Search

Abstract Cancer and pandemics are leading causes of death globally, with severe socioeconomic repercussions. To better understand these repercussions, we investigate similarities between pandemics and cancer and describe the limited growth in number of infections or cancer cells, using mathematical models. For a pandemic, the analysis shows that in most cases, the initial fast growth is followed by a slower decay in the recovery phase. The risk of infection increases due to the airborne virus contact crossing a risk-threshold. For cancers caused by carcinogens, the increasing risk with age and absorbed dose of toxins that cross a risk-threshold, may lead to the disease onset. The time scales are different for both causes of death: years for cancer development and days to weeks for contact with airborne viruses. Contamination by viruses is on a time scale of seconds or minutes. The risk-threshold to get ill and the number-threshold in cancer cells or viruses, may explain the large variability in the outcome. The number of infected persons per day is better represented in log–lin plots instead of the conventional lin–lin plots. Differences in therapies are discussed. Our mathematical investigation between cancer and pandemics reveals a multifactorial correlation between both fragilities and brings us one step closer to understand, timely predict and ultimately diminish the socioeconomic hurdle of both cancer and pandemics.

Pandemic curves, such as COVID-19, often show multiple and unpredictable contamination peaks, often called second, third and fourth waves, which are separated by wide plateaus. Here, by considering the statistical inhomogeneity of age groups, we show a quantitative understanding of the different behaviour rules to flatten a pandemic COVID-19 curve and concomitant multi-peak recurrence. The simulations are based on the Verhulst model with analytical generalized logistic equations for the limited growth. From the log–lin plot, we observe an early exponential growth proportional to et/τgrow. The first peak is often τgrow ≅ 5 d. The exponential growth is followed by a recovery phase with an exponential decay proportional to e−t/τrecov. For the characteristic time holds: τgrow< τrecov. Even with isolation, outbreaks due to returning travellers can result in a recurrence of multi-peaks visible on log–lin scales. The exponential growth for the first wave is faster than for the succeeding waves, with characteristic times, τ of about 10 d. Our analysis ascertains that isolation is an efficient method in preventing contamination and enables an improved strategy for scientists, governments and the general public to timely balance between medical burdens, mental health, socio-economic and educational interests.

1/f noise is a fluctuation in the conductance of semiconductors and metals. This noise could be a fluctuation in the number of free electrons or in their mobility. Many experimental studies have proved that the 1/f noise in homogeneous samples is a fluctuation in the mobility. There is a reliable empirical relation for the power density of the mobility noise. Theoretical models for mobility noise have not had much influence in the discussions. The theoretical position for number fluctuations is quite the opposite. The generally accepted McWhorter model is simple; however, very few experimental studies definitely prove number fluctuations and exclude uncorrelated mobility fluctuations. There is an extensive literature on noise in MOSTs. Submicrometer MOSTs are notorious for their high low-frequency noise. Almost all studies start from the McWhorter generation-recombination (GR) model. The discussion is confused by the many complications of the MOSTs, such as mobility degradation, surface and contacts effects, size of the samples, etc. An additional problem is that the real 1/f noise is often mixed up with other types of low-frequency noise, such as burst and GR noises. A critical discussion is given for the Kirton and Uren model. Analytical expressions are presented for the results of their computer simulations. This explains their surprising discovery that the density of McWhorter states may be "substantially" different from the usual 1/T distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A measurement system comprised of an ultra-low-distortion function generator, lock,in amplifier, and semiconductor parameter analyzer is used for sensitive extraction of the small-signal thermal impedance network of bipolar devices and circuits. The extraction procedure is demonstrated through measurements on several silicon-on-glass NPN test structures. Behavioral modeling of the mutual thermal coupling obtained by fitting a multipole rational complex function to measured data is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which proposed unified noise models to describe the 1/f noise of n- and p-type metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor in all operating regimes. Basic formulation of the noise models; Experimental results and discussion; Conclusions.

Devices with metallic nanoconstrictions functionalized by organic molecules are promising candidates for the role of functional devices in molecular electronics. However, at the moment little is known about transport and noise properties of nanoconstriction devices of this kind. In this paper, transport properties of bare gold and molecule-containing tunable cross-section nanoconstrictions are studied using low-frequency noise spectroscopy. Normalized noise power spectral density (PSD) SI/I2 dependencies are analyzed for a wide range of sample resistances R from 10 Ohm to 10 MOhm. The peculiarities and physical background of the flicker noise behavior in the low-bias regime are studied. It is shown that modification of the sample surface with benzene-1,4-dithiol molecules results in a decrease of the normalized flicker noise spectral density level in the ballistic regime of sample conductance. The characteristic power dependence of normalized noise PSD as a function of system resistance is revealed. Models describing noise behavior for bare gold and BDT modified samples are developed and compared with the experimental data for three transport regimes: diffusive, ballistic and tunneling. Parameters extracted from models by fitting are used for the characterization of nanoconstriction devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide, disproportionally affecting older people. With modern treatment, older people are surviving cancer treatment and recovery. However, only a limited number of studies on the older person's experience of recovery exist. Knowledge of the experience of recovery among people 80 years or older is essential to optimize recovery and follow-up care., Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of persons 80 years or older during recovery up to 2 years after curative colorectal cancer surgery., Methods: This exploratory inductive qualitative study was conducted through 18 individual in-depth interviews between July 2020 and June 2021. Content analysis was used to analyze the data., Results: The main theme identified was Recovery among the old is a complex process . It indicated that older people operated on for colorectal cancer may have intricate health challenges that affect recovery in addition to their cancer and treatment. The main theme is built upon the subthemes Individual factors affect colorectal cancer recovery and External support systems facilitate and impede colorectal recovery., Conclusion: Important resources for recovery among old patients included their own coping ability and support from social networks and healthcare services. The identified barriers to recovery included other health problems and issues with healthcare services delivery., Implications for Practice: It is essential for healthcare personnel in contact with older patients to be aware of factors that influence their recovery to identify and preserve the older person's resources and implement health-promoting initiatives to optimize recovery when needed., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the associations between patient characteristics, psychological distress, and coping in the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer., Methods: A cross-sectional multicentre study was conducted from 2017 to 2019. A total of 250 patients were recruited from three hospitals in western Norway. The patients completed a questionnaire while awaiting their prostate biopsy. Patient characteristics were collected, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist were used to measure psychological distress and evaluate coping strategies and primary appraisal, respectively., Results: Approximately 15% and 5% of the patients experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Younger age and poorer self-reported health were associated with higher anxiety levels. Anxiety was associated with all five coping strategies but showed the strongest correlation with wishful thinking. The patients who appraised their situation as a threat experienced more symptoms of both anxiety and depression and used more wishful thinking and avoidance than did the patients who appraised their situation as a challenge or benign., Conclusion: A subgroup of patients experiences psychological distress during diagnostic evaluation of prostate cancer. Age, self-reported health, and primary appraisal may contribute to the development of psychological distress. Identification of patient characteristics associated with higher levels of psychological distress may guide nurses in implementing early interventions aimed at supporting beneficial coping and enhancing well-being., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous studies indicate that men experience frustration and uncertainty when confronted with an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and during further diagnostics for prostate cancer. The novel Stockholm3 test is an algorithm-based test that combines plasma protein biomarkers, genetic markers and clinical variables in predicting the risk of PCa. The test was introduced in a western part of Norway as a new tool for detecting prostate cancer. This study aimed to explore and compare men's perception of information and possible experience of distress between a PSA group and a Stockholm3 group during the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer., Methods: This study is a part of the trailing research evaluating the impact of the change from PSA to Stockholm3. It is a multicenter study using a comparative mixed method design. Data were collected in a PSA group (n = 130) and a Stockholm3 group (n = 120) between 2017 and 2019. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires and qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews (n = 20). The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed and compared separately and then merged in a side-by-side discussion. The study adheres to the GRAMMS guidelines for reporting mixed-methods research., Results: Compared with the PSA group, men in the Stockholm3 group reported that the information from the general practitioners was better. Similarly, men in the Stockholm3 group were more likely to indicate that they had received sufficient information regarding how examinations would be conducted. No differences were found between the groups regarding waiting time and distress. Three themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the two groups: "Information affects the experience of comprehension", "Stepping into the world of the healthcare system", and "Periodically feelings of distress"., Conclusion: The Stockholm3 test may facilitate the provision of information to patients. However, some patients in both groups experienced distress and would benefit from more information and additional support from healthcare professionals. Routines that ensure sufficient information from the interdisciplinary healthcare team should be of priority during the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer in order to provide patients with predictability and to avoid unnecessary distress., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: To explore the associations between sense of coherence, perceived social support, and demographic and clinical characteristics among survivors ≥80 years treated for curable colorectal cancer., Methods: This exploratory, cross-sectional survey investigates 56 individuals surgically treated for stage I-III colorectal cancer between one and five years prior. Statistical analysis permitted exploration of associations between sense of coherence, perceived social support, and demographic- and clinical variables., Results: Lower sense of coherence was associated with higher age, limitations in physical function, and the need for homecare nursing. Lower perceived social support was associated with re-admission, higher age at time of surgery, and male gender. No correlations were found between sense of coherence and perceived social support., Conclusion: The results are important for healthcare professionals to consider when dealing with older people who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer, especially in the discharge process to facilitate optimal follow-up care and recovery., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Breast cancer is still the most common malignancy among women worldwide. The Prospective Breast Cancer Biobank (PBCB) collects blood and urine from patients with breast cancer every 6 or 12 months for 11 years from 2011 to 2030 at two university hospitals in Western Norway. The project aims to identify new biomarkers that enable detection of systemic recurrences at the molecular level. As blood represents the biological interface between the primary tumour, the microenvironment and distant metastases, liquid biopsies represent the ideal medium to monitor the patient's cancer biology for identification of patients at high risk of relapse and for early detection systemic relapse.Including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) allows for a vast number of possibilities to compare PROM data with biological information, enabling the study of fatigue and Quality of Life in patients with breast cancer., Methods and Analysis: A total of 1455 patients with early-stage breast cancer are enrolled in the PBCB study, which has a one-armed prospective observational design. Participants consent to contribute liquid biopsies (i.e., peripheral blood and urine samples) every 6 or 12 months for 11 years. The liquid biopsies are the basis for detection of circulating tumour cells, circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), exosomal micro-RNA (miRNA), miRNA in Tumour Educated Platelet and metabolomic profiles. In addition, participants respond to 10 PROM questionnaires collected annually. Moreover, a control group comprising 200 women without cancer aged 25-70 years will provide the same data., Ethics and Dissemination: The general research biobank PBCB was approved by the Ministry of Health and Care Services in 2007, by the Regional Ethics Committee (REK) in 2010 (#2010/1957). The PROM (#2011/2161) and the biomarker study PerMoBreCan (#2015/2010) were approved by REK in 2011 and 2015 respectively. Results will be published in international peer reviewed journals. Deidentified data will be accessible on request., Trial Registration Number: NCT04488614., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Adverse events in hospitals may jeopardize the safety of patients. Failure in professional autonomy, organizational learning or in the contact between these two factors may explain the occurrence of injurious incidents in hospitals., Objective: To study reasons for failure in contact between professional autonomy and organizational learning in resilient management of specialized health care through document analysis., Methods: A total of 20 reports from the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision were evaluated by a retrospective in-depth document analysis. In the analysis of adverse events, we applied the Braut model to identify function or failure of 1. Professional autonomy, 2. Organizational learning and 3. Contact between professional autonomy and organizational learning., Results: Multivariable regression analysis showed that failure in organizational learning was the only explanatory variable for failure in contact between doctors and nurses autonomy and organizational learning. Failure in organizational learning had the strongest effect on failure in contact between doctors and nurse's autonomy and organizational learning (B = 1.69; 95% CI = 0.45 to 2.92). Failure in professional autonomy showed no significant effect on this contact., Conclusions: Failure in organizational learning is associated with failure in contact between professional autonomy and organizational learning. Failure in professional autonomy did not influence this contact.

Objective: To explore men`s perception of information and their possible emotional strain in the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer., Design, Setting, Patients: A qualitative explorative research design was employed. Data were collected from June to November 2017. The study was set at a urological outpatient clinic at a university hospital in Norway. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten men who had been examined for prostate cancer. Interviews were analyzed using Systematic Text Condensation (STC)., Results: The analysis revealed three themes. The theme 'Different needs and perceptions of information' illustrated that information should be personalized. Despite different information needs, insufficient information about prostate cancer may prevent some men from being involved in decisions. The theme, 'A discovery of not being alone', indicated that a sense of affinity occurs when men realize the commonality of prostate cancer. Some men benefited from other men's experiences and knowledge about prostate cancer. The last theme 'Worries about cancer and mortality' showed that the emotional strain was affected by men's knowledge of cancer and the received information. Men expressed conflicting feelings toward prostate cancer that could be difficult to express., Conclusions: The findings indicate that men in the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer are not a homogeneous group, but need personalized information. Some men may benefit from other men's experiences and support. Men's emotional strain can affect their communication about prostate cancer, which should be acknowledged. Procedures that identify patients' information needs early on should be an integrated part of the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer.KEY POINTSKnowledge about men's information needs and possible emotional strain in the diagnostic phase of prostate cancer are limited.Men with suspected prostate cancer have different preferences and information needs; however, insufficient information prevents men from participating in decisions.Men experience a sense of affinity with other men affected by prostate cancer, and some men benefit from exchanging experiences.Men consider prostate cancer as a less aggressive type of cancer but may experience emotional strain.

Radiotherapy (RT) still represents a mainstay of treatment in clinical oncology. Traditionally, the effectiveness of radiotherapy has been attributed to the killing potential of ionizing radiation (IR) over malignant cells, however, it has become clear that therapeutic efficacy of RT also involves activation of innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Therapeutic irradiation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) provokes profound cellular and biological reconfigurations which ultimately may influence immune recognition. As one of the major constituents of the TME, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play central roles in cancer development at all stages and are recognized contributors of tumor immune evasion. While some studies argue that RT affects CAFs negatively through growth arrest and impaired motility, others claim that exposure of fibroblasts to RT promotes their conversion into a more activated phenotype. Nevertheless, despite the well-described immunoregulatory functions assigned to CAFs, little is known about the interplay between CAFs and immune cells in the context of RT. In this review, we go over current literature on the effects of radiation on CAFs and the influence that CAFs have on radiotherapy outcomes, and we summarize present knowledge on the transformed cellular crosstalk between CAFs and immune cells after radiation., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) participate actively in tumor development and affect treatment responses, by among other mechanisms, promoting an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In contrast to normal fibroblasts, reactive CAFs secrete a myriad of immunomodulatory soluble factors at high levels, i.e. growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines, which directly influence tumor immunity and inflammation. CAFs have been identified as important players in tumor radioresistance. However, knowledge on the immunomodulatory functions of CAFs during/after radiotherapy is still lacking. In this study, we investigated the effects of ionizing radiation on CAF-mediated regulation of dendritic cells (DCs). CAFs were obtained from freshly operated lung cancer tissues, while DCs were procured from peripheral blood of healthy donors. Experimental settings comprised both co-cultures and incubations with conditioned medium from control and irradiated CAFs. Functional assays to study DC differentiation/activation consisted on cytokine release, expression of cell-surface markers, antigen uptake, migration rates, T cell priming, and DC-signaling analysis. We demonstrate that CAFs induce a tolerogenic phenotype in DCs by promoting down-regulation of: i) signature DC markers (CD14, CD1a, CD209); ii) activation markers (CD80, CD86, CD40, and HLA-DR) and iii) functional properties (migration, antigen uptake, and CD4 + T cell priming). Notably, some of these effects were lost in conditioned medium from CAFs irradiated at fractionated medium-dose regimens (3x6 Gy). However, the expression of relevant CAF-derived regulatory agents like thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) or tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) was unchanged upon irradiation. This study demonstrates that CAFs interfere with DC immune functions and unveil that certain radiation regimens may reverse CAF-mediated immunosuppressive effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Berzaghi, Tornaas, Lode, Hellevik and Martinez-Zubiaurre.)

Recent studies have demonstrated that radiotherapy is able to induce anti-tumor immune responses in addition to mediating direct cytotoxic effects. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are central constituents of the tumor stroma and participate actively in tumor immunoregulation. However, the capacity of CAFs to influence immune responses in the context of radiotherapy is still poorly understood. This study was undertaken to determine whether ionizing radiation alters the CAF-mediated immunoregulatory effects on natural killer (NK) cells. CAFs were isolated from freshly resected non-small cell lung cancer tissues, while NK cells were prepared from peripheral blood of healthy donors. Functional assays to study NK cell immune activation included proliferation rates, expression of cell surface markers, secretion of immunomodulators, cytotoxic assays, as well as production of intracellular activation markers such as perforin and granzyme B. Our data show that CAFs inhibit NK cell activation by reducing their proliferation rates, the cytotoxic capacity, the extent of degranulation, and the surface expression of stimulatory receptors, while concomitantly enhancing surface expression of inhibitory receptors. Radiation delivered as single high-dose or in fractioned regimens did not reverse the immunosuppressive features exerted by CAFs over NK cells in vitro , despite triggering enhanced surface expression of several checkpoint ligands on irradiated CAFs. In summary, CAFs mediate noticeable immune inhibitory effects on cytokine-activated NK cells during co-culture in a donor-independent manner. However, ionizing radiation does not interfere with the CAF-mediated immunosuppressive effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Yang, Lode, Berzaghi, Islam, Martinez-Zubiaurre and Hellevik.)

Aim: To identify and synthesize qualitative evaluation methods used in nursing interventions., Design: A systematic qualitative review with a content analysis. Four databases were used: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL using pre-defined terms. The included papers were published from 2014-2018., Methods: We followed the guidelines of Dixon-Woods et al., Sandelowski and Barroso, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist and The Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research Approach., Results: Of 103 papers, 15 were eligible for inclusion. The main theme Challenging complexity by evaluating qualitatively described processes and characteristics of qualitative evaluation. Two analytic themes emerged: Evaluating the implementation process and Evaluating improvements brought about by the programme., Conclusion: Different qualitative evaluation methods in nursing are a way of documenting knowledge that is difficult to illuminate in natural settings and make an important contribution when determining the pros and cons of an intervention., Competing Interests: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest with regard to this study., (© 2020 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Little is known about PhD-prepared nurses employed at Nordic university hospitals, how they are organised, what their practices look like or what career pathway they have chosen., Aims: The purpose was to investigate and compare the prevalence of PhD-prepared nurses employed at university hospitals in the Nordic countries, to investigate what functions they fulfil and what research activities they undertake and to document how they describe their ideal work life., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study. An electronic questionnaire was sent to 245 PhD-prepared nurses working at a university hospital in one of six Nordic countries and 166 responses were achieved (response rate 67%). Descriptive analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics., Results: The study found notable differences among PhD-prepared nurses employed at university hospitals with respect to work function; organisational structure; satisfaction about time split between research and practice; and the mean scores of time spend on research, clinical practice and teaching, supervision and administration., Conclusions: In order to succeed with capacity building among the nursing workforce, collaboration and networking with other researchers and close contact to clinical practice is important. The role of the hospital-based, PhD-prepared nurse needs to be better described and defined to ensure that evidence-based care is provided., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2019.)