Are Agricultural PACs Monolithic? An Empirical Investigation

This paper analyzes donation strategies of agricultural PACs by examining and testing a variety of variables theoretically related to contributions and formally testing for equivalence of donation strategies across PACs of varying levels of aggregation. Both chambers of the 108th Congress were modeled, with particular attention paid to the targeting of different power or influence sources within the legislature. Results showed significant heterogeneity across PAC subaggregates within a chamber, as well as between chambers, in terms of overall strategy and magnitude of marginal impacts. Evidence supporting the conditional party government hypothesis where PACs target top Party officials rather than influential legislative members was mixed and subindustry specific, with chairmanships apparently less important in the Senate than in the House.Monolithic Behavior, Political Action Committee, Political Donation Strategies, Tobit model, Agricultural and Food Policy,

Are Agricultural PACs Monolithic? An Empirical Investigation

This paper analyzes donation strategies of agricultural PACs by examining and testing a variety of variables theoretically related to contributions and formally testing for equivalence of donation strategies across PACs of varying levels of aggregation. Both chambers of the 108th Congress were modeled, with particular attention paid to the targeting of different power or influence sources within the legislature. Results showed significant heterogeneity across PAC subaggregates within a chamber, as well as between chambers, in terms of overall strategy and magnitude of marginal impacts. Evidence supporting the conditional party government hypothesis where PACs target top Party officials rather than influential legislative members was mixed and subindustry specific, with chairmanships apparently less important in the Senate than in the House

Distracting Through Procedural Pain and Distress Using Virtual Reality and Guided Imagery in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients: Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundChildren with acute and chronic illness undergo frequent, painful, and distressing procedures. ObjectiveThis randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of guided imagery (GI) versus virtual reality (VR) on the procedural pain and state anxiety of children and young adults undergoing unsedated procedures. We explored the role of trait anxiety and pain catastrophizing in intervention response. MethodsChildren and young adults were recruited from the hematology, oncology, and blood and marrow transplant clinics at a children’s hospital. Each study participant completed the GI and VR intervention during separate but consecutive unsedated procedures. Self-report measures of pain and anxiety were completed before and after the procedures. ResultsA total of 50 participants (median age 13 years) completed both interventions. GI and VR performed similarly in the management of procedural pain. Those with high pain catastrophizing reported experiencing less nervousness about pain during procedures that used VR than those using GI. State anxiety declined pre- to postprocedure in both interventions; however, the decrease reached the level of significance during the VR intervention only. Those with high trait anxiety had less pain during GI. ConclusionsIn our sample, VR worked as well as GI to manage the pain and distress associated with common procedures experienced by children with acute or chronic illnesses. Children who are primed for pain based on beliefs about pain or because of their history of chronic pain had a better response to VR. GI was a better intervention for those with high trait anxiety. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04892160; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0489216

Perspectives on Virtual Care for Childhood Cancer Survivors in Non-Metropolitan Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for the widespread use of virtual care for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs). CCSs were virtual recipients of diverse care, including long-term follow-up (LTFU), primary care, mental health care, and several others. Virtual care comes with well-documented benefits and challenges. These are further magnified for CCSs living in rural or non-metropolitan areas. Here, we describe the virtual care of CCSs from two Upper Midwest cities with well-established childhood cancer survivor programs within large comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. CCSs from non-metropolitan areas, especially CCSs with two or more late effects, used virtual care more often during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to CCSs from metropolitan areas. A review of the related literature is also included and the identified challenges in providing virtual care, such as privacy concerns, technology-connectivity constraints, and medical license restrictions. Despite these limitations, the care of CCSs has evolved to leverage virtual care and its ability to increase access for patients and promote continuity of care for CCSs living in rural areas

A Mosaic Activating Mutation in AKT1 Associated with the Proteus Syndrome

BACKGROUND The Proteus syndrome is characterized by the overgrowth of skin, connective tissue, brain, and other tissues. It has been hypothesized that the syndrome is caused by somatic mosaicism for a mutation that is lethal in the nonmosaic state. METHODS We performed exome sequencing of DNA from biopsy samples obtained from patients with the Proteus syndrome and compared the resultant DNA sequences with those of unaffected tissues obtained from the same patients. We confirmed and extended an observed association, using a custom restriction-enzyme assay to analyze the DNA in 158 samples from 29 patients with the Proteus syndrome. We then assayed activation of the AKT protein in affected tissues, using phosphorylation-specific antibodies on Western blots. RESULTS Of 29 patients with the Proteus syndrome, 26 had a somatic activating mutation (c.49G -> A, p.Glu17Lys) in the oncogene AKT1, encoding the AKT1 kinase, an enzyme known to mediate processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis. Tissues and cell lines from patients with the Proteus syndrome harbored admixtures of mutant alleles that ranged from 1% to approximately 50%. Mutant cell lines showed greater AKT phosphorylation than did control cell lines. A pair of single-cell clones that were established from the same starting culture and differed with respect to their mutation status had different levels of AKT phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS The Proteus syndrome is caused by a somatic activating mutation in AKT1, proving the hypothesis of somatic mosaicism and implicating activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway in the characteristic clinical findings of overgrowth and tumor susceptibility in this disorder. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute.