A multi-country phase 2 study to evaluate the suitcase lab for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 in seven Sub-Saharan African countries: Lessons from the field.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to severe health systems collapse, as well as logistics and supply delivery shortages across sectors. Delivery of PCR related healthcare supplies continue to be hindered. There is the need for a rapid and accessible SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection method in low resource settings.

Models of Classroom Assessment for Course-Based Research Experiences.

Course-based research pedagogy involves positioning students as contributors to authentic research projects as part of an engaging educational experience that promotes their learning and persistence in science. To develop a model for assessing and grading students engaged in this type of learning experience, the assessment aims and practices of a community of experienced course-based research instructors were collected and analyzed. This approach defines four aims of course-based research assessment - 1) Assessing Laboratory Work and Scientific Thinking; 2) Evaluating Mastery of Concepts, Quantitative Thinking and Skills; 3) Appraising Forms of Scientific Communication; and 4) Metacognition of Learning - along with a set of practices for each aim.

The role of postoperative radiation therapy in the treatment of meningeal hemangiopericytoma-experience from the SEER database.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of postoperative radiation therapy (RT) on cause-specific survival in patients with meningeal hemangiopericytomas.

Methods And Materials: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 1990-2008 was queried for cases of surgically resected central nervous system hemangiopericytoma. Patient demographics, tumor location, and extent of resection were included in the analysis as covariates.

Use of daptomycin for the treatment of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcal ventriculitis.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the main pathogens causing hospital-acquired external-ventricular-drain- (EVD-) and lumbar-drain- (LD-) associated meningitis and ventriculitis. The treatment of these infections can be challenging and may require combination of intraventricular and intravenous administration of antibiotics. Limited animal data demonstrate rapid daptomycin bactericidal activity, adequate penetration in the setting of inflamed meninges, and extended half-life in the ventricles Steenbergen et al.

Endoscope-assisted placement of a multiperforated shunt catheter into the fourth ventricle via a frontal transventricular approach.

Object: Patients with symptomatic isolated fourth ventricle and multicompartmentalized hydrocephalus benefit from operative treatment, but the optimal surgical approach and technique have yet to be established. The authors report on their experience with the treatment of symptomatic adult patients by endoscope-assisted placement of a fourth ventricle shunt catheter via a frontal transventricular approach.

Methods: The authors describe a retrospective series of four patients treated for isolated fourth ventricle.