Responsiveness of emergency obstetric care systems in low- and middle-income countries: a critical review of the "third delay".

We reviewed the evidence on the duration, causes and effects of delays in providing emergency obstetric care to women attending health facilities (the third delay) in low- and middle-income countries. We performed a critical literature review using terms related to obstetric care, birth outcome, delays and developing countries. A manual search of reference lists of key articles was also performed. 69 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies reported long delays in providing care, and the mean waiting time for women admitted with complications was as much as 24 h before treatment. The three most cited barriers to providing timely care were shortage of treatment materials, surgery facilities and qualified staff. Existing evidence is insufficient to estimate the effect of delays on birth outcomes. Delays in providing emergency obstetric care seem common in resource-constrained settings but further research is necessary to determine the effect of the third delay on birth outcomes

Sarcoma induction in mice by methylcholanthrene. The influence of thymus grafting and of castration.

INBRED (syngeneic) animals readily accept transplants of normal tissues without the evocation of an immunological response. Transplants of tumour tissue will also grow in syngeneic hosts although, by suitable immunological procedures, it has been shown that many experimentally-induced tumours possess transplantation-type antigens which are foreign to their hosts and can elicit a weak immunological response in syngeneic hosts, or even in the autochthonous host. Many carcinogenic agents (chemicals, radiations and viruses) are known to depress some immunological functions. Although correlation between the degree of immune depression and carcinogenic potency is imperfect (Berenbaum, 1964), there have been suggestions that the process of carcinogenesis may necessarily involve interference with the immunological response of the host (Rubin, 1960; Prehn, 1963; Burnet, 1964). It might be expected, then, that animals which are suffering from some long-acting impairment of immunological functions would be more susceptible to the action of various carcinogenic agents. The work of Miller (1961) showed that neonatal thymectomy of mice resulted in permanent immunological impairment and there have since been several reports of the increased susceptibility of neonatally-thymectomised mice to the carcinogenic effect of various polycyclic hydrocarbons and certain oncogenic viruses (Vandeputte et al.

Sarcoma induction in mice by methylcholanthrene. Antigenicity tests of sarcomas induced in thymus grafted and control animals.

USING transplantation methods, several authors have shown that sarcomas induced by methylcholanthrene (MC) can elicit an immune response in syngenei

Development of adrenal cortical carcinoma in C3H mice following castration and the administration of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene.

SPONTANEOUS carcinomas of the adrenal cortex appear to be extremely rare in mice. Slye, Holmes and Wells (1921) found only 4 such tumours in 33,000 autopsies on mice. However, mice of the CE (extreme dilution) strain respond to gonadectomy by developing nodular hyperplasia of the adrenals, followed by adrenal cortical carcinoma in all animals after 6 months (Woolley and Little, 1945a and b). Some strains show little or no adrenal response to gonadectomy, but others (which include DBA and C3H) show an intermediate response (Woolley, Fekete and Little, 1940). In the latter animals, groups of large, vacuolated, lipid-laden cells taking up very little eosin begin to appear in the cortex and such areas of " type B " cells can eventually be observed as white spots on the surface of the adrenal. Later they may become filled with yellow-brown pigment. When these areas have increased until the capsule of the adrenal is raised, the condition is known as nodular hyperplasia. There is secretion of sex hormones, which will cause vaginal cornification and will support the development of mammary tumours. Nodular hyperplasia also occurs in intact C3H females toward

The effect of methylcholanthrene and different social conditions on the appearance of breast tumours in NZY mice.

AN endocrinologically interesting strain of mice (NZY) was developed i

What is at Stake with High Stakes Testing? A Discussion of Issues and Research

Author Institution: Dept of Educational Psychology, Ball State UniversityHigh stakes tests are defined as those tests that “carry serious consequences for students or educators.” The consequences from standardized achievement tests range from grade retention for school children to rewards or punitive measures for schools and school districts. The nature of standardized achievement tests used in these situations poses validity problems for the decisions. Numerous unintended negative consequences or students, teachers, curriculum, and schools have been identified. Research has yet to establish clear benefits from these high stakes practices. Therefore, with little empirical support and financial and human costs high, a costs/benefits analysis suggests that the high stakes testing bandwagon, further fueled by No Child Left Behind, needs to be carefully evaluated before it continues to roll

Review of The Shaping of the American Mind: The Diverging Influences of the College Degree and Civic Learning on American Beliefs

Marchant's review of the report finds that it ignores contradictory findings, omits key information, wrongly argues causation and confuses civic knowledge with conservative political values. Marchant warns that the report "may, in fact, be destructive of the very ideals of education the authors ascribe to the Founding Fathers -- particularly informed democratic participation.