Assessment of the emotional condition of women with cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of malignant tumors in women is constantly rising. In 2018, 83 876 women were diagnosed with cancer, and 46 028 died from it. Since the 1980s, the incidence of malignant tumors in women aged 19-44 has been growing dynamically, and in middle-aged women (between 45 and 64 years old), nearly one in two deaths are due to cancer - exceeding mortality from cardiovascular disease. Upon diagnosis, the patient who may have been healthy so far faces emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness, caused by the awareness of having a progressive disease. Therefore, a somatic disease may trigger the development of a psychological disorder. The purpose of the present paper was to assess the emotional condition of women with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our survey included 100 patients hospitalized at the radiotherapy, gynecologic oncology, and breast units of the Lower Silesian Cancer Center in Wroclaw, Poland, between August and November, 2017. We used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M), and the C-HOBIC readiness for discharge questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 58.91 years (SD=13.74), the youngest patient was 23 years old and the oldest was 86 years old. More severe anxiety and depression symptoms were negatively associated with readiness for discharge. Among the women studied, widows and divorcees had higher levels of depression. Women who had completed primary education were more likely to suffer from anxiety than those with high school education. Duration of illness did not significantly affect the emotional condition of women undergoing cancer treatment. In the group of female cancer patients studied, more than half had no depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional disorders negatively affect patients' readiness for discharge. Anxiety is significantly associated with education level, and depression - with the patients' marital status.

Direct determination of uranium and co-extracted elements in the organic phases (D2EHPA/TOPO, TBP, TDA) in kerosene by TXRF technique.

The total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry was used for direct determination of uranium concentration in the organic phase di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phosphoric acid and trioctyl phosphine oxide (D(2)EHPA-TOPO)/kerosene, which resulted from first and second cycles of uranium extraction from wet-process phosphoric acid. The TXRF measurements were performed using gallium as an internal standard. A linear relationship between relative intensity of uranium vs. gallium (I(U)/S(Ga)) against uranium concentration has been obtained. Four calibration curves, 0-5, 5-100, 100-1000 and 1000-7000 microgmL(-1), according to uranium concentration in the studied samples, were constructed. The detection limit was found to be 0.15 microgmL(-1). The effect of D(2)EHPA and TOPO concentration in kerosene on uranium determination was considered. The TXRF spectrometry was also applied for the multi-elemental analysis of the co-extracted impurities with uranium, such as (Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn) in the organic phase, and four calibration curves, 0-500 microgmL(-1) Fe, 0-20 microgmL(-1) Ni, 0-10 microgmL(-1) Cu and 0-20 microgmL(-1) Zn, according to Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn concentration in the studied samples were performed, respectively, using gallium as an internal standard. The obtained results using direct TXRF analysis method were in a very good agreement with those obtained by fluorometry method, which is suitable for aqueous solutions after stripping of uranium from the organic phase by 1M Na(2)CO(3).

[Physiopathologic significance of the radioimmunologic determination of human kininogens]. / Signification physiopathologique des dosages radioimunologiques des kininogènes humains.

We quantify total and high molecular weight kininogens by radioimmunoassay. The main characteristic of these molecules is the release of kinins. In this paper we would compare the antigenicity of kininogens with their pharmacological property.

Analytical evaluation of a new latex agglutination test for quantitative determination of C-reactive protein by laser nephelometry.

A new reagent for the rapid and reliable quantitative determination of C-reactive protein (CRP), using polystyrene particles coated with antibodies against CRP, is now available. We present an analytical evaluation of this new test system. The analytical characteristics of sensitivity, linearity, precision and specificity are excellent. Samples from patients with various inflammatory conditions were tested. Correlation between the examined technique and current methods such as radial immunodiffusion, classical laser nephelometry and enzyme immunoassay were excellent.