Background A comprehensive assessment of cannabis use by patients with cancer has not previously been reported.

In an exploratory questionnaire study at McGill University, we examine the reasons given by top women and men engineering students for deciding whether or not to continue their studies. Women are significantly less likely than men to plan on graduate school; they encounter hurdles such as limited personalized information, difficulties in obtaining reference letters, a low level of encouragement, and the discomfort of the engineering academic environment. We conclude with seven specific recommendations designed to encourage women, in particular, and also men to pursue graduate work.

Objective: To present a model of progressive skills involved in the development of expressing choice among children with significant speech and motor impairments. Problem: Choice making has often been defined and assessed as the expression of personal preference. Yet, for children with a combination of motor, speech, and possible cognitive impairments, communicating even basic knowledge often involves making a choice from predetermined options. Model: When planning and implementing educational goals, it is therefore critical to accurately assess choice-making abilities across the spectrum of domains, including choice making to express knowledge and skills. To date, few objective, systematic approaches to conceptualization and assessment of choice-making abilities exist. The authors describe a progression of skills involved in choice making and a framework for understanding the abilities that constitute the foundation for these skills and behaviors. Conclusion: There is evidence that the assessment of choice-making skills is a fundamental component in adapted cognitive assessments for children with significant motor and communicative impairments.

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Pollen food syndrome (PFS) is a highly prevalent food allergy affecting pollen‐sensitized children and adults. Sufferers experience allergic symptoms when consuming raw plant foods, due to the homology between the pollen allergens and unstable proteins in these foods. The triggers involved can vary depending on the pollen sensitization, which in turn is affected by geographical location. The British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) Standards of Care Committee (SOCC) identified a need to develop a guideline for the diagnosis and management of PFS in the United Kingdom (UK). Guidelines produced by the BSACI use either the GRADE or SIGN methodology; due to a lack of high‐quality evidence these recommendations were formulated using the SIGN guidelines, which is acknowledged to be less robust than the GRADE approach. The correct diagnosis of PFS ensures the avoidance of a misdiagnosis of a primary peanut or tree nut allergy or confusion with another plant food allergy to non‐specific lipid transfer proteins. The characteristic foods involved, and rapid‐onset oropharyngeal symptoms, mean PFS can often be diagnosed from the clinical history alone. However, reactions involving tree nuts, peanuts and soya milk or severe/atypical reactions to fruits and vegetables may require additional diagnostic tests. Management is through the exclusion of known trigger foods, which may appear to be simple, but is highly problematic if coupled with a pre‐existing food allergy or for individuals following a vegetarian/vegan diet. Immunotherapy to pollens is not an effective treatment for PFS, and although oral or sublingual immunotherapy to foods seems more promising, large, controlled studies are needed. The typically mild symptoms of PFS can lead to an erroneous perception that this condition is always easily managed, but severe reactions can occur, and anxiety about the onset of symptoms to new foods can have a profound effect on quality of life.

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Alcohol health workers (AHWs) have been identified as an effective means of tackling alcohol-related hospital admissions. However, there is no understanding of the national coverage, or the extent and diversity of the services provided by hospital-based AHWs. Using a cross-sectional questionnaire, this is the first study to explore the current provision and remit of AHWs in acute hospitals across England.The data was analysed using SPSS. Significant differences were found with regards to the extent and diversity of AHW provision across England. This research provides a point of comparison for current and future hospital-based AHW provision.Further research is necessary to examine different 'service types', establish effective ways of working, and determine whether sources of funding could and should more accurately reflect the remit of hospital-based AHW roles.

Background: Quantitative studies of women's alcohol use suggest that social advantage is associated with increased frequency of alcohol use and disadvantage with increased quantities. Very few studies have examined patterns among mothers; even fewer have explored mothers' perceptions and understandings of their alcohol use. We examine how mothers describe and make sense of their patterns of alcohol use in the context of advantaged and disadvantaged circumstances.