The Brief Evaluation of Adolescents and Children Online (BEACON): Psychometric development of a mental health screening measure for school students.

This paper describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a brief self-report measure (BEACON) to inform universal mental health screening in schools. Items assess symptoms and impairment associated with anxiety and attention/hyperactivity problems (grades 4-11) as well as depression and eating difficulties (grades 6-11), with optional items for suicidality and self-harm (grades 7-11). Initial item examination based on Item Response Theory (IRT) and classical test theory involved 3844 students in grades 4 through 11 (Study 1) and identified 18 items for grades 4-5 and 31 items for grades 6-11 that fulfilled pre-set criteria. Study 2 extended testing with 10,479 students in grades 4-11 and added an additional four items assessing impairment associated with eating difficulties for older students (grades 6-11) creating a total of 35 items for grades 6-11. All items, for both grade-level versions, met the pre-set criteria for IRT and classical test theory analysis supporting their strength in the measurement of the dimensions of concern. The measure showed good reliability (subscale alphas .87 to .95). Validity was also demonstrated against standard symptom measures, school grades, school absenteeism, and help-seeking. The BEACON appears to be a psychometrically sound measure to use in the first stage of school-based screening for mental health problems.

Patient perspective: what do palliative care patients think about their care?

Developing accountable and appropriate care services depends on listening to the views of service users. This nurse-led, qualitative study explored 10 palliative care patients' views of their care in hospital and at home using non-standard interviews. A total of 10 categories emerged, some of which are not reflected well in extant literature. However, some smaller studies show comparable results, which confirms the validity of these findings. These findings can inform the planning of services and are repeatable and generalizable. Implications for nursing and planning for palliative care are discussed.

SAR of a novel 'Anthranilamide Like' series of VEGFR-2, multi protein kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.

Novel anthranilamides were surprisingly found to exert additional activity on B-RAF. Corresponding thiophene, pyrazole, and thiazole core analogs were prepared as VEGFR-2 inhibitors with c-KIT, and B-RAF activity. Compounds in the phenyl, thiophene, and thiazole series are in vivo active.

Glomeruloid hemangioma leading to a diagnosis of POEMS syndrome.

POEMS is an acronym for polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein, and skin changes. It is a poorly understood paraneoplastic syndrome that stems from an underlying plasma cell dyscrasia. Of the skin changes, the glomeruloid hemangioma is considered to be a specific marker of POEMS syndrome. We describe a 68-year-old man who presented to his dermatologist with multiple hemangiomas, whose biopsy diagnosis of glomeruloid hemangioma resulted in further evaluation and an eventual diagnosis of POEMS.

Thalidomide in the treatment of recalcitrant Sweet's syndrome associated with myelodysplasia.

Sweet's syndrome is a neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by tender, erythematous, pseudovesicular plaques that can be associated with hematologic malignancy. We report a patient with recalcitrant Sweet's syndrome that preceded the development of myelodysplastic syndrome by 30 months. The delay between the onset of Sweet's syndrome and the subsequent diagnosis of myelodysplasia highlights the need for thorough and repeated evaluation for underlying malignancy in patients with such a course. Although corticosteroids are the initial treatment of choice, this patient's eruption was only partially responsive to high-dose prednisone and was refractory to metronidazole, dapsone, and methotrexate. Treatment with thalidomide resulted in complete resolution of the cutaneous lesions within one month of therapy.

VEGF receptor kinase inhibitors: phthalazines, anthranilamides and related structures.

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) signalling, using either antibodies or small molecule inhibitors of the VEGFR kinase domain, has become a major area of research in oncology. The phthalazine PTK787/ZK222584, first published in the literature in 1998, is one of the most advanced VEGFR inhibitors in the clinic. This paper provides an update on the patenting activity related to the phthalazine class. In addition, newer kinase inhibitor pharmacophores derived from this class (e.g., anthranilamides) will be reviewed.