Children of female sex workers and injection drug users: a review of vulnerability, resilience, and family-centered models of care in low and middle-income countries

This item is archived in the repository for materials published for the USAID supported Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research Project (OVC-CARE) at the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development.Background: Injection drug users and female sex workers are often categorized as two of the populations most at risk for becoming infected with HIV in countries with concentrated epidemics. Many of the adults who fall into these categories in low and middle income contexts are also parents, but little is known about the vulnerabilities faced by their children, their sources of resilience, or programs providing services to these often fragile families. Methods: We reviewed the peer-reviewed and gray literature to synthesize current knowledge on the situation of these children and families, and interventions currently in place in low and middle income countries. Organizational websites and references of all relevant sources were manually searched, and key informants from service organizations were contacted by phone and email. Results: A large amount of literature assessing the vulnerability and resilience of children of drug users and alcoholics in developed countries was found. Their children can face unique risks, stigma, and discrimination, but child vulnerability and resilience are associated in the substance abuse literature with the physical and mental health of parents and family context. Research on the situation of the children of sex workers is extremely limited. Interventions have been implemented in low and middle-income contexts but they tend to be small, piecemeal, struggling to meet demand; and undocumented, and most have not been evaluated. We present preliminary descriptive data from an organization working with pregnant and new mothers who are drug users in Ukraine and an organization providing services to sex workers and their families in Zambia. Discussion: Because parents’ drug use, sex work, or same sex relationships are often illegal and hidden, identifying their children can be difficult and may increase their vulnerability and marginalization. Therefore, researchers and service providers must proceed with caution when attempting to reach this population. Promising components of family-centered care include: strengthening family caring capacity through home visitation and peer support, providing early childhood development programs and crèches or drop-in centers for children; economic strengthening and job skills training for parents. Integration of legal assistance with health and other social services is also gaining increased international attention.The USAID | Project SEARCH, Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research (OVC-CARE) Task Order, is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under Contract No. GHH-I-00-07-00023-00, beginning August 1, 2008. OVC-CARE Task Order is implemented by Boston University. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency

The scale, scope and impact of alternative care for OVC in developing countries

This item is archived in the repository for materials published for the USAID supported Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research Project (OVC-CARE) at the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development.Over 145 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents due to various causes, 15 million of these are due to AIDS (1,2); and many more have been made vulnerable due to other causes. The global community has responded by putting in place various care arrangements for these children. However, the scale, scope and impact of these alternative care approaches have not been well summarized. The aim of this literature review is to synthesize and analyze available data on alternative care approaches and the impact of these placements on the lives of orphans and other vulnerable children. Both the short-term and long term wellbeing of a child depends a lot on where they live and the care they receive in those settings.The USAID | Project SEARCH, Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research (OVC-CARE) Task Order, is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under Contract No. GHH-I-00-07-00023-00, beginning August 1, 2008. OVC-CARE Task Order is implemented by Boston University. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency

Critically Appraised Topic: Maintenance & Generalization of Social skills & Social Skills Guide

Research was conducted to investigate the evidence for generalizability and/or long term maintenance of social skills intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ages 13-21 years. The question was created at the request of Kari Tanta PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA of the Valley Medical Center Children’s Therapy. The literature review was conducted, generating 17 articles that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The process involved rigorous article review via several databases and saturating the available literature from various professions. There is strong evidence to support the use of social skill intervention for adolescents with ASD. Furthermore, the evidence supports the generalizability and long-term maintenance of acquired skills. It is recommended that both practitioners and care providers of those with ASD consider the use of social skill interventions, especially those in groups, to elicit generalizable and sustainable progression of skill development. To support the implementation of these findings, a social skills guide was created as a knowledge translation project for parents and practitioners to use with individuals with ASD. The guide includes eleven social skills with which those with ASD are likely to struggle, according to our research. Each skill includes a description, potential problems with acquisition, research- and practice-supported interventions to encourage progress, and advocacy methods for functioning with the possible delays. The research was incorporated into the guide by extracting evidence-supported interventions for specific skills. The impact of this guide was monitored through use of a satisfaction survey, which was given to our course mentor, project chair, and practitioners at Children’s Therapy to evaluate its effectiveness and ease of use for parents to whom they may distribute the guide. It is recommended that outcome data from these surveys also be distributed to parents in the future to receive feedback on how to improve the guide

A New Chapter on Libraries

A poster presented by Chesney Flynn, Hallie Harrison, Megan and Slayde Sizemore for the class Libraries and Literacies: Plans for the Future of Libraries.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/gsp_projects_2019/1007/thumbnail.jp

The multikinase inhibitor RXDX-105 is effective against neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood and accounts for 15% of all pediatric cancer-related deaths. New therapies are needed to improve outcomes for children with high-risk and relapsed tumors. Inhibitors of the RET kinase and the RAS-MAPK pathway have previously been shown to be effective against neuroblastoma, suggesting that combined inhibition may have increased efficacy. RXDX-105 is a small molecule inhibitor of multiple kinases, including the RET and BRAF kinases. We found that treatment of neuroblastoma cells with RXDX-105 resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability and proliferation in vitro and in tumor growth and tumor vascularity in vivo. Treatment with RXDX-105 inhibited RET phosphorylation and phosphorylation of the MEK and ERK kinases in neuroblastoma cells and xenograft tumors, and RXDX-105 treatment induced both apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. RXDX-105 also showed enhanced efficacy in combination with 13-cis-retinoic acid, which is currently a component of maintenance therapy for children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Our results demonstrate that RXDX-105 shows promise as a novel therapeutic agent for children with high-risk and relapsed neuroblastoma