Improve Treatment Compliance Research Articles

Patient-Reported Financial Burden Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer.

Introduction and ObjectivesIn patients with localized prostate cancer, 5-fraction, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has been found to offer comparable oncologic outcomes and potential for improved treatment compliance compared to conventional, 40-plus fraction radiation therapy (RT). Recent studies of oncologic patient experiences have highlighted both the impact of therapy-associated financial toxicity (FT) on treatment adherence and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).MethodsA cross-sectional assessment of FT after SBRT was performed using the 12-item COST questionnaire. The total questionnaire score (range 0–44) was used to evaluate the FT grade (0–3), with a higher COST value representing lower grade. The patient zip code was used to approximate the distance from the index hospital. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the average COST score (0–4) are performed.ResultsThe response rate was 57.5% (332 of 575 consented patients) with 90.7%, 8.2%, and 1.1% experiencing grade 0, 1, and 2 FT, respectively, with no grade 3. Unemployment or disability, non-white race, low income, and concurrent hormonal therapy were associated with a statistically significant worse FT (lower COST value) on univariate and multivariate analyses (p < 0.05). Education level and insurance status significant were evaluated on univariate analysis only. There was a non-statistically significant difference in age, marital status, time since treatment, and distance from the index hospital.ConclusionsSBRT was associated with low FT. However, statistically significant socioeconomic disparities in FT remain despite ultra-hypofractionated treatment.

Efficacy of intermittent iron supplementation in children with mild iron-deficiency anemia.

To study the efficacy of intermittent iron supplementation in children with mild iron-deficiency anemia. A total of 147 children with mild iron-deficiency anemia were enrolled in this prospective study. They were divided into an intermittent iron supplementation group (n=83) and a conventional iron supplementation group (n=64). The levels of hemoglobin were measured before treatment and after 1 and 3 months of treatment. The treat response rate and the incidence rate of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups. Both groups had a significant increase in the level of hemoglobin after iron supplementation (P<0.05). After 1 month of treatment, the conventional iron supplementation group had a significantly higher treatment response rate than the intermittent iron supplementation group (61% vs 42%, P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, there was no significant difference in the treatment response between the two groups (86% vs 78%, P>0.05). The incidence rate of adverse drug reactions in the conventional iron supplementation group was significantly higher than that in the intermittent iron supplementation group (25% vs 8%, P<0.05). For children with mild iron-deficiency anemia, although intermittent iron supplementation is inferior to conventional iron supplementation in the short-term efficacy, there is no significant difference in the long-term efficacy between the two methods, and compared with conventional iron supplementation, intermittent iron supplementation can reduce the incidence of adverse drug reactions, alleviate family financial burdens, and improve treatment compliance of children, thus holding promise for clinical application.

Two-Drug Regimens for HIV—Current Evidence, Research Gaps and Future Challenges

During the last 30 years, antiretroviral treatment (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been continuously evolving. Since 1996, three-drug regimens (3DR) have been standard-of-care for HIV treatment and are based on a protease inhibitor (PI) or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) plus two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). The effectiveness of first-generation 3DRs allowed a dramatic increase in the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients, although it was associated with several side effects and ART-related toxicities. The development of novel two-drug regimens (2DRs) started in the mid-2000s in order to minimize side effects, reduce drug–drug interactions and improve treatment compliance. Several clinical trials compared 2DRs and 3DRs in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients and showed the non-inferiority of 2DRs in terms of efficacy, which led to 2DRs being used as first-line treatment in several clinical scenarios, according to HIV clinical guidelines. In this review, we summarize the current evidence, research gaps and future prospects of 2DRs.

Evidence-Based Care Can Improve Treatment Compliance and Quality of Life of Patients with Acute Pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis represents a disease characterized by acute necro-inflammatory changes in the pancreas, which is histologically characterized by destruction of alveolar cells. We aim to explore whether evidence-based care can improve treatment compliance and quality of life of patients with acute pancreatitis. The changes of hemoglobin (HGB), serum pre-albumin (PAB), and serum albumin (ALB) before and after care were observed, as well as the incidence of complications after care, total effective rate after care, disease severity (bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis, BISAP) before and after care, and psychological scores of the two groups before and after care were observed. Patients' compliance after care, self-management scores after care, and quality of life after care were compared between the two groups. After care, HGB, PAB, and ALB increased significantly in both groups (p < 0.05) and were higher in OG than CG. Compared with CG, OG had significantly lower incidence of complications (p=0.009), significantly higher total effective rate (p=0.011), significantly lower disease severity (p < 0.05), significantly better psychological condition scores (p < 0.05), significantly higher compliance scores (p < 0.05), higher self-management scores (p < 0.05), and significantly higher quality of life (p < 0.001). Evidence-based care can improve treatment compliance of patients with acute pancreatitis and can effectively improve their quality of life.

Usefulness of an S-1 dosage formula: An exploratory analysis of randomized clinical trial (JCOG1001).

288 Background: Although the S-1 dose is determined by body surface area (BSA), its blood concentration and adverse events are affected by renal function. One study had reported the clinical utility of an S-1 dosage formula for calculating the dose for target blood concentration based on renal function (Booka E. Gastric Cancer 2016;19:876-86.). The present study aimed to explore the usefulness of this formula in adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer. Methods: Ad hoc analyses was performed using data from patients enrolled in a phase III trial, JCOG1001, to evaluate the role of bursectomy for resectable advanced gastric cancer. In the abovementioned trial, patients with stage II/III received adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy based on BSA. The present study calculated the S-1 dose using the following formula: 1447.8 * (14.5+0.301*CLcr+8.23*SEX [male=1, female=0])*BSA (mg/day). Patients were divided into three groups, overdosed (OD), equal dosed (ED), and underdosed (UD), by comparing the initial dosage administered with that recommended by the formula. Results: Among the 686 eligible pts, 324, 304, and 58 were respectively classified as OD/ED/UD, with the following characteristics: median age, 67.5/64/53.5 years; men 188/229/57 (58%/75%/98%); undifferentiated type, 168/172/38 (52%/57%/66%); and pStage III, 212/200/41 (65%/66%/71%). Median relative dose intensity in OD/ED/UD pts was 93.8%/108.8%/75.0% based on the formula-recommended dose. The planned adjuvant S-1 therapy was completed in 69%/74%/74%, dose reduction and treatment schedule alteration were required in 31%/21%/9% and 20%/17%/9%, and treatment was terminated due to adverse events in 25%/18%/12%. The 5-year relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) OD/ED/UD patients were 66.6%/69.2%/74.0% and 77.0%/74.3%/77.3%, in pStage II 80.2%/85.6%/93.8% and 88.3%/90.1%/100%, and pStage III 59.6%/60.4%/65.8% and 67.0%/70.0%/67.7%, respectively. OD pts had significantly higher incidences of grade 3 or higher anemia, thrombocytopenia, diarrhea, stomatitis than ED and UD pts. Conclusions: Despite no difference in survival, this formula improved treatment compliance in OD patients receiving adjuvant S-1 chemotherapy for gastric cancer.[Table: see text]

Progress and prospects of therapeutic vaccines for cardiovascular diseases

<p indent=0mm>Effective prevention and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes reduce the risk of cardiovascular death. However, the rates of awareness, treatment and control for cardiovascular risk factors in China are still low. Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases is facing huge challenges and difficulties. To explore safe and effective therapeutic methods for cardiovascular diseases and improve treatment compliance, our team has worked hard for long in the field of therapeutic vaccines for cardiovascular diseases, which makes us full of hope for the application prospects of therapeutic vaccines. This article will systematically introduce the research progress in the field of therapeutic vaccines for hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, clarify the immune response mechanism of peptide-conjugated vaccines and the biased mechanism of ATRQβ-001 hypertension vaccines, aiming to promote basic research and clinical translation in the field of therapeutic vaccines and make therapeutic vaccines an important weapon for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases soon.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction program on depression and adherence to treatment in female coronary heart patients

Aim: The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction program on depression and adherence to treatment in coronary heart patients. Methods: The present study was conducted as a semi-experimental type of pre-test-post-test and follow-up with a control group with measurement at the baseline after the intervention and 3-month follow-up with the control group. The number of 52 female patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease from among the patients referred to Hazrat Fatemeh (S) specialized polyclinic (Social Security Organization) located in Urmia city from September to December 2019 and randomly selected to the group Experiment (mindfulness-based stress reduction program (n=26) and control (n=26) were assigned. All participants completed the demographic questionnaire, Beck et al.'s depression questionnaire (1996) and Moriski, Eng and Wood's (2008) treatment adherence questionnaire in three stages. Mindfulness-based stress reduction program was conducted in eight weekly sessions based on Mochari et al.'s training package (2014). The research was analyzed using multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance as well as Tukey's follow-up tests. Results: The results of the present study showed that the stress reduction program based on mindfulness on depression (F=561.08, P&lt;0.001) and adherence to treatment (F=373.51, P&lt;0.001) in coronary heart patients. It was effective and this effect continued until the follow-up period. Conclusion: The results of this research showed that the mentioned treatment can be used as a psychological intervention in reducing depression and improving treatment compliance in female patients with cardiovascular disease.

The Ottawa Decision-Making Supportive Framework-Based Nursing Care in the Outcome of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.

Objective To examine the psychological, compliance, and prognostic impact of care based on the Ottawa Decision Support Framework on patients with chronic heart failure. Methods The medical profiles of 80 individuals with permanent heart failure from January 2020 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The care was provided in the framework of Ottawa Decision Support alongside the clinical standard of care. The self-assessment anxiety scale (SAS), Frankel treatment adherence scale, Minnesota quality of life questionnaire for heart failure, self-care competence scale (ESCA), complication rates, and readmission rates were compared prior to and postcare. Results Following three-month nursing care, the score of the SAS scale was remarkably fewer, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Three months of care later, the scores on the Frank Scale were substantially superior to those before care, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Aftercare, the Minnesota quality of life questionnaire for heart failure was clearly inferior to precare, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The ESCA scale scores were found to be considerably more favorable after three months of care than before care, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After nursing care, one arrhythmia (1.25%) and one pulmonary infection (1.25%) were noted, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The prevalence of complications was 2.50%, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Three cases were readmitted for recurrent chronic heart failure, which was a 2.75% readmission rate. Conclusion Continuous nursing based on the Ottawa Decision Support Framework has significant application value in an anxiety state, treatment compliance, and prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure, which can more effectively reduce patients' anxiety and the incidence of complications and readmission rate, in the meanwhile, effectively improve treatment compliance, quality of life, self-care ability, and prognosis, which is worthy of clinical application.

Current Issues of the Implementation of Complementary Medical and Health-improving Methods in Medical Rehabilitation: on what are Attachment and Mistrust Based?

Aim: To sharpen the attention of doctors and rehabilitation specialists on the wide possibilities of alternative/complementary methods in modern medicine. Materials and Methods: The main method used in the preparation of this work is bibliosemantic. We conducted an analysis of modern literary data and studied the experience of leading clinics in both Europe and China. Researched leading works on the validity of using reflexology for improved treatment compliance. The directions of medical rehabilitation for the restoration of impaired functions in various nosologies were presented, along with this, the question of the feasibility of using alternative methods in the rehabilitation of patients with various diseases was considered. Conclusions: The modern theoretical and practical evidence base for the effectiveness of methods in rehabilitation, which is based on the anatomical and physiological mechanisms of action of acupuncture and related non-invasive methods of reflexotherapy, was considered, and the reasons for insufficient commitment of the population and doctors of related specialties to the use of the methods were analyzed. References are given to some existing protocols for the use of acupuncture in various pathological conditions, which is explained by the evidence base of the method.

Şok Dalga Litotripsi Uygulanan Hastalarda İnhaler Aromaterapinin Ağrı ve Anksiyete Üzerine Etkisi

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of inhaler aromatherapy on pain and anxiety during the shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) protocol. Material and Methods: This placebo-controlled prospective double-blind study included 120 patients who were scheduled to undergo SWL. Patients were randomly assigned a control placebo group 1 (n=40), the lavender group 2 (n=40), and the frankincense group 3 (n=40). The nebulizer (a rate of 2%) was prepared and operated on in the SWL room before the procedure. Data were collected using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-I). Results: Of the 120 patients included in the study, 67 (55.8%) were male and 53 (44.2%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 37.38±11.35 years. The mean stone size was 11.07±3.09 mm. There were no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of VAS scores of the patients after the procedure (p=0.557). While there was no statistically significant change in the STAI-I score in group 1 and group 2 after the procedure compared to the pre-procedure, a statistically significant decrease was detected in group 3 (p=0.030). The percentages of patients with changing STAI-I scores were compared, it was observed that the decrease in STAI-I score in group 2 and group 3 at a higher rate compared to group 1 (p=0.018). Conclusion: Frankincense reduced anxiety more significantly than lavender. Both had no significant effect on pain. Inhaler aromatherapy can be used in the SWL process to reduce anxiety and improve treatment compliance.

The Effectiveness of Family Psychological Training Program Applied to Relatives of Patients with Schizophrenia.

The aim of the study is to improve the family relations of the patients who suffer for schizophrenia, to ensure the participation of the family in the treatment, to improve treatment compliance and to reduce relapse. A total of 80 caregivers of the patients, consisting of 40 people as a study group and 40 as a control group, the training was given in two sessions of forty five minutes twice a week, 24 sessions completed in approximately three months. It was applied in both groups at the beginning and end of the training the scales that are the test batteries. While there was no difference between the two groups according to the pre-test scores obtained before the family psychological training program, according to the post-test scores, there was a significant difference between two groups in terms of symptoms of depression and anxiety, solutionoriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, dangerous perception of the disease and emotion expression. The training programme thought that the family psychological training support to be given to the relatives of patients with schizophrenia will both contribute positively to the treatment and play an effective role in the adaptation of the caregivers' to the disease.

A 3‐month toxicity study of GB‐5001, a donepezil one‐month depot injection formulation, by intramuscular injection in dogs

AbstractBackgroundDonepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is administered as daily tablets. The treatment compliance, however, is particularly challenging in AD patients for various reasons such as difficulty in swallowing medication, tolerating side effects, and/or complying with the appropriate dosage. GB‐5001 is a novel once monthly intramuscular (IM) depot injection of donepezil to improve treatment compliance developed using G2GBIO’s InnoLAMP® technology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of GB‐5001 in beagle dogs for further development.MethodGB‐5001 was administered once every 4 weeks via bolus IM injection to 16 male and 16 female beagle dogs (7.4∼13.3 kg) for 3 months, and 4 male dogs and 4 female dogs in the vehicle group and the highest dose level group were evaluated for the reversibility or long‐term effects following a 2‐month non‐dosing recovery period. The dose levels were 0 (vehicle), 280, 560, and 1120 mg/dose. The following parameters and endpoints were evaluated in this study: standard toxicology parameters, ophthalmoscopic, electrocardiographic examination, gross, histopathologic examinations, and toxicokinetic parameters.ResultNo fatality occurred during this study and there were no toxicologically significant clinical changes or pathological findings related to GB‐5001 in all groups. Systemic exposure to Donepezil was independent of sex. Following IM injection once every 4‐weeks of GB‐5001, mean Cmax and AUC0‐last values of Donepezil increased dose dependently on Days 1 and 57. And systemic exposure (AUC0‐last) to Donepezil increased slightly (&lt;2 fold) on Day 57 compared to Day 1.ConclusionGB‐5001 was tolerated at all dose levels when administered once every 4 weeks via IM injection to male and female beagle dogs for 3 months at doses of 0, 280, 560 and 1120 mg/dose. The clinical observations of swelling and nodules at the dose sites are considered to be vehicle‐related as evidenced by the similar incidence in control. Consequently, the no‐observed‐adverse‐effect‐level (NOAEL) is considered to be 1120 mg/dose.

Effect of nursing intervention based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs in patients with coronary heart disease interventional surgery.

BACKGROUNDIt is very important to provide effective nursing programs to regulate the physical and mental state of patients and to improve treatment compliance after interventional surgery for coronary heart disease (CHD).AIMTo explore the effect of a nursing intervention based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory on patients with CHD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODSNinety-four patients with CHD undergoing interventional surgery in our hospital from January 2020 to February 2021 were randomly divided into a research group (n = 47) and a control group (n = 47). The control group received routine nursing, and the research group received a nursing intervention based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The scores of self-efficacy, negative emotion [depression (SDS), anxiety (SAS)], intervention compliance (standardized medication, moderate exercise, healthy diet, and regular review), and nursing satisfaction were calculated before and after intervention for the two groups. RESULTSBefore intervention, there was no significant difference in the scores of disease general management self-efficacy, disease management self-efficacy, and total self-efficacy between the two groups (P = 0.795, 0.479, and 0.659, respectively). After intervention, these three scores in the research group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Before intervention, there was no significant difference in the scores of SAS and SDS between the two groups (P = 0.149 and 0.347, respectively). After intervention, the scores of SAS and SDS in the research group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001). The standardized drug use rate (97.87%), moderate exercise rate (97.87%), healthy diet rate (95.74%), and regular reexamination rate (97.87%) in the research group were higher than those in the control group (85.11%, 82.98%, 80.85%, and 87.23%, respectively) (P = 0.027, 0.014, 0.025, and 0.049, respectively). Nursing job satisfaction in the research group (93.62%) was higher than that in the control group (78.72%) (P = 0.036).CONCLUSIONA nursing program based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory can effectively alleviate negative emotion, enhance self-efficacy and intervention compliance, and ensure that the patients are highly satisfied with the nursing work.

Thai Physicians’ Opinions about the Use of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

Hypertension is a powerful modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of hypertension in Thailand is increasing progressively. Patients with hypertension are usually asymptomatic, and thus proper blood pressure measurement is required to diagnose and assess the blood pressure control. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recognized as a useful tool in hypertension management and is recommended by many organizations, including the Thai Hypertension Society. The proven benefits of HBPM beyond the usual clinic measurement is that it allowed detection of white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension, better prediction of cardiovascular events, better assessment of the status of blood pressure control, and improved treatment compliance. Despite these benefits, the use of HBPM has remained low in many countries. The Asia HBPM Survey is a collaborative study of participants from 11 countries in Asia. The present study aimed to investigate physicians’ rationale, challenge, and attitudes toward the use of HBPM for hypertensive patients. Herein, the authors report Thai physicians’ responses in the Asia HBPM Survey.

Effect of Health Education Combined with Dietary Guidance on Nutritional Indicator, Immune Level, and Quality of Life of Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of health education combined with dietary guidance on nutritional indicators, immune level, and quality of life of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Method A total of 123 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who were hospitalized to our hospital between October 2019 and October 2020 were chosen for the study and were separated into 60 control cases and 63 observation cases based on the ward they were assigned to. Patients in the two groups were compared in terms of nutritional risk, nutritional indicator levels in serum, immunological function, treatment compliance, sputum culture conversion rate, and quality of life. Result With the prolongation of patients' illness, the total NRS 2002 score gradually increased in both groups and the total NRS 2002 score of patients in the control group was higher than that of patients in the observation group at the same time point after discharge. The difference between the total NRS 2002 score of patients in both groups was significant at 3 and 6 months after discharge. After the intervention, the Hb, ALB, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels of patients in both groups were higher than those at the time of admission, and the CD8+ levels were lower than those at the time of admission. At 6 months after discharge, the Hb, ALB, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the CD8+ levels were significantly lower than those in the control group. The treatment compliance rate of patients in the observation group (96.83%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (75%), and the negative sputum culture transfer rate (85.71%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (60%). The overall quality of life scores of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Conclusion Health education combined with dietary guidance for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis can deepen patients' understanding of disease and nutritional knowledge, improve treatment compliance, improve their nutritional status, enhance their immune function, accelerate sputum bacterial conversion, enhance treatment effect, and improve their quality of life.

Trends of Mental Disorders and Treatment Continuity Predictors of New Patients in the Paediatric Psychiatry Clinic of a University Hospital

This study analysed trends of first-time patients visiting the paediatric psychiatry clinic in a university hospital. The medical records from 2009 to 2016 of first-time patients visiting the Kyung Hee University Hospital were reviewed, focusing on children in grades 1–12. We analysed the clinical diagnosis rate of mental disorders per 100,000 in the general population by gender and grade, and the characteristics of patients who sought outpatient care more than three times. The study included 1467 participants, of which 931 were males (63.5%). The number of male patients per 100,000 population significantly decreased from 4.14 in 2009 to 2.03 in 2016. While hyperkinetic disorders had the highest prevalence in males, neurotic disorders were most frequent in females. The rate of disruptive behaviour disorders in males and mental retardation in females decreased significantly during the data collecting period. The factors affecting treatment continuity were being female, 7th–12th graders, and diagnosis of depressive, hyperkinetic, and tic disorders. Physicians should consider the new paediatric patients’ gender, grade, and expected diagnosis from their first visit to improve treatment compliance.

Factors affecting addiction severity index (ASI) among clients enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in Myanmar

BackgroundOpioid substitution with methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is shown to reduce illicit opioid use and renew social functioning. Understanding factors that undermine clients’ social functioning during MMT treatment is vital for improving treatment compliance and quality of life.MethodA total of 210 respondents who were already enrolled in a formal MMT program in Myanmar were recruited from five cities through stratified random sampling for this cross-sectional study. The addiction severity index (ASI) was used to objectively assess respondents social functioning in the last 30 days. Higher ASI scores denote poorer social functioning.ResultRespondents total ASI scores in the respective domains were: employment (47.4%), alcohol (44.4%), drug use (7.2%), legal (49.2%) and social–family relationship (10.7%). Those reported to have never injected drugs in the last 30 days had lower ASI total scores than those who reported injection drug use (p = 0.01). After identifying the differences in ASI total scores, we found there were significant associations in the clients’ hepatitis C status, age category, frequency of heroin injection, quality of life score, marital status, current leisure status with family/friend, current history of injection in the last 30 days, income status, satisfaction with current marital status, as well as reported drug and alcohol use (p < 0.05). Stepwise binary logistic regression showed that alcohol and higher frequency of heroin injection were associated with higher ASI scores. Meanwhile, older age, respondents those who had leisure time with family, and satisfied with current marital status had lower ASI scores (p < 0.05).ConclusionOur results indicate that those enrolled in the MMT program in Myanmar faced many challenges in their daily social functioning. Treatment providers must take heed of these apparent impediment to ensure clients chequered social functioning does not undermine their treatment compliance.Trial registration: NA

Influence of Psychological Nursing Intervention on Psychological State, Treatment Compliance, and Immune Function of Postoperative Patients with Rectal Cancer.

In order to explore the clinical effect of psychological nursing intervention on postoperative chemotherapy for rectal cancer, 120 cases of rectal cancer patients were selected as the research subjects. The control group received conventional nursing treatment after operation, and the research group received comprehensive psychological nursing intervention on this basis. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) scores, self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores, hope level scores, nursing satisfaction, mental state changes, treatment compliance, and immune function of two groups were analyzed and compared. There was no significant difference between the two groups of patients in the preoperative SAS, SDS, and hope level scale scores. After the intervention, postoperative SAS and SDS scores and CD8+ value of the research group were significantly lower than those of the control group. In contrast, the postoperative hope level score, treatment compliance, and postoperative CD4+/CD8+ of the research group were significantly higher, and the nursing satisfaction was better than that of the control group. The application of psychological nursing intervention in postoperative chemotherapy for patients with rectal cancer can effectively relieve anxiety and depression of patients, promote patients to establish a healthy and coordinated mental state, improve treatment compliance, improve immune function, and promote disease recovery.

How environmental enrichment balances out neuroinflammation in chronic pain and comorbid depression and anxiety disorders.

Depression and anxiety commonly occur in chronic pain states and the coexistence of these diseases worsens outcomes for both disorders and may reduce treatment adherence and response. Despite the advances in the knowledge of chronic pain mechanisms, pharmacological treatment is still unsatisfactory. Research based on exposure to environmental enrichment is currently under investigation and seems to offer a promising low-cost strategy with no side effects. In this review, we discuss the role of inflammation as a major biological substrate and aetiological factor of chronic pain and depression/anxiety and report a collection of preclinical evidence of the effects and mechanisms of environmental enrichment. As microglia participates in the development of both conditions, we also discuss microglia as a potential target underlying the beneficial actions of environmental enrichment in chronic pain and comorbid depression/anxiety. We also discuss how alternative interventions under clinical guidelines, such as environmental enrichment, may improve treatment compliance and patient outcomes. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Building Bridges in Neuropharmacology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.8/issuetoc.

Assessing forgetfulness and polypharmacy and their impact on health-related quality of life among patients with hypertension and dyslipidemia in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PurposeWe estimate the association between forgetfulness to take medications as prescribed and polypharmacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among a cohort of patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia or both in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA telephone survey of 1018 randomly selected adults was conducted in Greece in June 2020. Participants were included in the survey, if they (a) had a diagnosis of hypertension, dyslipidemia or both and (b) were on prescription treatment for these conditions. HRQoL was calculated using the short form (SF) -12 Patient Questionnaire. A multivariable generalized linear regression model (GLM) was used to estimate the association between forgetfulness and polypharmacy and HRQoL, controlling for sociodemographic and health-related covariates.ResultsOverall, 351 respondents met the inclusion criteria, of whom 28 did not fully complete the questionnaire (response rate: 92%, n = 323). Of those, 37% were diagnosed with hypertension only, 28% with dyslipidemia only, and 35% with both. Most reported good to average physical (64.1%) and mental health (48.6%). Overall, 25% indicated that they sometimes forget to take their prescribed medications, and 12% took two or more pills multiple times daily. Total HRQoL score was 68.9% (s.d. = 18.0%). About 10% of participants reported paying less attention to their healthcare condition during the pandemic. Estimates of multivariable analyses indicated a negative association between forgetfulness (− 9%, adjusted β: − 0.047, 95% confidence interval − 0.089 to − 0.005, p = 0.029), taking two or more pills multiple times daily compared to one pill once a day (− 16%, adjusted β: − 0.068, 95% confidence interval − 0.129 to − 0.008, p = 0.028) and total HRQoL.ConclusionOur results suggest that among adult patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia or both in Greece, those who forget to take their medications and those with more complex treatment regimens had lower HRQoL. Such patients merit special attention and require targeted approaches by healthcare providers to improve treatment compliance and health outcomes.