Sources of emotional support for adolescents with cancer.

The significance of emotional social support in the lives of children and adolescents with cancer is now being recognized as a significant determinant in their psychosocial response to the experience of cancer and treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify whom adolescents perceived as providing emotional support and how helpful these individuals were in helping them cope through the experience of cancer. Forty-five adolescents with cancer responded to the following open-ended questions regarding their perceived emotional social support: "Who or what are your primary sources of emotional support?" "How helpful are these resources to you in dealing with your experiences with cancer?" Descriptive analyses of participants' responses indicated that the adolescents' mothers and their friends were the two most often cited sources of emotional support. In addition, while responses varied among adolescents, they described their identified sources of emotional support to be very helpful to them as they lived through the experience of cancer. These findings support past research that has determined that adolescents' social support systems extend beyond the family, but that mothers continue to have a significant, meaningful role in the lives of adolescents with cancer.

Self-esteem and hopefulness in adolescents with cancer.

Increased survivorship in childhood cancer has raised questions about adolescents' psychosocial functioning during the treatment experience and long-term adaptation as cancer survivors. This descriptive correlation study examines the relationships among the stages of adolescence, gender, self-esteem, and hopefulness in a sample of 45 adolescents with cancer. The perceived level of self-esteem was measured by using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; the amount of hopefulness was measured by using the Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents. Mean scores for self-esteem and hopefulness were comparable to normative data reported for healthy adolescents on each scale. Perceived level of self-esteem and hopefulness did not significantly differ between boys and girls overall; early, middle, and late adolescents; or between boys and girls within each stage of adolescence. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed self-esteem and the early stage of adolescence accounted for 27.3% (R2 = .306) of the variance in hopefulness scores. Self-esteem was the most significant predictor (F = 12.456, p = .001), explaining 20.7% of the variance (R2 = .225, p = .001). This study contributes to nursing the knowledge of the psychosocial response and the treatment experience in adolescents with cancer. These results can be used in future research to develop and test nursing actions that can influence a perceived sense of self-esteem and hopefulness and potentially allow for continued psychosocial development and effective coping among these adolescents during treatment and into survivorship.

Psychosocial nursing care for adolescents with cancer.

Psychosocial care for adolescents who have cancer acknowledges the growth and developmental tasks they are mastering within the context of the experience of cancer. This article discusses developmentally focused approaches to providing care for adolescents with cancer. These include establishing trust, understanding, being present, setting mutual goals, and providing social support. Pediatric oncology nurses who practice in inpatient and outpatient care settings are in an ideal position to support continued psychosocial growth and development of adolescents with cancer because of the intimate and sustained contact they have with them.

Post-translational hydroxylation at the N-terminus of the prion protein reveals presence of PPII structure in vivo.

The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are characterized by conversion of a host protein, PrP(C) (cellular prion protein), to a protease-resistant isoform, PrP(Sc) (prion protein scrapie isoform). The importance of the highly flexible, N-terminal region of PrP has recently become more widely appreciated, particularly the biological activities associated with its metal ion-binding domain and its potential to form a poly(L-proline) II (PPII) helix. Circular dichroism spectroscopy of an N-terminal peptide, PrP(37-53), showed that the PPII helix is formed in aqueous buffer; as it also contains an Xaa-Pro-Gly consensus sequence, it may act as a substrate for the collagen-modifying enzyme prolyl 4-hydroxylase. Direct evidence for this modification was obtained by mass spectrometry and Edman sequencing in recombinant mouse PrP secreted from stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. Almost complete conversion of proline to 4-hydroxyproline occurs specifically at residue Pro44 of this murine protein; the same hydroxylated residue was detected, at lower levels, in PrP(Sc) from the brains of scrapie-infected mice. Cation binding and/or post-translational hydroxylation of this region of PrP may regulate its role in the physiology and pathobiology of the cell.

Roles and approaches of nongovernmental organizations in health development.

The use of a systems model of rural society for analysing the roles and approaches of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in health development is outlined with special reference to conditions in northern Thailand. Comparisons are drawn between approaches in the fields of relief and welfare, community development, sustainable systems development, and people's movements.

Psychosocial functioning of adolescents with cancer: a developmental perspective.

This literature review summarizes research conducted over the past 25 years that investigated the psychosocial functioning of adolescents with cancer. The research is divided into two conceptual areas that have been investigated by researchers in the disciplines of medicine, psychology, and nursing. One area is the impact of cancer on developmental processes in the adolescent period, and the second area is coping strategies and styles of adolescents with cancer. Studies examining the effects of cancer on the adolescent's self-esteem, general psychosocial development, and perception of control also have been included. The article concludes with a summary of findings, suggestions for future research endeavors, and implications for nursing practice.

Urinary nitrite in symptomatic and asymptomatic urinary infection.

The dipstrip test for urinary nitrite is fairly unreliable in symptomatic urinary infections and only 104 (52%) of 200 symptomatic children with urinary infection attending an emergency department had a positive result. The test yielded positive results, however, in 83 of 100 outpatients with largely asymptomatic urinary infection attending a follow up clinic because of known predisposition to urinary infection. This difference was highly significant. The finding of urinary nitrite is highly specific for urinary infection and only 1% of 300 uninfected urine specimens gave a positive result. After addition of a broth culture of Escherichia coli to sterile urine incubation at 37 degrees C for four to six hours was required before the nitrite test yielded positive results. This suggests that frequency of micturition in urinary infection reduces the reliability of the nitrite test. On the other hand, the use of overnight, first morning urine specimens may further improve the sensitivity. If nitrite testing is used for screening for urinary infection at home, however, patients should be warned not to rely on a negative result in the presence of symptoms of urinary infection.