Study Protocol of CBT-AP Trial: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Integrated with Activity Pacing for Fatigued Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: This paper reports the methodology for undertaking a randomized controlled trial to assess the combined effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and activity pacing on fatigue experienced by breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHOD: Fifty-eight patients experiencing severe fatigue will be randomized to a CBT group or usual care group. The intervention will be given for 6 sessions by a trained oncology nurse. Primary and secondary outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, the sixth week of intervention and at the third month post intervention. The primary outcome measure is fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory) and secondary outcome measures include depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) and quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire). The protocol is designed using the SPIRIT guidelines which is one of the EQUATOR checklists. DISCUSSION: This is the first RCT that will determine the efficacy of CBT by integrating with activity pacing to reduce fatigue among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The intervention design is novel in addressing multiple precipitating and perpetuating factors of fatigue and integrated with activity pacing in CBT. CONCLUSION: If the intervention is effective, this therapeutic approach can be incorporated into a routine health care for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study have been registered in Pan-African Clinical Trial Registry (website) on August 24, 2020. The trial registration number is PACTR202008881026130.

Research progress of expressive writing in cancer patients / 中国实用护理杂志

Interventions of expressive writing in cancer patients are mainly implemented in foreign countries. This paper reviews the proposal and development, implementation methods and mechanisms of expressive writing, and its effect on health outcomes of cancer patients, which indicates the population sensitivity and cultural sensitivity.In recent years,more and more attention has been paid to the intermediary variables, objective index and the analysis of the writing text in order to fully explain the mechanism and identify the social psychological needs of cancer patients at different stages. Future research can focus on sensitive populations, explore intermediary variables, incorporate objective indicators, optimize intervention methods, and explore the best intervention model for localization.

Significance and expression of miR-7 in activated CD4+T cells / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the change of expression of miR-7 in activated CD4+ T cells in vitro, and preliminary explore its possible significance. Methods: CD4+CD62L+T cells was purified from splenocytes of FVB mice by magnetic cell sorting system (MACS). After stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 antibody,the relative expression of miR-7 was examined by Real-time PCR, and the expression level of CD69 molecular was analyzed by FACS. Furthermore,the relative expression of miR-7 in CD4+T cells was detected at different time points during stimulation. With the treatment of ERK inhibitor PD98059,change of miR-7 expression was de-termined by Real-time PCR. Meanwhile, the proliferation of CD4+T cells was examined by CCK-8 assay and the expression level of CD69 and CD62L molecular were analyzed by FACS. Finally,the expression of cytokines IL-6,IL-10,and IFN-γ were determined by Real-time PCR. Results:Compared with control group,the relative expression of miR-7 was increased significantly after stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 antibody,as well as expression level of CD69 molecular was augmented(P<0. 05). In contrasted with 0 h and 24 h,the expression of miR-7 was significantly increased after 48 h and 72 h during stimulation(P<0. 05). Furthermore,the relative expression of miR-7 was significantly declined in CD4+T cells in ERK inhibitor PD98059 treatment group. Finally, the expression level of CD69 molecular,as well as cytokines IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ, were also decreased significantly ( P<0. 05 ) . Conclusion: The relative expression of miR-7 was significantly increased in activated CD4+T cells,closely related to ERK pathway,which provided an important foundation for successive research work on exploring the functional role of miR-7 in the CD4+T cells.