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This study investigated the influence of general vocabulary knowledge, science vocabulary knowledge, and text based questioning on the science reading comprehension of three types of students who varied in their English language proficiency. Specifically, grade 5 English-Only speakers, English Language Learners in the United States, and students learning English as a Foreign Language in a Spanish-speaking country were compared across the aforementioned variables to examine their relationship to reading comprehension. Findings indicated that general vocabulary, science vocabulary, and questioning contributed significant variance to the explanation of science reading comprehension. However, no particular variable was found to interact with language proficiency in their contribution to science reading comprehension. Findings are discussed in terms of the roles that each variable could play in content area comprehension. Implications for content-area literacy instruction of second-language students are considered.

Given the increasing number of immigrant students in the USA initially schooled in Mexico, Central America, and South America, and the dearth of investigations examining the beliefs of teachers from Mexico, Central America, or South America, an exploration of Latin American teachers' conceptions may inform policy-makers and researchers about teachers in different cultural contexts and provide insight into the types of instruction Latin American immigrants may have experienced before coming to the USA. Teachers' conceptions of reading comprehension and motivation to read across two cultural contexts (i.e. the USA and Argentina) were examined by analyzing responses from 21 US teachers and 23 Argentinean teachers. Both groups of teachers held views of reading comprehension in partial agreement with cognitive views of reading comprehension but differed in their views of instructional practices for "supporting" reading comprehension. Differences also emerged for conceptions of motivation and practices to support motivation to read. Knowledge of teacher views can be used by teacher educators to target misconceptions and further develop teachers' knowledge and skills related to reading comprehension and motivation to read. (Contains 8 tables.)

Background: Efficacious mental health interventions for sexual and gender minority youth have had limited reach, given their delivery as time-intensive, in-person sessions. Internet-based interventions may facilitate reach to sexual and gender minority youth; however, there is little research examining their efficacy.Objective: This study aims to describe the results of a pilot randomized controlled trial of imi, a web application designed to improve mental health by supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority identity affirmation, coping self-efficacy, and coping skill practice.Methods: Sexual and gender minority youth (N=270) aged 13 to 19 (mean 16.5, SD 1.5) years and living in the United States were recruited through Instagram advertisements. Approximately 78% (210/270) of the sample identified as racial or ethnic minorities. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 fashion to the full imi intervention web application (treatment; 135/270, 50%) or a resource page-only version of the imi site (control; 135/270, 50%). The imi application covered four topical areas: gender identity; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority identity; stress and coping; and internalized homophobia and transphobia. Participants explored these areas by engaging with informational resources, exercises, and peer stories at a self-guided pace. Both arms were assessed via web-based surveys at baseline and 4-week follow-up for intervention satisfaction, stress appraisals (ie, challenge, threat, and resource), coping skills (ie, instrumental support, positive reframing, and planning), and mental health symptoms among other outcomes. Main intent-to-treat analyses compared the arms at week 4, controlling for baseline values on each outcome.Results: Survey retention was 90.4% (244/270) at week 4. Participants in the treatment arm reported greater satisfaction with the intervention than participants in the control arm (t241=-2.98; P=.003). The treatment arm showed significantly greater improvement in challenge appraisals (ie, belief in one's coping abilities) than the control (Cohen d=0.26; P=.008). There were no differences between the arms for threat (d=0.10; P=.37) or resource (d=0.15; P=.14) appraisals. The treatment arm showed greater increases in coping skills than the control arm (instrumental support: d=0.24, P=.005; positive reframing: d=0.27, P=.02; planning: d=0.26, P=.02). Mental health symptoms improved across both the treatment and control arms; however, there were no differences between arms. Within the treatment arm, higher engagement with imi (≥5 sessions, >10 minutes, or >10 pages) predicted greater improvement in stress appraisals (all P values <.05).Conclusions: The results provide initial evidence that asynchronous psychosocial interventions delivered via a web application to sexual and gender minority youth can support their ability to cope with minority stress. Further research is needed to examine the long-term effects of the imi application.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05061966; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05061966. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the challenges faced by Latin Americans in North Carolina, including social and economic vulnerability, discrimination and acculturation. The author provides a historical overview of Latino immigrants' demographic and social conditions in North Carolina and focuses on the spread of HIV/AIDS disease and discriminatory practices by immigration law enforcement authorities.

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Perhaps one of the main ethical dilemmas physicians face in cancer medicine is the question of truthfulness with terminally ill cancer patients. Reluctance to share the truth with the patient about his or her diagnosis and/or prognosis is frequently associated with cultural pressures. Based on two cases, the authors illustrate how ethical analysis can help in solving dilemmas related to truth disclosure to terminally ill cancer patients and their families. A personalist approach reveals that the often-adduced conflict between nonmaleficence/beneficence and autonomy with regard to truth telling originates from a narrow understanding of the concept of autonomy. This confrontation is, therefore, more apparent than real. A brief review of the main ethical systems and the results of their application to clinical decision-making follow the discussion of the cases.