Understanding inclusion in Cyprus

This paper provides a framework for understanding inclusion in Cyprus. The evidence base is the result of a six-month qualitative research study in five Cypriot mainstream primary schools. Despite the rhetoric in favour of inclusion, it seems that the Cypriot educational system is still highly segregating in its philosophy and does not fully support the active inclusion and participation of all children in the school life. Overall, the framework is grounded on three key themes emerging from the research: inclusion is concerned only with the education of specific groups of children; the medical model is still prevalent within inclusion discourse; and inclusion is understood as consisting of different levels. As a result, a restructuring and transformation of inclusive education are necessary so as to reduce marginalisation and exclusion of many children and in particular those who have been identified as having special educational needs. © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Association between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: To examine for a possible relationship between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis Methods: Published and unpublished literature from: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, OpenGrey and clinical trial registers. Search to 22nd November 2014. Cohort, case-control, randomised and non-randomised controlled trial papers reporting the prevalence of CVD in osteoarthritis were included. Results: Fifteen studies with 32,278,744 individuals were eligible. Pooled prevalence for overall CVD pathology in people with osteoarthritis was 38.4% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 37.2% to 39.6%). Individuals with osteoarthritis were almost three times as likely to have heart failure (Relative Risk (RR): 2.80; 95% CI: 2.25 to 3.49) or ischaemic heart disease (RR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.69) compared to matched non-osteoarthritis cohorts. No significant difference was detected between the two groups for the risk of experiencing myocardial infarction or stroke. There was a three-fold decrease in the risk of experiencing a transient ischaemic attack in the osteoarthritis cohort compared to the non-osteoarthritis group. Conclusions: Prevalence of CVD in patients with OA is significant. There was an observed increased risk of incident heart failure and ischaemic heart disease in people with OA compared to matched controls. However the relationship between OA and CVD is not straight-forward and there is a need to better understand the potential common pathways linking pathophysiological mechanisms

Effect of age on the prognostic value of left ventricular function in patients with acute coronary syndrome:a prospective registry study

Objective: This study aims to study the prognostic impact of LV function on mortality and examine the effect of age on the prognostic value of left ventricular function.  Methods: We examined the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) registry (2006-2010) data with a mean follow up of 2.1 years. LV function was categorized into good (ejection fraction (EF) ≥50%), moderate (EF 30-49%) and poor (EF <30%) categories. Cox-proportional hazards models were constructed to examine the prognostic significance of LV function in different age groups (<65, 65-74, 75-84 and ≥85 years) on all-cause mortality adjusting for baseline variables.  Results: Of 424,848 patients, LV function data available for 123,609. Multiple imputations were used to impute missing values of LV function and the final sample for analyses were drawn from 414,305. After controlling for confounders, 339,887 participants were included in the regression models. For any age group, mortality was higher with worsening degree of LV impairment. Increased age reduced the adverse prognosis associated with reduced LV function (hazard ratios (HRs) of death comparing poor LV function to good LV function were 2.11 95%CI 1.88-2.37 for age <65 years and 1.28 95%CI 1.20-1.36 for age ≥85 years. Older patients had a high mortality risk even in those with good LV function. HRs of mortality for ≥85 compared to <65 years (HR=1.00) within good, moderate and poor ejection fractions groups were 5.89, 4.86 and 3.43, respectively.  Conclusions: In patients with ACS, clinicians should interpret the prognostic value of LV function taking into account patient’s age

Socially responsive classrooms for students with special educational needs and disabilities

This mixed-methods study examined the social networks of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to understand how the degree of a socially responsive classroom may have an impact on the inclusion and participation of these students and their peers. A critical case study design grounded in social capital theory drove the study. Data were collected from two Grade 4 classrooms, where 41 students participated in the social network questionnaire and 31 students took part in semi-structured interviews. One of the two classrooms appeared to be more socially responsive and its results have indicated that SEND students were well connected to their classmates, were as popular and had as many friends as their non-SEND peers

PENERAPAN MODEL COOPERATIVE LEARNING METODE QUESTION STUDENT HAVE DALAM MENINGKATKAN AKTIFITAS BELAJAR SISWA PADA POKOK BAHASAN EKOSISTEM KELAS VII SMP NEGERI 2 JAMBLANG

Mamas Maslahah. Penerapan Model Cooperative Learning Metode Question Student Have Dalam Meningkatkan Aktifitas Belajar Siswa Pada Pokok Bahasan Ekosistem Kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Jamblang. IPA adalah suatu kumpulan teori yang sistematis, penerapannya secara umum terbatas pada gejala-gejala alam, lahir dan berkembang melalui metode ilmiah seperti observasi dan eksperimen serta menuntut sikap ilmiah seperti rasa ingin tahu, terbuka dan jujur. Banyak orang yang menganggap bahwa IPA sebagai mata pelajaran yang sulit dan bosan, sehingga IPA merupakan mata pelajaran yang kurang disenangi. Berdasarkan observasi yang penulis lakukan di SMP Negeri 2 Jamblang Dalam proses belajar mengajar guru masih menggunakan pembelajaran konvensional (ceramah), siswa dihadapkan dengan sesuatu yang abstrak, sehingga menyebabkan siswa merasa jenuh dan pelajaran IPA dianggap membosankan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui Penerapan Model Cooperative Learning Metode Question Student Have Dalam Meningkatkan Aktifitas Belajar Siswa Pada Pokok Bahasan Ekosistem Kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Jamblang Kabupaten Cirebon. Pemilihan sampel dalam penelitian ini dilakukan teknik Random sampling pada SMP Negeri 2 Jamblang berjumlah 6 kelas yang terdiri dari kelas VIIA, VIIB, VIIC, VIID, VIIE, dan VIIF yang menjadi sampel adalah kelas VIIC dan VIID, dimana kelas VIID dijadikan sebagai kelas eksperimen dan kelas VIIC sebagai kelas kontrol. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode eksperimen. Data diperoleh dari data nilai tes awal dan tes akhir dan observasi pada pokok bahasan Ekosistem kemudian diolah secara kuantitatif dengan menggunakan uji T, uji normalitas, dan uji homogenitas. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran IPA yang menggunakan Model Cooperative Learning Metode Question Student Have dapat meningkatkan aktifitas belajar siswa dari pada pembelajaran yang menggunakan metode diskusi. Hal ini dibuktikan dengan nilai observasi yang diperoleh dari kedua kelompok tersebut yaitu nilai Baik 49%, Cukup 45% dan Kurang 7% untuk kelas eksperimen dan nilai Baik 32%, Cukup 34%, Kurang 34% untuk kelas kontrol, dan nilai N gain yang diperoleh dari kedua kelompok tersebut yaitu 0,49 berkategori sedang untuk kelas eksperimen dan 0,29 berkategori rendah untuk kelas kontrol. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan, maka pembelajaran menggunakan model Cooperative Learning metode Question Student Have dapat dijadikan alternatif dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar terutama pada pokok bahasan ekosistem. Karena penelitian ini hanya dilakukan pada siswa kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Jamblang Kabupaten Cirebon, diharapkan penelitian ini dapat dilanjutkan pada subjek yang berbeda dan ruang lingkup yang lebih luas. Kata Kunci : Metode Question Student Have, Aktifitas Siswa

Long‑term risk of stroke following percutaneous coronary intervention : can we predict the future and can we change it?

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bariatric surgery and its impact on cardiovascular disease and mortality : A systematic review and meta-analysis

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