Socially promoted students\u27 lived experience of transition into high school

Educational leaders nationwide cannot decisively agree on a preference for either social promotion or grade retention. Throughout history varied opinions have stimulated divergent public policy and practice. The longstanding divergence becomes understandable in light of consistently inconclusive achievement results. Nevertheless, social promotion and grade retention are commonly practiced in a number of New Jersey Public Schools. This study will undertake qualitative research into student experiences of social promotion. It will strive to understand the factors that contribute to some low achieving students passing later grades on merit while others continue to fail. Given this inconsistency of outcome, it is fitting that recent public policy and educational research has suggested that there is a need for specific programs and practices independent of both social promotion and grade retention. The conclusions of this study will be discussed in light of their potential applications to those alternative recommendations

Painful rib hump: a new clinical sign for detecting intraspinal rib displacement in scoliosis due to neurofibromatosis

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord compression and associate neurological impairment is rare in patients with scoliosis and neurofibromatosis. Common reasons are vertebral subluxation, dislocation, angulation and tumorous lesions around the spinal canal. Only twelve cases of intraspinal rib dislocation have been reported in the literature. The aim of this report is to present a case of rib penetration through neural foramen at the apex of a scoliotic curve in neurofibromatosis and to introduce a new clinical sign for its detection. METHODS: A 13-year-old girl was evaluated for progressive left thoracic kyphoscoliotic curve due to a type I neurofibromatosis. Clinical examination revealed multiple large thoracic and abdominal "cafe-au-lait" spots, neurological impairment of the lower limbs and the presence of a thoracic gibbous that was painful to pressure at the level of the left eighth rib (Painful Rib Hump). CT-scan showed detachment and translocation of the cephalic end of the left eighth rib into the adjacent enlarged neural foramen. The M.R.I. examination of the spine showed neither cord abnormality nor neurogenic tumor. RESULTS: The patient underwent resection of the intraspinal mobile eighth rib head and posterior spinal instrumentation and was neurologically fully recovered six months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Spine surgeons should be aware of intraspinal rib displacement in scoliotic curves in neurofibromatosis. Painful rib hump is a valuable diagnostic tool for this rare clinical entity

Acetaminophen-mediated cardioprotection via inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore-induced apoptotic pathway

Historically, acetaminophen has been employed as a safe and effective analgesic and antipyretic agent. However, our laboratory has recently reported that acetaminophen also confers functional cardioprotection following cardiac insult, including ischemia/reperfusion, hypoxia/reoxygenation, and exogenous peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide administration. In the current study, we examined the mechanism of acetaminophen-mediated cardioprotection following ischemia/reperfusion injury. Langendorff-perfused guinea pig hearts were exposed to acute treatment with acetaminophen (0.35 mM) or vehicle (Krebs-Henseleit buffer) beginning at 15 minutes of a 30-minute baseline stabilization period. Low-flow global myocardial ischemia was subsequently induced for 30 minutes followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. Upon completion of reperfusion, hearts were homogenized and separated into cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions. Mitochondrial swelling and mitochondrial cytochrome c release were assessed and found to be significantly and completely reduced following reperfusion in acetaminophen-treated hearts when compared to vehicle. In a separate group of hearts, ventricular myocytes were isolated and subjected to fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Acetaminophen-treated hearts showed a significant decrease in late stage apoptotic myocytes when compared to vehicle-treated hearts following injury (58 [plus/minus] 1% vs. 81 [plus/minus] 5%, respectively). These data, together with electron micrograph analysis, suggest that acetaminophen mediates cardioprotection, in part, by inhibiting the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and subsequent apoptotic pathway.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-79)