Associations of role, area deprivation index, and race with health behaviors and body mass index among localized prostate cancer patients and their partners.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations of role (localized prostate cancer (PCa) patient vs. their intimate partner), area deprivation index (ADI-higher scores indicating higher neighborhood deprivation levels), and race (Black/African American (AA) vs. White) with health behaviors and body mass index (BMI) among PCa patients and partners. The behaviors include smoking, alcohol consumption, diet quality, sedentary behaviors, and physical activity (PA). METHODS: This study used the baseline data collected in a clinical trial. Given the nested structure of the dyadic data, multi-level models were used. RESULTS: Significant role-race interaction effects on smoking, ADI-race effects on alcohol consumption, and role-ADI effects on BMI were found. Meanwhile, patients smoked more cigarettes, decreased alcohol consumption, had less healthful diets, spent longer time watching TV, did fewer sedentary hobbies, had more confidence in PA, and had higher BMIs than their partners. High ADI was independently associated with lower odds of drinking alcohol, using computer/Internet, and doing non-walking PA, and higher BMI compared to low ADI controlling for role and race. Black/AA dyads had less smoking amount and alcohol consumption and higher sedentary time and BMI than White dyads when adjusted for role and ADI. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified significant interaction and main effects of role, ADI, or race on health behaviors and BMI. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Future behavioral interventions should address divergent individual needs between patients and partners, social and neighborhood barriers, and cultural indicators of racial groups to promote healthful behaviors and improve the quality of survivorship for PCa patients and partners.

Physical Activity Intervention Characteristics and Effects on Behavioral and Health-Related Outcomes Among Adolescents and Young Adults Living with and Beyond Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Participation in physical activity (PA) during and after cancer treatment is safe and beneficial in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer population. PA can positively impact health-related outcomes; however, participation remains low. This systematic review aims to describe PA intervention characteristics and outcomes in AYA survivors of cancer (AYASCa). This review followed Preferred Reporting Index for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered with Prospero (CRD42022365661). PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus databases were searched for randomized control trials (RCTs) and pre/post-test studies without a control group through December 31, 2022. Data included: participant demographics, PA intervention characteristics, and health-related outcomes. Studies were assessed using the National Institute of Health Critical Appraisal Tools, and findings were synthesized to identify common characteristics of PA interventions and outcomes. Twenty-three studies were included: 15 RCTs and 8 pre/post-test studies. Heterogeneity existed across design, sample demographics, intervention timing, and observed outcomes. The most common characteristics of PA interventions were supervision of PA, wearable device use, tailored/individualized PA prescriptions, and goal setting. PA interventions positively affected health-related outcomes, with 21 studies reporting statistically significant findings. Implementing personalized PA prescriptions, utilizing wearable devices, and incorporating goal setting as characteristics in PA interventions hold potential benefits for AYASCa, leading to improved outcomes. Still, additional research is needed to explore interventions that utilize these PA characteristics and determine which ones are most effective for AYASCa. By further investigating and identifying optimal PA characteristics, interventions can be better tailored to meet this population's specific needs and preferences, ultimately enhancing their overall well-being and recovery.

A Systematic Review of Interpersonal Interactions Related to Racism in Studies Assessing Breast and Gynecological Cancer Health Outcomes Among Black Women.

OBJECTIVE: To identify how studies measure racism-related variables at the interpersonal level and identify associated breast and gynecological cancer disparities among Black women. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL Plus, and Scopus using terms centered on racism and cancer. Inclusion criteria consisted of the study being conducted in the USA with Black or African American women and the study stating an outcome or focus identified as a breast or gynecological cancer health disparity. Two researchers independently screened titles and abstracts and full texts articles and completed quality assessments of included studies. Data were extracted into a matrix table, and common concepts were identified and synthesized using the matrix method. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tools. RESULTS: Thirteen studies that examined the effect of racism-related variables operating at the interpersonal level on breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer outcomes in Black women were identified for inclusion. Across studies, racism-related variables were measured as discrimination, trust, racism, and clinician-patient interactions. Additionally, across studies, disparities were identified in cancer screening, treatment received, survivorship quality of life, and incidence. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need for valid, reliable, and consistent measurement of racism operating at the interpersonal level to first understand its impact on cancer health disparities and to also facilitate the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at mitigating interpersonal-level racism.

Barriers and facilitators to the engagement of physical activity among Black and African American cancer survivors during and after treatments.

PURPOSE: To identify physical activity (PA) barriers and facilitators among Black and African American (Black/AA) cancer survivors that should be considered in future PA intervention development for this population. METHODS: A community advisory board (CAB) of Black/AA cancer survivors and patient advocates guided in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 19) that were completed via telephone using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using directed content analysis to detail a report of PA barriers and facilitators during and after cancer treatment. The CAB reviewed and interpreted these barriers and facilitators to identify the final results. RESULTS: Survivors (n = 19) of nine different types of cancer completed interviews. PA barriers during cancer treatments included physical and psychological suffering. PA barriers after cancer treatments included social and environmental constraints (e.g., lack of access needed for PA, safety concerns, and competing priorities). PA facilitators both during and after cancer treatments included family support, faith, and support from other survivors. PA facilitators during treatment also included feeling better after doing PA, setting realistic and flexible goals, and gaining a sense of control of one's health by striving for PA goals. CONCLUSIONS: To increase PA among Black/AA cancer survivors, PA interventions are needed that address structural barriers, include the role of faith, leverage family support, highlight the psychological benefits of PA, and use goal setting.

A Systematic Review of Dietary Interventions for Cancer Survivors and Their Families or Caregivers.

Family or caregiver engagement has the potential to support healthy dietary changes among cancer survivors. However, little is known about these family- or caregiver-involved dietary interventions and their effects. This systematic review aimed to identify the behavior change techniques (BCTs) used in dietary interventions for cancer survivors and their families or caregivers and to synthesize intervention effects on dietary and health outcomes. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted systematic searches in three databases and identified 12 trials (16 peer-reviewed manuscripts) for inclusion in this review. Data were extracted from these manuscripts and the BCT taxonomy was used to identify the BCTs. A total of 38 BCTs were identified from 12 trials, 13 of which were used in at least half of the 12 trials. Ten studies reported significant intervention effects on health outcomes (e.g., adiposity) and six suggested significant improvements in dietary behaviors (e.g., fruit and vegetable intake). Overall, this review found that family- or caregiver-involved interventions for cancer survivors significantly improved dietary and health outcomes. Future research should identify BCTs particularly for dietary changes and develop effective dyadic strategies to facilitate diet-related interactions between survivors and their families or caregivers to enhance their engagement in healthy diets.

Effects of wheelchair Tai Chi ball exercise on physical and mental health and functional abilities among elderly with physical disability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week Wheelchair Tai Chi Ball (WTCB) intervention, a combination of mind-body exercise with strength training, on physical and mental health and functional abilities among elderly with disability. Twenty-six elderly persons participated in the study, nine WTCB group participants and ten control group participants completed the study. The WTCB group practised WTCB12 twice/week for one hour each time. The control group did their daily routine without WTCB intervention. The outcomes measures were: Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), SF-36v2 for physical and mental health, heart rate, blood pressure, range of motion and muscle strength of the dominant arm at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The Mixed Model ANOVA was employed to examine the differences between and within the two groups using pre-test and post-test scores. The results demonstrated the WTCB group had significant improvements on PSEQ, general physical health and had positive effects on maintaining muscle strength at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints as compared to the control group. The WTCB12 exercise had positive effects on self-efficacy for pain management, general physical health, and maintain upper extremity muscle strength and is a feasible exercise for elderly with disability.

VRmol: an integrative web-based virtual reality system to explore macromolecular structure.

SUMMARY: Structural visualization and analysis are fundamental to explore macromolecular functions. Here, we present a novel integrative web-based virtual reality (VR) system-VRmol, to visualize and study molecular structures in an immersive virtual environment. Importantly, it is integrated with multiple online databases and is able to couple structure studies with associated genomic variations and drug information in a visual interface by cloud-based drug docking. VRmol thus can serve as an integrative platform to aid structure-based translational research and drug design. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: VRmol is freely available (https://VRmol.net), with detailed manual and tutorial (https://VRmol.net/docs). The code of VRmol is available as open source under the MIT license at http://github.com/kuixu/VRmol. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.