What a Special Operations Cognitive Assessment Should Look Like.

Special Operations organizations have recently demonstrated their commitment to enhanced cognitive functioning and improving brain health through the development of a Cognitive Domain. However, as this new enterprise becomes supported by more resources and personnel, a critical question involves what cognitive assessments should be conducted to evaluate cognitive functions. The assessment itself forms a crux in the Cognitive Domain that could mislead cognitive practitioners if not properly applied. Here, the discussion addresses the most important criteria to satisfy in the development of a Special Operations cognitive assessment, including operational relevance, optimization, and speed. Cognitive assessments in this domain must incorporate the following: (1) a task with clear operational relevance to ensure meaningful results, (2) no ceiling effects so that performance can support cognitive enhancement initiatives, and (3) the task itself should impose a minimal time requirement to avoid creating a substantial logistical burden. A dynamic threat assessment task supported by drift diffusion modeling can meet all requisite criteria, while also providing more insight into decision parameters of Special Operations personnel than any currently used test. The discussion concludes with a detailed description of this recommended cognitive assessment task, as well as the research and development steps needed to support its application.

The Hospitalized Adolescent.

This clinical report provides pediatricians evidence-based information on the developmentally appropriate, comprehensive clinical care for hospitalized adolescents. Included in this report are opportunities and challenges facing pediatricians when caring for specific hospitalized adolescent populations. The companion policy statement, "The Hospitalized Adolescent," includes detailed descriptions of adolescent hospital admission demographics, personnel recommendations, and hospital setting and design advice, as well as sections on educational services, legal and ethical matters, and transitions to adult facilities.

The Hospitalized Adolescent.

This policy statement is the first published statement in the United States on this topic and the authors aim to provide pediatricians with evidence-based information on the unique aspects required to care for hospitalized adolescents. Included in this policy statement is a description of the possible effects hospitalization may have on the developmental and emotional progress of adolescence, the role of the hospital setting, the importance of confidentiality, and issues related to legal/ethical matters and bias and institutional and systemic racism that may occur during hospitalization.

Infant health outcomes among offspring of male U.S. military divers.

While there are suggestions that the extreme hyperbaric conditions encountered during deep saturation diving may impact male reproductive function, few studies have investigated whether paternal occupational diving influences offspring health outcomes. To examine this, Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Research program data were used to identify the offspring of male active duty divers and non-divers in the U.S. military, 2001-2016. Log-binomial regression models estimated associations with infant outcomes (e.g., major structural birth defects, low birthweight). Among 1,148,252 identified singleton infants, 3,843 were considered the offspring of male divers; paternal occupational diving was not positively associated with any adverse infant outcome under study. These findings corroborate existing literature and further suggest that male divers in the U.S. military are not occupationally exposed to reproductive hazards that adversely influence offspring infant health outcomes.

Standardization of Inpatient Handoff Communication.

Handoff communication is identified as an integral part of hospital care. Throughout medical communities, inadequate handoff communication is being highlighted as a significant risk to patients. The complexity of hospitals and the number of providers involved in the care of hospitalized patients place inpatients at high risk of communication lapses. This miscommunication and the potential resulting harm make effective handoffs more critical than ever. Although hospitalized patients are being exposed to many handoffs each day, this report is limited to describing the best handoff practices between providers at the time of shift change.

The Sexualized Girl: A Within-Gender Stereotype Among Elementary School Children.

Two studies (conducted in 2013) examined whether elementary-aged children endorse a within-gender stereotype about sexualized girls. In Study 1, children (N = 208) ages 6-11 rated sexualized girls as more popular but less intelligent, athletic, and nice compared to nonsexualized girls. These distinctions were stronger for girls and older children, and in accordance with our developmental intergroup theoretical framework, were related to children's cognitive development and media exposure. Study 2 (N = 155) replicated the previous findings using more ecologically valid and realistic images of girls and further explored individual differences in the endorsement of the sexualized girl stereotype. Additional results indicated that the belief that girls should be appearance focused predicted their endorsement of the sexualized girl stereotype.

Pediatric observation units.

Pediatric observation units (OUs) are hospital areas used to provide medical evaluation and/or management for health-related conditions in children, typically for a well-defined, brief period. Pediatric OUs represent an emerging alternative site of care for selected groups of children who historically may have received their treatment in an ambulatory setting, emergency department, or hospital-based inpatient unit. This clinical report provides an overview of pediatric OUs, including the definitions and operating characteristics of different types of OUs, quality considerations and coding for observation services, and the effect of OUs on inpatient hospital utilization.