Distribution of infant formula discharge packs to breastfeeding mothers is common practice in maternity care facilities in the United States. Receiving discharge packs is associated with shortened exclusive breastfeeding duration. Many efforts have been made to discourage this practice.

From 2007 to 2013, there has been a marked reduction in distribution of discharge packs containing infant formula to breastfeeding mothers in hospitals and birth centers in the United States. (Read the full article)

Hospital quality-of-care measures are publicly reported to inform consumer choice and stimulate quality improvement. The number of hospitals and states with a sufficient number of pediatric hospital discharges to detect worse-than-average pediatric inpatient care quality remains unknown.

Most children are admitted to hospitals in which all-condition measures of inpatient quality are powered to show differences in performance from average, but most condition-specific measures are not. Policy on incentives for pediatric inpatient quality should take these findings into account. (Read the full article)

Rudeness is routinely experienced by hospital-based medical teams. Individuals exposed to mildly rude behavior perform poorly on cognitive tasks, exhibit reduced creativity and flexibility, and are less helpful and prosocial.

Rudeness had adverse consequences on diagnostic and procedural performance of members of the NICU medical teams. Information-sharing mediated the adverse effect of rudeness on diagnostic performance, and help-seeking mediated the effect of rudeness on procedural performance. (Read the full article)

16 May 2013The Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 27 March 2013. This briefing provides background information on existing regulatory regimes, and the introduction of the Bill.

24 October 2013The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill aims to establish a national legislative framework for public procurement in Scotland. This Briefing sets out the background to the Bill and summarises its main provisions.

13 January 2013This briefing provides a summary of the parliamentary scrutiny of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Bill prior to Stage 3 proceedings which are scheduled to take place on 16 January 2014.

8 May 2014This briefing summarises Stage 1 and Stage 2 consideration of the Procurement (Reform) (Scotland) Bill, introduced in the Parliament on 3rd October 2013.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s National Sustainable Structures Center is adding a training site in Westmoreland County to enhance delivery of building science and energy efficiency training for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program.

Participate in a chat about how multimedia tools are transforming teaching and learning in core academic subjects.

Two things are true as I sort through my reflections on transformative learning experiences: We need intensive, immersive opportunities for learning (such as a trip to Kenya) and we also need to build in mini-opportunities for transformative learning every day.

Initial draft of the technology framework. Informal document by the Chair

Informal document containing the draft elements of the draft decision on the work programme under the framework for non-market approaches referred to in Article 6, paragraph 8, of the Paris Agreement. Informal document by the Chair.

Informal document containing the draft elements of the rules, modalities and procedures for the mechanism established by Article 6, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement. Informal document by the Chair.

Informal document containing the draft elements of guidance on cooperative approaches referred to in Article 6, paragraph 2, of the Paris Agreement. Informal document by the Chair.

Draft elements of the modalities, work programme and functions of the forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures under the Paris Agreement . Informal document by the Chairs.

Unless the government revives land governance reform in Burundi, long-term peacebuilding efforts will remain compromised.

Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) is a semisynthetic triterpenoid and potent (1->3)-β-D-glucan synthase inhibitor. We investigated the in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo efficacy of ibrexafungerp (SCY) alone and in combination with anti-mould triazole isavuconazole (ISA) against invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). The combination of ibrexafungerp and isavuconazole in in vitro studies resulted in an additive and synergistic interactions against Aspergillus spp. Plasma concentration-time curves of ibrexafungerp were compatible with linear dose proportional profile. In vivo efficacy was studied in a well established persistently neutropenic NZW rabbit model of experimental IPA. Treatment groups included untreated rabbits (UC) and rabbits receiving ibrexafungerp at 2.5(SCY2.5) and 7.5(SCY7.5) mg/kg/day, isavuconazole at 40(ISA40) mg/kg/day, or combinations of SCY2.5+ISA40 and SCY7.5+ISA40. The combination of SCY+ISA produced in vitro synergistic interaction. There was significant in vivo reduction of residual fungal burden, lung weights, and pulmonary infarct scores in SCY2.5+ISA40, SCY7.5+ISA40, and ISA40-treatment groups vs that of SCY2.5-treated, SCY7.5-treated and UC (p<0.01). Rabbits treated with SCY2.5+ISA40 and SCY7.5+ISA40 had prolonged survival in comparison to that of SCY2.5-, SCY7.5-, ISA40-treated or UC (p<0.05). Serum GMI and (1->3)-β-D-glucan levels significantly declined in animals treated with the combination of SCY7.5+ISA40 in comparison to those treated with SCY7.5 or ISA40 (p<0.05). Ibrexafungerp and isavuconazole combination demonstrated prolonged survival, decreased pulmonary injury, reduced residual fungal burden, lower GMI and (1->3)-β-D-glucan levels in comparison to those of single therapy for treatment of IPA. These findings provide an experimental foundation for clinical evaluation of the combination of ibrexafungerp and an anti-mould triazole for treatment of IPA.

Probiotics might provide an alternative approach for the control of oral candidiasis. However, studies on the antifungal activity of probiotics in the oral cavity are based on the consumption of yogurt or other dietary products, and there is a necessary to use appropriate biomaterials and specific strains to obtain probiotic formulations targeting local oral administration. In this study, we impregnated gellan gum, a natural biopolymer used as a food-additive, with a probiotic and investigated its antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Lactobacillus paracasei 28.4, a strain recently isolated from the oral cavity of a caries-free individual, was incorporated in several concentrations of gellan gum (0.6% to 1%). All tested concentrations could incorporate L. paracasei cells while maintaining bacterial viability. Probiotic/gellan formulations were stable for 7 days when stored at room temperature or 4°C. Long-term storage of bacteria-impregnated gellan gum was achieved when L. paracasei 28.4 was lyophilized. The probiotic/gellan formulations provided a release of L. paracasei cells over 24 hours that was sufficient to inhibit the growth of C. albicans with effects dependent on the cell concentrations incorporated into gellan gum. The probiotic/gellan formulations also had inhibitory activity against Candida spp. biofilms by reducing the number of Candida spp. cells (p < 0.0001), decreasing the total biomass (p = 0.0003), and impairing hyphae formation (p = 0.0002), compared to the control group which received no treatment. Interestingly, probiotic formulation of 1% w/v gellan gum provided an oral colonization of L. paracasei in mice with approximately 6 log of CFU/mL after 10 days. This formulation inhibited the C. albicans growth (p < 0.0001), prevented the development of candidiasis lesions (p = 0.0013), and suppressed inflammation (p = 0.0006) when compared to the mice not treated in the microscopic analysis of the tongue dorsum. These results indicate that gellan gum is a promising biomaterial and can be used as a carrier system to promote oral colonization for probiotics that prevent oral candidiasis.

Treatment of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum using meglumine antimoniate (MA) encapsulated in conventional liposomes (LC) in association with allopurinol has been previously reported to promote marked reduction in the parasite burden in the main infection sites. Here, a new assay in naturally infected dogs was performed using a novel liposome formulation of MA consisting of a mixture of conventional and long-circulating (PEGylated) liposomes (LCP), with expected broader distribution among affected tissues of the mononuclear phagocyte system. Experimental groups of naturally infected dogs were as follows: LCP+Allop, receiving LCP intravenously as 2 cycles of 6 doses (6.5 mg Sb/kg/dose) at 4-day intervals, plus allopurinol at 30 mg/kg/12 h p.o. during 130 days; LC+Allop, receiving LC intravenously as 2 cycles of 6 doses (6.5 mg Sb/kg/dose), plus allopurinol during 130 days; Allop, treated with allopurinol only; non-treated control. Parasite loads were evaluated by quantitative PCR in liver, spleen and bone marrow and by immunohistochemistry in the ear skin, before, just after treatment and 4 months later. LCP+Allop and LC+Allop groups, but not the Allop group, showed significant suppression of the parasites in the liver, spleen and bone marrow 4 months after treatment, compared to the pre-treatment period or the control group. Only LCP+Allop group showed significantly lower parasite burden in the skin, in comparison to the control group. On the basis of clinical staging and parasitological evaluations, LCP formulation exhibited a more favorable therapeutic profile, when compared to LC one, being therefore promising for treatment of canine visceral leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND:

The ability of the decades-old Boston and Philadelphia criteria to accurately identify infants at low risk for serious bacterial infections has not been recently reevaluated.

With the UEFA Champions League resuming next week, UEFA.com looks at which players have been hitting the heights on the domestic front.

An Albanian man's heart is forever changed after suffering a heart attack and meeting Jesus in his recuperation.

The UEFA Futsal EURO is to be expanded to 16 teams and will become a tournament played every four years, starting from 2022.

An Albanian man's heart is forever changed after suffering a heart attack and meeting Jesus in his recuperation.

The UEFA Futsal EURO is to be expanded to 16 teams and will become a tournament played every four years, starting from 2022.

An Albanian man's heart is forever changed after suffering a heart attack and meeting Jesus in his recuperation.

Former Hearts chairman Leslie Deans has urged the club to take legal action against the SPFL as well as those who voted to end the season early, effectively relegating the Jambos.

David Gozal
Sep 1, 1998; 102:616-620
ARTICLES

A new structure begins next year, incorporating UEFA Nations League-style groups in a two-season cycle.

"While policy-system enthusiasm for the idea is building, the research-and-evaluation jury is still out on educator performance pay," say James W. Guthrie and Patrick J. Schuermann.

“How about defining student and teacher performance based on what parents and citizens actually want for their children—all of the goals, not just one,” suggests Donald B. Gratz.

A survey by the American Association of School Administrators finds fewer than half interested in such compensation plans.

Iowa appears to be poised to consider a pay-for-performance compensation plan for teachers, following the lead of a handful of districts and schools that have embraced the controversial policy.

Teacher performance pay may soon be coming to the Cornhusker State.

Catherine Awsumb Nelson and Richard Wertheimer offer Pittsburgh’s City High as a case study of basing pay decisions on the quality of classroom teaching, rather than standardized-test scores.

Amid bad feelings between the union and district administrators, Cincinnati teachers overwhelmingly rejected a groundbreaking plan that would have based their pay on performance.

The end of the year is a propitious time to take a closer look at the proposal that teachers should be paid like workers in business because it's when bonuses are handed out. In this regard, no group is more fitting to examine than executives, whose pay is ostensibly based on company performance. Bu

Corporate reformers speak with forked tongue about performance pay for teachers.

A recent school tour of three Bay Area schools with some blended learning experts helped provide answers to some of the common questions we hear about how to implement blended learning.

Media literacy belongs in science class, insists Media Literacy Now’s Andy Zucker. Here’s how to bring it there.

Ross LaJeunesse, Google's former head of international relations, published a scathing 2,175-word blog post today about his former employer. But he's also running for Senate in Maine, so it could be a good move, politically.

Each spring, the Athletics department at Penn State Behrend honors the college’s best student-athletes for their performances on and off the field. This year, because of the transition to the remote-learning environment, the awards were announced on video by Senior Director of Athletics Brian Streeter.

Penn State Schuylkill biology student Eric Thompson will graduate with honors on May 9. After surviving pediatric cancer in his early teens, Thompson has transformed a tragic situation into a passion to help people. This fall, he will embark on a new academic journey at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College, where he will commit himself to earning his M.D. and delivering medical expertise to underserved communities.

Elementary school teachers in the Peach State are using "game-based" formative assessments to take a pulse on their students' learning.

This isn't the first time states and schools have turned to projects, portfolios, exhibitions, and essays to measure students' learning. Here are lessons from the last go-around.

Here's a handy glossary on terms like project-based learning, competency-based learning, and standards-based grading.

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, through a program funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has selected five proposals for the development of inter-domain courses that include the performing arts at their cores.