Advancing environmental epidemiologic methods to conform the cancer burden.

Even though many environmental carcinogens have been identified, studying their effects on specific cancers has been challenging in non-occupational settings where exposures may be chronic but at lower levels. Although exposure measurement methods have improved considerably, along with key opportunities to integrate multi-omic platforms, there remain challenges that need to be considered particularly around the design of studies. Cancer studies typically exclude individuals with prior cancers and start recruitment in midlife.

Psychological, behavioural, and physical aspects of caregiver strain in autism-caregivers: a cohort study.

Background: People who give care to autistic individuals (autism-caregivers) experience higher levels of caregiver strain than people who provide care for individuals with other chronic conditions (non-autism-caregivers). This places them at higher risk for psychological, behavioural and physical health concerns. The aim of this study is to delineate psychological, behavioural, and physical aspects of caregiver strain in autism-caregivers compared to non-autism-caregivers.

Prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, altered ERα pathway-related methylation and expression, and mammary epithelial cell proliferation in offspring and grandoffspring adult mice.

Background: Airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) possess carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting properties linked to mammary tumorigenesis. These effects may be initiated during a prenatal period of susceptibility to PAH activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) and through downstream effects on estrogen receptor (Er) α.

Purpose: We hypothesized prenatal airborne PAH exposure induces sustained effects in female adult wild type BALB/cByj mice detected in the offspring (F1) and grandoffspring (F2) generation.

Systematic review of ultrasound visual biofeedback in intervention for speech sound disorders.

Background: As cost and access barriers to ultrasound technology have decreased, interest in using ultrasound visual biofeedback (U-VBF) as a tool for remediating speech sound disorders (SSD) has increased. A growing body of research has investigated U-VBF in intervention for developmental SSD; however, diversity in study design, participant characteristics, clinical methods and outcomes complicate the interpretation of this literature. Thus, there is a need for a synthesis and review of the evidence base for using U-VBF in intervention for SSD.

The Impact of Real-Time Articulatory Information on Phonetic Transcription: Ultrasound-Aided Transcription in Cleft Lip and Palate Speech.

Objective: This study investigated whether adding an additional modality, namely ultrasound tongue imaging (UTI), to perception-based phonetic transcription impacted on the identification of compensatory articulations and on interrater reliability.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-nine English-speaking children aged 3-12 years with cleft lip and palate (CLP) were recorded producing repetitions of /aCa/ for all places of articulation with simultaneous audio recording and probe-stabilized ultrasound (US). Three types of transcriptions were performed: (1) descriptive observations from the live US by the clinician recording the data, (2) US-aided transcription (UA) by two US-trained clinicians, and (3) traditional phonetic transcription by two CLP specialists from audio recording.

Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Disorder in Children Who Have Had Laryngotracheal Reconstruction Surgery and the Relationship Between Clinician Perceptual Ratingof Voice Quality and Parent Proxy/Child Self-Report of Voice-Related Quality of Life.

Reliability of the GRBAS tool for perceptual evaluation of paediatric voice disorder is measured in this study of children with a history of laryngotracheal reconstruction surgery (LTR). Additionally, the relationship between parent proxy/child self-report of voice-related quality of life with clinician perceptual rating of voice quality is analysed. Eleven children with a history of LTR provided voice recordings following the stimuli set by the CAPE-V protocol.

Nursing Staff Perceptions of Fall Risk: The Emergence of Learned Helplessness as a Theme.

Nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel on 2 medical-surgical units were asked about their perceptions regarding patient falls. Their responses reflect learned helplessness and a lack of nurse empowerment that are relevant findings as nurse executives work to decrease patient falls.

Integrating Spiritual Bereavement Skills Into an Advanced Practice Curriculum.

Background: When advanced practice nurses (APNs) encounter the need to address a bereaved individual's spirituality, gaps in educational preparation may prevent effective intervention. In addition, past and current research studies have not provided clear guidance for spiritually based bereavement care curricula within the graduate APN program.

Method: Graduate advanced practice faculty successfully introduced classroom-based spiritual bereavement care education modules for APN students.

Use of the Iowa Model of Research in Practice as a Curriculum Framework for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Completion.

Doctoral education requires academic motivation and persistence on the part of nursing students; commitment to the process is essential and should be linked to programmatic structure. Programmatic issues in doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs may be barriers to completion of the final project and lead to attrition. A large, private health care university developed an infrastructure for the DNP curriculum and final project utilizing the Iowa Model of Research in Practice.

When chefs adopt a school? An evaluation of a cooking intervention in English primary schools.

This article sets out the findings from research on the impact of a, UK based, chefs in schools teaching programme on food, health, nutrition and cookery. Professional chefs link with local schools, where they deliver up to three sessions to one class over a year. The research measured the impact of a standardised intervention package and changes in food preparation and consumption as well as measuring cooking confidence.

The provision of neuropsychological services in rural/regional settings: professional and ethical issues.

Despite rapid growth of the discipline of clinical neuropsychology during recent times, there is limited information regarding the identification and management of professional and ethical issues associated with the practice of neuropsychology within rural settings. The aim of this article is to outline the characteristics unique to practicing neuropsychology in rural communities and to describe the potential professional and ethical dilemmas that might arise. Issues are illustrated using examples from neuropsychological practice in a rural/regional setting in Victoria, Australia.

Mentoring health information professionals in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

As a major employer of health information professionals, the VA faces significant recruitment and retention challenges. The authors evaluated mentoring as a retention tool through a review of existing literature and the retrospective review of a VA health information management mentoring program. The literature review showed a link between employer mentorship and employee retention, regardless of the nature and structure of the mentoring relationship.

Modeling mentorship and collaboration for BSN and MSN students in a community clinical practicum.

This project uses an innovative approach to facilitate mentorship and collaboration among BSN and MSN students within a community health practice environment. In a pilot test using a clinical model, graduate and undergraduate students were matched as mentors and mentees. These students worked with faculty and clinic staff to develop a mentorship network and effective collaborative practice within an interdisciplinary team, while implementing health promotion education programs for clinic clients.

Pregnant adolescent reflections of parental communication.

The purpose of this study is to describe reflections of parental communication from the perspective of pregnant adolescents prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy. This qualitative design, using grounded theory methodology and semistructured interviews collected data from a convenience sample of predominantly Hispanic adolescent women (n = 30) in 4 settings. Participants were recruited from 3 area clinics and a transitional high school in California.

Online, directed journaling in community health advanced practice nursing clinical education.

The sharing of experiences in advanced practice nursing clinical courses allows for application of core principals to different facets of practice, with the potential to promote discussions beyond the course objectives, create opportunities for mentoring, foster critical thinking, and facilitate change and socialization into advanced practice. A pilot test of online, directed journaling, an innovative sharing and reflection strategy, was incorporated in a two-quarter community health advanced practice nursing clinical course in an attempt to enhance clinical learning. Six female graduate nursing students completed the journaling.

Expression of Wnt genes during mouse preimplantation development.

Pattern formation in the mouse preimplantation embryo is tightly regulated and essential for successful development. Wnt genes are known to regulate cell interactions and cell fate in invertebrates and vertebrates and, therefore, may play a role in the specification of cell lineages and cellular interactions that occur in preimplantation development. Using degenerate primers based on conserved protein sequences in Wnt coding regions, we have found evidence for Wnt gene expression at the blastocyst stage of mouse preimplantation development.