Educated In Agency: A Feminist Service-Learning Pedagogy for Community Border Crossings

Thesis advisor: Sharlene Hesse-BiberService-learning is an experiential form of education that moves students outside of the walls of academe to meet community-identified needs through the application and renegotiation of a set of theoretical and methodological skills. It is simultaneously a teaching strategy, an epistemological framework, and an educational reform movement. This research takes the form of multi-methodological case studies of service-learning classrooms and service-learning partnerships, examining the translation of feminist pedagogy to the service-learning experience. The voices of students, faculty, pioneers, administrators, and community partners articulate the common and uncommon struggles of teaching a new generation of students to learn and serve in agencies while simultaneously recognizing their own capacity for agency. This work provides evidence that applying feminist pedagogical principles to service-learning initiatives creates more meaningful transformations for our students, faculty, and communities. The interdependent Feminist Service-Learning Process posited here is an innovative framework for moving our students across the civic borders necessary for community engagement.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Sociology

Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease: A Rare Disease with an Unusual Presentation

IgG4-RD can also present in the skeletal muscle, mimicking several other diseases. It is unusual for this relatively new classification of diseases to present in the muscles and can be mistakenly diagnosed as other autoimmune diseases rendering a delay in the appropriate management and progression of the disease

Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma with Aberrant Expression of CD19, CD20, and CD79a: Case Report and Literature Review

A case of lymphoma of T-cell derivation with aberrant expression of three B-cell lineage markers (CD19, CD20, and CD79a), which was diagnosed on a left axillary excision, is described. Immunohistochemical studies and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated neoplastic cells expressing CD3, CD19, CD20, and CD79a with absence of CD4, CD8, CD10, CD30, CD34, CD56, CD68, TDT, MPO, PAX-5, and surface immunoglobulin. Gene rearrangement studies performed on paraffin blocks demonstrated monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma chain rearrangement with no evidence of clonal heavy chain rearrangement. The neoplastic cells were negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8). At the time of diagnosis, the PET scan demonstrated hypermetabolic neoplastic cells involving the left axilla, bilateral internal jugular areas, mediastinum, right hilum, bilateral lungs, and spleen. However, bone marrow biopsy performed for hemolytic anemia revealed normocellular bone marrow with trilineage maturation. The patient had no evidence of immunodeficiency or infection with EBV or HHV-8. This is the first reported case of a mature T-cell lymphoma with aberrant expression of three B-cell lineage markers. The current report also highlights the need for molecular gene rearrangement studies to determine the precise lineage of ambiguous neoplastic clones

Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma with Aberrant Expression of CD19, CD20, and CD79a: Case Report and Literature Review

A case of lymphoma of T-cell derivation with aberrant expression of three B-cell lineage markers (CD19, CD20, and CD79a), which was diagnosed on a left axillary excision, is described. Immunohistochemical studies and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated neoplastic cells expressing CD3, CD19, CD20, and CD79a with absence of CD4, CD8, CD10, CD30, CD34, CD56, CD68, TDT, MPO, PAX-5, and surface immunoglobulin. Gene rearrangement studies performed on paraffin blocks demonstrated monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma chain rearrangement with no evidence of clonal heavy chain rearrangement. The neoplastic cells were negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8). At the time of diagnosis, the PET scan demonstrated hypermetabolic neoplastic cells involving the left axilla, bilateral internal jugular areas, mediastinum, right hilum, bilateral lungs, and spleen. However, bone marrow biopsy performed for hemolytic anemia revealed normocellular bone marrow with trilineage maturation. The patient had no evidence of immunodeficiency or infection with EBV or HHV-8. This is the first reported case of a mature T-cell lymphoma with aberrant expression of three B-cell lineage markers. The current report also highlights the need for molecular gene rearrangement studies to determine the precise lineage of ambiguous neoplastic clones

Hard to find and tricky to treat: A case series of acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AAMT) is a rare hematological disorder characterized by prolonged, severe thrombocytopenia, and reduced megakaryocytes on otherwise normal bone marrow biopsy. We report three cases of which two ultimately responded to treatment with eltrombopag, and one who one succumbed to illness despite treatment with multiple agents. These cases emphasize the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment of this rare condition

Pediatric Primary Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome (PTCS)

"Obesity, gender, and pubertal status influence the risk for pediatric PTCS. Preliminary studies have identified three subtypes of pediatric PTCS, based on anthropometrics. In an international, collaborative effort, this study was designed to refine this observation further.