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Biomedical subjects

Ellen Jones

Publications and source records attributed to Ellen Jones.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Intra-peritoneal cisplatin and whole abdomen hyperthermia for relapsed ovarian carcinoma.

The study was designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of IP cisplatin [CDDP] combined with intravenous thiosulphate and concurrent whole abdomen hyperthermia for advanced, recurrent or progressive ovarian carcinoma. Between September 1991 and November 1998, 41 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer received escalating doses of IP (IP) cisplatin (six cycles given every 3-4 weeks) and whole abdomen hyperthermia with intravenous thiosulphate as second line treatment. Whole abdomen hyperthermia was administrated using a BSD-2000 annular phased array system. Forty-one patients were enrolled in the phase I/II portions of the study. Forty-four per cent (18/41) had undergone sub-optimal cytoreductive surgery and 15% (6/41) had been optimally debulked of their disease. Ninety per cent (37/41) had platinum-resistant disease and 10% (4/41) had platinum-sensitive disease. No DLTs occurred in the phase I testing and the recommended dose for this combination schedule was 180 mg m-2 of IP cisplatin with thiosulphate and whole abdomen hyperthermia. The overall response rate was 44% (10 CR, 8 PR) and the median survival for all patients from protocol entry was 30 months (range 2-107 months). Median duration and survival of those achieving a pathologic CR was 14 months (range 2-27 months) and 35 months (range 14-71 months, 95% CI 16-54 months), respectively. Salvage platinum based IP cisplatin with hyperthermia did achieve pathologic CR in selected patients and was well tolerated. These promising results suggest a role for the use of adjuvant whole abdomen hyperthermia as a means of augmenting chemosensitization.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Prospective thermal dosimetry: the key to hyperthermia's future.

PURPOSE: This review summarizes recent results from two randomized trials testing the complete response rate and local control benefits for the addition of hyperthermia to external beam radiation. METHODS: In both series, there was a statistically significant benefit to adjuvant hyperthermia. RESULTS: The establishment of a standardized nomenclature for clinical hyperthermia prescription will help to facilitate the broader usage of hyperthermia. CONCLUSIONS: Carefully conducted phase III trials with rigorous quality assurance must employ prospective thermal dosimetry to validate the role of hyperthermia in multi-modality therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

State health policy makers: what's the message and who's listening?

This article is based on a white paper commissioned by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education, a national organization representing state health agency directors and practitioners in health promotion and education initiatives. The work reflects an assessment of current understanding of how state-level policy makers receive and use information related to health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Although health education practitioners are routinely encouraged to use policy and environmental change strategies, a systematic approach to communication with policy leaders is not readily available. This work describes the current knowledge of the relationship and offers recommendations for research and practice.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2005

Re-setting the biologic rationale for thermal therapy.

This review takes a retrospective look at how hyperthermia biology, as defined from studies emerging from the late 1970s and into the 1980s, mis-directed the clinical field of hyperthermia, by placing too much emphasis on the necessity of killing cells with hyperthermia in order to define success. The requirement that cell killing be achieved led to sub-optimal hyperthermia fractionation goals for combinations with radiotherapy, inappropriate sequencing between radiation and hyperthermia and goals for hyperthermia equipment performance that were neither achievable nor necessary. The review then considers the importance of the biologic effects of hyperthermia that occur in the temperature range that lies between that necessary to kill substantial proportions of cells and normothermia (e.g. 39-42 degrees C for 1 h). The effects that occur in this temperature range are compelling-including inhibition of radiation-induced damage repair, changes in perfusion, re-oxygenation, effects on macromolecular and nanoparticle delivery, induction of the heat shock response and immunological stimulation, all of which can be exploited to improve tumour response to radiation and chemotherapy. This new knowledge about the biology of hyperthermia compels one to continue to move the field forward, but with thermal goals that are eminently achievable and tolerable by patients. The fact that lower temperatures are incorporated into thermal goals does not lessen the need for non-invasive thermometry or more sophisticated hyperthermia delivery systems, however. If anything, it further compels one to move the field forward on an integrated biological, engineering and clinical level.

Cell Death↗
PubMed2005

Use and Impact of eHealth System by Low-income Women With Breast Cancer.

This article is the second of a two-part series reporting on a population-based study intended to use an eHealth system to examine the feasibility of reaching underserved women with breast cancer (Gustafson, McTavish et al., Reducing the digital divide for low-income women with breast cancer, 2004; Madison Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis, University of Wisconsin; Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System [CHESS]) and determine how they use the system and what impact it had on them. Participants included women recently diagnosed with breast cancer whose income was at or below 250% of poverty level and were living in rural Wisconsin (n = 144; all Caucasian) or Detroit (n = 85; all African American). Because this was a population-based study all 229 participants received CHESS. A comparison group of patients (n = 51) with similar demographics was drawn from a separate recently completed randomized clinical trial. Use rates (e.g., frequency and length of use as well as type of use) as well as impact on several dimensions of quality of life and participation in health care are reported. Low-income subjects in this study logged on and spent more time on CHESS than more affluent women in a previous study. Urban African Americans used information and analysis services more and communication services less than rural Caucasians. When all low-income women from this study are combined and compared with a low-income control group from another study, the CHESS group was superior to that control group in 4 of 8 outcome variables at both statistically and practically significant levels (social support, negative emotions, participation in health care, and information competence). When African Americans and Caucasians are separated the control group's sample size becomes 30 and 21 thus reducing power. Statistical significance is retained, however, in all four outcomes for Caucasians and in two of four for African Americans. Practical significance is retained for all four outcomes. We conclude that an eHealth system like CHESS will be used extensively and have a positive impact on low-income women with breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2005

Reducing the digital divide for low-income women with breast cancer: a feasibility study of a population-based intervention.

A fundamental challenge to helping underserved women and their families cope with breast cancer is providing them with easily accessible, reliable health care information and support. This is especially true for low-income families living in rural areas where resources are few and frequently distant as well as low-income families in urban areas where access to information and support can be complex and overwhelming. The Internet is one mechanism that has tremendous potential to help these families cope with breast cancer. This article describes a feasibility test of the potential for the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service (CIS) to provide access to an Internet-based system that has been shown to improve quality of life for underserved breast cancer patients. The test was conducted in rural Wisconsin (low socioeconomic status [SES] Caucasian women) and in Detroit, Michigan (low SES African American women), and compares the effectiveness of several different dissemination strategies. Using these results we propose a model for how CIS telephone and partnership program services could efficiently disseminate such information and support systems. In doing so we believe that important steps can be taken to close the digital divide that separates low-income families from the resources they need to effectively face cancer. This is the first of two articles coming from this study. A companion article reports on an evaluation of the use and impact of this system on the women who were given access to it.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2004

Feasibility study of concurrent weekly cisplatin and whole abdominopelvic irradiation followed by doxorubicin/cisplatin chemotherapy for advanced stage endometrial carcinoma: a Gynecologic Oncology Group trial.

PURPOSE: A prospective Phase I study to determine toxicity of concurrent weekly intravenous cisplatin/whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy followed by four cycles of intravenous doxorubicin/cisplatin chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with advanced endometrial cancer confined to the abdominal cavity and/or paraaortic lymph nodes with small residual disease were treated postoperatively with 3000 cGy whole abdominopelvic irradiation combined with 1500 cGy boost to the pelvis or pelvic and aortic fields. Cisplatin 15 mg/m(2) was given every week during irradiation. After completing radiotherapy, patients were to receive doxorubicin 50 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks for four cycles. Graduated dose reduction and acceleration of the doxorubicin dose were specified depending upon hematologic toxicity. Toxicities were monitored with weekly laboratory studies during treatment and frequent examinations. RESULTS: Five patients with Stage IIIC (paraaortic node involvement) and five with Stage IVB disease were treated on this study. Acute toxicity during chemoirradiation included one patient with grade 4 neutropenia and one patient with persistent grade 1 thrombocytopenia. Seven patients received chemotherapy after completing radiation therapy, two progressed before chemotherapy, and one had thrombocytopenia. Toxicity during chemotherapy included grade 4 neutropenia in all patients with four having five episodes of febrile neutropenia. Despite doxorubicin dose reductions for hematologic toxicity, three patients exhibited grade 4 neutropenia after both the second and third cycles. One patient developed a small bowel obstruction from radiation therapy that required surgery. There were no treatment-related deaths. Overall median survival was 14 months, with only one long-term survivor free of disease at 58 months. CONCLUSIONS: Without cytokine support, whole abdominopelvic irradiation and concurrent weekly cisplatin followed by doxorubicin/cisplatin chemotherapy without cytokine support has prohibitive hematologic toxicity.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2003

High dose rate intraoperative radiotherapy for recurrent cervical cancer and nodal disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pelvic sidewall recurrences of cervical cancer have a dismal prognosis. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) has demonstrated encouraging results. Patients have traditionally been excluded from IORT if they had distant metastases. CASE: A patient underwent radical tumor resection and high dose rate (HDR) IORT for a pelvic sidewall recurrence of cervical cancer. She also had metastatic disease in a para-aortic node. The patient has been followed for >20 months with no evidence of disease recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: HDR-IORT may be offered to select patients with recurrent cervical cancer and isolated metastatic para-aortic lymph nodes.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inclusion of women in nursing research: 1995-2001.

BACKGROUND: Although the inclusion of women in research has been examined in medical publications, little is known about how federal mandates have influenced the inclusion of women in research published in nursing journals. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the inclusion of women in published nursing research from 1995 to 2001, with a focus on the leading causes of mortality. METHOD: All the articles in each journal were reviewed, and all the research articles that focused on the top 10 causes of death were sampled to measure the inclusion of women, the characteristics of the women included, the funding source, and the topic. RESULTS: Of the 1,149 studies reviewed, 139 met the inclusion criteria, and 117 of these studies included women. Only 15 of the studies reported the age of the women in their samples, and 10 of these included women between the ages of 35 and 64 years. The most frequently reported race was White (n = 21), followed by African American (n = 17), Hispanic (n = 6), and Asian (n = 2). There were no associations among year of publication (p =.62), federal funding (p =.30), and inclusion of women. Among the studies including women, heart disease was the most frequent topic (n = 52), followed by Alzheimer's disease (n = 21), cancer (n = 14), respiratory illness (n = 14), and diabetes (n = 8). DISCUSSION: Although the majority of the research included women, continuing efforts must be made to include sufficient numbers of women.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Targeted group advising.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An innovative strategy to enhance new faculty success.

Faculty stress is a factor in the current shortage of nursing faculty. New faculty members in schools of nursing are subject to stress from many sources. This article reports on an innovative strategy that decreases stress for new faculty while facilitating faculty tenure success.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗