Stakeholder collaboration in long-term care of older people in Lithuania

Demographic situation, changes in the role of women in society and growing demand for long-term care (LTC) of older people have challenged the ability to meet the growing LTC needs in most developed countries. In countries where responsibility for LTC is still largely laid on families, it is, however, even more critical and calls for improvements in formal LTC systems. More intensive stakeholder collaboration in LTC policy development, organising and delivery are of primary importance in improving LTC systems. Such collaboration, however, is not always successful; thus, it is critical to understand what makes it effective and efficient. In this paper, we specifically look into multistakeholder collaboration in LTC in Lithuania, one of the fastest ageing countries in the EU, with the demand for LTC services growing fast and exceeding the supply despite rising business and NGO engagement. To determine facilitators of such collaboration, we build on the data obtained through eight focus group discussions with all key stakeholder representatives (LTC policymakers, organisers and service providers [public, private and NGOs], 54 participants in total). Our findings indicate that in addition to national and organisational level facilitators studied in prior research, there are important individual level factors, such as meaningfulness at work, concern and care for others, possibility for personal growth and development, satisfaction with supervision, a sense of belonging and role clarity. On the other hand, our results show that collaboration is constrained by a shortage of human resources, increased workload caused by growing LTC demand, bureaucratic requirements, legal restrictions, lack of awareness of LTC service availability among elder persons, and prevailing social norms and attitudes to institutionalised care. Interestingly, a lack of financial resources is not perceived as a major constraint.     

Nipple leiomyoma: A rare neoplasm with a broad spectrum of histologic appearances

Cutaneous leiomyomas are rare benign smooth‐muscle tumors. These lesions are distinguished based on their cell of origin and are subclassified as pilar leiomyoma, angioleiomyoma, and genital‐type leiomyoma. Nipple leiomyoma is the least common genital‐type leiomyoma, arising from the dartoic muscle cell of the nipple. Histologic examination of the lesion is necessary for definitive diagnosis, and these uncommon tumors can pose a diagnostic challenge. We describe herein a series of six nipple leiomyomas with a spectrum of histologic appearances.     

山白树微卫星特征分析及分子标记开发

目的:山白树是中国特有珍稀濒危植物。分析微卫星特征,开发其微卫星分子标记。方法:采用Illumina二代测序技术建立山白树基因组文库和微卫星文库,分析微卫星组成类型,设计山白树引物,用5个山白树种群进行扩增和检测以分析其多态性。结果:二代测序共返回38,942,660条100 bp配对序列,通过质量修剪及拼接得到200,386条拼接序列,其中长度 335 bp的为7 614条;在7 614条序列中检测出微卫星位点694个,其中单核苷酸重复最多,单核苷酸重复中A/T重复数量最多;二核苷酸长度变异最大,其中AG/CT重复数量最多,重复长度变异情况与微卫星丰度呈正相关。为36条山白树微卫星重复次数高的序列设计引物,经聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增和聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳检测,20对引物多态性丰富且条带清晰,等位基因数(NA)在3~6之间,平均为4,多态性信息含量(PIC) 0. 535 5~0. 754 0,平均值0. 615 5。对5个山白树种群的群体遗传分析发现,该物种遗传多样性较高(h=0. 697 5,I=1. 436 8,HE=0. 702 2),种群遗传分化显著(Fst=0. 374)。结论:通过部分山白树的群体遗传也可以说明本次开发的引物可用性较好。该研究开发了山白树微卫星分子标记引物,为山白树分子遗传学奠定了基础。     

Pharmacokinetic study of the oral fluorouracil antitumor agent S‐1 in patients with impaired renal function

Although dose reduction of S‐1 is recommended for patients with impaired renal function, dose modification for such patients has not been prospectively evaluated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic parameters of 5‐fluorouracil, 5‐chloro‐2,4 dihydroxypyridine and oteracil potassium, and to review the recommended dose modification of S‐1 in patients with renal impairment. We classified patients receiving S‐1 into 4 groups according to their renal function, as measured using the Japanese estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equation. The daily S‐1 dose was adjusted based on the patient's eGFR and body surface area. Blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis. A total of 33 patients were enrolled and classified into 4 groups as follows: 10 patients in cohort 1 (eGFR ≥ 80 mL/min/1.73 m²), 10 patients in cohort 2 (eGFR = 50‐79 mL/min/1.73 m²), 10 patients in cohort 3 (eGFR = 30‐49 mL/min/1.73 m²), and 3 patients in cohort 4 (eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m²). Those in cohorts 3 and 4 treated with an adjusted dose of S‐1 showed a similar area under the curve for 5‐fluorouracil (941.9 ± 275.6 and 1043.5 ± 224.8 ng/mL, respectively) compared with cohort 2 (1034.9 ± 414.3 ng/mL). Notably, while there was a statistically significant difference between cohort 1 (689.6 ± 208.8 ng/mL) and 2 (P = 0.0474) treated with an equal dose of S‐1, there was no significant difference observed in the toxicity profiles of the cohorts. In conclusion, dose adjustment of S‐1 in patients with impaired renal function using eGFR is appropriate and safe.