Assessment in Communication Programs: Issues and Ideas Administrators Must Face

This article discusses issues and ideas school administrators and educators must face with regards to assessment in communication programs. The challenge for a considerable number of communication administrators and other faculty was addressed intensively at the 1994 Speech Communication Association Summer Conference on Assessment. Assessment in communication education from the basic courses through most advanced studies is necessary. By working to meet this responsibility, communication educators can provide the quality of education their constituencies expect in order to educate students to become citizens who will find both satisfaction and success on the career paths they choose to follow. There is a wealth of information already accumulating to explain, support and guide assessment. At conferences about assessment, vendors display materials about assessment for purchase by a variety of disciplines, much like textbook publishers do at communication conventions. An assumption one must make is that assessment is not an activity to undertake as a primary defensive strategy. Speech communication or communication studies are titles administrators and educators assign to a discipline that often produces too much anxiety in colleagues who feel a need to justify and defend their existence and missions on campuses

Establishing the Department\u27s Credibility with Central Administration

Presents an article about how the Department of Interpersonal Communication at Bowling Green State University in Ohio established its credibility. Principles applied in administering the department; Importance of promoting a department\u27s image; Skills and attitude relevant to department chairperson

The rhetorical dialoque : contemporary concepts and cases

xv,537 p.; 21 cm

Acid Ceramidase Deficiency is characterized by a unique plasma cytokine and ceramide profile that is altered by therapy

Acid Ceramidase Deficiency (Farber disease, FD) is an ultra-rare Lysosomal Storage Disorder that is poorly understood and often misdiagnosed as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Hallmarks of FD are accumulation of ceramides, widespread macrophage infiltration, splenomegaly, and lymphocytosis. The cytokines involved in this abnormal hematopoietic state are unknown. There are dozens of ceramide species and derivatives, but the specific ones that accumulate in FD have not been investigated. We used a multiplex assay to analyze cytokines and mass spectrometry to analyze ceramides in plasma from patients and mice with FD, controls, Farber patients treated by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), JIA patients, and patients with Gaucher disease. KC, MIP-1 alpha, and MCP-1 were sequentially upregulated in plasma from FD mice. MCP-1, IL-10, IL-6, IL-12, and VEGF levels were elevated in plasma from Farber patients but not in control or JIA patients. C16-Ceramide (C16-Cer) and dhC16-Cer were upregulated in plasma from FD mice. a-OH-C18-Cer, dhC12-Cer, dhC24:1-Cer, and C22:1-Cer-1P accumulated in plasma from patients with FD. Most cytokines and only a-OH-C18-Cer returned to baseline levels in HSCT-treated Farber patients. Sphingosines were not altered. Chitotriosidase activity was also relatively low. A unique cytokine and ceramide profile was seen in the plasma of Farber patients that was not observed in plasma from HSCT-treated Farber patients, JIA patients, or Gaucher patients. The cytokine profile can potentially be used to prevent misdiagnosis of Farber as JIA and to monitor the response to treatment. Further understanding of why these signaling molecules and lipids are elevated can lead to better understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of FD and inform development of future treatments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Rare Disease FoundationBC Children's Hospital FoundationNational Institutes of HealthVaincre les Maladies LysosomalesPlexcera TherapeuticsUniv Toronto, Inst Med Sci, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, CanadaUniv Toronto, Dept Med Biophys, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, CanadaMed Univ South Carolina, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Hollings Canc Ctr, Charleston, SC 29425 USAUniv Calgary, Alberta Childrens Hosp, Med Genet & Pediat, Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, CanadaCtr Hosp Univ Sherbrooke, Dept Genet, Sherbrooke, PQ J1G 2E8, CanadaMcGill Univ, Dept Med Genet, Montreal, PQ H3A 0G4, CanadaMcGill Univ, Dept Pediat, Montreal, PQ H3A 0G4, CanadaUniv Milano Bicocca, San Gerardo Hosp, Dept Pediat, I-20126 Monza, ItalyG Gaslini Childrens Hosp, I-16148 Genoa, ItalyGerman Ctr Paediat & Adolescent Rheumatol, D-82467 Garmisch Partenkirchen, GermanyKagoshima Univ, Grad Sch Med & Dent Sci, Div Hematol & Immunol, Ctr Chron Viral Dis, Kagoshima 8908544, JapanKarolinska Univ Hosp, Pediat Rheumatol, S-17176 Stockholm, SwedenDokuz Eylul Univ, Pediat Rheumatol, TR-35210 Izmir, TurkeyDokuz Eylul Univ, Gastroenterol & Metab Dis, TR-35210 Izmir, TurkeyUniv Cordoba, Metab Dis, RA-14002 Cordoba, ArgentinaMed Univ Greifswald, Dept Paediat Oncol & Haematol, D-17475 Greifswald, GermanyGoethe Univ, Dept Paediat Oncol & Haematol, D-60323 Frankfurt, GermanyUniv Glasgow, Pediat Rheumatol, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Lanark, ScotlandNotre Dame De Secours Univ Hosp, Pediat Rheumatol, Byblos, LebanonUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Pediat Rheumatol, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Hosp Ribeirao Preto, Neurogenet, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, BrazilBernard & Millie Duker Childrens Hosp, Albany Med Ctr, Pediat Rheumatol, Albany, NY 12208 USAChildrens Natl Hlth Syst, Metab Dis, Washington, DC 20010 USAPlexcera Therapeut, New York, NY 10029 USAIcahn Sch Med Mt Sinai, Dept Genet & Genom Sci, New York, NY 10029 USACHU Purpan, Inst Federatif Biol, Lab Biochim Metab, F-31037 Toulouse 1, FranceUniv Hlth Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, CanadaMed Coll Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd,CRI C4540, Milwaukee, WI 53226 USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Pediat Rheumatol, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, BrazilNIH: 1R21NS078191-01A1NIH: R01 DK54830Web of Scienc

The impact of clinical genome sequencing in a global population with suspected rare genetic disease

There is mounting evidence of the value of clinical genome sequencing (cGS) in individuals with suspected rare genetic disease (RGD), but cGS performance and impact on clinical care in a diverse population drawn from both high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not been investigated. The iHope program, a philanthropic cGS initiative, established a network of 24 clinical sites in eight countries through which it provided cGS to individuals with signs or symptoms of an RGD and constrained access to molecular testing. A total of 1,004 individuals (median age, 6.5 years; 53.5% male) with diverse ancestral backgrounds (51.8% non-majority European) were assessed from June 2016 to September 2021. The diagnostic yield of cGS was 41.4% (416/1,004), with individuals from LMIC sites 1.7 times more likely to receive a positive test result compared to HIC sites (LMIC 56.5% [195/345] vs. HIC 33.5% [221/659], OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.9-3.4, p < 0.0001). A change in diagnostic evaluation occurred in 76.9% (514/668) of individuals. Change of management, inclusive of specialty referrals, imaging and testing, therapeutic interventions, and palliative care, was reported in 41.4% (285/694) of individuals, which increased to 69.2% (480/694) when genetic counseling and avoidance of additional testing were also included. Individuals from LMIC sites were as likely as their HIC counterparts to experience a change in diagnostic evaluation (OR 6.1, 95% CI 1.1-∞, p = 0.05) and change of management (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.5-1.3, p = 0.49). Increased access to genomic testing may support diagnostic equity and the reduction of global health care disparities

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules (THYCOVID): a retrospective, international, multicentre, cross-sectional study

Background: Since its outbreak in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has diverted resources from non-urgent and elective procedures, leading to diagnosis and treatment delays, with an increased number of neoplasms at advanced stages worldwide. The aims of this study were to quantify the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic; and to evaluate whether delays in surgery led to an increased occurrence of aggressive tumours. Methods: In this retrospective, international, cross-sectional study, centres were invited to participate in June 22, 2022; each centre joining the study was asked to provide data from medical records on all surgical thyroidectomies consecutively performed from Jan 1, 2019, to Dec 31, 2021. Patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules were divided into three groups according to when they underwent surgery: from Jan 1, 2019, to Feb 29, 2020 (global prepandemic phase), from March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021 (pandemic escalation phase), and from June 1 to Dec 31, 2021 (pandemic decrease phase). The main outcomes were, for each phase, the number of surgeries for indeterminate thyroid nodules, and in patients with a postoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancers, the occurrence of tumours larger than 10 mm, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastases, vascular invasion, distant metastases, and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence. Univariate analysis was used to compare the probability of aggressive thyroid features between the first and third study phases. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05178186. Findings: Data from 157 centres (n=49 countries) on 87 467 patients who underwent surgery for benign and malignant thyroid disease were collected, of whom 22 974 patients (18 052 [78·6%] female patients and 4922 [21·4%] male patients) received surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules. We observed a significant reduction in surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the pandemic escalation phase (median monthly surgeries per centre, 1·4 [IQR 0·6-3·4]) compared with the prepandemic phase (2·0 [0·9-3·7]; p&lt;0·0001) and pandemic decrease phase (2·3 [1·0-5·0]; p&lt;0·0001). Compared with the prepandemic phase, in the pandemic decrease phase we observed an increased occurrence of thyroid tumours larger than 10 mm (2554 [69·0%] of 3704 vs 1515 [71·5%] of 2119; OR 1·1 [95% CI 1·0-1·3]; p=0·042), lymph node metastases (343 [9·3%] vs 264 [12·5%]; OR 1·4 [1·2-1·7]; p=0·0001), and tumours at high risk of structural disease recurrence (203 [5·7%] of 3584 vs 155 [7·7%] of 2006; OR 1·4 [1·1-1·7]; p=0·0039). Interpretation: Our study suggests that the reduction in surgical activity for indeterminate thyroid nodules during the COVID-19 pandemic period could have led to an increased occurrence of aggressive thyroid tumours. However, other compelling hypotheses, including increased selection of patients with aggressive malignancies during this period, should be considered. We suggest that surgery for indeterminate thyroid nodules should no longer be postponed even in future instances of pandemic escalation. Funding: None

Proceedings Of The 23Rd Paediatric Rheumatology European Society Congress: Part Two

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