Correlates of life-support treatment preferences among low-income home-based cancer management recipients.

PURPOSE: To examine the correlates of life-support treatment (LST) preferences from attitudes toward advance directives (ADs), perceived susceptibility, symptom frequency, symptom burden, and global health among low-income community-dwelling cancer management recipients, controlling for age, sex, education, and duration after cancer diagnosis. METHODS: A cross-sectional, correlational study design was used to assess LST preferences and correlates. Data were collected from low-income cancer survivors during nurses' home visits. RESULTS: Survivors who had mostly solid cancer participated (N = 107, mean age = 67.39 ±â€¯11.57 years, 32.7% males). Hospice care was the most desired (66.4%), while aggressive treatments were less preferred: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (15.9%), ventilation support (15.0%), hemodialysis (18.7%), or chemotherapy (12.1%). Higher symptom frequency was associated with a greater likelihood of preferring all aggressive treatments (odds ratios = 1.44-1.75). In addition, longer cancer duration was associated with a greater likelihood of preferring ventilation support; females had a lesser likelihood of preferring hemodialysis and chemotherapy. Higher education was associated with a lesser likelihood of preferring chemotherapy. More positive attitudes (B = 0.15, p = .001) were associated with a greater likelihood of preferring hospice care, and greater symptom burden of pain (B = -0.03, p = .047) was associated with a lesser likelihood. CONCLUSION: Results support the feasibility of incorporating ADs into cancer management among community-dwelling cancer survivors, with consideration of AD attitudes and symptom monitoring. An integration of AD discussion into the home visiting service could be a liaison for the quality and continuity of cancer survivorship care that guides and manages patients' survivorship issues.

Factors influencing the successful aging of older Korean adults.

BACKGROUND: The study trend has been undergoing a change, increasingly focusing on successful aging factors for obtaining a healthy and happy life in old age and in an aging society. This study examined and identified the factors influencing the degree of successful aging among older Korean adults. This study was a cross-sectional design. The participants comprised of 305 Korean older people aged 60 years or over, who met eligibility criteria. MEASURES: Measures were a general characteristics form, the self-liking/self-competence scale-revised version (SLCS-R) form, the self-efficacy scale, the interpersonal relationship scale, the self-achievement instrument, and the successful aging scale. RESULTS: The analyses showed that the prediction model for successful aging among older Korean adults was significant (F = 159.09, p < 0.001). The value of the adjusted R(2) was 0.692, which corresponds to the explanatory power of 69.2%. The factor that was found to have the most influence on successful aging among older Korean adults was self-esteem (ß = 0.38), followed by self-achievement (ß = 0.25), interpersonal relationships (ß = 0.22), and self-efficacy (ß = 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study provides preliminary evidence that self-esteem is a major and primary predictor of successful aging among older Korean adults. In the nursing practice, health professionals can use the results of this study in order to help older Korean adults obtain a positive outlook, promote a sense of self-worth, and achieve a higher degree of adaptability towards aging despite the health problems and personal issues associated with older age by providing intervention programs that advocate successful aging.

Release characteristics of freeze-dried eugenol encapsulated with beta-cyclodextrin by molecular inclusion method.

The study investigated the thermo-physical properties of eugenol encapsulated with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) by molecular inclusion and eugenol release characteristics at various relative humidities and storage temperatures. Particle size, Zeta-potential, thermal transition and morphology of beta-CD-Eugenol complex after freeze-drying measured using Nanosizer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The particle size, Zeta-potential and inclusion efficiency of encapsulated eugenol presented approximately 340 nm, -34.5 mV and 91.7% after freeze-drying, respectively. The relationship between retention rate of eugenol and time during release was described by a mathematical model of Avrami equation. In these events, the parameter of release mechanism and the release rate constant were rapidly elevated with increasing relative humidity and storage temperature. Furthermore, the Arrhenius activation energy for the release of eugenol decreases with increasing relative humidity and storage temperature.