Share Your Life and Get More of Yourself. Experience Sharing in CouchSurfing

By means of a multi-sited multi-method ethnography of CouchSurfing.org, this study explores what motivates consumers to share their homes with strangers. Our findings suggest that participation is best understood by focusing on experience sharing and identify four types of experiential capital as sources of self-enhancement

Markers of hepatitis viruses and human T-lymphotropic virus types I/II in patients who have undergone open-heart surgery: Evidence of increased risk for exposure to HBV and HEV

Background: Open-heart procedure is characterized by a high-risk for contracting blood-borne infections. We evaluated the prevalence of several markers of hepatitis viruses (B-E) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I/II (HTLV-I/II) in a consecutive series of patients who had undergone open-heart surgery. Methods: 204 patients and 158 selected age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were investigated. Samples were collected at least 6-12 months postoperatively. Commercial enzyme immunoassays and confirmatory immunoblot assays for HCV, HEV and HTLV-I/II were used. Results: None of the subjects tested positive for antibodies to HTLV-I/II. Prevalence of markers of past HBV infection and antibodies to HEV (anti-HEV) were higher in patients than in healthy controls (anti-HBc: 45.1% vs. 31%, p = 0.009; anti-HBs: 31.9% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.02; anti-HBe: 32.4% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.000; anti-HEV: 5.4% vs. 0%, p = 0.008). HBsAg and antibodies to HCV did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: HTLV, HBsAg and HCV infection markers did not differ between patients and healthy controls. However, patients had significantly increased prevalence of markers of previous HBV infection suggesting that an intensive vaccination schedule against HBV preoperatively might be helpful in minimizing the risk. The increased prevalence of anti-HEV in cardiac patients requires further investigation. Prospective studies are needed in order to definitely address whether the high prevalence of exposure to HBV and HEV infections in patients who had undergone open-heart surgery is procedure-related or not and whether it has any impact on morbidity of these patients. © 2005 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A COMPARATIVE-STUDY WITH 2 ADMINISTRATION SCHEDULES OF LEUCOVORIN AND 5-FLUOROURACIL IN ADVANCED COLORECTAL-CANCER

One hundred and seven previously untreated patients with measurable metastatic colorectal cancer who were treated with 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and leucovorin (LV) in two different maximum doses and schedules were retrospectively analyzed. Group A, 52 pts, was treated with LV 200 mg/m(2)/D IV push, followed by 5FU 700 mg/m(2)/D IV 1 h infusion for 5 D. Cycle was repeated every 21 D. Group B, 55 pts, was treated with LV 500 mg/m(2)/D in a 2 h infusion and 5FU 600 mg/m(2)/D IV bolus at mid-time of LV infusion, repeated every week for 6 wk followed by 2-wk rest period. There was no difference in response (A 8%, B 11%). Median survival for A was 37 (2-131) wk, B was 59 (1-112) wk (P = 0.021), time to progression for A was 20 (0-131) wk, B 30 (0-102) wk (P = 0.021). Administered mean dose intensity of LV was 350.8 mg/m(2)/wk in group A and 405.0 mg/m(2)/wk in group B without any significant difference; that of 5FU was significantly higher in group A as compared to group B (1205.3 vs 468.9 mg/m(2)/wk, respectively) (p < 0.0001). This difference was a consequence of the planned dose intensity for this drug in the two treatment regimens. Toxicity was more frequent and intense in group A for mucositis (P < 0.001), fatigue (P < 0.01), and neurotoxicity (P < 0.05), and in group B for neutropenia (P < 0.001) and nausea-vomiting (P < 0.001). There were one and four iatrogenic deaths in group A and B patients, respectively (NS). Although this study was not prospective and randomized, we can conclude that toxicity was significantly different in the two groups, with a prevalence of mucositis in group A and neutropenia in group B and a higher number of iatrogenic deaths in the latter group. Response rates were the same for the two groups although survival and time to progression were significantly increased for group B patients