MacLeod Sargent (punchjam82)

Attitudes about breast cancer have improved in the USA, yet stigma is still present in some ethnic and immigrant populations and affecting survivors' experiences. Chinese American breast cancer survivors report negative beliefs and stigma to be a major stressor; this could result in mental health consequences. We hypothesized that greater self-stigma will be related to greater psychological distress (namely, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress). Furthermore, we expected that the association between self-stigma and psychological distress will be stronger among Chinese American breast cancer survivors who are less acculturated to the USA than those who are highly acculturated. One hundred and thirty-six Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed questionnaires that measured self-stigma, acculturation, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and demographic information. Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the main effect of stigma on depressive symptoms and perceived stress, and the moderating effect of acculturation. As predicted, self-stigma was associated with greater depressive symptoms and perceived stress among Chinese American breast cancer survivors, especially those who are less acculturated. Self-stigma may play a part in psychological adjustment among Chinese American breast cancer survivors. Interventions that incorporate techniques to reduce self-stigma could be beneficial for Chinese American breast cancer survivors, especially for those who are less acculturated to American society.Background. Despite the absence of complications and a restoration of normal hallux alignment, some patients have suboptimal outcomes from hallux valgus correction surgery. One risk factor for persistent pain may be the presence of arthritic changes at the metatarsal head articulation with the sesamoids, an area not easily assessed with standard radiographs unless dedicated sesamoid views are obtained. In this study, we prospectively evaluated the metatarsal head for degenerative changes during hallux valgus correction surgery and identified preoperative risk factors associated with these changes. Methods. We prospectively evaluated 200 feet in 196 patients who underwent hallux valgus surgery intraoperatively for the pattern and severity of arthritic changes at the metatarsal head. Mann-Whitney U testing was implemented to compare differences in arthritic scores between preoperative deformity groups. The Spearman correlation test was used to determine the association between age and preoperative deformity with the severity of degenerative changes. Results. More than half of all feet assessed had severe arthritic changes at the plantar medial aspect of the metatarsal head and 40% of feet at the plantar lateral aspect. Age and intermetatarsal angle were found to be positively correlated with arthritis in this area. Conclusion. Our prospective study has demonstrated the high prevalence of arthritic changes at the metatarsal head sesamoid articulation and the positive influence of age and severity of deformity on metatarsal head arthritic changes seen during hallux valgus correction surgery. Furthermore, these arthritic changes were found to have no significant influence on preoperative functional and pain levels. Levels of Evidence Level IV Case series.Two new tremulane-type sesquiterpenes, irlactin L (1) and irlactin M (2) were isolated from cultures of the fungus Irpex lacteus, together with one known compound, 6-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyloct-7-enoic acid (3). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 1-2 were tested for their cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines and for their inhibitory activities against isozymes of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD).Aim To analyze the expression profile and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). Materials & methods The lncRNA expression prof