Preference for sleep management strategies among prostate cancer patients: An Aotearoa/New Zealand perspective✰

Investigation on the mechanisms by which the herbal remedies induce anti-prostate cancer activity: uncovering the most practical natural compound

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most reported cancers among men worldwide. Targeting the essential proteins associated with PCa could be a promising method for cancer treatment. Traditional and herbal remedies (HRs) are the most practical approaches for PCa treatment. Here, the proteins and enzymes associated with PCa were determined based on the information obtained from the DisGeNET database. The proteins with a gene-disease association (GDA) score greater than 0.7 and the genes that have a disease specificity index (DSI) = 1 were selected as the target proteins. 28 HRs with anti-PCa activity as a traditional treatment for PCa were chosen as potential bioactive compounds. More than 500 compound-protein complexes were screened to find the top-ranked bioactives. The results were further evaluated using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and binding free energy calculations. The outcomes revealed that procyanidin B2 3,3'-di-O-gallate (B2G2), the most active ingredient of grape seed extract (GSE), can act as an agonist for PTEN. PTEN has a key role in suppressing PCa cells by applying phosphatase activity and inhibiting cell proliferation. B2G2 exhibited a considerable binding affinity to PTEN (11.643 kcal/mol). The MD results indicated that B2G2 could stabilize the key residues of the phosphatase domain of PTEN and increase its activity. Based on the obtained results, the active ingredient of GSE, B2G2, could play an agonist role and effectively increase the phosphatase activity of PTEN. The grape seed extract is a useful nutrition that can be used in men's diets to inhibit PCa in their bodies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Determinants of Cancer-Related Fatigue among Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Objectives: This systematic review aims to assess and explore various determinants of cancer- related fatigue. Methods: A systematic search of various determinants of Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) was performed in different databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Clinical Key dating from 1990 to September 2020. Results: A total of 6115 studies were screened and 95 articles related to determinants of fatigue were retained. Various modifiable and non-modifiable determinants including socio-demographic, clinical, treatment related, plasma biomarker related, genetic, behavioural, concurrent symptoms related and psychological determinants were identified. Depression was one of the significant factors reported in 28% of studies, followed by pain, (17%), performance status (16%), chemotherapy and anxiety (15%). Conclusion: It is recommended that nurses and clinicians should anticipate, identify and take appropriate interventions to manage those modifiable factors. Ultimately, managing the modifiable factors helps in the comprehensive care of cancer patients.

Understanding Sleep Disturbances in Prostate Cancer-A Scientometric Analysis of Sleep Assessment, Aetiology, and Its Impact on Quality of Life

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United Kingdom. While androgen-deprivation therapy is the most common treatment for prostate cancer, patients undergoing this treatment typically experience side effects in terms of sleep disturbances. However, the relation between prostate cancer and sleep and the way in which sleep interventions may benefit oncological patients is underinvestigated in the literature. The current study aims to review in a data-driven approach the existing literature on the field of prostate cancer and sleep to identify impactful documents and major thematic domains. To do so, a sample of 1547 documents was downloaded from Scopus, and a document co-citation analysis was conducted on CiteSpace software. In the literature, 12 main research domains were identified as well as 26 impactful documents. Research domains were examined regarding the link between prostate cancer and sleep, by taking into account variations in hormonal levels. A major gap in the literature was identified in the lack of use of objective assessment of sleep quality in patients with prostate cancer.

Sleep Quality and Associated Factors Among Adult Cancer Patients on Treatments at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital Oncology Unit, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021

BACKGROUND

Patients with cancer frequently reported sleep problems during their treatments which can affect their sleep quality have an impact on patients' quality of life (QOL).

OBJECTIVE

to assess the prevalence of sleep quality and associated factors in adult cancer patients on treatment in the Oncology unit of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021.

METHODS

institutional-based cross-sectional study design was used and data was collected by using face-to-face structured interview questionnaires from March 1 to April 1, 2021. Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) consisted of 19 items, the social support scale (OSS-3) consisted of 3 items, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) consisted of 14 items were applied. Logistic regression including bivariate and multivariate analysis was done to examine the association between dependent and independent variables, and P< 0.05 was considered the level of significance for associations.

RESULTS

A total of 264 sampled adult cancer patients on treatments were included in this study, with a response rate of 93.61%. About 26.5% of the participants' age distribution was between 40 to 49 years, and 68.6% were female. 59.8% of the study participants were married. Concerning education, about 48.9% of participants attended primary and secondary school and 45% of participants were unemployed. Overall, 53.79% of individuals had poor sleep quality. Low income ((AOR=5.36 CI 95% (2.23, 12.90), fatigue (AOR=2.89 CI 95(1.32, 6.33), pain (AOR 3.82 C I95 % (1.84, 7.93), poor of social support (AOR =3.20 CI 95% (1.43, 6.74), anxiety (AOR=3.48 CI 95% (1.44, 8.38) and depression (AOR 2.87 CI 95 % (1.05-7.391) were all associated with poor sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed a high prevalence of poor sleep quality, which was significantly associated with factors like low income, fatigue, pain, poor social support, anxiety, and depression among cancer patients on treatments.

The relationship between sleep hygiene, mood, and insomnia symptoms in men with prostate cancer

PURPOSE

Insomnia symptoms are commonly experienced by men after prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. Here we explored how sleep hygiene behaviours and psychological symptoms are associated with insomnia symptoms in PCa patients.

METHODS

An online survey was posted on social media and sent to mailing lists of PCa and general cancer organisations. The survey collected information on demographic, sleep hygiene, and psychological symptoms using validated questionnaires.

RESULTS

Data from 142 participants were compared based on the absence (age = 68.3 ± 8.9 years) and presence (age = 66.6 ± 9.0 years) of insomnia symptoms. Participants with insomnia symptoms had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleepiness as well as poorer sleep hygiene than those without insomnia symptoms. Control variables (age, number of comorbidities, and BMI) accounted for 11.9% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. Including treatment history contributed to an additional 1.6% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. Adding sleepiness, fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms to the model explained an additional 44.6% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. Furthermore, including the sleep hygiene item 'I think, plan, or worry when I am in bed' and 'I sleep in an uncomfortable bedroom' explained an additional 3.6% of the variance in insomnia symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor sleep hygiene, fatigue, sleepiness, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were all associated with worse insomnia symptoms in PCa patients. Improving sleep hygiene and treating psychological conditions may potentially help prevent and/or alleviate insomnia symptoms in PCa patients.

Analysis of Brain Functions in Men with Prostate Cancer under Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A One-Year Longitudinal Study

The relationship between cognitive decline and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) under luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues is unclear, and there is a scarcity of longitudinal studies considering the interaction between cognition, depressive symptoms and sleep quality in men with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with ADT. This study aimed to determine if there were differences in the scores obtained in cognitive assessment, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality after one year of ADT and determine the interrelations between sleep, mood, and cognitive status. A prospective longitudinal observational study was designed, in which a cohort of men (mean age was 70.8 years) newly treated with androgen-deprivation therapy was assessed in the first six months of treatment and 12 months later. Analysis of cognitive function by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase after one year of treatment and by the Brief Scale for Cognitive Evaluation (BCog) scores indicated no changes in the scores before and after one year of treatment. Analysis of depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale and sleep quality with the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) scores showed significant (p < 0.05) changes after one year of treatment with ADT, with men describing more depressive symptoms and more sleep disturbances. No statistically significant differences were found in the cognitive performance between men with impaired sleep or depression results and those without them. Our study showed no clinical evidence of the relationship between ADT under luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues and cognitive deterioration in 1-year follow-up, but there are impairments in the sleep quality in men with PCa undergoing ADT and an increase in depressive symptoms which has important implications for clinicians as they would impair quality of life and adherence to treatment.