The resignation of the former U.S. Department of Education staffer, who has led ASCD since mid-2015, follows a long run of membership declines for the organization.

Permanently-drawn curtains on the city’s empty luxury high-rises and dust gathering over shuttered storefronts in the Beirut Souks mall offer a glimpse of the economic gloom gathering over one of the world’s most indebted countries.

Indonesia was rattled by more than 11 500 earthquakes last year, almost double the annual average of the past decade, according to the nation’s meteorological agency.

The recent business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders resulting from the coronavirus pandemic haven’t stopped a Penn State student artist from helping her peers show their work remotely after galleries closed across the United States.

There’s always been massive inequality in South Africa, but those who have the money and power still aren’t getting it, says Carmen Williams.

Die Zentralafrikanische Republik kennzeichnet eine lange Geschichte der Instabilität. Wie die jüngste Krise gehandhabt wurde, deutet indessen auf eine neue sicherheitspolitische Konstellation hin.

The Central African Republic has a long history of crises, but the way the most recent one was managed indicates that a new security constellation may be emerging in the region.

Texas has become the first state to have its "alternate assessment aligned to modified academic-achievement standards" pass the U.S. Department of Education's peer-review process.

This article, published ahead of print on 28 July 2008, has been withdrawn by the authors. Although moderate synergy between P2-RANTES and C peptides can be observed with high statistical significance in cell fusion assays, this synergy was not able to be verified in HIV viral assays. The authors regret the overstatement of synergy and will revise the paper for publication at a later date.

Since 2012, single low dose of primaquine (SLDPQ, 0.25mg/kg) has been recommended with artemisinin-based combination therapies, as first-line treatment of acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, to interrupt its transmission, especially in low transmission settings of multidrug, including artemisinin, resistance. Policy makers in Cambodia have been reluctant to implement this recommendation due to primaquine safety concerns and lack of data on its efficacy.

In this randomized controlled trial, 109 Cambodians with acute uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria received dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) alone or combined with SLDPQ on the first treatment day. Transmission-blocking efficacy of SLDPQ was evaluated on Days 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and recrudescence by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (gametocyte prevalence) and membrane-feeding assays with Anopheles minimus mosquitoes (gametocyte infectivity). Without the influence of recrudescent infections, DP+SLDPQ reduced gametocyte carriage 3 fold compared to DP. Of 48 patients tested on Day 0, only three patients were infectious to mosquitoes (~6%). Post-treatment, three patients were infectious: on D14 (3.5%, 1/29), and on the first and seventh day of recrudescence (8.3%, 1/12 for each); this overall low infectivity precluded our ability to assess its transmission blocking efficacy.

Our study confirms effective gametocyte clearance of SLDPQ when combined with DP in multidrug resistant P. falciparum and the negative impact of recrudescent infections due to poor DP efficacy. Artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ) has replaced DP and ASMQ-SLDPQ has been deployed to treat all P. falciparum symptomatic patients to further support the elimination of multidrug resistant P. falciparum in Cambodia.

Gepotidacin, a triazaacenaphthylene bacterial type II topoisomerase inhibitor, is in development for treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (uUTI). This Phase 2a study in female participants with uUTI evaluated the pharmacokinetics (primary objective), safety, and exploratory efficacy of gepotidacin. Eligible participants (N = 22) were confined to the clinic at baseline, received oral gepotidacin 1,500 mg twice daily for 5 days (on-therapy; Days 1 to 5), and returned to the clinic for test-of-cure (Days 10 to 13) and follow-up (Day 28±3). Pharmacokinetic, safety, clinical, and microbiological assessments were performed. Maximum plasma concentrations were observed approximately 1.5 to 2 hours postdose. Steady state was attained by Day 3. Urinary exposure over the dosing interval increased from 3,742 μg.h/ml (Day 1) to 5,973 μg.h/ml (Day 4), with trough concentrations of 322 to 352 μg/ml from Day 3 onward. Gepotidacin had an acceptable safety-risk profile with no treatment-limiting adverse events and no clinically relevant safety trends. Clinical success was achieved in 19 (86%) and 18 (82%) of 22 participants at test-of-cure and follow-up, respectively. Eight participants had a qualifying baseline uropathogen (growth; ≥10⁵ CFU/ml). A therapeutic (combined clinical and microbiological [no growth; <10³ CFU/ml]) successful response was achieved in 6 (75%) and 5 (63%) of 8 participants at test-of-cure and follow-up, respectively. Plasma area under the free-drug concentration-time curve over 24 hours at steady state divided by the MIC (fAUC_0-24/MIC) and urine AUC_0-24/MIC ranged from 6.99 to 90.5 and 1,292 to 121,698, respectively. Further evaluation of gepotidacin in uUTI is warranted. (NCT03568942)

Omadacycline is a novel aminomethylcycline with activity against Gram-positive and -negative organisms, including Haemophilus influenzae, which is one of the leading causes of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). The evaluation of antimicrobial agents against H. influenzae using standard murine infection models is challenging due to the low pathogenicity of this species in mice. Therefore, 24-hour dose-ranging studies using a one-compartment in vitro infection model were undertaken with the goal of characterizing the magnitude of the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to the MIC (AUC/MIC ratio) associated with efficacy for a panel of five clinical H. influenzae isolates. These five isolates, which had MIC values of 1 or 2 mg/L, were exposed to omadacycline total-drug epithelial lining fluid (ELF) concentration-time profiles based on those observed in healthy volunteers following intravenous omadacycline administration. Relationships between change in log₁₀ colony forming units (CFU) from baseline at 24 hours and total-drug ELF AUC/MIC ratio for each isolate and the isolates pooled together were evaluated using Hill-type models and non-linear least squares regression. As evidenced by the high coefficient of determination (r²) of 0.88 to 0.98, total-drug ELF AUC/MIC ratio described the data well for each isolate and the isolates pooled together. The median total-drug ELF AUC/MIC ratio associated with net bacterial stasis and 1- and 2-log₁₀ CFU/mL reductions from baseline at 24 hours was 6.91, 8.91, and 11.1, respectively. These data were useful to support the omadacycline dosing regimens selected for the treatment of patients with CABP, as well as susceptibility breakpoints for H. influenzae.

As resistance to artemisinins (current frontline drugs in malaria treatment) emerges in south East Asia, there is an urgent need to identify the genetic determinants and understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning such resistance. Such insights could lead to prospective interventions to contain resistance and prevent the eventual spread to other malaria endemic regions. Artemisinin reduced susceptibility in South East Asia (SEA) has been primarily linked to mutations in P. falciparum Kelch-13, which is currently widely recognised as a molecular marker of artemisinin resistance. However, 2 mutations in a ubiquitin hydrolase, UBP-1, have been previously associated with artemisinin reduced susceptibility in a rodent model of malaria and some cases of UBP-1 mutation variants associating with artemisinin treatment failure have been reported in Africa and SEA. In this study, we have employed CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and pre-emptive drug pressures to test these artemisinin susceptibility associated mutations in UBP-1 in P. berghei sensitive lines in vivo. Using these approaches, we have shown that the V2721F UBP-1 mutation results in reduced artemisinin susceptibility, while the V2752F mutation results in resistance to chloroquine and moderately impacts tolerance to artemisinins. Genetic reversal of the V2752F mutation restored chloroquine sensitivity in these mutant lines while simultaneous introduction of both mutations could not be achieved and appears to be lethal. Interestingly, these mutations carry a detrimental growth defect, which would possibly explain their lack of expansion in natural infection settings. Our work has provided independent experimental evidence on the role of UBP-1 in modulating parasite responses to artemisinin and chloroquine under in vivo conditions.

Global markets rallied on the back of optimism that most governments were gearing up to at least partially reopen their economies following lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Oil headed for its first back-to-back weekly gain since February as output cuts from the biggest producers and a nascent recovery in demand began to rebalance a market awash with crude.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Antibiotic therapy is often prescribed for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children despite a lack of knowledge of causative pathogen. Our objective in this study was to investigate the association between antibiotic prescription and treatment failure in children with suspected CAP who are discharged from the hospital emergency department (ED).

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

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.

With speed and ingenuity, more than 100 researchers across Penn State are shifting their research programs to address the COVID-19 crisis, thanks to funding from a seed grant initiative led by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. In total, the initiative awarded $2.25 million to 47 teams of researchers from three campuses, 10 colleges and more than 25 departments.

Two alumni and one community partner contribute clinical medicine and research experience during the pandemic

Despite the many investment scams that the South African public is falling for, in many cases the Financial Services Board (FSB) finds its hands tied when it comes to protecting the public.

The Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch features an attractive design and smooth performance, but its size isn't suitable for all wrists.

Matthew J. Lipshaw
Apr 1, 2020; 145:e20193138-e20193138
ARTICLES

Germany's Shekiera Martinez, at 16, has written herself into UEFA's record books by scoring nine goals in a final tournament.

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.

When starting your savings journey, contribute the maximum tax-free allocation and then explore further options that suit your risk appetite and profile, says an expert.

There's more than one way to invest in the yellow metal: either by buying it in its physical form, or investing in shares linked to gold. Fin24 asked the experts how to get started.

Tickets are now on sale for UEFA Futsal EURO 2018 at Stožice Arena in Ljubljana with the first one bought by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who was born in the Slovenian capital.

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

Hazleton native Megan Bobish has joined the Penn State Hazleton Athletics Department as the newest member of its team.

When the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted the transition to remote learning at Penn State, faculty and administrators in the Department of Mechanical Engineering were prepared for the challenge.

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

Android may be leaving dessert names behind with Android 10, but its OS market share is still a buffet of Pie, Oreos, Nougat, Marshmallows, Lollipops, and even a couple of KitKats.

Right now you can grab an Amazon Echo Dot two-speaker bundle for just $50. Plus, the 55-inch Vizio M-Series Quantum 4K Smart TV and Anker charging accessories are on sale.

This is a 2018 model, but it's got tons of bells and whistles such as 4K ultra high-definition (2160p) picture, built-in Wi-Fi and smart functionality, and High Dynamic Range support.

All of the TVs on sale come standard with Roku TV, meaning you can access all of your favorite streaming platforms.

At Amazon right now, you can save up to 47 percent on a Samsung Q60 series QLED 4K Ultra HD smart TV with HDR support and Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility.

Usually priced at $79.99, it's available now for just $51.99.

The D-Link EXO AC3000 is a tri-band router that delivered speedy throughput in our tests and offers solid parental controls, malware protection, and mesh technology.

Partick Thistle have released, in full, a letter sent by the club to SPFL chiefs following the news that league reconstruction has been scrapped - confirming the Jags' relegation.

PARTICK Thistle today branded the SPFL a "disgrace" for failing to inform them that league reconstruction had been abandoned and revealed they are "deeply angered" by Ladbrokes Premiership clubs scuppering the plans.

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.

Understanding how research is actually used by district leaders is essential for research-practice partnerships to effectively bridge research and practice in education.