Effects of Multisensory Phonics-Based Training on the Word Recognition and Spelling Skills of Adolescents with Reading Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of an Orton-Gillingham-based reading instruction system, the Barton Reading and Spelling System (BRSS; Barton 2000), that was used as a supplemental reading instruction program for increasing the lower-level reading skills of a group of adolescents with persistent reading problems. Nine students participated in the supplemental reading program based on pre-test scores of a spoken and written language assessment battery. Progress was measured at the end of intervention by post-testing students on the same assessment battery. Each student showed some improvements from their pretest to posttest scores on all of the measures utilized, with some having moderate to large effect sizes, supporting the view that the BRSS is an appropriate supplemental reading program for struggling adolescent readers within a response to instruction framework. Future research should include a larger sample size and a control group

Reporting and documentation of adverse drug reactions by health care professionals at a Kenyan public hospital: a best practice implementation project

Background: Adverse drug reactions are a major cause of medicine-related morbidity and mortality, hospital admissions and increased health care costs. A majority, at least 60%, of adverse drug reactions are preventable. Reporting and documentation of adverse drug reactions is therefore critical to their prevention and management significantly improving patient safety, patient outcomes and patient care. Objectives: The broad objective of the project was to implement evidence-based best practice in the reporting and documentation of adverse drug reactions by health care professionals at a Kenyan public hospital. Methods: The project was designed as a Joanna Briggs Institute Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System best practice implementation project constituting three phases; audit design and baseline audit, implementation of best practice and post-implementation audit. Barriers and strategies to best practice were identified and implemented respectively in phase two. Results: This project resulted in significant improvements in practice as demonstrated by the follow-up audit. Improvement varied across the criteria from 1% to 100%. Great improvement was observed in all criteria except in reporting of adverse drug reactions. Conclusions: The project resulted in significant improvements in practice relating to the reporting and documentation of adverse drug reactions in this setting. Further work needs to be carried out to sustain and improve upon the results obtained by this project.Jarred Okoyo Nyakiba, Mark McMillan, Gloria Kenyatt

Generalization of early metalinguistic skills in a phonological decoding study with first-graders at risk for reading failure

This training study was designed to examine the effects of training letter-sound correspondences and phonemic decoding (segmenting and blending skills) on the decoding skills of three first-grade children identified to be at risk for reading failure. This training study was to examine the degree to which the subjects could readily learn decoding skills necessary for early reading and to determine the degree to which phonemic decoding training on CVC syllable structures generalize to untrained syllable structures. Three experimental subjects served as their own controls in a single-subject multiple-baseline design. Experimental subjects were compared to matched control subjects on their ability to decode real-word and pseudo-word stimuli and on formal test scores of reading and spelling. Following training, experimental subjects demonstrated substantial increases in their acquisition and generalization of phonological decoding skills, but revealed much smaller changes on pre-test to post-test measures of formal reading and spelling when compared to their matched control subjects

Effects Of Phonological Decoding Training On Children\u27S Word Recognition Of Cvc, Cv, And Vc Structures

The effects of training in letter-sound correspondences and phonemic decoding (segmenting and blending skills) on three kindergartners\u27 word recognition abilities were examined using a single-subject multiple-baseline design across behaviors and subjects. Whereas CVC pseudowords were trained, generalization to untrained CVC pseudowords, untrained CVC real words, untrained CV and VC pseudowords, and untrained CV and VC real words were assessed. Generalization occurred to all of the untrained constructions for two of the three subjects. The third subject did not show the same degree of generalization to VC pseudowords and real words; however, after three training sessions, this subject read all VC constructions with 100% accuracy. Findings are consistent with group training studies that have shown the benefits of decoding training on word recognition and spelling skills and with studies that have demonstrated the effects of generalization to less complex structures when more complex structures are trained

Regenerative engineering: A review of recent advances and future directions

Regenerative engineering is defined as the convergence of the disciplines of advanced material science, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology and clinical translation for the regeneration of complex tissues and organ systems. It is an expansion of tissue engineering, which was first developed as a method of repair and restoration of human tissue. In the past three decades, advances in regenerative engineering have made it possible to treat a variety of clinical challenges by utilizing cutting-edge technology currently available to harness the body\u27s healing and regenerative abilities. The emergence of new information in developmental biology, stem cell science, advanced material science and nanotechnology have provided promising concepts and approaches to regenerate complex tissues and structures

Thiamine (vitamin B1) protects against glucose- and insulin-mediated proliferation of human infragenicular arterial smooth muscle cells

Accelerated proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMC) plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, which preferentially affects the infragenicular vasculature in patients with diabetes mellitus. High insulin and glucose levels, which are present in patients with type II diabetes, have an additive effect in infragenicular ASMC proliferation in vitro. Thiamine is a coenzyme important in intracellular glucose metabolism. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of thiamine on human infragenicular ASMC proliferation induced by high glucose and insulin levels in vitro. Human infragenicular ASMC isolated from diabetic patients undergoing lower extremity amputation were used. Cells were cultured at 37°C in 5% CO2. Cells were identified as ASMC by immunohistochemical analysis. Cells from passages 3-5 were exposed to glucose concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2% with and without insulin concentrations of 100 ng/mL and 1000 ng/mL, in the presence or absence of 200 μM of thiamine. Standard hemocytometry and 3H-thymidine incorporation quantified cell proliferation after incubation for 6 days and 24 hr, respectively. The data suggest that thiamine inhibits human infragenicular ASMC proliferation induced by high glucose and insulin. Vitamin B1 intake may prove important in delaying the atherosclerotic complications of diabetes

Older adults’ perspectives on HIV/AIDS prevention strategies for rural Kenya

Though prevention of HIV/AIDS is the mainstay of various responses to the epidemic,communication strategies used to motivate behavior change are challenged for lack of cultural appropriateness, hence the lack of success. Participatory communication that is culture-centered and culturally sensitive is emphasized in HIV/AIDS communication to engage affected communities in defining problems and finding appropriate solutions. This paper examines the views of older adults as key targets in HIV/AIDS prevention given the increasing number of elderly living with the disease and their changing role as caregivers of those infected and affected by HIV. As cultural, social, political, and opinion leaders in rural communities, older adults are in a position to influence attitudes and behaviors of their community members, but they have not been involved in the current HIV/AIDS prevention interventions. Several recommendations were made to inform the design and implementation of a culture-specific prevention program for rural Kenya