MATERIALS AND METHODS: This pilot cross-sectional survey was conducted among breast cancer survivors (n=40) who were members of Breast Cancer Support Group Centre Johor Bahru. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to identify the relationships between socio-demography, medical characteristics and HR-QOL of the participants.
RESULTS: Living with family and completion of treatment were significant predictive factors of self-rated QOL, while living with family and ever giving birth significantly predicted satisfaction with health and physical health. Psychological health had moderate correlations with number of children and early cancer stage. Survivors' higher personal income (>MYR4,500) was the only significant predictor of social relationship, while age, income more than MYR4,500 and giving birth significantly predicted environment domain score.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested the survivors coped better in all four HR-QOL domains if they were married, lived with family, had children and were employed.
METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a population based randomized control trial. Women aged 20-65 years in the population that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria were re-called for a repeat smear. There are four different intervention groups; letter, registered letters, short messages services (SMS) and phone calls where 250 subjects were recruited into each group. Samples were generated randomly from the same population in Klang into four different groups. The first group received a recall letter for a repeat smear similar to the one that has been given during the first invitation. The intervention groups were either be given a registered letter, an SMS or a phone call to re-call them. The socio-demographic data of the patients who came for uptake were collected for further analysis. All the groups were followed up after 8 weeks to assess their compliance to the recall.
CONCLUSIONS: The study will provide recommendations about the most effective methods for recall in a population based pap smear screening program on two outcomes: i) patients response; ii) uptake for repeat pap smear.
METHODS: Stool DNA was isolated and tumor-associated high molecular weight DNA (1.476 kb fragment including exons 6-9 of the p53 gene) was amplified using PCR and visualized on ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels.
RESULTS: Out of 32 CRC patients, 18 were positive for the presence of high molecular weight DNA as compared to none of the healthy individuals, resulting in an overall sensitivity of 56.3% with 100% specificity. Out of 32 patients, 23 had tumor on the left side and 9 on the right side, 16 and 2 being respectively positive. This showed that high molecular weight DNA was significantly (p=0.022) more detectable in patients with left side tumor (69.6% vs 22.2%). Out of 32 patients, 22 had tumors larger than 1.0 cm, 18 of these (81.8%) being positive for long DNA as compared to not a single patient with tumor size smaller than 1.0 cm (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: We detected CRC-related high molecular weight p53 DNA in stool samples of CRC patients with an overall sensitivity of 56.3% with 100% specificity, with a strong tumor size dependence.
OBJECTIVES: This study conducted to investigate the most preferred OSDF and the degree to which swallowing solid medication is an issue, to assess perceptions of the therapeutic benefits of the OSDF, and to find predictors of the most preferred OSDF.
METHOD: A cross-sectional study, through convenience sample method, was conducted to survey consumers visiting community pharmacies in Baghdad, Iraq. Data was collected by self-administered and pre-piloted questionnaires, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science. Multiple logistic regression analysis and Chi-square tests were used at alpha level = 0.05.
RESULTS: A total of 1,000 questionnaire were included in the analysis. Of all respondents, 52.9 % preferred capsule among other OSDF and this preference varied significantly with a number of socio-demographic factors. Ease of swallowing solid medication was the main issue which resulted in preferences for a particular form. A negative perception of the therapeutic benefits of the OSDF was found among 89.1 % of the consumers. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that gender, ease of swallowing, and perceptions of the therapeutic benefits of the OSDF were significant predictors of capsule preferences.
CONCLUSIONS: Given the fact that consumers are the end users of medicines and their preferences may influence response to the treatment, efforts are worthwhile by the prescribers and medicines' manufactures to understand consumers' preferences of a particular dosage form in order to achieve successful therapy outcomes.