Critical literacy as a pedagogical goal in English language teaching

In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the area of critical literacy as it pertains to second language pedagogy (curriculum and instruction). After considering the historical origins of critical literacy (from antiquity, and including in first language education), they consider how it began to penetrate the field of applied linguistics. They note the geographical and institutional spread of critical literacy practice as documented by published accounts. They then sketch the main features of L2 critical literacy practice. To do this, they acknowledge how practitioners have reported on their practices regarding classroom content and process. The authors also draw attention to the outcomes of these practices as well as challenges that practitioners have encountered in incorporating critical literacy into their second language classrooms

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for knee arthritis: a feasibility study in primary care

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentrate of autologous blood growth factors which has been shown to provide some symptomatic relief in early osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and efficacy potential of platelet rich plasma (PRP) in primary care. Methods: Feasibility study to assess safety of the intervention procedures and assess primary and secondary outcome measures. Consecutive patients presenting with symptomatic knee OA were recruited in a primary care setting in Ireland. All participants received three injections of PRP 4 weeks apart. The following self-reported clinical outcomes were evaluated before and after therapy (4 months): Pain and disability (ICOAP questionnaire); health utility (EUROQol); adverse events; patient satisfaction and goal-orientated outcomes. Results: Seventeen potential patients were identified of whom 14 were eligible to participate. Twelve consented and completed the intervention and all outcome measures. There were no losses to follow-up. One patient reported pain and stiffness for 2 days after the first injection but did complete the study. No growth was detected from nine consecutive samples sent for microbiology analysis. Changes in constant, intermittent and total pain scores were reported; pain fully resolved in two patients. In addition, health utility, patient satisfaction and goal-orientated outcomes also demonstrated improvement. Conclusions: Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a simple and minimally invasive intervention which is feasible to deliver in primary care to treat osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Well-designed randomised controlled trials are needed to measure outcomes, durability of effect and cost effectiveness

Intraclass correlation coefficients in the Brazilian network for surveillance of severe maternal morbidity study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of the study was to evaluate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of variables concerning personal characteristics, structure, outcome and process in the Brazilian Network for Surveillance of Severe Maternal Morbidity study conducted to identify severe maternal morbidity/near miss cases using the World Health Organization criteria.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>It was a cross-sectional, multicenter study involving 27 hospitals providing care for pregnant women in Brazil. Cluster size and the mean size of the primary sampling unit were described. Estimated prevalence rates, ICC, their respective 95% confidence intervals, the design effect and the mean cluster size were presented for each variable.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 9,555 cases of severe maternal morbidity (woman admitted with potentially life-threatening conditions, near miss events or death) were included in the study. ICC ranged from < 0.001 to 0.508, with a median of 0.035. ICC was < 0.1 for approximately 75% of the variables. For process-related variables, median ICC was 0.09, with 0.021 for those related to outcome. These findings confirm data from previous studies. Homogeneity may be considered minor, thus increasing reliability of these findings.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results may be used to design new cluster trials in maternal and perinatal health and to help calculate sample sizes.</p