World peace, to be a millionaire, and hoop dreams: adolescent wishes on health screening surveys.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to learn the wishes of young adolescents via an open-ended survey question and to determine the association of these wishes with sociodemographic variables. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of consecutive adolescents aged 11-14 years who had a well-child visit at a clinic with a diverse patient population, who completed a Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS) previsit health questionnaire, and who answered the question, "If you could have three wishes come true, what would they be?" Responses to this question were double-coded according to thematic content and whether wishes were for self, others, or both. RESULTS: Among 96 respondents, wishes for others were listed more frequently by girls than by boys (54% versus 31%; P = .02). Girls also had more family-oriented wish themes (27% versus 10%; P = .04). Boys were more likely to wish for success (17% versus 4%; P = .05). Among respondents with private insurance, 45% wished for the good for the world, with responses such as "world peace"; only 12% of respondents with Medicaid wished for the good of the world (P = .01). No statistically significant differences were identified by race/ethnicity or age. Positive future orientation themes such as career were not as prioritized as previously suggested in the literature. LIMITATIONS: The sample population derives from a single university-based clinic in North Carolina; while diverse, this population may not be representative of larger groups. CONCLUSIONS: Many wishes seemed predictable (ie, for wealth, athleticism), but occasionally wishes were poignant and original ("to have papers for my parents to pass the border"); this finding reinforces the value of listening to adolescents' wishes. Both sex and insurance status were related to wish themes. Further research should determine how knowledge of adolescents' wishes can be used to best direct individual care.

Technique and early clinical outcomes for spinal and paraspinal tumours treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy.

We report technique and early clinical results of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) from Princess Alexandra Hospital. SBRT involves the precise delivery of highly conformal and image-guided external beam radiotherapy with high doses per fraction. It is increasingly being applied in management of spinal tumours. Thirty-six courses of spine SBRT in 34 patients were delivered between May 2010 and December 2013. Mean patient age was 58 years. Treatment was predominantly for metastatic disease, applied in de novo (n=22), retreatment (n=14) and postoperative (n=8) settings. Prescribed doses included 18-30 Gy in 1-5 fractions. SBRT technique evolved during the study period, resulting in a relative dose escalation. No severe acute toxicities were observed. At median follow-up of 7.4 months (range: 1.7-22.2), no late radiation myelopathy was observed. Risk of new/worsening vertebral compression fractures was 22% (n=8) and was significantly associated with increasing Spinal Instability Neoplastic Scores (p=0.0002). In-field control was 86% with relapse occurring at a median interval of 2.8 months (range: 1.9-4.7). Thirteen patients (36%) died and median overall survival has not been reached. SBRT is an evolving technology with promising early efficacy and safety results. The outcomes of this series are comparable with international literature, and await longer follow-up.

Turning "smoking man" images around: portrayals of smoking in men's magazines as a blueprint for smoking cessation campaigns.

Published scholarship documents the prevalence and health risks of smoking among men. There is also a rich tradition of studying the normative influences of the media in constructing and propagating images of healthy/unhealthy behaviors such as smoking. To understand the construction of these media-propagated smoking images toward male audiences, this article studies all advertising and editorial content of 3 major men's magazines for 2001 using rhetorical and content analyses. The emergent themes construct the smoking man as sensual, in another place, independent, and mysterious. The authors recommend turning around these themes of the masculine "smoking man" for the purpose of strategic media planning and developing message-targeting guidelines for smoking cessation and prevention messages directed at men.