A new model for the diagnostic assessment services trajectory for neurodevelopmental conditions.

Purpose: The Canadian province of Québec faces several issues regarding the accessibility and quality of diagnostic assessment and the efficiency and continuity of evaluation, support, and intervention services for children with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs). To address these issues, the Ministry of Health and Social Services mandated a research team to initiate the development of a reference trajectory, i.e.

An innovative and collaborative method to develop a model care and service trajectory for the assessment, diagnosis, and support of children with developmental disabilities.

This paper documents an innovative research approach undertaken to co-develop an integrated assessment, diagnosis, and support service trajectory for children suspected of having a developmental disability. It employed data-driven practices and involved multiple stakeholders such as parents, professionals, managers, and researchers. It emphasized the importance of incorporating experiential knowledge adopting an integrated care and service trajectory perspective, and using an implementation science framework.

Neurocysticercosis Diagnosis in a Non-Endemic Country: France.

Diagnosing neurocysticercosis (NCC) is difficult due to its variable clinical presentations and the different imaging techniques used to detect brain damage. This study aimed to evaluate the use of cerebrospinal fluid serology and PCR for diagnosing biological neurocysticercosis in a non-endemic country. We tested samples from patients living in France with suspected NCC and confirmed that 45 of the patients presented with the disease.

Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children's Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems in many individuals, including children. Children with pre-existing socio-demographic or developmental risk factors may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the pandemic and associated public health preventive measures. This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children aged 5-13 years-old, while highlighting the specific difficulties experienced by children with neurodevelopmental issues or chronic health conditions.

Two-photon-absorption enhanced terahertz generation from KTP optically pumped in the visible-to-UV range.

By generating terahertz pulses in KTP crystals through optical rectification with a pump photon energy varying from below to above the bandgap, we observe a peak of the THz signal at the bandgap energy but also a second one around half the bandgap. This later one is attributed to a two-photon absorption enhanced nonlinearity, which is validated by the similarity of the two-photon absorption coefficient and THz peak amplitude data versus the pump photon energy. A careful analysis of the KTP sample absorption spectral dependence nearby the bandgap demonstrates that KTP is an indirect bandgap crystal, whose absorption below the bandgap involves emission of a phonon related to the symmetric Ti-O stretching vibration, i.