A scoping review of participant reported outcome measures assessed during live and simulated surgical procedures.

Background: The study aims to describe current use of participant-reported outcome measures (PROM) to assess stress in surgeons that may impact patient and surgeon wellbeing.

Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, and clinical trial registries were searched. Articles reporting PROM of stress in live or simulated surgery were included.

Trajectory priming through obstacle avoidance in motor imagery - does motor imagery comprise the spatial characteristics of movement?

Motor imagery and execution often indicate a similar trend in the temporal characteristics of movements. This finding supports the notion of functional equivalence, whereby imagery and execution use a common neural representation. However, there is comparatively limited evidence related to the spatial characteristics of movements; no doubt owing to the absence of an actual spatial trajectory during imagery.

Alignment of Palliative Care Service Structure and Standards of Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: An International Survey of Clinical Practice.

Access to timely, age-appropriate palliative care services and end-of-life communication are two standards of care for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) living with cancer where cure is uncertain or unlikely. Health professionals' capacity to facilitate these standards is critical. This study aimed to understand AYA oncology health professionals' experienced practices in, and barriers to, delivering these standards of care across palliative care and end-of-life communication in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (UK).

Perinatal Psychoneuroimmunology of Prenatal Stress and Its Effects on Fetal and Postnatal Brain Development.

Prenatal stress (PS) impacts early behavioral, neuroimmune, and cognitive development. Pregnant rat models have been very valuable in examining the mechanisms of such fetal programming. A pregnant sheep model of maternal stress offers the unique advantages of chronic in utero monitoring and manipulation.

Microglial and Macrophage Plasticity and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in the Prenatal Brain and Gut Under Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

An intricate relationship exists between the vagus nerve and systemic immune cell regulation, specifically during fetal development. Little is known about the connection between the vagus nerve and the brain's regional circulatory control. In this chapter, we present a methodology for studying the impact of vagus nerve signaling on these connections in the developing fetus using the sheep model for human fetal physiology.

Toward a Typology of the Client: A Latent Class Analysis Approach to the Consumption of Sex Work in the United States.

Previous research on male clients of sex workers has emphasized the diversity of purchasing behaviors; however, we know little about how to organize or categorize this diversity quantitatively. I employed latent class analysis with survey data from cisgender male clients of primarily cisgender female sex workers in the United States to organize client consumption patterns by the type of venue used to contact sex workers and the frequency of using each venue. I found that patterns of consumption emerged around the frequency and context in which sex work is negotiated, generating six distinct patterns of buying: generalists, internet-only buyers, brothel-only buyers, experimenters, routinized buyers, and opportunists.

Illness-related communication between siblings and parents of children with chronic illness and life-limiting conditions: A qualitative analysis.

Background: Having a brother or sister who has a chronic illness (lasting >6 months and requiring long-term care) or life-limiting condition (LLC; where cure is highly unlikely and the child is expected to die) has major impacts on siblings. Parent-sibling illness-related communication may contribute to siblings' capacity to cope.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to explore parent-sibling illness-related communication, from the perspectives of parents and siblings.

Cancer genetic counseling via telegenetics and telephone: A qualitative study exploring the experience of patients and genetic counselors in an Australian cancer genetics context.

The demand for direct-to-patient (DTP) telegenetics (genetics services delivered via videoconferencing) in genetic counseling practice has rapidly increased, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent telegenetics literature is mostly quantitative and not in the Australian context. A qualitative interview study was conducted to address this gap.

Examining the Equivalence Between Imagery and Execution-Does Imagery Comprise the Intended Spatial Trajectory?

The functional equivalence model suggests a common internal representation initiates both imagery and execution. This suggestion is supported by the mental chronometry effect, where there is a positive relation between task difficulty (as defined by the Index of Difficulty; ID) and imagined movement time. The present study extends this logic by examining whether imagery captures the spatial trajectory.

Surgeon stress, anxiety, and workload: a descriptive study of participant reported responses to fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery exercises.

Background: Stress while operating is an important contributor to surgeon health and burnout. Measuring stress is key to improving surgeon and patient outcomes, however biological responses to stress during surgery are variable and difficult to interpret. Participant reported measures of stress have been suggested as an alternative, but the most appropriate measure has not been defined.

Online Ambassador Visits for Hospitalized Children With Cancer: Qualitative Evaluation of Implementation.

Background: Children with cancer or cancer-like disease risk treatment-related isolation, which can negatively impact their peer relationships and social competencies and exacerbate their loneliness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased online socialization became the new normal imposed by national isolation guidelines. To adhere to the treatment-related isolation guidelines, children with cancer were offered online classmate "ambassador" visits during hospitalization.

When genetics and pediatric cancer collide: Understanding and optimizing families' experiences.

Background: Advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of childhood cancer, including primary central nervous system cancers, are improving the diagnosis, treatment, and clinical management of pediatric patients. To effectively translate scientific breakthroughs into enhanced clinical care, it is essential we understand and learn from the experiences of patients, families, and health professionals.

Methods: This report summarizes findings from 4 Australian psychosocial substudies exploring the perspectives of patients, parents, clinicians, and scientists participating in research related to childhood cancer genetics.

Clinical, Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Fusion Positive Myeloid Malignancies.

The identification of a fusion has been seen in about 6% of patients with T lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). It has been described at a lower frequency in B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients as well. To our knowledge, this is the first case report documenting a fusion in a patient with newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) as identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Barriers to access of precision guided therapies for children with high-risk cancer.

Introduction: Accessing compassionate access schemes to obtain novel therapeutic agents for children with hard-to-treat cancers can be fraught with challenges such as regulatory barriers and limited resources. This study aimed to explore clinician perspectives on the barriers, impacts and ethical considerations of accessing novel therapeutic agents within the context of a paediatric oncology precision medicine trial.

Methods: We gathered data from 37 semi-structured interviews with paediatric oncologists participating in the PRecISion Medicine for Children with Cancer (PRISM) study, a precision medicine clinical trial in Australia.

Promise and Perils of Precision Oncology for Patients With Pediatric and Young Adult Sarcomas.

The completion of multiple national pediatric precision oncology platform trials and the incorporation of standardized molecular profiling into the diagnostic care of pediatric and young adult patients with sarcomas have proven the feasibility and potential of the approach. In this work, we explore the current state of the art of precision oncology for pediatric and young adults with sarcoma. We highlight important lessons learned and the challenges that should be addressed in the next generation of trials.

Identifying hemophilia B carriers: Utility of aPTT, factor IX levels and ratios of factor IX to other Vitamin K dependent factors.

Introduction: Diagnosing hemophilia B (HB) carrier status is important to manage bleeding in carriers and to prevent bleeding in potential offspring. Without a family history of hemophilia, diagnosing HB carrier status is challenging. Genetic testing is the gold-standard, however it is reserved for individuals with a high suspicion of carrier status.

Quitting intentions and behaviours among young Australian e-cigarette users.

Background And Aims: With the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Australian youth increasing significantly in recent years, greater attention is being paid to encouraging and supporting cessation. However, research to inform such efforts is lacking. The present study sought to (i) measure desire to quit e-cigarette use and actual quitting attempts among young Australians and (ii) explore correlates of quitting-related cognitions and behaviours.

The feasibility and acceptability of collecting psychosocial outcome measures embedded within a precision medicine trial for childhood cancer.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are increasingly being collected within cancer clinical trials, yet limited literature on the feasibility and acceptability of doing so.

Methods: We collected parent-proxy and adolescent (≥12 years old) PROMs through a longitudinal, psychosocial sub-study ('PRISM-Impact') embedded in a precision medicine trial for children with poor prognosis cancer ('PRISM'). We report on feasibility (response, participation, and attrition rates; follow-up and responding to elevated distress) and acceptability (parents' perceived benefit/burden of participation; and impact on decision to participate in PRISM) of PRISM-Impact.

Pectoralis Muscle Index as Predictor of Outcomes in Patients With Severe Blunt Chest Wall Injury.

Introduction: Sarcopenia has been shown to portend worse outcomes in injured patients; however, little is known about the impact of thoracic muscle wasting on outcomes of patients with chest wall injury. We hypothesized that reduced pectoralis muscle mass is associated with poor outcomes in patients with severe blunt chest wall injury.

Methods: All patients admitted to the intensive care unit between 2014 and 2019 with blunt chest wall injury requiring mechanical ventilation were retrospectively identified.

It provides families with other avenues for treatment when there are no other options Surgeons' perspectives of being part of a precision medicine trial for poor prognosis paediatric cancer patients: A short report.

Objective: Precision medicine is transforming cancer treatment, yet the perspectives of surgeons who often play a critical role in the delivery of precision medicine remain understudied.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 surgeons involved in a precision medicine trial for children with poor prognosis cancer. We explored knowledge of genetics, confidence with somatic and germline results, ratings of benefit to stakeholders and willingness to undertake surgical procedures.

'High hopes for treatment': Australian stakeholder perspectives of the clinical translation of advanced neurotherapeutics for rare neurological diseases.

Introduction: Advanced therapies offer unprecedented opportunities for treating rare neurological disorders (RNDs) in children. However, health literacy, perceptions and understanding of novel therapies need elucidation across the RND community. This study explored healthcare professionals' and carers' perspectives of advanced therapies in childhood-onset RNDs.