A follow-up study of women with cancer: their psychosocial well-being and close relationships

The psychological and social consequences of having a diagnosis of cancer can continue beyond the initial year of diagnosis. However, very few empirical studies examine the long-term adjustment of cancer survivors and the factors that promote survivors' well-being. This paper presents an 18 month follow-up study of 26 women who were treated for various types of cancer at a major medical center in the United States. They completed questionnaires during the initial treatment phase of the illness and 18 months later. The questionnaire consisted of standardized scales measuring relationship factors (i.e., mutuality, silencing-the-self schemas, and relationship-focused coping) and psychosocial well-being (i.e., quality of life, depression, self-care agency). The results of the follow-up study revealed that the women's psychosocial well-being changed for the better between Time 1 and Time 2, while their relationship factors remained constant. Only one relational factor, silencing-the-self beliefs, at Time 1, was significantly correlated with a well-being variable at Time 2. However, relationship factors at Time 2 were significantly correlated with psychosocial well-being at Time 2, indicating that relational factors continue to play a significant role in the sample's psychosocial adjustment.     

Circulating and local bone marrow renin-angiotensin system in leukemic hematopoiesis: preliminary evidences

Until last the decade, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) was considered as a circulating endocrine system. It is now known that there are local RASs in many tissues. It has also recently been hypothesized that there exists a local bone marrow (BM) RAS with paracrine/autocrine pathobiological functions. The aim of this study was to detect BM and peripheral blood levels of the essential RAS components in normal and leukemic hematopoiesis. Concentrations of renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) were assayed in BM aspirates and in simultaneously drawn peripheral blood samples of 16 pre-chemotherapy leukemic and 10 post-treatment megaloblastic anemia patients with normal blood counts, as controls. In the leukemia group, the ACE concentration was found to be significantly higher in the BM (38+/-6.2 U/l) than in the peripheral blood (29.5+/-5.3 U/l), (p=0.029). In the leukemia group, although the BM renin concentration was higher than the peripheral blood levels (21.3+/-8.3 vs. 18.6+/-6.2 U/l), this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.196). In the control group, mean BM renin levels were insignificantly lower than in the peripheral blood (8.6+/-3 vs. 12.1+/-4.6 pg/ml) (p=0.059). In the leukemia group, serum ACE levels positively correlated with BM and peripheral blood blast percentages (p<0.05). Serum LDH level (p<0.01), BM blast (p<0.05) and peripheral blast percentages (p<0.01) were inversely correlated with serum potassium in the leukemia group.The results of this study can be considered as the preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis of the presence of a local BM RAS. Further, molecular biologic and immunohistochemical studies are needed to shed light on this important subject. A better understanding of the interrelationships of RAS and hematopoiesis will bring new insights into the pathobiology and even novel therapies for such neoplastic diseases.     

Primary renal lymphoma and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood

Primary renal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very rare in childhood. A six-year-old boy presented with bilateral non-obstructive multinodular nephromegaly and renal failure. Percutaneous needle biopsy showed large-cell lymphoma. The patient was started on chemotherapy. A right nephrectomy was done when systemic hypertension developed in the presence of a non-functional right kidney. Histopathologic examination revealed focal lymphomatous infiltration and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis which is an atypical form of chronic renal infection. The case is discussed in relation to previons reports.     

Mode of delivery and pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function after childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the respective roles of the mode of delivery and strength of pelvic floor muscles in the sexual function of women. METHOD: Thirty-two women who were delivered vaginally and 21 women who underwent cesarean delivery at the Celal Bayar University School of Medicine Obstetrics Department were enrolled in the study, and 15 nulliparas were recruited as controls. Sexual function was assessed in all women by a validated questionnaire (the Female Sexual Function Index). Desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were measured separately, and pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed by a perineometer. Sexual function was compared among the 3 groups. The correlation between pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function was also investigated. RESULTS: Pelvic floor muscle strength was significantly lower in the group vaginally delivered compared with the group delivered by cesarean section and the nulliparous group (P<0.05). There was no difference between the groups regarding sexual function (P>0.05), and there was also no correlation between sexual function and pelvic muscle strength. CONCLUSION: Pelvic floor muscle strength and mode of delivery did not affect sexual function in our study participants. The muscular component of female sexual function should be further investigated.     

Telecommunication--a new tool for quality assurance and control in diagnostic pathology

Telepathology is the diagnostic work of a pathologist at a distance. It includes specific application fields which require specific system solutions. These comprise: a. frozen section service; b. expert consultations; c. remote control measurements, and d. education and training. Applications but, in addition, all aspects of diagnosis, especially those involved in the daily work flow of a pathologist. The image quality, transfer rates, and screen resolution of telepathology systems are sufficient for an additional or primary judgment of histological slides and cytological smears. It is, therefore, possible to include this technique into intralaboratory quality control of all steps of diagnostic procedures and to use this technique for quality assurance and control. Diagnostic quality is not a well defined term, and depends, in addition to external circumstances, on the diagnosis itself. The diagnostic quality can be maintained or even improved by use of telepathology systems. They can serve for control of image quality, access to various information sources, simultaneous transfer of images and diagnosis, and continuous education of the involved pathologists. For example, in continuous education and training, as a first step the pathologist should have access to an image data bank storing images related to the specific case, for example images taken from the same organ and from patients of similar age. The final stage would be an intra-diagnostic learning from the specific case; i.e. the time difference between questionnaires for a difficult diagnosis and the final diagnosis will become a minimum. Automated storing of the specific and diagnosis-associated images of the case will permit an open diagnostic system which will itself adjust to the micro-environment of the department of pathology. Although this future scenario has not been implemented to our knowledge, there is little doubt the development in telepathology will promote the technical procedures in the environment of a diagnostic pathologist. Telepathology is, therefore, not a substitute of conventional diagnostic procedures but a real improvement in the world of pathology.     

Is resting anterior EEG alpha asymmetry a trait marker for depression? Findings for healthy adults and clinically depressed patients

Several lines of evidence suggest that asymmetric anterior brain activation is related to affective style, linking left hemisphere activation to positive affect and right hemisphere activation to negative affect. However, previous reports of left frontal hypoactivation in depressed patients were not confirmed in recent studies. This study evaluated additional characteristics of resting EEG alpha (8-13 Hz) asymmetry in 15 clinically depressed patients and 22 healthy adults by recording EEG activity on two separate occasions, 2-4 weeks apart. Across both sessions, group differences in anterior EEG asymmetry were compatible with the original hypothesis. However, groups differed in temporal stability of anterior EEG asymmetry, which was retest reliable in controls but not depressed patients. In contrast, temporal stability of posterior EEG asymmetry was acceptable in both groups. Increased variability of anterior EEG asymmetry may be a characteristic feature for depression, and, if so, this would challenge the notion that anterior EEG alpha asymmetry is a trait marker for depression.     

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in schizophrenia for tonal and phonetic oddball tasks.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies using simple target detection ("oddball") tasks with pure tones have reported asymmetric reduction of the P3 event-related potential (ERP). This study investigated the time course and topography of ERPs recorded during both tonal and phonetic oddball tasks. METHODS: Event-related potentials of 66 patients (14 unmedicated) diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 46) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 20) and 32 healthy adults were recorded from 30 scalp electrodes during two oddball tasks using consonant-vowel syllables or complex tones. Overlapping ERP components were identified and measured by covariance-based principal components analysis. RESULTS: Schizophrenic patients showed marked, task-independent reductions of early negative potentials (N1, N2) but not reduced P3 amplitude or abnormal P3 asymmetry. Task-related hemispheric asymmetries of the N2/P3 complex were similar in healthy adults and schizophrenic patients. Poorer task performance in patients was related to ERP amplitudes, but could not account for reductions of early negativities. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that both patients and control subjects activated lateralized cortical networks required for pitch (right frontotemporal) and phoneme (left parietotemporal) discrimination. Task-independent reductions of negativities between 80 and 280 msec after stimulus onset suggest a deficit of automatic stimulus classification in schizophrenia, which may be partly compensated by later effortful processing.     

DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics: recommendations on forensic analysis using Y-chromosome STRs

During the past few years the DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics has published a series of documents providing guidelines and recommendations concerning the application of DNA polymorphisms to the problems of human identification. This latest report addresses a relatively new area, namely Y-chromosome polymorphisms, with particular emphasis on short tandem repeats (STRs). This report addresses nomenclature, use of allelic ladders, population genetics and reporting methods. Received: 19 April 2001