Your Employees and Cancer – Working Together

This brochure on employees with cancer and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of a series on human resources practices and workplace accommodations for persons with disabilities edited by Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, SPHR, Director, Program on Employment and Disability, School of Industrial and Labor Relations – Extension Division, Cornell University. Cornell University was funded in the early 1990’s by the U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a National Materials Development Project on the employment provisions (Title I) of the ADA (Grant #H133D10155). These updates, and the development of new brochures, have been funded by Cornell’s Program on Employment and Disability, the Pacific Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, and other supporters

»Failed« Migratory Adventures?

The effects of the intra-African and European deportation regimes brought about since the European Union's externalization of its migration and development policy by transferring it to countries of sub-Saharan Africa remain largely understudied - especially their effects on people's everyday life after forced returns. Based on extensive field research, Susanne U. Schultz's book analyses the supposedly "failed" migration of Malian men, the social situations in which they find themselves following deportation, and the implications of their "failure" for their social environment and broader society. This important ethnographic study creates empirical knowledge on key issues in migration research, policy, and practice in the context of a charged debate

"Failed" Migratory Adventures? Malian Men Facing Conditions Post Deportation in Southern Mali

The effects of the intra-African and European deportation regimes brought about since the European Union's externalization of its migration and development policy by transferring it to countries of sub-Saharan Africa remain largely understudied - especially their effects on people's everyday life after forced returns. Based on extensive field research, this book analyses the supposedly "failed" migration of Malian men, the social situations in which they find themselves following deportation, and the implications of their "failure" for their social environment and broader society. This important ethnographic study creates empirical knowledge on key issues in migration research, policy, and practice in the context of a charged debate

»Failed« Migratory Adventures?

The effects of the intra-African and European deportation regimes brought about since the European Union's externalization of its migration and development policy by transferring it to countries of sub-Saharan Africa remain largely understudied - especially their effects on people's everyday life after forced returns. Based on extensive field research, Susanne U. Schultz's book analyses the supposedly "failed" migration of Malian men, the social situations in which they find themselves following deportation, and the implications of their "failure" for their social environment and broader society. This important ethnographic study creates empirical knowledge on key issues in migration research, policy, and practice in the context of a charged debate

Quality of life (QoL) as predictive mediator variable for survival in patients with intracerebral neoplasma during radiotherapy

Background: The prognosis for patients with malignant astrocytoma or brain metastases is often fatal despite intensive therapy. Therefore we wished to elucidate whether the quality of life (QoL) is a determinant of overall survival (OAS). Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2000 153 patients with brain tumours were screened; 39 patients (26%) refused to participate and further 47 patients were excluded (cerebral impairment 14%, amaurosis/language problems 3%, Karnofsky performance score < 50% 7%, death 8%, non-compliance 7%). Thus, 57 patients were analysed (33 with primary brain tumours, 24 with brain metastases). With the FACT-G questionnaire cancer-specific aspects of health-related QoL were assessed. Results: Patients with metastases showed a lower QoL in the physical sphere than patients with astrocytoma, but there were no significant differences in OAS. Median survival of patients with good QoL was 31.3 months versus 14.2 months in patients with bad QoL. Only the two variables `living with a spouse' and FACT-G sum score had a statistically significant influence on survival (p = 0.033 and p = 0.003) modelled by the Cox-PH regression. Patients who did not live with a spouse had shorter survival times than the other patients. Conclusion: Health-related QoL can serve to identify a patient group with higher risks of death

Radiotherapy: Impact of quality of life and need for psychological care: Results of a longitudinal study

Background: In the framework of a prospective longitudinal study, the quality of life (QoL) and support requirements of patients from a university hospital department of radiotherapy were evaluated for the first time by means of established psychodiagnostic questionnaires. Patients and Methods: At first, 732 patients were screened, of whom 446 (60.9%) fulfilled the criteria for inclusion; 39.1% did not (refusals 21.0%, low Karnofsky performance status 6.6%, management problems 3.4%, language barriers 3.0%, cognitive restrictions 2.6%, death 2.5%). Disease-specific aspects of QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment - General, FACT-G) and moderating variables {[}Social Support Scale (SSS), Disease Coping (FKV), Self-Assessment Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-Defined Care Requirements (BB)] were self-rated by patients with different tumor types before radiotherapy (T1), after radiotherapy (T2), and 6 weeks after the end of radiotherapy (T3). We studied 265 patients (157 male, 108 female; median age 58.6 years) with complete data of three time points. Results: In general, QoL of patients decreased significantly over all time points in all subscales. Social support was rated high and remained constant throughout the treatment. Apparent coping mechanisms were active problem-oriented coping, leisure activities, and self-support. The patients' depression proved to be an important and constant factor without significant changes. The support requirement is characterized by the need for more medical information and dialogue with a physician. Conclusions: Early specific support from personnel with radiotherapeutic skills, during the disease-coping process as well as during rehabilitation, should be a permanent component of an integrated radiooncological treatment schedule

Blutflußveränderungen in den kleinen Beckenarterien im Verlaufe physiologischer Spontanzyklen bei Frauen unterschiedlichen Alters - Untersuchung mittels transvaginaler Farbdopplersonographie

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, im Rahmen eines explorativen Studiendesigns Durchblutungsverläufe mittels des Messparameters vmean (mittlere Blutflussgeschwindigkeit) durch transvaginale dopplersonographische Messungen in den Arteriae uteri-nae, Arteriae ovarica und der Arterie des Folikels/CLs innerhalb physiologischer Menstruationszyklen verschiedener Altersstufen zu erstellen und nach Veränderun-gen gegen Ende des zeugungsfähigen Alters zu schauen, in der noch keine eindeu-tigen makro-skopisch-anatomischen Veränderungen an den Reproduktionsorganen nachzuweisen sind und noch keine messbaren Hormonveränderungen stattgefunden haben, aber deutliche Hinweise für eine sinkende Fertilität vorliegen. Die Untersuchungen (9-14 Messzeitpunkte pro Zyklus und Probandin) wurden an 24 Frauen im Alter von 20-25, 30-35 und 40-45 Jahren durchgeführt. Nach Aus-schluss von 5 Frauen mit pathologischen Mens-truationszyklen konnte die Auswer-tung an 17 Probandinnen stattfinden. Die erhaltenden Messreihen wurden nach ei-nem Synchronisationsschema mit 3 Bezugspunkten (Ovulation, Zyklusbeginn, -ende) standardisiert, so dass Blutflusskurven der einzelnen Altersgruppen für jedes Gefäß erstellt werden konnten. Die Ergebnisse zeigten in den Altersgruppen 20-25 und 30-35 Jahre relativ identi-sche und für jede Gefäßart sehr spezifische Kurvenverläufe. Die individuellen Kurven waren durch ein homogenes Verhalten charakterisiert. Die uterine Durchblutung zeigte auf der dominanten Seite (Seite des Folllikel-tragenden Ovars) ein signifikantes Ovulationsmaximum und einen mittlutealen Durchblutungsanstieg, die zeitgleich zu den entsprechenden periovulatorischen LH-Maxima sowie mittlutealen Progesteron-/Östrogenmaxima registriert werden konn-ten. Auf der nicht-dominanten Seite konnten annähernd parallele Durchblutungsverläufe gefunden werden, allerdings mit weniger starken Veränderungen und deutlich niedrigerem Blutflussniveau zu den oben genannten Zeitpunkten. Bei identischen Kurvenverläufen der dominanten Arteriae ovaricae und der Follikelgefäße zeigten sich nach präovulatorischen Anstiegen signifikant erhöhte Blutflüsse während der gesamten Lutealphase im Vergleich zur Follikelphase. Auf der nicht-dominanten Seite der Arteriae ovaricae fehlten diese präovulatorischen Geschwindigkeitszunahmen. Die Blutflussgeschwindigkeiten der dominanten Seiten lagen während der gesamten Lutealphase signifikant höher. Es waren eindeutige Zusammenhänge zwischen den Veränderungen der Steroid-hormone Östradiol und Progesteron sowie des gonadotropen Hormons LH und de-nen der Durchblutung in den Arteriae ovaricae sowie Follikelgefäßen nachzuweisen. Die charakteristischen periovulatorischen Anstiege der Blutflussgeschwindigkeiten al-ler hier untersuchten Gefäße konnten in der Altersgruppe der prämenopausalen Frauen (40-45 Jahre) in dieser Arbeit nicht gefunden werden. Mittluteale Blutfluss-zunahmen der uterinen Gefäße deuteten sich in der Tendenz an. Einzig konnte der Nachweis der höheren Blutflussgeschwindigkeit in der dominanten Arteria ovarica im Vergleich zur nicht-dominanten während der Lutealphase geführt werden. Es waren bis auf einzelne Ausnahmen keine signifikanten Korrelationen zwischen den Hor-monkonzentrationen und den Blutflussgeschwindigkeiten nachweisbar. Zusammenfassend zeigte sich bei den hier untersuchten Frauen bis zu einem Alter von 35 Jahren eine gesicherte und relativ eindeutige Durchblutungssituation zum Zeitpunkt der Ovulation und der Nidation (mittluteal) im Reproduktionstrakt. Die vor-liegenden Ergebnisse stellen eine ausreichende Durchblutung zur Ovulation bei den 40-45jährigen Frauen in Frage und weisen möglicherweise auf eine altersbedingte Funktionsstörungen in der Durchblutung der Reproduktionsorgane hin. Vor dem Hintergrund einer eingeschränkten Oozytenqualität und -lebensfähigkeit bei einem Sauerstoffdefizit zum periovulatorischen Zeitpunkt können die Ergebnisse einen neuen Aspekt in der altersbedingten Fertilitätsdiskussion darstellen

Coping of cancer patients during and after radiotherapy - a follow-up of 2 years

Aim: We wanted to understand coping strategies specific to different phases up to two years after radiotherapy, to identify patients who are at higher risk of mood disturbances and to characterise the association between coping strategies and psychosocial adaptation. Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2001, 2,169 patients with different diagnoses were screened (27.8% refused to participate). Data of 276 patients from the beginning of radiotherapy (ti1) and 5 follow-up investigations (ti6/2 years) could be analysed. With the FKV ( Freiburg Questionnaire Coping with Disease) cancer-specific coping aspects were assessed. The association between coping styles and psychosocial adaptation was evaluated using the Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients (QSC) and the questionnaire on Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment (FACT-G). Results: `Active problem-orientated' coping and `distractions' are the most important coping strategies. Only `active problem-orientated' and `depressive' coping showed a significant decrease. We observed higher means on the scales of the FKV in women. Marital status ( single, married, divorced/widowed) had a significant influence on active problem-orientated coping and spirituality. Age, children, education, T/M status and curative/ palliative intention of treatment had no influence on coping styles. Breast cancer patients and lymphoma patients demonstrated the highest use of coping strategies after radiotherapy with a significant decrease of `active problem-orientated coping'. Depressive coping and minimizing importance at ti1 were associated with high psychosocial distress and low quality of life (QoL) at ti6. Conclusion: The correlation of coping mechanisms at the beginning of radiotherapy with low QoL and high psychosocial stress at 2 years could help to identify patients at risk for low psychosocial adaptation. Psychooncologically trained teams of physicians would best correspond to this profile of needs and would contribute significantly to an ameliorated adaptation of patients to cancer which could lead to higher life satisfaction

Politisches Potential des Internet:die virtuelle Diaspora der Migranten aus Russland und der Türkei in Deutschland (Projektskizze)

Das Forschungsprojekt „Politisches Potential des Internet: Die virtuelle Diaspora der Migranten aus Russland und der Türkei in Deutschland“ untersucht die politischen Aktivitäten, die Migranten in Deutschland im Internet entfalten. Dabei gilt das Forschungsinteresse der Vernetzung und der Online-Beteiligung an politischen Prozessen sowohl im Herkunftsland der Migranten als auch im Aufnahmeland. Exemplarisch soll dies anhand der Migranten aus Russland und der Türkei in Deutschland untersucht werden. Zentrale Frage ist dabei, inwiefern das Internet die bereits bekannten politischen Aktivitäten von Migranten aus der Diaspora heraus verändert. Erleichtert das Internet lediglich den Kommunikations- und Informationsfluss zwischen den Mitgliedern der Diaspora oder bekommen die Aktivitäten eine ganz neue Qualität, weil neue Einflusswege erfolgreich genutzt werden? Welche Einwirkungen auf das politische Geschehen im Herkunftsland und im Aufenthaltsland sind feststellbar?The research project “Political potential of the internet - the virtual diaspora of migrants from Russia and Turkey in Germany” examines the political activities, which migrants display in Germany on the Internet. The focus hereby lies on the interconnectedness and the on-line participation in the political processes both in the host country and in the country of origin. This is investigated by a case study of immigrants from Russia and Turkey in Germany. Thereby the central question is, in what respect the Internet changes the already well-known political activities of immigrants in a diaspora. Does the internet only facilitate the information and communication flow between the members of the diaspora or do activities posess a completely new quality, as new ways of influence are used successfully? Which effects on the country of origin and in the residence country can be detected, how are they carried out and what consequences do they have