The role of the school-based occupational therapist in secondary education transition planning: a pilot survey study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate school-based occupational therapists' knowledge of transition planning, their degree of participation in assessment and intervention of students requiring transition services, and to identify potential barriers limiting therapists' participation in transition services. METHOD: Using survey methods, a questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of therapists listed as members of the School System Special Interest Section of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Eighty therapists from all geographical regions within the continental United States and who identified themselves as working with students 13-21 years of age in an educational setting, participated in the study. The response rate was 20%. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported that they understood the terminology associated with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990 and the 1997 IDEA amendments definitions of transition planning at the secondary level, but were less likely to apply that knowledge to the transition planning process. The majority of therapists reported minimal participation in secondary education transition planning assessment and intervention for students with disabilities. Most respondents believed that they were not contributing to the transition planning process in a manner that maximized their skills, and identified several barriers that they believed hindered greater participation. CONCLUSION: This pilot study suggests that occupational therapists may not be participating in transition services to their fullest potential. While the low response rate in this study precludes generalization, this information is important to guide further study as well as to shape efforts to increase occupational therapy's role in this important service area within school-based practice.     

Living-donor kidney transplantation: comparison of sequential and simultaneous surgical organizations

International Urology and Nephrology - The objective of this study was to compare living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) performed either sequentially, in one operating room, leading to...     

Moving and fusion of the pancreatic buds in the rat embryos during the embryonic period (carnegie stages 13-17) by a three-dimensional computer-assisted reconstruction

Aim  

The purpose of the present study was to illustrate the modality of rotation of ventral and dorsal pancreatic buds by three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions in the rat embryos, during the Carnegie stages 13–17.     

A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the Core Laboratory

The Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has implemented a professional development model designed to further the education, expertise, and experiences of medical laboratory scientists in the core laboratory. The professional development model (PDM) has four competency levels: Discovery, Application, Maturation and Expert. All levels require the medical laboratory scientist to learn new skill sets, complete task and projects, and meet continuing education and certification requirements. Each level encourages personal development, recognizes increased competencies, and sets high standards for all services provided. Upon completion of a level within a given timeframe, the medical laboratory scientist receives a salary adjustment based on the competency level completed.     

Hepatitis E virus and neurologic disorders

Information about the spectrum of disease caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 is emerging. During 2004-2009, at 2 hospitals in the United Kingdom and France, among 126 patients with locally acquired acute and chronic HEV genotype 3 infection, neurologic complications developed in 7 (5.5%): inflammatory polyradiculopathy (n = 3), Guillain-Barre syndrome (n = 1), bilateral brachial neuritis (n = 1), encephalitis (n = 1), and ataxia/proximal myopathy (n = 1). Three cases occurred in nonimmunocompromised patients with acute HEV infection, and 4 were in immunocompromised patients with chronic HEV infection. HEV RNA was detected in cerebrospinal fluid of all 4 patients with chronic HEV infection but not in that of 2 patients with acute HEV infection. Neurologic outcomes were complete resolution (n = 3), improvement with residual neurologic deficit (n = 3), and no improvement (n = 1). Neurologic disorders are an emerging extrahepatic manifestation of HEV infection.     

Community and facility-level engagement in planning and budgeting for the government health sector--a district perspective from Kenya

Health systems reform processes have increasingly recognized the essential contribution of communities to the success of health programs and development activities in general. Here we examine the experience from Kilifi district in Kenya of implementing annual health sector planning guidelines that included community participation in problem identification, priority setting, and planning. We describe challenges in the implementation of national planning guidelines, how these were met, and how they influenced final plans and budgets. The broad-based community engagement envisaged in the guidelines did not take place due to the delay in roll out of the Ministry of Health-trained community health workers. Instead, community engagement was conducted through facility management committees, though in a minority of facilities, even such committees were not involved. Some overlap was found in the priorities highlighted by facility staff, committee members and national indicators, but there were also many additional issues raised by committee members and not by other groups. The engagement of the community through committees influenced target and priority setting, but the emphasis on national health indicators left many local priorities unaddressed by the final work plans. Moreover, it appears that the final impact on budgets allocated at district and facility level was limited. The experience in Kilifi highlights the feasibility of engaging the community in the health planning process, and the challenges of ensuring that this engagement feeds into consolidated plans and future implementation.     

Synthesis, in vitro antiproliferative activities, and Chk1 inhibitory properties of pyrrolo[3,4-a]carbazole-1,3-diones, pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-1,3-diones, and 2-aminopyridazino[3,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-1,3,4,7-tetraone

The synthesis of substituted pyrrolo[3,4-a]carbazole-1,3-diones, pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-1,3-diones, and 2-aminopyridazino[3,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-1,3,4,7-tetraone is reported. Their inhibitory properties toward Checkpoint 1 kinase (Chk1) have been evaluated and their in vitro antiproliferative activities toward three tumor cell lines: murine leukemia L1210, human colon carcinoma HT29 and HCT116 have been determined. From the biological results, it appears that, in contrast with the upper E heterocycle, the lower D heterocycle is not absolutely required for Chk1 inhibition. The ATP binding pocket of Chk1 seems to be adaptable to substitution of the nitrogen of the imide E heterocycle with a hydroxymethyl group, allowing the fundamental hydrogen bond with the Glu(85) residue of the enzyme.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of diversely substituted indolin-2-ones

The synthesis of indolin-2-one derivatives substituted in the 3-position by an aminomethylene group bearing either an ornithine or a lysine residue is described. The inhibitory activities of these compounds toward a panel of eight kinases were examined. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of the prepared compounds were tested against two Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus and Streptomyces chartreusis, a Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and a yeast Candida albicans.