An ELISA was set up using polyvinylchloride microtiter plates coated with rabbit anti-UK IgG's and affino-purified goat anti-UK IgG's as second antibody. Detection occurred with rabbit anti-goat IgG antibodies conjugated with alkaline phosphatase. The assay is specific for urokinase (UK) with a detection limit of 100 pg/ml sample. Tissue-type plasminogen activator, up to concentrations of 100 ng/ml, does not interfere. The assay measures the antigen of the inactive zymogen pro-UK, the active enzyme UK and the UK-inhibitor complex with equal efficiency and gives the total UK antigen present, irrespective of its molecular form. Culture media of fibroblasts, endothelial- and kidney cells showed, despite the absence of active UK, antigen levels of 1.2, 23 and 65 ng/ml, respectively. In human plasma the UK concentration was found to be 3.5 +/- 1.4 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 54). The inter- and intra-assay variations were 20% and 6%, respectively.
Malnutrition is a frequent problem in patients with head and neck cancer. Prevention or timely treatment of malnutrition isof great importance because deteriorated nutritional status can have a negative effect on clinical outcome in head andneck cancer patients.Malnutrition is a multidimensional problem, in which a nutritional disbalance causes loss of weight and muscle mass, eitheror not accompanied by inflammatory activity, resulting in functional decline.Thus far, little is known about the role of physical activity in both the development and treatment of malnutrition in cancerpatients. Although positive effects of exercise on fatigue and quality of life have been reported, the relationship betweenphysical activity and prevention and treatment of malnutrition needs to be further elucidated.In this presentation, current insights and hypotheses on the relationship between physical activity and nutritional status inpatients with cancer will be discussed.
PurposeThis study investigates patients’ experiences of interaction with their healthcare professionals (HCPs) during cancer treatment and identifies elements that HCPs can utilize to improve cancer care provision.MethodsPubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Embase were systematically searched for relevant studies published from January 2010 until February 2022. Qualitative studies investigating adult patients’ perspectives on their interaction with HCPs during cancer treatment were included. Studies conducted during the diagnosis or end-of-life treatment phase were excluded. Duplicate removal, screening, and quality appraisal were independently performed by four reviewers using Covidence.org. We performed a thematic meta-synthesis of qualitative data extracted from studies meeting the quality criteria in three stages: excerpts coding, codes categorization, and theme identification by merging similar categories.ResultsEighty-eight studies were included for quality appraisal, of which 50 papers met the quality inclusion criteria. Three themes were identified as essential to positively perceived patient-HCP interaction: “Support, respect and agency”, “Quantity, timing, and clarity of information”, and “Confidence, honesty, and expertise”. Overall, patients experienced positive interaction with HCPs when the approach was person-centered and when HCPs possessed strong interpersonal skills. However, patients expressed negative experiences when their preferences regarding communication and the type of personal support needed were ignored.ConclusionsThis meta-synthesis emphasizes the importance for HCPs to recognize all patients’ needs, including communication and personal support preferences, to provide high-quality care. Consequently, healthcare professionals should continuously train their verbal and non-verbal communication, empathy, active listening, and collaboration skills during their undergraduate and continuing education.
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