Journey towards resiliency: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of cancer patients' experiences.

PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-synthesis seeks to explore cancer patients' journey towards resiliency. The secondary aim of this review is to identify unique resilience protective factors among cancer patients. METHODS: A thorough search was conducted in eight electronic databases and the grey literature for published or unpublished qualitative and mixed methods studies. Studies that explored resilience among cancer patients were included. The studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme Checklist. The overall certainty of evidence was further evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation's Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research. Themes identified were synthesized using Sandelowski and Barroso's meta-synthesis method. RESULTS: A total of 34 studies comprising 987 cancer patients were included in this review. Three themes and nine subthemes were generated from the meta-synthesis. The themes were: (1) Confronting the cancer diagnosis, (2) personal adaptations to cancer, and (3) drawing strength from others. The findings highlighted how individuals overcame cancer adversities through resilience, which is influenced by various factors, including life experiences, social-cultural stigmas, spirituality, social support networks, coping strategies, motivation, acceptance of illness, positive mindset, and engagement with healthcare facilities. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights the role of resilience in a cancer patient's journey. It emphasizes on the importance of building resilience in both cancer patients and survivors to effectively overcome the challenges of their cancer diagnosis. These insights are essential for developing interventions that promote resilience and improve existing psychosocial oncology services. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to better understand how resilience evolves and pinpoint factors that can further influence one's resilience.

Effects of Cooking Methods and Tea Marinades on the Formation of Heterocyclic Amines and Benzo[a]pyrene in Grilled Drumsticks.

ABSTRACT: The effects of different grilling methods and tea marinades on the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in grilled chicken drumsticks were investigated. This study showed that both the grilling method and type of charcoal used in charcoal grilling had a significant effect on the formation of HCAs and BaP. The total content of HCAs and BaP detected in drumsticks was the lowest under electric roasting, at 7.25 and 0.04 ng/g, respectively; thus, the electric grill can be used as an alternative grilling method to meet consumer demands for safety. The free radical scavenging ability of tea infusion was significantly higher than that of spice infusion. The white tea marinade significantly increased radical scavenging activity and prevented formation of HCAs and BaP more than the green tea marinade; thus, tea marinade can be applied to flavoring as a pretreatment to preserve the quality of meat and to decrease the generation of HCAs and BaP during cooking.

Esophageal capsule endoscopy is a useful tool in patients with hemophilia.

Esophageal capsule endoscopy (ECE) is considered to be an alternative to conventional esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD); however, its indications continue to expand. This report presents results from the use of ECE in patients with hemophilia at a tertiary referral academic center over a 7-year period. A total of 16 patients with hemophilia, who were all at risk of new-variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease due to previous treatment with UK plasma-derived pooled blood products, underwent a total of 28 ECE examinations. Main outcomes were the diagnostic yield of ECE, requirement for subsequent conventional EGD, and any variceal bleeding episodes during the follow-up period. The overall diagnostic yield was 67.8 % (19 /28 ECEs). Only one patient underwent conventional EGD, for esophageal biopsies. There were no variceal hemorrhage events in any of the patients on variceal screening follow-up. ECE is a useful and acceptable alternative to conventional endoscopy in selected patient groups (i. e. patients with hemophilia). In this group, ECE can eliminate the need for prior administration of clotting factors.

Cognitive outcome after on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare cognition following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (on- or off-pump). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials comparing cognitive outcome in patients undergoing CABG surgery on- or off-pump as assessed by continuous measures from a battery of 7 psychometric tests. SETTING: Multi-institutional centers performing CABG surgery. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with coronary artery disease requiring CABG surgery. INTERVENTIONS: CABG surgery with or without CPB. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A structured literature search identified 13 randomized control trials that included a total of 2,405 patients. Results from 7 psychometric tests were grouped into early (≤3 months) and late (6-12 months) postoperative periods. No significant differences were found between on- and off-pump groups in any of the 7 psychometric tests in either the early (p range 0.21-0.78) or late (p range 0.09-0.93) postoperative period. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that CPB may not be associated with cognitive decline that is associated with CABG surgery.