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Specialized assessments, including the learning media assessment (LMA), are essential in appropriately planning and implementing instruction for students with visual impairments (Holbrook et al., 2017; Lusk et al., 2013). The LMA, first introduced by Koenig and Holbrook in the early 1990s, was designed to be an "objective process of systematically selecting learning and literacy media for students with visual impairments...regardless of level of vision or severity of additional disabilities" (Koenig & Holbrook, 1995, p. 17). Through the LMA process, teachers of students with visual impairments systematically gather data about how students use their senses and efficiency with print, braille, or auditory information (Ferrell et al., 2014; Holbrook et al., 2017; Koenig & Holbrook, 1995). In addition to sensory learning channels, the LMA process for academic students also includes the collection of data to document reading rates, reading accuracy, reading comprehension, reading fluency, and reading efficiency (Holbrook et al., 2017; Koenig & Holbrook, 1995; Spungin et al., 2016). For students who are print readers, additional data are collected on the student's distance. from the reading materials and their visual stamina (Holbrook et al., 2017; Koenig & Holbrook, 1995; Spungin et al., 2016). For students with multiple disabilities, the LMA process considers all literacy options, including communication devices, calendar systems, or tactile or picture symbols so that the educational team can make decisions based on the student's unique needs and determine functional literacy goals (Bruce et al., 2016; Holbrook et al., 2017; Koenig & Holbrook, 1995). The LMA process for students who are emergent readers includes the selection of a literacy medium and literacy tools (Holbrook et al., 2017; Koenig & Holbrook, 1995; Lusk et al., 2013). This current study reports the results of a survey administered to teachers in the United States and Canada. Through the survey, the authors gathered information about the procedures and forms the teachers use in the LMA process. Three questions guided the study: (1) What are the current practices of teachers of students with visual impairments who conduct LMAs? (2) What assessment instruments are being used by teachers of students with visual impairments who conduct LMAs? and (3) How are the results from LMAs used in the practice of teaching individuals with visual impairments?

In 2019, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) identified the discipline of medical humanities as a priority in medical education. Although medical humanities programs have existed in medical and osteopathic schools in the U.S. and Canada since the late 1960's, this interdisciplinary field remains difficult to define. We studied the mission statements of medical humanities programs to identify core themes and priorities. We conducted a content analysis of U.S. and Canada medical humanities MD and DO mission statements and associated descriptions (n = 56). We compared themes across programs whose directors had a clinical degree versus a terminal research degree, conducted comparisons between medical humanities programs housed in medical schools ranked in Top 20 U.S. News and World Report for Research or Primary Care, and conducted a word frequency analysis. Content analysis revealed five themes: improving patient care, improving the provider experience, generating scholarship, cultivating community relationships, and promoting diversity/sociocultural awareness. 70% of programs emphasized patient care and provider experience. Only 34% included the promotion of diversity/sociocultural awareness as a theme. Word frequency analysis corroborated our findings. U.S. and Canada medical humanities programs focus primarily on improving patient care and provider wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Patient data obtained from the cystic fibrosis clinic of the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada) over the period 1977 to 1988 were analyzed to compare the diabetic and nondiabetic cystic fibrosis patients. The pulmonary function, nutritional status, and survival data for 713 patients who attended the clinic over the 11-year period are reported. Insulin-dependent diabetes was found to exist in 37 (5.2%) of 713 patients. The patient age at time of diabetes diagnosis ranged from 2 to 34 years, with a mean +/- SD of 20.0 +/- 7.4 years. Patients who died in both the diabetic and nondiabetic groups had worse pulmonary and nutritional status than the surviving patients, but there were no significant differences between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups in those who died or in those who remained alive. Survival analysis showed a similar prognosis in the diabetic and nondiabetic groups. It is concluded that cystic fibrosis patients with diabetes are, for their age, not different from patients without diabetes with respect to pulmonary function, nutritional status, and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the last 15 years, there has been little focus on issues relating to asthma in childhood. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian asthma consensus report, important new studies, particularly in children, have highlighted the need to incorporate this new information into asthma guidelines. Objectives: To review the literature on asthma published between January 2000 and June 2003 and to evaluate the influence of new evidence on the recommendations made in the Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, 1999 and its 2001 update with a major focus on pediatric issues. Methods: Diagnosis of asthma in young children, prevention strategies, pharmacotherapy, inhalation devices, immunotherapy and asthma education were selected for review by small expert resource groups. in June 2003, the reviews were discussed at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Network For Asthma Care and the Canadian Thoracic Society. Data published up to December 2004 were subsequently re- viewed by the individual expert resource groups. Results: This report evaluates early life prevention strategies and focuses on treatment of asthma in children. Emphasis is placed on the importance of an early diagnosis and prevention therapy, the benefits of additional therapy and the essential role of asthma education. Conclusion: We generally support previous recommendations and focus on new issues, particularly those relevant to children and their families. This guide for asthma management is based on the best available published data and the opinion of health care professionals including asthma experts and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storytelling is perennial to the human condition. We all tell stories and we all bear witness to the stories of others. According to narrative scholars, only certain stories are valorized in contemporary culture, while others go unrecognized. The inability to recognize ourselves and identities in contemporary cultural narratives can contribute to the silencing and muting of certain lives and voices. Young people with life-shortening conditions, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and muscular dystrophy (MD), are rarely afforded the opportunity to have their stories heard and affirmed in contemporary cultural spaces. In this article, we reflect on the methodological process of engaging in a study known as "Telling My Tale," that is, a storybook study featuring narratives and artwork by young people with CF and MD. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, we critically reflect upon the methodological lessons, advances, and innovations we have learned, including theoretical musings, the process of exhibiting some of the artwork in a public art gallery, challenges faced along the way, analytical conundrums, and the role of technology in artistic creation for participants with limited hand function. In so doing, we hope to further methodological and theoretical development and innovation in narrative and artistic traditions to better center the voices, lives, tales, and experiences of young people with life-shortening conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• QoL measures have increasingly been used as end points in clinical studies. • Lorlatinib is approved in Japan, USA, EU, and Canada for ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC. • Global QoL and functioning showed meaningful improvement or stability in most patients. • Disease-related symptoms similarly improved in most patients. • Improvements in PROs were maintained over time. To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from a phase 1/2 study (NCT01970865) in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)- or ROS1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with lorlatinib 100 mg once daily. PRO measures, including global quality of life (QoL), functioning domains and symptoms, were assessed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and the 13-item Lung Cancer (QLQ-LC13) module. Mean changes of absolute scores from baseline were assessed. Percentages of patients showing improvement, stability or worsening on each scale were reported, with a change of ≥10 points considered clinically meaningful (CM). 255 patients completed baseline and ≥1 post-baseline PRO assessment. Most patients had CM improvement (42.4 %) or stable (38.0 %) scores for global QoL. Functioning domains with the greatest proportion of patients with improved scores were role (37.6 %) and emotional (36.9 %); only one domain had more patients showing worsening than improving function (cognitive [24.3 % vs 22.4 %]). Most patients showed improved or stable scores for disease-related symptoms. No QLQ-C30 symptom domains had more patients worsening than improving. Symptoms on the QLQ-C30 scale with the greatest proportion of patients with improved scores were fatigue (49.4 %) and insomnia (46.3 %). Four QLQ-LC13 domains had more patients worsening than improving (two most affected were peripheral neuropathy [37.3 % vs 13.7 %] and alopecia [19.2 % vs 13.3 %]). Symptoms on the QLQ-LC13 scale with the greatest proportion of patients with improved scores were cough (42.7 %) and pain in other parts (32.9 %). Lorlatinib treatment showed CM improvement from baseline in global QOL that was maintained over time. Additionally, there were improvements in physical, emotional, social, and role functioning. Improvements were shown in appetite loss and key symptoms such as pain, dyspnea, cough and fatigue; a worsening in peripheral neuropathy was noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]