Evaluation of a Language and Literacy Enhancement Program.

Reading aloud to children encourages language development. Pediatricians promote reading practices through Reach Out and Read (ROR) and other methods. This exploratory study sought to examine the value that supplemental materials promoting "Touch, Talk, Read, Play" (TTRP) might provide in addition to ROR. This study was a pre- and postintervention design to assess response to the TTRP curriculum. Caregivers of children ages 12 to 24 months completed the communication portion of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Third Edition and a Literacy Education Survey to assess current literacy practices. The caregiver and child were then introduced to the TTRP materials. Data were obtained on 98 subjects preintervention with follow-up data collected on 30 participants 6 months later. Significant differences were found in the Ages and Stages Questionnaire scores and parent-reported importance of reading and conversing frequently with their child. TTRP provides an effective curriculum for literacy promotion in a ROR program.

Lipid A structures containing novel lipid moieties: synthesis and adjuvant properties.

Structurally well-defined immune stimulatory molecules are important components of new generation molecular vaccines. In this paper, the design and synthesis of two lipid A analogues containing an unnatural tri-lipid acyl group are described. In a totally synthetic liposomal vaccine system, these re-designed lipid A analogues demonstrate potent immune stimulatory properties including antigen specific T-cell activation.