Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is most severe form of disseminated form of tuberculosis infection and common in pediatrics age group. Consequences of CNS infection lead to permanent disability and even high case fatality rate. Test for diagnosis of TB like AFB staining, CBNAAT of various body uids have low sensitivity. So in my study, we study on admitted patient in our hospital with TBM and see their presentation with clinical feature, examine the patients and then done the radiological investigation like CT scan, MRI for brain changes during tuberculosis infection and note the specic nding for TBM. We also note the epidemiological data and other investigation for risk factor for TBM and see correlation with outcome of patients. So we start the treatment according to RNTCP guideline, India and note their outcome to note the fatality during hospital stay.

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic had significant negative effects on the learning and development of school-aged children in the United States, with disproportionate impacts on children from marginalized groups. There is less evidence on the extent to which the pandemic affected younger children – ages 3 to 5 – from these groups. The current study examined the extent to which children in Acelero Head Start centers (N = 343) made gains in literacy, language, math, and executive functioning 2 years after the start of the pandemic and compared those learning gains to pre-pandemic norms in national Head Start and Acelero comparison samples. Children grew rapidly in all domains, performing and gaining in line with (or faster than) pre-pandemic Acelero Head Start children in language, literacy, and executive functioning. Overall scores were lower and growth was slower in math than pre-pandemic levels. Four-year-old children in the current study generally made larger gains than their younger peers. Boys and children from single parent households made larger gains in language skills compared to girls and children from two-parent households, respectively. Practice or Policy: Results provide evidence on Head Start children’s academic and cognitive skills during the pandemic recovery and highlight the need for continued research to support children’s resilience.

The NYC Administration for Children’s Services and MDRC have partnered since 2021 to develop a rigorous research agenda leading to an impact evaluation of the Family Treatment and Rehabilitation (FT/R) model, a “home-grown” New York City intervention for families experiencing substance misuse and/or mental health challenges that put children at risk of maltreatment. This paper will describe the first phase of that research, which had two goals: (1) to refine a logic model that would result in a shared understanding of core components of the FT/R model, and (2) to create a plan for a subsequent implementation study that would enable MDRC and ACS to understand how 18 FT/R programs are implementing the model across New York City. The paper will describe the team’s orientation to this research, including centering equity in the work by prioritizing the inclusion of staff and family perspectives. Next steps in the research roadmap will be discussed, including convening a council of lived experience advisors, as well as implications for evidence-building for sustainability. This research has the long-term potential to support FT/R’s inclusion in the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse and ultimately, the leveraging of Title IV-E funds to support scaling of a locally developed, culturally responsive, and adaptable child welfare prevention model beyond New York City.

Purpose To analyze outcomes after multiple light redirection (MLR) by photoablation of a small paracentral portion of Bowman's layer in each corneal quadrant using standard myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) software with non-customized fenestrated MLR corneal light shields (Excimer-MLR) without postoperative visual training or magnification in pseudophakic eyes with central visual loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA). Methods Retrospective analysis of two cases. Results Outcomes after Excimer-MLR in the worse-seeing eyes of an 86-year-old and a 65-year-old pseudophakic man with AMD and GA revealed corrected distance/near visual acuity gains of 6.0/6.0 and 11.8/10.0 lines within 12 days and 5.0/5.0 and 12.2/9.8 lines at 9 months, respectively, with improved Amsler grids, no distance or near glasses change, no complications, and no adverse events related to Excimer-MLR. Contrast sensitivity and stereopsis, measured in case 2, improved postoperatively. Conclusions This first report showed that Excimer-MLR safely produced large improvements in visual function up to 9 months postoperatively in two eyes with central visual loss from AMD. [ Journal of Refractive Surgery Case Reports. 2024;4(4):e29–e35.]

An in-silico exercise was developed for a general chemistry laboratory course at St. Bonaventure University in which students examined potential energy surfaces, molecular orbital diagrams, and how bond orders and Lewis structures are connected. Pre- and post-assessment data suggests that, though students learned from the exercise, they are not connecting the concepts of bond order, Lewis structures, and resonance. There was a statistically significant improvement in the assessment scores before and after the laboratory experiment, and there was no statistical difference between the post-assessment and the follow-up assessment, which occurred after students completed the lab report 1 week after the initial experiment. The data suggest an improved understanding of computational chemistry concepts as well as improvement in the individual concepts of resonance, Lewis structures, and bond orders. However, an assessment question connecting these concepts did not show an improvement. An additional questionnaire was conducted to explore this discrepancy. This study indicates that more investigation is necessary with regard to students’ ability to make logical connections among bond orders, Lewis structures, and resonance.

Detroit students who obtain a college degree overcome many obstacles to do so. This article reports the results of a randomized evaluation of a program meant to provide support to low-income community college students. The Detroit Promise Path program was designed to complement an existing College Promise scholarship, providing students with coaching, summer engagement, and financial incentives. The evaluation found that students offered the program enrolled in more semesters and earned more credits compared with those offered the scholarship alone. However, at the 3-year mark, there were no discernable impacts on degrees earned. This article examines systemic barriers to degree completion and offers lessons for the design of interventions to increase equity in postsecondary attainment.

The Hearts and Flowers (H&F) task is a computerized executive functioning (EF) assessment that has been used to measure EF from early childhood to adulthood. It provides data on accuracy and reaction time (RT) across three different task blocks (hearts, flowers, and mixed). However, there is a lack of consensus in the field on how to score the task that makes it difficult to interpret findings across studies. The current study, which includes a demographically diverse population of kindergarteners from Boston Public Schools (N = 946), compares the predictive and concurrent validity of 30 ways of scoring H&F, each with a different combination of accuracy, RT, and task block(s). Our exploratory results provide evidence supporting the use of a two-vector average score based on Zelazo et al.'s approach of adding accuracy and RT scores together only after individuals pass a certain accuracy threshold. Findings have implications for scoring future tablet-based developmental assessments.

Abstract Background We sought to determine pre-infection correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 post-vaccine infections. Methods Serum and saliva samples from 176 BNT162b2-vaccinated adults in the Prospective Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Seroconversion study were collected between October and December 2021 and assessed for serum and saliva levels of ancestral (WT) SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S)-specific IgG and IgA binding antibodies (bAb), and serum levels of Omicron BA.1 subvariant S-specific IgG bAb using a multiplex microsphere-based immunoassay. Serum samples were also assessed for WT S-specific bAb by two commercial assays, and neutralization activity against D614G, Delta (617.2), and Omicron BA.1 and BA.1.1 subvariants using a lentiviral pseudovirus neutralization assay. After the fall 2021 visit, participants reported all positive PCR and/or antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2. Duration, severity, and type of symptoms, as well as risk exposures and adherence to precautionary measures, were assessed by questionnaires during the spring 2022 visit. Results Thirty-two participants (18.2%) developed post-vaccination infections (PVI) between December 7, 2021 and April 1, 2022. Pre-infection WT and BA.1 anti-S IgG bAb levels measured by MMIA and neutralizing titers (NT) against BA.1 and BA.1.1 were significantly higher in individuals that did not develop PVIs. WT anti-S IgG bAb levels greater than 5,000 binding antibody units/ml were associated with substantial protection against symptomatic PVI. Conclusion Anti-S IgG bAb levels (directed against either WT or BA.1) and NT IgG titers both serve as correlates of protection against symptomatic PVI, with high levels associated with both protection against symptomatic infection and reduced severity of disease in those who develop PVI. Results of this study also suggest that commercial assays for anti-S bAb may need to be reformatted to enable detection of higher maximum values for use as predictors of increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Disclosures David Tribble, MD, DrPH, AstraZeneca: The IDCRP and HJF were funded to conduct an unrelated phase III COVID-19 monoclonal antibody immunoprophylaxis trial as part of US Govt COVID response Timothy Burgess, MD, MPH, AstraZeneca: The IDCRP and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) were funded to conduct an unrelated phase III COVID-19 monoclonal antibody immunoprophylaxis trial Simon Pollett, MBBS, AstraZeneca: The IDCRP and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) were funded to conduct an unrelated phase III COVID-19 monoclonal antibody immunoprophylaxis trial

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Prior research has demonstrated the importance of young children’s executive functioning (EF) skills for their success in schooling and beyond. However, the field lacks an understanding of how children’s EF skills manifest in context. In the present study, we relate children’s classroom off-task behavior to their EF skills. Prekindergarten children (N=263) were first assessed on their EF skills via direct assessments and a teacher report, and then they were observed on the amount of time spent off-task across classroom contexts like small-group instruction, whole-class instruction, independent work, transitions, and center time. Children’s off-task behavior was weakly correlated with their directly assessed EF skills and moderately correlated with teacher reports of EF. The strength of associations was strongest for children’s off-task behavior during whole-class instruction and transitions. Off-task behavior during whole-class instruction and transitions had the most within-classroom variation compared to other classroom settings, and off-task behavior during transitions most strongly predicted gains in math skills. Practice and Policy: Our study suggests that although direct EF assessments are the most predictive of children’s academic achievement gains, it is beneficial to identify when children are going off-task and when this behavior is driven more by differences between children or classrooms.