Um olhar crítico sobre os testes de compreensão de leitura / A critical view of reading comprehension tests / Una visión crítica sobre pruebas de comprensión de lectura

A compreensão de leitura é um construto multidimensional, que envolve processos cognitivos complexos. Embora, os trabalhos científicos tenham apontado a complexidade desse processo, do ponto de vista prático, quando se verifica como a literatura aborda a avaliação da compreensão leitora, há uma tendência a se tratar esse construto como unidimensional, e os testes como equivalentes. O presente artigo pretende discutir criticamente a forma como a área tem abordado a avaliação da compreensão leitora. Apresenta resultados de estudos empíricos que avaliaram a pertinência de três tipos de testes de compreensão de texto para leitura: Cloze, múltipla escolha e recordação. As implicações para pesquisa científica e para prática clínica são discutidas.

Reading comprehension is a multidimensional construct that involves complex cognitive processes. Although scientific studies have pointed out the complexity of this process, from a practical point of view, when one reviews how the literature addresses the assessment of comprehension, there is a tendency to treat this construct as one dimensional and tests as equivalents. This paper intends to critically discuss how the field has approached the assessment of comprehension. It presents results of empirical studies that evaluated the relevance of three types of reading comprehension tests: Cloze, multiple choice, and recall. The implications for scientific research and clinical practice are discussed.

La comprensión de lalectura es un constructo multidimensional, que involucra procesos cognitivos complejos. Aunquelosestudios científicos hanseñaladolacomplejidad de este proceso , desde unpunto de vista práctico , cuando vemos cómolas ofertas de la literatura conlaevaluación de lacomprensiónlectora , hay una tendencia a tratar esto como un constructo unidimensional y pruebas equivalentes. Este artículo tiene como objetivo discutir críticamentecómoel área se ha ocupado de laevaluación de lacomprensiónlectora . Presenta los resultados de estudios empíricos que evalúan la relevancia de los tres tipos de pruebas de comprensión de texto para la lectura: Cloze pregunta y respuesta y recuperación.Se discutenlasimplicaciones para lainvestigación científica y lapráctica clínica.

Estimation of serum level of interleukin-17 and interleukin-4 in leprosy, towards more understanding of leprosy immunopathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Combating Mycobacterium leprae is known to be via T-helper1 response. However, other T-helper effector cells; T-helper17 and T-helper2; play a role, particularly in the context of disease type. AIMS: We aimed to evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL)-17 (T-helper17 cytokine) and IL-4 (T-helper2 cytokine) in untreated patients with different types of leprosy, compared to controls. METHODS: Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, serum IL-17 and IL-4 levels were estimated in 43 leprotic patients and 43 controls. Patients were divided into six groups; tuberculoid, borderline cases, lepromatous, erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), type 1 reactional leprosy, and pure neural leprosy. Patients were also categorized according to bacillary load and the presence or absence of reactions. RESULTS: Serum IL-17 was significantly lower in cases (4-61.5 pg/mL; median 19), compared to controls (26-55 pg/mL; median 36) (P < 0.001), and was significantly lower in each type of leprosy compared to controls, with the lowest level in lepromatous leprosy (4-61.5 pg/mL; median 12.5). Significantly elevated serum IL-4 was found in patients (1.31-122.4 pg/mL; median 2.31) compared to controls (1.45-5.72 pg/mL; median 2.02) (P = 0.008), with the highest level among lepromatous leprosy patients (2-87.2 pg/mL; median 28.9), and the lowest in type 1 reactional leprosy (1.4-2.5 pg/mL; median 1.87) (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Defective secretion of IL-17 is related to disease acquisition as well as progression toward lepromatous pole in leprosy patients. The overproduction of IL-4 in patients with lepromatous leprosy may infer their liability to develop ENL. Nevertheless, the small number of the studied population is a limitation.

An exploration of health, family and economic experiences of leprosy patients, Iran.

This study aims to explore the life experiences of Iranian leprosy patients in health, family and economic dimensions. Mycobacterium leprae is responsible for leprosy, a type of chronic inflammatory disease that existed from ancient times, still hearing the name of leprosy creates an awful imagination of cutting the organ, blindness and isolation and it has still remained as a serious social problem. The patients are confronted with particular problems physically and mentally. The phenomenological tradition was used to gain knowledge of the leprosy patients lived experiences. Data analysis method was based on Colaizzi's approach. This is a qualitative research using purposeful sampling, interviewing the leprosy patients referring to a contagious diseases department of the Health Network of Nourabad Lorestan City. Data were collected by interviews those were analyzed in Colaizzi's Methods to extract the conceptual codes. Some concepts obtained from the analysis of data in the study such as physical, psychological, social, family, economic experiences, cultural beliefs of society, the context for tendency toward defect and disability and social stigma. These findings suggest that health care professionals should pay attention not only to leprosy patients to reduce their physical and psychological but also to the community and public culture to reduce the leprosy patients suffering from social stigma. The results of the present study can help us in a better understanding of all aspects of patients' lived experiences.