Publications by authors named "Kimberly Kennedy"

Introduction: People with differences of sex development (DSD) and their families need education about these conditions while receiving emotional and peer support to participate in shared decision-making, reduce social isolation, and optimize physical and psychosocial outcomes. Barriers to education and support include limited knowledge and awareness by healthcare providers, tension among patient and medical communities, varied quality of educational resources, and the sensitive nature of DSD. We aimed to create an electronic repository of vetted quality online resources about DSD.

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We report a 16-year-old phenotypic female with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis and metastatic dysgerminoma, unexpectedly discovered through direct-to-consumer (DTC) commercial genetic testing. This case underscores the importance of timely interdisciplinary care, including psychosocial intervention and consideration of gonadectomy, to optimize outcomes for individuals with differences of sex development. Her unique presentation highlights the implications of DTC genetic testing in a new diagnostic era and informs general pediatricians as well as specialists of nongenetic services about the value, capabilities, and limitations of DTC testing.

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Background: The Enabling Reduction of Low-grade Inflammation in Seniors (ENRGISE) Pilot Study is a multicenter randomized clinical trial examining the feasibility of testing whether omega-3 fish oil (ω-3) and the angiotensin receptor blocker losartan alone or in combination can reduce inflammation and improve walking speed in older adults with mobility impairment. We describe recruitment methods and results.

Methods: Eligible participants were 70 years and older, had elevated interleukin-6 levels (2.

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Background: Grief following child loss is profoundly destabilizing with serious long-term repercussions for bereaved parents. Employed parents may need time away from work to deal with this loss.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to reflect upon the ways labour policies and practices respond to parental bereavement.

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Background: Recruitment of older adults into long-term clinical trials involving behavioral interventions is a significant challenge. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study is a Phase 3 multicenter randomized controlled multisite trial, designed to compare the effects of a moderate-intensity physical activity program with a successful aging health education program on the incidence of major mobility disability (the inability to walk 400 m) in sedentary adults aged 70-89 years, who were at high risk for mobility disability (scoring ≤ 9 on the Short Physical Performance Battery) at baseline.

Methods: Recruitment methods, yields, efficiency, and costs are described together with a summary of participant baseline characteristics.

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Pediatric palliative care is an evolving field of practice in social work. As such, research plays a critical role in informing best social work practices in this area. For parents, caring for a child with a life-limiting illness (LLI) is a stressful experience that compounds the usual challenges of parenting.

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Background: Although weight loss reduces risk for comorbid diseases, many observational studies suggest that weight loss is associated with increased mortality risk, leading to reluctance by clinicians to consider weight reduction as a strategy to maintain health and independence in older adults. However, whether the observed weight loss is intentional is difficult to determine and may not accurately represent the mortality risk associated with intentional weight reduction. Data from the Arthritis, Diet, and Activity Promotion Trial (ADAPT) were used to determine whether randomization to a weight reduction program was associated with total mortality in overweight/obese older adults.

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The "Nursing Excellence in Practice Awards" encourages nurses to share their research, evidence-based projects, practice innovations, publishing successes, and patient education programs with their colleagues. All projects are presented in poster format, and evaluation teams judge each poster. Cash prizes are awarded to the best projects in each category in this annual Nurses Week celebration.

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Purpose: Cranial radiation therapy (CRT) is associated with neurocognitive morbidity in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For most patients, CRT has been replaced with intensified systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy, often including methotrexate (MTX). The impact of chemotherapy-only protocols on neurocognitive outcomes is unclear, and the importance of systemic MTX dose has not been established.

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