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Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women in developed and developing countries. Treatment strategies can affect sexuality in the short or long term.
Objectives
The aim of our study was to assess sexuality and martial satisfaction in patients followed for breast cancer.
Methods
Cross-sectional descriptive study including patients followed for breast cancer at the outpatient medical oncology consultation of Hadj Ali Soua regional hospital from January to March 2021. We passed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the martial adjustment test (MAT).
Results
Fifteen patients were included with a mean age of 49.87 ± 8.48 years and a mean age at diagnosis of 46.73 ± 7.55 years. At the TNM classification, 66.6% of the patients had a T1 or T2 at the time of diagnosis and 80% had an N0. All patients received a surgical intervention, which was conservative in 53.3% of cases. No patient underwent breast reconstruction. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy were prescribed in 86.7% of patients. Radiotherapy and targeted therapy were prescribed in 12 and 2 case, respectively. Amenorrhea, hot flushes and vaginal dryness were noted in 98.7%, 26.7% and 7.6% of patients, respectively. Sexual disorders were found in 53.3% of cases, which settled in a chronic mode in 75% of cases and progressed in a continuous mode in half of cases. The assessment of physical and erotic life was revealed to be neat in 73.3% of the patients. The mean score of the FSFI questionnaire was 17.25 [2.6-31.9]. Eleven patients (73.3%) had sexual dysfunction. A low marital satisfaction was found in 34% of cases.
Conclusions
The medical consultation to identify sexuality disorders in correlation with the martial dissatisfaction in women followed for new breast cancer is crucial allowing a better management of this pathology.
Breast cancer is the most frequently encountered malignant tumor among women in Tunisia and in the world. The quality of sexual life of patients with breast cancer is impaired by multifactorial mechanisms.
Objectives
The aim of our study was to determine the factors associated with sexual disorders in patients followed for breast cancer.
Methods
Cross-sectional analytic study including patients followed for breast cancer at the outpatient medical oncology consultation of Hadj Ali Soua regional hospital from January to March 2021. We collected sociodemographic and clinical data with an assessment of sexuality (FSFI), marital satisfaction (MAT), psychological profile (HAD) and quality of life (SF36).
Results
Fifteen patients were included with a mean age of 49.87 ± 8.48 years and a mean age at diagnosis of 46.73 ± 7.55 years. At the TNM classification, 66.6% of the patients had a T1 or T2 at the time of diagnosis and 80% had an N0. All patients received a surgical intervention, which was conservative in 53.3% of cases. No patient underwent breast reconstruction. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy were prescribed in 86.7% of patients. The mean score of the FSFI questionnaire in our study was 17.25. Eleven patients (73.3%) had an FSFI score below 26.55. We found negative correlations between age and FSFI score (r=-0.622; p=0.013). We noted statistically significant negative correlations between FSFI and HAD-D (r=-0.606; p=0.017) and FSFI and HAD-a (r=-0.707; p=0.01) as well as significant correlations between FSFI and the following items: RE (r=0.84p=0.000), SF (r=0.684 p=0.005), GH (r=0.671 p=0.006) and MCS (r=0.788 p=0.000).
Conclusions
Focusing on a small sample of patients followed for breast cancer, our study provides an assessment of the sexual function in its various areas and shows how sexuality is deeply intertwined with other sections of medical management.
The assessment of quality of life is an essential complement to medical care. Some studies have shown that young women are more vulnerable to the disease impact and have a greater worsening of their quality of life.
Objectives
The aim of our study was to assess the quality of life of patients with breast cancer.
Methods
Cross-sectional descriptive study including patients followed for breast cancer at the outpatient medical oncology consultation of Hadj Ali Soua regional hospital from January to March 2021. We applied the 36-Item Short Form Survey SF-36.
Results
Fifteen patients were included with a mean age of 49.87 ± 8.48 years and a mean age at diagnosis of 46.73 ± 7.55 years. At the TNM classification, 66.6% of the patients had a T1 or T2 at the time of diagnosis and 80% had an N0. All patients received a surgical intervention, which was conservative in 53.3% of cases. No patient underwent breast reconstruction. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy were prescribed in 86.7% of patients. There was unequal impairment of different areas of the SF-36 questionnaire. The physical component was the most affected with a mean physical score (PCS) of 62.64; the RP score (limitations due to physical condition) was the lowest with a mean of 45 and the score of the item “Life and relations with others” was the best with a mean of 77.5.
Conclusions
The quality of life in relation to breast cancer in our population was at the medium rating, with moderately high scores. Sustainable improvement of the quality of life of women with breast cancer is a priority issue among the treatment objectives. Further studies are needed to assess the impact on the spouse, which is inseparable from the couple.
Neoplastic disease affects all aspects of life. People with cancer may experience a variety of emotions and reactions to their new reality that may be mild or intense, transitory or permanent.
Objectives
The aim of our study was to assess the psychological distress of patients with breast cancer.
Methods
Cross-sectional descriptive study including patients followed for breast cancer at the outpatient medical oncology consultation of Hadj Ali Soua regional hospital from January to March 2021. We used the “Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD-S)” for the assessment of anxiety and depression.
Results
Fifteen patients were included with a mean age of 49.87 ± 8.48 years and a mean age at diagnosis of 46.73 ± 7.55 years. At the TNM classification, 66.6% of the patients had a T1 or T2 at the time of diagnosis and 80% had an N0. All patients received a surgical intervention which was conservative in 53.3% of cases. No patient underwent breast reconstruction. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy were prescribed in 86.7% of patients. The mean anxiety and depression scores according to the HAD-S were 9.53 and 4.93, respectively. The majority of our patients had no depressive symptoms (80%) against only 2 patients (13.33%) with depressive symptoms. On the other hand, most of our patients were anxious: 6 patients (40%) showed probably clinically relevant levels of anxiety (score of 11 or higher) and 5 patients showed possibly clinically relevant levels of anxiety (scores of 8 or higher) (33,33%).
Conclusions
Our study revealed a high prevalence of psychological distress. The presence of clinical psychologists in the medical oncology department and the training of nursing staff in psycho-oncology are essential for the overall care of patients with cancer.
Nursing is highly demanding and stressful profession. Therefore, maintaining and improving psychological wellbeing among nurses seems essential to have a better life satisfaction and a better productivity.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between mental health and life satisfaction among nurses.
Methods
The study was conducted in a group of active nurses from Hedi Chaker hospital in Sfax- Tunisia. Standardized questionnaires were used, including the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS).
Results
A total of 100 (males = 40; females = 60) nurses participated in this study. The mean age was 50.20 ±7.20 years. The average of job tenure was 25.25 ± 9.70 years. The majority of participants (66.7%) reported having chronic diseases. Rotating shifts work was noted in 72.50% of cases. Average scores for the GHQ-28 and the SWLS were respectively 30.66 ± 11.07 and 21.61± 6.23. The presence of chronic conditions was associated with psychological distress (higher GHQ-28 scores) (p = 0.01). Life satisfaction score was positively correlated with age (r= 0.29, p= 0.023), whereas it was negatively correlated with GHQ-28 scores (r= -0.36, p= 0.01). Low life satisfaction (SWLS scores between 5 and 14) was significantly associated with three domains of the GHQ-28: somatic symptoms (p = 0.008), anxiety (p = 0.001) and social dysfunction (p = 0.01).
Conclusions
According to our study, low life satisfaction was associated with psychological disorder. Hence, nurses need support and subsequent interventions in order to improve psychological wellbeing and life-satisfaction.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a common and disabling condition. Gender differences are potentially important and can manifest in many ways.
Objectives
To determine the socio-demographic characteristics of women with BD, followed at the department of psychiatry of Gabes (southern of Tunisia).
Methods
A retrospective descriptive and analytical study was undertaken including all the patients having consulted for the first time in the department of psychiatry of Gabes, from January 1st, 2010 to December 31, 2016, for whom the diagnosis of a bipolar disorder was established according to the DSM-IV criteria. Sociodemographic and clinical data were assessed. Patients were divided into two groups according to gender. The collected data was compared between the two groups. The statisticalanalysiswasexecuted on the software SPSS (20thedition).
Results
We included 193 patients with BD (women = 103). The mean age of the women studied was 39.9 years. Women with BD had the following characteristics: married (55.3%), unemployed (65.1%), having an urban origin (75.7%), attending the primary or secondary school level (76.7%) and with an middle socioeconomic level (62.1%). Among the women studied, 9 (8.7%) were smokers, 2 (1.9%) consumed alcohol, and one (0.9%) used cannabis. Regarding the socio-demographic differences by gender, bipolar women were significantly less professionally active (p<10-3), less educated (p= 0.009), more frequently married, widowed or divorced (p <10-3) and having dependent children (p=0.008).
Conclusions
Our study made it possible to note the socio-demographic particularities of the woman followed for BD. A better knowledge of these particularities is the best guarantee of adequate care.
COVID-19 pandemic affected not only physical health of individuals, and communities but also their mental health worldwide. Young physicians, who were providing care for patients during the outbreak in a global atmosphere of stress, anxiety and depression, were not spared.
Objectives
To assess anxiety and depression among young medical resident exposed to COVID-19 in Tunisia and its associated factors
Methods
It was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical online-based survey, from April 19, 2020, to May 5, 2020 on 180 medical residents in training, via a Google-Form link. We used a self-administered anonymous questionnaire containing sociodemographic and clinical data. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) validated in the Tunisian dialectal version was used to assess anxiety and depression.
Results
Among 180 young doctors included, 70.2% were female, 16% were married, 81.8% worked in a university Hospital and 51.1% were frontline caregivers involved in primary screening. Our study revealed that 66.1% of young medical residents were suffering from anxiety (severe anxiety: 28.9 %) and 61.7% of them from depression (severe depression: 29.1%). Anxiety disorder was correlated to female gender (p=0.008), being married (0.001), worse quality of sleep (p<10-3) and increased consumption of tea and coffee (p=0.012). Depression was associated to worse quality of sleep (p<10-3), lack of physical activity (p<10-3), shortage of personal protective equipment (p=0,027) and anxiety disorder (p<10-3).
Conclusions
Our study indicated a high proportion of anxiety and depression among young doctors in training, needing systematic screening in order to prevent them.
Dimensional analysis is used to show that the maximum penetration depth and the tip radius affect the β correction factor appearing in the Sneddon relationship between unloading contact stiffness, contact area, and elastic modulus. A simple analytical model based on elasticity theory is derived that predicts the variation of β with penetration depth. This model shows that β increases at low penetration depth and decreases with the tip radius. The β(h) curve given by the model is compared with that calculated by finite element analysis for an elastic material and also with that deduced from experimental measurements performed on fused quartz with two Berkovich indenters: a sharp one and a blunted one. It is also demonstrated that the correction factor can be expressed as two multiplicative contributions, a contribution related to the mechanical properties of the material and a contribution related to the indenter geometry. Implications of these findings on nanoindentation test are also discussed.