Risk Factors for Re-Excision Following Breast-Conserving Surgery.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify previously unstudied factors predicting re-excision following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and to assess the feasibility of obtaining data about breast density for predictive modeling.
. DESIGN: Retrospective secondary data analysis.
. SETTING: Data were obtained from the cancer registry and electronic health records (EHRs) at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, a large, urban, private, nonprofit hospital in North Texas.
. SAMPLE: 244 patients choosing BCS from 2011-2012.
. METHODS: Data were subjected to univariate analyses (chi-square) followed by logistic regression.
. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: The primary dependent variable was re-excision following BCS. Predictors of interest included lifestyle factors, time from diagnosis to surgery, surgical approach, patient age, and breast density, and controlled for covariates, such as assay results.
. FINDINGS: Three factors predicted re-excision with 87% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Women younger than 60 years whose surgery included placement of a wire for localization of tissue to be removed and who underwent surgery soon after diagnosis are the least likely to require reoperation after BCS. Data integrity is critical to the success of research using EHRs and registry information.
. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses may improve patient outcomes by helping women considering BCS solve problems that may delay surgery. Nurses can contribute to the success of nursing research by thoroughly and accurately recording patient information in EHRs.

Career opportunities for graduates with professional master's vs. PhD degrees.

Professional science master's degree programs are an appealing option to those who want to pursue a professional career and/or seek advancement in their career that does not necessarily require the more advanced PhD degree. These programs are designed to meet a workforce need for professionals and can be completed within 2 years. The student learns the professional skills to be successful in their chosen field, and data indicate a great deal of satisfaction by graduates from these programs. In contrast, those who wish to have a career goal in academia or research usually will pursue a PhD degree. Table 1 shows the important similarities and differences a student should consider when deciding whether to pursue a PSM or Ph.D. degree.

Teaching the interrelationship between stress, emotions, and cardiovascular risk using a classic paper by Walter Cannon.

Classroom discussion of the classic article by Walter B. Cannon in 1914, entitled "The emergency function of the adrenal medulla in pain and the major emotions," is an excellent tool to teach graduate students the interaction between stress, emotions, and cardiovascular function. Using this article, we are able to review important early research by Dr. Cannon, including discussion of his scientific methods and results and how they hold true today. This article outlines how this classic paper is used to allow students to explore basics principles of cardiovascular control during stress. The teaching points that are presented illustrate how students can be directed to understand the interrelationship between chronic stress and cardiovascular disease.

Viscerosomatic interaction induced by myocardial ischemia in conscious dogs.

Studies tested the hypothesis that myocardial ischemia induces increased paraspinal muscular tone localized to the T(2)-T(5) region that can be detected by palpatory means. This is consistent with theories of manual medicine suggesting that disturbances in visceral organ physiology can cause increases in skeletal muscle tone in specific muscle groups. Clinical studies in manual and traditional medicine suggest this phenomenon occurs during episodes of myocardial ischemia and may have diagnostic potential. However, there is little direct evidence of a cardiac-somatic mechanism to explain these findings. Chronically instrumented dogs [12 neurally intact and 3 following selective left ventricular (LV) sympathectomy] were examined before, during, and after myocardial ischemia. Circumflex blood flow (CBF), left ventricular contractile function, electromyographic (EMG) analysis, and blinded manual palpatory assessments (MPA) of tissue over the transverse spinal processes at segments T(2)-T(5) and T(11)-T(12) (control) were performed. Myocardial ischemia was associated with a decrease in myocardial contractile function and an increase in heart rate. MPA revealed increases in muscle tension and texture/firmness during ischemia in the T(2)-T(5) segments on the left, but not on the right or in control segments. EMG demonstrated increased amplitude for the T(4)-T(5) segments. After LV sympathectomy, MPA and EMG evidence of increased muscle tone were absent. In conclusion, myocardial ischemia is associated with significant increased paraspinal muscle tone localized to the left side T(4)-T(5) myotomes in neurally intact dogs. LV sympathectomy eliminates the somatic response, suggesting that sympathetic neural traffic between the heart and somatic musculature may function as the mechanism for the interaction.