Cancer patient age and family caregiver bereavement outcomes.

PURPOSE: This study drew on life course theory to argue that the strains of cancer caregiving and bereavement are modified by the age of the patient. We expected that caregivers of middle-aged patients would be more distressed than caregivers of older patients. METHODS: This panel study conducted 199 interviews with family caregivers of advanced cancer patients; first following diagnosis and again shortly after the patient's death. RESULTS: Among caregivers of middle-aged patients (40-59), grief mediated the relationship between baseline caregiving and bereavement depressed mood, with grief increasing risk of depression in bereavement. Among caregivers of young-old patients (60-79), grief had a suppressor effect on the relationship between caregiving and bereavement depressed mood, showing greater distress during caregiving than at bereavement. CONCLUSIONS: Caregiving for middle-aged cancer patients may increase the risk for severe grief and depression, whereas caregivers of young-old cancer patients appeared to experience relief at bereavement. After bereavement, continued observation may be warranted for caregivers of a middle-aged patient; grief, added to the ongoing demands of their lives (which may include those left behind by a middle-aged patient), may put such caregivers at risk for greater psychological and emotional distress.

Grief and risk of depression in context: the emotional outcomes of bereaved cancer caregivers.

We investigated the relationships of grief and depression to cancer caregiving in early bereavement. We began with three expectations: (a) each outcome would reflect different situational predictors, (b) grief would be more directly related to such predictors, and (c) components of grief would relate differently to the caregiving context and depressed mood. We conducted telephone interviews with family caregivers of incurable cancer patients from two hospitals. A total of 199 family caregivers were interviewed at the time of the patient's diagnosis and reinterviewed 3 months after the patient's death. Results showed grief severity was predicted by caregiving circumstances, but bereavement depressed mood was largely unrelated to caregiving. Grief was the main predictor of depressed mood and mediated almost all other effects. We conclude that while grief may trigger depression, the dissimilar connection to context means that the two emotional states should not be equated based purely on similarity of expression.

Changes in adjuvant therapy utilization in stage I seminoma: are they enough to prevent overtreatment?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if utilization of surveillance or adjuvant chemotherapy has increased compared with that of adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) in clinical stage I seminoma (CSIS) and to estimate the impact of this utilization trend on secondary malignancies. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base, a web-based data analysis tool was examined for first-course adjuvant therapy management in CSIS from 2000 to 2008. We assessed the utilization in academic vs community practice settings and changes in tumor stage. We also estimated the number of secondary malignancies based on the change in practice. RESULTS: There were 52,672 patients of testicular cancer diagnosed. Of those, 28,974 (55.0%) patients had seminoma with 22,210 (84.2%) patients classified as CSIS. Overall, 14,005 (65.4%), 6430 (30.1%), and 951 (4.4%) patients received ART, surveillance, and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC), respectively. In 2000, most patients received ART (71.7%), followed by surveillance (26.5%), and AC (1.9%). In 2008, the majority of patients still received ART (47.7%) but surveillance (39.6%) and AC (12.6%) totaled a larger proportion. We calculated that this ART utilization rate would lead to an additional 372 solid tumor cases per year, 40 years later, whereas the current surveillance rate would lead to 34 cases of secondary malignancy annually in the United States. CONCLUSION: ART was the leading adjuvant management strategy for CSIS, but its share drastically decreased with a concomitant increase in surveillance and AC, particularly after 2004. These trends were similar in both academic and community settings. The current level of ART, although decreasing, may nevertheless lead to additional cases of solid cancer comparable with testicular cancer deaths.

Effective antimicrobial stewardship in a long-term care facility through an infectious disease consultation service: keeping a LID on antibiotic use.

DESIGN: We introduced a long-term care facility (LTCF) infectious disease (ID) consultation service (LID service) that provides on-site consultations to residents of a Veterans Affairs (VA) LTCF. We determined the impact of the LID service on antimicrobial use and Clostridium difficile infections at the LTCF. SETTING: A 160-bed VA LTCF. METHODS: Systemic antimicrobial use and positive C. difficile tests at the LTCF were compared for the 36 months before and the 18 months after the initiation of the ID consultation service through segmented regression analysis of an interrupted time series. RESULTS: Relative to that in the preintervention period, total systemic antibiotic administration decreased by 30% (P<.001), with significant reductions in both oral (32%; P<.001) and intravenous (25%; P=.008) agents. The greatest reductions were seen for tetracyclines (64%; P<.001), clindamycin (61%; P<.001), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (38%; P<.001), fluoroquinolones (38%; P<.001), and ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor combinations (28%; P<.001). The rate of positive C. difficile tests at the LTCF declined in the postintervention period relative to preintervention rates (P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an LTCF ID service led to a significant reduction in total antimicrobial use. Bringing providers with ID expertise to the LTCF represents a new and effective means to achieve antimicrobial stewardship.

Factors associated with past research participation among low-income persons living with HIV.

We described influences on past research participation among low-income persons living with HIV (PLWH) and examined whether such influences differed by study type. We analyzed a convenience sample of individuals from a large, urban clinic specializing in treating low-income PLWH. Using a computer-assisted survey, we elicited perceptions of research and participating in research, barriers, benefits, "trigger" influences, and self-efficacy in participating in research. Of 193 participants, we excluded 14 who did not identify any type of study participation, and 17 who identified "other" as study type, resulting in 162 cases for analysis. We compared results among four groups (i.e., 6 comparisons): past medical participants (n=36, 22%), past behavioral participants (n=49, 30%), individuals with no past research participation (n=52, 32%), and persons who had participated in both medical and behavioral studies (n=25, 15%). Data were analyzed using chi-square tests for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables. We employed a multinomial probit (MNP) model to examine the association of multiple factors with the outcome. Confidence in ability to keep appointments, and worry about being a 'guinea pig' showed statistical differences in bivariate analyses. The MNP regression analysis showed differences between and across all 6 comparison groups. Fewer differences were seen across groupings of medical participants, behavioral participants, and those with no past research experience, than in comparisons with the medical-behavioral group. In the MNP regression model 'age' and level of certainty regarding 'keeping yourself from being a guinea pig' showed significant differences between past medical participants and past behavioral participants.

Tigecycline exhibits inhibitory activity against Clostridium difficile in the colon of mice and does not promote growth or toxin production.

Tigecycline is a broad-spectrum glycylcycline antibiotic with potent in vitro activity against Clostridium difficile. We used a mouse model to test the hypothesis that tigecycline has a low propensity to promote colonization and toxin production by C. difficile due to inhibitory activity in the colon. Mice (5 to 8 per group) received subcutaneous injections of tigecycline (low and high doses) alone or in combination with clindamycin for 6 days. Growth of and toxin production by 3 strains of C. difficile (tigecycline MICs ≤ 0.012 µg/ml) were measured in cecal contents collected 6 h or 3 days after the final antibiotic dose. Antibiotic concentrations were measured using a bioassay, and concentrations of total anaerobes and Bacteroides spp. were measured. The effects of tigecycline on rendering mice susceptible to colonization with and reducing the burden of C. difficile were also examined. In comparison to saline controls, clindamycin promoted the growth of C. difficile (P < 0.001) in cecal contents, whereas tigecycline did not. Tigecycline did not suppress total anaerobes or Bacteroides spp. in comparison to saline controls. Concurrent administration of tigecycline prevented clindamycin-induced promotion of C. difficile in cecal contents collected 6 h or 3 days (high dose only) after the final antibiotic dose. Tigecycline did not promote the establishment of colonization in mice, yet it did not reduce concentrations of C. difficile in animals with established colonization. In summary, tigecycline did not promote the growth of or toxin production by C. difficile, probably due to inhibitory activity against C. difficile and relative sparing of indigenous anaerobic microflora.

Relationship quality and burden among caregivers for late-stage cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study explores how caregiver relationship quality with family, patient, and patient's health care provider (HCP) is associated with subjective caregiver burden during the early treatment phase for late-stage cancer. METHOD: Burden and relationship quality were assessed in telephone interviews with family caregivers (FCGs) of advanced cancer patients. The five subscales of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment measured burden, while relationships were measured with the Family Relationship Index, the Family Inventory of Needs subscale of met needs, and a scale assessing family discord in cancer communication. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analyses in SPSS (v16) of 420 FCGs showed that higher quality relationship with family was associated with lower burden in FCG abandonment, health, scheduling (p < 0.001) and finances (p < 0.01). Higher quality relationship with patients' HCPs was associated with lower burden in FCG abandonment (p < 0.05), health, and finances (p < 0.001). More discordant communication in patient relationship was associated with lower financial burden (p < 0.05). Relationship quality was not associated with caregiver self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate that caregiver relationship quality with family and with HCP are important factors in understanding caregiver burden during the early treatment phase of late-stage cancer care.