Nurses and Stigma at the Time of COVID-19: A Phenomenological Study

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting strain on every country in the world and their health systems. Healthcare professionals struggle on the frontline and they can experience stigma, which can create difficulties in controlling epidemic diseases, influencing the mental health of healthcare professionals, caregivers, families, communities, and the provided quality of care. The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of Italian nurses about perceived stigma during COVID-19 pandemic with the phenomenological Cohen method. The principal themes that emerged from data analysis were “stigma in the working environment” and “stigma in everyday life”. Each of these themes had subthemes: “looks like gun sights”, “avoiding closeness to others”, “nobody wants to touch you”, and “the fault of being your family members”. Public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are stressful events for individuals and communities. Stigma can be more dangerous than the disease, and a major obstacle to appropriate medical and mental health interventions. Understanding how healthcare professionals experience stigma is essential to design and implement specific educational, psychological, and organisational programmes

Nurses in Public Health: A profession in continuous evolution

Today, nurses play a fundamental role in Public Health. In the last few decades the health profession has seen strong professional growth, in the areas of Clinical practice, Management and Education. In particular, this growth has been also informed by the progress being made in nursing research. In fact, nursing research has contributed to the establishment of support tools to facilitate and evaluate the daily work done by nurses, contributing significantly to the improvement of their professional performance

Experience of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: A Phenomenological Study

: The international literature concerning cesarean surgeries (CSs) make it clear that many of these procedures are unnecessary. Using a phenomenological methodology, we seek to understand the experiences and decisions of women who have undergone vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Various factors contribute to the choice of VBAC. Making VBAC a more regular practice would contribute to a decrease in the total number of repeat CSs. The purpose of this study is threefold: (a) to understand the process that women use to select a VBAC rather than a repeat cesarean, (b) to understand the mothers' lived experience of that VBAC, and (c) to use the aforementioned data to inform the development of new educational programs for mothers considering VBAC

Adjuvant Therapy In Surgically Resected Colon Cancer

The prognosis of colon cancer, after curative resection, is mainly related to the occurrence of metastases, and especially of liver metastases. It is generally accepted that adjuvant medical therapy is important in order to prevent the incidence of metastatic recurrences. The aim of the present review is to analyse the conclusions of the main recent randomized trials assessing the comparative value of different adjuvant protocols. The results obtained using either conventional systemic infusion or intraportal infusion, which is mainly designed to prevent liver metastases, are reported. On the basis of this review, we can conclude that: adjuvant chemotherapy using combined drugs (MF, MOF) did not prove more active than 5-FU alone. The beneficial action of a combined 5-FU + levamisole regimen was clearly demonstrated for patients with a Dukes C tumour. According to a unique and limited trial, intra-portal adjuvant therapy has been shown to be effective for patients with Dukes B tumours, but this remains to be confirmed, even though more recently four reports have been published on these experiences. On the basis of the present data, new adjuvant programs using combined chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic compounds, and combined systemic and loco-regional infusion, could be developped

Combined chemotherapy and differentiation therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Background: In this phase-II pilot study a cisplatin-based treatment was combined with biological agents capable of inducing differentiation in non-small-cell lung cancel (NSCLC) cells with the aim of ameliorating response to chemotherapy. Patients and methods: Forty patients (PTS) with inoperable stage III-B or IV NSCLC were treated with cisplatin (CDDP) 24 mg/m(2) on days 1 to 5, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 500 mg/m(2) by continuous infusion on days 1 to 5 and vindesine (VDS) 3 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 5. Beta-interferon (beta-IFN) 1 x 10(6) IU/m(2) subcutaneously 3 times a week and retinyl palmitate (R) 50,000 IU orally BID were administered between chemotherapy cycles. Responders were maintained with the same dose of beta-IFN plus R 15,000 IU BID. Half of the PTS had an ECOG performance status of 0-1, 62% of tumours were of squamous histology and 77.5% of PTS had stage IV disease. A median of four courses of chemotherapy per PT was delivered. Results: Forty PTS were evaluable. Seventeen PTS responded (RR 42%, 95% C.I. 27%-57%). Of the 17 responders 13 had squamous histology. The median response duration was 5.1 months. The median overall survival was 9.1 months. Gastrointestinal toxicity occurred in 58% of PTS, anaemia in 20%, leukopenia in 30%. Conclusions: The association of CDDP, VDS, 5-FU, beta-IFN and R shows activity in NSCLC, particularly in tumours with squamous histology, with a substantial toxicity

False positive also exists. Keep it in mind when dual test is performed

We report two cases of false positive results regarding Dual test for first trimester non invasive diagnosis of chromosomopaties, describing how different paths may be present even with simile parameters, in two different pregnant women

Advanced carcinoma of the pancreas - Phase II study of combined chemotherapy, beta-interferon, and retinoids

Because of the poor response of pancreatic cancer to conventional therapy, the authors performed a phase II pilot study to evaluate whether beta-interferon and retinoids, added to active chemotherapeutic agents, could increase response rate and survival in a group of patients who had metastatic disease. Twenty-three chemotherapy-naive patients were treated as follows: epirubicin, 60 mg/m(2), and mitomycin C, 10 mg/m(2), intravenously on day 1; folinic acid, 200 mg/m(2), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 370 mg/m(2), intravenously for 5 consecutive days, beta-Interferon, 1 x 10(6) IU/m(2), subcutaneously three times a week, and retinol palmitate, 50,000 IU orally twice a day, were given between chemotherapy cycles. Patients having responses and disease stabilization were maintained with the same dose of beta-interferon and retinol palmitate. Treatment was given every 4 weeks for four courses or until onset of progression. A median of three courses of chemotherapy was delivered to each patient. All patients. were evaluable. Eight patients responded (35%) and 8 (35%) had stable disease. Median time to progression and survival for all patients were, respectively, 6.1 months and 11 months. Toxicity was severe: 60% of patients had hematologic toxicity, 40% had gastrointestinal toxicity, 13% had cardiac toxicity, and 1 patient had a hemolitic-uremic syndrome. The combination of chemotherapy, beta-interferon, and retinoids shows activity in metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. Toxicity was high but patients who had responses and disease stabilization had prolonged symptom palliation

Lived experience of patients with glaucoma glaucoma: a phenomenological study

INTRODUCTION: Glaucoma is often a misdiagnosed pathology and is one of the main causes of blindness in the world population.Glaucoma frequentlycauses limitations in theactivities of daily livingand changes the patient’s quality of life. AIM: The purpose of our study is to describe the life experiences of subjects in southern Italy suffering from glaucoma.METHOD: Phenomenological studyRESULTS: From the analysis of interviews six main themes emerged:(1) a profound change in lifestyle, (2) casual diagnosis,(3) independent research,(4) fear of blindness,(5) fear of being a burden to family, and (6) fear of familial pathology. Two additional themes appeared: the subjects felt lucky not to have a deadly disease and were uncertain about the future.CONCLUSION: The negative aspects prevail over any positive facets. A deep understanding of these experiences can help health care professionals to deliver correct holistic support. Keywords: Glaucoma, lived experience, phenomenological studyL’esperienza di vita dei pazienti con glaucoma: uno studio fenomenologicoINTRODUZIONE: Il glaucoma è una delle principali cause di cecità nel mondo. Spesso la sua diagnosi avviene in maniera occasionale; tale patologia comporta limitazione nella vita quotidiana dei soggetti che ne sono affetti, alterando la qualità di vita.SCOPO: Lo scopo del nostro studio è quello di descrivere l’esperienza di vita dei soggetti affetti da glaucomaMETODO: una metodologia fenomenologica è stata utilizzata per questo studioRISULTATI: Dall'analisi delle interviste sono emersi sei temi principali: (1) un profondo cambiamento nello stile di vita, (2) la diagnosi casuale, (3) la ricerca indipendente, (4) la paura della cecità, (5) la paura di essere un peso per la famiglia e (6) la paura di patologia familiare. Due temi aggiuntivi sono apparsi: i soggetti si sentivano “fortunati di non avere una malattia mortale” e “incerezzai circa il futuro”.CONCLUSIONI: Gli aspetti negativi prevalgono su tutte le sfaccettature positive. Una profonda comprensione di queste esperienze può aiutare gli operatori sanitari a fornire una corretta assistenza olistica ed a ideare programmi educative specifici.Parole chiave: Glaucoma, esperienza di vita, studio fenomenologic