Consecutive Shifts: A Repeated Measure Study to Evaluate Stress, Biomarkers, Social Support, and Fatigue in Medical/Surgical Nurses.

Nurses report that they are required to work during their scheduled breaks and generally experience extended work times and heavy workloads due to staffing shortages. This study aimed to examine changes in personal, work-related, and overall stress, as well as biological responses and fatigue experienced by nurses during three consecutive 12 h workdays (i.e.

Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation for the Management of Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Disturbance, and Pain in Patients With Advanced Cancer: A Preliminary Study.

Context: Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is a safe modulation of brain activity for treating depression, anxiety, insomnia, and pain. However, there are no published studies in patients with advanced cancer (ACPs).

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a four-week CES intervention on depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and pain scores.

Association of cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity with inflammatory biomarkers in young adults.

Objectives: Cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) has been inversely associated with inflammation, but whether the association is attributed to fitness itself or lower levels of adiposity remains uncertain in young adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of fitness and adiposity with inflammation in young adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 88 participants aged 20-34 years.

Social Support and Cognition: Early Childhood Versus Older Adulthood.

Cognitive development in early childhood and cognitive preservation in older adulthood are critical for leading healthy life. Social engagement can significantly affect cognition, but their relationships are unclear. The purpose of this review was to synthesize current findings on the relationship between social engagement and cognition in early childhood and older adulthood.

Biobehavioral Factors in Child Health Outcomes: The Roles of Maternal Stress, Maternal-Child Engagement, Salivary Cortisol, and Salivary Testosterone.

Background: Exposure to high levels of maternal stress and ineffective maternal-child engagement (MC-E) may adversely affect child health-related outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of maternal stress and MC-E on maternal and child biological responses (salivary cortisol and testosterone) and child health outcome in mother-child dyads of preschool children (3-5.9 years) in a low socioeconomic setting.

The Utility of the Swine Model to Assess Biological Rhythms and Their Characteristics during Different Stages of Residence in a Simulated Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the utility of the mammalian swine model under simulated intensive care unit (sICU) conditions and mechanical ventilation (MV) for assessment of the trajectory of circadian rhythms of sedation requirement, core body temperature (CBT), pulmonary mechanics (PM) and gas exchange (GE). Data were collected prospectively with an observational time-series design to describe and compare circadian rhythms of selected study variables in four swine mechanically ventilated for up to seven consecutive days. We derived the circadian (total variance explained by rhythms of τ between 20 and 28 h)/ultradian (total variance explained by rhythms of τ between 1 and <20 h) bandpower ratio to assess the robustness of circadian rhythms, and compare findings between the early (first 3 days) and late (subsequent days) sICU stay.

Loneliness and cognitive function in the older adult: a systematic review.

Background: Loneliness is a significant concern among the elderly, particularly in societies with rapid growth in aging populations. Loneliness may influence cognitive function, but the exact nature of the association between loneliness and cognitive function is poorly understood. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize current findings on the association between loneliness and cognitive function in older adults.

Spiritual Pain in Meals on Wheels' Clients.

Background: Meals on Wheels' clients are at risk for spiritual pain due to advanced age, social isolation, and failing health. They are also prone to stress, depression, and loneliness, placing them at risk for adverse biological disruptions and health outcomes. The purpose of the study was to examine associations of spiritual pain with psychosocial factors (stress, depression, loneliness, religious coping) and salivary biomarkers of stress and inflammation (cortisol, IL-1β) in Meals on Wheels' clients.

Endogenous sex hormones and cognitive function in the elderly.

Background: Estrogen and testosterone may influence cognitive function in the older adult, but the relationship between sex hormones and cognitive function is complex.

Aim: To examine associations of sex hormones and cognitive function among older adults ≥65 years old.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional research design, data were collected once from 71 elderly (mean age 86.

Changes in complementary and alternative medicine use across cancer treatment and relationship to stress, mood, and quality of life.

Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent, but specific use of CAM across cancer treatment is underinvestigated. The objectives of this study were to assess changes in CAM use across cancer treatment; specific reasons for and satisfaction with specific types of CAM used; and associations of CAM use with stress, mood, and quality of life (QOL) in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Design And Setting: Seventy-seven women with early-stage breast cancer who underwent active cancer treatment participated in the study.

Screening for body image dissatisfaction in patients with advanced cancer: a pilot study.

Background: Cancer and its treatment can significantly affect appearance and body integrity. A number of studies have explored the impact of cancer and its treatment on body image, primarily in head and neck and breast cancer. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the construct of body image dissatisfaction and its measurement using a single question in patients with advanced cancer.

Lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) and the relationships between LUTS, ED, depression, and other factors in Korean men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 124 male patients with T2DM who attended a university hospital diabetes clinic between October 2010 and April 2012. Data were collected using structured interviews and chart reviews.

Endothelin-1 and psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.

Objectives: Psychosocial factors (i.e., social environment and emotional factors) contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Endogenous sex hormones and cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review.

Estrogen and testosterone may influence cognition in older adults, but the relationship between sex hormones and cognitive function is complex. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the role of sex hormones in cognitive function among older adults. A comprehensive, electronic review of literature was performed.

Inflammatory cytokine levels and breast cancer risk factors: racial differences of healthy Caucasian and African American women.

Purpose/objectives: To examine racial differences in inflammatory cytokine levels (interleukin [IL]-6 and interferon-gamma [IFN-γ]) and breast cancer (BC) risk factors between healthy Caucasian and African American women; to examine differences in relationships of inflammatory cytokine levels with BC risk factors between these groups of women; and to determine the independent contribution of race to IL-6 and IFN-γ after controlling for relevant covariates.

Design: Cross-sectional and correlational descriptive design.

Setting: Community surrounding a state university health system in the southeastern United States.

Cancer-specific stress and mood disturbance: implications for symptom perception, quality of life, and immune response in women shortly after diagnosis of breast cancer.

Purpose. To determine the levels of cancer-specific stress and mood disturbance in women shortly after diagnosis of breast cancer and to assess their associations with symptom perception, quality of life, and immune response. Design.

Association between body image dissatisfaction and weight loss among patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers: a preliminary report.

Context: No prospective studies have dealt with the impact of cachexia-related weight loss on patients' body image as well as the impact of patients' body image changes on the level of patient and family distress.

Objectives: Our aim was to examine associations between body mass index (BMI), weight loss, symptom distress, and body image for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers.

Methods: Outpatients with advanced cancer and different levels of BMI, along with their caregivers, were recruited.

Frequency and predictors of patient deviation from prescribed opioids and barriers to opioid pain management in patients with advanced cancer.

Context: Approximately 80% of patients with advanced cancer report pain and receive opioids. Information is limited about deviations from prescribed opioid doses and barriers to pain control, but poor opioid adherence has been reported in 49%-70% of patients.

Objectives: To evaluate the frequency and severity of self-reported opioid deviation and barriers to opioid pain management in outpatients with advanced cancer.

Concepts and definitions for "supportive care," "best supportive care," "palliative care," and "hospice care" in the published literature, dictionaries, and textbooks.

Purpose: Commonly used terms such as "supportive care," "best supportive care," "palliative care," and "hospice care" were rarely and inconsistently defined in the palliative oncology literature. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to further identify concepts and definitions for these terms.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, PsycInfo, EMBASE, and CINAHL for published peer-reviewed articles from 1948 to 2011 that conceptualized, defined, or examined these terms.

Self-reported constipation in patients with advanced cancer: a preliminary report.

Context: Constipation is often inadequately assessed and underdiagnosed in patients with advanced cancer. Many studies use patient-reported constipation (PRC) as an outcome.

Objectives: The aim was to compare the accuracy of PRC as compared with the modified Rome III (ROME) criteria and to determine the agreement between PRC, physician assessment of constipation, and objective assessment of constipation by modified ROME criteria among outpatients with advanced cancer.

Clinical response to an outpatient palliative care consultation in patients with advanced cancer and cancer pain.

Context: There is limited published data regarding the outcomes of palliative care consult on cancer pain treatment at the first follow-up visit.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to determine pain treatment response to an outpatient palliative care consultation at the first follow-up visit for patients with cancer pain.

Methods: Data from consecutive patients (n=1612) who were referred to the outpatient Supportive Care Center at The University of Texas M.

Dose effects of relaxation practice on immune responses in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: an exploratory study.

Purpose/objectives: To determine the dose effects of relaxation practice on immune responses and describe the types of relaxation techniques preferred and the extent of relaxation practice over 10 months.

Design: Descriptive, prospective, repeated measures.

Setting: An interdisciplinary breast clinic at a university-affiliated comprehensive cancer center in the United States.

Estimating intra- and inter-assay variability in salivary cortisol.

Investigators commonly assess intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) to estimate the precision of salivary cortisol enzyme immunoassay (EIA). However, little guidance is available as to which samples to use for CV assessment. The purposes of this methodological study were to compare differences in intra- and inter-assay CVs (a) among controls, standards, and/or unknown samples; and (b) between fresh and previously frozen saliva.