Knowledge and attitudes of primary health care physicians and nurses with regard to population screening for colorectal cancer in Balearic Islands and Barcelona

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Primary health care (PHC) professionals play a key role in population screening of colorectal cancer. The purposes of the study are: to assess knowledge and attitudes among PHC professionals with regard to colorectal cancer screening, as well as the factors that determine their support for such screening.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Questionnaire-based survey of PHC physicians and nurses in the Balearic Islands and in a part of the metropolitan area of Barcelona.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We collected 1,219 questionnaires. About 84% of all professionals believe that screening for colorectal cancer by fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is effective. Around 68% would recommend to their clients a colorectal cancer screening program based on FOBT and colonoscopy. About 31% are reluctant or do not know. Professionals perceive the fear of undergoing a colonoscopy as the main obstacle in getting patients to participate, and the invasive nature of this test is the main reason behind their resistance to this program. The main barriers to support the screening program among PHC professionals are lack of knowledge (nurses) and lack of time (physicians). On multivariate analysis, the factors associated with reluctance to recommend colorectal cancer screening were: believing that FOBT has poor sensitivity and is complicated; that colonoscopy is an invasive procedure; that a lack of perceived benefit could discourage client participation; that only a minority of clients would participate; thinking that clients are fed up with screening tests and being unaware if they should be offered something to ensure their participation in the programme.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Two in every three PHC professionals would support a population screening program for colorectal cancer screening. Factors associated with reluctance to recommend it were related with screening tests characteristics as sensitivity and complexity of FOBT, and also invasive feature of colonoscopy. Other factors were related with patients' believes.</p

Guaiac faecal occult blood test performance at initial and repeat screens in the English Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

BACKGROUND: In many countries, screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) relies on repeat testing using the guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT). This study aimed to compare gFOBT performance measures between initial and repeat screens. METHODS: Data on screening uptake and outcomes from the English Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) for the years 2008 and 2011 were used. An existing CRC natural history model was used to estimate gFOBT sensitivity and specificity, and the cost-effectiveness of different screening strategies. RESULTS: The gFOBT sensitivity for CRC was estimated to decrease from 27.35% at the initial screen to 20.22% at the repeat screen. Decreases were also observed for the positive predictive value (8.4–7.2%) and detection rate for CRC (0.19–0.14%). Assuming equal performance measures for both the initial and repeat screens led to an overestimate of the cost effectiveness of gFOBT screening compared with the other screening modalities. CONCLUSIONS: Performance measures for gFOBT screening were generally lower in the repeat screen compared with the initial screen. Screening for CRC using gFOBT is likely to be cost-effective; however, the use of different screening modalities may result in additional benefits. Future economic evaluations of gFOBT should not assume equal sensitivities between screening rounds

Quantification of the pine processionary caterpillar Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Notodontidae) haemocytes

Thaumetopoea pityocampa is an important pine pest in the Mediterranean basin and central Europe and larvae are called pine processionary caterpillars. To understand the resistance mehcanism for management, a study on the immune system and reactions of the larva in different stage was conduced. The aim of our work is to identify the hemocytes of the caterpillar during the larval stages L 2 , L 3 and L 4 , as well as the quantification of the different cells during each stage. After extraction of the hemolymph by centrifugation, the cells were placed in culture medium and then incubated. Microscopic observation has shown that prohemocytes population appear early in hemolymph, they differentiate into plasmatocytes and granulocytes during the advanced stages. The quantification process has shown that granulocytes are the most abundant cell population in the hemolymph of the insect larvae. To investigate the role of hemocytes in immune responses, cells of T. pityocampa were co-incubated with bacteria, entomopathogenic nematodes and synthetic beads. Both humoral and cellular encapsulation processes was observed early in larval stages, all hemocytes seem to be involved in the formation of nodules and capsules against bacteria and microbeads. The entomopathogenic nematodes(Steinemema feltiae) were not recognized and encapsulated, but their presence can strongly damages host hemocytes

Chorologie des Phlébotomes de l’Est algérien. (Diptera, Phlebotomidae)

Dans le but d’analyser et d’estimer le risque spatial en matière de leishmanioses cutanées et viscérales de l’Est algérien, les auteurs utilisent l’indicateur vectoriel, exprimé en abondances relatives de Phlébotomes. Le découpage bioclimatique préalable permet de définir deux secteurs d’échantillonnage, l’un, septentrional, à climats humide et sub-humide dominants, l’autre méridional, de type aride et peraride. Les prélèvements sont réalisés selon la méthode des itinéraires-transects. L’analyse des correspondances espèces stations permet d’interpréter les distributions selon le zonage utilisé. La chorologie des différents vecteurs est ainsi précisée : l’un des représentants du sous-genre Larroussius, P. perniciosus, responsable de la leishmaniose viscérale en zones sub-humide et semi-aride, domine au nord. Phlebotomus papatasi, vecteur de la leishmaniose cutanée zoonotique, est surtout représenté au Sud

Caractérisation moléculaire et morphologique de deux espèces affines de Paraphlebotomus: Phlebotomus chabaudi Croset, Abonnenc & Rioux, 1970 et P. riouxi Depaquit, Killick-Kendrick & Léger, 1998 (Diptera : Psychodidae)

La description en 1998 de Phlebotomus riouxi a posé le problème de la diagnose différentielle délicate de la femelle avec celle d’une espèce affine : P. chabaudi. Le rôle suspecté de P. chabaudi dans la transmission de Leishmania killicki dans certains foyers tunisiens nous a amené, à partir de 37 spécimens algériens et tunisiens, à effectuer la caractérisation moléculaire de ces deux taxons. Les séquences du gène du cytochrome b (cyt b) de l’ADN mitochondrial individualisent clairement ces taxons et mettent en évidence une variabilité intraspécifique. L’analyse morphologique ne permet pas de différencier les femelles des deux espèces sur la base des caractères génitaux. Un caractère céphalique nouveau tenant à la présence de dents latérales antérieures sur l’armature pharyngienne de P. chabaudi, absentes chez P. riouxi, est proposé, mais un recours au typage moléculaire semble nécessaire pour une identification fiable

Caractérisation moléculaire et morphologique de deux espèces affines de

La description en 1998 de Phlebotomus riouxi a posé le problème de la diagnose différentielle délicate de la femelle avec celle d’une espèce affine : P. chabaudi. Le rôle suspecté de P. chabaudi dans la transmission de Leishmania killicki dans certains foyers tunisiens nous a amené, à partir de 37 spécimens algériens et tunisiens, à effectuer la caractérisation moléculaire de ces deux taxons. Les séquences du gène du cytochrome b (cyt b) de l’ADN mitochondrial individualisent clairement ces taxons et mettent en évidence une variabilité intraspécifique. L’analyse morphologique ne permet pas de différencier les femelles des deux espèces sur la base des caractères génitaux. Un caractère céphalique nouveau tenant à la présence de dents latérales antérieures sur l’armature pharyngienne de P. chabaudi, absentes chez P. riouxi, est proposé, mais un recours au typage moléculaire semble nécessaire pour une identification fiable