ABSTRACT
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe current prostate cancer screening methods and to address the controversies surrounding their use. DATA SOURCES: Published articles, abstracts, books, and press releases; personal communication. DATA SYNTHESIS: Controversy exists about whether efforts to conduct mass screenings for prostate cancer are of value given the related costs and the inability of such screenings to distinguish between indolent and aggressive tumors. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has added prostate cancer to its "Guidelines for the Cancer-Related Checkup" but does not recommend these guidelines for mass screenings. Preliminary findings of the ACS National Prostate Cancer Detection Study have shown that digital rectal examination (DRE) and transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) have the best positive predictive value when the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is greater than 4 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Despite concern over the rising incidence of prostate cancer, the effectiveness of DRE, PSA, and TRUS in screening for early detection of prostate cancer remains controversial. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: As the public becomes more aware of the controversies surrounding prostate cancer screening, nurses are finding that they play a vital role in the educational process. By understanding the abilities and deficiencies of the current screening methods, nurses can offer men concrete information about DRE, PSA, and TRUS. They can reinforce the importance of early detection for high-risk populations, as well as suggest strategies for encouraging compliance.
Subject(s)
Mass Screening/methods , Prostatic Neoplasms/prevention & control , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Decision Trees , Humans , Male , Mass Screening/economics , Palpation/methods , Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood , Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Prostatic Neoplasms/economics , Prostatic Neoplasms/immunology , Rectum , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
An epidemic of bronchopneumonia in infants and young children, with adenovirus type 21 infection, was observed in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1977. Eighteen children, four to 44 months of age, with clinical and radiologic evidence of bronchopneumonia are described. Several of the children were seriously ill but there were no deaths. When reviewed six to 12 months after diagnosis, six children had clinical signs and 13 had radiologic signs of residual pulmonary disease. There were no detectable pulmonary sequelae in two children. Three children were lost to follow-up and could not be evaluated. Adenovirus type 21 bronchopneumonia is a serious illness and an important cause of chronic bronchopneumopathy in infants and young children.
Subject(s)
Adenoviridae Infections/epidemiology , Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology , Bronchopneumonia/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks/epidemiology , Adenovirus Infections, Human/diagnosis , Adenovirus Infections, Human/therapy , Bronchopneumonia/diagnosis , Bronchopneumonia/therapy , Child , Child, Preschool , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant , New ZealandABSTRACT
A model is proposed for ethylene stimulation of latex flow from tapping cuts of Hevea brasiliensis, based on the predicted effects of ethylene on the plasticity and structure of cell walls of the latex vessels. Evidence for the model comes from the effects of ethylene on etiolated shoots of Pisum sativum.