia: A 17.5 year follow-up.

A randomized, controlled clinical trial established the efficacy and safety of short-term use of hydroxyurea in adult sickle cell anemia. To examine the risks and benefits of long-term hydroxyurea usage, patients in this trial were followed for 17.5 years during which they could start or stop hydroxyurea. The purpose of this follow-up was to search for adverse outcomes and estimate mortality. For each outcome and for mortality, exact 95% confidence intervals were calculated, or tests were conducted at alpha = 0.05 level (P-value \u3c0.05 for statistical significance). Although the death rate in the overall study cohort was high (43.1%; 4.4 per 100 person-years), mortality was reduced in individuals with long-term exposure to hydroxyurea. Survival curves demonstrated a significant reduction in deaths with long-term exposure. Twenty-four percent of deaths were due to pulmonary complications; 87.1% occurred in patients who never took hydroxyurea or took it for \u3c5 years. Stroke, organ dysfunction, infection, and malignancy were similar in all groups. Our results, while no longer the product of a randomized study because of the ethical concerns of withholding an efficacious treatment, suggest that long-term use of hydroxyurea is safe and might decrease mortality

Ni- and Pd-Catalyzed Synthesis of Substituted and Functionalized Allylic Boronates

Two highly efficient and convenient methods for the synthesis of functionalized and substituted allylic boronates are described. In one procedure, readily available allylic acetates are converted to allylic boronates catalyzed by Ni/PCy₃ or Ni/PPh₃ complexes with high levels of stereoselectivity and in good yields. Alternatively, the borylation can be accomplished with commercially available Pd catalysts [e.g., Pd₂(dba)₃, PdCl₂, Pd/C], starting with easily accessed allylic halides

A Catalytic Enantioselective Tandem Allylation Strategy for Rapid Terpene Construction: Application to the Synthesis of Pumilaside Aglycon

Catalytic enantioselective 1,2-diboration of 1,3-dienes followed by cascade allylborations with dicarbonyls provides rapid entry into carbocyclic reaction products. The stereochemical course of this reaction was studied along with its application in the synthesis of pumilaside aglycon

A Catalytic Enantioselective Tandem Allylation Strategy for Rapid Terpene Construction: Application to the Synthesis of Pumilaside Aglycon

Catalytic enantioselective 1,2-diboration of 1,3-dienes followed by cascade allylborations with dicarbonyls provides rapid entry into carbocyclic reaction products. The stereochemical course of this reaction was studied along with its application in the synthesis of <i>pumilaside</i> aglycon

Electronic Cigarette Topography in the Natural Environment

<div><p>This paper presents the results of a clinical, observational, descriptive study to quantify the use patterns of electronic cigarette users in their natural environment. Previously published work regarding puff topography has been widely indirect in nature, and qualitative rather than quantitative, with the exception of three studies conducted in a laboratory environment for limited amounts of time. The current study quantifies the variation in puffing behaviors among users as well as the variation for a given user throughout the course of a day. Puff topography characteristics computed for each puffing session by each subject include the number of subject puffs per puffing session, the mean puff duration per session, the mean puff flow rate per session, the mean puff volume per session, and the cumulative puff volume per session. The same puff topography characteristics are computed across all puffing sessions by each single subject and across all subjects in the study cohort. Results indicate significant inter-subject variability with regard to puffing topography, suggesting that a range of representative puffing topography patterns should be used to drive machine-puffed electronic cigarette aerosol evaluation systems.</p></div

Puffing Profile.

<p>Puffing profile example obtained using the processing code to interpret data acquired with the RIT wireless Personal Use Monitor (wPUM).</p