Activated Clotting Time (ACT): The Reproducibility of Three Techniques

(J. Extra-Corpor. Technol. 19[3] p. 265-267 Fall 1987, 6 ref.) The ACT has routinely been used to monitor anticoagulation during surgical procedures, including open heart surgery. Since there is no laboratory substrate that can serve as a control for the test, it is important to know the reproducibility of the ACT. This study examined the reproducibility of three ACT techniques using the single syringe method. Before heparinization, a 7cc sample of blood was collected from each of 50 open heart surgery patients. From this sample two Hemochron ACTs (H-ACT), two Sonoclot Coagulation ACTs (SonACT), and two manual ACTs (M-ACT) were simultaneously performed. The mean ± S.D. (seconds) was found to be 105.6 ± 31.8 for the SonACT, 109.7 ± 27.2 for the H-ACT, and 126.8 ± 15.4 for theM-ACT. Five minutes after heparinization the ACTs showed means of 485.5 ± 93.3 for the Son ACT, 455.6 ± 1 01.9 for the HACT, and 471.2 ± 84.9 for the M-ACT. The absolute value of the difference between the paired observations, a function of the reproducibility, was seen to have a mean of 8.8 ± 13.4 for the SonACT, 6.1 ± 7.0 for the H-ACT, and 8.3 ± 7.6 for theM-ACT. Post heparinization, the absolute difference between the paired observations gave means of 90.7 ± 99.7 for the SonACT, 56.7 ± 59.8 for the HACT, and 40.4 ± 45.4 for the M-ACT. Before heparinization, all three techniques gave acceptable results. With heparinization the M-ACT showed the most reproducibility, followed by the H-ACT, while the SonACT provided the least consistent results

Teachers' perceptions of the importance of stories in the lives of children in Myanmar

Children's active involvement in storytelling develops diverse lifelong skills for critical thinking, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Central to the success of attracting the attention of students for storytelling are the social-emotional roles that teachers play in children's lives. This study investigated 23 kindergarten teachers' views in Myanmar on the importance of stories, how they carry out storytelling as a part of curriculum, and how they view stories as a way to promote children's development, as well as how students respond to the stories. In general, teachers in Myanmar report feeling supportive of the importance of stories in children's lives. However, many teachers also reported lack of time, authentic materials, and teaching aids for conducting stories in classrooms in local schools. They noted that international schools do include stories and have a fixed and regular programme with fully equipped facilities

Adolescência e institucionalização numa perspectiva de vinculação Adolescence and institutionalization in attachment perspective

O presente artigo procura problematizar as implicações da institucionalização de jovens em Portugal, dando relevância à qualidade das relações e laços afectivos na reorganização interna da esfera emocional. A vinculação é entendida enquanto processo contínuo, em que as relações com figuras afectivamente significativas permitem reestruturar bases seguras nos jovens. A institucionalização em casas de abrigo ou orfanatos é geradora de sentimentos de perda e abandono, podendo a integração ser ainda mais dificultada pela desconfiança e pelo medo do desconhecido. Sublinha-se o carácter transformador das relações afectivamente estáveis dentro e fora das instituições que poderão promover a adaptação psicossocial e a construção de representações mais favoráveis acerca de si e do mundo ao longo do ciclo vital.<br>The present paper aims to discuss the implications of the adolescent's institutionalization in Portugal, giving relevance to the quality of affective relations and bonds for the internal reorganization of the emotional sphere. Attachment is understood as a continuous process, where the relationships with significant emotional figures allow reorganization of secure bases in adolescents and young adults. The institutionalization in shelter houses or orphanages generates feelings of loss and abandonment in the adolescents, and the process of integration is accompanied by mistrust and the fear of the unknown. An emphasis is put on the reconstructive character of stable affective relations developed with members of the institutions and outer contexts, promoting psychosocial adaptation and the construction of more favourable representations of self and the world along the life cycle