ABSTRACT
Background: Reactivation of BK virus (BKV) infection can cause significant kidney disease in immunocompromised patients. BKV nephropathy is a leading cause of allograft loss in kidney transplant recipients. There are currently no effective or BKV-specific therapies. MAU868 is a novel monoclonal human IgG1 that binds to the BKV major capsid protein with potent in vitro neutralizing activity against the 4 major BKV genotypes. Method(s): This is a Phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in patients (pts) who received a kidney transplant within one year. Pts had BK viremia;either >=104 copies/ml within 10 days of randomization or >=103 copies/ml in 2 consecutive samples 1-3 wks apart with most recent value measured within 10 days of randomization. Pts were randomized (2:1) to MAU868 or placebo intravenously (IV) every 28 days for 12 wks, with 24 wks follow-up. This analysis reports efficacy results at 16 and 36 wks for 2 cohorts: Cohort 1: MAU868 1350 mg IV X4 doses, and Cohort 2: MAU868 6750 mg IV followed by 1350 mg IV X3 doses. The primary endpoint was safety;BKV viral load (VL) response to treatment was assessed as secondary endpoints and post-hoc analyses. Result(s): 20 pts received MAU868 and 8 pts received placebo;all completed 12 wks of treatment and 24 wks of follow-up. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Median baseline VL was 16,700 log10 BKV DNA copies/ml (range 1,200-1,800,000). MAU868 was well tolerated, with a comparable frequency of adverse events and serious adverse events between groups through wk 36. There were 2 deaths in the MAU868 group due to COVID-19 infection deemed unrelated to study drug. The antiviral effect was greater in the MAU868 group than in the placebo group at wk 16 and sustained through wk 36 (Table). Conclusion(s): MAU868 was well tolerated and demonstrated clinically meaningful BK antiviral activity in kidney transplant recipients with BK viremia. These results support the further development of MAU868 as a therapy for BK viremia. (Table Presented).
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe consequences for economies across the globe, leading the governments to resort to extreme strategies such as implementing lockdowns to contain the reach of a virus, to implementing recovery plans in order to ensure business continuity and allow the smooth running of the business. This chapter highlights the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic globally and in India. It also outlines the various government measures taken at national and international levels for reopening of the economy, primarily focusing on policies in the services sector (including healthcare, education, travel, and tourism), in the manufacturing sector (MSME, infrastructure, power, utilities, and energy), and related to fiscal measures (overall, employment and monetary, and macro). The chapter concludes by summarizing the implications for India to combat adversities created by COVID-19, primarily by bringing improvements in the goods and services sector. © 2021, IGI Global.
ABSTRACT
India is facing learning crisis as close to 5 crore children in elementary school, lacks numeracy and literacy skills mentioned in draft NEP, 2019.ASER (2021) reported that COVID 2019 has worsen the situation, as only 10 per cent of the kids studying grade III to V in government schools can solve a subtraction problem. National Curriculum Frameworks, time to time has expressed the need to bring changes in the areas of teaching, learning and assessment for qualitative improvement in the school education system in India.If we want to bridge the learning gap, we need to provide the suitable interventions. For that purpose, we need to know where students are on the skill continuum and specifically the learning areas which need attention. Traditional pen paper test or examination is designed to test their knowledge on the bases of content, not on competence. This paper endeavors to construct standardized a simple, cost effective and easy to administer screening assessment toolkit to check the competence based numeracy skills for grade three. Final draft of the toolkit is comprised of 9 items. Reliability of the toolkit was found by test re-test method and it was .89. Content validity and construct validity of the toolkit was also established.
ABSTRACT
This study examines the effect of strategies adopted by Chitkara International School for the continuous improvement of online learning of kindergarten students, during the transition of classes from offline mode to online mode. The objective of this study is to increase the interest of the students in online classes, to increase the engagement of the parents in the child's learning process and upskilling the teachers for handling online classes during COVID-19 time. The study was conducted on 373 kindergarten students, parents and 25 teachers of Chitkara International School. The study was conducted using Pre-test-post-test single group design. The sample was analysed based on the qualitative and quantitative data. The findings of the study reported that there was significant improvement in the attendance of the students of the kindergarten classes, the cooperation and involvement of the parents increased and there was a significant increase in the participation of the students in all the activities. This study was conducted with a purpose of providing Quality Education to students even during Covid times and all efforts were made in sync with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 which focusses on Quality Education. © The Electrochemical Society