This dissertation refines knowledge synthesis from publicly accessible databases, based on the model of D.R. Swanson. Knowledge synthesis endeavors bring together two or more non-interactive literatures to create combinatorial research data on a specific topic. In this endeavor the biomedical literature was searched on the anti-neoplastic agent nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) for its potential role as a functional food in the chemoprevention of breast cancer. Bibliometric cocitation was utilized to identify complementary but non-interactive literatures in the disciplines of biomedicine and dietary science. The continuing specialization and fragmentation of the cancer literature degenerates the potential usefulness of cross-disciplinary research and information. As the biomedical sciences become more specialized the potential increases for isolation of discoveries and for failures to connect science to the needs of the people. Within the information science discipline several techniques are available to bridge the isolation between discoveries recorded in different sets of literatures. Electronic database searching with combinatorial keyword entries, syllogistic modeling and bibliometric author cocitation analysis are the principle techniques applied in this endeavor. The research questions are addressed to the absence or presence of human in vivo research on breast cancer with the potentially chemopreventative functional food NDGA. Utilizing a syllogistic model the literatures of functional foods, nordihydroguaiaretic acid and breast cancer were searched with designated combinatorial keywords. The documents retrieved were subjected to author cocitation analysis to demonstrate disjointness or connectivity of the two complementary literatures. The results demonstrated a possible preventative relationship between breast cancer in women and nordihydroguaiaretic acid, a phytochemical antioxidant and potential functional food. The results of this study are consistent with D.R. Swanson's pioneering work in knowledge synthesis. Swanson's methods can be used to identify non-interactive, disjoint literatures. Continuing support for his techniques has been demonstrated.

This research is a follow up of a "Breast Week" which was organized in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The specific objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the knowledge and teachings given to the women who participated in this project. The unrecorded cases of breast lumps and breast cancer observed in women in Sierra Leone prompted the researcher to undertake this present study. A quantitative approach was adopted and a structured interview schedule and an observational checklist guided the data collection process. A sample size of 120 women (10%) who participated in the "breast week" was obtained through systematic sampling. The first part of the study involved assessment of the theoretical background of the research topic followed by the second phase during which the women demonstrated Breast Self-Examination to detect abnormalities of the breasts. Discussions and analysis of the findings are presented in three sections. Texts from open ended questions were categorized and explained in numerical terms as the study was quantitative in nature. The data was processed through use of SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Frequency counts were applied to the data, use of non-parametric tests on the number of women who practiced Breast Self-Examination before and after the breast week showed a statistically significant difference in the number of women now practicing BSE as a screening method for breast cancer after receiving the health education. It was found that the majority of the women linked breast cancer to the signs and symptoms associated with it and were able to describe the disease as one that kills women if not promptly detected and/or treated appropriately. Findings indicate that the majority of the women (78.3%) had previously had mmor breast problems. An assessment of the effectiveness of knowledge on breast cancer showed that these women could identify breast cancer as a disease that affects women and may cause deaths if not detected on time or treated promptly. These women were able to demonstrate to the researcher how they examine their breasts to exclude abnormalities. Three women had breast lumps detected through examination of the breasts during the breast week. Two of them had had the lumps removed and are currently on medication. One of the women who had a breast lump detected was financially constrained and could not afford the cost of surgery. The number of women who can now perform BSE increased (95.0%) after having the knowledge on breast cancer and BSE. The majority of the women (97.4%) received information on how to examine their breasts for breast cancer through the information provided during the breast week. It is thus concluded that the objectives of the breast week were met. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology) / Breast cancer is regarded as the most common form of cancer in women and it comprises of approximately 23 % of female cancers, while affecting women at any age range. For oestrogen receptor positive patients, tamoxifen is used as a prescribed medication for breast cancer therapy. However, tamoxifen in its natural form is not active to achieve the required treatment and prevention of breast cells proliferation. Since tamoxifen is a prodrug, it need to be converted into its active form, endoxifen, for which it is achieved by the action of the cytochrome P450 enzymes. Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a member of cytochrome P450 enzymes for which are superfamily of heme enzymes characterised by their ability to catalyse the oxidative reactions of compounds, including the pathway of tamoxifen metabolism. However, due to polymorphism that lead to inactive phenotypes of CYP2D6 in this gene, there is a challenge of diagnosing if a patient can metabolise tamoxifen or not. The current diagnostic tool, Amplichip CYP450, for CYP2D6 is based on genotypes, and it lead to uncertainness as to whether the presence of functionalCYP2D6 alleles of CYP2D6 may lead to coding of active protein, thus leading to wrong treatment measures and overdose of tamoxifen. Electrochemical techniques have provided reliable, simple, quick, and sensitive methods for the determination of drug metabolism by enzymes. Therefore, it is important to develop a CYP2D6 phenotype-based sensor to detect and tell whether a particular individual can metabolise the drug or not.

A culturally-based theoretical model about how cultural beliefs about cancer and breast cancer screening techniques influence the screening behaviors of women of Mexican descent was developed using grounded theory. Across levels of acculturation and socioeconomic status, 34 women (49 to 81 years old) were interviewed through focus groups. Women who hold more traditional health beliefs about causes, nature, and responsibility with regard to breast cancer are more likely to "feel healthy" and not engage in breast cancer screening. Women who hold more traditional beliefs about propriety of female and health care provider behavior are more likely to "feel indecent" and also not engage in screening. The cultural health belief model is integrated within a sociocultural and a socioeconomic context.

University of Macau / Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in women. In 2008 there were 182,460 women diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,480 women died of this disease. Breast cancer can be prevented by medical (tamoxifen or raloxifene) or surgical approaches (bilateral mastectomy or oophorectomy). Prevention is only recommended for women at high risk for developing breast cancer; therefore, proper risk calculation is essential in identifying women that may benefit from prevention measures. There is an easy-to-use and easily accessible risk calculation tool for determining a woman's risk of developing breast cancer and need for referral for counseling, gene testing, and possibly preventive therapy. This article reviews the components of risk assessment, the most frequently used risk calculation tool, and approaches to breast cancer risk reduction including medical and surgical therapies. The use of these therapies results in a risk reduction of 50-90%.

This thesis concerns a melanoma-derived growth regulatory factor that inhibited proliferation of several malignant human cell lines, and, in particular, a line designated UCT-BR-1, which was derived from a human breast cancer metastasis. The work is presented in four chapters. Chapter 1 provides a review of the relevant literature at the time of writing; Chapters 2 and 3 describe the experimental work that was done; and in Chapter 4 I discuss the implications of my results for current and future work in growth factors. Experimental results are presented as Charts (which may be Figures or Tables) and the methods and experimental protocols that I used are described in the Chart legends and not in the main text of the thesis. The Appendix contains details of the tissue culture techniques and descriptions of the cell lines that were used. Sources of the various laboratory materials as well as the methods that were employed for the more routine procedures are also described in the appendix.

Little is known about breast health behaviors in Afro-Caribbean women (ACW) residing in the United States, as they are often included in the collective group of African American women (AAW). The objective of this study was to determine the influence of a spiritually-guided intervention on breast health self-care (BHSC) attitudes in ACW residing in southeastern Florida using a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design. One hundred and seventeen women were recruited from three local south Florida Caribbean churches. Inclusion criteria included: (a) self-identification as Afro-Caribbean, (b) female aged 30 years or older, (c) living in the United States for at least 1 year, (d) able to provide informed consent, (e) able to speak and read English at the 8th grade level, and (f) no previous history of breast cancer. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O câncer de mama é a neoplasia maligna mais prevalente entre as mulheres no mundo e representa 23% de todos os cânceres femininos. Buscou-se avaliar a implementação de um programa de rastreamento mamográfico para as mulheres que vivem na área de Barretos usando uma unidade móvel (UM) e uma unidade fixa (UF). Um total de 54.238 mulheres com idade entre 40 a 69 anos reside nesta área e são elegíveis para a participação no programa. Os dados epidemiológicos das mulheres foram examinadas entre 01 de abril de 2003 e 31 de março de 2005. A análise estatística foi constituída pela avaliação das freqüências dos parâmetros clínicos e as características do tumor usando o teste de Qui-quadrado com correção de Bonferroni, com valor de confiança de p<0,05. Um total de 17.964 mulheres (media de 51 anos de idade) foram efetivamente examinadas por mamografia, o que representou 33,1% de todas as mulheres elegíveis (18,6 exames por dia na UF e 26,3 na UM). Setenta e seis casos foram diagnosticados como câncer de mama (41, ou 54%, no UM), o que representa 4,2 casos de câncer de mama para cada 1.000 exames. Foi observada diferença significativa na detecção de câncer entre mulheres com idade entre 50-59 e 60-69 anos (p<0,001) e com idade entre 40-49 e 60-69 anos (p<0,001). Não foram observadas diferenças entre 40 a 49 e 50-59 anos (p = 0,164). O programa de rastreamento mamografico é viável no território nacional e os resultados preliminares são animadores / Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide and enrolls 23% of all female cancers. We sought to evaluate the implementation of a screening program for women who living in Barretos county area using a mobile unit (MU) and a fixed unit (FU). A total of 54,238 women aged 40 to 69 years is living in this area and are eligible for breast screening. Epidemiologic-based data supported the study design and the women were examined from April 01, 2003 to March 31, 2005. Statistical analysis supported the evaluation of clinical parameters frequencies and tumor characteristics using Chi-test and Bonferroni correction test, with confidence value of p<0,05. Overall of 17,964 women (media of 51 years old) were effectively examined by mammogram which represented 33,1% of all eligible women (18,6 in RA and 26,3 exams in MU per day). Seventy-six cases were diagnosed as breast cancer (41, or 54%, at MU), which represents 4,2 cases of breast cancer for each 1.000 exams. It was observed significant difference of cancer detection between women aged 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 yrs (p<0, 001) and between women aged 40 to 49 and 60 to 69 yrs (p<0,001). No differences were observed between aged 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 yrs (p=0,164). The program for mammogram screening is feasible to be implementing in Brazil territory and the preliminary results are encouraging

Introdução: O câncer de mama é um problema de saúde publica, sendo a maior causa de morbidade e mortalidade de câncer em mulheres de todo mundo. O rastreamento mamográfico mostrou-se efetivo na redução na mortalidade por câncer de mama em países desenvolvidos, entretanto ainda não é consenso a idade de início do rastreamento mamográfico. Objetivo: Verificar o impacto do rastreamento mamográfico em mulheres entre 40-49 anos na região de Barretos. Casuística e métodos: Este é um estudo observacional transversal que incluíram mulheres assintomáticas com idade entre 40-69 anos que foram submetidas a rastreamento mamográfico entre os anos de 2003 a 2007. As mulheres com exames classificadas pelo sistema BI-RADS em zero, quatro ou cinco foram convocados para investigação. Foram descritas as freqüências absolutas e relativas das variáveis e suas diferenças analisadas pelo teste de qui-quadrado sendo escolhido o nível de significância p <0,05. Foi realizado análise de regressão logística para avaliar o risco de câncer de mama em relação à idade. Resultados: 27.133 mulheres com idades entre 40-69 foram selecionadas, 52% (14.082) das mamografias foram feitas em mulheres de 40 a 49 anos. Foram detectados 132 casos de câncer de mama em mulheres de 40 a 69 anos sendo 49 casos entre mulheres de 40 a 49. A estimativa de risco de câncer de mama entre mulheres de 40 e 49 anos (OR 0,43 [IC95% 0,28 - 0,66]) foi significativamente menor do que entre 60-69 anos. Dos casos de câncer de mama em mulheres de 40 a 49 anos 55% eram iniciais (Estádio Clínico 0-I) enquanto que no período anterior ao rastreamento eram 13%. Conclusões: O rastreamento mamográfico realizado na Região de Barretos mostrou menor risco de câncer de mama nas mulheres de 40 a 49 anos em relação às mulheres entre 60 e 69 anos. O estudo mostrou ainda que o rastreamento aumentou o número de casos iniciais (Estádio Clínico 0-I) entre as mulheres de 40 e 49 anos em relação ao período anterior ao rastreamento / Introduction: Breast cancer is a public health problem, being the major cause of morbidity and mortality of cancer in women worldwide. The mammographic screening was effective in reducing mortality from breast cancer in developed countries, but consensus is not yet the age of onset of mammographic screening. Objective: Investigate the impact of mammographic screening in women aged 40-49 years in Barretos region. Methods: This is a cross sectional observational study that included asymptomatic women aged 40-69 years who underwent screening mammography between the years 2003 to 2007. Women with tests classified by the BI-RADS at zero, four or five were summoned for investigation. We described the absolute and relative frequencies of the variables and their differences were analyzed by chi-square was chosen significance level p <0.05. Was performed logistic regression analysis to assess the risk of breast cancer in relation to age. Results: 27,133 women aged 40-69 were selected, 52% (14 082) of mammograms were performed in women 40 to 49 years. We detected 132 cases of breast cancer in women aged 40 to 69 years with 49 cases among women 40 to 49. The estimated risk of breast cancer among women between 40 and 49 years (OR 0.43 [95% CI 0.28 to 0.66]) was significantly lower than 60-69 years. Cases of breast cancer in women aged 40 to 49 years 55% were early (clinical stage 0-I) while in the period prior to screening was 13%. Conclusions: The screening mammography performed in the region Barrie showed a lower risk of breast cancer in women aged 40 to 49 years for women between 60 and 69 years. The study also showed that screening increased the number of initial cases (clinical stage 0-I) among women aged 40 to 49 years in the period prior to screening