Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the context of cancer; prevalence, reasons for use, disclosure, information received, risks and benefits reported by people with cancer in Norway

Background Research exploring the use of specific Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities by Norwegian cancer patients is sparse. The aims of this study were therefor to map the different CAM modalities cancer patients use and further investigate their rationale for use, communication about use, self-reported benefits and harms, and their sources of information about the different modalities. Methods In cooperation with the Norwegian Cancer Society (NCS), we conducted an online cross-sectional study among members of their user panel with present or previously cancer (n = 706). The study was carried out in September/October 2021 using a modified cancer-specific version of the International Questionnaire to Measure Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (I-CAM-Q). In total, 468 members, 315 women and 153 men, agreed to participate resulting in a response rate of 67.2%. The study was reported in accordance with the National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s (NAFKAM) model of reporting CAM use. Results A large proportion of the participants (79%, n = 346) had used some form of CAM with a mean of 3.8 modalities each (range 1-17); 33% (n = 143) had seen a CAM provider, 52% (n = 230) had used natural remedies, while 58% (n = 253) had used self-help practices. Most of the participants used CAM to increase their quality of life, cope with the cancer disease or for relaxation/well-being (64%-94%), mostly with high satisfaction and low rates of adverse effects. Few used CAM to treat cancer or prevent it from spreading (16%, n = 55). The main information sources were health care providers (47%), the internet (47%), and family and friends (39%). More than half (59%) of the cancer patients discussed their use of at least one CAM modality with a physician. Conclusions The results of this survey will provide health professionals with more in-depth insight into the patterns of CAM use by cancer patients and facilitate better-informed discussions with their patients. Considering the high use of CAM, reliable information provision supporting cancer care providers’ knowledge and health literacy among patients as well as good communication are crucial. The cooperation between the NCS and NAFKAM provides an example of how to address these issues

Immunohistochemical localization of a specificileal peptide in the pig

The tissue distribution of a polypeptide purified from pig ileal mucosa tentatively called porcine ileal polypeptide (PIP) and known to have potent acid secretagogue activity has been studied with immunohistochemical methods together with extraction of different tissues followed by radioimmunoassay for PIP content. Histochemically the peptide is found in superficial epithelial cells in the mucosa of the distal 20% of the small intestine and to some extent in the mucosa of the urinary tract. There is no staining of goblet cells or crypt cells. The staining in the urinary tract mucosa is due to antigenic peptides with Mr identical to PIP. While the presence of PIP in the ileum is compatible with a function as an enterooxyntin, it is not possible at present to explain the physiologic role of PIP entirely as a hormone regulating acid secretion in light of the immunohistochemical distribution.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47406/1/418_2004_Article_BF00492352.pd

Barriers and enablers to diabetic retinopathy screening attendance: Protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes which, if left untreated, can result in blindness. Population screening among people with diabetes has been shown to be clinically effective; however, suboptimal attendance with wide demographic disparities has been reported. To develop quality improvement interventions to maximise attendance, it is important to understand the theoretical determinants (i.e. barriers and enablers) of screening behaviour. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and synthesise the modifiable barriers and enablers associated with diabetic retinopathy screening attendance. METHODS/DESIGN: Primary and secondary studies will be included if they report perceived barriers/enablers of diabetic retinopathy screening attendance, from the perspectives of people with diabetes and healthcare providers. There will be no restrictions on study design. Studies will be identified from published and grey literature through multiple sources. Bibliographic databases will be searched using synonyms in four search domains: diabetic retinopathy; screening; barriers/enablers; and theoretical constructs relating to behaviour. Search engines and established databases of grey literature will be searched to identify additional relevant studies. Extracted data will include: participant quotations from qualitative studies, statistical analyses from questionnaire and survey studies, and interpretive descriptions and summaries of results from reports. All extracted data will be coded into domains from the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and (for organisational level data) the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (CFIR); with domains representing theoretical barriers/enablers proposed to mediate behaviour change. The potential role of each domain in influencing retinopathy screening attendance will be investigated through thematic analysis of the TDF/ CFIR coding. Domain importance will be identified using pre-specified criteria: "frequency" and "expressed importance". Variations in perceived barriers and enablers between demographic groups (e.g., socio-economic, ethnic) will be explored. DISCUSSION: This review will identify important barriers and enablers likely to influence attendance for diabetic retinopathy screening. The results will be used to assess the extent to which existing interventions targeting attendance address the theoretical determinants of attendance behaviour. Findings will inform recommendations for future intervention design. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016032990

A comparison of plot-based satellite and Earth system model estimates of tropical forest net primary production

Net primary production (NPP) by plants represents the largest annual flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere to the terrestrial biosphere, playing a critical role in the global carbon (C) cycle and the Earth’s climate. Rates of NPP in tropical forests are thought to be among the highest on Earth, but debates about the magnitude, patterns, and controls of NPP in the tropics highlight uncertainty in our understanding of how tropical forests may respond to environmental change. Here, we compared tropical NPP estimates generated using three common approaches: (1) field-based methods scaled from plot-level measurements of plant biomass, (2) radiation-based methods that model NPP from satellite-derived radiation absorption by plants, (3) and biogeochemical model-based methods. For undisturbed tropical forests as a whole, the three methods produced similar NPP estimates (i.e. about 10 Pg C yr1). However, the three different approaches produced vastly different patterns of NPP both in space and through time, suggesting that our understanding of tropical NPP is poor and that our ability to predict the response of NPP in the tropics to environmental change is limited. To address this shortcoming, we suggest the development of an expanded, high-density, permanent network of sites where NPP is continuously evaluated using multiple approaches. Well-designed NPP megatransects that include a high-density plot network would significantly increase the accuracy and certainty in the observed rates and patterns of tropical NPP and improve the reliability of Earth system models used to predict NPP–carbon cycle–climate interactions into the futur

Differential Photoelectron Holography: A New Approach for Three-Dimensional Atomic Imaging

We propose differential holography as a method to overcome the long-standing forward-scattering problem in photoelectron holography and related techniques for the three-dimensional imaging of atoms. Atomic images reconstructed from experimental and theoretical Cu 3p holograms from Cu(001) demonstrate that this method suppresses strong forward-scattering effects so as to yield more accurate three-dimensional images of side- and back-scattering atoms.Comment: revtex, 4 pages, 2 figure

Structure of Kα1,2 - And Kβ1,3 -emission x-ray spectra for Se, Y, and Zr

UID/FIS/04559/2020 UID/MULTI/04046/2020 Project No. PTDC/FIS-AQM/31969/20 Grant No. 2017/25/B/ST2/00901The Kα and Kβ x-ray spectra of Se, Y, and Zr were studied experimentally and theoretically in order to obtain information on the Kα1 line asymmetry and the spin doublet in Kβ1,3 diagram lines. Using a high-resolution antiparallel double-crystal x-ray spectrometer, we obtained the line shapes, that is, asymmetry index and natural linewidths. We found that the corrected full width at half maximum of the Kα1 and Kα2 lines as a function of Z is in good agreement with the data in the literature. Furthermore, satellite lines arising from shake-off appear in the low-energy side of the Kα1 and Kα2 lines in Se but, in Y and Zr, it was very difficult to identify the contribution of the shake process to the overall lines. The Kβ1,3 natural linewidth of these elements was also corrected using the appropriate instrumental function for this type of x-ray spectrometer, and the spin doublet energies were obtained from the peak positions. The corrected full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the Kβ1 x-ray lines increases linearly with Z, but this tendency was found to be, in general, not linear for Kβ3 x-ray lines. This behavior may be due to the existence of satellite lines originated from shake processes. Simulated line profiles, obtained using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock formalism, accounting for radiative and radiationless transitions and shake-off processes, show a very good agreement with the high-resolution experimental spectra.publishersversionpublishe

Subnational home market bias in Vietnam: Evidence from enterprise‐level data

This paper contributes to the home (market) bias literature where administrative or political borders limit trade across borders. Home bias is well documented at the national and subnational level. To sort out macro (e.g., location characteristics) and micro (e.g., enterprise characteristics) factors behind home bias, we use small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) data from Vietnam. Using the fractional multinomial logit model, we find that the proportion of SME sales outside of their home markets is positively associated with enterprise size, age, number of business association memberships and the distance of SMEs\u27 most important supplier. In contrast, the proportion of SME sales to neighbouring provinces is negatively associated with the share of SME production for final consumption. Besides enterprise‐level frictions, market characteristics matter too. The proportion of SME sales to customers in their home markets is negatively associated with home or neighbouring provinces\u27 governance quality, while the proportion of sales to customers in neighbouring provinces is positively associated with these areas\u27 governance quality. These suggest that good governance frees SME resources for use in selling to less familiar markets

Concurrent use of prescription drugs and herbal medicinal products in older adults: A systematic review

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.The use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) is common among older adults. However, little is known about concurrent use with prescription drugs as well as the potential interactions associated with such combinations. Objective Identify and evaluate the literature on concurrent prescription and HMPs use among older adults to assess prevalence, patterns, potential interactions and factors associated with this use. Methods Systematic searches in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science and Cochrane from inception to May 2017 for studies reporting concurrent use of prescription medicines with HMPs in adults (≥65 years). Quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) three stage approach to mixed method research was used to synthesise data. Results Twenty-two studies were included. A definition of HMPs or what was considered HMP was frequently missing. Prevalence of concurrent use by older adults varied widely between 5.3% and 88.3%. Prescription medicines most combined with HMPs were antihypertensive drugs, beta blockers, diuretics, antihyperlipidemic agents, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines, antidiabetics, antidepressants and statins. The HMPs most frequently used were: ginkgo, garlic, ginseng, St John’s wort, Echinacea, saw palmetto, evening primrose oil and ginger. Potential risks of bleeding due to use of ginkgo, garlic or ginseng with aspirin or warfarin was the most reported herb-drug interaction. Some data suggests being female, a lower household income and less than high school education were associated with concurrent use. Conclusion Prevalence of concurrent prescription drugs and HMPs use among older adults is substantial and potential interactions have been reported. Knowledge of the extent and manner in which older adults combine prescription drugs will aid healthcare professionals can appropriately identify and manage patients at risk.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio