Cancer screening and prevention education in standardized training residents: A cross-sectional survey in single center

BACKGROUND

Standardized residency training is an essential aspect of enhancing the ability of cancer prevention and screening of residents. The current study was performed to investigate tumor prevention, screening literacy and the training demands of standardized training residents and explore related influencing factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 320 residents of The First Hospital of Lanzhou University. An online, self-designed questionnaire was employed to investigate tumor prevention and screening, training status, and the requirements of residents. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

The mean age of the 320 participants was 26.04 ± 1.85 years;133, 83, and 104 were in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of standardized training, respectively. Among the common carcinogenic factors, smoking, infectious agents, and drinking were more correlated with tumors by 72.19, 66.57, and 64.38% of the physicians, respectively. Excess body weight, an insufficient intake of fruits and dietary fiber, and a lack of exercise were correlated with tumors by only 26.56, 25, and 23.44% of the physicians, respectively. The proportion of physicians providing an accurate answer to the tumor screening question ranged from 23.13 to 93.13%. The lowest accuracy was 23.13% for the initial age of regular breast cancer screening in general-risk women. The maximum rate of the primary liver cancer screening methods was 93.13%. Postgraduates and residents of oncology practitioners considered excess body weight and the insufficient intake of fruits and dietary fiber more relevant to cancer (P < 0.05). Male residents viewed more associations between tumors and a lack of exercise and air pollution (P < 0.05). Overall, 71.26% of participants felt that their tumor prevention and screening knowledge was poor and 95.31% thought they needed standardized tumor prevention and screening training.

CONCLUSION

Tumor prevention and screening literacy of standardized training residents should be further improved. There is a huge knowledge demand for tumor prevention and screening. Therefore, it is vital to build a training program in line with the requirements of cancer prevention and control efforts that focus on improving literacy among residents.

Multiplex quantitation of 270 plasma protein markers to identify a signature for early detection of colorectal cancer

Blood-based protein biomarker signatures might be an alternative or supplement to existing methods for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) for population-based screening. The objective of this study was to derive a protein biomarker signature for early detection of CRC and its precursor advanced adenoma (AA). In a two-stage design, 270 protein markers were measured by liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring/mass spectrometry in plasma samples of discovery and validation sets. In the discovery set consisting of 100 newly diagnosed CRC cases and 100 age- and sex-matched controls free of neoplasm at screening colonoscopy, the algorithms predicting the presence of early- or late-stage CRC were derived by Lasso regression and .632 + bootstrap. The prediction algorithms were then externally validated in an independent validation set consisting of participants of screening colonoscopy including 56 participants with CRC, 99 with AA and 99 controls without any colorectal neoplasms. Three different signatures for all-, early- and late-stage CRC consisting of five-, three- and eight-protein markers were obtained in the discovery set with areas under the curves (AUCs) after .632 + bootstrap adjustment of 0.85, 0.83 and 0.96, respectively. External validation in the representative screening population yielded AUCs of 0.79 (95% CI, 0.70-0.86), 0.79 (95% CI, 0.66-0.89) and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.70-0.89) for all-, early- and late-stage CRCs, respectively. The three-marker early-stage algorithm yielded an AUC of 0.65 (95% CI, 0.56-0.73) for detection of AA in the validation set. Although not yet competitive with available stool-based tests for CRC early detection, the identified proteins may contribute to the development of powerful blood-based tests for early detection of CRC and its precursors AAs.

Parental separation and behaviours that influence the health of infants aged 28 to 32 months: a cross-sectional study

Background

In Western countries, many children are affected by the separation of their parents.

The study’s main objective was to analyse the parental behaviours potentially influential for preschool children’s health by family structure (parents together or separated).

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study based on data collected from examinations as part of free preventive medical consultations in the French Community of Belgium. During the assessment of 30,769 infants aged 28 to 32 months, information was collected on the parents’ use of tobacco, brushing of the infant’s teeth, being monitored by a dentist, and receiving vision screening. The chi² test was applied and the odds ratios were derived to compare the two groups of children (exposed/not exposed to parental separation). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust the effect of exposure.

Results

Nearly one in ten (9.8%) did not live with both parents under the same roof. Taking into account the social and cultural environment and other potential confounders at our disposal, we found that in the event of parental separation, behaviours differ in comparison with situations where parents live together; the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval) for the infant’s exposure to tobacco, absence of teeth brushing, lack of monitoring by a dentist and absence of visual screening, were respectively 1.7 (1.2–2.0), 1.1 (0.9–1.2), 1.3 (1.1–1.6), 1.2 (1.1–1.2), and 1.2 (1.1–1.4).

Conclusions

This study confirms the suspicion that parental separation is an independent risk factor for parental behaviours that negatively influence the infant’s health. If these results are confirmed, this it could affect the work of the family doctors and paediatricians, especially in terms of family support and information to parents.

Parental separation: a risk for the psychomotor development of children aged 28 to 32 months? A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

In Western countries, about a quarter of children are affected by parental separation and a number of authors have previously investigated how familial structure impacts children's health. The purpose of the work: to analyze the psychomotor development of children aged 28 to 32 months based on family structure (parents together or separated), independently of the influence of socio-economic environment that is well documented. To analyse the psychomotor development of children younger than 3 years based on family structure (parents together or separated) independently of the influence of socio-economic environment that is well documented.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study by examination of 28 871 children as part of a free preventive medicine consultation. The data came from an assessment conducted 28 to 32 months after birth during which information was collected about the psychomotor development: to perform a standing jump, dress themselves, draw a vertical line and circle, use the "I" pronoun, build a three-word sentence, and say their first name

RESULTS

Ten percent of the children had separated parents. Compared to parents who were together, when adjusting for the socioeconomic environment, as well as all potential confounders, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95 % confidence interval [CI]) for children with separated parents, in terms of their ability to perform a standing jump, dress themselves, and draw a vertical line and circle were respectively 0.9 (0.7-1.1), 1.1 (0.9-1.2), 1.3 (1.1-1.4) and 1.2 (1.1-1.4). The adjusted ORs (95 % CI) for children's inability to say the "I" pronoun, build a three-word sentence, and say their first name were respectively 1.2 (1.1-1.3), 1.3 (1.2-1.5), and 1.2 (0.9-1.5).

CONCLUSIONS

After adjusting for sociocultural factors and other potential confounders, we observed that the children exhibited slower progression in psychomotor development, especially in language and graphic abilities when their parents were separated. While the implications of our study are somewhat limited, they do provide us with the necessary arguments enabling us to set up a prospective cohort study. Such a study should be able to better assess the impact of parental separation on the child's development, confirming our preliminary results.