Perceived School Safety is Strongly Associated with Adolescent Mental Health Problems

School environment is an important determinant of psychosocial function and may also be related to mental health. We therefore investigated whether perceived school safety, a simple measure of this environment, is related to mental health problems. In a population-based sample of 11,130 secondary school students, we analysed the relationship of perceived school safety with mental health problems using multiple logistic regression analyses to adjust for potential confounders. Mental health problems were defined using the clinical cut-off of the self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. School safety showed an exposure–response relationship with mental health problems after adjustment for confounders. Odds ratios increased from 2.48 (“sometimes unsafe”) to 8.05 (“very often unsafe”). The association was strongest in girls and young and middle-aged adolescents. Irrespective of the causal background of this association, school safety deserves attention either as a risk factor or as an indicator of mental health problems.     

Common oral lesions: Part II. Masses and neoplasia

Certain common oral lesions appear as masses, prompting concern about oral carcinoma. Many are benign, although some (e.g., leukoplakia) may represent neoplasia or cancer. Palatal and mandibular tori are bony protuberances and are benign anomalies. Oral pyogenic granulomas may appear in response to local irritation, trauma, or hormonal changes of pregnancy. Mucoceles represent mucin spillage into the oral soft tissues resulting from rupture of a salivary gland duct. Oral fibromas form as a result of irritation or masticatory trauma, especially along the buccal occlusal line. Oral cancer may appear clinically as a subtle mucosal change or as an obvious mass. Oral leukoplakia is the most common premalignant oral lesion. For persistent white or erythematous oral lesions, biopsy should be performed to rule out neoplastic change or cancer. Most oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Tobacco and heavy alcohol use are the principal risk factors for oral cancer. Family physicians should be able to recognize these lesions and make appropriate referrals for biopsy and treatment.     

Combined evaluation of regional coronary artery calcium and myocardial perfusion by 82Rb PET/CT in predicting lesion-related outcome

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging - Cardiac imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) allows measurement of coronary artery calcium (CAC),...     

Rapid Identification of Pathogens from Pediatric Blood Cultures by Use of the FilmArray Blood Culture Identification Panel

The performance of the FilmArray blood culture identification (BCID) panel has been studied in adult patients. We describe here an evaluation of this assay for the rapid identification of pathogens in Bactec Peds Plus/F and Bactec standard anaerobic/F bottles that contained blood samples from pediatric patients at a tertiary care children''s hospital.