Smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity following stoma formation surgery, stoma-related concerns, and desire for lifestyle advice: a United Kingdom survey

Background Adherence to smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity (PA) guidelines may improve outcomes for people with a stoma. A better understanding of these behaviours following stoma formation surgery and their experiences and attitudes towards receiving lifestyle advice, could help identify specific gaps and inform interventions going forward. The aim of this study was to describe changes in current lifestyle following stoma formation and to explore concerns, desire for lifestyle information, advice and support among people who have or have had a stoma.Methods A sample of adults who currently had or in the past had a stoma for treatment for any medical condition was recruited online through relevant charities and companies, and invited to complete a cross-sectional, online survey. Consenting participants (n = 425) provided demographic information and completed brief, validated questionnaires about their lifestyle, alongside questions around their concerns regarding permanent stoma and experiences of lifestyle information and advice. Responses were summarised using descriptive statistics, and associations between reported concerns about stoma and changes in health behaviours were explored.Results Most respondents (93%) still had a stoma at the time of completing the survey. The majority (80%) had not consumed at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables on the previous day and 20% reported they had not participated in at least 30 min of physical activity on any day in the previous week. Most respondents were non-smokers (84%) and did not exceed recommendations for alcohol intake (60%). Most (56%) felt their PA had decreased following stoma formation. Frequencies of concerns about a permanent stoma were high, and appeared to be associated with reported decreases in PA. Of those reporting nausea, 40% felt their diet had worsened since having their stoma. A large proportion of respondents had not received PA (42%) or dietary (30%) advice, and of these > 90% would have liked guidance.Conclusions Few respondents to this survey were eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, and most reported a decrease in their PA following stoma surgery. Lifestyle advice would be welcomed by this population, which professionals should take into account when addressing stoma- related concerns

Smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity following stoma formation surgery, stoma-related concerns, and desire for lifestyle advice: a United Kingdom survey

Background:Adherence to smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity (PA) guidelines may improve outcomes for people with a stoma. A better understanding of these behaviours following stoma formation surgery and their experiences and attitudes towards receiving lifestyle advice, could help identify specific gaps and inform interventions going forward. The aim of this study was to describe changes in current lifestyle following stoma formation and to explore concerns, desire for lifestyle information, advice and support among people who have or have had a stoma.Methods:A sample of adults who currently had or in the past had a stoma for treatment for any medical condition was recruited online through relevant charities and companies, and invited to complete a cross-sectional, online survey. Consenting participants (n?=?425) provided demographic information and completed brief, validated questionnaires about their lifestyle, alongside questions around their concerns regarding permanent stoma and experiences of lifestyle information and advice. Responses were summarised using descriptive statistics, and associations between reported concerns about stoma and changes in health behaviours were explored.Results:Most respondents (93%) still had a stoma at the time of completing the survey. The majority (80%) had not consumed at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables on the previous day and 20% reported they had not participated in at least 30?min of physical activity on any day in the previous week. Most respondents were non-smokers (84%) and did not exceed recommendations for alcohol intake (60%). Most (56%) felt their PA had decreased following stoma formation. Frequencies of concerns about a permanent stoma were high, and appeared to be associated with reported decreases in PA. Of those reporting nausea, 40% felt their diet had worsened since having their stoma. A large proportion of respondents had not received PA (42%) or dietary (30%) advice, and of these >?90% would have liked guidance.Conclusions:Few respondents to this survey were eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, and most reported a decrease in their PA following stoma surgery. Lifestyle advice would be welcomed by this population, which professionals should take into account when addressing stoma- related concerns

Correlation between DNA damage responses of skin to a test dose of radiation and late adverse effects of earlier breast radiotherapy

Aim: To correlate residual double strand breaks (DSB) 24 h after 4 Gy test doses to skin in vivo and to lymphocytes in vitro with adverse effects of earlier breast radiotherapy (RT). Patients and methods: Patients given whole breast RT P5 years earlier were identified on the basis of moderate/marked or minimal/no adverse effects despite the absence (‘RT-Sensitive’, RT-S) or presence (‘RT-Resistant’, RT-R) of variables predisposing to late adverse effects. Residual DSB were quantified in skin 24 h after a 4 Gy test dose in 20 RT-S and 15 RT-R patients. Residual DSB were quantified in lymphocytes irradiated with 4 Gy in vitro in 30/35 patients. Results: Mean foci per dermal fibroblast were 3.29 (RT-S) vs 2.80 (RT-R) (p = 0.137); 3.28 (RT-S) vs 2.60 (RT-R) in endothelium (p = 0.158); 2.50 (RT-S) vs 2.41 (RT-R) in suprabasal keratinocytes (p = 0.633); 2.70 (RT-S) vs 2.35 (RT-R) in basal epidermis (p = 0.419); 12.1 (RT-S) vs 10.3 (RT-R) in lymphocytes (p = 0.0052). Conclusions: Residual DSB in skin following a 4 Gy dose were not significantly associated with risk of late adverse effects of breast radiotherapy, although exploratory analyses suggested an association in severely affected individuals. By contrast, a significant association was detected based on the in vitro response of lymphocytes

Clinical development of new drug-radiotherapy combinations.

In countries with the best cancer outcomes, approximately 60% of patients receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment, which is one of the most cost-effective cancer treatments. Notably, around 40% of cancer cures include the use of radiotherapy, either as a single modality or combined with other treatments. Radiotherapy can provide enormous benefit to patients with cancer. In the past decade, significant technical advances, such as image-guided radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, and proton therapy enable higher doses of radiotherapy to be delivered to the tumour with significantly lower doses to normal surrounding tissues. However, apart from the combination of traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy with radiotherapy, little progress has been made in identifying and defining optimal targeted therapy and radiotherapy combinations to improve the efficacy of cancer treatment. The National Cancer Research Institute Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group (CTRad) formed a Joint Working Group with representatives from academia, industry, patient groups and regulatory bodies to address this lack of progress and to publish recommendations for future clinical research. Herein, we highlight the Working Group's consensus recommendations to increase the number of novel drugs being successfully registered in combination with radiotherapy to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.National Institute for Health ResearchThis is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.7

Flaechen vom Grad 8 im IP4)

SIGLETIB: RO 2556 (8)+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

The importance of local long-duration STEM mentorship as a global mechanism for increasing diversity at all levels of education

We begin with a brief review of the progress being made by the professional space physics community to increase diversity and inclusion. These efforts have been primarily centered on overcoming barriers that have inhibited existing underrepresented minority space physics professionals from being successful at all levels of academic, mission, and administrative achievement. While we find these remediations to be essential, we must recognize that our ability to achieve a diverse professional workforce representative of the US population depends on achieving a diverse population of researchers entering the field. That means the greatest gains can only be achieved by actions that reach into the educational system. We identify and discuss possible issues within the traditional formal education and developmental environment of young inquiring minds, including gaps in resources, the pressure to bring in income during secondary school and graduate school matriculation, and the cultural biases against research careers. We highlight the importance of local mentorship and age-appropriate research-like activities within all levels of education, including Kindergarten through bachelor’s and advanced degree programs, as a means of overcoming barriers to becoming a respected contributing member of the space physics research community. We note these issues extend beyond space physics into all STEM fields. These activities can provide road maps into research careers, practice age-appropriate skills, and provide an avenue for current researchers to become mentors. Specifically, we advocate the development of a formal program of professional chapters for colleges and age-appropriate research-oriented programs for K-12 schools and encourage strong collaborative affiliations with other professional societies. At the core of this is the development and implementation of informed, persistent mentoring