Anticipated help-seeking for cancer symptoms before and after the coronavirus pandemic: results from the Onco-barometer population survey in Spain

Background The patient interval—the time patients wait before consulting their physician after noticing cancer symptoms—contributes to diagnostic delays. We compared anticipated help-seeking times for cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to help-seeking before and after the coronavirus pandemic.Methods Two waves (pre-Coronavirus: February 2020, N = 3269; and post-Coronavirus: August 2020, N = 1500) of the Spanish Onco-barometer population survey were compared. The international ABC instrument was administered. Pre–post comparisons were performed using multiple logistic and Poisson regression models.Results There was a consistent and significant increase in anticipated times to help-seeking for 12 of 13 cancer symptoms, with the largest increases for breast changes (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.22–1–96) and unexplained bleeding (OR = 1.50, 1.26–1.79). Respondents were more likely to report barriers to help-seeking in the post wave, most notably worry about what the doctor may find (OR = 1.58, 1.35–1.84) and worry about wasting the doctor’s time (OR = 1.48, 1.25–1.74). Women and older individuals were the most affected.Conclusions Participants reported longer waiting times to help-seeking for cancer symptoms after the pandemic. There is an urgent need for public interventions encouraging people to consult their physicians with symptoms suggestive of cancer and counteracting the main barriers perceived during the pandemic situation.Subject terms: Cancer epidemiology, Cancer screening, Signs and symptoms, Public health, Diagnosis     

New Approach for Using of Mentha longifolia L. and Citrus reticulata L. Essential Oils as Wood-Biofungicides: GC-MS,SEM, and MNDO Quantum Chemical Studies

Background: Fungi growing on wood cause deterioration of stored food materials or discoloration of the wood itself, and the search for new and safe bioagents is recently needed. Methods: Essential oils (EOs) from aerial parts from Mentha longifolia L. and Citrus reticulata L., analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), were tested for their antifungal activity by the vapor method against four common fungi, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. fumigatus, and Fusarium culmorum, and confirmed by SEM examination as the oils applied on wood samples. Results: The most abundant compounds identified in the EO from M. longifolia were menthone and eucalyptol; in C. reticulata EO, they were β-caryophyllene, β-caryophyllene oxide, and β-elemene. EOs from M. longifolia and C. reticulata, at 500 and 250 µL/mL, showed potent antifungal activity against A. flavus and A. fumigatus, with 100% fungal mycelial inhibition growth (FMIG). C. reticulata and M. longifolia EOs, at 125 µL/mL, observed FMIG values of 98% and 95%, respectively, against A. fumigatus. M. longifolia EO, at 500 and 250 µL/mL, showed potent activity against A. niger, with 100% FMIG. F. culmorum completely inhibited (100% FMIG) EOs from M. longifolia and C. reticulata applied at 500 µL/mL. Pinus roxburghii Sarg. Wood, treated with M. longifolia at 125 µL/mL, showed inhibition zone values of 7.33 and 21.33 mm against A. flavus and A. niger, respectively. Conclusions: Both oils possessed good wood-biofungicide activity with the vapor method, as clearly shown by the SEM examination. These activities suggest their possible use as natural wood preservatives.     

Development of Junctions During Differentiation of Lens Fibers

Throughout the differentiation of eye lens epithelium into fibers, an extensive system of intercellular junctions develops. The junctional assembly is initially characterized by the accumulation of 9.0-nm intramembranous particles, forming linear rows in the matching plasma membranes of adjoining fibers. At the final stage of the fiber differentiation, the junctional particles are assembled in geometrically packed arrays. The formation of linear rows and bidimensional lattices of intramembranous particles probably favors reciprocal recognition of cell surfaces and specific cell-to-cell interlocking. Moreover, the existence of a rather rigid lipid core of the plasma membrane of eye lens fiber may promote the clustered distribution of intramembranous particles and facilitate the junctional assembly.     

Changes in the natural history of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in HIV-negative lymphoproliferative disorders: impact of novel therapies

The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of HIV-negative patients affected by lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) who developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), to delineate the risk factors, and to analyze whether the new antineoplastic therapies are changing the natural history of this infectious disease. We retrospectively analyzed 46 cases with confirmed LPD-associated PML published from 1958 to 2004. Patients were stratified according to two different time periods: group A included patients diagnosed before 1989, and group B included patients diagnosed since 1990, after introduction of purine analogues. Group A patients (n = 22) had received alkylating agents and/or radiotherapy, and the majority (63.6%) had advanced Hodgkin disease. At univariate analysis, uncontrolled Hodgkin disease was the only risk factor for PML. In group B patients (n = 24), the most frequent treatments received were purine analogues (58.3%) and high-dose therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (33.3%; HDT/HSCT). B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (45.8%) and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (24.9%) were the most frequent underlying LPDs. Patients treated with purine analogues were more likely to have active LPD, lower CD4 cell counts, and to be older and male than were HSCT recipients. The median interval from purine analogues or HDT/HSCT to PML was 11 months. In HDT/HSCT recipients, this interval was delayed for 10 months when peri-transplantation rituximab was used. Univariate analysis identified age >55 years, male sex, and CD4 cell counts 相似文献   

Neonatal lupus erythematosus: 4 cases and clinical review

Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is an infrequent disease in newborns caused by the transplacental passage of maternal Anti-Ro/SSA, Anti-La/SSB and/or Anti-U1 RNP antibodies. The most common manifestations are cutaneous and cardiac. We carried out a retrospective study of cases of NLE diagnosed in the last 10 years at the Hospital Universitario Insular in Gran Canaria. Complete data was obtained for 4 patients. Three cases had circulating Anti-Ro antibodies in the mother and in the newborns, while in the fourth case they were Anti-RNP. Two mothers were diagnosed with systemic lupus, one with mixed connective tissue disease and the other with leucocytoclastic vasculitis. The skin lesions consisted of urticaria-like and desquamative lesions. One patient presented with ulceration. The histological study of the urticaria-like lesions showed a non-specific perivascular infiltrate; the desquamative lesions were consistent with subacute lupus erythematosus.     

A phase II study with vinorelbine, gemcitabine and cisplatin in the treatment of patients with stage IIIb-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

In our phase II study an acceptable and effective agent like cisplatin was used in combination with vinorelbine and gemcitabine in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These two new cytostatic drugs have demonstrated, when used as a single-agent treatment, effective response rates (vinorelbine) and minimum toxicity (gemcitabine). The following schedule was used: (i) vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8; (ii) gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8; and (iii) cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 8. The schedule was repeated every 21 days, with a maximum of six cycles per patient. A total of 31 patients with a mean Karnofsky performance status of 90% were evaluated and 29 of them were finally eligible. Of the patients, five (16.1%) were at stage IIIb and the remainder (83.9%) were at stage IV. The overall response rate was 65% (20 patients); six patients (19.4%) had complete response (CR) and 14 (45.2%) had partial response (PR). Two patients (6.5%) had stable disease and seven (22.6%) had progressive disease. The most notable toxicity was hematologic. Leukoneutropenia was mainly revealed after the third or fourth cycle and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered in 24 patients (77.4%). Mild anemia was found in almost all patients after the third or fourth cycle (Hb 10-11 g/dl) and eight patients (25.8%) required erythropoietin (EPO). Thrombocytopenia was more often observed compared with other known chemotherapeutic regimens; six patients (19.4%) had grade I thrombocytopenia and therapy was delayed in another four patients (12.9%) due to this complication. Non-hematologic toxicity was mild and well tolerated and consisted of alopecia (54.8%), nausea and vomiting (12.9%), constipation (12.9%), peripheral neuropathy (9.6%), diarrhea (6.5%), stomatitis (3.2%) and local phlebitis (3.2%). The examined combination provides us with one of the best overall responses rates reported, however at the cost of remarkable hematologic toxicity. Therefore, it would be better applied in patients with good performance status. The high response rates give us hope of using this combination as a neoadjuvant regimen.     

Design,Preparation, and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Hybrid Nanogels Using a Novel Ulvan‐Acrylate Crosslinker as Potential Carriers for Protein Encapsulation

The aim of the present study is the design and development of thermoresponsive nanogels based on ulvan, a sulphated heteropolysaccharide of algal origins with unique biological and chemical properties. Hybrid nanogels are successfully synthesized by means of UV‐initiated radical copolymerization of N‐vinylcaprolactam with an ulvan derivate as a novel crosslinker. In nanogels, the ulvan‐grafted poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) chains represent the thermoresponsive component. The most promising candidates, selected after a thorough physical–chemical characterization of nanogels in terms of size and responsivity to thermal variation at physiological conditions, are loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model bioactive compound. The developed nanogels display BAS loading efficiency values similar to those obtained by using synthetic crosslinkers, and thus indicating the suitability of the developed ulvan‐acrylate to act as novel macromolecular crosslinker for thermoresponsive nanogels preparation.