Browsing by Author "Sweeney, Christopher"

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    Oncology Outpatient and Provider Responses to a Computerized Symptom Assessment System
    (2008-07) Carpenter, Janet S.; Rawl, Susan M.; Porter, Jennifer; Schmidt, Karen; Tornatta, Jennifer; Ojewole, Foluso; Helft, Paul; Potter, David A; Sweeney, Christopher; Giesler, R. Brian
    Purpose/Objectives: To assess patient and provider responses to a computerized symptom assessment system. Design: Descriptive, longitudinal study with retrospective, longitudinal medical records review. Setting: University-based National Cancer Institute-designated outpatient cancer center. Sample: 80 oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy, 8 providers, and 30 medical records. Methods: Patients completed the computerized assessment during three chemotherapy follow-up clinic appointments (times 1, 2, and 3). Patient usability was recorded via an observer checklist (ease of use) and the computer (completion time). Patient satisfaction and impact were assessed during telephone interviews two to three days after times 1 and 3 only. Provider usability and impact were assessed at the end of the study using a questionnaire and focus groups, whereas effect on provider documentation was assessed through chart audits. Main Research Variables: Patient usability (ease of use, completion time), satisfaction, and impact; provider usability and impact. Findings: Patients reported good usability, high satisfaction, and modest impact on discussions with their providers. Providers reported modest usability, modest impact on discussions with patients, and had varied reactions as to how the system affected practice. Documentation of symptoms was largely absent before and after implementation. Conclusions: This system demonstrated good usability and satisfaction but had only a modest impact on symptom-related discussions and no impact on documentation. Implications for Nursing: A computerized system can help address barriers to symptom assessment but may not improve documentation unless it can be integrated into existing medical records systems.
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    Parthenolide Sensitizes Cells to X-Ray-Induced Cell Killing through Inhibition of NF-κB and Split-Dose Repair
    (Radiation Research Society, 2007-12) Mendonca, Marc S.; Chin-Sinex, Helen; Gomez-Millan, Jaime; Datzman, Nicholas; Hardacre, Michael; Comerford, Kathleen; Nakshatri, Harikrishna; Nye, Monica; Benjamin, Laura; Mehta, Sachin; Patino, Fatima; Sweeney, Christopher
    Mendonca, M. S., Chin-Sinex, H., Gomez-Millan, J., Datzman, N., Hardacre, M., Comerford, K., Nakshatri, H., Nye, M., Benjamin, L., Mehta, S., Patino, F. and Sweeney, C. Parthenolide Sensitizes Cells to X-Ray-Induced Cell Killing through Inhibition of NF-κB and Split-Dose Repair. Radiat. Res. 168, 689–697 (2007).Human cancers have multiple alterations in cell signaling pathways that promote resistance to cytotoxic therapy such as X rays. Parthenolide is a sesquiterpene lactone that has been shown to inhibit several pro-survival cell signaling pathways, induce apoptosis, and enhance chemotherapy-induced cell killing. We investigated whether parthenolide would enhance X-ray-induced cell killing in radiation resistant, NF-κB-activated CGL1 cells. Treatment with 5 μM parthenolide for 48 to 72 h inhibited constitutive NF-κB binding and cell growth, reduced plating efficiency, and induced apoptosis through stabilization of p53 (TP53), induction of the pro-apoptosis protein BAX, and phosphorylation of BID. Parthenolide also enhanced radiation-induced cell killing, increasing the X-ray sensitivity of CGL1 cells by a dose modification factor of 1.6. Flow cytometry revealed that parthenolide reduced the percentage of X-ray-resistant S-phase cells due to induction of p21waf1/cip1 (CDKN1A) and the onset of G1/S and G2/M blocks, but depletion of radioresistant S-phase cells does not explain the observed X-ray sensitization. Further studies demonstrated that the enhancement of X-ray-induced cell killing by parthenolide is due to inhibition of split-dose repair.