A Mixed-Methods Policy Analysis of Grade 8 Stakeholders’ Perceptions Pertaining to the Intention and Implementation of French Immersion Programming

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of Grade 8 stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, and principals) related to the intention and implementation of French immersion programming in three elementary schools in two urban publicly funded school divisions in Saskatchewan. The challenges regarding student retention and decline in the enrolment rate in spite of large governmental investment in the French immersion programming have raised demands for more accountability and investigation. Using pragmatism as a philosophical base, I determined that a mixed-methods research methodology would provide the most fully informed answers to the research questions. A sequential explanatory research design was selected, wherein the first phase of the study was primarily quantitative, followed by a qualitative second phase. Utilizing a case study design, data regarding French immersion policy and practice in schools were collected by administering online Likert-scale questionnaires to principals, teachers, students, and parents in order to elicit their perceptions regarding their satisfaction with French immersion programming. In the final phase, individual interviews were conducted with principals and teachers to gain a better understanding of the actual practice and everyday decisions at-play in the implementation of French language policy. Contemporaneously, focus group interviews with Grade 8 students and individual interviews with parents were undertaken to explore their experiences regarding the context in which the French immersion program was implemented and practiced. Findings of this research study regarding the stakeholders’ perceptions and suggestions on the language policy practiced in their schools provided essential feedback for an evaluation of French immersion programming, and inform policy makers of French immersion programs’ effectiveness. This study could also serve as a guide for future research in this area

The Impact of Open-Ended Based Learnıng Modıfıed by Realıstıc Mathematıc Educatıon on Computatıonal Thınkıng Skılls

This research was based on the problem of students' computational thinking skills that are still low, especially in elementary school mathematics subjects in term of students' mathematics anxiety. One solution is to use a learning method to improve computational thinking skills: Problem Based Learning (PBL) modified with the Open-Ended Problem (OEP) and Realistic Mathematic Education (RME) approaches to produce the Open-Ended Based Learning Modified by Realistic Mathematic Education (OEBL-RME) method. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the OEBL-RME method on computational thinking skills in terms of mathematics anxiety in elementary school students. This research used quasi-experimental method of post-test only control group design using a design treatment by level 2x2. Data were collected using computational thinking skills tests and math anxiety questionnaires and analyzed with the 2-way ANAVA test using SPSS 27. The sample used was 108 grade V elementary school students consisting of 54 students in the experimental class and 54 students in the control class. The results showed that there is an impact of OEBL-RME method on students' computational thinking skills in learning mathematics. In addition, it is proven that there is an interaction between learning methods and mathematical anxiety towards computational thinking skills

Histologic evaluation of pulpal response to MTA and capsaicin in cats

Introduction: In direct pup capping, the exposed pulp is directly capped with a capping material to provoke a dentinal bridge formation to seal the exposed area.The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulpal response to MTA and capsaicin in cats. Methods: The sample for this experimental study consisted of 24 canines of cats, weighed approximately 3-4kg. After sedation, the teeth were cut and exposed at 3mm above cementoenamel junction, then divided into two groups: 1) direct pulp capping with MTA 2) direct pulp capping with Capsaicin. The cavities were filled with glass ionomer cement (Fuji IX). The cats were sacrificed in the first, second, and fourth weeks 4 canine teeth were extracted for the purpose of histologic analysis. 6Serial sections were cut parallel to the longitudinal axis of the canines. The sections were stained with hematoxylin & eosin, and were observed and analyzed using a light microscope. Results: In both groups treated with MTA and capsaicin, the inflammation decreased during weeks1, 2, and 4. Less inflammation was seen in MTA group but there was no statistical difference between the two groups (p=0.22). In the group treated with capsaicin, necrosis was observed in every 12 samples, but in the other group treated with MTA, only 1 pulp necrosis was seen in the first week (p=0.000). There was no significant difference in dentinal barrier formation, inflammatory response, and soft tissue changes between the two groups. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that capsaicin can decrease the severity of inflammation, but it is ineffective in dentinal barrier formation

Prophylactic Efficacy of Cinnarizine versus Propranolol in the Treatment of Childhood Migraine: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Although the development of effective and safe treatments for prophylaxis of migraine headaches represents an important public health concern, only a few medications have been approved by the specific treatment of patients with migraine. We aimed to compare the efficacy of cinnarizine with propranolol in the prophylaxis of pediatric migraine headache. Materials and Methods  In a Randomized Clinical Trial, children aged 6-14 years were selected from the patients with migraine admitted to the neurology clinic of Bandar Abbas pediatric Hospital, affiliated to Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran. Eligible patients (n, 56) were randomly divided into two groups, each comprising 28 patients: the first group administered cinnarizine (37.5 mg/day in children aged 6–12 years and 50 mg/day in children aged 12–17 years), and the second group received propranolol (1-mg/kg/day). The frequency, severity of headaches over the trial period were assessed.   Results: After two months of treatment, both groups had significant reduction in headache frequency in comparison with baseline period (p= 0.047), although this difference between groups was not statistically significant. In addition, the mean severe migraine attacks at the end of the second month was significantly lower in the cinnarizine group compared with the propranolol group (p=0.048).  At the end of the study 64% (n=18) of patients who had received the cinnarizine and 57% (n=16) of patients who had administered the propranolol, the drugs appeared to have a preventative effect on their headaches. Conclusion: According to the results, Cinnarizine appeared as effective as propranolol for the prophylactic treatment of childhood migraine

Risks to health professionals from hazardous drugs in Iran

Ongoing concerns exist regarding the dangers inherent when handling cytotoxics, particularly drugs which are in parenteral formulations. On occasions, nurses and medical doctors have been preparing and administrating these drugs in the open spaces of wards in the absence of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety cabinets. To explore further into the severity of occupational hazards, we conducted our research in order to evaluate the healthcare’s understanding of occupational exposure to cytotoxics and occurrence of any side effects. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was distributed amongst oncology nurses in nine specialized cancer centers in Tehran. The questionnaire was based on most reputable international guidelines, aiming to evaluate the attitude, knowledge and safe practices of nurses' handling cytotoxic drugs. The gathered data and reported side effects were compared between “oncology/hematology” and “non-oncology” participants. The majority of nurses from oncology wards were aware of the potential hazards associated with handling of chemotherapy and reported high levels of compliance with the use of PPE during reconstitution of antineoplastic agents. Almost all nurses reported the use of a safety cabinet during preparation, however only 55 % reported that they have annual medical check-ups and 45 % reported having received specialized training. This work was also to evaluate the experimental procedures as well as cleaning solutions used to reduce the level exposure. While the level of knowledge about antineoplastic agents is high among nurses, along with the level of PPE use, medical surveillance and employee training seems to be lagging behind

Brucella Antibody Levels in Preschool Children in the North East of Iran

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of humans and animals that has affected worldwide. Iran is one of the endemic areas infected with brucellosis. Early diagnosis of this disease may protect the affected children from disabilities and mortalities. This study aimed to evaluate the Brucella antibody levels in preschool children of the Shahroud city in Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 850 participants, in particular, school children from the Shahroud city. General information was collected by interviewing the children’s parents. Moreover, a 5 ml of blood sample was collected from all the children. The samples were studies using standard tube agglutination test (Wright) and 2-Mercaptoethanol. Thereafter, IgG and IgM levels were determined by the ELISA method.Results: A total of 850 children were enrolled, of which 51.2% were boys and 48.8% were girls, with a mean age of 5.17±1.55 years. Of the all children evaluated, 839 (97.5%) children had a titer <1/80 and 21 children (2.5%) had a titer ≥1/80. A significant difference was observed between the antibody titers in terms of gender (P=0.012), whereas no significant association was found among antibody titers with other variables such as age, history of nonpasteurized foods, exposure to animals, history of brucellosis disease, and parental occupation.Conclusions: The antibody titer for suspected brucellosis in preschool children of Shahroud was very low. According to the results of our study, in particular, in the endemic areas, a Wright’s titer of 1/80 in suspected cases for brucellosis can be considered as a diagnostic titer

Brucella Antibody Levels in Preschool Children in the North East of Iran

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of humans and animals that has affected worldwide. Iran is one of the endemic areas infected with brucellosis. Early diagnosis of this disease may protect the affected children from disabilities and mortalities. This study aimed to evaluate the Brucella antibody levels in preschool children of the Shahroud city in Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 850 participants, in particular, school children from the Shahroud city. General information was collected by interviewing the children’s parents. Moreover, a 5 ml of blood sample was collected from all the children. The samples were studies using standard tube agglutination test (Wright) and 2-Mercaptoethanol. Thereafter, IgG and IgM levels were determined by the ELISA method.Results: A total of 850 children were enrolled, of which 51.2% were boys and 48.8% were girls, with a mean age of 5.17±1.55 years. Of the all children evaluated, 839 (97.5%) children had a titer <1/80 and 21 children (2.5%) had a titer ≥1/80. A significant difference was observed between the antibody titers in terms of gender (P=0.012), whereas no significant association was found among antibody titers with other variables such as age, history of nonpasteurized foods, exposure to animals, history of brucellosis disease, and parental occupation.Conclusions: The antibody titer for suspected brucellosis in preschool children of Shahroud was very low. According to the results of our study, in particular, in the endemic areas, a Wright’s titer of 1/80 in suspected cases for brucellosis can be considered as a diagnostic titer

Ultrasonographic and biochemical assessments as early prediction of polycystic ovarian syndrome in obese women

Backgroud: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is considered as a common cause of hormonal disturbance and obesity. The diagnosis of PCOS was done by different methods including clinical signs as anovulation, hyperandrogenism, biochemical markers and ultrasounographic investigation. This study investigated comparative outcomes of ultrasonographic and biochemical markers for early prediction of PCOS in obese women. Subjects and methods: Seventy-five patients were clinically diagnosed with obese, PCOS and obese with PCOS and twenty-five normal age matched subjects were enrolled as control. Abdominal and transvaginal ultrasonographic for assessment of ovarian properties. In addition, BMI, serum free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and LDL-c levels were evaluated. Results: In obese patients with PCOs (20%) ovaries revealed normal appearance in morphology while the rest (80%) showed PCOs in the form of cysts of 2\u20138 mm in diameter peripherally arranged around stroma. A significant elevation of free testosterone, DHEA and insulin in obese with or without PCOS compared with obese group (p<0.001). A positive correlation with hormonal abnormalities of increased HA1c, LDL-c, free testosterone, DHEA and insulin compared with obese only. Conclusion: According to our study findings, ovarian morphology combined with biochemical markers is more reliable for early prediction and diagnosis of PCOS for interpretation and management