The relationship between fear of cancer recurrence and posttraumatic growth: a meta-analysis.

Background: Theoretically, stress is positively correlated with posttraumatic growth (PTG). However, evidence for a correlation between fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), a cancer-specific stressor, and PTG is mixed. The present study aimed to systematically investigate the overall effect size between the two and to explore moderators that may influence this relationship. Methods: From the earliest available date to October 2023, a comprehensive search was conducted in seven databases. Correlation coefficients (r) were calculated using Stata software. Publication type, continent, trauma role, gender, FCR measurements, PTG measurements, sample size, age, and time since diagnosis were used to examine moderating effects. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) assessment tool was used to evaluate study quality. Results: A total of 14 studies, involving 17 samples and 3,701 participants, were included. The studies found a small association between FCR and PTG (r = 0.161, 95% CI: 0.070-0.249, p < 0.01) and large heterogeneity (I2 = 85.5%). The strength of the association varied according to the publication type and FCR measurement. Conclusion: The current review suggests a small but significant positive correlation between FCR and PTG. Future studies would benefit from exploring additional moderators and the use of standardized, validated FCR measurement tools. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, identifier CRD42023460407.

Attitudes and perceptions of cancer patients and healthcare providers towards prehabilitation: A thematic synthesis.

PURPOSE: Prehabilitation, which is the process of enhancing functional capacity before undergoing surgery or other treatments, has been shown to improve cancer patients' outcomes. Patient and healthcare provider attitudes and perceptions are essential factors in the successful implementation of prehabilitation. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize qualitative evidence and explore the barriers and facilitators to prehabilitation implementation. METHODS: From the earliest available date to October 2023, 7 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE) were searched for a systematic review. Data were extracted, thematically analysed, and mapped onto the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. RESULTS: A total of 26 studies were included, involving 377 patients, 51 caregivers, and 156 healthcare providers. 16 factors were identified and mapped onto the COM-B model: reflective/automatic motivation, physical/social opportunity, physical/ psychological capability. CONCLUSIONS: Patients and healthcare provides identified a lack of reflective motivation and physical opportunities as the most significant barriers to engagement in prehabilitation. Personalized approaches, social support, and healthcare providers' engagement are key factors for prehabilitation. Future research should focus on developing effective interventions to enhance the uptake and sustainability of prehabilitation.

The real experience with women's hysterectomy: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research evidence.

AIM: The aim of this meta-synthesis was to identify and synthesize qualitative research evaluating the real feelings, inner needs and emotional experience of women undergoing hysterectomy. DESIGN: Meta-synthesis. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, Ovid Medline and Sino Med were systematically searched until November 2021 and updated until June 2022. Two reviewers independently extracted data into a Microsoft Excel sheet. Qualitative meta-synthesis was performed by coding relevant citations, organizing codes into descriptive themes and developing analytical themes. RESULTS: Qualitative meta-synthesis yielded three themes and nine sub-themes: comprehensive consideration before hysterectomy (a. disease factors; b. fertility factors; c. opinions of others); emotions and experience after hysterectomy (a. postoperative physical condition; b. psychological resilience to the loss of the uterus; c. changes in the couple's relationship); coping strategies (a. self-denial and avoidance; b. change of perception and self-adjustment; c. seek help from others).

The Attenuation of 14-3-3ζ is Involved in the Caffeic Acid-Blocked Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Inflammatory Response in RAW264.7 Macrophages.

Inflammation plays important roles in the initiation and progress of many diseases. Caffeic acid (CaA) is a naturally occurring hydroxycinnamic acid derivative, which shows hypotoxicity and diverse biological functions, including anti-inflammation. The molecular mechanisms involved in the CaA-inhibited inflammatory response are very complex; generally, the down-regulated phosphorylation of such important transcriptional factors, for example, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (STAT-3), plays an important role. Here, we found that in RAW264.7 macrophage cells, CaA blocked lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammatory response by attenuating the expression of 14-3-3ζ (a phosphorylated protein regulator). Briefly, the increased expression of 14-3-3ζ was involved in the LPS-induced inflammatory response. CaA blocked the LPS-elevated 14-3-3ζ via attenuating the LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion and via enhancing the 14-3-3ζ ubiquitination. These processes inhibited the LPS-induced activation (phosphorylation) of NF-κB and STAT-3, in turn blocked the transcriptional activation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and TNF-α, and finally attenuated the productions of nitric oxide (NO), IL-6, and TNF-α. By understanding a novel mechanism whereby CaA inhibited the 14-3-3ζ, our study expanded the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammation potential induced by CaA.

The risk of menstrual abnormalities after preconceptional use of folic acid or a folic acid-containing multivitamin in Chinese women.

The associations of preconceptional folic acid use with menstruation-related changes were examined by a retrospective study through 219 questionnaires. The kind of folic acid (alone or with other vitamins), the using time and frequency, the menstrual regularity, the cycle length before and after use, and other menstruation-related changes after use were obtained. Two hundred of 219 participants were users, and menstruation-related changes occurred in 32 women, with abnormalities of involvement being longer cycles (increase of 3-20 days, 7.7 ± 4.8 days), shorter cycles (decrease of 3-7 days, 5.7 ± 2.3 days), irregular cycles, less blood loss, bleeding or spotting between cycles, and algomenorrhea. Seventeen women stopped using folic acid or folic acid-containing multivitamin, and sixteen of the seventeen women experienced at least one menstruation before conception. Fifteen of sixteen women found complete recovery, indicating the high possibility that these changes were attributed to the use of folic acid or folic acid-containing multivitamin.