57 research outputs found
Closing the loop: A model for inter-institutional collaboration through delivering formative assessment in large, first-year STEM classes
No full textWhen students start their tertiary studies they move into a new world which differs in many ways from their prior experiences, including the way they were taught, access to faculty, learning environments, class sizes, expectations of independence and time management (Torenbeek, 2011). The first year experience (FYE) has become a pivotal focus for institutional programs that recognize that many students struggle in this transition. Such programs aim to improve student retention in tertiary studies through provision of orientation and mentoring activities. These initiatives have become widespread and are typically informed by key research in the field in terms of transition pedagogies (Kift, 2009; Kift, 2010; Lawrence, 2005) and student engagement and retention (Kuh, 2008; Carini, 2006; Tinto, 1987; Tinto, 2005)
The vertically integrated projects (VIP) program : leveraging faculty research interests to transform undergraduate STEM education
Get PDFThe Vertically-Integrated Projects (VIP) Program is an education program that operates in a research and development context. Undergraduate students that join VIP teams earn academic credit for their participation in discovery and design efforts that assist faculty and graduate students with research and development issues in their areas of technical expertise. The teams are: multidisciplinary – drawing students from across campus; vertically integrated – maintaining a mix of sophomores through PhD students each semester; and long-term – each undergraduate student may participate in a project for up to three years. The continuity, technical depth, and disciplinary breadth of these teams enable the completion of projects of significant benefit to faculty members’ research programs. We compare the implementations and success of VIP Programs at five different institutions by a variety of criteria, including: origin and type of implementation strategy; number of disciplines involved; type of institution; implementation in the curriculum; resources and support available; growth of the program; grading/assessment strategy and tools; relationship with other discovery and design programs; software tools for program administration; number of students and faculty involved; etc. While programmatic variations and support have a marked effect on the success of VIP at each institution, its implementation in the curriculum and the ease of scheduling and timetabling teams stand out as two of the most important issues for every VIP site. The common slow pace of curricular change and the variability of curricular implementations across disciplines and institutions, lead to specific recommendations and strategies for future growth and dissemination of the VIP Program
Impact of hyperkalemia on surgery case cancellation: A call for increased reliability
No full textIntroduction: Hyperkalemia (HK) is known to be associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes related to anesthesia and surgery. The overall impact of hyperkalemia on surgery delay or cancellation is not known. This study was designed to assess the impact of HK on surgery case cancellation and to determine if any standards existed with respect to the management of surgical patients with HK in a large health system.
Methods: There were two phases of the study. Phase 1 was a structured survey was distributed to electronically to clinicians within the 26-hospital health system regarding HK knowledge and treatment paradigms. Phase 2 consisted of electronic health record data of patients treated between 1/1/2015-12/31/2020 who had an elevated serum K+ (\u3e 5 mEq/L) ≤ 24 hours (an indication of preoperative HK) prior to a scheduled surgery.
Results: HK was clinically significant by 47% of respondents with a serum K+ level at 5.6-5.9 mEq/L and by 39% at K+ \u3e 6 mEq/L thresholds. Only 50% of respondents recognized Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors as a risk factor for HK. Of 645,073 surgical cases 1.4% (n = 9,166) had a documented pre-operative HK. Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to have preoperative HK (≥ 6.0 mEq/L) compared to White (p = 0.01). Patients with a K+ value ≥ 6.0 mEq/L within 24 hrs. Of a scheduled surgery were 2.40 times more likely to have a cancelled surgery compared to patients with a K+ between 5.1-5.9 mEq/L (p \u3c 0.0001).
Conclusion: There is a lack of consensus as to what constitutes significant preoperative HK, and whether to cancel or delay elective surgery due to HK, and no standard treatment when preoperative HK was identified. This study indicates a need for improved perioperative standards and greater reliability in the approach to surgical patients with HK
Angiotensin-converting enzyme in cultured endothelial cells. Synthesis, degradation, and transfer to culture medium.
No full textCultured endothelial cells from swine aorta possess the ecto-enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme (E.C.3.4.15.1) in cell-associated form and also release it in soluble form into the culture medium. Using antibody to purified converting enzyme from swine kidney and incorporation of 3H-leucine, we examined the synthesis, degradation, and release of enzyme into the medium. 3H-leucine is incorporated into cellular converting enzyme, and later appears in the enzyme in the culture medium. The amount of cell-associated enzyme activity remains constant, and the amount of activity in the medium increases linearly during this period. These data show unequivocally that the appearance of enzyme activity in the cell culture medium is accompanied by synthesis of new enzyme protein. In pulse-chase experiments, the radioactivity disappeared from the cellular enzyme in two kinetic components with apparent half-lives of 1-2 hours and 20 hours, respectively. The appearance of the radiolabel in the medium enzyme corresponds very closely in rate and amount to the slow disappearance from the cells. There was no apparent uptake of labeled medium enzyme by the cells. The data suggest that the pool of active enzyme on the cell surface is the immediate precursor of the medium enzyme. The effects of culture conditions on the turnover of angiotensin-converting enzyme were also examined. The incorporation of 3H-leucine into both cell and medium enzyme was greater when cells were maintained in medium containing serum than when they were maintained in serum-free medium. The rate of degradation of the cellular enzyme was similar under the two culture conditions.</jats:p
ACQUIRED THUMB FLEXION CONTRACTURE IN CHILDREN
No full text We examined prospectively 4719 newborn infants to determine the congenital incidence of trigger thumb. No cases were found. Fifteen other children aged from 15 to 51 months had surgery for this condition. The anomaly had not been seen at birth and all thumbs presented with a flexion contracture without triggering. The condition is usually seen after birth as a flexion contracture of the interphalangeal joint. The term ‘congenital’ is a misnomer because patients acquire the deformity after birth. The term ‘trigger’ is inaccurate as most thumbs show a fixed-flexion contracture without triggering. We suggest that rather than ‘congenital trigger thumb’ a more appropriate description of this disorder is ‘acquired thumb flexion contracture in children’. If the contracture persists after one year of age, treatment by dividing the A-1 pulley is simple and effective. </jats:p
Time course of release into the medium of newly synthesized proteins by cultured aortic endothelial cells. Role of serum in preventing proteolytic degradation.
No full textEndothelial cells from pig aortas were labeled with 35S-methionine, and the soluble proteins that were released into the culture medium were examined by SDS-PAGE. Proteins were collected during labeling, and during the intervals 0 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 12, and 12 to 24 hours of chase after a 1-hour labeling period, and during the intervals 0 to 12, 12 to 24, and 24 to 48 hours of chase after a 24-hour labeling period. Release of radiolabeled soluble protein from cells into the medium continued over the longest time periods examined. If the cells were labeled for 1 hour, characteristic patterns of proteins appeared in the medium during the labeling period, early (0- to 3-hour postlabeling) and late (6- to 24-hour postlabeling). The time course of release of fibronectin (Fn) and of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was determined by using immunoprecipitation. ACE appeared only after 6 hours of chase. Fn appeared throughout the chase period. The effects of serum and of the protease inhibitors alpha-2 macroglobulin, pepstatin, and leupeptin on protein release were examined. In the absence of serum, endothelial cell culture medium contained substantial protease activity capable of completely degrading most of the released proteins; a major effect of serum was to protect newly released protein from degradation.</jats:p
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