A Comparative Analysis Of Computer-Assisted Instruction And Traditional Lecture Instruction For Administration And Management Topics In Physical Therapy Education

Technological advancements and competition in student recruitment have challenged educational institutions to expand upon traditional teaching methods in order to attract, engage and retain students.  One strategy to meet this shift from educator-directed teaching to student-centered learning is greater computer utilization as an integral aspect of the learning environment. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of utilizing Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) to teach administration and management content in Physical Therapy (PT) education. It was hypothesized that CAI is equally effective for assimilation of information when compared to traditional lecture instruction (TLI).  The sample consisted of third-year entry-level PT students enrolled in an Administration and Management course.  Thirty-three of forty students who met the inclusion criteria consented to participate.  Both the Mercy College and Seton Hall University IRB boards approved the project and all students signed informed consents.  Participants were randomly assigned to the control (TLI, n=16) or experimental (CAI, n=17) group. Each participant completed a pretest on the material to be covered and a demographic survey to assess grade point average (GPA), gender, age and computer literacy. Students then attended the course in the designated medium and took a post-test at the end of the semester.  There were no significant differences between the two groups for GPA, age or gender. Both groups showed significant improvement from pretest to post-test (51.5±12.7 to 80.6±7.8; p<0.001), and (52.0±9.5 to 85.1±6.1; p<0.001), respectively. No significant difference was found between the groups for baseline knowledge (52.0±9.5 vs. 51.5±12.7; p=0.905), final exam scores (80.6±7.8 vs. 85.1±6.1; p=0.073) or final course grades (90.2±3.0 vs. 90.5±3.1; p=0.763).  The hypotheses that CAI is equally effective for assimilation and retention of information presented in a professional management and administration PT class, when compared to TLI, was supported. Areas for further analysis include examining student satisfaction levels, work efficiency and long-term retention of material.  With both teaching methods found to be equally effective, educators can utilize CAI to promote a student-centered experience for the high tech learners of today.  Hiring faculty from remote locations to fill positions for which candidates are unavailable locally, and allowing instructors to teach multiple sections of the same course at different geographic campuses, is also possible with CAI. Additionally, if the instructor or student is absent or a lecture is not finished in the classroom, the material can be placed online. This new evidence supports the use of CAI in teaching administration and management material to PT students, providing institutions of higher learning with an alternative teaching strategy to meet the needs of today’s students

Corticosteroid-responsive Enteropathy of Infancy

Nineteen American infants aged less than three months developed persistent diarrhoea, acidosis, hypoalbuminaemia, and malnutrition, without evidence of enteric pathogens. Symptoms began 11-59 days before admission to the University of North Carolina Children's Hospital, and infants were fed semi-elemental formula. Despite further treatment with amino acid-based formula by continuous nasogastric infusion, diarrhoea persisted. Endoscopic biopsies showed inflammation in the stomach, duodenum, and/or colon. A trial of intravenous corticosteroids was initiated in 14 infants. Corticosteroids were associated with rapid resolution of diarrhoea (duration after corticosteroids=3.8\ub11.7 days [mean+SD]). In contrast, five infants with identical history were not treated with corticosteroids. In three infants, diarrhoea lasted for 92-147 days versus 31\ub13 total days in the treated group. In the other two infants, diarrhoea worsened after discharge, but were treated later with corticosteroids, with rapid resolution. Corticosteroids were uneventfully weaned over a four-month period. The results suggest that a trial of corticosteroids in infants with unresponsive persistent diarrhoea of unknown origin is beneficial and deserves prospective evaluation

Title page Regulation of Inflammatory Pain by Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH)

Abstract Although cannabinoids are efficacious in laboratory animal models of inflammatory pain, their established cannabimimetic actions diminish enthusiasm for their therapeutic development. Conversely, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the chief catabolic enzyme regulating the endogenous cannabinoid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), has emerged as an attractive target to treat pain and other conditions. Here, we tested WIN55,212-2, a cannabinoid receptor agonist, as well as genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of FAAH in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mouse model of inflammatory pain. WIN55,212 significantly reduced edema and hotplate hyperalgesia caused by LPS infusion into the hind paws, though the mice also displayed analgesia and other CNS effects. FAAH (-/-) mice exhibited reduced paw edema and hyperalgesia in this model, without apparent cannabimimetic effects. Transgenic mice expressing FAAH exclusively on neurons continued to display the anti-edematous, but not the anti-hyperalgesic, phenotype. The CB 2 receptor antagonist, SR144528, blocked this non-neuronal, anti-inflammatory phenotype, and the CB 1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, blocked the anti-hyperalgesic phenotype. The FAAH inhibitor, URB597 attenuated the development of LPS-induced paw edema and reversed LPS-induced hyperalgesia through respective CB 2 and CB 1 receptor mechanisms of action. However, the TRPV1 receptor antagonist, capsazepine, did not affect either the anti-hyperalgesic or antiedematous effects of URB597. Finally, URB597 attenuated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in LPS-treated paws. These findings demonstrate that simultaneous elevations in non-neuronal and neuronal endocannabinoid signaling are possible through inhibition of a single enzymatic target, thereby offering a potentially powerful strategy to treat chronic inflammatory pain syndromes that operate at multiple levels of anatomical integration

A Cannabinoid CB 1 Receptor-Positive Allosteric Modulator Reduces Neuropathic Pain in the Mouse with No Psychoactive Effects

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