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BackgroundThe observance of nonrandom space-time groupings of childhood cancer has been a concern of health professionals and the general public for decades. Many childhood cancers are suspected to have initiated in utero; therefore, we examined the spatial-temporal randomness of the birthplace of children who later developed cancer.MethodsWe performed a space-time cluster analysis using birth addresses of 5,896 cases and 23,369 population-based, age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-matched controls in California from 1997 to 2007, evaluating 20 types of childhood cancer and three a priori designated subgroups of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We analyzed data using a newly designed semiparametric analysis program, ClustR, and a common algorithm, SaTScan.ResultsWe observed evidence for nonrandom space-time clustering for ALL diagnosed at 2-6 years of age in the South San Francisco Bay Area (ClustR P = 0.04, SaTScan P = 0.07), and malignant gonadal germ cell tumors in a region of Los Angeles (ClustR P = 0.03, SaTScan P = 0.06). ClustR did not identify evidence of clustering for other childhood cancers, although SaTScan suggested some clustering for Hodgkin lymphoma (P = 0.09), astrocytoma (P = 0.06), and retinoblastoma (P = 0.06).ConclusionsOur study provides evidence that childhood ALL diagnosed at 2-6 years and malignant gonadal germ cell tumors sporadically occurs in nonrandom space-time clusters. Further research is warranted to identify epidemiologic features that may inform the underlying etiology.

Background: Hospice is intended to promote the comfort and quality of life of dying patients and their families. When patients are discharged from hospice prior to death (ie, experience a "live discharge"), care continuity is disrupted. This systematic review summarizes the growing body of evidence on live discharge among hospice patients with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD), a clinical subpopulation that disproportionately experiences this often burdensome care transition. Methods: Researchers conducted a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Reviewers searched AgeLine, APA PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL Plus with Full Text, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (Core Collection). Reviewers extracted data and synthesized findings from 9 records, which reported findings from 10 individual studies. Results: The reviewed studies, which were generally of high quality, consistently identified diagnosis of ADRD as a risk factor for live discharge from hospice. The relationship between race and live hospice discharge was less clear and likely dependent upon the type of discharge under investigation and other (eg, systemic-level) factors. Research on patient and family experiences underscored the extent to which live hospice discharge can be distressing, confusing, and associated with numerous losses. Conclusion: Research specific to live discharge among ADRD patients and their families is limited. Synthesis across included studies points to the importance for future research to differentiate between types of live discharge—revocation vsversus decertification—as these are vastly different experiences in choice and circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 paved the way for the development of drugs that treat rare diseases, defined in the United States as those affecting fewer than 200,000 patients. Orphan drugs can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but insurers have traditionally covered these therapies because the small populations involved did not typically lead to significant cost exposure. Payer sensitivity to the cost of orphan drugs is rising, however, with the accelerated rate of new launches of these agents amid intensified economic pressure. Payers are showing increasing levels of concern and scrutiny about coverage of orphan drugs. A new payer survey conducted between February 2008 and March 2009 provides insights on how payers are managing orphan drugs and the way it is likely to evolve in the future. Survey findings show that the patient share of orphan drug costs is rising and is expected to continue to rise, barring sweeping changes in public health policy. This shift in benefit design could affect patient access to orphan agents and, therefore, drug utilization. Manufacturers will have to invest in research to understand payer impact on the uptake of their orphan drugs in development. They will also benefit from being prepared to develop strategies to ensure patient access to and affordability of their orphan agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features the city of Las Vegas in Nevada as the venue of the 2014 American Library Association (ALA) annual meeting. Topics discussed include a brief background of the city during the 1854-1855 as a Mormon Fort, the construction of the Hoover Dam under the supervision of the Bureau of Reclamation in 1931, the diversification of the city's economy in the advent of World War II and city government's efforts to curb crime.

The article discusses information and services offered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It elaborates on the features of the CDC website, the data and statistics, and tools and resources for emergency preparedness. It also mentions CDC's use of social media in carrying out its mission.

The article discusses how librarians can use online social networking websites Twitter and Facebook as current awareness tools for federal government publications. According to the author, benefits of Twitter for librarians include filtering resources, simplicity of interaction, and reading news releases. Benefits of Facebook include the number of government agencies that have pages, the decreasing of workload by reposting outside information, and the organization of interests.

The article focuses on the factors that should be considered before an image from a site can be used relative to the sources in which public domain photos can be obtained. It says that public domain pertains to the creative works which are not protected by a particular copyright. It states that the copyright status of the image's subject and the photograph's status must be regarded if a photograph will be used. It examines the public-domain materials from government agencies which can be used.

The article focuses on online calculator tools of the U.S. government which allow anyone to interact with government resources. It mentions that MyMoney.gov provides calculators that let anyone plan the college budget and student loan, estimate Social Security benefits, and pay off credit cards. It adds that Healthfinder.gov website from the Department of Health and Human Services contains interactive tools and calculator to help in assessing and tracking the health and fitness of a person.

The article focuses on the 2010 Census of the Census Bureau in the U.S. It states that the Constitution mandates a census of the population every ten years and uses population data to apportion seats in the House of Representatives and allocate federal money. It notes that conducting the census is difficult because of the complexity involved in locating and counting the large population. It mentions that the Census 2010 is different because it consists of a single form with only 10 questions.

The article offers travel tips for San Francisco, California including information on Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Angel Island State Park and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

The article reviews several web sites including MyMoney.gov by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, Online Learning Module Instructor Management Panel from the Federal Reserve Board of St. Louis, and the College Credit Card Agreement database from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.