Feasibility, user experiences, and preliminary effect of Conversation Cards for Adolescents© on collaborative goal-setting and behavior change: protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and providers can benefit from practical tools targeting lifestyle modification for obesity prevention and management. We created Conversation Cards for Adolescents© (CCAs), a patient-centered communication and behavior change tool for adolescents and providers to use in clinical practice. The purpose of our study is to (i) assess the feasibility of CCAs in a real-world, practice setting to inform full-scale trial procedures, (ii) assess user experiences of CCAs, and (iii) determine the preliminary effect of CCAs on changing behavioral and affective-cognitive outcomes among adolescents. METHODS: Starting in early 2019, this prospective study is a nested mixed-methods, theory-driven, and pragmatic pilot randomized controlled trial with a goal to enroll 50 adolescents (13-17 years old) and 9 physicians practicing at the Northeast Community Health Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Adolescents will collaboratively set one S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goal with their physician to implement over a 3-week period; however, only those randomized to the experimental group will use CCAs to inform their goal. Outcome assessments at baseline and follow-up (3 weeks post-baseline) will include behavioral, affective-cognitive, and process-related outcomes. DISCUSSION: In examining the feasibility, user experiences, and preliminary effect of CCAs, our study will add contributions to the obesity literature on lifestyle modifications among adolescents in a real-world, practice setting as well as inform the scalability of our approach for a full-scale effectiveness randomized controlled trial on behavior change. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03821896.

Managing sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents.

Control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in adolescents is a primary responsibility of health care providers. Using the tools of history and physical examination, and drawing on the awareness of different stages of adolescent development, health care providers can define at-risk for STDs. This article discusses screening practices, disease control through reporting and preventive counseling, and treatment guidelines for common STD syndromes.

The pediatrician and the sexually active adolescent. A primer for sexually transmitted diseases.

Sexual activity is a common practice among young adolescents, placing them at high risk for STDs, many of which have long-term consequences. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to limit both the consequences and the spread of these infections. The clinician has a responsibility to the adolescent patient to recognize and treat these diseases. Using history and physical examination, the clinician should be able to determine an adolescent's risk for an STD, and, based on this risk, undertake the appropriate evaluations. Patient treatment, follow-up, and management of sex partners are then guided by the results of either presumptive or definitive diagnostic tests.

Synthesis of 2'-heptylcarbamoyloxy-2-methyl-6,7-benzomorphan: a new analogue of heptylphysostigmine (MF 201).

The synthesis of 2'-heptylcarbamoyloxy-2-methyl-6,7-benzomorphan is described. The compound is structurally related to the cholinesterase inhibitor heptylphysostigmine (MF 201) because the angular methyl group of the esoroline nucleus has been changed into a bridging carbon and the anilinic nitrogen has been replaced by a methylene group. This compound proved to be a potent cholinesterase in vitro inhibitor.

Synthesis of phenothiazine derivatives as potential inhibitors of phospholipase C.

In order to study the structure-activity relationships of phenothiazine derivatives inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), the synthesis of some phenothiazine amide, amine and ester derivatives was performed mainly by reacting 10H-phenothiazine-10-propanoyl chloride with some amines and alcohols; the resulting amides were reduced with borane to yield the corresponding amines. Starting from 2-chloro and 2-trifluoromethyl-10H-phenothiazine-10-propanoyl chloride two amides were synthesized. The inhibiting activity on PI-PLC from human platelets is reported.

Synthesis of some carbamates of myo-inositol.

The syntheses are described of the 1-O-carbamoyl (11), 1-O-carbamoyl-2-O-stearoyl (10), 1-O-(acetylcarbamoyl)-2-O-stearoyl (12), 1-O-(heptylcarbamoyl) (13), 2-O-(heptylcarbamoyl) (14) 1,2-di-O-(heptylcarbamoyl) (15), and 1-O-(octadecylcarbamoyl) (16) derivatives of myo-inositol. None of these compounds had significant activity against phospholipase C.