The Influence of Resilience on the Coping Strategies in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of variance in the coping strategies of patients with brain tumors that could be accounted for by resilience. @*Methods@#This cross-sectional survey involved 95 patients who had experienced surgical, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy therapies for their brain tumors at least 1 month before data collection. The investigator collected data using the scales of the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised and Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, Pearson product–moment correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. @*Results@#The results revealed that resilience was significantly positively associated with patients' problem-focused coping (r = .65, p < .001) and total coping (r = .49, p < .001). In addition, resilience accounted for 27% (R2inc = .27, p < .001) and 16% ((R2inc = .16, p < .001) of the distinct variances in predicting patients’ problem-focused coping and total coping. @*Conclusion@#The current results provide evidence to support the importance of resilience in shaping the coping strategies of relevant patients. As resilience shows a crucial element in patient coping with brain tumors, health team members should develop and employ appropriate strategies to improve the resilience of patients with brain tumors.

The Influence of Resilience on the Coping Strategies in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of variance in the coping strategies of patients with brain tumors that could be accounted for by resilience. @*Methods@#This cross-sectional survey involved 95 patients who had experienced surgical, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy therapies for their brain tumors at least 1 month before data collection. The investigator collected data using the scales of the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised and Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, Pearson product–moment correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. @*Results@#The results revealed that resilience was significantly positively associated with patients' problem-focused coping (r = .65, p < .001) and total coping (r = .49, p < .001). In addition, resilience accounted for 27% (R2inc = .27, p < .001) and 16% ((R2inc = .16, p < .001) of the distinct variances in predicting patients’ problem-focused coping and total coping. @*Conclusion@#The current results provide evidence to support the importance of resilience in shaping the coping strategies of relevant patients. As resilience shows a crucial element in patient coping with brain tumors, health team members should develop and employ appropriate strategies to improve the resilience of patients with brain tumors.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy Scale for Breast Cancer Related to Chemotherapy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate the reliability and validity of the Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy ScaleeBreast Cancer (SMSES-BC) related to chemotherapy. METHODS: The study included three stages. This paper presents the results of stage 2 and stage 3. In total, 34 items in the SMSES-BC were found during stage 1 from qualitative findings, a literature review, and expert suggestions; the 34 items were used for the psychometric properties test. Test-retest reliability and Cronbach alpha were assessed in the first sample, which included 45 participants for the pilot test (stage 2). The second sample, which included 152 patients, was used to assess the construct validity and concurrent validity (stage 3). RESULTS: The pilot test results revealed a test-retest reliability of .73 (p < .001) and Cronbach alpha coefficient of .96 for the total scale. Three factors (managing chemotherapy-related symptoms, acquiring problem solving, and managing emotional and interpersonal disturbances) were identified from exploratory factor analysis. Correlation coefficient r was .40 (p < .001), which supported the association between SMSES-BC and the General Self-Efficacy Scale for concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The study results demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity for the SMSES-BC that was developed for measuring symptom-management self-efficacy related to chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. This study suggests further research to validate the construct of the SMSES-BC.

Observation on therapeutic effect of auricular acupuncture combined with body acupuncture for treatment of cardiac neurosis / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To find an effective therapy for cardiac neurosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-two cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 36 cases in each group. The acupuncture group were treated with auricular acupuncture combined with body acupuncture, with auricular points Shenmen, Jiaogan (sympathesis), Xin (heart), etc. and body points Xinshu (BL 15), Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), etc. selected; the medication group were treated with oral administration of Betaloc and Oryzanol. Their therapeutic effects were compared after treatment for 2 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured rate was 77.8% in the acupuncture group and 52.8% in the medication group with very significant differences (P < 0.01), the former being better than the latter.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Auricular acupuncture combined with body acupuncture is the best method for treatment of cardiac neurosis.</p>

Gene of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalylic subunit in chronic myeloid leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the expression and regulation mechanism of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalylic subunit (DNA-PKcs) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and its role in blast crisis of CML. Expression of DNA-PKcs mRNA was detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and DNA-PKcs protein by Western blot in 62 CML patients and K562, as compared to those of 23 normal individual controls. In 26 CML patients received allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) and 4 CML patients treated with imatinib, the expression of bcr-abl mRNA and DNA-PKcs protein was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. After treatment with imatinib in mononuclear cell (MNC) of CML patients and K562 in vitro, expression of DNA-PKcs mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and DNA-PKcs protein level, tyrosine phosphorylation of bcr-abl fusion protein were detected by Western blot. The results showed that the expression of DNA-PKcs protein was significantly lower in CML and K562 than those in normal control (P<0.05). In 26 CML patients received allo-PBSCT and 4 CML patients treated with imatinib, the expression of DNA-PKcs protein was enhanced while the expression of bcr-abl mRNA decreased. After treatment of MNC of CML and K562 with imatinib in vitro, the expression of DNA-PKcs protein was enhanced while tyrosine phosphorylation of bcr-abl fusion protein decreased. It is concluded that the expression of DNA-PKcs protein is down-regulate by bcr-abl fusion gene, and the bcr-abl fusion gene down-regulate the expression of DNA-PKcs protein by post-transcriptional mechanism; the decrease of DNA-PKcs protein expression may be one of mechanisms underlying the acute transformation of CML.

Study on mismatch repair genes of chronic myeloid leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression and regulation mechanism of mismatch repair (MMR) genes in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Expression of MMR genes hMSH2, hMSH3, hMSH6, hMLH1 and hPMS2 mRNAs in 62 CML patients and K562 cell line were detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Expression of bcr-abl mRNA and MMR genes mRNA were detected by RT-PCR in 26 CML patients with allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBSCT) and 4 CML patients on imatinib treatment. Expression of bcr-abl mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and tyrosine phosphorylation of BCR-ABL fusion protein by Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Expression of hMSH2, hMSH3 and hMLH1 mRNA was significantly lower in CML and K562 cells than in normal control (P < 0.05). In 26 CML with allo-PBSCT and 4 CML patients on imatinib treatment, expressions of hMSH2, hMSH3 and hMLH1 mRNA was enhanced while expression of bcr-abl mRNA decreased. In CML MNC after imatinib treatment and in K562 cells, expression of hMSH2, hMSH3 and hMLH1 mRNA was enhanced while tyrosine phosphorylation of BCR-ABL fusion protein decreased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Expressions of hMSH2, hMSH3 and hMLH1 mRNA were down-regulated by bcr-abl fusion gene.</p>