Breaking bad news in cancer : an assessment of Maltese patients’ preferences

Purpose: It is unclear whether Maltese cancer patients wish to know their diagnosis or to what extent they want to be informed. The aim was to assess patients’ preferences for receiving a cancer diagnosis and being involved in the decision-making process, and then compare these with results from similar international studies. Methods: Two hundred fifty-two Maltese adult cancer patients were invited to complete two standardised tools: the Measure of Patients’ Perspective (MPP), assessing patients’ preferences for receiving news about their cancer, and the Control Preferences Scale (CPS), examining involvement in decision-making. Results: Maltese patients rated the ‘content’ subscale (information given; mean 4.17, SD 0.59) as significantly more important (p<0.001) than ‘support’ (offering comfort/support; mean 3.73, SD 0.68) and ‘facilitation’ (how information is given; mean 3.86, SD 0.68). Patients with higher levels of education had significantly higher scores for ‘content’ (p=0.018) and ‘facilitation’ (p<0.001) on the MPP, while lower education levels preferred a passive role (p=0.01) on the CPS. Although there is a trend towards a collaborative and even an active role in treatment decisions, patients still exhibit a paternalistic attitude towards their physician. Age, gender and medical variables had no significant influence on response. Conclusions: Maltese cancer patients want to be informed of their cancer diagnosis, its treatment and prognosis, similar to other international studies. However, 60% of Maltese patients prefer a more paternalistic approach towards their physician when compared to other studies.peer-reviewe

NWSA NEWS AND VIEWS

FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEE Responding to the 1979 charge of the Finance Committee and the Delegate Assembly, the Coordinating Council devoted a major portion of its February 14-17 meeting in College Park to a discussion of finances. The clear intent of all sessions was the consideration of fiscal responsibility in terms of feminist principles and the goals of NWSA. On February 13, several members of the 1979-80 Finance Committee (Liz Birch, Alice Stadthaus, Barbara Taylor, Mary Thornberry, and Robin Wright) met with the Steering Committee (Pat Gozemba, Jan Meriwether, and Kay Towns); the National Coordinator, Elaine Reuben; the National Staff Associate, Donna Whittlesey; and consultants from Women\u27s Resources of Philadelphia. At that time they planned means for addressing financial issues at the CC meeting

NWSA News and Views

The reports in this issue on the finances of the First NWSA Convention and on NWSA\u27s Project to Improve Service Learning in Women\u27s Studies might serve as Fall reports from the National Office. Both are about NWSA activities derived from our broad definition of women\u27s studies; both announce long-awaited good news of what we hope will be the first of many successful conventions and projects that will bring women\u27s studies practitioners together to share the work of transforming curriculum and educational institutions

Observational and Modeling Analysis of Land–Atmopshere Coupling over Adjacent Irrigated and Rainfed Cropland during the GRAINEX Field Campaign

The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) was conducted in the spring and summer of 2018 to investigate Land-Atmosphere (L-A) coupling just prior to and through the growing season across adjacent, but distinctly unique, soil moisture regimes (contrasting irrigated and rainfed fields). GRAINEX was uniquely designed for the development and analysis of an extensive observational dataset for comprehensive process studies of L-A coupling, by focusing on irrigated and rainfed croplands in a ~100 x 100 km domain in southeastern Nebraska. Observation platforms included multiple NCAR EOL Integrated Surface Flux Systems and Integrated Sounding Systems, NCAR CSWR Doppler Radar on Wheels, 1200 radiosonde balloon launches from 5 sites, the NASA GREX airborne L-Band radiometer, and 75 University of Alabama-Huntsville Environmental Monitoring Economic Monitoring Sensor Hubs (EMESH mesonet stations). An integrated observational and modeling approach to advance knowledge of L-A coupling processes and precipitation impacts in regions of heterogeneous soil moisture will be presented. Specifically, through observation of land surface states, surface fluxes, near surface meteorology, and properties of the atmospheric column, an examination of the diurnal planetary boundary layer evolving characteristics will be presented. Results from a hierarchy of modeling platforms (e.g. single column, large-eddy, and mesoscale simulations) will also be presented to complement the observational findings. The modeling effort will generate high spatiotemporal resolution datasets to: 1) generate a multi-physics ensemble to test the robustness and potentially advance physical parameterizations in high resolution weather and climate models, 2) comparison of prescribed forcing from observations and those from offline land surface model simulations and high resolution operational analyses, 3) determine the ability of model simulations to reproduce observed boundary layer evolution, with particular attention to the processes that compose the L-A coupling chain and metrics (e.g. mixing ratio diagrams), and 4) in combination with observations, isolate the impacts of soil moisture heterogeneity on planetary boundary layer characteristics, cloud development, precipitation, mesoscale circulation patters and boundary layer development. Initial results from the observational and modeling analysis will be presented

The Ursinus Weekly, December 6, 1973

ProTheatre to present “Second Shepherd’s Play” • Ursinus to comply with Nixon’s request to save energy • St. Andrew’s Society of New York announces graduate deadline • Professor Miller is elected to post • Christmas program to be first of kind • Women’s problems, schedule change aired at meeting • Economics club goes to New York • U.C. band to play on Monday • Editorial: The energy predicament; David Ben-Gurion • Wickersham publishes book, his first, on Greek history of fourth century B.C. • Letter to the editor: Mid-semester assessment • Arts Festival scheduled • Alumni corner: Class of ’73 active in many fields • The Zodiac: The signs and their compatibility discussed • Forum review: Longstreth speaks to forum audience on Megalopolis, 1984 • George Fago, of Psychology Department, delivers first Socratic Club lecture • Don’t think too hard • Hockey Bearettes go to nationals • Ursinus hoopla • Winter sports schedule • Swim team bows to Swarthmorehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1007/thumbnail.jp

A family presenting with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B: A case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B, a rare autosomal dominant syndrome, is characterized by early onset of medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, marfanoid habitus and mucosal neuromas of the tongue, lips, inner cheeks and inner eyelids. Gangliomatosis of the gastrointestinal tract and its complications may also occur in patients with this disease.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a 16-year-old Persian man diagnosed as having a non-invasive form of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B (medullary thyroid cancer, mucosal neuroma of the tongue, lips and inner eyelids). Our patient, who had a positive family history of medullary thyroid cancer, was of normal height with no signs of marfanoid habitus.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ophthalmological and oral manifestations of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B, as in the case of our patient, are rare presentations of the disease; unfortunately in the case of our patient his condition had not been noted and acted upon until he presented to our department. The diagnosis in our patient's case was made only after his mother presented with the same condition. As a result, we emphasize that physicians should pay more attention to the oral and ocular signs of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B in order to diagnose this fatal syndrome at an earlier phase.</p

Therapeutic Neonatal Hepatic Gene Therapy in Mucopolysaccharidosis VII Dogs

Dogs with mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII) were injected intravenously at 2–3 days of age with a retroviral vector (RV) expressing canine β-glucuronidase (cGUSB). Five animals received RV alone, and two dogs received hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) before RV in an attempt to increase transduction efficiency. Transduced hepatocytes expanded clonally during normal liver growth and secreted enzyme with mannose 6-phosphate. Serum GUSB activity was stable for up to 14 months at normal levels for the RV-treated dogs, and for 17 months at 67-fold normal for the HGF/RV-treated dog. GUSB activity in other organs was 1.5–60% of normal at 6 months for two RV-treated dogs, which was likely because of uptake of enzyme from blood by the mannose 6-phosphate receptor. The body weights of untreated MPS VII dogs are 50% of normal at 6 months. MPS VII dogs cannot walk or stand after 6 months, and progressively develop eye and heart disease. RV- and HGF/RV-treated MPS VII dogs achieved 87% and 84% of normal body weight, respectively. Treated animals could run at all times of evaluation for 6–17 months because of improvements in bone and joint abnormalities, and had little or no corneal clouding and no mitral valve thickening. Despite higher GUSB expression, the clinical improvements in the HGF/RV-treated dog were similar to those in the RV-treated animals. This is the first successful application of gene therapy in preventing the clinical manifestations of a lysosomal storage disease in a large animal