Evaluation of the relationship between compliance with the follow-up and treatment protocol and health literacy in bladder tumor patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the compliance of bladder cancer patients with cystoscopic follow-up and the treatment protocol, and their health literacy.

Methods: Patients who underwent transurethral resection surgery for bladder tumor were found to have non-muscular invasive bladder carcinoma on pathology examination and then underwent cystoscopic follow-up for 1?year or more were included in the study. Cystoscopic follow-up was recommended to the low- and high-risk groups in terms of progression and recurrence. The patients were evaluated with the Health Literacy Survey-European Union scale.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 67.13?±?10.77 years. The treatment continuity rate was 80.50% (n?=?33) in the adequate health literacy group (n?=?41) and significantly higher than the 56.50% (n?=?48) rate in the inadequate health literacy group (n?=?85) (p?=?.008). The health literacy results revealed that the health promotion and general index score was higher in the group of patients under the age of 65.

Conclusions: Adequate health literacy in bladder cancer patients is associated with better compliance with the treatment protocol. Young patients show better compliance with the follow-up protocol recommended by the physician. Increasing the follow-up protocol compliance of elderly patients with inadequate health literacy is necessary.     

Thirty years of the Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism: A review of reviews

In the 30 or so years since the publication of Gosta Esping-Andersenapos;s Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism a number of rival welfare state typologies have emerged. This article has two broad aims. First, we review the reviews of welfare state typologies, pointing to issues of often unclear case selection and a wide range of concepts, variables, and methods, resulting in a variety of worlds of welfare and their constituent nations. We show that there is a great variety in the welfare modelling business at two different levels. Reviews vary significantly in terms of the number and composition of included studies, which has made it difficult to sum up the “state of the art.” Individual studies included in the reviews also vary significantly in terms of issues such as aims, concepts, variables, and methods. Second, we produce a new review, which adds value as it is based on a clearer search strategy, and includes more recent material that was not available in earlier reviews. This finds that there is a great variety in terms of process (concepts, variables, methods, and number of countries) and findings (the number and composition of “worlds”). We argue that the country classification seems to show less consensus that previous reviews, with fewer “pure” nations (i.e., agreement between studies). We suggest that in order to provide a clear point of engagement, future reviews need to pay more attention to a clear and explicit search strategy, including issues such as inclusion criteria.     

No association of serum PSA with vitamin D or total oxidant-antioxidant capacity in healthy men

Background and aim: Vitamin D deficiency and oxidative stress were suggested to be related to prostate cancer risk. We aimed to investigate the association of serum PSA concentration with vitamin D and total oxidant/antioxidant levels.

Materials and methods: A total of 95 healthy men were enrolled for the cross sectional study. Serum PSA, 25(OH)D, serum total oxidant status, and total antioxidant status were measured.

Results: Serum PSA was significantly negatively correlated with serum total oxidant status (r=??0.309, p?=?.003) but there was no significant correlation between PSA and 25(OH)D (p?=?.383) or total antioxidant levels (p?=?.233). After adjustment for age BMI and smoking status with multiple regression analysis, there was no significant association between serum PSA and total oxidant status.

Conclusion: We find no evidence for an association between PSA and vitamin D levels or serum total oxidant/antioxidant levels.