Preliminary data indicate that the PIP is a reliable and valid tool to assess parenting stress in pediatric oncology populations. As a measure of illness-related parenting stress, the PIP may be used to provide information about parent well-being that extends beyond that obtained from general measures.

As the number of genes associated with inherited disease continues to grow, researchers and practitioners in behavioral medicine will encounter complex psychological issues faced by individuals at risk for these diseases. A review of the literature concerning prenatal, carrier, and predictive genetic testing suggests that the severity of psychological risks posed by research-based genetic testing is not great. However, subgroups of individuals with particular psychological traits may be more vulnerable to adverse effects. Available data do not provide evidence that genetic testing promotes changes in health-related behaviors. Thus, although there may be less of a role for mental health professionals in the psychological counseling of genetic testing participants, there is a need for research and practice to facilitate health protective behaviors in response to genetic risk information.

Despite the potential importance of family communication, little is known about the process and content of communicating BRCA1/2 test results to relatives. The objectives of this observational study were to describe the process and content of communicating BRCA1/2 test results to sisters, and to evaluate whether the proband's carrier status influenced communication outcomes. Participants were 43 women who were the first family member to have genetic testing (probands). Probands reported on communication outcomes for 81 sisters. Process and content variables were evaluated 1-month after receipt of BRCA1/2 test results using the Family Communication Questionnaire (FCQ). Overall, BRCA1/2 test results were communicated to 85% of sisters, and carriers communicated their results to significantly more sisters compared to uninformative (96% vs. 76%, FET = 0.02). The most important reason for communicating results was to provide genetic risk information; however, compared to uninformatives, carriers communicated their results to significantly more sisters to obtain emotional support (74%) and to get advice about medical decisions (42%) (FET = 0.001). Carriers also discussed the possibility of discrimination and recommendations for cancer management with significantly more sisters. Among sisters to whom BRCA1/2 test results were not communicated, the most important reason for not sharing test results was because of emotionally distant relationships. The results of this study suggest that probands are likely to quickly communicate their BRCA1/2 test results to relatives and that although needs for social support may motivate family communication, emotionally distant relationships may be a barrier to communication with relatives.

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A semifluidized bed was proposed to allay bed plugging during the filtration of fines‐hydrocarbon suspensions. Mitigation of plugging was allowed by alternating semifluidization during capture with unconstrained fluidization for removal of deposits. Solids holdup conditions were established to prevent deposition in the fluidization section. The cyclic parameters were varied to allow efficient removal of deposits during washing. Analysis with a filtration model accounting for solids detachment in the fixed bed section revealed that the fluidization section favored growth of aggregate size entering the fixed bed. Analysis of the split ratios between fixed and fluidized bed heights revealed that the shallowest fluidization sections delayed deposition in the fixed bed. In cyclic operation, reversibility of the semifluidized bed was best recovered via gas injection during the washing stages. However, the filtration times in successive cycles shortened with increasing washing times but lengthened with increasing the washing superficial suspension velocity. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

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