Alignment of Supplementary Aids and Services With Student Needs and Placement.

Trends in the supplementary aids and services (SAS) written in individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with significant disabilities (a) in different educational placements, (b) with and without behavior support plans (BSP), and (c) with and without complex communication needs (CCN) are examined using multivariate analysis of variance. Results show no significant differences in SAS for students across separate, resource, and inclusive placements. Students with BSPs had significantly more collaborative and behavior SAS than those without BSPs.

A Description of Parent Input in IEP Development Through Analysis IEP Documents.

Parent input in individualized education program (IEP) development is the clear expectation in U.S. education law.

Chronic pulmonary hypertension in utero impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilation.

To determine whether endothelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation is selectively impaired by chronic intrauterine pulmonary hypertension, we compared the hemodynamic effects of an endothelium-dependent agonist, acetylcholine (ACh), with an endothelium-independent agonist, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), before, during, and after development of pulmonary hypertension in five late-gestation fetal lambs. Pulmonary hypertension was produced over 9-12 days by progressive inflation of a vascular occluder around the ductus arteriosus. Age-matched fetal lambs (n = 5) without occluders served as controls.

Effects of oxygen and exogenous L-arginine on EDRF activity in fetal pulmonary circulation.

To determine whether L-arginine, the precursor of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), increases vasodilator activity in the fetal pulmonary circulation, we studied its effects on basal pulmonary vascular tone and on pulmonary vasodilation stimulated by oxygen and acetylcholine (ACh) in chronically prepared late-gestation fetal lambs. L-Arginine infusion (30-300 mg over 10 min) into the left pulmonary artery (LPA) increased blood flow (18-57%) without changing pulmonary artery pressure. To determine whether O2-induced vasodilation involves EDRF and is augmented by L-arginine treatment, we infused L-arginine or NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), an inhibitor of EDRF synthesis, while increasing fetal PO2 6 Torr by delivering 100% O2 to the ewe for 120 min.

Role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in ovine fetal pulmonary vascular tone.

To study the potential role of ATP-sensitive K+ (K+ATP) channels in fetal pulmonary vasoregulation, we studied the effect of a K+ATP channel agonist, lemakalim, and antagonist, glibenclamide, on the fetal pulmonary circulation in nine chronically instrumented late-gestation fetal lambs. Left pulmonary artery (LPA) blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flow transducer. Brief (10 min) infusions of lemakalim at 3, 10, and 30 micrograms/min into the LPA produced dose-dependent increases in flow from 68 +/- 7 to 96 +/- 11, 160 +/- 15, and 204 +/- 34 ml/min, respectively.