Does stroke impair academic achievement in children? The role of metacognition in math and spelling outcomes following pediatric stroke

Introduction: Current research suggests that pediatric stroke is associated with a reduction in intellectual functioning. However, less is known about academic achievement and the contribution of specific executive functions to math and literacy in this population. The current study investigates behavioral ratings of executive functioning and their relationship to math and spelling performance in children with a history of unilateral arterial ischemic stroke.

Method: Thirty-two pediatric patients with stroke (M_age = 9.5 ± 2.7 years) and 32 demographically equivalent, healthy controls were tested on standardized measures of arithmetic, spelling, and intelligence. Executive functioning data were collected via standardized parent questionnaire.

Results: Relative to controls, stroke participants demonstrated significantly poorer functioning in math, spelling, metacognition, and behavioral-regulation. Pencil and paper arithmetic was particularly challenging for the stroke group, with 40% of patients reaching levels of clinical impairment. Hierarchical regression in stroke participants further revealed that metacognition was a robust predictor of academic deficits. Stroke occurring in later childhood and affecting cortical and subcortical brain regions also presented as potential clinical risk factors.

Conclusions: Children with stroke were especially vulnerable to math achievement deficits. Metacognition made a substantial contribution to academic achievement abilities among stroke patients, and results underscore the importance of early metacognitive skills in the completion of schoolwork. Results also emphasize that pediatric stroke patients are a heterogeneous group with regard to functioning and that there is value in examining standard score distributions of clinical participant samples.     

Electronic health records and support for primary care teamwork

Objective Consensus that enhanced teamwork is necessary for efficient and effective primary care delivery is growing. We sought to identify how electronic health records (EHRs) facilitate and pose challenges to primary care teams as well as how practices are overcoming these challenges.Methods Practices in this qualitative study were selected from those recognized as patient-centered medical homes via the National Committee for Quality Assurance 2011 tool, which included a section on practice teamwork. We interviewed 63 respondents, ranging from physicians to front-desk staff, from 27 primary care practices ranging in size, type, geography, and population size.Results EHRs were found to facilitate communication and task delegation in primary care teams through instant messaging, task management software, and the ability to create evidence-based templates for symptom-specific data collection from patients by medical assistants and nurses (which can offload work from physicians). Areas where respondents felt that electronic medical record EHR functionalities were weakest and posed challenges to teamwork included the lack of integrated care manager software and care plans in EHRs, poor practice registry functionality and interoperability, and inadequate ease of tracking patient data in the EHR over time.Discussion Practices developed solutions for some of the challenges they faced when attempting to use EHRs to support teamwork but wanted more permanent vendor and policy solutions for other challenges.Conclusions EHR vendors in the United States need to work alongside practicing primary care teams to create more clinically useful EHRs that support dynamic care plans, integrated care management software, more functional and interoperable practice registries, and greater ease of data tracking over time.     

Cross-cultural invariance of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory: Adolescent samples from Canada and Singapore

We provide further evidence for the two-factor structure of the 9-item Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI) using confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 289 Canadian adolescents and 310 Singaporean adolescents. Examination of measurement invariance tests the assumption that the model underlying a set of scores is directly comparable across groups. This study also examined the cross-cultural validity of the AESI using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis across both the Canadian and Singaporean adolescent samples. The results suggested cross-cultural invariance of form, factor loadings, and factor variances and covariances of the AESI across both samples. Evidence of AESI's convergent and discriminant validity was also reported. Findings from t-tests revealed that Singaporean adolescents reported a significantly higher level of academic stress arising from self expectations, other expectations, and overall academic stress, compared to Canadian adolescents. Also, a larger cross-cultural effect was associated with academic stress arising from other expectations compared with academic stress arising from self expectations.     

对《诸病源候论》毒邪症状界定的分析

《诸病源侯论》论毒邪篇幅之多,明目之清,发前人所未发,打破传统束缚,注重临床实际。如其提出毒邪判断要以阴阳为纲;毒邪向内为病重,向外为病轻;赤白为轻,青紫黑为重;过肘膝为重,以及伤肠胃心肝脾肾均有不同的症状特征,提示了六淫从化于毒,毒邪与六淫有不同表现等问题,值得一读。     

论《金匮要略》基本学术思想及辨病与辨证——从《脏腑经络先后病脉证第一》谈起

研究《金匮要略》的重点应该放在对于各种疾病的辨证论治上，而不是某些证或某些方。这里涉及到如何看待病与证以及辨病与辨证的关系。以《金匮要略》的基本学术思想立论，从四个方面阐述了在整体论思想指导下的辨证论治体系，首先注重的是病；辨证方法的确立是由在发病学上具有不同性质特点的疾病所决定的；四诊所得的各种临床信息是为了辨病然后辨证；只有正确把握病与证的关系，才有可能真正理解和掌握“治未病”的实质。     

An Academic Internist Looks at Euthanasia

This paper points out that to persons unfamiliar with the context and suffering of dying patients, their loved ones, and last, but by no means least, the health care team can only discuss the very concrete question of euthanasia in an abstract way unaware of the fact that this question must, in the final analysis, be differently addressed in different specific patients and under specific circumstances. This paper poses questions which must be addressed and will rarely find a good answer but at least the best among a series of unpalatable options. It again points out the important and legitimate place that emotions play in decision-making.     

结直肠肿瘤多学科协作诊治模式的数据体系构建与运作策略

目的阐述在结直肠肿瘤多学科协作（MDT）诊治模式下,如何构建数据体系及其运作策略。方法阐明构建数据体系的原因,结合实践描述结直肠肿瘤数据体系的基本构成及如何支持数据体系的运行,探讨结直肠肿瘤MDT数据体系的价值反馈,并提出对数据体系建立未来的展望。结果通过会诊、随访、院内临床的支持及合理地实现MDT模式中信息化流程的建设,数据体系运行能正常进行。结论数据体系作为整个结直肠肿瘤MDT项目的基础,能够通过医疗模式的改变表现出医疗价值和社会价值。     

Results of a survey of the role of multidisciplinary team coordinators for colorectal cancer in England and Wales

OBJECTIVE: Over the last 6 years, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) have been established and play a key role in organizing the delivery of cancer care in the UK. There are no published data on the roles of their co-coordinators. To seek the views of colorectal multidisciplinary team co-ordinators (MDTCs) on what they do and how they do it. METHOD: Questionnaires were sent to the colorectal MDTC, or equivalent, in all 180 NHS hospital trusts in England and Wales where colorectal cancer surgery is performed. RESULTS: There was a 70% response rate. Seventy-one per cent of trusts now have a dedicated MDTC, whereas in 2002, only 40% had one. MDTCs generally keep their information on databases, but these differ, and are not coordinated with data entry into the national colorectal cancer database of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. In only 26 trusts does the MDTC communicate decisions to primary care, and the patients seem almost completely excluded from this process. CONCLUSION: The recently formed national MDTC Forum should grasp the opportunity of coordinating all of this well-intentioned but pluralistic activity to the benefit of patients, primary care and hospital teams. An effective MDTC with a robust database will be the key in achieving cancer waiting time targets with useful audit, thereby improving patient care.