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The pandemic has exacerbated teacher attrition in California with 88% of the hiring demand in high needs areas of education (Darling-Hammond et al., 2018). The shortage of credentialed teachers has increased the need to fill positions with intern teachers who have limited or no teaching experience. This is most prevalent in special education, mathematics, and science. Many intern teachers will leave the profession within the first two to five years of service. The impact will take its toll on the students with the greatest needs. This study explored the support and training needs of intern teachers in high need areas; critical components support systems needed to recruit, retain, and increase intern teacher longevity; and the existing systems of support for the intern teacher's success and retention. The findings may assist school administrators and university faculty in designing support systems for preparing, coaching, and supporting intern teachers to ensure their success in the profession.

Large groups of asylum-seeking refugees have settled throughout California. Communities large and small have met their arrival with a range of emotions, and a mix of support and social impacts. This qualitative study takes an in-depth look at a district program, Family and Community Engagement, to inquire about what services exist in schools to help students and families adjust to the new education system in the United States. This research may provide valuable insight to school districts that seek to better serve and support asylum-seeking refugees and other newcomer families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant yeast, can spread rapidly in ventilator-capable skilled-nursing facilities (vSNFs) and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs). In 2018, a laboratory serving LTACHs in southern California began identifying species of Candida that were detected in urine specimens to enhance surveillance of C auris, and C auris was identified in February 2019 in a patient in an Orange County (OC), California, LTACH. Further investigation identified C auris at 3 associated facilities.Objective: To assess the prevalence of C auris and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in LTACHs and vSNFs in OC.Design: Point prevalence surveys (PPSs), postdischarge testing for C auris detection, and assessments of IPC were done from March to October 2019.Setting: All LTACHs (n = 3) and vSNFs (n = 14) serving adult patients in OC.Participants: Current or recent patients in LTACHs and vSNFs in OC.Intervention: In facilities where C auris was detected, PPSs were repeated every 2 weeks. Ongoing IPC support was provided.Measurements: Antifungal susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing to assess isolate relatedness.Results: Initial PPSs at 17 facilities identified 44 additional patients with C auris in 3 (100%) LTACHs and 6 (43%) vSNFs, with the first bloodstream infection reported in May 2019. By October 2019, a total of 182 patients with C auris were identified by serial PPSs and discharge testing. Of 81 isolates that were sequenced, all were clade III and highly related. Assessments of IPC identified gaps in hand hygiene, transmission-based precautions, and environmental cleaning. The outbreak was contained to 2 facilities by October 2019.Limitation: Acute care hospitals were not assessed, and IPC improvements over time could not be rigorously evaluated.Conclusion: Enhanced laboratory surveillance and prompt investigation with IPC support enabled swift identification and containment of C auris.Primary Funding Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to characterize brain volumetric differences in HIV seropositive and seronegative men and to determine effects of age, cardiovascular risk, and HIV infection on structural integrity. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging was used to acquire high-resolution neuroanatomic data in 160 men aged 50 years and over, including 84 HIV seropositive and 76 seronegative controls. Voxel-based morphometry was used to derive volumetric measurements at the level of the individual voxel. Data from a detailed neuropsychological test battery were recombined into four summary scores representing psychomotor speed, visual memory, verbal memory, and verbal fluency. Results: Both age and HIV status had a significant effect on both gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume. The age-related GM atrophy was primarily in the superior temporal and inferior frontal regions; the HIV-related GM loss included the posterior and inferior temporal lobes, the parietal lobes, and the cerebellum. Among all subjects, the performance on neuropsychological tests, as indexed by a summary variable, was related to the volume of both the GM and WM. Contrary to our predictions, the CVD variables were not linked to brain volume in statistically adjusted models. Conclusion: In the post-HAART era, having HIV infection is still linked to atrophy in both GM and WM. Secondly, advancing age, even in this relatively young cohort, is also linked to changes in GM and WM volume. Thirdly, CNS structural integrity is associated with overall cognitive functions, regardless of the HIV infection status of the study volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]