Longitudinal Changes in Sleep: Associations with Shifts in Circulating Cytokines and Emotional Distress in a Cancer Survivor Population.

Background: Sleep disturbances are associated with numerous mood disorders. Similarly, anxiety and depression are associated with modulation of the psychoneuroimmune (PNI) axis. This study hypothesized that changes in both monitored and self-reported measures of sleep would relate to changes in circulating cytokine levels in an emotionally distressed population of cervical cancer survivors.

Relationship between social support, quality of life, and Th2 cytokines in a biobehavioral cancer survivorship trial.

Objective: Benefits of social support (SS) during cancer survivorship are complex. This study examines change in SS over time in cervical cancer (CXCA) survivors who have completed definitive treatment and how changing SS impacts quality of life (QOL) and T-helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines.

Methods: We conducted a randomized trial in 204 CXCA survivors to test if psychosocial telephone counseling (PTC) could improve QOL compared to usual care (UC).

Validation of PROMIS emotional distress short form scales for cervical cancer.

Objectives: Cervical cancer patients are at high risk for emotional distress. In this study we evaluate the PROMIS emotional distress-Depression and -Anxiety Short Forms for assessing depression and anxiety in a cervical cancer population.

Methods: A 15-item questionnaire was used in a cervical cancer biobehavioral randomized clinical trial, testing psychosocial telephone counseling (PTC) against usual care (UC).

Health Behaviors in Cervical Cancer Survivors and Associations with Quality of Life.

Purpose: Improvement in health behaviors following cancer diagnosis may contribute to better prognosis and well-being. This study examines the prevalence of health behaviors in cervical cancer survivors who have completed treatment, and associations between health behaviors and quality of life (QOL).

Methods: We recruited 204 women who had completed treatment for cervical cancer to participate in a randomized counseling intervention.

Consensus in controversy: The modified Delphi method applied to Gynecologic Oncology practice.

Objectives: To determine the degree of consensus regarding the probabilities of outcomes associated with IP/IV and IV chemotherapy.

Methods: A survey was administered to an expert panel using the Delphi method. Ten ovarian cancer experts were asked to estimate outcomes for patients receiving IP/IV or IV chemotherapy.

Psychosocial telephone counseling for survivors of cervical cancer: results of a randomized biobehavioral trial.

Purpose: Survivors of cervical cancer experience quality-of-life (QOL) disruptions that persist years after treatment. This study examines the effect of a psychosocial telephone counseling (PTC) intervention on QOL domains and associations with biomarkers.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a randomized clinical trial in survivors of cervical cancer, who were ≥ 9 and less than 30 months from diagnosis (n = 204), to compare PTC to usual care (UC).

Factors associated with poor quality of life among cervical cancer survivors: implications for clinical care and clinical trials.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to identify factors that are associated with poor quality of life (QOL) among cervical cancer survivors.

Methods: Patients identified through the California Cancer Registry were recruited to participate in a randomized counseling intervention. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were collected at study baseline (9-30 months post-diagnosis) and subsequent to the intervention.

Biopsychological stress factors in BRCA mutation carriers.

Objective: Cancer risk-related stressors are prominent among BRCA mutation carriers. Loss of one's mother to a BRCA-associated cancer is an additional stressor, which may be related to an enhanced inflammatory response. This study examined the effect of mother's vital status on psychological factors and stress-associated biomarkers among BRCA mutation carriers.

Recruitment and retention results for a population-based cervical cancer biobehavioral clinical trial.

Objective: Minority and low-income cancer patients are underrepresented in clinical trials, contributing to diminished access to state-of-the-art care and disparities in cancer outcomes including survivorship issues. In cervical cancer, there is a disproportionate disease burden among minority and underserved women and persistent quality of life disruption. We encountered significant challenges in both recruitment and retention in a randomized biobehavioral clinical trial for cervical cancer survivors, identified through California Cancer Registries, leading to this investigation.

Staurosporine promotes endothelial cell assembly and FAK phosphorylation during in vitro angiogenesis.

In the present study, we report that staurosporine, a known PKC inhibitor, enhanced in vitro angiogenesis. Endothelial cells plated in a three-dimensional matrix formed cords and enclosed structures within 4-6 hours. The cells in cord structures became elongated during the subsequent incubation.

Facilitating acquisition and transfer of a continuous motor task in healthy older adults and patients with Alzheimer's disease.

This study examined the acquisition and transfer of a fine motor skill, namely the rotary pursuit, in 99 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 100 normal controls (NCs). To identify optimal learning strategies, the authors had participants practice the rotary pursuit under constant, blocked, random, or no training conditions. Transfer was assessed using speeds that were different from those practiced during acquisition.