No abstract

No abstract

Arterial thromboembolism can lead to ischemic injury and may be resistant to more traditional methods of removal, leading to prolonged or unsuccessful endovascular treatments. Basket distal protection wires (DPWs), initially designed to trap distal emboli during endovascular procedures, can be an alternate method of retrieving thromboemboli within occluded vasculature when other methods are unsuccessful or undesirable. We investigate the safety and efficacy of performing basket thrombectomy in patients with arterial thromboembolism at our institution. Materials and Methods: A retrospective search of the electronic medical records of our institution was conducted to identify cases of arterial thromboembolism that underwent basket thrombectomy with DPWs. Patient's medical history, laboratory values, and imaging studies including angiography were reviewed. A total of 12 patients with arterial thromboembolism that underwent 14 attempts of basket thrombectomy were identified. The age range of the patients was 46 to 86 years old, with a mean of 70. There were 10 male and 2 female patients. Indications for basket thrombectomy included acute limb ischemia in 8 patients (67%), peripheral artery disease in 3 patients (25%), and acute mesenteric ischemia in 1 patient (8%). Results: All 14 attempts of basket thrombectomy were preceded by at least one other treatment modality. There were 11 attempts in the lower extremity arteries, 2 in the upper extremity arteries, and 1 in the superior mesenteric artery. Arterial flow improvement was successful in 11 attempts (79%). All patients tolerated the procedure well and had no immediate postprocedural complications. Conclusions: Basket thrombectomy, a modified application of DPWs, demonstrates the potential to be an effective adjunctive intervention for arterial thromboembolism.

No abstract

Background: Fluency in mathematical language is essential for learning mathematics. Teachers must understand and use their diverse mathematical knowledge, including language and communication difficulties inherent to mathematics instruction. According to recent South African research, Grade 1 teachers are not equipped to utilise learners’ linguistic skills for efficient learning of mathematics.Objectives: This research investigates South African Grade 1 teachers’ mathematical language perceptions, experiences, and feelings. These Grade 1 teachers’ transcripts were analysed to discover their understanding of the language of mathematics.Method: Exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research designs were used in conjunction with an adapted interactive qualitative analysis technique. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and lesson observations, together with a purposive sampling technique, were used to gather the data from both public and private primary schools.Results: The results showed that Grade 1 teachers view mathematics as a separate language with its own vocabulary and register. The findings highlighted the need to simplify the language of mathematics to enhance understanding.Conclusion: This research concluded that language is essential to mathematics learning and that mathematics has its own register, which is acquired like any other additional language. To help isiXhosa learners understand mathematics in English, scaffolding strategies must be aligned with their linguistic demands.Contribution: This article provides important recommendations for teachers who need to recognise the reality that English is the lingua franca and ensure isiXhosa home language-speaking learners receive the necessary support to acquire actual proficiency in the academic register of English for mathematical language learning.