Imaging of pediatric adrenal tumors: A COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Paper

Adrenal tumors other than neuroblastoma are uncommon in children. The most frequently encountered are adrenocortical carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. This paper offers consensus recommendations for imaging of pediatric patients with a known or suspected primary adrenal malignancy other than neuroblastoma at diagnosis and during follow-up.     

Pathway Home™ for High Utilizers of Psychiatric Inpatient Services: Impact on Inpatient Days and Outpatient Engagement

Community Mental Health Journal - This study examined the impact of Pathway Home™ (PH) transition services for high utilizers of psychiatric hospitalization on inpatient days and outpatient...     

The Mediating Effects of Alexithymia,Intolerance of Uncertainty,and Anxiety on the Relationship Between Sensory Processing Differences and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours in Autistic Adults

Distress caused by sensory processing differences for autistic individuals may be reduced by repetitive behaviours (RRB), including repetitive motor (RMB) and insistence on sameness (ISB) behaviours. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and anxiety mediate the relationship between sensory processing and RRB in autistic children. We replicated this model in autistic adults, extending it to include alexithymia. Serial mediation, using data from 426 autistic adults, identified significant direct effects from sensory processing to RMB and ISB, and indirect effects through alexithymia-IU-anxiety for RMB, and IU alone, and alexithymia-IU for ISB. Different mechanisms may underpin RMB and ISB. Alexithymia alongside, IU and anxiety, should be considered when understanding the relationship between sensory processing and RRB, and when offering interventions to support autistic people.

     

Food insecurity and its associations with bulimic-spectrum eating disorders,mood disorders,and anxiety disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults

Purpose

To examine cross-sectional associations between food insecurity and 12-month eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders among U.S. adults.

Methods

This study used data collected between 2001 and 2003 from 2914 participants in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (mean age = 44.9 years; 53.4% female). Twelve-month food insecurity was assessed with a modified version of the Short Form U.S. Household Food Security Scale. Twelve-month DSM-IV diagnoses of mental disorders were based on the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Modified Poisson regression models were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and income-to-poverty ratio.

Results

Food insecurity was experienced by 11.1% of participants. Food insecurity was associated with greater prevalence of bulimic-spectrum eating disorders (prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.26–6.42), mood disorders (PR = 2.53; 95% CI 1.96–3.29), and anxiety disorders (PR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.39–2.07).

Conclusion

Results indicate that food insecurity is associated with a range of internalizing mental disorders, though these findings should be confirmed with contemporary data to reflect DSM-5 diagnostic updates and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study emphasize the need to expand food insecurity interventions and improve access to mental health services for food-insecure populations.

     

An Analysis: To Code or Not to Code��That Is the Question

Most blood glucose monitoring systems need coding to correct for variation in lots of enzyme, which leads to differences in lots of strips. About 16% of patients miscode the meters, although the magnitude of the miscoding is unstudied. This miscoding has the potential to cause errors as high as 30% and to cause errors in adjusting insulin therapy that could lead to hypoglycemia at least 10% of the time. Studies of these systems suggest that they have accuracy similar to other current meters and have similar physical characteristics. Because they do not require coding, they are often easier to use. No-coding systems have the potential to avoid some errors in blood glucose.