Five racemic phthalides from the aerial parts of Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides and their neuroprotective activities.

Five racemic phthalides (1-5), including four undescribed phthalides monomers [(+)-1, (+)-2, (-)-2 and (-)-3], four undescribed phthalide dimers [(+)-4, (-)-4, (+)-5 and (-)-5], together with two known compounds [(-)-1 and (+)-3], were isolated from the aerial parts of Lycopodistrum casuarinoides. Their chemical structures were delineated by extensive spectroscopic data (UV, 1D/2D NMR, HRESIMS), in combination with the comparison of the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra, calculated spin-spin coupling constants, and calculated NMR. All compounds were reported from Lycopodiaceae family for the first time.

Qualitative Study of Health Care Team Perception of the Benefits and Limitations of Remote Symptom Monitoring.

Purpose: Remote symptom monitoring (RSM) using electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROS) connects patients and health care teams between appointments. Patient-perceived benefits and drawbacks of RSM are well-known, but health care team members' perceptions are less clear.

Methods: Health care team members from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of South Alabama Health Mitchell Cancer Institute participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews to explore their experiences and perspectives on RSM benefits and limitations.

Patient-Perceived Benefits and Limitations of Standard of Care Remote Symptom Monitoring During Cancer Treatment.

Introduction: Remote symptom monitoring (RSM) allows patients to electronically self-report symptoms to their healthcare team for individual management. Clinical trials have demonstrated overarching benefits; however, little is known regarding patient-perceived benefits and limitations of RSM programs used during patient care.

Methods: This prospective qualitative study from December 2021 to May 2023 included patients with cancer participating in standard-of-care RSM at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in Birmingham, AL, and the Univeristy of South Alabama (USA) Health Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI) in Mobile, AL.

Evaluating Nurses' Time to Response by Severity and Cancer Stage in a Remote Symptom Monitoring Program for Patients With Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Remote symptom monitoring (RSM) using electronic patient-reported outcomes enables patients with cancer to communicate symptoms between in-person visits. A better understanding of key RSM implementation outcomes is crucial to optimize efficiency and guide implementation efforts. This analysis evaluated the association between the severity of patient-reported symptom alerts and time to response by the health care team.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Distress Management, Version 2.2023.

These NCCN Guidelines for Distress Management discuss the identification and treatment of psychosocial problems in patients with cancer. All patients experience some level of distress associated with a cancer diagnosis and the effects of the disease and its treatment regardless of the stage of disease. Clinically significant levels of distress occur in a subset of patients, and identification and treatment of distress are of utmost importance.

Adaptation of Remote Symptom Monitoring Using Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes for Implementation in Real-World Settings.

Purpose: Despite evidence of clinical benefits, widespread implementation of remote symptom monitoring has been limited. We describe a process of adapting a remote symptom monitoring intervention developed in a research setting to a real-world clinical setting at two cancer centers.

Methods: This formative evaluation assessed core components and adaptations to improve acceptability and fit of remote symptom monitoring using Stirman's Framework for Modifications and Adaptations.

Evaluating the implementation and impact of navigator-supported remote symptom monitoring and management: a protocol for a hybrid type 2 clinical trial.

Background: Symptoms in patients with advanced cancer are often inadequately captured during encounters with the healthcare team. Emerging evidence demonstrates that weekly electronic home-based patient-reported symptom monitoring with automated alerts to clinicians reduces healthcare utilization, improves health-related quality of life, and lengthens survival. However, oncology practices have lagged in adopting remote symptom monitoring into routine practice, where specific patient populations may have unique barriers.

Examining the association among fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, and delays in cancer care.

Background: Given the high risk of COVID-19 mortality, patients with cancer may be vulnerable to fear of COVID-19, adverse psychological outcomes, and health care delays.

Methods: This longitudinal study surveyed the pandemic's impact on patients with cancer (N= 1529) receiving Patient Advocate Foundation services during early and later pandemic. Generalized estimating equation with repeated measures was conducted to assess the effect of COVID-19 on psychological distress.

Two Luminescent Iridium Complexes with Phosphorous Ligands and Their Photophysical Comparison in Solution, Solid and Electrospun Fibers: Decreased Aggregation-Caused Emission Quenching by Steric Hindrance.

In this paper, we prepared two phosphorescent Ir complexes with ligands of 2-phenyl pyridine (ppy), and two phosphorous ligands with large steric hindrance, hoping to allow enough time for the transformation of the highly phosphorescent MLLCT (metal-to-ligand-ligand-charge-transfer) excited state. Their large steric hindrance minimized the π-π interaction between complex molecules, so that the aggregation-induced phosphorescence emission (AIPE) influence could be minimized. Their single crystals indicated that they took a distorted octahedral coordination mode.

Witnesses and Victims Both: Healthcare Workers and Grief in the Time of COVID-19.

Heathcare Workers (HCWs) recognize their responsibility to support the bereaved loved ones of our patients, but we also must attend to our own professional and personal grief in the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 grief is occurring in the setting of incomplete grief, disenfranchised grief, fractured US governmental leadership, and evidence of great mistrust, systemic racism, and social injustice. In the intensity and pervasiveness of COVID-19, HCW fears for themselves, their colleagues, and their own loved ones are often in conflict with professional commitments.

The Impact of Depression on Health Care Utilization in Patients with Cancer.

Depression is common in the oncology patient population. Little data exist on the impact of depression on health care utilization. We evaluated the prevalence of depression and the relationship between depression and health care utilization in patients with cancer.

Implementing a Clinic-Based Telehealth Support Service (FamilyStrong) for Family Caregivers of Individuals with Grade IV Brain Tumors.

Nearly 3 million U.S. family caregivers support someone with cancer.

X-ray processing of a realistic ice mantle can explain the gas abundances in protoplanetary disks.

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array has allowed a detailed observation of molecules in protoplanetary disks, which can evolve toward solar systems like our own. While CO, [Formula: see text], HCO, and [Formula: see text] are often abundant species in the cold zones of the disk, [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] are only found in a few regions, and more-complex organic molecules are not observed. We simulate, experimentally, ice processing in disks under realistic conditions, that is, layered ices irradiated by soft X-rays.

The project ENABLE Cornerstone randomized pilot trial: Protocol for lay navigator-led early palliative care for African-American and rural advanced cancer family caregivers.

Background: Patients newly-diagnosed with advanced cancer often rely on family caregivers to provide daily support to manage healthcare needs and maintain quality of life. Early telehealth palliative care has been shown to effectively provide an extra layer of support to family caregivers, however there has been little work with underserved populations, especially African-Americans and rural-dwellers. This is concerning given the lack of palliative care access for these underserved groups.

Distress Management, Version 3.2019, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

Distress is defined in the NCCN Guidelines for Distress Management as a multifactorial, unpleasant experience of a psychologic (ie, cognitive, behavioral, emotional), social, spiritual, and/or physical nature that may interfere with the ability to cope effectively with cancer, its physical symptoms, and its treatment. Early evaluation and screening for distress leads to early and timely management of psychologic distress, which in turn improves medical management. The panel for the Distress Management Guidelines recently added a new principles section including guidance on implementation of standards of psychosocial care for patients with cancer.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Retrospective Review of Care Trends in an Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Program from 2004 to 2016.

To examine a rural-serving HBPC program's 12-year experience and historical trends to inform future program direction and expansion. There is limited information about longitudinal trends in mature hospital-based palliative care (HBPC) programs serving racially diverse rural populations. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of operational and patient-reported outcomes from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Palliative and Supportive Care (CPSC) inpatient (n=11,786) and outpatient (n=315) databases from October 2004 to March 2016.

Lay Patient Navigators' Perspectives of Barriers, Facilitators and Training Needs in Initiating Advance Care Planning Conversations With Older Patients With Cancer.

Context: Respecting Choices is an evidence-based model of facilitating advance care planning (ACP) conversations between health-care professionals and patients. However, the effectiveness of whether lay patient navigators can successfully initiate Respecting Choices ACP conversations is unknown. As part of a large demonstration project (Patient Care Connect [PCC]), a cohort of lay patient navigators underwent Respecting Choices training and were tasked to initiate ACP conversations with Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with cancer.

HER2 challenge contest: a detailed assessment of automated HER2 scoring algorithms in whole slide images of breast cancer tissues.

Aims: Evaluating expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) by visual examination of immunohistochemistry (IHC) on invasive breast cancer (BCa) is a key part of the diagnostic assessment of BCa due to its recognized importance as a predictive and prognostic marker in clinical practice. However, visual scoring of HER2 is subjective, and consequently prone to interobserver variability. Given the prognostic and therapeutic implications of HER2 scoring, a more objective method is required.

Patient-centered support in the survivorship care transition: Outcomes from the Patient-Owned Survivorship Care Plan Intervention.

Background: To the authors' knowledge, few studies to date have evaluated the effects of survivorship care planning on the care transition process from specialty cancer care to self-management and primary care, patient experience, or health outcomes. The Patient-owned Survivorship Transition Care for Activated, Empowered survivors (POSTCARE) is a single coaching encounter based on the Chronic Care Model that uses motivational interviewing techniques to engage survivors of breast cancer. The current study examined the effects of the POSTCARE intervention on patient outcomes and care coordination.

A Pilot Feasibility Intervention to Increase Advance Care Planning among African Americans in the Deep South.

Background: Despite growing efforts to facilitate advance care planning (ACP) to decrease health disparities in palliative care, low completion rates of advance directives (AD) have been consistently found among African Americans.

Objective: The objective was to examine the feasibility of a multicomponent ACP intervention program that integrates motivational interviewing, evidence-based ACP facilitation program (Respecting Choices(®)), and health-literacy adjusted AD. This pilot study aims to address the unique barriers to ACP engagement among African Americans in the Deep South.

Technology-Delivered Mental Health Interventions for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA): a Review of Recent Advances.

HIV/AIDS infection and psychiatric diagnoses are closely linked, with an estimated 50 % of HIV-infected individuals diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders. Mental health disorders have been shown to be associated with HIV acquisition as well as poor treatment outcomes for those infected with HIV. Therefore, behavioral interventions to improve HIV/AIDS health outcomes have included interventions addressing mental health co-morbidities, such as depression and anxiety, and the use of technology to facilitate such intervention is growing.

Automated image based prominent nucleoli detection.

Introduction: Nucleolar changes in cancer cells are one of the cytologic features important to the tumor pathologist in cancer assessments of tissue biopsies. However, inter-observer variability and the manual approach to this work hamper the accuracy of the assessment by pathologists. In this paper, we propose a computational method for prominent nucleoli pattern detection.

Rewards and unique challenges faced by African-American custodial grandmothers: the importance of future planning.

Objectives: This exploratory study examined the context and consequences of custodial grandparenting, along with attitudes and preferences regarding future planning among 22 African-American custodial grandmothers.

Method: A mixed-method research design was employed. Based on our integration of two theories regarding future planning and health behavior change, caregiving, emotional distress, religiosity and spirituality, and future planning were assessed using questionnaires along with semi-structured interviews.

A fast method for spine localization in x-ray images.

Detection of spines in medical images are important tasks in medical applications. These tasks are relatively easy for CT/MR images because the bones are easily distinguishable from other tissues. However, they are difficult for x-ray images due to bone and soft tissue overlapping.