Health-related quality of life and perceived social support among cancer palliative patients in Saudi Arabia

Aim:This study aims to describe health-related quality of life(HRQL),identify factors associated with HRQL physical and mental health domains,and explore the association between perceived social supports and HRQL among cancer palliative patients in Saudi Arabia.Methods:A cross-sectional study is applied.The validated European Organization for Cancer Research and Treatment,the EORTC QLQ-15 palliative care scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support(MSPSS)have been used.A convenience sample of(N=301)palliative cancer patients was collected from two main regional cancer centers in Riyadh.Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis.Results:Results indicate that overall quality of life showed a significant positive correlation with perceived family and friend support,sub-factors of perceived social support.Regression analysis showed that the overall model experienced 69.0%of the variance for global health statutes with F(4,7)=7.149 P<0.001.Physical functioning,emotional functioning,and family support were found to be significant predictors of global health status.Family and Friend support were found to be significant positive predictors of emotional functioning.Conclusions:The inpatient and outpatient treatment can vary at different stages and in different areas,family and friend support has been highlighted as necessary in this context.Physical and emotional factors have been demonstrated in older age(geriatric)patients as they may have debilitating diseases that can limit their functioning hence support the case for more palliative care.

Ventral medial prefrontal functional connectivity and emotion regulation in chronic schizophrenia: A pilot study

People with schizophrenia exhibit impaired social cognitive functions, particularly emotion regulation. Abnormal activations of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex （vMPFC） during emotional tasks have been demonstrated in schizophrenia, suggesting its important role in emotion processing in patients. We used the resting-state functional connectivity approach, setting a functionally relevant region, the vMPFC, as a seed region to examine the intrinsic functional interactions and communication between the vMPFC and other brain regions in schizophrenic patients. We found hypo-connectivity between the vMPFC and the medial frontal cortex, right middle temporal lobe （MTL）, right hippocampus, parahippocampal cortex （PHC） and amygdala. Further, there was a decreased strength of the negative connectivity （or anticorrelation） between the vMPFC and the bilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex （DLPFC） and pre-supplementary motor areas. Among these connectivity alterations, reduced vMPFC-DLPFC connectivity was positively correlated with positive symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, while vMPFC-right MTL/PHC/amygdala functional connectivity was positively correlated with the performance of emotional regulation in patients. These findings imply that communication and coordination throughout the brain networks are disrupted in schizophrenia. The emotional correlates of vMPFC connectivity suggest a role of the hypo-connectivity between these regions in the neuropathology of abnormal social cognition in chronic schizophrenia.