Screening adolescents for psychosocial concerns

Psychosocial issues are cen-'tral to the care of adolescent patients. Pediatricians routinely discuss substance use, sexual health, and accident prevention with adolescents and are likely to see specific mental health concerns in about 20% of their patients. In light of rising suicide rates and the likely consequences of COVID-19, depression is an increasingly common concern. With limited access to mental health clinicians, individual pediatricians must manage patients' mental health needs by enhancing their own skills, collocating mental health personnel in their practices, and building trusted referral networks. Because psychosocial screening is now an expected part of pediatric primary care,1 this article focuses on screening adolescent patients, including choice of tools and follow-up of positive results.

Empirical Review of Various Thermography-based Computer-aided Diagnostic Systems for Multiple Diseases

The lifestyle led by today's generation and its negligence towards health is highly susceptible to various diseases. Developing countries are at a higher risk of mortality due to late-stage presentation, inaccessible diagnosis, and high-cost treatment. Thermography-based technology, aided with machine learning, for screening inflammation in the human body is non-invasive and cost-wise appropriate. It requires very little equipment, especially in rural areas with limited facilities. Recently, Thermography-based monitoring has been deployed worldwide at various organizations and public gathering points as a first measure of screening COVID-19 patients. In this article, we systematically compare the state-of-the-art feature extraction approaches for analyzing thermal patterns in the human body, individually and in combination, on a platform using three publicly available Datasets of medical thermal imaging, four Feature Selection methods, and four well-known Classifiers, and analyze the results. We developed and used a two-level sampling method for training and testing the classification model. Among all the combinations considered, the classification model with Unified Feature-Sets gave the best performance for all the datasets. Also, the experimental results show that the classification accuracy improves considerably with the use of feature selection methods. We obtained the best performance with a features subset of 45, 57, and 39 features (from Unified Feature Set) with a combination of mRMR and SVM for DB-DMR-IR and DB-FOOT-IR and a combination of ReF and RF for DB-THY-IR. Also, we found that for all the feature subsets, the features obtained are relevant, non-redundant, and distinguish normal and abnormal thermal patterns with the accuracy of 94.75% on the DB-DMR-IR dataset, 93.14% on the DB-FOOT-IR dataset, and 92.06% on the DB-THY-IR dataset. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems & Technology is the property of Association for Computing Machinery and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of the stranded seafarers

PurposeThis study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and mental health of the seafarers who had to overstay on ships after their contracts expired, identifies topics that affect their mental distress and recommends measures to overcome these.Design/methodology/approachFour research questions about the impacts on the seafarers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were raised. A literature review and a questionnaire survey were conducted to find answers. Ship officers were asked to assess and fill in the questionnaires for the stranded seafarers onboard in order to collect sufficient samples rapidly for this study.FindingsDespite the guidelines provided by the shipping companies being adequate to protect the seafarers from COVID-19, their mental distress levels have been worsened under the pandemic. The crew change crisis causes anxiety and negatively impacts on their working performance;however, the repatriation expectation of the stranded seafarers is of the highest concern. Three topics were identified as having impacts on the mental health of the stranded seafarers: crew change crisis, low vaccination rate and the lack of key worker recognition. While international stakeholders are advocating for support in these issues, the shipping companies and the seafarers need to do their parts to exacerbate the mental distress, and to survive and thrive beyond the pandemic.Originality/valueThe findings of this study will help the shipping companies to navigate the challenges and the seafarers to overcome issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 2 years after outbreak on mental health of medical workers in Iran

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial influence on the mental health of healthcare workers. This study investigated general health status, the prevalence, and the severity of depressive spectrum and anxiety-related disorders. It evaluated the association between various factors and depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers in the Khatam-Alanbia Hospital in Iran, after 2 years since the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.ResultsIn this online cross-sectional study, 409 participants were selected and given a questionnaire about demographic, personal, and clinical characteristics as well as stressors related to COVID-19. The participants completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the 42-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-42) to report depression, anxiety, and stress/tension levels. We found that the overall incidence of depression, anxiety and stress among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic was 44.25%, 50.62%, and 43.76%, respectively. Participants with severe to very severe depression, anxiety and stress accounted for 19.2%, 26.6%, and 18.2% of the sample, respectively. Being female was associated with higher odds of depression, anxiety, and stress.ConclusionsTwo years after the COVID-19 outbreak, health workers are still showing a significant level of depression, anxiety, stress, and remarkable signs of psychological distress. The situation of a health care worker is worrying. The long-term psychological implications of infectious diseases should not be ignored. Mental health services could play an essential role in rehabilitation.

How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis

Just as traumatic or stressful events and experiences can increase the risk, strong and supportive relationships and institutions can offset or mitigate that risk. [...]if mental health conditions do develop, early and ongoing recognition and treatment can decrease associated morbidity.2 4 The 2019-2020 National Survey of Children's Health showed that 23% of children aged 3 to 17 years have a reported mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral (MEDB) problem, with prevalence unevenly distributed by geographic area and social determinants of health: Beginning in April 2020, the proportion of mental health-related visits in pediatric emergency departments increased significantly for both children and adolescents.8 A 2021 report from the Child Mind Institute, "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children's Mental Health: What We Know So Far," highlights the disproportionate negative impact on vulnerable children: those with preexisting mental health problems, especially those with limited access to treatment, racial minorities experiencing racism in the health care system and beyond, LGBTQ+ children, and families living with economic uncertainty or food insecurity.4 Skill-building resources To mitigate the level of need that has created the current crisis, it is particularly important that emerging mental health symptoms be recognized and addressed early within the pediatric medical home before they escalate to the level of crisis. [...]the AAP has developed a mental health toolkit for pediatricians that includes materials, real- world cases, tools for screening, video examples of skills, and an algorithm serving as a cognitive map for how to approach mental health concerns in an outpatient office setting.9 Another resource, The REACH Institute, offers live and online evidence-based training courses for pediatricians on identification and treatment of mental health issues, including screening, medication management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a host of other topics, all patient-centered and designed to be feasible in an outpatient office setting.10 (For more on The REACH Institute and pediatrician training, see "Guiding principles in managing pediatric mental health issues," page 18.) Address the economic and social barriers that contribute to poor mental health foryoung people,families, and caregivers. 6 Increase timely data collection and research to identify and respond to youth mental health needs more rapidly.

The First Annual COIL International Shark Tank

For the COIL assignment, students worked in international teams of four to identify an existing problem in both the U.S. and Japanese health care systems, develop a PICOT (Population of concern, Intervention or interest, Comparison, Outcome, and Timeframe) question, and formulate an evidence-based solution to address the existing health care challenge. A mobile cancer screening van to screen populations with high risk factors for breast cancer, skin cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and child immunizations. 6. Each university used different learning management systems but agreed to use free online resources, such as Padlet, Translate, and Google Drive/Microsoft One Drive to enhance collaboration and communication.

Developing and Implementing a Depression Screening and Referral Protocol Among College Students

Depression is prevalent among college students but remains underrecognized and undertreated. Evidence supports universal depression screening among college students combined with follow-up systems to ensure appropriate diagnosis and management. Screening tools may include versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire, and follow-up systems may include following up with the current provider or referring the student to a mental health specialist. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to promote the identification of college students with depression and subsequent appropriate referrals.

American Cancer Society's first female CEO discusses goals, lessons learned amid pandemic

Karen E. Knudsen, PhD, MBA, is the first woman to serve as CEO of American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Knudsen spoke with HemOnc Today about her goals for the new position and her experiences improving patient care and care delivery systems in oncology. Just in the past 7 years, we established three additional advance care hubs across two states that provide our patients with access to specialists and clinical trials.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Arabic Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale

Fear is a central emotional response to imminent threats such as the coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) assesses the severity of fear towards COVID-19. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the FCV-19S. Using a forward-backward translation, the FCV-19S was translated into Arabic. An online survey using the Arabic versions of FCV-19S and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was administered. Reliability and concurrent and confirmatory validity were examined. The dataset consisted of 693 Saudi participants. The internal consistency of the Arabic FCV-19S was satisfactory (α = .88), with sound concurrent validity indicated by significant and positive correlations with HADS (r = .66). The unidimensional structure of the FCV-19S was confirmed. The Arabic version of the FCV-19S is psychometrically robust and can be used in research assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 among a Saudi adult population.

Modeling and Analysis of Infectious Disease Transmission Considering Protection and Isolation.

Based on the SEIR model, two compartments for self-protection and isolation are introduced, and a more general infectious disease transmission model is proposed. Through qualitative analysis of the model, the basic reproduction number of the model is calculated, and the local asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium point and the endemic equilibrium point of the model is analyzed through eigenvalue theory and Routh-Hurwitz criterion. The numerical simulation and fitting results of COVID-19 virus show that the proposed SEIQRP model can effectively describe the dynamic transmission process of the infectious disease. In the model, the three parameters, i. e. protection rate, incubation period isolation rate, and infected person isolation rate play a very critical role in the spread of the disease. Raising people' s awareness of self-protection, focusing on screening for patients in the incubation period, and isolating and treating infected people can effectively reduce the spread of infectious diseases. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] 基于 SEIR 模型, 引入自我防护和隔离两个仓室, 提出一个更加通用的传染病传播模型. 通过对 模型进行定性分析, 计算模型的基本再生数, 通过特征值理论和 Routh - Hurwitz 判据, 分析模型的无病平衡 点和地方病平衡点的局部渐近稳定性. 数值模拟和 COVID - 19 病毒真实数据拟合结果表明, 所提出的 SEIQRP 模型能够有效地描述传染病的动态传播过程. 模型中防护率、潜伏期隔离率和感染者隔离率这三个 参数对疾病的传播起着非常关键的作用. 提高人们加强自我防护意识、重点排查潜伏期患者和对感染者进行 隔离治疗可以有效降低传染病的传播. (Chinese) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Northeastern University (Natural Science) is the property of Dongbei Daxue Xuebao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Delaying Radical Prostatectomy, Cancer Screening, and Care Due to COVID-19

A retrospective analysis published in the Journal of Urology indicated that a delay of up to 12 months did not result in worse outcomes when compared with immediate surgery within 3 months of diagnosis.1 When compared with patients receiving RP within 3 months of diagnosis, patients undergoing surgery 4 to 12 months after diagnosis did not have increased odds of adverse pathology, upgrading on RP, or node-positive disease. The multivariable analysis demonstrated no significant association between surgical delay and upgrading on final specimen (OR, 0.98;95% CI, 0.94-1.02;P = .3), pathologically locally advanced disease (OR, 1.00;95% CI, 0.97-1.03;P = .8), need for adjuvant therapy (OR, 0.96;95% CI, 0.84-1.11;P = .6), or lymph node invasion (OR, 0.88;95% CI, 0.77-1.01;P = .07). While the investigators noted that most men in the study were operated on within a postdiagnosis period of close to 3 months, and they warned of extrapolating the results for much longer treatment delays, similar studies demonstrated that proposals of delays of up to 6 months for high-risk disease were reasonable, while low-and intermediate-risk groups could be delayed further.

Contextualizing COVID-19 Consequences for Cancer Care

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly escalated to a pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality resulting from the associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1 Approximately one-third of patients developing COVID-19 experienced severe complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure, acute respiratory injury, septic shock, and severe pneumonia.2 Populations particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 include older adults and immunosuppressed patients. [...]when we looked at some of the early data about which patients are going to have increased mortality from COVID-19, it was those individuals who had cardiovascular disease or diabetes. [...]we have pulled together as an oncology community to determine the safety measures that we can put in place to ensure that someone who may potentially have a cancer diagnosis, or maybe they need a diagnostic image because they felt a lump in their breast or had symptoms related to colorectal cancer, we know cancer doesn't stop because of COVID-19. Regarding chemotherapies and those that reduce the immune system, people will say that any cancer treatment can impact the immune system, and they're right. When it comes to systemic therapies, in addition to those that actually reduce your blood counts and have impact on marrow or impact marrow suppression, there are also data to suggest that immune checkpoint inhibitors like the PD-L1 and the PD-1 Inhibitors may be associated with worse outcomes and may actually be associated with increased morbidity and mortality, although it's fascinating because there was another study seemed to contradict these results.9,10 But all the data that we have suggest that patients getting new checkpoint inhibitors as part of their care may be at increased risk.

Delay in Cancer Screening and Diagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Is the Cost?

[...]standard cancer screening such as breast cancer screenings dropped by 89.2% and colorectal cancer screenings dropped by 84.5% through May 2020.1 These pandemic control efforts translated into a significant decline in the number of new cancer diagnoses, resulting in a decrease of 65.2% incidence of new cancer diagnoses in April 2020.1 In evaluating specific types of cancer diagnosis, patients with a new diagnosis of melanoma dropped 67.1% in April 2020 compared with 2019 and a diagnosis of a new lung cancer which dropped 46.8% over the same time.1 This study and others have demonstrated an alarming decrease in the diagnosis of new cancers which will potentially increase the number of patients with later-stage cancers leading to decreased survival for these patients.2,3 Using National Health Service (NHS) data on cancer diagnosis and hospital administrative datasets, the investigators' modeling study evaluated estimated changes in future death rates. Across different scenarios as compared with prepandemic figures, the investigators estimated a 7.9% to 9.5% increase in deaths from breast cancer up to 5 years from diagnosis.3 In addition, a 15.5% to 16.6% increase in colorectal cancer deaths and a 4.8% to 5.3 % increase in lung cancer deaths were estimated.3 In addition to health care facilities decreasing routine screening and nonurgent surgeries to increase capacity for patients with COVID-19 complications, patients themselves have in some cases expressed concern about visiting the health care facilities to do routine cancer screenings for fear of COVID-19 exposure. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US cancer statistics had continued to improve over the last few decades including a 25% drop in cancer mortality over the past 25 years.4 However, with less cancer screening comes the potential for malignancies to be diagnosed at a later stage.

The Negative Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncology Care at an Academic Cancer Referral Center

Methods Patient Cohort Under a protocol approved by the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center Institutional Review Board, a search of all appointment data from patients with cancer in the in the Seidman Cancer Center was performed. For each of the 4 groups of appointment types, rates of cancellation (cancellation count divided by appointment count) were stratified by age group (0-39 years, 40-64 years, 65 years or older),10 sex (male or female), and race (White, Black, or other) on a monthly basis. Descriptive statistics were used to assess any association of cancellation rate between 2019 and 2020 for both overall data, and stratified by age group, sex, and race for each appointment type respectively, where the ÷2 test of independence was used for comparison. The trend comparison of appointment rates was also examined by trend plot both for overall data and stratified by age group, sex, and race for each appointment type respectively.

Are COVID-19 Delays a Basis for Concern? Can We Use This for Future Good?

For all but the most severe cases of localized prostate cancer, modest delay of 2 to 6 months is unlikely to affect long-term survival. Prostate cancer screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test has been controversial and hotly debated since 2011, when the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave PSA screening a "D" rating (more harm than good).12 Many advocates for patients with prostate cancer feel this rating was misguided by poor or immature data from 2 randomized controlled trials. In our practice, we began partnering with our Duke primary care network in 2018 (corresponding to the USPSTF change) to reengage prostate cancer awareness and PSA screening, focusing on our large minority high-risk population.

Levels of Anxiety and Fear among Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Aim. The aim of this review is to find out what levels of anxiety and fear have been shown by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background. Health security crises affect not only physical health but also the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals due to a higher level of exposure. Evaluation. A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA statement. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. The literature search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) electronic databases based on the keywords that the research question yielded following the PECOT strategy. For the selection of articles, original articles, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, short communication articles, and case reports were included. Then, a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, screening the results to obtain a total of 18 articles, which were used to elaborate the study. Key Issues. Fear and anxiety levels were described in a total of 18 selected studies. The main fear-related concerns of the nurses were associated with the fear of infecting their family or friends and the fear of the death of a family member or friend. Conclusions. The main psychological impact on nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to fear, anxiety, stress, and depression. Fear of infecting family members or of being infected were the main impacts perceived by nurses. Implications for Nursing Management. In general, high scores were found for levels of fear and anxiety, although the figures varied by country and time of data collection. Resilience was considered the main tool for coping with the loss and trauma experienced by nurses.

American Christianity and the New Eugenics: Consumerism, Human Genetics, and the Challenge to Christian Personhood

Christian leaders and organizations sided overwhelmingly with politicians, scientists, social elites, and various progressive groups to champion the application of "scientific" methods designed to improve the nation's gene pool. Large numbers of Christians believed that genetic improvement of the human species was in keeping with God's command that humankind exercise dominion over creation.2 The unholy association of American Christianity with eugenics laboratories and associations was undermined by 1940 through rec-ognition of Nazi atrocities and realization of the extent to which eugenicists would go in attempts to accelerate and enhance what they saw as "natural" evolutionary processes. The generally favorable disposition of American Christians to the market's moral outcomes, even those that seem to test their reli-gious values, creates a climate in which churches increasingly will be challenged to protect the divine source of human dignity-what German theologian Helmut Thielicke called "alien dignity"-from functional and manipulable views of the person that arise alongside markets for genetic services.3 The entrepreneurial nature of the new "consumer" eugenics also highlights a divide that has formed between American churches and their memberships. Newborn screening and various forms of "reproductive genetics," oncology practices, treatments for auto-immune diseases, and even the response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been boons to this industry, not to mention growth in general interest among Americans eager to learn more about their genealogical and family histories.5 There is even a mail order industry for amateur geneticists who wish to experiment with gene editing in the privacy of their homes.6 It is consumer demand by individuals whose motivations range from the simple desire to experiment with cutting-edge technologies to those who envision possibilities for human "enhancement" to patients who face debil-itating genetic diseases, which fuels fear of a new eugenic age.

Maternal Postpartum Depression Screening in a Federally Qualified Health Care Center: An Evidence-Based Pilot Project

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10% to 40% of women bearing children, increasing in low-income women and adolescent mothers. Postpartum psychosis affects 1 to 2 per 1000 pregnant women, further magnifying the need for regular PPD screening. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening of mothers during the first to 6-month infant well checkups. Screenings have been recommended since 2004, but studies show a gap of only half of pediatrician groups performing PPD screening. The purpose of this study was to implement an evidence-based PPD screening guide in a federally qualified health care facility (FQHC) to assess feasibility/sustainability and address the gap in practice. Methods: A blinded descriptive quantitative analysis using an implementation research design was used for the 3-month pilot project. Working with focus groups, provider/staff training for the two provider teams who see children was completed, and parents were notified of the study when given the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Compliance with screening and feasibility of the referral protocol were assessed. Results: Mothers of patients aged 0 to 12 months in the study period were offered PPD screening 97% of the time. Providers and certified medical assistants agreed screening is important and generated a small increase in visit time. Screen scores identified one positive screen. Conclusion: PPD demands screening during the first year of the mother/infant relationship. Pediatric providers have the ideal scheduling of well visits in which to incorporate PPD screening. A barrier for some pediatric practices may be time to follow up after referring a mother to mental health for evaluation of compliance with outside appointments. Having mental health services as a part of the FQHC team allows immediate evaluation/treatment resources when needed.

A BJSM edition that's young and hip!

Young athletes' physical and mental well-being Using a parallel-group cluster randomised controlled trial, Jenny Jacobson leads a group of prominent Swedish researchers in demonstrating the efficacy of a universal prevention intervention for youth athletes via a digital health platform, lowering injury incidence in a season of outdoor track-and-field compared with a control group (see page 364) . In this edition, researchers from Wisconsin evaluated changes in mental health, quality of life and PA among adolescent athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic as organised sports resumed (see page 359) . Concerningly though, levels of depression and anxiety among adolescent athletes remained higher even after sports resumption, sending a clear message that attention to youth mental health, as well as physical health, should be prioritised.