"Are We in Agreement": Exploring Family Engagement in both Kindergarten Teachers’ Views and Recent Studies

This paper includes a literature review about family engagement in both kindergarten teachers' views and recent studies in early childhood education. The literature analysis section addresses subtopics: a) what is family engagement in early childhood education (ECE), b) kindergarten teachers' views about family engagement, c) kindergarten teachers’ practices for engagement in a family in the schools, d) and barriers to family engagement in the schools. The background on this subtopics provides substantial literature to understand the research problem. The literature review assumes a qualitative approach to content or qualitative analysis. Keywords: family engagement, academic performance, teacher-family relationships, and early childhood DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-33-06 Publication date: November 30th 2022

Tech-Savvy School Principals Leveraging Crisis Leadership to Support Teaching and Learning in Their Schools Through COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to learn about the effective practices that recognized tech-savvy principals enacted to support teaching and learning in their schools during the first academic year of the COVID-19 crisis. The study involved semi structured interviews with five recognized tech-savvy school principals. It also involved analyzing supporting materials and documents. The findings of this study indicated that tech-savvy principals were not stuck in the structural rut that most principals found themselves in during the COVID-19 crisis. Four main themes emerged from the data. The first theme addressed how recognized tech-savvy principals demonstrated decisive decision making during the COVID-19 crisis to maintain the safety of their students. Theme two was about how recognized tech-savvy principals demonstrated flexibility during the crisis to maximize their schools functioning. Third theme addressed the recognized tech-savvy principals’ creativity. The fourth theme focused on how recognized tech-savvy principals used communications to encourage family engagement to strengthen students’ learning. Based on these findings, the new knowledge established in this study contributes to the literature of school technology leadership and crisis leadership as important factors to supporting teaching and learning process during the time of crises through leveraging the crisis leadership attributes

COVID-19 and stem cell transplantation; results from an EBMT and GETH multicenter prospective survey

Haematological diseases; Infectious diseases; COVID-19Malalties hematològiques; Malalties infeccioses; COVID-19Enfermedades hematológicas; Enfermedades infecciosas; COVID-19This study reports on 382 COVID-19 patients having undergone allogeneic (n = 236) or autologous (n = 146) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) or to the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (GETH). The median age was 54.1 years (1.0–80.3) for allogeneic, and 60.6 years (7.7–81.6) for autologous HCT patients. The median time from HCT to COVID-19 was 15.8 months (0.2–292.7) in allogeneic and 24.6 months (−0.9 to 350.3) in autologous recipients. 83.5% developed lower respiratory tract disease and 22.5% were admitted to an ICU. Overall survival at 6 weeks from diagnosis was 77.9% and 72.1% in allogeneic and autologous recipients, respectively. Children had a survival of 93.4%. In multivariate analysis, older age (p = 0.02), need for ICU (p < 0.0001) and moderate/high immunodeficiency index (p = 0.04) increased the risk while better performance status (p = 0.001) decreased the risk for mortality. Other factors such as underlying diagnosis, time from HCT, GVHD, or ongoing immunosuppression did not significantly impact overall survival. We conclude that HCT patients are at high risk of developing LRTD, require admission to ICU, and have increased mortality in COVID-19

Common, Intermediate and Well-Documented HLA Alleles in World Populations: CIWD Version 3.0.0

A catalog of common, intermediate and well-documented (CIWD) HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DRB3, -DRB4, -DRB5, -DQB1 and -DPB1 alleles has been compiled from over 8 million individuals using data from 20 unrelated hematopoietic stem cell volunteer donor registries. Individuals are divided into seven geographic/ancestral/ethnic groups and data are summarized for each group and for the total population. P (two-field) and G group assignments are divided into one of four frequency categories: common (≥1 in 10 000), intermediate (≥1 in 100 000), well-documented (≥5 occurrences) or not-CIWD. Overall 26% of alleles in IPD-IMGT/HLA version 3.31.0 at P group resolution fall into the three CIWD categories. The two-field catalog includes 18% (n = 545) common, 17% (n = 513) intermediate, and 65% (n = 1997) well-documented alleles. Full-field allele frequency data are provided but are limited in value by the variations in resolution used by the registries. A recommended CIWD list is based on the most frequent category in the total or any of the seven geographic/ancestral/ethnic groups. Data are also provided so users can compile a catalog specific to the population groups that they serve. Comparisons are made to three previous CWD reports representing more limited population groups. This catalog, CIWD version 3.0.0, is a step closer to the collection of global HLA frequencies and to a clearer view of HLA diversity in the human population as a whole

Upper and/or lower respiratory tract infection caused by human metapneumovirus after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

peer reviewed[en] PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study examined the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for poor outcomes associated with human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections in recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). RESULTS: We included 428 allo-HCT recipients who developed 438 hMPV infection episodes between January 2012 and January 2019. Most recipients were adults (93%). hMPV infections were diagnosed at a median of 373 days after allo-HCT. The infections were categorized as upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) or lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), with 60% and 40% of cases, respectively. Patients with hMPV LRTD experienced the infection earlier in the transplant course and had higher rates of lymphopenia, neutropenia, corticosteroid use, and ribavirin therapy. Multivariate analysis identified lymphopenia and corticosteroid use (>30 mg/d) as independent risk factors for LRTD occurrence. The overall mortality at day 30 after hMPV detection was 2% for URTD, 12% for possible LRTD, and 21% for proven LRTD. Lymphopenia was the only independent risk factor associated with day 30 mortality in LRTD cases. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the significance of lymphopenia and corticosteroid use in the development and severity of hMPV infections after allo-HCT, with lymphopenia being a predictor of higher mortality in LRTD cases

Saudi Mothers’ Perspectives and Experiences about Family-School Partnership in Early Childhood: A Qualitative Study

In this study, I explored Saudi mothers’ perspectives on family-school partnerships, besides understanding the challenges they had faced. I used the ecological theoretical framework, to understand the complexity of the relationships between family and school and the impact of the environment on children\u27s development. The ecological theory allowed me to simplify these relationships and recognize the effect on the children\u27s development by examining Saudi mothers\u27 perspectives. I selected qualitative research to gain a better thoughtful of the complex phenomena. I conducted semi-structured interviews to gain a deeper understanding of mothers’ perspectives. I applied a thematic analysis by Clark and Braun (2006), and I followed the six-phase process to analyze the data. I explored that Saudi mothers were more involved with their children’s education at home than at school. The study showed that Saudi mothers participated in and supported their children in various ways inside the home. Furthermore, the study revealed that Saudi mothers had expectations and goals, and they wanted their children to acquire them in the early childhood stage. Additionally, Saudi mothers noticed the changes that happened in education after the Saudi Vision 2030. Lastly, the findings revealed the challenges the Saudi mothers faced while building partnerships with schools

Daily step counts before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic: a smartphone-tracking study of university students in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed people’s lifestyles and daily routines around the world. This study aimed to investigate changes in daily step counts – as an indicator of physical activity – before, during, and after the pandemic among university students in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and to identify regional and gender factors that may have influenced physical activity during these periods. Methods A total of 1273 university students from Egypt (Assiut University and Zagazig University) and Saudi Arabia (Taif University, King Faisal University, and Imam AbdulRahman Bin Faisal University) provided valid data on their daily step counts recorded by a smartphone application (iPhone Health App) from January 2019 to December 2021. The data was divided and averaged based on three periods: the pre-pandemic year (January to December 2019), the first pandemic year (January to December 2020), and the second pandemic year (January to December 2021). Results The results showed a significant decrease in daily steps from pre-pandemic to the first pandemic year, followed by an increase in the second pandemic year. However, daily step counts did not fully recover to pre-pandemic levels in male Egyptian and marginally in male Saudi participants. In both nationalities, female participants did not show a significant difference in daily steps between the pre-pandemic and second-pandemic years. Female Egyptian participants had significantly lower daily step counts than male Egyptian participants, and a gender difference in daily steps was also observed in Saudi female participants in the pre-pandemic and the second pandemic year but not during the first pandemic year. Conclusion These findings outline the need for strategies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior, especially among young women, to mitigate the negative consequences of COVID-19 and meet physical activity guidelines

Ecological assessment of heavy metals in the grey mangrove (Avicennia marina) and associated sediments along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia

Summary: Mangroves play an integral role as a metal accumulator in tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems. Twenty-one sets of sediment samples and portions of mangroves were collected along the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea to assess the accumulation and ecological risks of heavy metals. Results showed that the following mean concentrations of heavy metals in sediments: Cr (46.14 μg g−1 ± 18.48) > Cu (22.87 μg g−1 ± 13.60) > Ni (21.11 μg g−1 ± 3.2) > Pb (3.82 μg g−1 ± 2.46) > Cd (0.75 μg g−1 ± 0.87). The maximum concentrations of the studied metals were above the threshold effect level, indicating a limited impact on the respective ecosystems. The maximum concentration of Cd exceeded its toxic effect threshold, revealing a harmful risk to biota in the sediments. Based on metallo-phytoremedation, biological concentration factors were >1, suggesting that Avicennia marina can accumulate heavy metals, especially Cr and Pb. The translocation factor was above the known worldwide average. The geo-accumulation index revealed that sediments in mangrove areas ranged from moderately to heavily contaminated with Cd at Al-Haridhah and moderately contaminated at South Jeddah, Rabigh, Duba, and the wastewater treatment station near Jazan. The ecological risk index revealed that Cd could pose a relatively very high risk to the mangrove ecosystem. The present study emphasized the possibility of establishing a framework for the management of the coastal aquatic ecosystems along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Mangrove, Avicennia marina, Heavy metals, Pollution indices, Sediment quality, Red Se

Assessment of chronic myeloid leukemia patients' adherence with “tyrosine kinase inhibitors” in King Abdulaziz Medical City

CONTEXT: Worldwide, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) accounts for 15% of all leukemia types. CML treatment and outcome has improved dramatically from the average survival of 3–5 years in the past to almost normal life expectancy with the new targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Compliance of CML patients with oral TKIs is a medically challenging issue preventing achieving a favorable outcome. AIMS: The aim of this study is to assess CML patients' adherence to treatment in King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, observational study that includes all patients diagnosed with CML in KAMC-Riyadh (KAMC-R) where patients were interviewed before receiving TKI prescription and during a subsequent visit. Consent, demographics, and medication data were obtained in the first encounter. Compliance and reasons for noncompliance were assessed using pill count methods during the second visit. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. RESULTS: A total of 63 CML patients are followed and treated in KAMC-R at the time of conducting this study. Sixteen patients were excluded from the study due to either loss of follow-up or using a non-TKI treatment option. The study was conducted on 47 patients; male:female ratio was 20 (40%):28 (60%). The mean age was 51 years (range 23–76 years). Twenty-four patients (51%) were fully compliant to the TKIs while 23 patients (49%) were not compliant. The study reported three main reasons for noncompliance, drug toxicity in 7 patients (30%), forgetfulness in 7 patients (30%), and ignorance in 2 patients (9%). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study assessing compliance of CML patients with TKIs among Saudi population. Noncompliance with TKIs is a major health-care problem affecting the outcome of treatment. Stressing on patient education before and during TKIs treatment might improve the compliance

Inflammatory and immunometabolic consequences of gut dysfunction in HIV: Parallels with IBD and implications for reservoir persistence and non-AIDS comorbidities

The gastrointestinal mucosa is critical for maintaining the integrity and functions of the gut. Disruption of this barrier is a hallmark and a risk factor for many intestinal and chronic inflammatory diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and HIV infection are characterized by microbial translocation and systemic inflammation. Despite the clinical overlaps between HIV and IBD, significant differences exist such as the severity of gut damage and mechanisms of immune cell homeostasis. Studies have supported the role of metabolic activation of immune cells in promoting chronic inflammation in HIV and IBD. This inflammatory response persists in HIV+ persons even after long-term virologic suppression by antiretroviral therapy (ART). Here, we review gut dysfunction and microbiota changes during HIV infection and IBD, and discuss how this may induce metabolic reprogramming of monocytes, macrophages and T cells to impact disease outcomes. Drawing from parallels with IBD, we highlight how factors such as lipopolysaccharides, residual viral replication, and extracellular vesicles activate biochemical pathways that regulate immunometabolic processes essential for HIV persistence and non-AIDS metabolic comorbidities. This review highlights new mechanisms and support for the use of immunometabolic-based therapeutics towards HIV remission/cure, and treatment of metabolic diseases