Coping resources and self-rated health among Latina breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine relationships between coping resources and self-rated health among Latina breast cancer survivors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional telephone survey. SETTING: Four northern California counties. SAMPLE: 330 Latina breast cancer survivors within one to five years of diagnosis. METHODS: Telephone survey conducted by bilingual and bicultural interviewers. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Predictors were sociodemographic and clinical factors, cancer self-efficacy, spirituality, and social support from family, friends, and oncologists. Outcomes were functional limitations and self-rated health. FINDINGS: Twenty-two percent of women reported functional limitations (n = 73) and 27% reported poor or fair self-rated health (n = 89). Unemployment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 7.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] [2.04, 24.46]), mastectomy (AOR = 2.67; 95% CI [1.06, 6.77]), and comorbidity (AOR = 4.09; 95% CI [1.69, 9.89]) were associated with higher risk of functional limitations; cancer self-efficacy had a protective effect (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI [0.18, 0.9]). Comorbidity was associated with higher risk of poor or fair self-rated health (AOR = 4.95; 95% CI [2.13, 11.47]); cancer self-efficacy had a protective effect (AOR = 0.3; 95% CI [0.13, 0.66]). CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidities place Latina breast cancer survivors at increased risk for poor health. Cancer self-efficacy deserves more attention as a potentially modifiable protective factor. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses need to assess the impact of comorbidity on functioning and can reinforce patients' sense of control over cancer and clinician support.

Rapid detection of Neisseria meningitidis in cerebrospinal fluid by one-step polymerase chain reaction of the nspA gene.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the rapid detection of meningococcal DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was developed and optimized. A set of primers based on Neisseria surface protein A (nspA) gene sequence was designed to amplify a 481-bp product specific for N. meningitidis. We tested 85 N. meningitidis strains obtained from patients with meningococcal meningitis and 112 CSF samples from patients with suspected meningococcal meningitis. No amplification of the nspA gene was observed from other Neisseriaceae species (except from N. gonorrhoeae) and from other bacteria frequently associated with meningitis. N. meningitidis belonging to different serogroups yielded the same product after PCR amplification. The sensitivity and specificity of our protocol was determined by comparing the results of specific amplification of nspA gene by PCR reaction (nspA-PCR) with those obtained by conventional methods. All positive samples by conventional methods were confirmed by nspA-PCR, whereas 48% of negative samples after culture and latex agglutination tested positive by nspA-PCR. The use of nspA-PCR proved to be a rapid diagnostic method, in which sensitivity and specificity may not be affected by prior antibiotic treatment.