341 research outputs found
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Enrollment of adolescents and young adults onto SWOG cancer research network clinical trials: A comparative analysis by treatment site and era.
BackgroundFew adolescents and young adults (AYAs, 15-39 years old) enroll onto cancer clinical trials, which hinders research otherwise having the potential to improve outcomes in this unique population. Prior studies have reported that AYAs are more likely to receive cancer care in community settings. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has led efforts to increase trial enrollment through its network of NCI-designated cancer centers (NCICC) combined with community outreach through its Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP; replaced by the NCI Community Oncology Research Program in 2014).MethodsUsing AYA proportional enrollment (the proportion of total enrollments who were AYAs) as the primary outcome, we examined enrollment of AYAs onto SWOG therapeutic trials at NCICC, CCOP, and non-NCICC/non-CCOP sites from 2004 to 2013 by type of site, study period (2004-08 vs 2009-13), and patient demographics.ResultsOverall, AYA proportional enrollment was 10.1%. AYA proportional enrollment decreased between 2004-2008 and 2009-2013 (13.1% vs 8.5%, P < .001), and was higher at NCICCs than at CCOPs and non-NCICC/non-CCOPs (14.1% vs 8.3% and 9.2%, respectively; P < .001). AYA proportional enrollment declined significantly at all three site types. Proportional enrollment of AYAs who were Black or Hispanic was significantly higher at NCICCs compared with CCOPs or non-NCICC/non-CCOPs (11.5% vs 8.8, P = .048 and 11.5% vs 8.6%, P = .03, respectively).ConclusionNot only did community sites enroll a lower proportion of AYAs onto cancer clinical trials, but AYA enrollment decreased in all study settings. Initiatives aimed at increasing AYA enrollment, particularly in the community setting with attention to minority status, are needed
Survival of Radio-Marked Versus Leg-Banded Northern Bobwhite in Kentucky
Understanding the impact of radiomarking northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) survival is essential because of the widespread reliance on radiotelemetry to assess vital population parameters. We conducted an assessment of bobwhite populations within the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region using leg banding and radiotelemetry on Peabody Wildlife Management Area, a 3,330-ha reclaimed surface mine in western Kentucky. We captured bobwhites using baited funnel traps during a 112-day period (23 Jul-11 Nov 2010) and marked 180 with necklace-style radio-transmitters (6 g) and 256 birds with only leg bands. Eighty-five birds were opportunistically recaptured in funnel traps, of which 81 were used in developing survival estimates. We used the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model in Program MARK to estimate periodic survival rates (PSR) of both sample groups. Candidate models which included body mass as a covariate explained the most variability in survival. The estimated PSR was 0.309 6 0.109 based on the best approximating model and was 0.302 6 0.108 from model averaging. We calculated a point of inflection for this model, which suggested a mass âthresholdâ of 131g, above which survival improved at a decreasing rate. The model including only the radio-transmitter effect had a DAICc .3 and was considered to be non-plausible. Further research with larger samples is needed to develop more robust survival models to fully assess the effects of radiomarking bobwhites. It does not appear, based on our study, that radio transmitters adversely affect survival of northern bobwhite
Emission-Line Properties of the Optical Filaments of NGC 1275
Extended nebular filaments are seen at optical wavelengths in NGC 1275, the
central galaxy in the Perseus cluster. The agents responsible for the
excitation of these filaments remain poorly understood. In this paper we
investigate possible mechanisms for powering the filaments, using measurements
from an extensive spectroscopic data set acquired at the Lick Observatory 3-m
Shane telescope. The results show that the filaments are in an extremely low
ionization and excitation state. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra
allows us to measure or place sensitive upper limits on weak but important
diagnostic lines. We compare the observed line intensity ratios to the
predictions of various ionization models, including photoionization by an
active galactic nucleus, shock heating, stellar photoionization, and
photoionization by the intracluster medium. We also investigate possible roles
for cluster extreme-ultraviolet emission, and filtering of cluster soft X-ray
emission by an ionized screen, in the energetics of the filaments. None of
these mechanisms provides an entirely satisfactory explanation for the physical
state of the nebulae. Heating and ionization by reconnection of the
intracluster magnetic field remains a potentially viable alternative, which
merits further investigation through Faraday rotation studies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
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A comparison of nursesâ and physiciansâ perception of cancer treatment burden based on reported adverse events
Background
Cancer treatments are associated with a multitude of adverse events (AEs). While both nurses and physicians are involved in patient care delivery and AE assessment, very few studies have examined the differences between nursesâ and physiciansâ reporting and perception of AEs. An approach was recently proposed to assess treatment burden based on reported AEs from the physicianâs perspective. In this paper, we use this approach to evaluate nursesâ perception of burden, and compare nursesâ and physiciansâ assessment of the overall and relative burden of AEs.
Methods
AE records for 334 cancer patients from a randomized clinical trial conducted by the SWOG Cancer Research Network were evaluated by 14 nurses at Columbia University Medical Center. Two nurses were randomly selected to assign a burden score from 0 to 10 based on their impression of the global burden of the captured AEs. These nurses did not interact directly with the patients. Scores were compared to previously obtained physicians scores using paired T-test and Kappa statistic. Severity scores for individual AEs were obtained using mixed-effects models with nurses assessments, and were qualitatively compared to physiciansâ.
Results
Given the same AEs, nursesâ and physiciansâ perception of the burden of AEs differed. While nurses generally perceived the overall burden of AEs to be only slightly worse compared to physicians (mean average VAS score of 5.44 versus 5.14), there was poor agreement in the perception of AEs that were in mild to severe range. The percent agreement for a moderate or worse AE was 64% with a Kappa of 0.34. Nurses also assigned higher severity scores to symptomatic AEs compared to physicians (pâ<â0.05), such as gastrointestinal (4.77 versus 4.14), hemorrhage (5.07 versus 4.14), and pain (5.17 versus 4.14).
Conclusions
These differences in the perception of burden of AEs can lead to different treatment decisions and symptom management strategies. Thus, having provider consistency, training, or a collaborative approach in follow-up care between nurses and physicians is important to ensure continuity in care delivery. Moreover, estimating overall burden from both physiciansâ and nursesâ perspective, and comparing them may be useful for deciding when collaborations are warranted
Tracing PAHs and Warm Dust Emission in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068
We present a study of the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068 using mid- and far-
infrared data acquired with the IRAC, IRS, and MIPS instruments aboard the
Spitzer Space Telescope. The images show extensive 8 um and 24 um emission
coinciding with star formation in the inner spiral approximately 15" (1 kpc)
from the nucleus, and a bright complex of star formation 47" (3 kpc) SW of the
nucleus. The brightest 8 um PAH emission regions coincide remarkably well with
knots observed in an Halpha image. Strong PAH features at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and
11.3 um are detected in IRS spectra measured at numerous locations inside,
within, and outside the inner spiral. The IRAC colors and IRS spectra of these
regions rule out dust heated by the AGN as the primary emission source; the
SEDs are dominated by starlight and PAH emission. The equivalent widths and
flux ratios of the PAH features in the inner spiral are generally consistent
with conditions in a typical spiral galaxy ISM. Interior to the inner spiral,
the influence of the AGN on the ISM is evident via PAH flux ratios indicative
of a higher ionization parameter and a significantly smaller mean equivalent
width than observed in the inner spiral. The brightest 8 and 24 um emission
peaks in the disk of the galaxy, even at distances beyond the inner spiral, are
located within the ionization cones traced by [O III]/Hbeta, and they are also
remarkably well aligned with the axis of the radio jets. Although it is
possible that radiation from the AGN may directly enhance PAH excitation or
trigger the formation of OB stars that subsequently excite PAH emission at
these locations in the inner spiral, the orientation of collimated radiation
from the AGN and star formation knots in the inner spiral could be
coincidental. (abridged)Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures; AJ, accepted; full resolution version available
at http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/jhhowell/astro/howelln1068.pd
Acquisition of sexual orientation and gender identity data among NCI Community Oncology Research Program practice groups
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149296/1/cncr31925_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149296/2/cncr31925.pd
Association between body mass index and response to duloxetine for aromatase inhibitorâassociated musculoskeletal symptoms in SWOG S1202
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149517/1/cncr32024.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149517/2/cncr32024_am.pd
Methods to Standardize a Multicenter Acupuncture Trial Protocol to Reduce Aromatase Inhibitor-related Joint Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients
AbstractRobust methods are needed to efficiently conduct large, multisite, randomized, controlled clinical trials of acupuncture protocols. The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) S1200 trial is a randomized, controlled (i.e., sham-controlled and waitlist-controlled) trial of a standardized acupuncture protocol for treating aromatase inhibitor (AI)-associated arthralgias in early-stage breast cancer patients (n = 228). The primary objective of this study was to determine whether true acupuncture administered twice weekly for 6 weeks, as compared to sham acupuncture or a waitlist control, reduced AI-associated joint pain at 6 weeks as assessed by patient reports. The study was conducted at 11 institutions across the United States. The true acupuncture protocol was developed using a consensus-based process. The true acupuncture and the sham acupuncture protocols each consisted of 12 sessions administered for 6 weeks, followed by one weekly session for 6 weeks. The true acupuncture protocol used standardized protocol points, and the standardized acupoints were tailored to a patient's joint symptoms. The similarly standardized sham acupuncture protocol utilized superficial needling of nonacupoints. Standardized methods were developed to train and monitor acupuncturists and included online and in-person training, study manuals, monthly phone calls, and remote quality assurance monitoring throughout the study period. The research staff similarly received online and in-person training and monthly phone calls
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