Introduction Of Screening Test Research Articles

Screening Tests of Reading: Time for a Rethink

A Norwegian version of this article has formerly been published in this journal:Walgermo, B. R., Uppstad, P. H., Lundetræ, K., Tønnessen, F. E., & Solheim, O. J. (2018). Kartleggingsprøver i lesing-tid for nytenking?. Acta Didactica Norge, 12(4), art. 7. https://doi.org/10.5617/adno.6499. Abstract At present, the national Norwegian quality-assessment system for basic education (NKVS) includes a range of reading tests with different purposes and designs, to be administered at various points during a 13-year period of schooling. In this article, we trace the historical background to the introduction of screening tests of reading in early education and identify a number of circumstances that call for a rethink of the overall test concept. Using data from a longitudinal study, we show that scores on a brief task administered towards the end of grade 1 predict reading-comprehension difficulties in grade 3. Taking that finding as our starting point, we discuss an idea for a possible new test concept that might have the potential to (a) improve the match between reading theory and reading-skill measurements, (b) enable longitudinal prediction, and (c) take less time to administer and be more useful in an educational context. The central elements of this new test concept are a short initial test meeting the primary objective of identifying students at risk of developing reading difficulties, and a follow-up explorative part to be carried out one-on-one, which will provide the teacher with information about the nature of each student’s difficulties. Keywords: reading assessments, screening for reading difficulties, longitudinal predic­tion, early efforts, dyslexia, reading and writing difficulties, special-needs education

The current status of immunotherapy for cervical cancer.

Immunotherapy has been proven effective in several tumours, hence diverse immune checkpoint inhibitors are currently licensed for the treatment of melanoma, kidney cancer, lung cancer and most recently, tumours with microsatellite instability. There is much enthusiasm for investigating this approach in gynaecological cancers and the possibility that immunotherapy might become part of the therapeutic landscape for gynaecological malignancies. Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women worldwide and represents 7.9% of all female cancers with a higher burden of the disease and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Cervical cancer is largely a preventable disease, since the introduction of screening tests, the recognition of the human papillomavirus (HPV) as an etiological agent, and the subsequent development of primary prophylaxis against high risk HPV subtypes. Treatment for relapsed/advanced disease has improved over the last 5 years, since the introduction of antiangiogenic therapy. However, despite advances, the median overall survival for advanced cervical cancer is 16.8 months and the 5-year overall survival for all stages is 68%. There is a need to improve outcomes and immunotherapy could offer this possibility. Clinical trials aim to understand the best timing for immunotherapy, either in the adjuvant setting or recurrent disease and whether immunotherapy, alone or in combination with other agents, improves outcomes.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in a tertiary center in South India

Objective: To determine the prevalence for Chlamydia trachomatis and the need for introduction of screening test for chlamydia infection in patients attending a gynaecology outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine patients had endocervical swabs taken during pelvic examination, after an informed consent and tested using the Clearview ® chlamydia test kit. Results: Overall prevalence of infection was 10%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of C. trachomatis which warrants introduction of screening.

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis

Protecting the Blood Supply

Prevention of the transmission of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by transfusion has been the most successful area of epidemiologic control of the disease. Only 2% of the more than 50,000 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been attributed to transfusion, and the vast majority of these patients were infected before the introduction of screening tests in April 1985. The overall prevention program involves donor education, adequate medical history, physical examination, and mechanisms that allow exclusion of individuals at risk in a confidential manner. The current screening tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies are highly sensitive, and the Western blot confirmatory test is highly specific. The present program can be used as a model in screening for other viruses and diseases, and its success has stimulated current work in developing multiple-retrovirus screening tests to detect either several retroviruses simultaneously or elements that are common to all retroviruses.