Amanda L. Gentry

Patterns of change in cognitive function with anastrozole therapy.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effects of the first 18 months of anastrozole therapy on cognitive function in women with breast cancer.

Demonstration of facial communication of emotion through telehospice videophone contact.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the range of emotional expressions that can be displayed by nurse and family caregiver during a telehospice videophone consultation. We hypothesized that a nurse providing telehospice care via videophone would gain access to rich nonverbal emotional signals from the caregiver and communicate her own social presence to the caregiver, to potentially enhance the building of empathy between nurse and caregiver. METHODOLOGY Videorecording of a case exemplar of videophone contact was obtained using the Beamer, a commercially available product that allows display of both caller and receiver on an available television through standard telephone lines. Nonverbal communication through facial expressions of emotion was quantified using detailed coding of facial movement and expression (facial action coding system). RESULTS In this study, we demonstrated the presence of visual nonverbal information in the form of facial expressions of emotion during a videophone interaction between nurse and family caregiver. Over the course of a typical after-hours telehospice call, a variety of facial expressions of emotion were displayed by both nurse and family caregiver. Expression of positive and negative emotions, as well as mixed emotions, was apparent. Through detailed analysis of this case of videophone interaction, we have demonstrated the potential value of videophone contact for providing access to visual nonverbal emotional communication.

Psychometric Properties of a Decisional Capacity Screening Tool for Individuals Contemplating Participation in Alzheimer's Disease Research

BACKGROUND With the growing population of individuals affected by Alzheimers disease (AD) and related disorders, there is a pressing demand for research on late-life cognitive disorders. However, this populations high risk for decisional incapacity necessitates evaluation of capacity to consent to research participation, adding cost and complexity to the research process. The University of California, San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC) was initially validated in a sample of persons with schizophrenia and healthy controls. OBJECTIVE To assess the psychometric properties of the UBACC when used in a sample of individuals contemplating participation in AD research. METHODS The UBACC was administered to a convenience sample (n = 132) consisting of individuals with mild to moderate cognitive impairment (n = 52), their study partners (n = 52), and healthy older adults control subjects (n = 30), as part of a broader study to evaluate perceived burden of research participation. Reliability tests, correlational analyses, and exploratory factor analytic methods were used to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument. RESULTS UBACC scores were significantly associated with both global cognition (rs= 0.564, p <  0.001) and verbal fluency (rs = 0.511, p <  0.001), indicating concurrent validity with related constructs. The resulting factor structure differed from that reported by the developers in their initial testing. Items clustered almost entirely on one factor; items reflecting the construct of understanding accounted for 32.12% of total variance, with no evidence for distinct reasoning or appreciation scales. CONCLUSION The UBACC shows promise when used to screen for decisional capacity among those considering participation in AD research.

A New Measure of Research Participant Burden: Brief Report

Effective conceptualizations of research burden should address indirect burdens related to research duration, intensity, and invasiveness. Introducing the concept of perceived research burden, we developed, tested, and validated a new instrument, the Perceived Research Burden Assessment (PeRBA). Initial psychometric evaluation of PeRBA reveals good internal consistency, evidence of face validity, and acceptable convergent and discriminant validity.

Trajectories of self‐reported cognitive function in postmenopausal women during adjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer

In a sample of 368 postmenopausal women, we (1) determined within‐cohort and between‐cohort relationships between adjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer and self‐reported cognitive function during the first 18 months of therapy and (2) evaluated the influence of co‐occurring symptoms, neuropsychological function, and other covariates on relationships.

Measuring hope among families impacted by cognitive impairment.

The current exploratory investigation aims to establish the reliability and validity of a hope measure, the Herth Hope Index, among families impacted by early cognitive impairment (N = 96). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of the measure. Bivariate analyses were used to examine construct validity. The sample had moderately high hope scores. A two-factor structure emerged from the factor analysis, explaining 51.44% of the variance. Both factors exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .83 to .86). Satisfaction with social support was positively associated with hope, supporting convergent validity. Neurocognitive status, illness insight, and depression were not associated with hope, indicating discriminant validity. Families impacted by cognitive impairment may maintain hope in the face of a potentially progressive illness, regardless of cognitive status. The Herth Hope Index can be utilized as a reliable and valid measure of hope by practitioners providing support to families impacted by cognitive impairment.

A Descriptive, Retrospective Study of After-hours Calls in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Few studies have described after-hours calls in hospice patient care. This retrospective study examines the timing of after-hours telephone triage services, the reasons for access to after-hours hospice and palliative care services, and the predominant nursing interventions offered in after-hours calls in hospice and palliative care. A fixed coding scheme was used to code a deidentified after-hours triage phone log of all calls between July 2005 and June 2006 (n = 4434) from a Pennsylvania hospice and palliative care services organization. Descriptive statistics were used to identify call timing pattern, call reasons, and predominant nursing interventions. Triage services were utilized most frequently to request assistance with signs and symptoms control (25.7%), to report death (17.8%), and to request a home visit (15.3%). The top nursing interventions included updating case managers or supervisors about the needs of follow-up (29.5%), coordinating home visits (20.5%), and instructing caregivers or patients on how to control new signs and symptoms (19.8%). A better understanding of when and why patients and their family caregivers utilize after-hours hospice triage services can assist in the design of future proactive interventions to improve care, and enhance training for new and existing hospice triage nurses.

Attribution of Mild Cognitive Impairment Etiology in Patients and Their Care-Partners

This study examined the attribution of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) etiology assigned by individuals with MCI and their care partners, and the extent to which the dyads agreed on the attribution of MCI etiology.

Protocol for Exercise Program in Cancer and Cognition (EPICC): A randomized controlled trial of the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function in postmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving aromatase inhibitor therapy

The Exercise Program in Cancer and Cognition (EPICC) Study is a randomized controlled trial designed to test the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on cognitive function in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer during the first six months of aromatase inhibitor therapy. It is estimated that up to 75% of survivors of breast cancer experience cognitive impairment related to disease and treatment. At present, there are no known interventions to improve or manage cognitive function for women with breast cancer. Here, we describe a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial with allocation of 254 postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer to a supervised six-month aerobic exercise intervention or usual care. Prior to beginning aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy, participants complete baseline assessments of cognitive function, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood-based biomarkers, physical activity and sleep, and symptoms (fatigue, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, anxiety). A random subset of participants (n = 150) undergoes neuroimaging procedures that include structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging assessments. All participants maintain an activity diary; physical activity and sleep monitoring is repeated three and seven months post-randomization. The remaining baseline assessments are repeated seven months post-randomization. If successful, exercise could be a low-cost method to improve cognitive function in women with breast cancer that is easily adaptable to the home or community. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.govNCT02793921. Registered 20 May 2016.

Trajectories of Cognitive Function and Associated Phenotypic and Genotypic Factors in Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES This study identified women with unique trajectories of executive function, concentration, and visual working memory before and during adjuvant therapy for breast cancer, and examined phenotypic and genotypic predictors associated with subgroups. SAMPLE & SETTING 399 postmenopausal women, of whom 288 were women with early-stage breast cancer and 111 were women without breast cancer, matched on age and years of education to the women with breast cancer, and all at an urban cancer center. METHODS & VARIABLES A repeated-measures design was used; assessments occurred before adjuvant therapy and every six months post-therapy initiation. Group-based trajectory modeling determined subgroups. Multinomial logistic regression identified phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. RESULTS Three executive function and concentration trajectory subgroups were identified. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Advancing age, greater pretherapy fatigue, and poorer pretherapy cognitive function are associated with the low subgroups. DNA repair and oxidative stress mechanisms may be involved in the cognitive changes that women experience.