Equating Oral Reading Fluency Scores: A Model-Based Approach.

Words read correctly per minute (WCPM) is the reporting score metric in oral reading fluency (ORF) assessments, which is popularly utilized as part of curriculum-based measurements to screen at-risk readers and to monitor progress of students who receive interventions. Just like other types of assessments with multiple forms, equating would be necessary when WCPM scores are obtained from multiple ORF passages to be compared both between and within students. This article proposes a model-based approach for equating WCPM scores.

The Bidirectional View of Mother-Infant Interaction by Gaze and Facial Affect.

Objective: The aim of this research was to assess gaze behaviors and facial affect expressions in mother-infant interaction within the frame of self-contingency and interactive contingency, reflecting self-regulation and interactive regulation, respectively. In Model 1, second-by-second changing gaze behaviors (on partner's face/off partner's face) and in Model 2, facial affect expressions (from positive to negative) were examined. Self-contingency reflects the variability or stability in gaze directions and facial affect expressions in each partner.

Comparison of laparoscopic percutaneous internal ring suturing method and open inguinal hernia repair in children under 3 months of age.

Objectives: Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in younger infants has not been completely accepted worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasiblity of laparoscopic percutaneous internal ring suturing method in children aged younger than 3 months and compare the recurrence and complication rates with open repair; which may still be mentioned as the gold standard procedure.

Material And Methods: A total of 387 children underwent inguinal hernia repair in the clinic between 2016 and 2019.

Comparison of Open Repair and Laparoscopic Percutaneous Internal Ring Suturing Method in Repairing Inguinal Hernia in Children.

Introduction An inguinal indirect hernia is one of the most frequent surgical conditions in children. In this study the experience with laparoscopic percutaneous internal ring suturing (PIRS) and open inguinal hernia surgery and their relations evaluated. Methods All children over 90 days of age and without having prior inguinal region surgery with a diagnosis of indirect inguinal hernia underwent surgical repair with open or laparoscopic PIRS technique.

Sentinel nubbin: A potential pitfall in the management of undescended testis secondary to epididymo-testicular nonunion.

Introduction: Epididymal anomalies are common in boys with undescended testis. Epididymo-testicular non-union with a nubbin in the scrotum is a rare anomaly and may be confusing during management of cryptorchidism. The non-fused epididymis and vas deferens which are descended to the scrotum, may be regarded as nubbin tissue secondary to testicular atrophy and proximal testis may be overlooked.

Estimating Model-Based Oral Reading Fluency: A Bayesian Approach.

Oral reading fluency (ORF), used by teachers and school districts across the country to screen and progress monitor at-risk readers, has been documented as a good indicator of reading comprehension and overall reading competence. In traditional ORF administration, students are given one minute to read a grade-level passage, after which the assessor calculates the words correct per minute (WCPM) fluency score by subtracting the number of incorrectly read words from the total number of words read aloud. As part of a larger effort to develop an improved ORF assessment system, this study expands on and demonstrates the performance of a new model-based estimate of WCPM based on a recently developed latent-variable psychometric model of speed and accuracy for ORF data.

Evaluation of Analysis Approaches for Latent Class Analysis with Auxiliary Linear Growth Model.

This study investigated the performance of three selected approaches to estimating a two-phase mixture model, where the first phase was a two-class latent class analysis model and the second phase was a linear growth model with four time points. The three evaluated methods were (a) one-step approach, (b) three-step approach, and (c) case-weight approach. As a result, some important results were demonstrated.

Acetylsalicylic acid and ascorbic acid combination improves cognition; via antioxidant effect or increased expression of NMDARs and nAChRs?

Chronic inflammation occurs systematically in the central nervous system during ageing, it has been shown that neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders. Aspirin, a nonselective COX inhibitor, as well as ascorbic acid, has been purported to protect cerebral tissue. We investigated the effects of subchronic aspirin and ascorbic acid usage on spatial learning, oxidative stress and expressions of NR2A, NR2B, nAChRα7, α4 and β2.

Neuroprotective effects of raloxifene on experimental spinal cord injury in rats.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible beneficial effect of raloxifene on cytokine production and ultrastructure of the spinal cord after spinal cord injury (SCI) in an animal model.

Methods: Forty-eight male, adult Wistar Albino rats were divided into 4 groups for this study: A (only laminectomy), B (trauma; laminectomy + spinal trauma), C (raloxifene group; laminectomy + spinal trauma + raloxifene treated) and D (vehicle group; laminectomy + spinal trauma + vehicle treated). SCI was achieved by compression of the spinal cord horizontally and extradurally for 1 minute with an aneurysm clip (Sugita no: 07-934-11, closing pressure of 1.

The role of carnitine in preventing renal damage developed as a result of infrarenal aortic ischemia-reperfusion.

Background: This study was designed to use carnitine for preventing deposition of end products of lipid peroxidation in rat models in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) damage frequently seen following operations of infrarenal abdominal aorta (AA).

Methods: Forty male rats of Sprague-Dawley type were evenly (n = 8) randomized to five groups: sham laparotomy (SHAM), carnitine control (CC), aortic IR (AIR), AIR + low-dose carnitine (AIR+LDC), and AIR + high-dose carnitine (AIR+HDC).

Results: Compared to other groups, serum creatinine levels of AIR group were significantly higher.

Serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ and C-reactive protein levels in association with periodontal disease and hyperlipidemia.

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the levels of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in association with periodontal disease and hyperlipidemia.

Methods: A total of 123 subjects with hyperlipidemia and 68 systemically healthy controls were included in the study. Subjects with hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups: the suggested-diet (HD) and prescribed-statin (HS) groups and then into three subgroups: the healthy (HDh and HSh), gingivitis (HDg and HSg), and periodontitis (HDp and HSp) groups.

Alterations of plasma magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and selenium concentrations and some related erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the status of plasma essential trace elements magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) concentrations and their some related antioxidant enzyme activities, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Fifty patients with AD and fifty healthy control subjects were included in this study. Plasma Cu and Zn concentrations by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), plasma Mg and Fe concentrations by spectrophotometric methods and plasma Se concentrations by graphite furnace AAS were determined.

Melatonin modulates hippocampus NMDA receptors, blood and brain oxidative stress levels in ovariectomized rats.

We investigated the effects of melatonin administration on ovariectomy-induced oxidative toxicity and N-methyl-D: -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunits in the blood of rats. Thirty-two rats were studied in three groups. The first and second groups were control and ovariectomized rats.