Teaching Reading With i/t/a: A Research Report

Perhaps the most radical of recent innovations to explode upon the embattled horizon of the continuing reading controversy is i/t/a, the Initial Teaching Alphabet

Effectiveness of a skin care programme for the prevention of contact dermatitis in healthcare workers (the Healthy Hands Project): A single-centre, cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of developing hand dermatitis (HD). Guidelines recommend moisturizers to prevent HD, but in practice their effectiveness has been poorly investigated. Objectives: To assess whether an intervention aimed at improving skin care leads to a reduction in HD severity. Methods: In this 1-year randomized controlled trial, 9 wards (285 HCWs) were allocated to an intervention group (IG), and 10 wards (216 HCWs) were allocated to the control group (CG). The intervention included provision of cream dispensers with electronic monitoring of use, regularly communicated to the HCWs. The primary and secondary outcomes were change from baseline in Hand Eczema Severity Index (HECSI) score (ΔHECSI) and change in natural moisturizing factor (NMF) level (ΔNMF). Results: At 12 months, the rates of loss to follow-up were 41% and 39% in the IG and the CG, respectively. The HECSI score was reduced in the IG by −6.2 points (95%CI: −7.7 to −4.7) and in the CG by −4.2 points (95%CI: −6.0 to −2.4). There was no significant difference in ΔHECSI or ΔNMF between the groups. Relative improvement in the HECSI score was significantly higher in the IG than in the CG (56% vs 44%). In a subgroup of HCWs with mild HD, the IG showed a larger HECSI score decrease than the CG (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Although there was no significant effect on the primary outcomes, the intervention showed overall positive effects on the HECSI score

Key Genomic Changes Necessary for an In Vivo Lethal Mouse Marburgvirus Variant Selection Process▿

Marburgvirus (MARV) infections are generally lethal in humans and nonhuman primates but require in vivo lethal mouse variant selection by the serial transfer (passage) of the nonlethal virus into naïve mice to propagate a lethal infection. The passage of progenitor (wild-type) MARV or Ravn virus (RAVV) from infected scid BALB/c mouse liver homogenates into immunocompetent BALB/c mice results in the selection of lethal mouse viruses from within the quasispecies sufficient to establish lethality in immunocompetent mice. Genomic analysis in conjunction with the passage history of each mutation detailed the altered primary and secondary structures of the viral genomic RNA throughout the process. Key findings included the following: (i) a VP40:D184N mutation previously identified in the lethal guinea pig MARV genome was the first mutation to occur during the passage of both the MARV and RAVV variants; (ii) there was biased hypermutagenesis in the RAVV variant genome; (iii) there were two identical mutations in lethal mouse MARV and RAVV variants, VP40:Y19H in the PPPY motif and VP40:D184N in a loop structure between the two VP40 domains; (iv) the passage of wild-type MARV and RAVV in mice resulted in the selection of viral variants from among the quasispecies with different genotypes than those of the wild-type viruses; and (v) a lethal mouse RAVV variant had different tissue tropisms distinct from those of its wild-type virus. These studies provide insights into how marburgviruses manipulate the host for enzymes, metabolites, translation regulators, and effectors of the innate immune response to serve as potential viral countermeasures