Biomedical subjects

Melanie Price

Publications and source records attributed to Melanie Price.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Thrombin in ischemic neuronal death.

Thrombin plays a role in cerebral ischemia as rats subjected to focal cerebral ischemia were protected by the intracerebral injection of hirudin, a selective thrombin inhibitor. To separate the roles of thrombin in cell death and in coagulation, we have used an in vitro approach to test the effect of hirudin and of protease nexin-1 (PN-1), a cerebral thrombin inhibitor, on neuronal ischemia. Rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures were subjected to oxygen (5%) and glucose (1 mmol/L) deprivation (OGD) during 30 min. Hirudin or PN-1 administered after OGD significantly prevented neuronal death in the CA1 region. After 24 h, there was a marked increase in thrombin immunoreactivity on Western blots. Thrombin therefore contributes to ischemic damage in neural tissue in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Support and training needs of cancer support group leaders: a review.

This review focuses on the support and training needs of cancer support group leaders. With an increasing popularity of support groups and growing evidence of the crucial role of group leaders in positive patient outcomes, there is an imperative to identify ways of promoting these outcomes and preventing leader burnout, an issue contributing to the demise of some support groups. Despite this, there is a paucity of research in this area. Available research data clearly illustrates that both professional and peer support group leaders recognise their need for better support, training and information. One study of health professionals identified a need for more advanced skills involved in group processes and specific issues such as dealing with the death of members. Specific leader behaviours, in particular active intervention in group interactions and supportive care, have also been associated with improved patient quality of life. To date, there is no clear evidence as to how best to achieve and support these effective group leader skills. While many cancer societies and other associations provide introductory training and information kits about 'how to start a support group,' no advanced training or support interventions are available. Further research is needed to provide an evidence base for group leader training and to evaluate the impact of such training on both leader and patient outcomes.

Education, Continuing↗

PubMed2005

Who helps the leaders? Difficulties experienced by cancer support group leaders.

GOALS OF WORK: Cancer support groups are an important source of support for cancer patients, yet little is known about the challenges and training needs of both professionally trained and untrained leaders. The aim of this study was to discover the difficulties experienced and training desired by cancer support group leaders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven leaders of 34 cancer support groups participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Groups were purposively selected as representative of 173 support groups identified in New South Wales which were for adults with cancer and/or their adult carers and were not therapeutic or education-only groups. MAIN RESULTS: Difficulties identified included dealing with people's different communication styles and needs; dealing with recurrence, metastases and death; practical issues, including resources, setting the programme and funding security; maintaining personal balance and preventing burn out; establishing group credibility; dealing with group cycles; and leading groups in rural areas. Leaders also identified benefits and rewards from group leadership such as contributing to others' well-being, self-development and insight into others' lives. Non-professionally trained leaders experienced more difficulties, particularly in dealing with group process and practical issues. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulties identified were related both to working with a cancer population specifically and to working with groups in general. While some issues were common to both health professionals and non-health professionals, non-health professionals reported greater supportive needs. Clear guidelines, targeted training and development of better methods of support to reduce the stress and burn out experienced by group leaders are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Hypoxia/hypoglycemia preconditioning prevents the loss of functional electrical activity in organotypic slice cultures.

In cerebral ischemic preconditioning (IPC), a first sublethal ischemia increases the resistance of neurons to a subsequent severe ischemia. Despite numerous studies, the mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Our goal is to develop an in vitro model of IPC on hippocampal organotypic slice cultures. Instead of anoxia, we chose to apply varying degrees of hypoxia that allows us various levels of insult graded from mild to severe. Cultures are exposed to combined oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) of varying intensities, ranging from mild to severe, assessing both the electrical activity and cell death. IPC was accomplished by exposure to the mildest ischemia condition (10% of O2 for 15 min) 24 h before the severe deprivation (5% of O2 for 30 min). Interestingly, IPC not only prevented delayed ischemic cell death 6 days after insult but also the transient loss of evoked potential response. The major interest and advantage of this system over both the acute slice preparation and primary cell cultures is the ability to simultaneously measure the delayed neuronal damage and neuronal function.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

[Cerebral ischemia and apoptosis].

Ischemic stroke is an important cause of mortality and invalidity. Focal cerebral ischemia induces multiple and complex mechanisms leading to the loss of function and the demise of cerebral tissue. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, well known for its role in normal development, is one of these mechanisms, and contributes to ischemic neuronal death. This short review gives an overview of apoptotic mechanisms triggered by cerebral ischemia.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Psychological morbidity in women at increased risk of developing breast cancer: a controlled study.

There has been an ongoing debate in the literature on the extent to which women with a family history of breast cancer are at risk of psychological morbidity. This study compares psychological morbidity in 557 women participating in a large Australian registry of high-risk breast cancer families (kConFab) with 2 age and education matched samples, 1494 general practitioner attendees and 158 members of a twin registry. Participants completed the Somatic and Psychological Health Report (SPHERE). There were no significant differences between the three groups on psychological distress (F(2, 670) = 1.77, p = 0.17). Unsurprisingly, GP attendees reported more symptoms of somatic distress than the kConFab group (t411 = 2.89, p = 0.004); there were no differences between the twins and the kConFab group on somatic distress (t174 = 0.40, p = 0.687). Clinically significant anxiety/depression, a combination of psychological and somatic distress, therefore was significantly higher in GP attendees (28%) than the kConFab and twin samples (both 20%). These results refute the hypothesis that women with a family history of breast cancer are at greater psychological risk.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Short- and long-term impact of receiving genetic mutation results in women at increased risk for hereditary breast cancer.

Forty-seven unaffected women from high-risk breast cancer families who had received results for hereditary breast/ovarian predisposition genes between 1 month and 5 years ago were interviewed regarding their experiences. Women responded to open-ended questions. The initial emotional turmoil reported by most was generally short lived. However, the impact of genetic testing went beyond the individual to the extended family and social context, particularly in the short-term. A common theme was the difficulty associated with divulging a result to family members, who were also adjusting to their own result. The majority of carriers reported advantages that were both physical (options for surveillance programs and prophylactic surgery) and emotional (reduced uncertainty, increased awareness of options and knowledge about risk, preparation time). Most carriers reported no change in lifestyle although some reported discovering their mutation status as a positive life-changing experience. Implications for genetic counseling and further research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗