Inclusive measure development: amplifying the voices of adolescents and young adults with spina bifida in a new measure of benefit-finding and growth.

Objective: Benefit-finding and growth is an important process across a range of medical populations. However, it has been understudied in the context of lifelong chronic conditions, such as spina bifida (SB). This study aimed to develop a new measure of benefit-finding and growth for youth with SB, confirm its factor structure, and examine its psychometric properties.

Skin cancer management: Making the most of your pathologist.

Background: Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer globally. Early detection and treatment of skin cancer is critical for positive patient outcomes. General practitioners (GPs) play a central role in skin cancer management in Australia.

Skin cancer: What happens in the laboratory?

Background: Skin cancer specimen handling in Australian histopathology laboratories, while largely standardised, exhibits significant variations that affect clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.

Objective: This article provides clinicians with an understanding of histopathological processes to enhance diagnostic precision, inform surgical margin evaluations and refine management approaches.

Discussion: Understanding specimen handling and protocols is vital for accurate interpretation of pathology reports and management of skin cancers.

Growth of condition-related knowledge among youth with spina bifida: associations with neurocognitive functioning and self-management skills.

Objective: This study aims to characterize the growth in condition-related knowledge in youth with spina bifida (SB), identify neurocognitive predictors of growth, and examine associations between growth in knowledge and subsequent levels of medical self-management skills.

Methods: Participants were recruited from a larger longitudinal study involving 140 youth with SB and caregivers, who completed questionnaires and interviews every 2 years over 8 years. The current study included the youth report of condition-related knowledge and medical self-management skills.

Problem solving and collaborative involvement among adolescents with spinal cord injury and their caregivers.

Objective: To determine the relationship between constructive adolescent problem solving (positive problem-solving orientation and rational problem-solving style) and caregiver problem solving and collaborative involvement with primary caregiver among adolescents with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Positive constructive adolescent problem solving was hypothesized to be predicted by more effective caregiver problem solving and higher collaborative involvement.

Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were 79 adolescent and primary caregiver dyads recruited from a pediatric rehabilitation care system in North America.

Comparing Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Growth in Youth With and Without Spina Bifida.

Objective: Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS; formally known as sluggish cognitive tempo), difficulties with social engagement, and lower levels of autonomy have been identified as maladaptive comorbidities in youth with spina bifida (SB). This study compared growth curves of CDS for youth with and without SB and examined whether these trajectories were associated with later functioning.

Methods: Longitudinal data spanning 8 years included youth with SB (n = 68, Mage = 8.

Functional Interaction of the Cruciate Ligaments, Posteromedial and Posterolateral Capsule, Oblique Popliteal Ligament, and Other Structures in Preventing Abnormal Knee Hyperextension.

Background: The ligaments and soft tissue capsular structures of the knee joint that provide a resisting force to prevent abnormal knee hyperextension have not been determined. This knowledge is required for the diagnosis and treatment of knee hyperextension abnormalities.

Purpose: To determine the resisting moment of knee ligament and capsular structures that resist knee hyperextension.

Preliminary Validation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Research suggests families whose infants are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience elevated distress and may have pre-existing risk factors for maladjustment. This study sought to validate the newly developed Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT-NICU/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit [CICU]), a comprehensive screening measure for family psychosocial risk in the NICU.

Methods: The sample included 171 mothers, who completed the PAT-NICU/CICU and other related measures within 2 weeks of their infant's NICU admission at a level 4 unit within a large pediatric hospital.

Working memory and cognitive flexibility predict growth trajectories of sluggish cognitive tempo in youth with spina bifida.

As sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) shows similar inattention and neuropsychological dysfunction as youth with spina bifida (SB), it is important to examine whether neuropsychological functioning may affect the development of SCT in this population. Participants were 140 youth with SB and their parents who participated in five waves of a longitudinal study across eight years (ages 8-15 years at Time 1). At Time 1, teacher-, mother-, and father-report of SCT showed 9%, 8.

Weight Stigma and Social Media: Evidence and Public Health Solutions.

Weight stigma is a pressing issue that affects individuals across the weight distribution. The role of social media in both alleviating and exacerbating weight bias has received growing attention. On one hand, biased algorithms on social media platforms may filter out posts from individuals in stigmatized groups and concentrate exposure to content that perpetuates problematic norms about weight.

The impact of CNS-directed treatment on quality of life in childhood cancer survivors.

Purpose: Pediatric cancer survivors may have lower quality of life (QoL), but most research has assessed outcomes either in treatment or long-term survivorship. We focused on early survivorship (i.e.

Stress and Coping in Youth With Spina Bifida: A Brief Longitudinal Study in a Summer Camp Setting.

Introduction: It is well established that youth with chronic conditions experience elevated levels of stress; the manner in which they respond to or cope with this stress is likely to impact both health and psychosocial outcomes. The current study examined stress and coping in youth and young adults with spina bifida (SB) using the response to stress questionnaire-SB version (RSQ-SB; Connor-Smith et al., 2000).

A Systematic Review of Benefit-Finding and Growth in Pediatric Medical Populations.

Objective: This review synthesizes the literature on benefit-finding and growth (BFG) among youth with medical illnesses and disabilities and their parents. Specifically, we summarized: (a) methods for assessing BFG; (b) personal characteristics, personal, and environmental resources, as well as positive outcomes, associated with BFG; (c) interventions that have enhanced BFG; and (d) the quality of the literature.

Methods: A medical research librarian conducted the search across PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library.

Parent Perceptions of Infant Symptoms and Suffering and Associations With Distress Among Bereaved Parents in the NICU.

Context: Healthcare providers and parents face many challenges caring for infants at the end of life (EOL). Symptom assessment and management in critically ill infants can be especially difficult. However, the impact of the infant's EOL experience on bereaved parents is largely unknown.

Parent-Child Communication and Reproductive Considerations in Families with Genetic Cancer Predisposition Syndromes: A Systematic Review.

Uptake of genetic testing for heritable conditions is increasingly common. In families with known autosomal dominant genetic cancer predisposition syndromes (CPS), testing youth may reduce uncertainty and provide guidance for future lifestyle, medical, and family building considerations. The goals of this systematic review were to examine: (1) how parents and their children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYAs) communicate and make decisions regarding testing for CPS and (2) how they communicate and make decisions about reproductive health/family building in the context of risk for CPS.

Pica behaviors in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to explore existing literature regarding pica in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease and to identify associated interventions and outcomes.

Introduction: Pica is a psychological eating disorder that is characterized by the consumption of items that contain no nutritional value. The ingestion of non-food items causes complications that can be harmful or even fatal.

Myoendothelial Junctions of Mature Coronary Vessels Express Notch Signaling Proteins.

Rationale: Myoendothelial junctions (MEJs) within the fenestrae of the internal elastic lamina (IEL) are critical sites that allow for endothelial cell (EC) - vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contact and communication. Vascular Notch signaling is a critical determinant of normal vasculogenesis and remodeling, and it regulates cell phenotype via contact between ECs and VSMCs. To date, no studies have linked Notch signaling to the MEJ despite it requiring cell-cell contact.

Perceived Infant Well-Being and Self-Reported Distress in Neonatal Nurses.

Background: Infants who are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may experience significant symptom burden. Parents are often distressed by these symptoms, which can affect their long-term coping and distress. There is limited research examining nurse perceptions of infant well-being (symptoms, suffering, and quality of life [QOL]) and associations with nurse distress.

Long-term trajectories of depression symptoms in mothers of children with cancer.

Objective: To identify trajectories of depression symptoms in mothers of children with cancer from diagnosis/relapse through 5 years and examine maternal factors at diagnosis/relapse predicting membership in these trajectories.

Method: Mothers (n = 327; Mage = 37.6 years, SD = 7.

Perceptions of participating in family-centered fertility research among adolescent and young adult males newly diagnosed with cancer: A qualitative study.

Background: Over half of male childhood cancer survivors experience infertility after treatment, which is known to cause distress and impact future quality of life. Sperm banking rates remain low, and little is known about how adolescent and young adult (AYA) males and their families make fertility preservation (FP) decisions. This study examined AYA and parent perceptions of participating in a research study focused on testing a new FP decision tool at the time of cancer diagnosis.

Conducting reproductive research during a new childhood cancer diagnosis: ethical considerations and impact on participants.

Purpose: Research among adults shows benefits and low perceived burden of engaging in behavioral research. However, questions remain regarding the ethics of conducting behavioral research in pediatric populations during sensitive situations, including during a new life-threatening diagnosis or at end-of-life. We examined reactions to participating in a behavioral reproductive research study among male adolescents newly diagnosed with cancer and their parents, as a step towards optimizing fertility preservation utilization in a population where future infertility is common.

Maternal high fructose diet and neonatal immune challenge alter offspring anxiety-like behavior and inflammation across the lifespan.

Aims: This study examined the interaction between maternal high fructose diet and neonatal inflammation in neonates (P7), juveniles (P26-34) and adults on measures of anxiety-like behavior and cognition. The study aimed to assess the potential synergistic effects of these two forms of early-life inflammation.

Main Methods: We fed Sprague-Dawley dams with high fructose (60%) diet or normal chow.