Point-of-care testing in paediatric settings in the UK and Ireland: A cross-sectional study

Background: Point-of-care testing (POCT) is diagnostic testing performed at or near to the site of the patient. Understanding the current capacity, and scope, of POCT in this setting is essential in order to respond to new research evidence which may lead to wide implementation. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey study of POCT use was conducted between 6th January and 2nd February 2020 on behalf of two United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland-based paediatric research networks (Paediatric Emergency Research UK and Ireland, and General and Adolescent Paediatric Research UK and Ireland). Results: In total 91/109 (83.5%) sites responded, with some respondents providing details for multiple units on their site based on network membership (139 units in total). The most commonly performed POCT were blood sugar (137/139; 98.6%), urinalysis (134/139; 96.4%) and blood gas analysis (132/139; 95%). The use of POCT for Influenza/Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (45/139; 32.4%, 41/139; 29.5%), C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (13/139; 9.4%), Procalcitonin (PCT) (2/139; 1.4%) and Group A Streptococcus (5/139; 3.6%) and was relatively low. Obstacles to the introduction of new POCT included resources and infrastructure to support test performance and quality assurance. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates significant consensus in POCT practice in the UK and Ireland but highlights specific inequity in newer biomarkers, some which do not have support from national guidance. A clear strategy to overcome the key obstacles of funding, evidence base, and standardising variation will be essential if there is a drive toward increasing implementation of POCT

Molecular Basis of Plant Gene Expression During Aphid Invasion: Wheat \u3ci\u3ePto\u3c/i\u3e- and \u3ci\u3ePti\u3c/i\u3e-like Sequences are Involved in Interactions Between Wheat and Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

The Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko) (Homoptera: Aphididae), is a major pest of bread wheat, Triticum aestivum L. (em Thell), in most wheat-growing areas worldwide. Aphid-resistant cultivars are used to combat this pest, but very little is known about the molecular basis of resistance. In this study, differential gene expression in D. noxia biotype I-resistant wheat plants containing the Dnx gene and D. noxia biotype 1 feeding on Dnx plants was investigated using suppressive subtraction hybridization. The derived subtracted cDNA library includes sequences similar to Pto and PHI, genes involved in gene-for-gene recognition of and resistance to bacterial speck disease in tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum (L.). Pto- and Pti1-like sequences contain an activation domain with conserved amino acid residues crucial for avr protein recognition and binding by Pto, and avr-Pto phosphorylation of Pti1. Wheat defense signaling is represented by sequences putatively involved in producing sterols, jasmonates, Ca2+, and abscisic and gibberellic acids. We suggest that reductions in populations of D. noxia fed Dnx plants are related to the expression of sequences involved in defensive chemical production, cellular transport, and exocytosis. Dnx plant tolerance of D. noxia feeding is proposed to be based on the expression of sequences putatively involved in self-defense against reactive oxygen species and toxins, and proteolysis; DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis; chloroplast and mitochondrial function; carbohydrate metabolism; and maintenance of cell homeostasis. D. noxia unsuccessfully counter Dnx by expressing sequences putatively involved in detoxification; proteolysis; DNA, RNA, protein, and lipid synthesis; carbohydrate metabolism; and mitochondrial function

Promoting Children's Learning and Development in Conflict-Affected Countries: Testing Change Process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2016)

RLOsImproving children's learning and development in conflict-affected countries is critically important for breaking the intergenerational transmission of violence and poverty. Yet there is currently a stunning lack of rigorous evidence as to whether and how programs to improve learning and development in conflict-affected countries actually work to bolster children's academic learning and socioemotional development. This study tests a theory of change derived from the fields of developmental psychopathology and social ecology about how a school-based universal socioemotional learning program, the International Rescue Committee's Learning to Read in a Healing Classroom (LRHC), impacts children's learning and development. The study was implemented in three conflict-affected provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and employed a cluster-randomized waitlist control design to estimate impact. Using multilevel structural equation modeling techniques, we found support for the central pathways in the LRHC theory of change. Specifically, we found that LRHC differentially impacted dimensions of the quality of the school and classroom environment at the end of the first year of the intervention, and that in turn these dimensions of quality were differentially associated with child academic and socioemotional outcomes. Future implications and directions are discussed. Please note: we do not have permission to upload this as a record but you can follow the link to the full document externally.ESRC-DFI

Improving Primary Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: End-Line Results of a Cluster-Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial of Learning in a Healing Classroom

RLOsWe used a cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial to examine impacts of a school-based social-emotional learning intervention on Congolese students and teachers. Seventy-six school clusters in two groups (A and B) were randomized to treatment or control. The groups differed in geographic location, accessibility, exposure to violence, and external donor investment. We estimated causal impacts in Group A, tested whether those impacts were replicated in Group B, and conducted sensitivity analyses on the pooled sample. Pooled analyses had higher statistical power and were therefore more likely to represent the true average impacts of the program. Improvements in students’ perceptions of school predictability and in addition and subtraction, geometry, and reading performance were specific to Group B. Only the effect on addition and subtraction remained significant in the pooled analysis. Improvements in teachers’ sense of accomplishment were found in Group A and remained significant in the pooled analysis. We detected no impacts on other outcomes. School-based interventions embedding social-emotional learning principles into the academic curricula are a promising but not yet proven approach to improving children’s outcomes in low-income countries affected by war