Optimization of School Reintegration for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Their Peers

Improved survival rates of pediatric oncology patients give them the opportunity to return to school. This can present a significant challenge, as returning students often become vulnerable to peer rejection. The objective of this double-arm descriptive study was to establish a framework from which to optimize a school reintegration intervention for the peers of pediatric oncology patients. Ultimately, the study aimed to promote increased knowledge, acceptance by peers, and a smooth transition back to school for childhood cancer survivors. We utilized age-appropriate surveys to evaluate the knowledge and concerns of 3rd to 8th-grade students in Michigan regarding friends with cancer and to identify concerns of pediatric oncology patients at an academic medical center regarding return to school during or after cancer treatment. The majority of 3rd to 8th-grade students correctly answered questions related to etiology, prognosis, side effects, and treatment of cancer. Respondents in 3rd to 5th grade were significantly more likely than 6th to 8th graders to endorse the perception that cancer is contagious (P = 0.0036). Fewer students who had a friend with cancer were worried that their friend might die, compared to those who did not have a friend with cancer (3rd to 5th graders [P = 0.0002]; 6th to 8th graders ['P' = < 0.0001]). Results suggest that peer intervention may be optimized via customization based upon student concerns rather than focusing on cancer education. Additionally, personalized interventions and assistance for patients should strive to reduce stigma and differentiation from other students

Seidman IPO Portfolio

The Seidman IPO portfolio is a collaboration of diverse investment instruments used to teach future investment leaders how to invest in today\u27s modern volatile markets. The portfolio incorporates hours of research in today\u27s business world in order to make informed decisions about investing. The research is condensed into presentations which members make to improve the portfolio

Body Parts Correlates to a Hundred Early-Learned Verbs

We commonly believe that verbs are about action, but are they also about body parts? We kiss with our lips, kick with our legs, and think with our heads. Our question is whether children systematically associate verbs to specific body parts. So far, theoretically, the original components of verbs include: contact, path, goal, source, state of mind, and manner (Kemerer, 2008). Our study adds the component of body parts. Sixty children were tested, 20 verbs at a time, with a total of 102 verbs. They were asked which body part they use with a given verb. The results indicate that 91 verbs out if 102 (86.6%) were related to one body region by 50% of the participants. Further, a correspondence analysis (a dimension reduction technique) showed that children systematically associate verbs with five main body regions: hands (55% of the verbs), legs (13%), mouth (14%), eye (6%), and ear (2%) and these correspond to the exact same regions proposed by adults from a previous study

Trends in Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening Since the Implementation of the 2012 US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations.

In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. Following the initial decrease in PSA screening rate, there appears to be no further decrease in screening rate from 2013 to 2015. In addition, the screening rate did not differ by age or race

Discordance among Belief, Practice, and the Literature in Infection Prevention in the NICU

This study evaluates practices of infection control in the NICU as compared with the available literature. We aimed to assess providers’ awareness of their institutional policies, how strongly they believed in those policies, the correlation between institution size and policies adopted, years of experience and belief in a policy’s efficacy, and methods employed in the existing literature. An IRB-approved survey was distributed to members of the AAP Neonatal Section. A systematic review of the literature provided the domains of the survey questions. Data was analyzed as appropriate. A total of 364 providers responded. While larger NICUs were more likely to have policies, their providers are less likely to know them. When a policy is in place and it is known, providers believe in the effectiveness of that policy suggesting consensus or, at its worst, groupthink. Ultimately, practice across the US is non-uniform and policies are not always consistent with best available literature. The strength of available literature is adequate enough to provide grade B recommendations in many aspects of infection prevention. A more standardized approach to infection prevention in the NICU would be beneficial and is needed

Discordance among Belief, Practice, and the Literature in Infection Prevention in the NICU

This study evaluates practices of infection control in the NICU as compared with the available literature. We aimed to assess providers&rsquo; awareness of their institutional policies, how strongly they believed in those policies, the correlation between institution size and policies adopted, years of experience and belief in a policy&rsquo;s efficacy, and methods employed in the existing literature. An IRB-approved survey was distributed to members of the AAP Neonatal Section. A systematic review of the literature provided the domains of the survey questions. Data was analyzed as appropriate. A total of 364 providers responded. While larger NICUs were more likely to have policies, their providers are less likely to know them. When a policy is in place and it is known, providers believe in the effectiveness of that policy suggesting consensus or, at its worst, groupthink. Ultimately, practice across the US is non-uniform and policies are not always consistent with best available literature. The strength of available literature is adequate enough to provide grade B recommendations in many aspects of infection prevention. A more standardized approach to infection prevention in the NICU would be beneficial and is needed

Generalizability of the Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) Results to Contemporary North American Men with Prostate Cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) concluded that radical prostatectomy (RP) offered no survival benefit compared with observation in men with clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa). We identified patients within the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for the period 2004-2012 who met the inclusion criteria of PIVOT (ie, histologically confirmed PCa, clinical stage T1-2NxM0, prostate-specific antigen/ml, age \u3c75 \u3eyr, estimated life expectancy \u3e10 yr, and undergoing RP or observation as initial treatment within 12 mo of diagnosis) to confirm the generalizability of the PIVOT results to the US population. Life expectancy was calculated using the US Social Security Administration life tables and was adjusted for comorbidities at diagnosis. Compared with PIVOT, men in the NCDB were younger (mean age 60.3 vs 67.0 yr) and healthier (Charlson-Deyo comorbidity index of 0: 93% vs 56%; both p \u3c 0.001). Furthermore, 42% of men randomized to receive RP in PIVOT harbored D\u27Amico low-risk PCa, whereas 32% of men undergoing RP in the NCDB had low-risk disease. Our findings were confirmed in a sensitivity analysis including men regardless of life expectancy but satisfying all other inclusion criteria of PIVOT. Given that the NCDB represents nearly 70% of all incident cancers diagnosed in the United States, our data provide further evidence that PIVOT results may not be generalizable to contemporary clinical practice. PATIENT SUMMARY: We observed that men diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer within the National Cancer Database (2004-2012) were younger, healthier, and more likely to have radical prostatectomy for higher risk disease than men in the Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation Trial (PIVOT), raising questions about the applicability of PIVOT conclusions to the contemporary US population