Search

Background: The female Veteran population is rapidly growing, as is their use of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers (VAMCs). Additionally, 90% of female Veterans are under 65 years old, meaning healthcare providers at VAMCs must be ready to manage the complex serious illnesses that affect female Veterans as they age. These serious illnesses require proper medical management, which can include palliative care. However, little palliative care research includes female Veterans. Aims: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine palliative care knowledge and symptom burden among female Veterans' and examine factors associated a symptom burden scale. Methods: Consenting participants completed online questionnaires, including the Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS), Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS), and demographics. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, bivariate association were carried out with a Chi-square and t test. A generalized linear model explored associations between CMSAS and its subscales with sociodemographic, number of serious illnesses, and facility type (VAMC vs civilian facility). Results: 152 female Veterans completed the survey. PaCKS scores were consistent across our sample. Physical symptoms were rated higher for those receiving care at VAMCs compared to civilian facilities (P =.02) in the bivariate analysis. The factors associated with CMSAS were age, employment status and number of serious illnesses (all P <.05). Conclusions: Palliative care can assist female Veterans with serious illness. More research is needed to further explore variables associated with symptom burden among female Veterans such as age, employment status, and number of serious illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to correlate female sexual dysfunctions and dissatisfaction with female university students' body image.Methods: 276 female university students completed an online questionnaire, including sociodemographic data, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Body Shape Questionnaire.Results: 31.1% reported some degree of dissatisfaction with body image, and 39.5% had a risk of female sexual dysfunction. The majority of women with a risk of female sexual dysfunctions (69.4%) had no concerns with shape, and the majority of women without sexual problems (67.7%) had no concerns with shape. Pearson's coefficient underlined no correlation between Body Shape Questionnaire and Female Sexual Function Index domains.Conclusion: The body image perception did not seem to affect the sexual function of female university students in our sample. However, it is important to further investigate these variables to improve women's quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and early detection is critical to improve breast cancer survival. The All Women Count! (AWC!) Program, part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, provides breast and cervical screening services at no cost to underserved women in South Dakota. Aiming to investigate program participation, we examined trends in the number of women eligible for breast cancer screening services through the AWC! Program along with mammography screening participation by county. Methods: Using the State-level Small Area Health Insurances Estimates data and the AWC! data, we calculated the proportion of South Dakotan women eligible for mammography screening under the AWC! Program from 2016 to 2019, and calculated the standardized participation ratio and 95 percent confidence interval by county (2019). To investigate differences in screening participation over time and by counties, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey statistical test were conducted, respectively. Results: From 2016 to 2019, the number of women eligible for breast cancer screening services declined by 12 percent. Differences in screening participation were not statistically significant over the four-year period. Conversely, county-level variations in screening participation were found. In 2019, among the 59 counties with screening data, 15 percent presented statistically higher participation in screening. Conclusion: A decrease in the number of women eligible for breast cancer services provided by AWC! was observed. Additionally, screening participation varied by county. A more comprehensive investigation is needed to explain these geographic disparities so prevention strategies can reduce the burden of breast cancer among South Dakota underserved women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The incidence of oral cavity and pharynx cancer is rising in the United States and South Dakota (SD) (2009-2018). In 2018, it was estimated that 396,937 of Americans were living with oral cavity and pharynx cancer. The 5-year relative survival rate for oral cancer is 66.2%, which is less than the survival rates for breast, colorectum, and prostate cancers. Tobacco and alcohol use and human papillomavirus (HPV16) exposure are some of the risk factors for oral cancer. Overall rural populations have higher cancer mortality than no rural population due to higher poverty, lower access to health services, and cigarette use. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of the oral cancer risk factors (e.g., cigarette smoking), HPV vaccination rates, and to identify the spatial distribution of social and environmental factors (e.g., social vulnerability, dental care access) in SD. Finally, this article discusses how nurses can contribute to oral cancer prevention and early detection. Methods: This descriptive study used data from multiple data sources (e.g., SD Department of Health, HRSA, County Health Rankings). Maps were created using ArcGIS. Findings: From the 66 SD counties, nearly 17% presented high-level shortage scores and were also highly socially vulnerable. HPV vaccination among youth was higher than the national average. Studies showed that improving nurse's knowledge by training on oral cancer is needed and this may increase nurses' practice in oral cancer prevention and control. Conclusions: Primary care professionals like nurse practitioners can assist in early detection of oral cancer and promote awareness of signs and main risk factors in rural areas. As part of the total patient care, nurses hold a vital role in prevention and early detection of oral cancer. These efforts with referral to oral cancer screening are vital for decreasing oral cancers morbidity and mortality rates primarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an editorial focuses on lung cancer statistics in South Dakota, highlighting the annual average of 124,127 deaths in the United States and the creation of a new interactive Lung Cancer Dashboard. Topics include disparities by gender and race, modifiable risk factors like smoking and radon exposure, and the importance of early detection through screening efforts, particularly with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT).

Background: The prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth is increasing in an alarming rate nationwide with over 5 million students currently using e-cigarettes in 2019. To better understand e-cigarette use in South Dakota, we examined the prevalence, access, reasons, and harm perception of e-cigarette among South Dakota youth. Methods: We analyzed a representative sample of sixth to eighth grade students from the 2019 South Dakota Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS). Weighted estimates were computed to account for the complex sampling design and estimates were analyzed by geographic location and race/ethnicity. Results: Among the 2,346 students, the prevalence of ever use of e-cigarettes among middle school students was 16.0 percent, a nearly 100 percent increase from 2017 YTS findings (8.2 percent). Approximately, seven percent (6.7 percent) reported use of an e-cigarette in the past 30 days, a nearly threefold increase from 2017 results (2.5 percent). Prevalence of current e-cigarette use was significantly higher among American Indian (12.7 percent) students and rural (8.3 percent) school students. The most common reported reasons for e-cigarette use was having friends/family members that use them (49.6 percent) but also availability of flavors (18.6 percent). E-cigarette users obtained ecigarettes predominantly through social sources (e.g., friends and peers). Nearly 30 percent (27.3 percent) reported not having enough information about e-cigarette's harm. Conclusions: In 2019, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among South Dakota middle school students. We found geographic and racial/ethnic disparity in e-cigarette use. Social influence and availability of flavors were important factors in promoting e-cigarette use. Continued efforts to implement population-level strategies to reduce e-cigarette use among youth are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to systematically review randomized clinical trials comparing the treatment of individuals with overactive bladder syndrome through the use of behavioral therapy versus drug therapy. A systematic electronic search of MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was performed, including studies indexed until August 2019. Five randomized clinical trials were included. The studies presented a high risk of bias. There was no significant difference between the evaluated treatments. Thus, behavioral therapy and drug therapy also promote the improvement of the symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome, and the behavioral therapy does not have significant adverse effects reported. Due to the high risk of bias in included studies, data should be interpreted with caution. Future studies with more comprehensive protocols may change the effect estimates of behavioral therapy on overactive bladder syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The culture of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been consolidated in different regions of Brazil, and presents interesting characteristics on agronomic aspects, oil composition and protein quality. The defatted sunflower meal has been used to feed, but browning limits its use for human consumption. Sunflower meal contains chlorogenic acid, a potent antioxidant, which in turn is oxidized by polyphenol oxidase, producing compounds that darken the meal and reduce the nutritional quality of protein. In this research chlorogenic acid extracts were obtained from defatted sunflower meal, using methanol or ethanol as solvent, at temperatures of 25, 40 and 60°C and contact times of 30 and 60 minutes in a three classification criteria experiments. There were significant differences between solvent, time and temperature (P<0.05). The highest removal efficiency of chlorogenic acid was of 40%, when methanol was used. Chlorogenic acid extracts obtained have potential for use as antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]