Parents' knowledge and attitudes towards extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and their post-traumatic stress symptoms.

This cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2020 and July 2023, aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among parents with children undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. Out of 201 valid questionnaires collected, the median knowledge score was 3.00, the mean attitude score was 27.00 ± 3.20, and the mean PTSS score was 3.50 ± 1.54. Logistic regression identified associations between PTSS and parents with lower education levels, particularly junior high school and high school/technical secondary school education, as well as those occupied as housewives. Structural equation modeling highlighted direct effects, such as the impact of residence on education, education on employment status, and associations between knowledge, attitude, PTSS, employment status, monthly income, and parental demographics. The findings indicated inadequate knowledge and suboptimal attitudes among parents, especially those with lower education levels, emphasizing the need for educational resources. Furthermore, addressing parental PTSS through psychosocial support and screening was deemed essential, providing valuable insights for tailored interventions in this context.

Comparison Between Primary and Secondary Pediatric Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Objectives: Secondary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the head and neck is occasionally observed in childhood cancer survivors. The goal of this research was to compare the demographic and pathologic characteristics, as well as survival between primary and secondary MEC in children and adolescent patients. Methods: Pediatric patients (younger than 19 years old) with surgically treated MEC of the head and neck were retrospectively enrolled at the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Zhengzhou University and divided into two groups based on their cancer history. Demographic, pathologic, and survival characteristics between the two groups were compared. The main study interests were recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS). Results: The primary and secondary groups consisted of 63 and 15 patients, respectively. The two groups had similar distributions in terms of age, sex, tumor stage, neck lymph node stage, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, p53, Bcl-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, and Ki-67 index. The 10-year RFS rates for the primary group and secondary group were 80 and 71%, respectively, and this difference was not significant (p = 0.464). The 10-year DSS rates for the primary group and secondary group were 83 and 82%, respectively, and this difference was also not significant (p = 0.649). The 10-year OS rates for the primary group and secondary group were 74 and 51%, respectively; this difference was significant (p = 0.023). Further Cox model analysis confirmed the independence of a previous cancer history (p = 0.043) in decreasing OS. Conclusions: Pediatric patients with secondary MEC exhibit similar demographic, pathologic, and molecular characteristics as primary patients but worse OS. These findings indicate that special disease management approaches might be needed for secondary patients.