There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve health outcomes across populations. We explored the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effects of a pilot MBSR program at a highly-ranked university in the United States. We conducted 23 in-depth interviews with 13 students.

The male genital examination: a position paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

The male genital examination is a simple and quick clinical assessment and is important for screening and diagnostic purposes beyond the need to screen for testicular cancer. Despite the lack of evidence supporting screening for testicular cancer, the genital examination should be included as part of a male's routine physical examination, as well as when a male patient presents with genital complaints.

Evaluation of school-based smoking-cessation interventions for self-described adolescent smokers.

Objective: The goal was to compare the efficacy of school-based, multisession, group smoking-cessation interventions versus a single group session in increasing quit rates among adolescent smokers.

Methods: Eight schools were assigned randomly to use 1 of 2 group smoking-cessation programs previously shown to increase quit rates among adolescents (Not on Tobacco [NOT] or Kickin' Butts). We reformatted the programs to twice-weekly 25- to 30-minute sessions delivered during lunch periods.

Protective and risk factors for sexually transmitted infections in middle school students.

Purpose: Significant numbers of adolescents are initiating sexual activity at age 13 and younger. Little is known about this younger population of adolescents. This includes risk or protective factors for sexual activity and sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition.

Serologic screening for herpes simplex virus among university students: a pilot study.

Objective: The authors examined the feasibility of conducting serologic testing for the herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) among university students and assessed the psychosocial impact of an HSV-2 diagnosis.

Methods: The authors recruited a convenience sample of 100 students (aged 18-39 years) without a history of genital herpes from 1 university between September 2004 and March 2006. Participants received HSV-2 antibody testing by Focus ELISA and Western Blot assays and completed a questionnaire that addressed psychological functioning.

Screening asymptomatic adolescent men for Chlamydia trachomatis in school-based health centers using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests.

Background: Urine-based screening for Chlamydia trachomatis using highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid amplification tests offers a unique opportunity to screen men attending school-based health centers.

Methods: As part of a large multicenter chlamydia screening project in men, 1434 students were enrolled; 1090 in high schools in Baltimore and 344 middle and high-school students in Denver. Students were screened for chlamydia using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests at well adolescent visits, acute care visits, or visits for other reasons, such as sports physicals.

A comparison of reviewers selected by editors and reviewers suggested by authors.

Objective: To compare reviews done by editor-selected reviewers with reviews by author-suggested reviewers, examining the quality, timeliness, and recommendations of the 2 sets of reviewers.

Study Design: Comparison of reviews for 140 manuscripts submitted to a pediatric journal in 2005. For each manuscript, a review by an editor-selected reviewer was compared with a review by an author-suggested reviewer.

Genitourinary issues in the male college student: a case-based approach.

Five percent of all ambulatory visits by men 18 years of age or older include genitourinary symptoms as a reason for the visit. In this article, using typical, unusual, or otherwise instructive cases, the authors review a select group of genitourinary issues in the college-age male. Warts (human papilloma virus), is the most common sexually transmitted infection, and it may mimic other disease.

Controversies in male adolescent health: varicocele, circumcision, and testicular self-examination.

Purpose Of Review: The authors review three common clinical controversies encountered by primary care providers of adolescent males: management of varicoceles, the role of circumcision in the acquisition and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and the value of teaching testicular self-examination.

Recent Findings: Recent findings in adolescent varicoceles have advanced knowledge regarding the cause of varicoceles, the mechanism by which they may lead to infertility, new screening methods, and optimal surgical management. Accumulating evidence shows circumcision to be protective against acquisition and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and preliminary work also indicates the potential for protection against the spread of AIDS in Africa.

Legalization of marijuana: potential impact on youth.

This technical report provides historical perspectives and comparisons of various approaches to the legal status of marijuana to aid in forming public policy. Information on the impact that decriminalization and legalization of marijuana could have on adolescents, in addition to concerns surrounding medicinal use of marijuana, are also addressed in this report. Recommendations are included in the accompanying policy statement.

Legalization of marijuana: potential impact on youth.

As experts in the health care of children and adolescents, pediatricians may be called on to advise legislators concerning the potential impact of changes in the legal status of marijuana on adolescents. Parents, too, may look to pediatricians for advice as they consider whether to support state-level initiatives that propose to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes or to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. This policy statement provides the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics on the issue of marijuana legalization, and the accompanying technical report (available online) reviews what is currently known about the relationship between adolescents' use of marijuana and its legal status to better understand how change might influence the degree of marijuana use by adolescents in the future.

Physical activity attitudes of African American and white adolescent girls.

Background: Understanding the attitudes of African American adolescent girls toward physical activity may help identify strategies to enable these adolescents to adopt a more physically active lifestyle that could track into adulthood.

Objective: To identify and compare attitudes of African American adolescent girls toward physical activity with the attitudes of white adolescent girls.

Methods: Six focus groups (N = 49) were conducted with 9th- through 12th-grade African American and white adolescent girls.