Application of adaptive tools in relaparotomy wound surgery

Aim. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the developed adaptive tools for mechanical treatment of wound surface and suturing of relaparotomy wounds. Methods. 55 patients aged 43 to 79 years after relaparotomy operated on for various acute surgical diseases of the abdominal cavity were treated. In the main group (n=22. average age 63.5±4.75 years) in uncomplicated and complicated course of the wound process after relaparotomy for treatment of the wound surface and wound closure, adaptive tools were used as proposed by the authors. In the comparison group (n=33, average age 62±6 years; p=0.98) traditional mechanical methods of wound defect sanation and wound suturing (simple nodal, 8-shaped and U-shaped sutures) were used. Monitoring of relaparotomy wound healing was performed using an ultrasound method. The analysis of postoperative local complications in the discussed groups of patients was carried out according to Clavien-Dindo classification. Results. In patients of the main group, the multiplicity of wound surface treatment decreased by 1.8 times compared to the comparison group. There were no cases of damage to the underlying tissues of the wound edges. Wound postoperative complications corresponded to severity grade I, II, and IIIa according to Clavien-Dindo classification: in the main group - 27.3% and in the comparison group - 54.5%. Suppuration occurred respectively in 9.1 and 33.3% of patients (p=0.049). Conclusion. The developed adaptive tools are safe and effective mechanical means of prevention of wound postoperative complications after relaparotomy

Employing culturally responsive pedagogy to foster literacy learning in schools

 In recent years it has become increasingly obvious that, to enable students in schools from an increasingly diverse range of cultural backgrounds to acquire literacy to a standard that will support them to achieve academically, it is important to adopt pedagogy that is responsive to, and respectful of, them as culturally situated. What largely has been omitted from the literature, however, is discussion of a relevant model of learning to underpin this approach. For this reason this paper adopts a socio-cultural lens (Vygotsky, 1978) through which to view such pedagogy and refers to a number of seminal texts to justify of its relevance. Use of this lens is seen as having a particular rationale. It forces a focus on the agency of the teacher as a mediator of learning who needs to acknowledge the learner’s cultural situatedness (Kozulin, 2003) if school literacy learning for all students is to be as successful as it might be. It also focuses attention on the predominant value systems and social practices that characterize the school settings in which students’ literacy learning is acquired. The paper discusses implications for policy and practice at whole-school, classroom and individual student levels of culturally-responsive pedagogy that is based on a socio-cultural model of learning. In doing so it draws on illustrations from the work of a number of researchers, including that of the author

Новая возможность применения бактериофагов для профилактики инфекционных осложнений при свободной кожной пластике (бактериофаги при кожной пластике)

 Aim. To prevent infectious processes in the area of a recipient wound in free skin grafting with a split-graft.Materials and methods. A method was developed for immobilizing bacteriophages in the area of split thickness skin grafts through transferring a solution containing bacteriophages into a gel form. Microbiological and clinical studies of the effectiveness of the proposed method were performed.Results. The viability of bacteriophages in a gel dressing for up to 4 days was confirmed, as well as the reduced likelihood of local infectious complications in skin grafting.Conclusion. The gel composition containing bacteriophages allows quick response to changes in current hospital microflora and effectively counteract the dangers of nosocomial infection.  Цель. Профилактика инфекционного процесса в области реципиентной раны при свободной кожной пластике расщепленным трансплантатом.Материалы и методы. Разработан способ иммобилизации бактериофагов в области аутодермотрансплантата путем перевода раствора, содержащего бактериофаги, в гелевую форму. Выполнены микробиологические и клинические исследования эффективности предложенного способа.Результаты. Подтверждена жизнеспособность бактериофагов в гелевой повязке в сроки до 4 сут и снижение вероятности развития местных инфекционных осложнений при кожной пластике.Заключение. Гелевая композиция, содержащая бактериофаги, позволяет оперативно реагировать на изменения актуальной  госпитальной микрофлоры и эффективно противодействовать  опасности нозокомиального инфицирования.

Towards ‘Onlife’ Education. How Technology is Forcing Us to Rethink Pedagogy

[EN] The objective of this chapter is twofold: on the one hand, to provide an explanation for the need we have today to rethink pedagogy based on new realities and the scenarios in which we live, also in education, generated by the technology of our time and, on the other hand, to point out the direction in which we can find a path that leads us to that reflection in the face of the inevitable convergence between technology and pedagogy in which we are today

Teachers and didacticians: key stakeholders in the processes of developing mathematics teaching

This paper sets the scene for a special issue of ZDM-The International Journal on Mathematics Education-by tracing key elements of the fields of teacher and didactician/teacher-educator learning related to the development of opportunities for learners of mathematics in classrooms. It starts from the perspective that joint activity of these two groups (teachers and didacticians), in creation of classroom mathematics, leads to learning for both. We trace development through key areas of research, looking at forms of knowledge of teachers and didacticians in mathematics; ways in which teachers or didacticians in mathematics develop their professional knowledge and skill; and the use of theoretical perspectives relating to studying these areas of development. Reflective practice emerges as a principal goal for effective development and is linked to teachers' and didacticians' engagement with inquiry and research. While neither reflection nor inquiry are developmental panaceas, we see collaborative critical inquiry between teachers and didacticians emerging as a significant force for teaching development. We include a summary of the papers of the special issue which offer a state of the art perspective on developmental practice. © 2014 FIZ Karlsruhe

Vocationalism varies (a lot): a 12-country multivariate analysis of participation in formal adult learning

To encourage adult participation in education and training, contemporary policy makers typically encourage education and training provision to have a strongly vocational (employment-related) character, while also stressing individuals’ responsibility for developing their own learning. Adults’ motivation to learn is not, however, purely vocational—it varies substantially, not only between individuals but between populations. This article uses regression analysis to explain motivation among 12,000 learners in formal education and training in 12 European countries. Although vocational motivation is influenced by individual-level characteristics (such as age, gender, education, occupation), it turns out that the country in which the participation takes place is a far stronger explanatory variable. For example, although men’s vocational motivation to participate is higher than women’s in all countries, Eastern European women have significantly higher levels of vocational motivation than men in Western Europe. This supports other research which suggests that, despite globalization, national institutional structures (social, economic) have continuing policy significance