Search

The widely and internationally replicated socioeconomic status (SES) gradient of executive function (EF) implies that intervention approaches may do well to extrapolate conditions and practices from contexts that generate better child outcomes (in this case, higher SES circumstances) and translate these to contexts with comparatively poorer outcomes (often low-SES populations). Yet, can the reverse also be true? Using data from equivalent assessments of 1,092 pre-schoolers' EFs in South Africa and Australia, we evaluated: the SES gradient of EF within each sample; and whether this SES gradient extended cross-culturally. The oft-found EF-SES gradients were replicated in both samples. However, contrary to the inferences of EF-SES associations found nationally, the most highly disadvantaged South African subsample outperformed middle- and high-SES Australian pre-schoolers on two of three EFs. This suggests the possibility of EF-protective and -promotive practices within low- and middle-income countries that may aid understandings of the nature and promotion of EFs.

The Access Consortium New Active Substance Work-Sharing Initiative, or "Access" for simplicity, allows regulatory authorities (RAs) of the Access Consortium countries to jointly review applications for the registration of new active substances or for new indications. Using a survey developed by the pharmaceutical industry trade associations of the five Access Consortium countries—Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (UK)—this study gathered insights into the perceptions and experiences of the Access pathway held by affiliates of pharmaceutical companies. Understanding industry perceptions of Access is important for the success of the initiative, as participation is voluntary. Findings indicate that affiliates who participated in Access had mostly positive experiences with this pathway; most affiliates were satisfied with their interactions with the Access RAs and appeared willing to continue to participate in the initiative. Affiliates' reasons for not having yet participated in Access included a lack of opportunity to do so and perceived barriers, such as the Access pathway being too complicated to manage. Recommendations to improve Access cover six key areas: ensure predictability, increase guidance and transparency, streamline processes, maintain flexibility, increase harmonization, and advance RA-industry cooperation. This study should facilitate informed discussions among relevant stakeholders on how to improve Access to maximize efficiencies, accelerate approvals, and improve patient access to innovative medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an early diagnosed monogenic disorder, associated with a striking pattern of cognitive/attentional difficulties and a high risk of poor behavioural outcomes. FXS therefore represents an ideal model disorder to study prospectively the impact of early attention deficits on behaviour. Methods: Thirty-seven boys with FXS aged 4-10 years and 74 typically developing (TD) boys took part. Study 1 was designed to assess visual and auditory attention at two time-points, 1 year apart. Study 2 investigated attention to multimodal information. Both tested attention markers as longitudinal predictors of risk for poor behaviour in FXS. Results: Children with FXS attended less well than mental-age matched TD boys and experienced greater difficulties with auditory compared to visual stimuli. In addition, unlike TD children, they did not benefit from multimodal information. Attention markers were significant predictors of later behavioural difficulties in boys with FXS. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate, for the first time, greater difficulties with auditory attention and atypical processing of multimodal information, in addition to pervasive global attentional difficulties in boys with FXS. Attention predicted outcomes longitudinally, underscoring the need to dissect what drives differing developmental trajectories for individual children within a seemingly homogeneous group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]