A preferred vision for administering high schools : a reflective essay

Whether it be efforts to develop state and local standards, new forms of assessment, innovations in technology, or application of new approaches to teaching and learning, changes must occur in the place our society calls school. The complex nature of our education system requires courageous and responsible action on the part of individuals who believe in preparing our children for life in the 21st century. This is both a national priority as well as a moral responsibility. Business at school as usual is no longer an option. Change in the culture and instructional practices of today\u27s school requires the dedication and effort of an administrator who is willing to undertake the challenge to work for change. It is with this thought in mind that it became a personal decision to embark on a career change. The decision was made to leave the classroom to pursue a degree in educational administration in order to become an educational administrator

Comparison of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to gas chromatography (GC) - measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in selected US fish extracts

The analysis of PCBs in fish tissues by immunoassay methods was evaluated using fish collected from a US monitoring program, the National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program of the US Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Selected composite whole fish samples, which represented widely varying concentrations and sources of PCBs, were extracted and subjected to congener PCB analysis by gas chromatography (GC) and total PCB analysis using an ELISA (ePCBs) calibrated against technical Aroclor 1248. PCB congener patterns in these fishes were different from the patterns found in commercial Aroclors or their combinations as demonstrated by principal component analysis of normalized GC congener data. The sum of the PCB congeners measured by GC (total-PCBs) ranged from 37 to 4600 ng/g (wet weight). Concentrations of PCBs as determined by the ELISA method were positively correlated with total-PCBs and the ePCBs/total-PCBs ratios for individual samples ranged from 1 to 6. Ratios of ePCBs/total- PCBs for dilutions of Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260 and for matrix spikes range from 0.6 for 1242 to 2.5 for 1254 and 1260. These results suggest that higher chlorinated PCB congeners have higher anffinity for the anti-PCB antibodies. Partial least squares with latent variable analysis of GC and ELISA data of selected Aroclors and fish samples also support the conclusion that ELISA derived PCB concentrations are dependent on the degree of chlorination. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

A systematic review of biomarkers for disease progression in Parkinson's disease

This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme (Grant Reference Number RP-PG-0707-10124).BACKGROUND: Using surrogate biomarkers for disease progression as endpoints in neuroprotective clinical trials may help differentiate symptomatic effects of potential neuroprotective agents from true disease-modifying effects. A systematic review was undertaken to determine what biomarkers for disease progression in Parkinson's disease (PD) exist. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE (1950-2010) were searched using five search strategies. Abstracts were assessed to identify papers meriting review in full. Studies of participants with idiopathic PD diagnosed by formal criteria or clearly described clinical means were included. We made no restriction on age, disease duration, drug treatment, or study design. We included studies which attempted to draw associations between any tests used to investigate disease progression and any clinical measures of disease progression. The electronic search was validated by hand-searching the two journals from which most included articles came. RESULTS: 183 studies were included: 163 (89%) cross-sectional, 20 (11%) longitudinal. The electronic search strategy had a sensitivity of 71.4% (95% CI 51.1-86.0) and a specificity of 97.1% (95% CI 96.5-97.7). In longitudinal studies median follow-up was 2.0 years (IQR 1.1-3.5). Included studies were generally poor quality--cross-sectional with small numbers of participants, applying excessive inclusion/exclusion criteria, with flawed methodologies and simplistic statistical analyses. CONCLUSION: We found insufficient evidence to recommend the use of any biomarker for disease progression in PD clinical trials, which may simply reflect the poor quality of research in this area. We therefore present a provisional 'roadmap' for conducting future disease progression biomarker studies, and recommend new quality criteria by which future studies may be judged.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Comparison of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to gas chromatography (GC) - measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in selected US fish extracts

The analysis of PCBs in fish tissues by immunoassay methods was evaluated using fish collected from a US monitoring program, the National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program of the US Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Selected composite whole fish samples, which represented widely varying concentrations and sources of PCBs, were extracted and subjected to congener PCB analysis by gas chromatography (GC) and total PCB analysis using an ELISA (ePCBs) calibrated against technical Aroclor 1248. PCB congener patterns in these fishes were different from the patterns found in commercial Aroclors or their combinations as demonstrated by principal component analysis of normalized GC congener data. The sum of the PCB congeners measured by GC (total-PCBs) ranged from 37 to 4600 ng/g (wet weight). Concentrations of PCBs as determined by the ELISA method were positively correlated with total-PCBs and the ePCBs/total-PCBs ratios for individual samples ranged from 1 to 6. Ratios of ePCBs/total- PCBs for dilutions of Aroclors 1242, 1254, and 1260 and for matrix spikes range from 0.6 for 1242 to 2.5 for 1254 and 1260. These results suggest that higher chlorinated PCB congeners have higher anffinity for the anti-PCB antibodies. Partial least squares with latent variable analysis of GC and ELISA data of selected Aroclors and fish samples also support the conclusion that ELISA derived PCB concentrations are dependent on the degree of chlorination. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Improving the quality of cognitive screening assessments: ACEmobile, an iPad-based version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III.

INTRODUCTION: Ensuring reliable administration and reporting of cognitive screening tests are fundamental in establishing good clinical practice and research. This study captured the rate and type of errors in clinical practice, using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), and then the reduction in error rate using a computerized alternative, the ACEmobile app. METHODS: In study 1, we evaluated ACE-III assessments completed in National Health Service (NHS) clinics (n = 87) for administrator error. In study 2, ACEmobile and ACE-III were then evaluated for their ability to capture accurate measurement. RESULTS: In study 1, 78% of clinically administered ACE-IIIs were either scored incorrectly or had arithmetical errors. In study 2, error rates seen in the ACE-III were reduced by 85%-93% using ACEmobile. DISCUSSION: Error rates are ubiquitous in routine clinical use of cognitive screening tests and the ACE-III. ACEmobile provides a framework for supporting reduced administration, scoring, and arithmetical error during cognitive screening

Whole plant cannabis extracts in the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cannabis therapy has been considered an effective treatment for spasticity, although clinical reports of symptom reduction in multiple sclerosis (MS) describe mixed outcomes. Recently introduced therapies of combined Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) extracts have potential for symptom relief with the possibility of reducing intoxication and other side effects. Although several past reviews have suggested that cannabinoid therapy provides a therapeutic benefit for symptoms of MS, none have presented a methodical investigation of newer cannabinoid treatments in MS-related spasticity. The purpose of the present review was to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of combined THC and CBD extracts on MS-related spasticity in order to increase understanding of the treatment's potential effectiveness, safety and limitations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed MEDLINE/PubMed, Ovid, and CENTRAL electronic databases for relevant studies using randomized controlled trials. Studies were included only if a combination of THC and CBD extracts was used, and if pre- and post-treatment assessments of spasticity were reported.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six studies were systematically reviewed for treatment dosage and duration, objective and subjective measures of spasticity, and reports of adverse events. Although there was variation in the outcome measures reported in these studies, a trend of reduced spasticity in treated patients was noted. Adverse events were reported in each study, however combined TCH and CBD extracts were generally considered to be well-tolerated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found evidence that combined THC and CBD extracts may provide therapeutic benefit for MS spasticity symptoms. Although some objective measures of spasticity noted improvement trends, there were no changes found to be significant in post-treatment assessments. However, subjective assessment of symptom relief did often show significant improvement post-treatment. Differences in assessment measures, reports of adverse events, and dosage levels are discussed.</p

Disentangling the Advective Brewer-Dobson Circulation Change

Climate models robustly project acceleration of the Brewer-Dobson circulation (BDC) in response to climate change. However, the BDC trends simulated by comprehensive models are poorly constrained by observations, which cannot even determine the sign of potential trends. Additionally, the changing structure of the troposphere and stratosphere has received increasing attention in recent years. The extent to which vertical shifts of the circulation are driving the acceleration is under debate. In this study, we present a novel method that enables the attribution of advective BDC changes to structural changes of the circulation and of the stratosphere itself. Using this method allows studying the advective BDC trends in unprecedented detail and sheds new light into discrepancies between different data sets (reanalyses and models) at the tropopause and in the lower stratosphere. Our findings provide insights into the reliability of model projections of BDC changes and offer new possibilities for observational constraints

Association of British Neurologists: revised (2015) guidelines for prescribing disease-modifying treatments in multiple sclerosis.

In June 1999, the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) first published guidelines for the use of the licensed multiple sclerosis (MS) disease-modifying treatments (at that time β-interferon and glatiramer acetate). The guidelines were revised in 2001 and have been periodically updated since then. In 2002, following the negative assessment of these treatments by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the MS risk-sharing scheme started, in which patients eligible according to the 2001 ABN guidelines were provided with treatment funded through the UK National Health Service (NHS), and monitored annually for up to 10 years.1 Recruitment to the risk-sharing scheme cohort is complete. Pending a future final evaluation, the UK Department of Health's instruction to NHS funders remains in place: that patients who fulfil the ABN criteria should continue to receive treatment funded through the NHS. The British neurological community has fully accepted the risk-sharing scheme for prescribing β-interferon and glatiramer acetate. Approximately 70 ‘treating centres’ have recruited >5000 patients between 2002 and 2005, and these have been monitored annually for 10 years; many more patients have received these treatments since 2005. The ABN published revised guidelines in 2007, and then again in 2009, following the licensing of natalizumab and mitoxantrone. This 2015 revised guideline replaces former versions. It includes all newly approved or licensed treatments for MS and represents a consensus concerning their use. These guidelines will require future revision as other treatments receive approval (eg, daclizumab and ocrelizumab): we suggest they are reviewed after an interval of no longer than 12 months. The guideline is not intended to provide a complete description of the possible complications and monitoring of disease-modifying treatments in MS; we refer prescribing neurologists to the relevant summaries of product characteristics.PostprintPeer reviewe

A systematic review of biomarkers for disease progression in Parkinson's disease

Peer reviewedPublisher PD