Acceptability and Feasibility of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Program for HCT Cancer Caregivers

High levels of stress have been reported amongst allogeneic HCT cancer caregivers and few treatment programs exist to provide stress management skills to this population. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a six-session mindfulness-based program designed specifically to meet the needs of allogeneic HCT cancer caregivers. Method: Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, end of treatment, and at a one month follow-up. Feasibility criteria consisted of participant accrual, retention, and homework completion. Measures of acceptability included the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ; scale of 1–4 [1 = Poor; 4 = Excellent]) and three questions developed for this study to capture overall usefulness of the program; the usefulness of the program in managing stress; and likelihood of continued usage of mindfulness-based strategies (scale of 1–6 [1 = Not very useful; 6 = Very Useful]). Results: Twenty-one caregivers (mean age 57.95; 79% female) were enrolled and completed baseline questionnaires. Of these, 19 attended at least one treatment session, 15 attended at least 4, and 13 attended all sessions. Thirteen completed the post-treatment questionnaires and 14 completed follow-up questionnaires. Participants reported engaging in at least one mindfulness practice daily on 58% of the days enrolled in the study. Results from the CSQ found the program to be highly satisfactory (M = 3.68; SD = 0.28), with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction. Participants responded positively to questions related to overall usefulness of the program (M = 5.36; SD = 0.93), usefulness of the program to help manage stress (M = 5.14; SD = 0.95), and likelihood of continuation of strategy use in the future (M = 5.50; SD = 1.16). At the one month follow up, 100% of participants endorsed still using some of the skills learned during the program. Discussion: These pilot study results found the mindfulness intervention to be both feasible and acceptable. Limitations include: small sample size, homogenous population, and lack of a control group. Larger, future studies are warranted to determine the efficacy of this intervention in relation to a comparison treatment condition.

Stress Response and Virulence Potential Modulating Effect of Peppermint Essential Oil in Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common food-borne bacteria that causes gastrointestinal symptoms. In the present study we have investigated the molecular basis of the anti-Campylobacter effect of peppermint essential oil (PEO), one of the oldest EO used to treat gastrointestinal diseases. Transcriptomic, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and proteomic, two-dimensional polyacryl amid gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) methods have revealed that, in the presence of a sublethal concentration of PEO, the expression of several virulence-associated genes was decreased (cheY 0.84x; flhB 0.79x; flgE 0.205x; cadF 0.08x; wlaB 0.89x; porA 0.25x; cbf2 4.3x) while impaired motility was revealed with a functional analysis. Scanning electron micrographs of the exposed cells showed that, unlike in the presence of other stresses, the originally curved C. jejuni cells straightened upon PEO exposure. Gaining insight into the molecular background of this stress response, we have revealed that in the presence of PEO C. jejuni dominantly exerts a general stress response that elevates the expression of general stress genes like dnaK, groEL, groES (10.41x, 3.63x, and 4.77x). The most important genes dps, sodB, and katA involved in oxidative stress responses showed however moderate transcriptional elevations (1,58x, 1,55x, and 1,85x).