Cumulative frailty impact on unplanned hospitalization in older patients with cancer and excellent Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance.

Purpose: Older adults with cancer have a higher risk of unplanned hospitalizations, necessitating tailored interventions to improve treatment outcomes. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) may overlook complex frailty deficits. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether frailty assessment enhances the prediction of unplanned hospitalizations in older adults with cancer with an excellent ECOG PS undergoing antitumor therapy.

Using the PLUS Framework to support supervisors to make the most of practice education supervision: Experiences from Singapore.

Introduction: Practice education is a crucial component of occupational therapy education, providing students with hands-on experience in real-world settings. Supervisors play a vital role in shaping students' learning experiences, and the Professional Learning through Useful Support Framework, developed in the United Kingdom, serves as a guide for supervisors. However, its applicability in different cultural contexts remains uncertain.

Insular-striatal activation during COVID-19 predicts stress reactivity in high-trait anxiety.

The COVID-19 pandemic, unlike natural disasters that cause short-term stress, has led to prolonged psychological strain, increasing attentional biases toward health threats and worsening mental health. Prolonged exposure to pandemic-related stressors has exacerbated these issues, with individual differences, such as anxiety levels, influencing vulnerability and resulting in varied outcomes. Understanding how neurocognitive processes modulate attentional biases, such as prolonged attention (overresponding) to threats or avoidance, is crucial for explaining their effects on mental health during the pandemic.

Sediment organic matter predicts polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon distribution in port sediments.

We evaluated the influence of organic matter in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in port sediments using multiple linear regression (MLR) and prediction models. Total sediment PAHs ranged between 45 and 3230 ng/g dw (average: 557 ± 962 ng/g dw), with PAHs primarily originating from river inputs, confined to areas near the estuaries. Coal/biomaterial combustion and petroleum mainly contribute to the presence of PAHs along estuaries, with medium-high to high ecological risks.

Impact of pretreatment quality of life on tolerance and survival outcome in head and neck cancer patients undergoing definitive CCRT.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a predictor of treatment outcomes in cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pretreatment HRQoL on treatment tolerance and survival outcomes in patients with HNC planned for concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in Taiwan.

Methods: This study included 461 patients with HNC planned for definitive CCRT at three medical centers in Taiwan between August 2017 and December 2018.

Hexabromocyclododecane in sediments from riverine, port, and coastal areas of Kaohsiung, Taiwan: levels, spatial distribution, and potential ecological risk.

The widespread use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a brominated flame retardant, is a major public health concern because of the toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative nature of HBCD. However, there is limited information available regarding the distribution and transportation of HBCD in sediments across various environmental settings, spanning from riverine to marine environments in the Kaohsiung area of Taiwan. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the level and distribution of and potential ecological risk posed by HBCD in surface sediments in the Kaohsiung area of Taiwan.

Three-Dimensional Simulation Training for Oncology Nurses to Address Pitfalls in Current Irrigation Strategy for Intravenous Ports: Repeated Measurements Study.

Objective: We designed an interactive visual training course and three-dimensional (3-D) simulator for participants and used verified questionnaires as tool to evaluate the efficacy of the education course.

Data Sources: From August 2020 to December 2021, 159 nursing staff who received the interactive visual training course and completed validated questionnaires before and after the course were included. The efficacy of the course was evaluated by comparing the pre- and post-course questionnaires.

Comprehensive assessment of metals and organic pollutants in pelagic fishing port sediments.

Fishing ports are among the environments that accumulate pollutants along the coast but often lack environmental data and scientific research. This study investigated 8 metals, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 10 phthalate esters (APs), and 2 alkylphenols (APs) in the surface sediments of Qianzhen Fishing Port, the largest pelagic fishing port in Taiwan. Indicator compounds, pollution hotspots, potential ecological risk levels, and pollution sources were evaluated.

The impact of pandemic-related stress on attentional bias and anxiety in alexithymia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences for mental health, yet it is unknown how and to what extent the psychological outcomes of this stressful event are moderated by individual traits. Alexithymia is a risk factor for psychopathology, and thus likely predicted individual differences in resilience or vulnerability to stressful events during the pandemic. This study explored the moderating role of alexithymia in the relationships of pandemic-related stress with anxiety levels and attentional bias.

Sex differences in medication-naïve adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A counting Stroop functional MRI study.

Emerging evidence supports deficits in executive functions in the fronto-striato-parietal network in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, most functional studies recruited men with ADHD only, leaving it unclear whether executive deficits are also demonstrated in women with ADHD. Thus, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the sex differences in a counting Stroop task that explored interference control.

Effectiveness of a Protocol Intervention for Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention in Patients With Esophageal Cancer During Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Dysphagia is a leading cause of aspiration pneumonia and negatively affects tolerance of chemoradiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to assess a protocol for preventing the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia for adult patients with esophageal cancer experiencing swallowing dysfunction.

Methods: This study tested a dysphagia intervention that included high-risk patients confirmed by the Eating Assessment Tool questionnaire and Water Swallowing Test.

Attentional Processing of Unpleasant Stimuli in Alexithymia.

Alexithymia is a multi-faceted personality trait defined by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions and is considered a risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders. Current alexithymia research debates the type of attention bias involved in the processing of negative emotional information, especially in anxiety-evoking situations that are frequently associated with stress states. Relatedly, this study aims to examine the role of emotional influence on the attentional processing of Taiwanese alexithymic individuals.

External validation of a risk model for survival prediction in older patients with cancer undergoing elective abdominal surgery: a prospective cohort study.

We previously developed a Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) model to predict the 1-year postoperative mortality risk in patients with solid cancer undergoing cancer surgery. This study aimed to externally validate the CGMH score for survival outcome and surgical complication prediction in a prospective patient cohort. A total of 345 consecutive patients aged ≥65 years who underwent elective abdominal surgery for cancer treatment were prospectively enrolled.

Distribution patterns and transportation behavior of alkylphenol polyethoxylate degradation metabolites among river, port area, and coastal water bodies of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

In this study, we conducted a comprehensive study of the distribution, transportation behavior and potential ecological risk of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APnEOs) in the aquatic environments of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan because little information is available regarding the fate of APnEOs in the water bodies of a total environment. At Love River, APnEOs concentrations were much higher at upstream of interception stations L15 (27.33 ± 1.

[Exploration of Distress Symptoms and Medical Interventions in Patients With Terminal Cancer in Hospice Shared Care].

Background: Hospice shared care is a model of care widely used in patients with terminal cancer. Appropriate interventions to improve related symptoms should be provided during disease progression through the end of life.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the related symptoms and to compare symptom severity before and after the implementation of hospice shared care and medical care interventions.

Association of frailty and chemotherapy-related adverse outcomes in geriatric patients with cancer: a pilot observational study in Taiwan.

Background: With the rapid growth of the elderly population and the increasing incidence of cancer, an increasing number of geriatric patients are receiving cancer treatment, making the selection of appropriate treatment an important issue. Increasing studies have confirmed that frailty can predict adverse outcomes in geriatric patients with cancer after treatment, but local data from Taiwan are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between frailty and chemotherapy-related adverse outcomes in geriatric patients with cancer.

Supportive Care and Unmet Needs in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: Screening and Related Factors.

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer treatment can cause physical and psychological distress and may result in unmet needs. The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the levels of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom distress, social support, and supportive care needs; (2) screen the priorities of unmet supportive care needs; and (3) identify the factors associated with supportive care needs among UGI cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This cross-sectional study examined UGI cancer patients who received treatment from the outpatient chemotherapy department of a single cancer center in northern Taiwan.

Utility of Palliative Prognostic Index in Predicting Survival Outcomes in Patients With Hematological Malignancies in the Acute Ward Setting.

Background: The palliative prognostic index (PPI) predicts the life expectancy of patients with terminally ill cancer in hospice settings. This study aimed to evaluate PPI as a prognostic tool for predicting the life expectancy of patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the acute ward.

Methods: A total of 308 patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the hematological ward at a medical center between January 2016 and December 2017 were consecutively enrolled.

Effectiveness of Applying Evidence-based Guidelines for Nurses Training on Nasogastric Tube Care.

Background: This study formulated clinical guidelines for assessing nasogastric tube placement and for health education guidance according to evidence-based recommendations.

Method: This study used a single group, pre- and postintervention design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from nursing institutions in Taiwan.

Detecting phthalate esters in sludge particulates from wastewater treatment plants.

This study proposed a method for analysis of 10 phthalate esters compounds from wastewater treatment plant sludges. The analytical efficiency of GC-MS for of target compounds was verified by a standard mixture of phthalate esters. The response factors related to the respective internal standards from a five-point calibration curve quantified the phthalate esters in individual compounds.

Clinical Significance of Vulnerability Assessment in Patients with Primary Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Definitive Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify vulnerable patients with head and neck cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) who are susceptible to higher treatment-related adverse effects and have poorer treatment tolerance. This study also aimed to determine whether comprehensive geriatric assessment, developed in the geriatric population, can predict vulnerability to treatment-related adverse events and survival even in nongeriatric patients with head and neck cancer, as well as the prevalence of vulnerability and its effect on toxicities and survival among these patients.

Methods And Materials: This prospective cohort study examined 461 patients with primary head and neck cancer who underwent definitive CCRT during 2016 to 2017 at 3 medical centers across Taiwan.

An environmentally friendly strategy for determining organic ultraviolet filters in seawater using liquid-phase microextraction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Benzophenone-3, benzophenone-8, and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor are used in sunscreens because they can protect the skin from UV radiation. The widespread use of organic UV filters may mean that they directly or indirectly enter seawater during recreational activities or through sewage discharge. In this study, a simple and efficient method using 1-octanol:isooctane (2:8, v/v) as an extraction solvent and liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was developed to measure trace levels of organic UV filters in seawater samples.

Association of time interval between cancer diagnosis and initiation of palliative chemotherapy with overall survival in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Introduction: Palliative chemotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Whether the early initiation of palliative chemotherapy is associated with a favorable survival outcome for these patients is not known. This study aimed to analyze the association of the time interval between cancer diagnosis and initiation of palliative chemotherapy with survival outcome in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Determination of sulfamonomethoxine in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × Oreochromis mossambicus) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and its application pharmacokinetics study.

A precise and reliable analytical method to measure trace levels of sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) and N-acetyl metabolite in tilapia samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed. Optimized chromatographic separation was performed on C18 reversed-phase columns using gradient elution with methanol and 5 mmol/L of an ammonium acetate aqueous solution (adjusted to pH 3.5 using formic acid).

Incidence, severity, longitudinal trends and predictors of acute and chronic oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in Taiwanese patients with colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal incidence, severity, pattern of changes or predictors of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OXAIPN) in Taiwanese patients with colorectal cancer. A longitudinal repeated measures study design was employed, and 77 participants were recruited from the colorectal and oncology departments of two teaching medical centres in Taiwan. Physical examinations were performed, and self-reports regarding adverse impacts of OXAIPN and quality of life were obtained at five time points throughout 12 cycles of chemotherapy (C/T).