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This qualitative study examines the AIDS service organization-volunteer relationship from the volunteer's point of view. Factors that led to a relationship with an AIDS service organization included personal values and individual characteristics and needs. Volunteers reported many rewards from the work itself and the responses of others. Volunteers also encountered challenges that included role demands, role-ability fit, and stress/burnout concerns as well as limited organizational resources and structural obstacles. These results suggest that care must be taken to ensure that the volunteer role meets the needs, skills, and abilities of the individual volunteering. The need to ameliorate challenges is clear for AIDS service organizations seeking to retain volunteers. Some of the preventive strategies include goal-setting and feedback, individual-sensitive role redesign, opportunity to participate in decisions, and increased communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined demographic, health-related, social support, and service utilization characteristics of clients with high and low use of a community-based AIDS service organization in Canada. The study confirmed that the organizations' services were reaching the most vulnerable persons living with HIV/AIDS. It found that a significantly greater number of high users compared with low users were single, lived alone, and reported poorer health. The similarity in functional health status and depression between user groups, despite high users' poorer health and greater social vulnerability, supports client reports that services have reduced client isolation and improved health-related quality of life. Finally, high users had lower expenditures for government-provided health and social services overall, particularly HIV specialists and AIDS medication, but significantly more expenditures for emergency room services and complementary therapies. The results suggest community-based services can enhance health-related quality of life for persons living with HIV/AIDS by increasing providers' capacity to identify and address client depression and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the identification and testing of potential psychosocial factors contributing to an integrated multivariate predictive model of occupational low back disability. Psychosocial predictors originate from five traditions of psychosocial research: psychopathological, cognitive, diathesis-stress, human adaptation and organizational psychology. The psychosocial variables chosen for this study reflect a full range of research findings. They were investigated using 253 subacute and chronic pain injured workers. Three outcome measures were utilized: return-to-work status, duration of disability and disability costs. The key psychosocial predictors identified were expectations of recovery and perception of health change. Also implicated, but to a lesser degree, were occupational stability, skill discretion at work, co-worker support, and the response of the workers'' compensation system and employer to the disability. All psychosocial models were better at predicting who will return than who will not return to work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The age of a liver transplant (LT) candidate is one of many variables used in the transplant selection process. Most research about the age at transplant has used prespecified age ranges or categories in assessing associations with transplant outcomes. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the age at transplant and survival. This study aimed to examine associations of age at transplant as a continuous variable, in conjunction with other patient and disease-related factors, with patient and graft survival after LT., Methods: We used the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research data to identify LT recipients between January 2002 and June 2018. Cox regression models with a restricted cubic spline term for age examined associations with graft and patient survival after LT. We assessed the interactions of age with recipients' sex, race/ethnicity, region, indication for transplant, body mass index, model for end-stage liver disease score, diabetes, functional status at transplant, and donor risk index., Results: Age at the time of LT showed a nonlinear association with both graft and patient survival. Each demographic, clinical, transplant-related, and donor-related factor influenced these relationships differently., Conclusions: Our results suggest that some older LT candidates may be better than some younger candidates and that clinicians should not exclusively use age to determine who receives LT., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is limited information concerning whether social determinants of health affect postliver transplant (LT) outcomes. This study aims to understand to what extent the health of LT recipients' counties of residence influence long-term LT outcomes., Methods: We used the United Network for Organ Sharing data to identify adult LT recipients transplanted between January 2010 and June 2018. Patient-level data were matched to county-level County Health Ranking (CHR) data using transplant recipient zip code, and nationwide CHRs were created. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine associations between CHRs and graft and patient survival post-LT., Results: Health outcomes rank was significantly associated with posttransplant graft and patient survival, with worst tertile counties showing a 13% increased hazard of both graft failure and patient mortality compared to the best tertile counties., Conclusions: Although county health is associated with LT outcomes, it also appears that LT recipient selection is effective at mitigating major disparities based on county of residence and helps yield equitable outcomes in this respect., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Patients with HIV infection have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with uninfected individuals. Antiretroviral therapy with atazanavir (ATV) delays progression of atherosclerosis markers; whether this reduces cardiovascular disease event risk compared with other antiretroviral regimens is currently unknown., Design: Population-based, noninterventional, historical cohort study conducted from 1 July 2003 through 31 December 2015., Setting: Veterans Health Administration hospitals and clinics throughout the United States., Participants: Treatment-naive patients with HIV infection (N = 9500)., Antiretroviral Exposures: Initiating antiretroviral regimens containing ATV, other protease inhibitors, nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), or integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)., Main Outcome/effect Size Measures: Incidence rates of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and all-cause mortality within each regimen. ATV versus other protease inhibitor, NNRTI, or INSTI covariate-adjusted hazard ratios by using Cox proportional hazards models and inverse probability of treatment weighting., Results: Incidence rates for MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality with ATV-containing regimens (5.2, 10.4, and 16.0 per 1000 patient-years, respectively) were lower than with regimens containing other protease inhibitors (10.2, 21.9, and 23.3 per 1000 patient-years), NNRTIs (7.5, 15.9, and 17.5 per 1000 patient-years), or INSTIs (13.0, 33.1, and 21.5 per 1000 patient-years). After inverse probability of treatment weighting, adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality with ATV-containing regimens versus all non-ATV-containing regimens were 0.59 (0.41-0.84), 0.64 (0.50-0.81), and 0.90 (0.73-1.11), respectively., Conclusion: Among treatment-naive HIV-infected patients in the Veterans Health Administration initiating ATV-containing regimens, risk of both MI and stroke were significantly lower than in those initiating regimens containing other protease inhibitors, NNRTIs, or INSTIs.

Purpose of Review: As penile cancer is an uncommon malignancy in the Western society, randomized trials to address the controversies in management have not previously been undertaken. The incorporation of multidisciplinary approaches in the management of advanced penile carcinoma has largely borrowed evidence from analogous malignancies in the anogenital region. This review is being undertaken in preparation for the international launch of InPACT, the International Penile Advanced Cancer Trial, a collaborative effort from European and North American trialists., Recent Findings: The literature supporting the development of this trial is reviewed, along with the trial design, goals, and endpoints. Level one evidence of the benefits of combined chemo-radiotherapy in the management of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, oropharynx, vulva, and anal canal has led to the introduction of this approach for advanced penile cancer. InPACT will compare chemo-radiotherapy to the traditional surgical approach, with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy., Summary: InPACT will define the roles and optimal sequencing of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in advanced penile cancer. In the meantime, this collaborative effort among the major research consortiums of Europe and North America lends credibility to the application of this evidence to the penile site.

Purpose of Review: To review the current status of intermittent androgen suppression in the management of biochemically recurrent or newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer with respect to two recently reported multicenter phase III randomized trials., Recent Findings: The Canadian lead trial for men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after definitive radiotherapy (National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group PR7) randomized 1386 men and found a hazard ratio for death of 1.03 at a median follow-up of 6.9 years, declaring intermittent therapy noninferior to continuous for the trial algorithm. Over the same time frame, the South West Oncology Group (SWOG) compared continuous to intermittent therapy in metastatic prostate cancer. Although results were very similar in absolute terms, at 9.8 years follow-up, the hazard ratio for death was 1.1 in favor of the continuous approach. Intermittent therapy could not be declared noninferior. Both trials reported improved quality of life in the intermittent arms., Summary: There is a small increased risk for death from prostate cancer with the use of intermittent androgen suppression in both these patient populations. This situation may be especially true for higher Gleason score tumors (8-10) and in men with symptomatic bone metastases. Quality-of-life benefits may make this approach worthwhile for some individuals.

Objective: Pancreatic diseases pose significant diagnostic challenge as signs and symptoms often overlap. We investigated the potential of pancreatic juice neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) to aid in the diagnosis of patients with symptoms suggestive of pancreatic diseases., Methods: A total of 105 chronic pancreatitis (CP), pancreatic cancer (PC), and nonpancreatic nonhealthy (patients with symptoms mimicking pancreatic disease but found to be free of any pancreatic disease) patients underwent endoscopic pancreatic juice collection after secretin stimulation. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and MIC-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas CA19-9 was measured by radioimmunoassay., Results: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, MIC-1, and CA19-9 were significantly elevated in the pancreatic juice of patients with CP and patients with PC as compared with nonpancreatic nonhealthy controls (P ≤ 0.034). Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin seemed most promising in differentiating diseased versus nondiseased pancreata (areas under the curve, 0.88-0.91), whereas MIC-1 was found to be higher in patients with PC than in patients with CP (P = 0.043). Interestingly, MIC-1 levels in diabetic patients with PC were higher than in nondiabetic patients with PC (P = 0.030) and diabetic patients with CP (P = 0.087). Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 showed the least ability to distinguish patient groups (areas under the curve, 0.61-0.76)., Conclusions: Pancreatic juice neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin shows potential utility in establishing pancreatic etiology in the context of nonspecific symptoms, whereas MIC-1 may aid in differentiating PC from CP.

Some researchers propose maternal Alzheimer disease (AD) inheritance. We compared dementia family histories in AD cases and cognitively normal controls. We expected more mothers to have AD in both groups. If maternal risk was not only due to female longevity, more AD cases' than controls' mothers should have dementia. We matched 196 AD cases to 200 controls by sex and age. We obtained parent dementia status and age of death for 348 AD and 319 control parents. Twenty-four (12%) controls' fathers, 26 (13%) AD patients' fathers, 58 (29%) controls' mothers, and 55 (28%) AD mothers had memory difficulty. More mothers than fathers had memory problems in both groups and the statistical significance persisted after adjusting for parent age at death and APOE for controls [odds ratios (OR)=2.40, P=0.004] but not cases (OR=1.63, P=0.14), although the results are qualitatively similar. There was no evidence of a real difference between the 2 groups in interaction analysis (P=0.41). Mothers of both cases and controls were more often affected than fathers, even after adjusting for age. Cases' mothers no more often had dementia than controls' mothers, which does not support maternal AD transmission. Rather, the increased number of affected mothers relates, at least in part, to female longevity.

Purpose of Review: A number of articles have been published in the past several months providing long-term follow-up data on large brachytherapy series from centers of excellence or highly experienced individual practitioners. Our purpose is to review this recent literature and place it in context, especially as compared with notable articles in the recent past that have described less favorable outcomes., Recent Findings: A total of 3773 patients were included in three large permanent seed implant studies, the first with almost exclusively low-dose rate permanent seed brachytherapy monotherapy, the second including a large proportion of patients receiving 6 months of androgen suppression, and the third including both supplemental external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and hormonal therapy. The 7-10 year biochemical no evidence of disease rates ranged from 94 to 95.6%, with the vast majority of patients achieving prostate specific antigen nadirs less than 0.4 ng/ml. Eight to 10 year follow-up on high-dose rate brachytherapy patients treated with combined EBRT and an high-dose rate boost are equally impressive, especially considering that these series contain a large proportion of men with unfavorable disease., Summary: Both low-dose rate and high-dose rate prostate brachytherapy, either alone or given as a boost combined with moderate-dose EBRT, provide impressive long-term disease control and may be the optimal form of intraprostatic dose escalation.

Background: Late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) is a common disorder with a substantial genetic component. We postulate that many disease susceptibility variants act by altering gene expression levels., Methods: We measured messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of 12 LOAD candidate genes in the cerebella of 200 subjects with LOAD. Using the genotypes from our LOAD genome-wide association study for the cis-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (n = 619) of these 12 LOAD candidate genes, we tested for associations with expression levels as endophenotypes. The strongest expression cis-SNP was tested for AD association in 7 independent case-control series (2,280 AD and 2,396 controls)., Results: We identified 3 SNPs that associated significantly with IDE (insulin degrading enzyme) expression levels. A single copy of the minor allele for each significant SNP was associated with approximately twofold higher IDE expression levels. The most significant SNP, rs7910977, is 4.2 kb beyond the 3' end of IDE. The association observed with this SNP was significant even at the genome-wide level (p = 2.7 x 10(-8)). Furthermore, the minor allele of rs7910977 associated significantly (p = 0.0046) with reduced LOAD risk (OR = 0.81 with a 95% CI of 0.70-0.94), as expected biologically from its association with elevated IDE expression., Conclusions: These results provide strong evidence that IDE is a late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) gene with variants that modify risk of LOAD by influencing IDE expression. They also suggest that the use of expression levels as endophenotypes in genome-wide association studies may provide a powerful approach for the identification of disease susceptibility alleles.

Genetic factors are important in Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease but have not been well characterized in Lewy body dementia (LBD). The authors obtained family history in patients from an autopsy series of AD and LBD and in living healthy controls. A family history of dementia was more common in both LBD and AD compared with controls, suggesting that genetic factors are as important in LBD as they are in AD.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare treatment complications for early-stage prostate cancer managed by either brachytherapy or three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT)., Materials and Methods: [corrected] Records were reviewed for 86 men treated with transperineal interstitial permanent prostate brachytherapy and for 76 men treated with dose-escalated (75.6-Gy) six-field 3DCRT between 1998 and 2000. Median ages were 65 and 66 years, respectively; median Gleason scores were 6 and 7; baseline prostate-specific antigen levels were 6.1 and 9.0 ng/mL; and the follow-up period was 42 months. In the urinary domain, patients who underwent brachytherapy recorded an International Prostate Symptom Score prospectively at baseline, as well as 3 months and every 6 months following, whereas patients who underwent 3D-CRT were assigned a Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) late toxicity score at similar time intervals. In the bowel domain, RTOG late toxicity score was used for both groups, and physician-dictated notes were used to assess sexual function. All patients who underwent brachytherapy were prescribed tamsulosin (Flomax) to manage urinary symptoms for a minimum of 3 months after treatment., Results: With respect to urinary symptoms, a direct comparison cannot be made between the International Prostate Symptom Score and the RTOG late toxicity score. Nonetheless, it was evident that patients who underwent brachytherapy had more severe urinary sequelae in the months after implantation. Tamsulosin was still being used by 78% of patients at 6 months, decreasing to 55% at 1 year and 27% at 2 years. Intermittent self-catheterization was required at 6 months after treatment by 5% of patients who underwent brachytherapy, and a transurethral resection of the prostate was performed in one of these patients at 12 months. In patients who underwent 3D-CRT, 14% used tamsulosin at some point in the follow-up period and none required catheterization or transurethral resection of the prostate. In the bowel domain, 20% of patients who underwent brachytherapy experienced grade 1 gastrointestinal toxicity, most within the first 12 months of follow-up, compared with 30% grade 1 or 2 gastrointestinal scores in the 3D-CRT group (peaking in the second year after treatment). In the sexual domain, 9% of patients who underwent brachytherapy who were previously potent reported a loss of potency by 18 months, compared with 53% of patients who underwent 3D-CRT. Without the help of sildenafil (Viagra), these figures rose to 24% and 58%., Conclusions: 3D-CRT is associated with fewer urinary symptoms, whereas brachytherapy has a more favorable toxicity profile for bowel and sexual function. In the absence of a randomized clinical trial, such a comparison can be helpful both in counseling patients as to what to expect from either treatment and in facilitating their treatment decision process.