Revealing Intention In Health-related Peer Interactions: Implications For Optimizing Patient Engagement In Self-health Management.

Risky health behaviors such as poor diet, physical inactivity are the main contributors to the development of diabetes, one of the major causes of death and disability in the United States. Online health communities provide new avenues for individuals to efficiently manage their health conditions and adopt a positive lifestyle. So far, analysis of health-related online social exchanges has focused solely on communication content and structure of social ties, ignoring implicit user intentions underlying communication exchanges.

Texas Team: Academic Progression and IOM Toolkit.

Background: The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Future of Nursing report, identified eight recommendations for nursing to improve health care for all Americans.

Aim: The Texas Team for Advancing Health Through Nursing embraced the challenge of implementing the recommendations through two diverse projects.

Method: One group conducted a broad, online survey of leadership, practice, and academia, focusing on the IOM recommendations.

The Alternative Peer Group: A Developmentally Appropriate Recovery Support Model for Adolescents.

Recovery as the goal for substance use disorder treatment has been a key component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's mission for the past decade. Consistent with their mission, there is a call for research and development of recovery-oriented systems of care to support affected individuals through all stages of the recovery process. Evidence is emerging to support recovery practice and research for adults, but recovery-oriented models for adolescents are scant.

Penis Cancer: The Lived Experience.

Background: This qualitative study examined the experiences of men with penis cancer. Cancer of the penis is a rare and debilitating disease, affecting 1 in 100 000 men in Western countries. Although much has been written about the medical treatment of the disease, little has been published about the experiences of men who have penis cancer.

Primary and secondary gliosarcomas: clinical, molecular and survival characteristics.

Gliosarcoma is classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of glioblastoma. These tumors exhibit biphasic histologic and immunophenotypic features, reflecting both glial and mesenchymal differentiation. Gliosarcomas can be further classified into primary (de novo) tumors, and secondary gliosarcomas, which are diagnosed at recurrence after a diagnosis of glioblastoma.

Hope and mood changes throughout the primary brain tumor illness trajectory.

Background: The ambiguity of defining hope impacts the level of readiness faced by health care professionals treating patients with glioma, a disease with unpredictable outcomes. This study describes the report of hope and the relationship between hope and mood in adult brain tumor patients at various points in the illness trajectory.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data collection including use of the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS-SF), and clinical information.

Primary brain tumors and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurotoxic encephalopathic state associated with reversible cerebral vasogenic edema. It is an increasingly recognized occurrence in the oncology population. However, it is very uncommon in patients with primary brain tumors (PBTs).

Impact of recall period on primary brain tumor patient's self-report of symptoms.

Background: Understanding the severity of symptoms is an integral part of patient care. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT) was developed using a 24-hour recall period. The choice of recall period is dependent on the treatment and disease of interest.

Genetic Modulation of Neurocognitive Function in Glioma Patients.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence supports the contention that genetic variation is associated with neurocognitive function in healthy individuals and increased risk for neurocognitive decline in a variety of patient populations, including cancer patients. However, this has rarely been studied in glioma patients.

Experimental Design: To identify the effect of genetic variants on neurocognitive function, we examined the relationship between the genotype frequencies of 10,967 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 580 genes related to five pathways (inflammation, DNA repair, metabolism, cognitive, and telomerase) and neurocognitive function in 233 newly diagnosed glioma patients before surgical resection.

Facing the future of brain tumor clinical research.

This edition of CCR Focus provides critical reviews of several important areas in the field, including the application of findings from genomic investigations of brain tumors to improve diagnosis, clinical trial design, and ultimately optimizing individual patient treatment. Another article is a critical review provided by experts in the field that discusses the recent clinical trials using angiogenesis inhibitors, possible explanations for the results, and how to move forward. There is a concise discussion of the application of immunotherapy to brain tumors by key investigators in this field, reflecting the potential opportunities as well as the disease-specific challenges.

Agitation onset, frequency, and associated temporal factors in critically ill adults.

Background: Agitation is a frequent complication in critically ill adults, can result in life-threatening events for patients or care providers, and extends the hospital length of stay, thereby increasing hospital costs.

Objectives: To describe the incidence, onset, and temporal factors related to agitation in critically ill adults.

Methods: Data were collected for the first 5 days of stay of all adult patients consecutively admitted to a medical respiratory intensive care unit and a surgical trauma intensive care unit during a 2-month period.

Developing criterion-based competencies for tele-intensive care unit.

Over the last 5 years, telemedicine has developed nursing roles that differ from traditional bedside care. In the midst of this transition, current competency development models focused on task completion may not be the most effective form of proficiency validation. The procedure of competency creation for the role of tele-intensive care unit registered nurse requires a thoughtful process using stakeholders from institutional leadership to frontline staff.

Net clinical benefit analysis of radiation therapy oncology group 0525: a phase III trial comparing conventional adjuvant temozolomide with dose-intensive temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Purpose: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group trial 0525 tested whether dose-intensifying temozolomide versus standard chemoradiotherapy improves overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Tests of neurocognitive function (NCF) and symptoms (using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor module; MDASI-BT) and of quality of life (European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire [EORTC QLQ] -C30/BN20) examined the net clinical benefit (NCB) of therapy.

Patients And Methods: NCF tests (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, Trail Making Test, and Controlled Oral Word Association), MDASI-BT, and EORTC QLQ-C30/BN20 were completed in a subset of patients.

Dose-dense temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a randomized phase III clinical trial.

Purpose: Radiotherapy with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide is the standard of care for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM). O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status may be an important determinant of treatment response. Dose-dense (DD) temozolomide results in prolonged depletion of MGMT in blood mononuclear cells and possibly in tumor.

A comparison of a traditional clinical experience to a precepted clinical experience for baccalaureate-seeking nursing students in their second semester.

The shortage of nursing faculty has contributed greatly to the nursing workforce shortage, with many schools turning away qualified applicants because there are not enough faculty to teach. Despite the faculty shortage, schools are required to admit more students to alleviate the nursing shortage. Clinical groups in which preceptors are responsible for student learning extend faculty resources.

Congruence of primary brain tumor patient and caregiver symptom report.

Background: Evaluating the severity of symptoms in patients with primary brain tumors (PBTs) is important in clinical care and research but may be difficult due to patient neurocognitive (NC) impairment. This study was conducted to evaluate the congruence of symptom reporting in patient and caregiver dyads, examining potential impact of NC impairment and Karnofsky performance status (KPS).

Methods: PBT patients undergoing NC testing and their caregivers were included in this study.

Cardiovascular nursing on human genomics: what do cardiovascular nurses need to know about congestive heart failure?

This paper presents the main causes of heart failure (HF) and an update on the genetics studies on each cause. The review includes a delineation of the etiology and fundamental pathophysiology of HF and provides rational for treatment for the patient and family. Various cardiomyopathies are discussed, including primary cardiomyopathies, mixed cardiomyopathies, cardiomyopathies that involve altered cardiac muscle along with generalized multiorgan disorders, and various cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary artery disease (ischemic cardiomyopathy) and hypertension (hypertensive cardiomyopathy).

Clinical utility of the MDASI-BT in patients with brain metastases.

Symptom occurrence has been shown to predict treatment course and survival in cancer patients. The M. D.

Use of complementary and alternative medical therapy by patients with primary brain tumors.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing. CAM includes mind-body interventions, biologically based therapies, energy therapies, and body-based methods. Primary brain tumors arise within the brain and have a poor prognosis when malignant.