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Parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) are considered an evidence-based practice for fostering social communication skills in young autistic children and for promoting parent responsivity and empowerment, yet barriers to caregiver engagement are evident when PMIs are implemented within historically underserved community settings. Issues of caregiver engagement can reflect a lack of fit between PMIs and the needs of diverse families. We used a mixed methods approach to examine barriers to participating in an evidence-based PMI, Project ImPACT (Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2019), within an outpatient setting, as well as strategies that clinicians reported using to deliver and adapt Project ImPACT for minoritized families. Participants included 134 caregivers of a child 13 to 48 months with autism or other social communication differences and six clinicians delivering Project ImPACT. Findings suggest that caregivers experience barriers to participating in Project ImPACT and that these barriers are associated with caregivers' ability to complete the program. Although quantitative findings indicate that adaptation to Project ImPACT did not differ by caregiver and child background, qualitative findings highlighted that clinicians attempt to deliver Project ImPACT to respond to the needs of families from minoritized backgrounds by actively considering the family's culture, psychosocial experiences, goals, and specific barriers. Further, both qualitative and quantitative findings suggest that culturally responsive care and adaptations may support caregiver engagement, including rapport, trust, buy-in, and attendance. Approaches to center cultural alongside contextual/psychosocial considerations within family-centered care in the implementation of PMIs are also highlighted., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Children with brain tumors undergoing radiotherapy are at particular risk of radiation-induced morbidity and are therefore routinely considered for proton therapy (PT) to reduce the dose to healthy tissues. The aim of this study was to apply pediatric constraints and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models when evaluating the differences between PT and contemporary photon-based radiotherapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods: Forty patients (aged 1-17 years) referred from Norwegian institutions to cranial PT abroad during 2014-2016 were selected for VMAT re-planning using the original CT sets and target volumes. The VMAT and delivered PT plans were compared by dose/volume metrics and NTCP models related to growth hormone deficiency, auditory toxicity, visual impairment, xerostomia, neurocognitive outcome and secondary brain and parotid gland cancers. Results: The supratentorial brain, temporal lobes, hippocampi, hypothalamus, pituitary glands, cochleas, salivary glands, optic nerves and chiasm received lower mean doses from PT. Reductions in population median NTCP were significant for auditory toxicity (VMAT: 3.8%; PT: 0.3%), neurocognitive outcome (VMAT: 3.0 IQ points decline at 5 years post RT; PT: 2.5 IQ points), xerostomia (VMAT: 2.0%; PT: 0.6%), excess absolute risk of secondary cancer of the brain (VMAT: 9.2%; PT: 6.7%) and salivary glands (VMAT: 2.8%; PT:0.5%). Across all patients, 23/38 PT plans had better or comparable estimated risks for all endpoints (within ±10% of the risk relative to VMAT), whereas for 1/38 patients all estimates were better or comparable with VMAT. Conclusions: PT reduced the volumes of normal tissues exposed to radiation, particularly low-to-intermediate dose levels, and this was reflected in lower NTCP. Of the included endpoints, substantial reductions in population medians were seen from the delivered PT plans for auditory complications, xerostomia, and risk of secondary cancers of the brain and salivary glands.

In the present study, we have isolated leucocytes from peripheral blood, head kidney and spleen from lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus L.), and performed functional studies like phagocytosis and respiratory burst, as well as morphological and cytochemical analyses. Different leucocytes were identified, such as lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages and polymorphonuclear cells with bean shaped or bilobed nuclei. In addition, cells with similar morphology as described for dendritic cells in trout were abundant among the isolated leucocytes. Flow cytometry was successfully used for measuring phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity. The phagocytic capacity and ability were very high, and cells with different morphology in all three leucocyte preparations phagocytised beads rapidly. Due to lack of available cell markers, the identity of the phagocytic cells could not be determined. The potent non-specific phagocytosis was in accordance with a high number of cells positive for myeloperoxidase, an enzyme involved in oxygen-dependent killing mechanism present in phagocytic cells. Further, high respiratory burst activity was present in the leucocytes samples, verifying a potent oxygen- dependent degradation. At present, the specific antibody immune response could not be measured, as immunoglobulin or B-cells have not yet been isolated. Therefore, analyses of the specific immune response in this fish species await further clarification. The present study presents the first analyses of lumpsucker immunity and also the first within the order Scopaeniformes.