A Learning Management System-Based Early Warning System for Academic Advising in Undergraduate Engineering

This chapter describes a design-based research project that developed an early warning system for an undergraduate engineering mentoring program. Using near real-time data from a university’s learning management system, we provided academic advisors with timely and targeted data on students’ academic progress. We discuss the development of the early warning system and detail how academic advisors used it. Our findings point to the value of providing academic advisors with performance data that can be used to direct students to appropriate sources of support.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107974/1/Krumm_etal_2014_LA.pd

HPV-Related Nonkeratinizing Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx: Utility of Microscopic Features in Predicting Patient Outcome

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is an etiologic agent in a subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). The aim of this study was to sub-classify SCC of the oropharynx based upon histologic features into nonkeratinizing (NK) SCC, keratinizing (K) SCC, and hybrid SCC, and determine the frequency of HPV and patient survival in each group. Patients with oropharyngeal SCC with a minimum of 2 years of clinical follow-up were identified from radiation oncology databases from 1997 to 2004. All patients received either up front surgery with postoperative radiation or definitive radiation based therapy. In situ hybridization (ISH) for high-risk HPV subtypes and immunohistochemistry for p16, a protein frequently up-regulated in HPV-associated carcinomas, were performed. Overall and disease-specific survival were assessed. Of 118 cases, 46.6% were NK SCC, 24.6% K SCC and 28.8% hybrid SCC. NK SCC occurred in slightly younger patients that were more often male. It more frequently presented with lymph node metastases and was surgically resected compared to K SCC. NK SCC was significantly more likely to be HPV and p16 positive than KSCC (P < 0.001) and to have better overall and disease-specific survival (P = 0.0002; P = 0.0142, respectively). Hybrid SCC was also more likely than K SCC to be HPV and p16 positive (P = 0.003; P = 0.002, respectively) and to have better overall survival (P = 0.0105). Sub-classification of oropharyngeal SCC by histologic type provides useful clinical information. NK SCC histology strongly predicts HPV-association and better patient survival compared to K SCC. Hybrid SCC appears to have an intermediate frequency of HPV-association and patient survival

Controversies surrounding human papilloma virus infection, head & neck vs oral cancer, implications for prophylaxis and treatment

Head & Neck Cancer (HNC) represents the sixth most common malignancy worldwide and it is historically linked to well-known behavioural risk factors, i.e., tobacco smoking and/or the alcohol consumption. Recently, substantial evidence has been mounting that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is playing an increasing important role in oral cancer. Because of the attention and clamor surrounding oral HPV infection and related cancers, as well as the use of HPV prophylactic vaccines, in this invited perspective the authors raise some questions and review some controversial issues on HPV infection and its role in HNC, with a particular focus on oral squamous cell carcinoma