Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a widely available and highly utilised tool in diagnostic histopathology and is used to guide treatment options as well as provide prognostic information. IHC is subjected to qualitative and subjective assessment, which has been criticised for a lack of stringency, while PCR-based molecular diagnostic validations by comparison are regarded as very rigorous. It is essential that IHC tests are validated through evidence-based procedures. With the move to ISO15189 (2012), not just of the accuracy, specificity and reproducibility of each test need to be determined and managed, but also the degree of uncertainty and the delivery of such tests. The recent update to ISO 15189 (2012) states that it is appropriate to consider the potential uncertainty of measurement of the value obtained in the laboratory and how that may impact on prognostic or predictive thresholds. In order to highlight the problems surrounding IHC validity, we reviewed the measurement of Ki67and p53 in the literature. Both of these biomarkers have been incorporated into clinical care by pathology laboratories worldwide. The variation seen appears excessive even when measuring centrally stained slides from the same cases. We therefore propose in this paper to establish the basis on which IHC laboratories can bring the same level of robust validation seen in the molecular pathology laboratories and the principles applied to all routine IHC tests.
Under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, all Division I and II student-athletes are subject to year-round drug testing. In addition to these NCAA-mandated tests, the NCAA encourages each member school to establish its own drug testing policy. Drug testing has been studied frequently, often from the legal, athlete motivation, or economic perspectives. Yet, on the collegiate level, it is unclear the extent to which drug testing policies vary across institutions and divisions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the drug testing policies of high-and low-performing athletic programs to determine whether student-athletes competing on successful teams in revenue-generating sports are held to different standards than those participating on less successful athletic teams. Drug testing policies were collected from "high-performing" Division I and II athletic programs (i.e., those ranked in the top 25 in football, men's basketball, or women's basketball between 2012-2017); these policies were compared with those of "low-performing" athletic programs (i.e., those ranked in the bottom 50 of the Directors' Cup between 2012-2017). The results indicate several contrasts between high-and low-performing athletic departments in how they penalize athletes for positive drug penalties, particularly at the Division I level.
NCAA conference office Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs) were surveyed to gain their perspective on the gender disparity reported in intercollegiate athletics. The perceptions offered by the SWAs indicate the need for NCAA conference offices to implement professional development programming for women aimed at increasing management skills, developing best practice guidelines for including SWAs in athletic administration, and establishing mentor programs for women working on member institution campuses. Additionally, the results indicate directors of athletics need to create more meaningful opportunities for women to participate in decision making and include SWAs in meetings with coaches and other staff members.
Research has shown the athletic departments of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) do not generate significant revenue. The financial struggle facing HBCU athletic departments can be explained using Resource Dependency theory. Specifically, as HBCUs are the most under-resourced member institutions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the numbers prove how these institutions do not have the funds to invest in their programs. The purpose of this study is to explore the fiscal challenges facing HBCU athletic departments. To gather this information, two different groups of participants were interviewed to obtain an independent and insider perspective of the challenges. Phenomenology was the methodological approach for this study as each participant had the opportunity to discuss their unique view of the current financial state of HBCU athletic departments. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews framed around fiscal challenges. This study contributes to the growing body of literature addressing HBCU athletics by providing an exploration of current fiscal challenges facing the institutions.
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