Patients With Advanced Cancer and Minor Children: An Exploratory Study of Health-Related Quality of Life and Satisfaction With Care.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with advanced cancer and minor children experience high rates of depression and anxiety. However, associations between parental status and other aspects of the patient experience are not well understood. This study compared patient-reported outcomes of patients with and without minor children. SAMPLE & SETTING: This was a retrospective analysis of 448 adults with stage III or IV solid tumors from a public research registry. METHODS & VARIABLES: Multiple linear regression models or modified Poisson regression models were fitted to evaluate differences in health-related quality of life, global health, and patient satisfaction scores between patients living with and without minors. RESULTS: One in five patients lived with minor children. They reported significantly worse health-related quality of life, global physical health, and global mental health. They also expressed lower satisfaction with time spent with their provider, communication, and financial aspects. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Patients with minor children may benefit from earlier identification and support for their psychosocial needs and concerns.

Cypermethrin blocks a mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signal initiated by deficient N-linked glycosylation within the endoplasmic reticulum.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves as a critical site of protein synthesis and processing. The temperature-sensitive hamster fibroblast cell line (tsBN7) displays deficient N-linked glycosylation activity at the restrictive temperature and activates cellular apoptosis. Temperature-shifted tsBN7 cells display induction of Grp78 and Gadd153, genes known to be induced by ER stress, and activate apoptosis via the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent blocker of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP), was sufficient to block cytochrome c release and to rescue tsBN7 cells from apoptosis. CsA-treated cells displayed Grp78 induction at the restrictive temperature, consistent with an ER stress signal being carried to the nucleus, while the apoptosis-associated transcription factor, Gadd153, displayed only a mild induction. Cypermethrin, a type II pyrethroid known to perturb Ca(2+) signaling in neuronal cells, was sufficient to arrest apoptosis under these conditions. This work identifies type II pyrethroids as a valuable new tool in the characterization of cellular stress signaling pathways.