Publications by authors named "Melanie Fernandez"

Human neural organoid models have become an important tool for studying neurobiology. However, improving the representativeness of neural cell populations in such organoids remains a major effort. In this work, we compared Matrigel, a commercially available matrix, to a neural cadherin (N-cadherin) peptide-functionalized gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel (termed GelMA-Cad) for culturing cortical neural organoids.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study explored the influence of the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (HPVV) intentions and uptake among Hispanic parents in South Florida for their children aged 9-21. A descriptive exploratory analysis was conducted using 39 surveys completed by Hispanic parents. These surveys encompassed demographic data and questions about HPVV uptake, intention, attitudes, subjective norms, knowledge, self-efficacy, and awareness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: CivaSheet is a palladium-103, implantable, intraoperative radiation therapy device which emits unidirectional radiation that enables boost doses in patients who have otherwise received the maximum radiation dose. Here, we present our initial clinical experience with the first 10 cases using this new technology.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective chart review of all patients with STS treated with surgical resection and CivaSheet placement at the University of Miami Hospital, a tertiary care center, from January 2018 to December 2019, was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This cross-sectional study evaluates the gender distribution among chief executives and senior leaders at US health care organizations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: A large proportion of extremity soft-tissue sarcomas (ESS) occur among young adults, yet this group is underrepresented in clinical trials, resulting in limited data on this population. Younger patients present many complex challenges that affect clinical management.

Objective: To investigate variations in treatment management in young adults vs older adults with ESS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: HPV vaccination among United States's rural Hispanic youth is suboptimal to the Healthy People 2030 goal. Rural Hispanic parents' HPV vaccine (HPVV) perceptions have influenced these low rates. Furthermore, few effective interventions for increasing HPV vaccination among rural Hispanic populations exist.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: Pathologic necrosis of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) has been used to determine treatment response, but its relationship to neoadjuvant treatments remains indeterminate. In this retrospective, single institution study, we hypothesized that neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NA-CRT) yields higher rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) than neoadjuvant radiation (NA-XRT) or chemotherapy (NA-CT) alone. (2) Methods: Patients with extremity STS between 2011-2020 who received neoadjuvant treatment were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), adapted from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is a classroom-based program designed to provide teachers with behavior management skills that foster positive teacher-student relationships and to improve student behavior by creating a more constructive classroom environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate TCIT in more classrooms than previously reported in the literature, with older children than previously reported, using random assignment of classrooms to TCIT or to a no-TCIT control condition and conducting all but two sessions within the classroom to enhance feasibility. Participants included 11 kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers and their 118 students from three urban, public schools in Manhattan, with five classrooms randomly assigned to receive TCIT and six to the no-TCIT control condition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study examines the basic psychometric properties of the Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham Scale (SKAMP), a measure intended to assess functional impairment related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in a sample of 1,205 elementary students. Reliability, factor structure, and convergent, discriminant and predictive validity are evaluated. Results provide support for two separate but related subscales, Attention and Deportment, and provide evidence that the SKAMP predicts school functioning above and beyond symptoms alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Predictors of attrition from individual parent-child interaction therapy were examined for 99 families of preschoolers with disruptive behavior disorders. Seventy-one percent of treatment dropouts were identified by lower SES, more maternal negative talk, and less maternal total praise at pretreatment. Following PCIT, families were randomly assigned to an Assessment-Only or Maintenance Treatment condition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To examine Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV (SNAP-IV) psychometric properties, parent (N = 1,613) and teacher (N = 1,205) data were collected from a random elementary school student sample in a longitudinal attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) detection study. SNAP-IV reliability was acceptable. Factor structure indicated two ADHD factors and an oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) factor.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common, chronic, and oftentimes disabling disorder. The only established first-line treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder are exposure and response prevention therapy and the serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Many patients do not experience complete symptom resolution with either modality and require augmentation approaches.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the importance of the family in the treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), relatively little empirical attention has been directed to family accommodation of symptoms. This study examined the relations among family accommodation, OCD symptom severity, functional impairment, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in a sample of 57 clinic-referred youth 7 to 17 years old (M = 12.99 +/- 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We report on the factor structure of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. Participants were 76 children and adolescents diagnosed with tic disorders. Overall, the model proposed by Leckman et al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF