Adverse effects and appetite suppression associated with particle beam therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

Aim: This purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the appetite and various factors that are associated with particle beam therapy, including the adverse effects of radiation, dry-mouth period, analgesic medication use, frequency of oral care, and participants' characteristics, in 121 patients with head and neck cancer.

Methods: A path analysis was used to evaluate the causal relationship of the factors that affected the participants' appetite.

Results: At a cumulative dose of 40 GyE, the factors that impacted the participants' appetite included xerostomia, oral mucositis, age, frequency of oral care, and analgesic medication use.

Writers' award winner experiences of family members acting as primary caregivers for patients with traumatic brain injury.

Research on caregiving experiences of families of patients with traumatic brain injuries has been limited to studies emphasizing negative aspects of care. During this study, families caring for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) shared their experiences, allowing us to collect basic data about factors related to their psychosocial adjustment. Fifteen primary caregivers were interviewed using semistructured interviews, and content analysis was performed on obtained data.

Analysis of causal models of diet for patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation therapy.

Purpose: This study seeks to establish causal models of diet which maintain the appetite of head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation therapy.

Sample And Methods: We collected data from 208 patients at two radiation doses, 30/50 Gy, using a questionnaire on appetite and analyzed the items using structural equation modeling.

Results: In the causal model for 30 Gy, we established a path using the four intervening variables "ease of consuming foods in smooth forms," "ease of consuming foods with a chewable texture and suitable temperature," "ease of consuming lightly seasoned foods with a flavorful smell," and "overall ease of consuming a given meal" from the temporal relationship between "dietary preferences" and "maintaining appetite while caring for the oral cavity.

Psychosocial adjustment process of mothers caring for young men with traumatic brain injury: focusing on the mother-son relationship.

This study focuses on the mother-son relationship of 13 mothers caring for single sons between the ages of 15 and 30 years who have higher brain dysfunction due to a traumatic brain injury. We aimed to elucidate the psychosocial adjustment process of mothers for 5 years following the injury to facilitate the social rehabilitation of both mother and son. Data obtained through a semistructured interview method were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.

Appetite and adverse effects associated with radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

Purpose: The relationship between radiation treatment and adverse effects resulting in changes in appetite was studied in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer.

Methods And Sample: Path analysis was used to evaluate the following factors in 117 patients receiving radiation therapy for H&N cancer: daily fluctuations in saliva production, analgesic use, frequency of oral care, subject characteristics, and appetite.

Results: At 20 Gy of radiation, appetite was affected by Brinkman index value, age, and sensitivity to taste (R2=0.

A programme to encourage participation of haemodialysis patients in an exercise regimen.

Recent research has reinforced the idea that haemodialysis (HD) patients should exercise to maintain their physical functioning and improve their quality of life. Some effective exercise programmes are available for HD patients. However, these programmes are not always completed by the patients who enrol in them, and therefore, these patients do not maintain long-term physical activity.

Multi-modal treatment of primarily using continuous subcutaneous interferon-alpha injection in combination with surgery and/or radiotherapy.

Purpose: Thirty-nine renal cell carcinoma patients with bony metastasis were intensively treated, primarily with immunotherapy using natural type interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) continuous subcutaneous injection in combination with surgical resection and radiation therapy. Long-term survival was achieved, including three patients with complete response. The results of this study are presented.