Search

COVID-19 has caused increased stress among U.S. adults, with many reporting concerns assisting their children with distance learning due to school closures. This study surveyed U.S. parents--most of whom were middle-aged, White, affluent, and female--to learn what types of distance learning activities parents engaged in with their children during COVID-19; whether these types of activities varied by the child's age; and whether there was an association between engaging in these activities and stress. Most parents engaged in Monitoring, Teaching or Technology support activities with their children. Although these activities varied by child's age, parents who reported engaging in any distance learning activity reported increased stress.

In light of persistent workforce shortages, school psychologists must support the professional growth and well-being of graduate students and early career professionals (ECPs) in their field. This exploratory study examined the self-reported needs, interests, and challenges of doctoral-level ECPs and graduate students in school psychology. Participants were 87 ECP members (n = 55) and student affiliates (SAs; n = 32) of Division 16 of the American Psychological Association (APA D16). A brief online survey assessed their interest in a variety of professional development topics, conference programming formats, and other resources (e.g., webinars and Internet articles). Participants also responded to open-ended items assessing professional challenges as well as organizations accessed outside of APA D16. Whereas ECPs in faculty positions expressed the most interest in research-related professional development, ECPs in practice and SAs expressed the greatest interest in practice-oriented programming. Both ECPs and SAs valued symposia, informal sessions, brief Internet articles, and webinars as forums for professional support. Finally, ECPs and SAs noted challenges related to interpersonal relations in the workplace, diversity and multiculturalism, and pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training. The results of this study suggest that school psychology professional organizations have a significant role in supporting ECPs and SAs with a range of developmental tasks and professional challenges. Moreover, these organizations can support ECPs and graduate students by providing concise and time-efficient conferencing programming (< 3-h trainings) as well as a variety of accessible digital resources (e.g., webinars and Internet articles).

BACKGROUND:Patients can present with symptomatic gallbladder disease after cholecystectomy due to a remnant gallbladder. This is a rare problem and challenging diagnosis with limited prior characterization; thus, we present a large series of patients with a gallbladder remnant. METHODS:A retrospective review was performed of all patients presenting with symptomatic gallbladder remnant at a tertiary care center from 2002 to 2016. Data on presenting symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatments, and follow-up were collected. RESULTS:Thirty-one patients diagnosed and treated for a symptomatic gallbladder remnant were identified. The most common presenting symptoms included right upper quadrant pain (87%) and nausea (55%). The median time from symptom presentation to definitive diagnosis was 60 days. Diagnostic modalities utilized in the evaluation of these patients demonstrated that endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography were effective with sensitivities of 85% and 90%, respectively. Twenty-three (76.2%) patients underwent completion cholecystectomy, which proved to be definitive treatment. Additionally, eight (25.8%) patients were non-operative candidates and underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and sphincterotomy, three of whom developed recurrent symptoms. CONCLUSION:A symptomatic gallbladder remnant after cholecystectomy is infrequently seen; however, the diagnosis should be considered in patients with recurrent biliary symptoms after cholecystectomy. Completion cholecystectomy can be challenging but is highly effective for definitive treatment.

Simple Summary: Sarcomas refer to a broad group of rare tumors that develop from bone and soft tissue. Sarcoma diagnosis is challenging because of its rarity and complexity, leading to misdiagnosis and delays in diagnosis and access to appropriate therapy. Liposarcomas are a common form of sarcoma, and there are four subtypes of liposarcomas: well-differentiated liposarcoma/atypical lipomatous tumors, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, myxoid liposarcoma, and pleomorphic liposarcoma. Treatment options are limited for those diagnosed with liposarcoma. Currently, the mainstay of therapy for primary localized liposarcoma is surgical removal of the tumor. Radiotherapy is commonly used in extremity tumors before surgery but has unproven effectiveness in the retroperitoneum. Chemotherapy sensitivity varies by liposarcoma subtype, further complicating treatment. As such, limited conventional treatment options (e.g., radiotherapy or chemotherapy) remain substantial barriers to care. This review provides information about the epidemiology, pathology, and treatment options currently available for liposarcoma. Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that develop from bone and soft tissue. Approximately 80% of sarcomas affect soft tissue, with liposarcoma being one of the most common types, accounting for approximately 13–20% of all soft-tissue sarcomas. Per the World Health Organization, liposarcoma can be broadly classified into four different subtypes based on histologic examination: well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLS)/atypical lipomatous tumors (ALT), dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLS), myxoid liposarcoma (MLS), and pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLS). WDLS/ALT is the most common liposarcoma subtype, accounting for approximately 31–33% of liposarcomas; DDLS accounts for 20%; MLS accounts for 19%; and PLS, the least common subtype, represents 7–8% of liposarcomas. Sarcoma diagnosis is challenging because of its rarity, intrinsic complexity, and diagnostic technological complexity. Sarcomas are misdiagnosed in approximately 30% of cases, leading to delays in diagnosis and access to appropriate therapy and clinical trials. Furthermore, treatment options are limited for those diagnosed with liposarcoma. This review discusses the epidemiology, pathology, and treatment options currently available for liposarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors that arise from mesenchymal tissue, including adipose, bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle, and smooth muscle. Because of their rarity, optimal treatment planning requires discussion among sarcoma-experienced subspecialists. Studies have shown that treatment guided by multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) is associated with better compliance with clinical practice guidelines and, in some cases, increased survival. The role of radiologists in the MTB setting is valuable in assessing disease in patients with sarcoma; however, radiologists' recommendations may differ from the MTB's consensus. This study highlights the discordance between the disease assessment and the clinical recommendations provided by radiologists and MTBs and encourages all radiologists caring for patients with sarcoma to participate in MTBs to best align their interpretations with optimal clinical management and make multidisciplinary aligned recommendations whenever feasible. Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) facilitate decision-making among subspecialists in the care of oncology patients, but the mechanisms by which they enhance outcomes remain incompletely understood. Our aim was to measure the agreement between sarcoma MTBs and radiology reports' disease assessment and management recommendations. This single-center IRB-approved retrospective study evaluated cases presented at a weekly sarcoma MTB from 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021. Cases without clinical notes, imaging studies, or radiology reports were excluded. The data collected included the patient's clinical status at the time of the MTB, the treatment response assessment by the MTB and radiologists (stable disease; partial response; complete response; progressive disease/recurrence), and the recommendations of the radiology reports and of the MTB. The agreement between the initial radiologist review and MTB on disease assessment and recommendations was analyzed using kappa statistics. In total, 283 cases met the inclusion criteria. Radiology reports provided recommendations in 34.3% of cases, which were adhered to by the ordering providers in 73.2% of cases. The agreement between MTBs and radiology reports was moderate in disease assessment (86.2% agreement; κ = 0.78; p < 0.0001) and negligible in recommendations (36% agreement; κ = 0.18; p < 0.0001). Radiologists were more likely to assign progressive disease/recurrence than MTBs (54.4% vs. 44.4%; p < 0.001) and to recommend short-term imaging follow-up more commonly than MTBs (46.4% vs. 21.7%; p < 0.001). At a tertiary care center, radiologists' isolated interpretations of imaging findings and management recommendations frequently differ from the MTB's consensus, reflecting the value of multidisciplinary discussions incorporating the patient's clinical status and the available treatment options into the final radiographic assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of basic foodstuffs in the Mazahua region of the State of Mexico, Mexico, reflects the scarcity of arable land in peasant agriculture. This issue was exacerbated in the early years of the Milpa Intercropped with Fruit Trees system (MIAF, for its Spanish acronym), because the fruit tree strip occupied up to 40 % of the area while producing no food or income during its vegetative growth stage. Native squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) and bayocote (Phaseolus coccineus L.) are basic species in the Mazahua diet, but it is unknown whether they have an adverse effect on the vegetative growth of the newly planted peach trees [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] when grown in association. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effect of native squash and bayocote, grown in the fruit tree strip of the MIAF system, on the vegetative growth of peach trees for efficient soil intensification during the juvenile period of the tree. The treatments primarily involved associating peach trees with native squash, bayocote, and uncovered soil. The experimental design comprised randomized blocks with three replications. Vegetative growth, shoot biomass, root distribution, and soil moisture content were evaluated 60, 120, and 180 days after planting. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and comparison of means with the Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05) using the SAS 9.4 program. The native squash decreased the diameter and stem biomass of the peach trees since there was greater root overlap between the two species and less soil moisture. In contrast, with the association of the fruit tree with bayocote, the root distribution of the peach tree was greater, with no decrease in the diameter, height, or biomass of its stem. Local species such as bayocote have the potential to be grown in the fruit tree strip of the MIAF system in their first year of establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agriculture initiatives are on the rise, providing healthy food while teaching a land ethic to youth. In parallel, increasing numbers of university graduates are obtaining Extension work requiring the effective communication of science in a diverse, urban, low-income setting. This study evaluates a pilot service-learning program, the Community Food Security Scholars program, designed to teach students the complexities of urban food security issues while they acquire basic agriculture production skills. By analyzing student responses in pre- and post-service interviews, the authors evaluated students' interaction with the diverse and economically disadvantaged populations, with which many of the students had little previous experience. Results revealed that although students felt they gained valuable theoretical and experiential knowledge about food access, they also faced challenges interacting with community members, possibly affecting the project's learning outcomes. The evaluation resulted in a new course with enhanced opportunities for cultural competency training and outreach. (Contains 1 figure.)

This article reports on a study to determine which information sources organic growers use to inform farming practices by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 organic farmers across 17 North Carolina counties. Effective information sources included: networking, agricultural organizations, universities, conferences, Extension, Web resources, personal experience, books, organic buyers/certifiers, and consultants. Results suggest that grower-to-grower networking is a highly effective information-seeking behavior for organic growers. Recommendations for Extension personnel include reshaping educational programing for organic growers to include peer-to-peer information sharing, as well as increased investment to graduate and undergraduate programs that train future Extension agents in organic production approaches.