North American Journal of Medicine and Science
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Fatigue Influence Factors and Coping Strategies among Cancer Patients’ Spouses: A Quantitative Study in China
Get PDFThe objective of this study aimed to: 1) identify how demographic variables, coping style, and psychological symptoms affect fatigue in Cancer Patients’ Spouses, and 2) explore the relationship between fatigue and coping style in cancer patients’ spouses. The methods used in this study include cross-sectional study design. 314 cancer patients’ spouses were recruited from the northeast part of China. Participants completed a socio-demographic form, Symptom Checklist-90, Trait Coping Style Questionnaire, and Fatigue Scale-14. Multiple linear stepwise regression analyses were used to test fatigue affect factors.Summarily, the demographics information show that the majority of the participants were middle age, most of whom (64%) age range 41-60. Cancer type include lung (30.3%), colorectal (13.7%), stomach (12.4%), breast (27.4%), etc. Significant predictors for fatigue are financial burden (β = -0.30, P < 0.001), current poor health (β = -0.22, P < 0.001), care-giving time (β = 0.12, P = 0.031), age (β = 0.12, P = 0.042), obsessive-compulsive (β = 0.34, P = 0.014), somatization (β = 0.37, P = 0.004), hostility (β = -0.25, P = 0.005), negative coping (β = 0.25, P < 0.001), positive coping (β = -0.14, P = 0.005), and positive coping is the predictor for lower fatigue (β = 0.20, P = 0.008).The conclusion of this study is that the fatigue experienced by cancer patients’ spouses is related to factors such as demographic variables, coping style, and psychological health; positive coping may be a mediator between mental fatigue and psychological symptoms.[N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(2):45-52. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1002045
Current Treatments of Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Systematic Review
Get PDFPrader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a genetic imprinting disorder mainly caused by the absence of paternally expressed imprinted genes at 15q11.2-q13, maternal uniparental disomy (UPD) and imprinting defect. Typical features include hypotonia in early infancy, subsequent hyperphagia and morbid obesity, developmental delay and intellectual disability. The aims of this systematic review are to summarize the current knowledge of the treatments for PWS based on the clinical studies published from 2000 to 2017. We searched three main databases - PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus, and selected 34 out of 1139 articles initially identified for this review. We focused our discussions on the widely-accepted growth hormone (GH) treatment, and emerging investigational treatments oxytocin (OXT), anti-diabetes and anti-obesity drugs. In addition, early detection, early treatment, and combination therapies are proposed to assure a better outcome. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(4):156-163. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1004156
Efficacy of Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Treatments for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Patients: Communicating This to Patients
Get PDFThere is a growing consensus that the use of mindfulness- and acceptance-based behavioral therapies can result in physiological and psychological benefits in Clinical and non-Clinical populations. However, the research on the use of such therapeutic approaches with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations is still in its infancy. This article reviews the efficacy of mindfulness- and acceptance-based treatments in terms of physiological outcomes, as well as the evidence thus far for their efficacy with CLD groups. We also provide suggestions for communicating with CLD patients about the potential benefits of mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches in the treatment of stress-related conditions. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(4):171-175. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1004171
Associations of Phthalate Metabolites and Obesity-Related Metabolic Factors
Get PDFDiabetes and obesity have reached epidemic rates in most developed and developing countries. Over-nutrition and physical inactivity are established risk factors with key roles in the etiology of type 2 diabetes. However, these factors alone cannot fully account for either the rate or the magnitude with which diabetes has increased worldwide. Research on whether exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be a preventable risk factor for diabetes development has attracted considerable attention since the 1990s. Phthalates are a group of EDCs characterized by widespread human exposure; concerns about the adverse effects of exposure to phthalates on human health are increasing. Early studies regarding the toxicity of phthalates largely focused on reproductive health and development effects. More recent research has shifted towards possible metabolic effects that may increase the risk for obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and other related adverse health outcomes. Considering the ubiquity of phthalates in the environment, it is important to understand the potential hazards of these chemicals even at very low exposure levels; if those are confirmed, strategies must be developed to remove them from the environment or at least preclude widespread contamination. This review aimed to summarize current evidence on the potential hazards of phthalates with regard to metabolic disease and highlighted the importance of further investigation that will have high public health significance for both developed as well as developing countries, where the exposure may continue to be high for decades to come. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(2):88-93. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1002088]
Polyostotic Fibrous Dysplasia Mimicking Metastatic Disease Radiographically: A Case Report and Literature Review
Get PDFFibrous dysplasia is a benign intramedullary lesion characterized by an excessive proliferation of cellular fibrous tissue intermixed with irregular trabeculae. It involves any of the bones presenting as monostotic, polyostotic, or panostotic lesion. It is caused by mutation in the GNAS1 gene (20q13.2, encoding a G-protein) resulting in inhibition of intrinsic GTPase activity of Gs alpha protein. The timing of mutation in the developmental course determines the extent of the disease, in which an earlier mutational event leads to a wider distribution of mutant cells, and consequently a more severe course of the disease.We report a case of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia in a 58-year-old male with CT scan revealing multiple lucent and sclerotic areas in bilateral ribs and iliac bones. A metastatic process was suspected by radiologists. However, a bone marrow biopsy from left posterior iliac crest demonstrated a bland fibroblastic proliferation admixed with irregular metaplastic bone in a collagenized stroma. By pyrosequencing of alpha subunit of G-protein, a mutation in Arg201(p. R201H; c.602G>A) was detected. All the findings supported a diagnosis of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. The present case highlights a rare clinical incidental disease with radiographic mimic of metastatic process. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(1):21-24. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1001021
Study on the Chemical Components of the Ethyl Acetate Extract from Herpetospermum Caudigerum
Get PDFHerpetospermum seed, a common folk medicine used by Tibetan medication, is the dried ripe seed of Herpetospermum Caudigerum Wall., It is bitter in taste and cold in nature. In Tibet it is popularly known and used in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver diseases, cholic diseases, and dyspepsia.1,2 Six compounds, named Herpetin(1), Eicosanoic acid, 2-propenyl ester(2), Cucurbitacin R(3), Cucurbitacin L(4), 3'-Hydroxydaidzein(5), Oleanic acid(6), have been isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the seeds of Herpetospermum Caudigerum Wall., among these compounds, compound 2, 3, 4, 5 were isolated from this plant for the first time. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(4):136-138. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1004136
ASD Pathogenesis and Emerging Treatments: Lessons Learned from the Monogenic Syndromic ASD
Get PDFAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social impairments and repetitive behaviors. It can be divided into two major subcategories: 1) non-syndromic (sporadic or idiopathic) ASD and 2) syndromic ASD that also manifests other characteristic medical conditions and physical features. ASD is a growing public health crisis as its prevalence increases rapidly in recent years. There is no FDA approved drug for the treatment of ASD core symptoms that define the disorder, which is a major challenge in the management of ASD. This is largely due to the lack of a good understanding of its etiology that is highly complex and heterogeneous. Many types of the syndromic ASD are caused by mutations of a single gene (monogenic), which provides an excellent tool to explore the disease mechanisms leading to the pathogenesis of the core symptoms. Here, we briefly review the recent progress in animal studies on the disease mechanisms of the fragile X syndrome and the syndromes caused by loss of function of a key negative regulator along the mTOR signaling cascade due to the deleterious mutations of the respective gene. We emphasize the disrupted signaling pathways likely shared by some non-syndromic ASD cases, and highlight druggable targets and their translation for the treatment of ASD patients. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(4):148-155. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017.1004148]
