A Case Report of a 14?Year Old Male with Pseudohypoparathyroidism Associated with Multiple Hormonal Resistance

Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is a rare hereditary metabolic disorder that may or may not be associated with resistance to parathyroid hormone (pseudohypoparathyroidism) or other hormones. The disorder is commonly characterized by a constellation of dysmorphic physical features and with biochemical levels that demonstrate hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphatemia. We report here a clinical case of a 14 year old male with AHO and we discuss his clinical features, radiographic and laboratory findings along with treatment.     

What is the unit of natural selection?

The gene as the solution to the debate over the level at which natural selection acts has often been termed as too reductionist, but is this a valid criticism? Exploring this question in the context of nonlinearity illuminates not only the debate over the unit of natural selection but also the broader debate on reductionism versus holism in science.     

Teachers Speak Out on Assessment Practices

A 1997 statewide survey of Michigan teachers, administrators, and parents about assessment practices revealed that all 3 groups held similar views about what constitutes appropriate assessment in the early years, and they put little faith in test scores. This study reports on follow-up interviews aimed at determining the types, frequency, and utility of assessment techniques used by classroom teachers. Specifically, this study focused on the types of assessment techniques used by a sample of elementary teachers, including how often they use paper-and-pencil tests, how often they write observation notes and what they do with the notes, whether they use children's portfolios as assessment, and whether their teaching is influenced by mandated tests. Study findings revealed that paper and pencil tests were regularly used by teachers in grades 3 and 4 (92%), and rarely or occasionally used by the teachers below that level (16% rarely and 20% occasionally). Seventy-three percent of the early level teachers and 76% of the teachers in grade 3 and 4 used observation for summative rather than formative analysis. Teachers in both groups used checklists frequently, primarily for summative purposes. Portfolios, like other assessment tools, are used primarily for summative rather than formative purposes.