Pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with high support needs in regular classrooms in Bangladesh

In the process of educational reforms for promoting equity and inclusion in education, pre‐service teacher preparedness has been identified as a vital factor that has an impact on the success of inclusive education. Bangladesh, like other parts of the world, has taken various initiatives to promote inclusive education in the country context. This study is an attempt to explore factors related to pre‐service teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in Bangladesh. The current study is an extension of the work completed in previous studies and specifically examined participants’ attitudes and factors that influenced their attitudes. Following a mixed method design, this multi‐phase study measured 1,623 pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in phase 1. By applying a multiple regression procedure, several variables were identified that impacted on pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The results indicated that Bangladeshi pre‐service teachers hold a less positive attitude towards the inclusion of children who have high support needs (that is, those who use Braille or sign language, or those who need to have an Individualised Academic Programme). In order to better understand the findings about apprehensive attitudes among pre‐service teachers, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six institutional heads of pre‐service teacher education institutions. The interviews provided a new perspective on apprehensive attitudes among participants. Several curriculum reform suggestions are made that may have implications for policy‐makers and researchers in Bangladesh and beyond.     

MMP 9 Gene Promoter Polymorphism in Gastric Cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) plays a key role in cancer invasion and metastasis by degrading the extracellular matrix and basement membrane barriers. A cytosine (C) > thymidine (T) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position −1562 in the MMP-9 promoter is reported to influence the expression of the gene. Genotyping of MMP-9 −1562 C→T promoter polymorphism in 140 gastric cancer patients and 132 healthy control subjects was carried out in order to evaluate its association with progression and development of gastric cancer. The SNP was genotyped by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Statistical methods were adopted to test for the significance of the results. Risk factor profile of the patients revealed age above 50 years, smoking, alcoholism as the factors associated with the disease. The distribution of genotype frequencies in gastric cancer patients were 28.7 % of CC, 45.5 % of CT and 25.7 % of TT, whereas in control subjects 31.8 % of CC, 53.03 % of CT and 15.15 % of TT, respectively. The allelic frequencies were 51.51 % of C and 48.48 % of T in patient group and 58.33 % of C and 41.66 % of T in controls respectively. The present study shows the possible association of epidemiological risk factors with gastric cancer. There is an increased frequency of T allele in the disease compared to control subjects. However, there is no association of the MMP-9 −1562 C→T promoter polymorphism in the development of gastric cancer.     

More than a shortage of early childhood teachers: looking beyond the recruitment of university qualified teachers to promote quality early childhood education and care

In Australia and internationally, government policies aim to increase the supply of early childhood teachers and thus improve the quality of early childhood education and care services. In this paper, we suggest that such a policy-quality trajectory in Australia is not as straightforward as policy discourses suggest. From industrial relations and broader policy contexts, we argue that the early childhood profession is a profession on the margins and that this marginalisation complicates efforts to enhance numbers of early childhood teachers. Mindful of this marginalisation, we draw upon preliminary findings from a study exploring the motivations, beliefs and expectations of mature age postgraduate students to highlight practical issues pertaining to students and early childhood teacher education programs that further complicate policy drives to increase the supply of early childhood teachers. We propose that the success of such policy drives is dependent on a comprehensive addressing of the complexities raised in this paper.     

Interleukin-6 Perpetrator of the COVID-19 Cytokine Storm

COVID-19 has emerged as a global pandemic. It is mainly manifested as pneumonia which may deteriorate into severe respiratory failure. The major hallmark of the disease is the systemic inflammatory immune response characterized by Cytokine Storm (CS). CS is marked by elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, mainly interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Of these, IL-6 is found to be significantly associated with higher mortality. IL-6 is also a robust marker for predicting disease prognosis and deterioration of clinical profile. In this review, the pivotal role played by IL-6 in the immuno-pathology of COVID-19 has been illustrated. The role of IL-6 as a pleiotropic cytokine executing both pro and anti-inflammatory activities has been reviewed. ADAM 10, a metalloproteinase switches the anti-inflammatory pathway of IL-6 to pro inflammatory hence blocking the action of ADAM 10 could be a new therapeutic strategy to mitigate the proinflammatory action of IL-6. Furthermore, we explore the role of anti-IL6 agents, IL-6 receptor antibodies which were being used for autoimmune diseases but now are being repurposed for the therapy of COVID-19.     

Thormann,Joan & Zimmerman,Isa Kaftal (2012) Complete step‐to‐step guide to designing and teaching online courses Teachers College Press (Columbia University,NY & Eurospan,London) isbn 978‐0‐8077‐5309‐5 216 pp £26.95 http://store.tcpress.com/0807753092.shtml

This is a highly useful illustrative step‐by‐step resource for teachers and administrators planning for or already teaching online. It offers great ideas, strategies, practical examples, online tools and design principles for all those associated with online teaching, whether they are beginners or experienced. I recommend you buy a copy of this book for your own use if its content is likely to be relevant to you. Ramesh Sharma