BackgroundThe aims of this study were to report nutritional status in a large panel of patients with cancer requiring exclusive chemotherapy and to study the influence of nutritional status on their quality of life (QoL).MethodsThis work was a longitudinal cohort study performed at a French university teaching hospital. Eligible patients were individuals with a cancer needing treatment based on exclusive chemotherapy. Three work-ups were performed: i) before the administration of the first course of chemotherapy: T1, ii) before the administration of the second (for patients with 3 planned courses) or third (patients with 6 planned courses) course: T2, and iii) before the administration of the last planned course: T3. The following data were collected: general health (performance status) and nutritional status (weight, anorexia grading, albuminemia, pre-albuminemia, and C-reactive protein) and QoL.ResultsThe nutritional status of patients with cancer was preserved. Functional impairment, the presence of anorexia, the palliative nature of the chemotherapy, and an elevated C-reactive protein dosage were independent predictive factors of a lower QoL among patients assessed at the end of chemotherapy.ConclusionsAlthough larger studies should corroborate these findings, clinicians may include this information in the management of patients with cancer requiring exclusive chemotherapy to identify the most vulnerable patients.Trial registrationCurrent controlled trials NCT01687335 (registration date: October 6, 2011).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12955-017-0660-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundPolyhandicap (PLH) is a condition of severe and complex disabilities and is defined by a combination of profound intellectual impairment and serious motor deficits. Parents of PLH individuals are chronically confronted with stressful situations. The aims of this study are i) to assess and compare the quality of life (QoL) of a large panel of parents of PLH individuals with age- and gender-matched controls and ii) to identify potential determinants of parents’ QoL.MethodWe conducted a cross-sectional study. Parents were recruited from 4 specialized rehabilitation centres, 9 residential facilities, and a specialized paediatric/neurological department. The selection criteria were age above 18 years and being the mother/father of a PLH individual. The data collected from the parents included sociodemographic, health status, and psycho-behavioural data (including QoL); additionally, the health status of the PLH individuals was collected.ResultsThe QoL scores of all dimensions were significantly lower for parents than for controls. The main factors modulating parents’ QoL were financial issues, health status, and coping strategies. The PLH individuals’ health status was not associated with parents’ QoL.ConclusionsSome QoL determinants might be amenable. These findings should help health care workers and health decision makers to implement specific and appropriate interventions.

Objectif : L’objectif de cet article est d’étudier le poids des déterminants psychocomportementaux sur la qualité de vie de sujets âgés présentant une déficience auditive globale venant consulter dans le cadre d’un examen de santé. Méthodologie : Il s’agit d’une étude transversale conduite à l’institut régional d’information et de prévention de la sénescence à Marseille, centre de prévention des risques liés à l’avancée en âge. Les sujets inclus consultaient dans le cadre d’un bilan de santé, présentaient une déficience auditive bilatérale légère à modérément sévère. Les données collectées comprenaient : i) des données sociodémographiques : sexe, âge, statut marital, enfants, niveau d’éducation, activité professionnelle ; ii) des éléments de santé : maladie chronique, déficit visuel, bourdonnements ou vertiges, aide auditive ; iii) des éléments psychocomportementaux : qualité de vie ( Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly et World Health Organization Quality of Life ) ; état émotionnel (anxiété et humeur) ; intelligence émotionnelle ( Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form ) ; stratégies d’adaptation ( Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale ). Résultats : Comparativement aux normes françaises, le score social de qualité de vie de l’échantillon est significativement dégradé alors que les scores physique et psychologique ne sont pas différents. Concernant les déterminants de la qualité de vie, le rôle des déterminants cliniques est peu important au regard des déterminants dits psychocomportementaux et même au regard des déterminants sociodémographiques. Conclusion : Si l’état émotionnel des individus, les stratégies de gestion des émotions et de capacités d’adaptation qu’ils utilisent influencent leur qualité de vie, des actions ciblées centrées sur des approches psychocomportementales pourraient être mises en œuvre par les équipes soignantes en charge de ces personnes et pourraient être insérées dans les politiques de santé centrées sur ces populations.

Almost all the general medicine residents have plannedto have children in the future and more than half of them postpone their parental plan after the end of their residency, although the decline of female fertility in relation to aging is widely known among them.