The approaching elections could be important steps toward reviving democracy in Chad, but only if President Idriss Déby opens political space for the opposition beforehand.

Los conflictos en los países pequeños suelen agravarse debido a la indiferencia internacional. Sin embargo, en el caso de la República Centroafricana (RCA), el problema es ligeramente distinto. Hay una importante presencia internacional en este Estado, pero los actores principales han decidido mantenerse al margen y esperar en vez de intervenir activamente en la crisis.

Objectives: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and specifically KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) are rapidly spreading worldwide. The prognosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) is not well known. Our study tries to assess whether ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by a KPC-Kp strain is associated with higher all-cause mortality than if caused by carbapenem-susceptible isolates.

Study design and methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with VAP due to K. pneumoniae from a 35-bed polyvalent Intensive Care Unit in a university hospital (> 40,000 annual admissions) between January 2012 and December 2016. Adjusted multivariate analysis was used to study the association of KPC-Kp with 30-day all-cause mortality (Cox regression).

Results. We analyze 69 cases of K. pneumoniae VAP of which 39 were produced by a KPC-Kp strain with high-level resistance to meropenem (MIC > 16 mg/mL). All-cause mortality at 30 days was 41% in the KPC-Kp group (16/39) and 33.3% in the carbapenem-susceptible cases (10/30). KPC-Kp etiology was not associated with higher mortality when controlled for confounders (adjusted hazard ratio [lsqb]HR[rsqb] 1.25; 95% CI: 0.46–3.41). Adequate targeted therapy (HR 0.03; 95% CI: <0.01–0.23) was associated with all-cause mortality.

Conclussion. Assuming the limitations due to the available sample size, the prognosis of VAP caused by KPC-Kp is similar to VAPs caused by carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae when appropriate treatment is used.

Globally, mutations in the katG gene account for the majority of isoniazid-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Buyankhishig et al analyzed a limited number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Mongolia and found that isoniazid resistance was mainly attributable to inhA mutations. The GenoType® MTBDRplus assay was performed for isolates collected in the First National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey and the Third Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Survey to investigate genetic mutations associated with isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mongolia. Of the 409 isoniazid-resistant isolates detected by the GenoType® MTBDRplus assay, 127 (31.1%) were resistant to rifampicin, 294 (71.9%) had inhA mutations without katG mutations, 113 (27.6%) had katG mutations without inhA mutations, and two (0.5%) strains had mutations in both the inhA and katG genes. Of the 115 strains with any katG mutation, 114 (99.1%) had mutations in codon 315 (S315T). Of the 296 trains with any inhA mutation, 290 (98.0%) had a C–15T mutation. The proportion of isoniazid-resistant strains with katG mutations was 25.3% among new cases and 36.2% among retreatment cases (p=0.03), as well as 17.0% among rifampicin-susceptible strains and 52.8% among rifampicin-resistant strains (p<0.01). Rifampicin resistance was significantly associated with the katG mutation (adjusted odds ratio 5.36, 95% CI 3.3–8.67, p<0.001). Mutations in inhA predominated in isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis in Mongolia. However, the proportion of katG mutations in isolates from previously treated cases was higher than that among new cases, and that in cases with rifampicin resistance was higher than that in cases without rifampicin resistance.

Many transferable quinolone-resistance mechanisms have been already identified in Gram-negative bacteria. The plasmid-encoded 65 amino-acid long ciprofloxacin-modifying enzyme, namely CrpP, was recently identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We analyzed a collection of 100 clonally-unrelated and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa clinical isolates among which 46 (46%) were found positive for crpP-like genes, encoding five CrpP variants conferring variable levels of reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. Those crpP-like genes were chromosomally located, as part of PAGI-like pathogenicity genomic islands.

OBJECTIVES:

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are common; some cases require timely referral and treatment to prevent complications. We developed and validated a reliable instrument for timely and adequate referral of patients with IH to experts by nonexpert primary physicians.

BACKGROUND:

Current guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend screening children for developmental problems by using a standardized screening tool and referring at-risk patients to early intervention (EI) or subspecialists. Adoption of guidelines has been gradual, with research showing many children still not being screened and referred.

Valencia will need to must a remarkable home recovery to turn round their tie against Atalanta after a 4-1 first-leg defeat.

An AI-powered digital assistant to take notes for you? It’s already happening in the workplace, but classroom note taking could prove harder to automate.

Beth E. Michalec, lecturer of corporate communication at Penn State Lehigh Valley, earned a doctorate in rhetoric from Duquesne University. Michalec was selected as a Fulbright specialist in June 2019 by the U.S. Department of State.

Although complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic have temporarily halted the Fulbright Specialist Program, Nichola D. Gutgold looks forward to officially joining the Roster after the U.S. Department of State determines that projects can resume.

Money Smart Week SA, a financial literacy campaign aimed at motivating and empowering South Africans to become more educated about their finances, is taking place from March 23 to 28, 2020.

Fin24 asked financial experts how they would grow R10 000 in the new year. Here's what they said.

Metropolitan is sponsoring a financial literacy short course hosted on FunDza, an online literacy portal dedicated to helping South Africans better their skills.

Wine, fish, and excessive use of social media were a few of the topics that earned students top honors in Penn State Hazleton's first-ever virtual Undergraduate Research Fair.

The most popular special education stories of the year examined the broken promises of special education, the aftermath of the lead crisis in Flint, Mich., and how educators lack confidence in their ability to meet the needs of children with disabilities.

The Government Accountability Office finds that parents often have a hard time initiating complaints about special education services, but that these barriers don't affect all parents in the same way.

A new guide from the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Understood.org offers advice on how school leaders can best serve students with disabilities and support special education teachers.

Delaware is among three states using federal grants to develop school and district leaders who understand the complexities of special education.

For decades, special education advocates have urged the federal government to "fully fund" the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Here are some examples 'ripped from the headlines' of how the funding gap is affecting school districts.

With the coronavirus pandemic pressing tens of thousands of the nation's school districts into extended closures, education administrators across the nation are wrestling with a complex and legalistic problem: how to keep services flowing for students with disabilities.

The FDA estimates that between 45 and 50 students at a Massachusetts school for students with autism, emotional disturbances, and intellectual disabilities are subjected to electrical shocks through electrodes attached to their skin.

The Education Department says federal law should not be used to prevent schools from offering online learning to all students, including those with disabilities.

Nearly 30 disability rights and education advocacy organizations have launched a new resource hub and online network designed to help special educators during the coronavirus crisis.

The requests put the nation's special education administrators in conflict with disability rights advocates who fear waivers will place millions of special education students at risk.

The proposed priority for special education grants is the latest push by the U.S. Secretary of Education to embed more choice for students and educators in federal K-12 funding.

Congress should not grant flexibility from the federal special education law's key components due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has told federal lawmakers.

The Netgear Nighthawk AX4 Wi-Fi 6 router is $100 off, the Dell XPS 8930 Special Edition gaming desktop is $250 off, and Amazon is offering up to 40 percent off Eufy robot vacuums.

I was just sitting down to write this week's column when the Red Arrows flew right over my head.

Hongyan “Red” Yuan, an instructional designer at Penn State Berks and member of the board of the Reading Chinese Association (RCA), recently helped to coordinate the donation of 1,500 surgical masks to Penn State Health St. Joseph.

Paul W. Newacheck
Jul 1, 1998; 102:117-123
ARTICLES

C. Michael Cotten
Jan 1, 2009; 123:58-66
ARTICLES

Yong Y. Han
Dec 1, 2005; 116:1506-1512
ARTICLES

Merle McPherson
Jul 1, 1998; 102:137-139
COMMENTARY

Young adults born prematurely with very low birth weight (≤1500 g) have higher blood pressure than do their counterparts born at term. We tested whether they also have higher blood pressure reactivity to psychosocial stress, which may be a more-specific predictor of long-term cardiovascular morbidity. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels for 44 very low birth weight adults (mean age: 23.1 years; SD: 2.3 years) and 37 control subjects (mean age: 23.6 years; SD: 2.0 years) were measured through noninvasive finger photoplethysmography during a standardized psychosocial stress challenge (Trier Social Stress Test). Baseline and task values and their difference (ie, reactivity) served as outcome variables. In comparison with the control group, the very low birth weight group had 7.9 mm Hg higher diastolic blood pressure during the task and 4.8 mm Hg higher diastolic reactivity, with adjustment for gender and age, height, and BMI at testing. A similar trend was seen for systolic blood pressure during the baseline period and the task, but the group differences were not statistically significant. Our results indicate that very low birth weight is associated with elevated blood pressure reactivity to psychosocial stress and, therefore, may increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity.

Penn State Brandywine is offering a complimentary virtual seminar on Practical Social Media Tactics for the Busy Entrepreneur from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 18, through Zoom video conferencing.

People find it convenient to use Facebook or other social media accounts to sign up for most new apps and services, but they prefer to use their e-mail address or open a new account if they feel the information in the app is too sensitive, according to a team of researchers.

Eight Penn State Health doctors have been named among the Pennsylvania Medical Society's "Top Physicians Under 40."

The Brooklyn District Attorney released data to show the disparities in arrests. The NYPD released data to show the demographics of summonses.

Within three weeks, a pandemic has completely changed the national landscape on testing. The U.S. Department of Education has now excused all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the requirement that they test all their students in math and English/language arts.

The Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center at Penn State has a slate of programming for Financial Literacy Month this April and is offering help to anyone in the University community who is anxious about their financial future.

Spain and Germany dominate the U21 EURO Team of the Tournament, supplying ten of the 11 players.

An initiative to improve the use of apps and mobile technology in the instruction of special education students finds that teachers aren't receiving the professional development they want.

Today, 98% of households with 2- to 8-year-old children include a mobile device, like smartphones, tablets, and iPods or other smart-mobile devices, an increase from 75% in 2013. We are really connected, but not connecting at all.

Source: www.npr.org - Thursday, May 07, 2020
The version published in China Daily omitted a reference to the illness originating in China and spreading to the rest of the world. The piece was published in full on the authors' websites. (Image credit: Jason Lee/Reuters)

Source: www.geekwire.com - Friday, May 08, 2020
University of Washington researchers work with the virus that causes COVID-19 in a restricted lab. (UW Medicine via YouTube) In a newly published study, a University of Washington researcher argues that the eventual death toll from COVID-19 could be more than twice as high as the figures currently being discussed. The study was written by Anirban Basu, a health economist and statistician who’s the director of UW’s Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics Institute, also known as the CHOICE Institute . In his research paper , published online Thursday by the journal Health Affairs, Basu acknowledges there’s still lots of uncertainty surrounding the fatality rate for the disease caused by the coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. But he says there’s evidence that the U.S. death toll could amount to 350,000 to 1.2 million. Anirban Basu is the Stergachis Family Endowed Director of the CHOICE Institute at the University of Washington’s School of Pharmacy. (UW Photo) “This is a staggering number, which can only be brought down with sound public health measures,” Basu said in an interview with MedicalResearch.com . The latest projections from UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimate that the U.S. death toll due to COVID-19 will amount to nearly 135,000 by Aug. 4. IHME’s projections are closely watched (and occasionally lowballed) by the White House. “We’ll be at 100,000” or 110,000 deaths, President Donald Trump to

029 - Six clubs fulfil conditions set out by CFCB

053 - UEFA Club Financial Control Body investigatory chamber takes measures

UEFA has received declarations of interest from nine associations to host the UEFA Super Cup in 2020.

The UEFA Executive Committee will select the hosts of the 2021 club competition finals in 2019