The PSSS is a 6-point scale that is a valid measure of the effectiveness and quality of procedural sedation in children within the limits of the testing method used in this study.

PURPOSE The burden of cancer in Africa is of significant concern for several reasons, including that incidence of cancer in Africa continues to rise while Africa is also dealing with communicable diseases. To combat cancer in Africa, oncology clinical trials are needed to develop innovative interventions for cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of clinical trials in Africa and it is difficult for African clinicians to get information on open oncology clinical trials and impossible for African patients with cancer to access this information. The primary objective of this study was to identify open oncology clinical trials in Africa. METHODS This project was part of a large-scale study to develop an African Virtual Platform for Oncology Clinical Trials Registry. The study was a quantitative, web-based, retrospective review of clinical trials registries. RESULTS A total of 109 open oncology clinical trials were identified. Most of the trials were in Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, and Kenya. The top cancer types for oncology clinical trials in Africa were breast, cervical, and lung cancers. The top sponsor of oncology clinical trials in Africa was academic institutions, especially institutions in the United States. CONCLUSION The paucity of clinical trials in Africa will continue to magnify the global disparities of cancer in the African population. Clinical trials are needed to ensure therapeutic interventions are safe and effective in the African population. In the era of personalized and precision health, it no longer suffices to assume that drugs developed in North America, Europe, or Asia will be effective in the African population.

We aimed to reduce attrition of newly referred patients in a pediatric weight management program by implementing an Orientation to address families’ expectations and screen for and support behavioral and mental health problems and psychosocial stressors at program outset. Orientation impact was monitored with run charts with percentages of scheduled encounters completed. Long-term impact was assessed by comparing patients in the initial 6 months of the Orientation to a baseline group of referred patients during the same 6-month time interval in the prior year (Pre-Orientation Group). The outcome measure was program attrition within 15 months. Groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. Patients in the Orientation group had a 23% increased odds of attrition compared to patients in the Pre-Orientation group (aHR 1.23; 95% CI 1.01, 1.51) and shorter median duration of follow-up (2.0 vs. 2.9 months, p=0.004). An increase in BMI z-score of 1 unit resulted in a nearly 5-fold increased odds of attrition (aHR 5.24; 95% CI 2.95, 9.3). An orientation for new patients did not reduce attrition within 15 months. We suggest that ongoing retention strategies should be embedded into the treatment phase of the program.

Our study offers the most comprehensive analysis of emergent perioperative calls for help in pediatric anesthesia to date. We identified several characteristics, independently associated with more complicated and frequent perioperative STAT calls. Further research is required to evaluate the utility of this information in preventing and treating adverse events in children undergoing surgery and anesthesia.