Comparative analysis of breast and lung cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments among rural and urban patients in Georgia

Objectives:Rural patients have poor cancer outcomes and clinical trial(CT)enrollment compared to urban patients due to attitudinal,awareness,and healthcare access differential.Knowledge of cancer survival disparities and CT enrollment is important for designing interventions and innovative approaches to address the stated barriers.The study explores the potential disparities in cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments in rural and urban breast and lung cancer patients.Our hypotheses are that for both cancer types,urban cancer patients will have longer 5-year survival rates and higher enrollment rates in clinical trials than those in rural counties.Methods:We compared breast and lung cancer patients’survival rates and enrollment ratios in clinical trials between rural(RUCC 4-9)and urban counties in Georgia at a Comprehensive Cancer Center(CCC).To assess these differences,we carried out a series of independent samples t-tests and Chi-Square tests.Results:The outcomes indicate comparable 5-year survival rates across rural and urban counties for breast and lung cancer patients,failing to substantiate our hypothesis.While clinical trial enrollment rates demonstrated a significant difference between breast and lung cancer patients at CCC,no significant variation was observed based on rural or urban classification.Conclusion:These findings underscore the need for further research into the representation of rural patients with diverse cancer types at CCC and other cancer centers.Further,the findings have considerable implications for the initiation of positive social change to improve CT participation and reduce cancer survival disparities.

Effect of Health Management in Raising Awareness Rate of Disease Prevention and Treatment in Patients with Prehypertension

Objective: To analyze the effect of health management on improving the awareness rate of disease prevention and treatment in patients with prehypertension, so as to provide guidance for clinical management of patients with prehypertension. Methods: 108 patients diagnosed with prehypertension in our hospital were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The control group was not given management measures, while the experimental group was given health management. The incidence of hypertension and cognition level of hypertension knowledge were compared between the two groups after management. Results: The incidence of hypertension in the experimental group was 7.41% lower than that in the control group 29.63%. The cognitive level of hypertension in the patients (66.54 ± 1.25) was significantly higher than that in the patients without health management (41.45 ± 2.45), and P < 0.05;Conclusion: For patients with prehypertension, the implementation of health management is helpful to improve their cognition of hypertension, master related prevention knowledge, and reduce the incidence of hypertension.

Study of the External Dose Rate and Retained Body Activity of Patients with Hyperthyroidism Who Are Receiving Ⅰ-131 Therapy

Hyperthyroidism refers to a clinical state that results from inappropriately hight hyroid hormone levels in the tissues;.Ⅰ-131 therapy plays a critical role and provides a remarkable curative effect in targeting thyroid diseases. Thyroid cells can take up isotope I-131, which emits not only beta rays but also

Relationship between Patient-Dependent Parameters and Radiation Dose Rates Measured around Patients Undergoing PET/CT Imaging Using ¹⁸F-FDG

Objectives: Patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging are considered external radiation sources. Accurate dose rate estimates are important for conducting realistic risk assessments and performing dose reconstruction in cases of accidental exposures. The patient radiation self-attenuation factor is assumed to be a function of the patient’s body size metrics, but we can use these metrics to predict the dose rate around the patients with accuracy. The objective of this work was first to measure the patient attenuation factor by performing direct dose rate measurements from patients undergoing PET/CT imaging studies using 18F-FDG. The second objective was to study the possible correlation between the measured dose rate constant per unit activity from the patients and their body size metrics;five metrics were tested in this work. The last objective was to measure the patients’ voiding factor. Methods: We have measured dose rates at one meter from 57 patients and noted the patient’s height (H), weight (W) and calculated patient size metrics namely: Equivalent Cylindrical Diameter (ECD), Equivalent Spherical Diameter (ESD) and the Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: The measured average dose rate was 92.2 ± 14 μSv&middot;h-1&middot;GBq-1 measured at one meter. Therefore, the dose rate constant of 92 μSv&middot;h-1&middot;GBq-1 proposed by the AAPM, TG-108 report is adequate for radiation protection purposes. There was no statistically significant correlation between the dose rate constant per unit activity and the patient body size metrics. We have measured a patient voiding factor of 0.89 ± 0.06 in comparison with 0.85 recommended by the AAPM. Conclusions: The presented data can be used by medical physicist working in nuclear medicine in formulating more accurate risk estimations resulting from radiation exposure from patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging.

Investigation of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Rate of Patients in a General Hospital

Objective To investigate the infection rate of hepatitis C virus among the ambulatory patients and in-patients of a tertiary teaching hospital,and study the demographic factors related to the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection.Methods All patients tested for hepatitis C virus antibody from July 2008 to July 2009 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled in this cross-sectional analysis.The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection was compared according to age,gender,and departments,respectively.Among patients with positive serology hepatitis C virus marker,the positivity of hepatitis C virus RNA was analysed.Results Among 29 896 subjects included,the hepatitis C virus antibody of 494 patients were positive(1.7%).When patients were divided into 9 age groups,the age specific prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody were0.2%,1.7%,1.2%,1.1%,1.5%,1.9%,2.6%,2.4%and 2%,respectively.The prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody in non-surgical department and surgical department was 3%and 1%,respectively.The prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody of males was higher than that of the females.Total of 194 patients with positive hepatitis C virus antibody were tested for hepatitis C virus RNA,the RNA level of 113 patients(58.2%)were higher than the low detection limit.Conclusions The prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody was relatively high among patients of general tertiary hospital.Age group of 60-69,males and patients in non-surgical departments were factors associated with high rate of hepatitis C virus infection.

Comparison of perceived pain and patients’ satisfaction with traditional local anesthesia and single tooth anesthesia: A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND Contemporary innovations in the area of local anesthesia have attempted to provide an absolutely pain free experience for patients.Since the introduction of Computer-Controlled Local Anesthetic Delivery Systems to dentistry,many studies have compared its efficacy and safety to conventional anesthesia.However,very few studies have compared single tooth anesthesia(STA)and traditional local anesthesia.AIM To compare pain rating,changes in blood pressure,and heart rate during the local anesthetic injection.The secondary objectives were to measure the patients’level of satisfaction and the differences in anesthetic efficiency between the STA system and traditional local infiltration.METHODS A randomized controlled trial was conducted and a total of 80 patients with dental restorative needs were enrolled for the study.The patients were evaluated for their general physical status and oral clinical findings before enrollment.Information regarding perceived pain,changes in heart rate and blood pressure,and patients’satisfaction was collected using an electronic data form and was analyzed using paired and unpaired t-tests.RESULTS No significant difference was noted in perceived pain(P=0.59)and systolic blood pressure(P=0.09)during anesthetic injection using both traditional and STA techniques.STA patients had a significantly higher heart rate during anesthesia,although a statistically significant difference was noted among the traditional anesthesia and the STA groups even before anesthesia.During the restorative procedure,less pain was perceived by STA patients on the Wong-Baker FACES pain scale,which was statistically significant(P<0.001).Analyses of post-procedure patient responses showed that STA patients had a significantly better treatment experience and preferred to have the same method of injection in the future(P=0.04).CONCLUSION STA system can provide less painful and more comfortable restorative treatment procedures in comparison to the traditional infiltration technique.

Clinical features, outcomes and treatment-related pneumonitis in elderly patients with esophageal carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the clinical features and prognoses of elderly patients with esophageal carcinoma and to compare the effects of radiotherapy and rates of treatment-related pneumonitis (TRP) between elderly and non-elderly patients.

Human Respiration Rate Estimation Using Ultra-wideband Distributed Cognitive Radar System

It has been shown that remote monitoring of pulmonary activity can be achieved using ultra-wideband (UWB) systems, which shows promise in home healthcare,rescue,and security applications.In this paper,we first present a multi-ray propagation model for UWB signal,which is traveling through the human thorax and is reflected on the air/dry-skin/fat/muscle interfaces,A geometry-based statistical channel model is then developed for simulating the reception of UWB signals in the indoor propagation environment.This model enables replication of time-varying multipath profiles due to the displacement of a human chest.Subsequently, a UWB distributed cognitive radar system (UWB-DCRS) is developed for the robust detection of chest cavity motion and the accurate estimation of respiration rate.The analytical framework can serve as a basis in the planning and evaluation of future rheasurement programs.We also provide a case study on how the antenna beamwidth affects the estimation of respiration rate based on the proposed propagation models and system architecture.

Assessing Empathy in Anesthesia Residents with the Chinese Version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy: A Pilot Standardized Patient Program

Objectives To validate the reliability of the Chinese version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy(CARE)in physician-standardized patient(SP)encounter.We also tried to examine the agreement between video-based ratings and in-room ratings,as well as the agreement between the faculty ratings and SP ratings.Methods The CARE was translated into Chinese.Forty-eight anesthesia residents were recruited to make preoperative interview in SP-counter.Performance of each resident was graded by in-room raters,video raters and SP raters.Consistency between different raters was examined.Results The Chinese-CARE measure demonstrated high scale reliability with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.95 and high consistency in the in-room ratings in intraclass correlation(coefficient=0.888,P<0.001).Despite a good consistency in intraclass correlation,video ratings were significantly higher than in-room ratings(39.6±7.1 vs.24.0±10.0,P<0.001),and Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the pass/fail rate was significantly higher based on video ratings than based on in-room ratings(45/48 vs.22/48,P<0.001).SP ratings had a moderate consistency with in-room faculty ratings(coefficient=0..568,P<0.001),and there was no significant difference between the pass/fail rates based on the in-room ratings and SP ratings(22/48vs.28/48,P=0.12).Conclusions The Chinese-CARE measure is reliable in the assessment of empathy during preoperative anesthesia interview.In-room and video ratings are not equivalent,while SP may provide a feasible alternative for the faculty rater in the assessment of communication skills with an appropriate measure.

Lipoprotein(a)and Benefit of PCSK9 Inhibition in Emergency Complex Higher-risk and Indicated Patients

Objective There is a large population of patients classified as complex higher-risk and indicated patients(CHIPs)in China with a poor prognosis.The treatment of these patients is complex and challenging,especially when acute cardiac events occur,such as acute coronary syndrome(ACS)or heart failure.Pharmacotherapy and some mechanical circulatory support(MCS)therapeutic devices can provide stable hemodynamic support for CHIPs-percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).LDL-C is an important pathogenic factor in atherosclerosis,and the target of blood lipid control.Recent studies have revealed that lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)],which is formed when a covalent bond between apolipoprotein(a)and apolipoprotein B-100 is made,produces an LDL-like particle.This particle is an independent risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis,and is closely correlated to stent thrombosis and restenosis.Furthermore,this requires active intervention.PCSK9 inhibitors have been used in lipid-lowering treatment,and preventing atherosclerosis.The present study explores the efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors in CHIPs-ACS,and the association between the change in Lp(a)and survival after 2 years of follow-up.Methods The present real-world,prospective control study enrolled 321 CHIPs-ACS who underwent emergency PCI from August 2019 to November 2020,and these patients were followed up for 2 years.These patients were divided into two groups:PCSK9 group(n=161)given the combined PCSK9 inhibitor(140 mg of evolocumab every 2 weeks)and statins-based therapy,and SOC group(n=160)treated with statin-based lipid-lowering therapy alone.Then,the change in lipid index was measured,and the cardiovascular(CV)event recurrence rate was evaluated after one month and 2 years.Afterwards,the contribution of serum lipid parameters,especially the Lp(a)alteration,in patients with earlier initiation of the PCSK9 inhibitor to the CV outcome was analyzed.Results The LDL-C level was significantly reduced in both groups:52.3%in the PCSK9 group and 32.3%(P<0.001)in the SOC group.It is noteworthy that the Lp(a)level decreased by 13.2%in the PCSK9 group,but increased by 30.3%in the SOC group(P<0.001).Furthermore,the number of CV events was not significantly different between the PCSK9 and SOC groups after the 2-year follow-up period.In the PCSK9 group,the Lp(a)reduction was associated with the baseline Lp(a)levels of the patients(r2=−0.315,P<0.001).Moreover,the decrease in Lp(a)contributed to the decline in CV events in patients who received ACS CHIPs-PCI,and the decrease in Lp(a)level was independent of the LDL-C level reduction.Conclusion The early initiation of PCSK9 inhibitors can significantly reduce the LDL-C and Lp(a)levels in ACS CHIPs-PCI.However,further studies are needed to confirm whether PCSK9 inhibitors can reduce the incidence of CV disease in CHIPs.

CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM EVALUATION IN COMATOSE PATIENTS BY DYNAMIC SPECT

Thirty patients in coma state underwent dynamic SPECT with 133Xe, a validated technique for the quantitation of CBF by SPECT, using a new brain dedicated tomograph: CERTO-96. CMRO2 was computed by multiplying the mean CBF by AVDO2 according to the Fick’s principle. The mean values of CBF, AVDO2 and CMRO2 in patients with good outcome were significantly different from those with worse outcome. On the basis of the best "discriminant threshold", CBF and AVDO2 demonstrated an intermediate accuracy in separating the two groups, while CMRO2 showed a satisfactory accuracy.

The reliability and validity of the inpatient satisfaction questionnaire as an instrument for measuring inpatient satisfaction

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Inpotient Satisfaction Questionnaire (IPSQ) on the basis of a pilot survey. Methods: The subjects were 900 patients discharged from 3 general hospitals in Guangzhou. Mail survey was employed. The reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The validity was assessed by content validity and construct validity. Results: The response rates were 30% for the test, 47% for the retest and 93.2% for the total items. High haiability of IPSQ was proved by Cronbach’s a of 0. 92, and no sighficant difference (P = 0. 183) and whereas conspicuous correlation (r = 0. 812, P < 0. 000 1 ) between test and retest were shown. Content validity was supported by factor loading. Convergent and discriminant validity was strongly supported by the fact that the maximum interscale correlation was less than the internal consistency of individual dimension. Conclusion:The IPSQ was reliable and valid.

Patient dose from radiographic rejects/repeats in radiology centers of Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Medical diagnostic X-rays are the largest manmade source of ionizing radiation received by the members of the general public. The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiographic reject/repeat rate and also to determine dose to the patients from radiographic rejects/repeats in radiology centers of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. During a 4 month period the most frequently examinations were chosen in three radiology centers. A form was designed as a reject/repeat analysis form for radiographers to complete each time a film was rejected by radiologists or repeated. The collected data were compiled at the end of each week and entered into a computer for analysis at the end of study. The results of this study showed that highest and lowest repetition rates were for pelvis, 14.01% and upper limb, 4.17%, respectively. The main reasons of repetition of radiographs were due to exposure (54%) and positioning (18%) errors. The average repeat rate in all three hospitals was 7.20%. It was found that human error has important role to repetition of radiographs. It is demonstrated that those patients having repeated radiographs received an average of 3.23 Gy·cm2. Based on the findings of this study it must be remembered that the highest repetition rate was for pelvis. Considering the radiosensitive organs related to pelvis especially in pediatric patients some special considerations must be applied for pelvis examinations.

Hypertension in Clinical Practice: Control Rate in Short Term and Associated Factors in the Cardiology Department of the University Hospital Gabriel Touré(UH-GT) in Bamako (Mali)

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) is for many decades a worldwide major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.However, hypertension control rates are globally low in the world. Studies on observance have been published in Mali but there is to our knowledge no published data about HTN control rate. We therefore conducted this study to assess the control rate in short term after 3 months management and to look for factors associated with HTN control. Materials and Methods: This study designed as prospective was conducted in the cardiology department of the University Hospital Gabriel Touré (UH-GT) from March 24 to September 24, 2017. All outpatients aged 18 years and more who came for visit and with hypertension as diagnose were involved. All patients have consented to participate in the study. Sociodemographic and data on physical examination including measures for BP, height, weight, waist circumference (WC) and direct costs as reported by the patients were recorded. Patients were asked about medication discontinuation and if yes why and then they were informed about the need to take regularly medication. The concept of chronic disease was explained to them. A formulary served to collect data that were inserted into a Microsoft Access database and analyzed using SPSS version 18. After describing of sociodemographics and continuous variables, crosstabs and finally a logistic regression was performed to look for blood pressure control predictors. Results: There was no statistical difference in sociodemographics between older and newly diagnosed patients. At 3 months globally 40.90% (31.1 for old Patients and 09.8% for newPatients) of the sample were controlled (Figure 1). For old patients, hypertension control rate at inclusion was 12.78% and reached 49.44% at 3 months (Figure 2). After logistic regression only HTN duration was significant predictor with Odd-ratio of 0.365 [0.213 - 0.624] 95% CI and p-value patients as reference). During the study period therapeutic regimen remained unchanged in 73.1% (44.4 for old Patients and 28.7 for newPatients. Calcium channel blocker (CCB), diuretics (DIU) and ACE-inhibitors (ACE-I) were the most prescribed drugs without statistical difference between patients with and without blood pressure under control. Conclusion: Short term hypertension control rate is low and patient follow-up must incorporate information at each visit as well as information through others channels for preventing hypertension. The duration of hypertension was found to be predictor for hypertension control.

Development of a Scale to Evaluate the Depressive State among Elderly Patients in General Wards

This study aims to develop a scale to evaluate depressive states among elderly patients in general wards, and verify the reliability and validity of the scale. Based on the results of interviews with nurses, we developed a draft of a scale comprised of 48 questions (NDE48). The Geriatric Depression Scale short version (GDS15), and the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were administered to 54 elderly patients. Two groups of nurses completed the NDE48 on different days. After performing an explanatory factor analysis, the NDE48 was simplified to a 16 question item scale (NDE16), comprising three factors. The correlation coefficient between GDS15 and NDE16 was 0.41 (p = 0.00191), and between SDS and NDE16 was 0.30 (p = 0.02633). Alpha coefficient of the total score of NDE16 was 0.88. For inter-rater reliability, the correlation coefficient was 0.57 (p = 0.00005). The findings suggest that the NDE16 will be highly useful when nurses evaluate depressive states among elderly inpatients.

The Impact of Risk-Based Cancer Care Planning on the Complications and Self-Care Ability of Cervical Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

Objective:To explore the impact of the application and implementation of risk-based cancer care planning in patients with cervical cancer radiotherapy on the complications and self-care ability of patients.Method:This study recruited selected patients who came for cervical cancer radiotherapy in a tertiary hospital in Xianyang City,Shaanxi Province from November 2020 to November 2021.One hundred patients were recruited.Nursing management was carried out,and cancer care planning under the concept of conventional care and risk were applied.The effects of different nursing methods on patients were compared and analyzed.Results:The patients in the experimental group had higher scores of self-care ability and lower complication rate.All data were significantly different from those of the control group(P<0.05),and the nursing effect on the experimental group was better.Conclusion:The application and implementation of the risk-based cancer care planning in patients who received cervical cancer radiotherapy has significant clinical effects,which is beneficial to reduce the incidence of patients’adverse reactions and promote patient recovery.

老年期精神分裂症社会支持度及其影响因素:基于144名连续抽样住院患者的横断面研究

目的:探讨老年期精神分裂住院患者社会支持度及影响因素。方法:采用连续抽样的方法招募了2021年3月至2023年12月广州医科大学附属脑科医院老年精神科的144例精神分裂症住院患者作为研究对象,使用社会支持度量表(SSRS)调查患者社会支持情况,收集数据包括基本资料、精神症状情况等。结果:144例老年精神分裂症患者的SSRS总分为28.29±5.67,单因素分析结果显示,老年期精神分裂症患者社会支持的影响因素为病程,婚姻状况与照顾者(P<0.05)。多元线性回归结果显示,老年期精神分裂症患者的社会支持主要与主要照顾者(他人照顾)(β=2.836,95%CI:0.515~5.158,P=0.017),婚姻状况(无伴侣)(β=-2.725,95%CI:-4.627~-0.824,P=0.005),简明精神病量表(BPRS)中的敌对猜疑因素(β=-0.488,95%CI:-0.739~-0.250,P<0.001)有关。结论:受他人照顾、有伴侣与精神行为症状中的敌对猜疑是老年期精神分裂住院患者社会支持度的主要影响因素。

Development of a Scale to Evaluate Depressive States among Elderly Patients in General Wards —Verification of the Contents to Improve the Accuracy of the Scale

Purpose: This study aims to verify the validity of the contents of the Nurse Administered Depression Scale for Elderly Inpatients16 (NDE16) using the Delphi approach in order to further improve the accuracy of the NDE16, a scale for rating potential depressive states in elderly inpatients through the observations reported by nurses. Methods: Participants were nurses working in general wards for longer than 3 years and who expressed consent to the study participation. Data were collected using the Delphi method (3 times). Responses are scored from 1 to 5 (3 - 5 points as positive) using the Likert method. The standard criteria for inclusion in the further evaluation are “mean ≥ 3.0”, “standard deviation < 1.0”, “median ≥ 3.0”, and “IQR ≤ 1.0”. Items that meet all the criteria at the third survey are employed as question items in the final questionnaire. Results: The respondents were 139 females, 10 males, and 1 unknown, aged 25 to 65. The collection rates of the three surveys were 75% to 82%. Based on the results of the first survey, wordings of 9 questions were modified. Since Question 13 “Queries are not really responded to.” did not meet the criteria (IQR = 2) at the third survey, we excluded this question and named the revised scale NDE15. Discussion: The reason why Question 13 did not meet the criteria could be due to the difficulty in distinguishing “Expressing thought suppression” from the state of cognitive decline in dementia. Further studies are needed to determine cutoff points.

互联网背景下的信息化管理在慢性伤口、造口、失禁患者中的应用效果

目的:探讨互联网背景下的信息化管理在慢性伤口、造口、失禁患者中的应用效果,旨在为患者提供高质量的院外延伸护理服务,提高患者预后质量。方法:回顾性分析2019年6月—2021年1月永城市人民医院收治的197例伤口造口失禁患者临床资料,根据患者院后护理方案的不同分为研究组(98例,院后接受互联网背景下的信息化管理)与对照组(99例,接受常规院后延续性护理),干预时间均为院后6个月。对比两组患者干预前后生活能力(ADL)评分、护理满意度及造口并发症。结果:干预后,研究组患者ADL-进阶能力、ADL-基本能力、ADL-总分高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(t=26.470、6.260、8.799,P<0.05);研究组患者满意率高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=5.593,P<0.05);研究组总并发症率低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=4.834,P<0.05)。结论:互联网背景下的信息化管理平台可提慢性伤口造口失禁患者自我健康管理能力及生活质量,有助于提高临床患者院后伤口造口管理水平。

6S管理模式在消化内镜中心护理质量控制中的应用效果

目的探讨消化内镜护理质量控制中实施基于整理-整顿-清扫-清洁-素养-安全(6S)管理模式的应用效果。方法选取2023年1—6月绵阳市中心医院内镜中心实施常规管理模式的80件消化内镜、行消化内镜检查的2317例患者作为A组,另选取2023年7月绵阳市中心医院消化内镜中心实施6S管理模式的80件消化内镜,行消化内镜检查的2483例患者作为B组。A组实施常规管理模式,B组在A组基础上实施6S管理模式,比较2组清洗消毒合格率、器械损坏率及患者护理满意度。结果干预后,B组清洗消毒合格率(98.75%)高于A组(81.25%),而器械损坏率(1.25%)低于A组(11.25%),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。干预后,与A组患者护理满意度各维度评分比较,B组均偏高(P<0.05)。结论消化内镜护理质量控制中采用基于6S管理模式能有效提高清洗消毒合格率,降低器械损坏率,患者护理满意度较高。此文的研究结果为消化内镜护理后期标准制订提供了借鉴内容。