Physical Activity Participation by Parental Language Use in 4th, 8th,and 11th Grade Students in Texas,USA

Research on physical activity (PA) by level of acculturation in Hispanic children is limited and findings have been mixed. We examined PA participation by primary language used with parents in a representative sample of 4th, 8th, and 11th grade Texas public school students. Mixed-effects regression models were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2004–2005 School Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (n = 22,049). Self-reported PA was compared among three language-ethnic groups: Spanish-Hispanic (SH) (referent); English-Hispanic (EH); and English-Other (EO). EH and/or EO girls were generally between 1.25 and 2.58 [OR] times more likely to participate in PA across grade levels, with the largest differences found for school sports in 8th grade girls. EH and EO 8th grade boys were 1.71 (CI: 1.40, 2.10) and 2.06 (CI: 1.68, 2.51) times, respectively, more likely to participate in school sports. Findings indicate important disparities in Spanish-speaking Hispanic children’s PA participation.     

Challenges in physician supply planning: the case of Belgium

Introduction  

Planning human resources for health (HRH) is a complex process for policy-makers and, as a result, many countries worldwide swing from surplus to shortage. In-depth case studies can help appraising the challenges encountered and the solutions implemented. This paper has two objectives: to identify the key challenges in HRH planning in Belgium and to formulate recommendations for an effective HRH planning, on the basis of the Belgian case study and lessons drawn from an international benchmarking.     

Efficacy of epoetin-beta 30,000 IU/week in correcting anaemia in patients with gastrointestinal tumours subjected to concomitant chemoradiotherapy

Objective  

The aim of the project was to assess the effectiveness and safety of weekly epoetin-beta (EB) in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) subjected to concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCTRT).     

Extravasation of Chemotherapy

Extravasation of chemotherapy is a feared complication of anticancer therapy. The accidental leakage of cytostatic agents into the perivascular tissues may have devastating short-term and long-term consequences for patients. In recent years, the increased focus on chemotherapy extravasation has led to the development of international guidelines that have proven useful tools in daily clinical practice. Moreover, the tissue destruction in one of the most dreaded types of extravasation (ie, anthracycline extravasation) now can effectively be prevented with a specific antidote, dexrazoxane.     

Contribution of hypoxia-measuring molecular imaging techniques to radiotherapy planning and treatment

Hypoxia is related to poor prognosis because it is associated to chemo-and radioresistance. During recent years the evolution of imaging methods like PET/CT and MRI has meant the appearance of new perspectives with direct implications in radiation therapy. We discuss previous experiences in staging, planning and in the follow-up process with these techniques for measuring tumour hypoxia.     

Characterization of bortezomib-adapted I-45 mesothelioma cells

Background  

Bortezomib, a proteasome-specific inhibitor, has emerged as a promising cancer therapeutic agent. However, development of resistance to bortezomib may pose a challenge to effective anticancer therapy. Therefore, characterization of cellular mechanisms involved in bortezomib resistance and development of effective strategies to overcome this resistance represent important steps in the advancement of bortezomib-mediated cancer therapy.     

Personality styles in patients with fibromyalgia,major depression and healthy controls

Background  

The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is suggested to be a manifestation of depression or affective spectrum disorder. We measured the cognitive style of patients with FMS to assess personality styles in 44 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) by comparing them with 43 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 41 healthy controls (HC).     

Pharynx and oesophagus evaluation during the swallow using helical computerized tomography.

PURPOSE: Videofluorography (VF) and endoscopy are commonly used for dynamic imaging (DI) of pharyngeal swallowing but do not offer transverse plane (TP) information. The aim of the present study was to evaluate helical computerized tomography (HCT) to measure the DI capability pharyngeal swallowing in the TP. METHODS: The HCT scan technique used was a single-slice cine mode with scan times of 100 ms. All 15 subjects were studied supine during dry swallow, swallowing of barium sulphate jelly and 3, 10, 15 or 20 ml of a 40% barium sulphate solution. Nine subjects repeated the test twice at more than 1 week's interval to determine the test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Swallowing leads to closure of the vocal folds, pharyngeal constriction and narrowing of the piriform sinuses allowing jelly passage between the sinuses. Laryngeal elevation then occurs with the opening of the pharyngoesophageal segment (PES). Swallowing a bolus of 20 ml produced the maximum anteroposterior and transverse diameters as well as the maximum opening area of the PES. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients with liquid deglutition ranged from 0.86 to 0.98. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that HCT enables visualization of TP of PES complementing VF or endoscopic swallowing studies.