The optimal management of lower pole renal calculi is controversial. We compared shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and ureteroscopy (URS) for the treatment of patients with small lower pole stones in a ...prospective, randomized, multicenter trial.
A total of 78 patients with 1 cm or less isolated lower pole stones were randomized to SWL or URS. The primary outcome measure was stone-free rate on noncontrast computerized tomography at 3 months. Secondary outcome parameters were length of stay, complication rates, need for secondary procedures and patient derived quality of life measures.
A total of 67 patients randomized to SWL (32) or URS (35) completed treatment. The 2 groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, body mass index, side treated and stone surface area. Operative time was significantly shorter for SWL than URS (66 vs 90 minutes). At 3 months of followup 26 and 32 patients who underwent SWL and URS had radiographic followup that demonstrated a stone-free rate of 35% and 50%, respectively (p not significant). Intraoperative complications occurred in 1 SWL case (unable to target stone) and in 7 URS cases (failed access in 5 and perforation in 2), while postoperative complications occurred in 7 SWL and 7 URS cases. Patient derived quality of life measures favored SWL.
This study failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in stone-free rates between SWL and URS for the treatment of small lower pole renal calculi. However, SWL was associated with greater patient acceptance and shorter convalescence.
Introduction
Parenting is a valued, common and challenging adult role. Many parents, including some living with disability or difficult social circumstances, experience barriers to fulfilling their ...parenting roles. Yet, occupational therapy involvement in parenting is rarely documented. Current understandings about ‘doing’ parenting lack cohesion and are dispersed in occupational therapy literature.
This study aims to map and synthesise occupational therapy literature on ‘doing’ parenting to describe the state of the existing knowledge base, and develop a conceptual framework of parenting occupations as portrayed in occupational therapy literature.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on 28 October 2019 and updated on 18 February 2021. Journal articles and book chapters were screened for eligibility. Included texts' publication characteristics, methodological characteristics, and areas of focus were summarised. Interpretive content analysis was conducted.
Results
From 5945 unique records, 105 texts were included. These discussed general parenting, parents with disabilities, and parenting in challenging social situations. Most texts focussed on mothers caring for young children in Western cultural contexts. The analysis culminated in the development of a conceptual framework: the Parenting Occupations and Purposes (POP) Framework. This comprises 10 interrelated areas of parenting occupations, which are performed for the purposes of addressing the child's basic, developmental and social needs. Parenting occupations were also found to be influenced by additional, underlying occupations that build parenting capacity ‐ Continuous Parental Development (CPD) occupations.
Conclusion
These findings provide an overview of current occupational therapy conceptualisations of parenting. Unlike most of the existing literature on parenting, the POP Framework is parent‐centric rather than child‐centric. More research on parenting occupations is needed, especially with more diverse representation (fathers, ages of children, parental disability and sociocultural background). Further research is required to examine the POP Framework's usefulness in guiding research and practice, particularly among parents with diverse characteristics.
Introduction
Dating is an occupation through which people form intimate relationships with others. Despite the importance of intimate relationships for wellbeing, there is limited information ...available in occupational therapy literature about the activities involved in dating and little guidance for practitioners who wish to support clients from diverse backgrounds who experience difficulties with dating. To address this gap, this study sought to explore dating among young adults (18–35 years) and compare dating activities between two contexts: Australia and Hong Kong.
Methods
Data were collected using an e‐survey designed for this study and refined using cognitive interviewing (n = 12). It included questions about dating initiation and activities. Study design and reporting was guided by the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E‐Surveys. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and between group comparisons. Reponses to open ended questions were subjected to interpretative content analysis and quantified.
Results
In total, 2208 young adults aged 18–35 who had at least one dating experience and resided in either Australia or Hong Kong completed the survey. Participants met their dates most commonly through school, friends, dating apps, and work. The most frequent ways to ask a person on a date were by suggesting ‘hanging out’ or going out for food, drink or to the movies. Most participants reported that organising a date required extended negotiation between the parties. Differences were found between participants from Hong Kong and Australia.
Conclusions
This is the first study of contemporary dating from an occupational perspective and provides an understanding of dating activities in two different cultural contexts.
Early diagnosis is key to improve cancer outcomes, and most cancers are diagnosed in primary care after initial symptomatic presentation. Emerging evidence suggests an increase in avoidable cancer ...deaths owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To understand GPs' views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical assessment of possible cancer.
GPs were purposively sampled based on age, sex, and years of experience. Interviews were conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams in August and September 2020. Transcribed recordings were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. The Model of Pathways to Treatment guided the analysis.
A qualitative semi-structured interview study with GPs from the East of England.
Three themes were identified across 23 interviews on GP views on the impact of: (1) patient help-seeking on symptoms at presentation; (2) remote consultations on managing patients with possible cancer symptoms; and (3) the COVID-19 pandemic on triaging and referring patients with possible cancer. There were positive changes to practice, but concerns were raised about the adequacy of remote consultations for assessing symptoms. Some GPs reported delayed cancer diagnoses, and uncertainty about how to manage backlog in referrals.
This study provides new evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on assessing symptomatic patients. Recommendations are made to inform safe and effective primary care clinical practice. Urgent action is needed to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensure appropriate symptomatic assessment now and in the future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of surveillance technologies in cities around the world. The new surveillance systems are unfolding at unprecedented speed and scale in response to ...the fears of COVID-19, yet with little discussion about long-term consequences or implications. The authors approach the drivers and procedures for COVID-19 surveillance, addressing a particular focus to close-circuit television (CCTV) and tracking apps. This paper describes the technologies, how they are used, what they are capable of, the reasons why one should be concerned, and how citizens may respond. No commentary should downplay the seriousness of the current pandemic crisis, but one must consider the immediate and longer-term threats of insinuated enhanced surveillance, and look to how surveillance could be managed in a more cooperative social future.
Abstract Purpose The optimal management of lower pole renal calculi is controversial. We compared shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and ureteroscopy (URS) for the treatment of patients with small lower ...pole stones in a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial. Materials and Methods A total of 78 patients with 1 cm or less isolated lower pole stones were randomized to SWL or URS. The primary outcome measure was stone-free rate on noncontrast computerized tomography at 3 months. Secondary outcome parameters were length of stay, complication rates, need for secondary procedures and patient derived quality of life measures. Results A total of 67 patients randomized to SWL (32) or URS (35) completed treatment. The 2 groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, body mass index, side treated and stone surface area. Operative time was significantly shorter for SWL than URS (66 vs 90 minutes). At 3 months of followup 26 and 32 patients who underwent SWL and URS had radiographic followup that demonstrated a stone-free rate of 35% and 50%, respectively (p not significant). Intraoperative complications occurred in 1 SWL case (unable to target stone) and in 7 URS cases (failed access in 5 and perforation in 2), while postoperative complications occurred in 7 SWL and 7 URS cases. Patient derived quality of life measures favored SWL. Conclusions This study failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in stone-free rates between SWL and URS for the treatment of small lower pole renal calculi. However, SWL was associated with greater patient acceptance and shorter convalescence.
This paper explores attitudes toward dating people with disability amongst young people in Australia and Hong Kong. Data relating to disability were extracted from an e-survey that investigated young ...people’s (n = 2208) experiences of and attitudes toward dating. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while open ended responses were subjected to interpretive content analysis. When asked about preferred characteristics for potential dates, young people identified factors that were unlikely to be negatively influenced by disability, such as loyalty, honesty, dedication, humour, and kindness. Yet when asked whether disability would influence their dating choices, most said that it would and expressed an unwillingness to date people with disability. Young adults in Hong Kong expressed less openness to dating people with disability than those in Australia. Physical disability and mental health issues were seen as less of a barrier to dating than intellectual or developmental disability. Despite recent gains in public attitudes toward people with disability, improvements are needed in terms of young people in the general population viewing people with disability as suitable partners and thus, allowing them to enjoy equal rights to relationships and sexuality. Culture is an important determinant, indicating a potential for change.
Abstract
Patient derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models represent the closest step to in-human trials for cancer drug research and are therefore an invaluable resource. Implantation of a cancerous ...tissue from a patient's primary tumor directly into an immune-deficient mouse, generating a xenograft tumor potentially mimics the tumor microenvironment in the patient and allows for the evaluation of therapies specific to a particular tumor. One of the significant challenges associated with PDX tumors is the potential loss of the human component or the take-over by mouse tissue with every passage into a new mouse model. Short tandem repeats (STRs) are short intronic sequences of DNA that are highly polymorphic and contain a pattern of nucleotides repeated in tandem. STRs can be found in distinct regions of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes organisms, with each organism containing a unique combination of the STR allelic frequencies that allow for individuals to be unambiguously identified. STR analysis is routinely used to genotype PDX tumors comparative to the original resected human cancerous tissue, ensuring concordance with original tissue and to identify mouse tissue contamination with progressive passages. The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine's CLIA laboratory has evaluated over 170 PDX tumor samples from multiple mouse model passages across 105 diverse PDX mouse models. Of those samples analyzed, genomic DNA for 33 had been extracted from fresh frozen tissue and for 143 extracted from Formalin Fixed Paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE). The current study presents the challenges and discrepancies observed in our evaluation relative to number of passages for each tumor, sample type (FFPE vs fresh frozen) - reflective of tumor heterogeneity and also potential encroachment by mouse tissue. We also present results of a cross institutional comparative STR analysis study in 123 samples wherein discordance observed in certain cases were a result of differing sample types, suggestive that tumor heterogeneity can affect the STR results and could be a leading cause for cross institutional discordant genotyping results.
Citation Format: Bridgette Sisson, Andrew Hesse, Melissa Soucy, Daniel Bergeron, Shelbi Burns, Kevin Kelly, Emily Jocoy, Margaret Bundy, Honey V. Reddi. Genotyping of patient-derived xenograft tumors using short tandem repeats: Challenges and observations in ensuring concordance across passages for effective preclinical studies abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1034.
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