Fatigue is a common problem among cancer patients, especially those who have received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Stem cell transplant (SCT) patients are at a particular risk of persistent fatigue as they receive more aggressive therapies. This study examined the prevalence of fatigue after completion of SCT. Further, the level of fatigue symptom distress and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) among long term SCT survivors was examined. The study involved thirty-three patients, 21 males and 12 females, treated with autologous or allogeneic SCT in a comprehensive cancer center in Southwest Florida. Participants' ages ranged from 36 to 70 years, with a mean age of 53 years. All subjects completed the Cancer Related Fatigue Distress Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant questionnaires. All the patients had to be at least six months from transplant. The results of this study showed that fatigue is quite prevalent among SCT survivors. Ninety-three percent of the patients reported some degree of fatigue, and 15% experienced severe fatigue. Patients who received autologous transplant (24%) reported less fatigue symptom distress (mean= 48, SD= 36.62) compared to the allogeneic transplant group (mean= 66.2, SD= 54.49). A strong negative relationship was found between fatigue symptom distress and QOL (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001) suggesting that patients with the greatest fatigue distress report the worst QOL. The time from transplant factor was significantly positively associated with fatigue symptom distress (r= 0.46, p= 0.007) indicating greater distress with the passage of time. A moderate negative relationship was also found between time from transplant and QOL (r= -0.34, p= 0.052) suggesting that QOL was less in some patients as time passed; however this was a weak relationship that did not achieve statistical significance. Although the sample size was small, this study was able to provide a confirmation that fatigue symptom distress and QOL are related to one another. Understanding the relationship between fatigue symptom distress and QOL should encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in planning proper interventions to minimize fatigue. This would improve the outcomes of SCT long term survivors, and would positively impact their overall QOL.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is being used ever more widely for advanced and refractory malignancies. The family unit and individual members are profoundly affected by this treatment process. Few studies have examined the effect of parental BMT on the family, and there are no known studies which have investigated the impact of parental BMT on children. A descriptive design with longitudinal data from 61 children, ages 10-18, examined children’s adaptation, characterized as emotional and behavioral response, during the acute phase of parental BMT. The study included 3 time points: pre-transplant, during parental hospitalization, and one month after transplantation. The Response to Stress Questionnaire, and subscales from the Child Health Questionnaire and Family Environment Scale were used to assess child, parent, and family variables associated with child adaptation. Child emotional and behavioral response significantly improved over the course of the parent’s transplant, and significant changes in children’s use of coping strategies at each time point were found. The model accounted for 27% to 46% of the explained variance in child behavioral response, and accounted for 41% of the explained variance in emotional response prior to the parent’s BMT and one month after BMT. The model did not explain the variance of child emotional response, however, during the parent’s hospitalization. Family structural change, family conflict, and disengagement coping were found to be the predominant variables significantly associated with more negative child behavioral response across the transplant trajectory. Female child gender and increased use of disengagement coping before the parent’s BMT, autologous BMT during the parent’s hospitalization, and increased family structural change when the parent returned home one month later were significantly associated with more negative emotional response in children. Additional cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, using mixed methods, and include both parent and child data, are needed to substantiate the validity of findings. The data also suggests that significant variables in this model could be further studied for their association with one another and for refining a more accurate and inclusive model that may better explain children’s adaptation.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effects of pre-transplant music therapy on distress, pain, anxiety, mood, quality of life (QOL), and pain medication use during the preparation period for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Distress, the primary outcome, was measured via the Distress Thermometer. QOL was assessed with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General 7 (FACT-G7). Participants self-rated pain and anxiety on Numeric Rating Scales (NRS) and mood on the Rogers Happy/Sad Faces Scale. Participants randomized to the experimental group received three music therapy sessions prior to stem cell infusion day. Repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) was employed to detect differences between groups for distress and QOL, and t-tests were used to detect differences between groups for pain, anxiety, and mood. Data collection is ongoing and will conclude when 50 patients have been accrued. This report presents interim data analysis, with complete data available for 23 participants. The experimental group had higher distress that was statistically significant at baseline and on Day -1. Music therapy did not affect distress but showed other limited beneficial effects. There were no differences between groups at any individual time point for pain, anxiety, or mood. At all three time points, decreases in anxiety from pre-session to post-session assessment were statistically significant in the experimental group. In the first and third music therapy session, differences between pre- and post-session mood scores were statistically significant in a positive direction. Differences in pain medication use could not be calculated because too few participants required pain medication. Although music therapy did not affect the primary outcome of distress, the positive short-term effects on anxiety and limited positive effects on mood are important to acknowledge. The small sample size likely contributed to the lack of findings on distress, although the longitudinal assessment of this outcome may have also been a factor. This study provides an initial understanding of how music therapy may be effective on distress and other variables during the pre-transplant hospitalization period for patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT, as it is the first research study to examine this treatment phase. There are few music therapy research studies with patients undergoing HSCT, which leaves many options for future research. It would be worthwhile to explore any short-term effects of music therapy on distress and QOL, as well as longitudinal effects on anxiety and mood. Optimal music therapy session duration and frequency during the pre-transplant hospitalization period remains unknown. Research opportunities exist during other phases of HSCT treatment, such as the out-patient pre-transplant period, duration of hospitalization, or post-transplant follow up. Understanding the effects of music therapy for patients suffering from Graft-Versus-Host Disease could also be beneficial as this is often debilitating and can be life-threatening. Finally, there is a need for qualitative music therapy studies with this patient population, as none currently exist but could provide additional insight for future research studies as well as clinical practice. / Music Therapy

Main aim: To supply recommendations to implement a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in a hospital food service unit serving low bacterial diets in order to prevent or decrease the infection rates in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) patients. Objectives: Firstly, to investigate the current food safety and hygiene status in a hospital food service unit, serving low bacterial diets, by means of a questionnaire and bacterial swabs taken from the food service unit. Secondly, to utilize the gathered information in a structured action plan to implement HACCP standards successfully in the appointed food service unit. The implementation of HACCP will not be done by the author. Design: The primary research was done in a food service unit of a 350 bed private hospital. One unsuspected audit with a pre-designed audit form was done. The audit consisted out of ten categories. A percentage was allocated to each category. Four swabs, as well as four food samples, were taken during the audit. The swabs and samples were tested to assess the microbiological safety of the foods prepared in the appointed hospital food service unit. The results of the audit, swabs and food samples were used to evaluate the current Food and Safety System of the hospital food service unit according to internationally approved HACCP standards. Setting: The study was conducted in the metropolitan area of Gauteng, South Africa. Results: None of the ten areas audited was of an acceptable standard and an average of 37% was scored. Category 5, the service and distribution area, scored the highest (69%) and category 10, the quality procedures and records division, scored the lowest (6%). According to United States Food and Drug Administration Baseline Report five forbidden policies could lead to increased risk of food borne illnesses. All five forbidden policies were detected in the food service unit during the audit. The microbiological tests showed relatively high microbial counts. Conclusion: The results of the study confirmed that instead of focusing mainly on the selection of food items allowed, and the cooking methods used in HSCT diets, the type of food service, together with the food and safety protocol that the food service follows, could play an important role in providing food that is safe for HSCT patient use. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Além de modular o metabolismo energético, o tecido adiposo constitui um regulador endócrino, produzindo fatores como a adiponectina (APN), adipocina pouco expressa na obesidade, com propriedades imunoreguladoras. Neste trabalho investigamos o papel da obesidade e APN em modelos murinho de transplante de pele e doença do enxerto-versus-hospedeiro (GvHD), na obesidade induzida por dieta hiperlipídica (Ob) e animais knockout (KO) para APN. Em suma, receptores Ob e APN KO apresentaram rejeição acelerada de enxerto de pele, associado inflamação do tipo Th1 e Th17. A obesidade também levou a pior GvHD, associado a maior inflamação no fígado, pulmão, intestino junto a dano hepático e intestinal, enquanto a manutenção de dieta HF após o transplante preveniu parciamente este dano. Estudos in vitro corroboraram estes resultados, mostrando maior ativação dendrítica e linfocitária em meio mimetizando a obesidade. Desta forma, este estudo sugere que a obesidade e redução de APN levam a maior rejeição de transplantes sugerindo adiante um papel importante à dieta neste processo. / In addition to modulating energy metabolism, the adipose tissue is an endocrine regulator, producing factors such as adiponectin (APN), an adipokine little in obesity, with immunoregulatory properties. In this work we investigated the role of obesity and APN in skin transplant and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in high-fat diet induced obesity (Ob) and knockout (KO) mice for APN. In summary, Ob and APN KO receptors showed accelerated skin graft rejection, associated with Th1 and Th17 type inflammation. Obesity also led to worse GvHD, associated with increased inflammation in liver, lung, intestines along with liver and gut damage, while maintenance of the HF diet after transplantation partially prevented this damage. In vitro studies corroborated these results, showing greater dendritic and lymphocytic activation in conditions mimicking obesity. Thus, this study suggests that obesity and reduced APN lead to greater rejection of transplants further suggesting an important role of diet in this process.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Main aim: To supply recommendations to implement a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in a hospital food service unit serving low bacterial diets in order to prevent or decrease the infection rates in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) patients. Objectives: Firstly, to investigate the current food safety and hygiene status in a hospital food service unit, serving low bacterial diets, by means of a questionnaire and bacterial swabs taken from the food service unit. Secondly, to utilize the gathered information in a structured action plan to implement HACCP standards successfully in the appointed food service unit. The implementation of HACCP will not be done by the author. Design: The primary research was done in a food service unit of a 350 bed private hospital. One unsuspected audit with a pre-designed audit form was done. The audit consisted out of ten categories. A percentage was allocated to each category. Four swabs, as well as four food samples, were taken during the audit. The swabs and samples were tested to assess the microbiological safety of the foods prepared in the appointed hospital food service unit. The results of the audit, swabs and food samples were used to evaluate the current Food and Safety System of the hospital food service unit according to internationally approved HACCP standards. Setting: The study was conducted in the metropolitan area of Gauteng, South Africa. Results: None of the ten areas audited was of an acceptable standard and an average of 37% was scored. Category 5, the service and distribution area, scored the highest (69%) and category 10, the quality procedures and records division, scored the lowest (6%). According to United States Food and Drug Administration Baseline Report five forbidden policies could lead to increased risk of food borne illnesses. All five forbidden policies were detected in the food service unit during the audit. The microbiological tests showed relatively high microbial counts. Conclusion: The results of the study confirmed that instead of focusing mainly on the selection of food items allowed, and the cooking methods used in HSCT diets, the type of food service, together with the food and safety protocol that the food service follows, could play an important role in providing food that is safe for HSCT patient use. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Dietetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.