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All children have the right to an education and a voice, to be heard and to influence aspects of their lives and their education. Children and young people in foster care face unique and often challenging experiences that can make them vulnerable to having these basic rights eroded. This paper presents the findings from an in-depth study exploring the educational experiences and self-determined educational successes of young people who spent time in foster care in New Zealand. Findings from semi-structured interviews with seven young people reflected broad and holistic experiences of educational success. Relationships with teachers, foster caregivers and friends were key supports to success, along with having a voice, influence over decisions and having an advocate. Young people demonstrated marked resilience throughout the challenges they faced, which was both supportive to success, and a success in itself. Given the unique life experiences of children and young people in foster care, there is an imperative to create space for their voices to determine and define what educational success means. They need their rights to share these perspectives to enhance their own educational experiences, and to influence both the policy and practice agendas around foster care and education.

Entamoeba histolytica is the cause of amoebiasis. The trophozoite (amoeba) form of this parasite is capable of invading the intestine and can disseminate through the bloodstream to other organs. The mechanisms that allow amoebae to evade complement deposition during dissemination have not been well characterized. We previously discovered a novel complement-evasion mechanism employed by E. histolytica. E. histolytica ingests small bites of living human cells in a process termed trogocytosis. We demonstrated that amoebae were protected from lysis by human serum following trogocytosis of human cells and that amoebae acquired and displayed human membrane proteins from the cells they ingested. Here, we aimed to define how amoebae are protected from complement lysis after performing trogocytosis. We found that amoebae were protected from complement lysis after ingestion of both human Jurkat T cells and red blood cells and that the level of protection correlated with the amount of material ingested. Trogocytosis of human cells led to a reduction in deposition of C3b on the surface of amoebae. We asked whether display of human complement regulators is involved in amoebic protection, and found that CD59 was displayed by amoebae after trogocytosis. Deletion of a single complement-regulatory protein, CD59 or CD46, from Jurkat cells was not sufficient to alter amoebic protection from lysis, suggesting that multiple, redundant complement regulators mediate amoebic protection. However, exogeneous expression of CD46 or CD55 in amoebae was sufficient to confer protection from lysis. These studies shed light on a novel strategy for immune evasion by a pathogen. IMPORTANCE Entamoeba histolytica is the cause of amoebiasis, a diarrheal disease of global importance. While infection is often asymptomatic, the trophozoite (amoeba) form of this parasite is capable of invading and ulcerating the intestine and can disseminate through the bloodstream to other organs. Understanding how E. histolytica evades the complement system during dissemination is of great interest. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that amoebae that have performed trogocytosis (nibbling of human cells) resist deposition of the complement protein C3b. Amoebae that have performed trogocytosis display the complement-regulatory protein CD59. Overall, our studies suggest that acquisition and display of multiple, redundant complement regulators is involved in amoebic protection from complement lysis. These findings shed light on a novel strategy for immune evasion by a pathogen. Since other parasites use trogocytosis for cell killing, our findings may apply to the pathogenesis of other infections.

Purpose: Valued living (acting in accordance with personal values) is associated with better outcomes after acquired brain injury (ABI), but its measurement using the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) may not be valid due to comprehension errors relating to structure and content. We aimed to modify the VLQ to improve its accessibility and evaluate construct validity and reliability in an ABI cohort. Materials and methods: Adaptations made in the VLQ – Comprehension Support version (VLQ-CS) used established communication support methods and addressed common comprehension errors. 103 community-dwelling participants (34% female; mean age 52.17, range 19–79) with ABI (66% stroke, 16% TBI, 18% other) completed the VLQ-CS, and measures of convergent (valued living, mood, wellbeing, psychological inflexibility) and divergent validity (subjective memory). Test-retest reliability was evaluated with repeated administrations 6–8 weeks apart for a subset of participants (n = 44), using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs). Results: Convergent validity was supported; VLQ-CS scores were positively correlated with measures of valued living (r=.60–.65) and wellbeing (r=.64–.67), and negatively correlated with depression (r=-0.56–.58), anxiety (r=-0.35–.38) and psychological inflexibility (r=-0.37–.41). Divergent validity was marginal (r=-0.29). Test-retest reliability was good for the VLQ-CS Composite score (ICC=.80). Conclusions: The VLQ-CS shows promise as a valid, reliable measure of valued living post-ABI. Future research should extend to neurotypical and other clinical populations. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Valued living or values-based action is associated with better functional and psychosocial outcomes after acquired brain injury (ABI) and is therefore an important target for intervention. Measurement of valued living needs to be clear, easily understood, and relevant for people with cognitive and communication impairments associated with ABI and other conditions. The Valued Living Questionnaire – Comprehension Support version (VLQ-CS) was developed to optimise accessibility and reduce comprehension errors. The VLQ-CS is valid, reliable and fit-for-purpose as a measure of valued living for people with ABI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a 10-year-old female with a month-long history of intermittent fever, fatigue, joint pain, and rash, whose condition worsened despite outpatient evaluation, prompting a return to the pediatric emergency department. Topics include the patient's medical history including epilepsy and recent COVID-19 vaccination, laboratory findings such as anemia and a positive respiratory pathogen panel for Coronavirus OC43.

Globally, ungulate–vehicle collisions (UVCs) are a major human safety concern and may also represent a significant source of mortality for some ungulate populations. However, records of UVC based on counts of roadside carcasses or reports by drivers involved in these incidents are assuredly underestimated because not all ungulates struck die immediately or at the roadside or are reported by drivers or authorities. Here, we provide an observation and analysis of the movements of a GPS‐collared bison (Bison bison) that was involved in a UVC on the Alaska Highway and died in a thick boreal forest 29 days later. During that time, she moved 49.7 km from where she was hit. Her daily movement rate (in kilometers per hour) and daily net displacement (in kilometers per day) were significantly greater in the 29‐day period before she was struck compared with 29 days afterward. This vivid example illustrates that individuals injured in a UVC can die several weeks later and at a considerable distance from where they were initially struck. Moreover, when they eventually die, it may be where their carcass would not be found or associated with a UVC. Bison are the largest land mammal in North America and perhaps more robust to some lower impact UVC than smaller bodied species. Even so, if not for the GPS collar on this bison, we would have never known the fate of this individual, and the carcass likely never found. Taken together, the movements and final resting place of this bison illuminate how estimates of mortality as a result of UVC can be underestimated when the animal does not die immediately and in a location where it can be found. Given our data, we further urge managers to consider roadside counts of animals killed in UVC as a minimum estimate when considering options for mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]