Articles: adolescent.
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The aims of this article are to summarize the reports from various organizations and existing research applicable to the concept of adolescent consent, and to assemble guidelines to aid in consent decisions for research that focuses on adolescents. The regulations from the United States Department of Health and Human Service and the National Commission for Protection of Human Subjects are reviewed, along with legal, ethical, and research-based issues associated with obtaining consent from adolescents. A set of guidelines has been compiled to provide direction for the appropriate consent process with this special population.
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Review Case Reports
Abdominal wall pain caused by cutaneous nerve entrapment in an adolescent girl taking oral contraceptive pills.
The etiology of chronic abdominal pain can be elusive. The diagnostic workup, therefore, often includes superfluous and expensive tests, as well as invasive procedures which do not contribute to the final diagnosis. Studies have shown that some patients suffer from prolonged pain in the abdominal wall and often are misdiagnosed and treated as having a visceral source for their complaints. ⋯ After the involved cutaneous nerve was selectively blocked by subcutaneous infiltration, the pain disappeared immediately and completely. Recognition of this apparently unusual condition can lead to gratifying results. It is proposed that oral contraceptive therapy may have caused changes in the abdominal wall which led to nerve entrapment and the ensuing severe, prolonged pain.
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This paper begins with a review of the problem of teen pregnancy in the United States. Domestic trends are compared with those of other developed countries. Antecedents of the problem are discussed. ⋯ An analysis of the different ways in which the problem can be framed and the implications for solutions of the problem follow. Examples of promising teen pregnancy and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention programs are provided. The paper ends with a recommendation for an eclectic approach to framing the problem and possible solutions.
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This article reviews recent medical research on the relationship between young maternal age and the incidence of low birth weight infants. One line of research, "nature," emphasizes biological factors in early adolescence such as immaturity of the female reproductive system and inadequate prenatal weight gain. "Nurture," another research focus, stresses sociocultural attributes of teen mothers such as poverty and minority status. ⋯ Both biological and sociocultural factors, plus lifestyle choices made by adolescents, combine to raise or lower the risk of delivering a low birth weight infant. School health personnel need to link their health promotion efforts to those of other community organizations serving adolescents and their families.