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The article examines the role of science division chairmen in regionally accredited two-year colleges in the U.S. It discusses the evolution of the community junior college in higher education, for instance, the growing predominance in two-year colleges of the academic division over the traditional departmental grouping of subject matter disciplines of two or more related departments such as biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Lastly, it investigates the program responsibilities of the science division heads, department heads, and faculty.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis is not only the leading cause of hospitalization in U.S. infants, but also a major risk factor for asthma development. While emerging evidence suggests clinical heterogeneity within RSV bronchiolitis, little is known about its biologically-distinct endotypes. Here, we integrated clinical, virus, airway microbiome (species-level), transcriptome, and metabolome data of 221 infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis in a multicentre prospective cohort study. We identified four biologically- and clinically-meaningful endotypes: A) clinical classic microbiome M. nonliquefaciens inflammation IFN-intermediate , B) clinical atopic microbiome S. pneumoniae/M. catarrhalis inflammation IFN-high , C) clinical severe microbiome mixed inflammation IFN-low , and D) clinical non-atopic microbiome M.catarrhalis inflammation IL-6 . Particularly, compared with endotype A infants, endotype B infants-who are characterized by a high proportion of IgE sensitization and rhinovirus coinfection, S. pneumoniae/M. catarrhalis codominance, and high IFN-α and -γ response-had a significantly higher risk for developing asthma (9% vs. 38%; OR, 6.00: 95%CI, 2.08-21.9; P = 0.002). Our findings provide an evidence base for the early identification of high-risk children during a critical period of airway development.

Background: Racial disparities are frequently reported in emergency department (ED) care., Objectives: To examine racial differences in triage scores of pediatric ED patients. We hypothesized that racial differences existed but could be explained after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors., Methods: We examined all visits to two urban, pediatric EDs between August 2009 and March 2010. Demographic and clinical data were electronically extracted from the medical record. We used logistic regression to analyze racial differences in triage scores, controlling for possible covariates., Results: There were 54,505 ED visits during the study period, with 7216 (13.2%) resulting in hospital admission. White patients accounted for 36.4% of visits, African Americans 28.5%, Hispanics 18.0%, Asians 4.1%, and American Indians 1.8%. After adjusting for potential confounders, African American (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69-2.12), Hispanic (aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.55-2.02), and American Indian (aOR 2.57, 95% CI 1.80-3.66) patients received lower-acuity triage scores than Whites. In three out of four subgroup analyses based on presenting complaints (breathing difficulty, abdominal pain, fever), African Americans and Hispanics had higher odds of receiving low-acuity triage scores. No racial differences were detected for patients with presenting complaints of laceration/head injury/arm injury. However, among patients admitted to the hospital, African Americans (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.90) and Hispanics (aOR 1.71, CI 1.22-2.39) received lower-acuity triage scores than Whites., Conclusion: After adjusting for available sociodemographic and clinical covariates, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian patients received lower-acuity triage scores than Whites., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A study of major skiing injuries in children and adolescents. DESIGN AND MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 5-year retrospective study of patients 18 years old and under admitted to a pediatric trauma center after skiing accidents. A follow-up questionnaire was used to obtain additional information., Measurements and Main Results: Thirty-eight patients, of which 34 were male. Age range was 5 to 18 years. Fifty-eight percent of the accidents were collisions with stationary objects. Alcohol and drugs were not implicated. Helmet use was negligible. Head injuries, especially skull fractures, were very common (27), followed by extremity fractures (13), facial fractures (8), and abdominal (6), thoracic (5), and spinal injuries (2). One third had multiple injuries. The average cost was $22,000. There were no deaths, but 26% had long-term sequelae. The skill breakdown was 26% beginner, 29% intermediate, 45% advanced. Willingness to accept responsibility for the accident correlated inversely with skill level., Conclusions: Prevention efforts must target excessive speed and loss of control. Beginners must be well supervised on appropriate terrain. The frequency of skull fractures suggests that helmet use should be encouraged for young recreational skiers.

Objective: To assess risk behaviors, health problems, worries and concerns, and resiliency-promoting factors among American Indian-Alaska Native adolescents., Design: Survey., Setting: Nonurban schools from eight Indian Health Service areas., Participants: A total of 13,454 seventh- through 12th-grade American Indian-Alaska Native youths., Main Outcome Measures: revised version of the Adolescent Health Survey, a comprehensive, anonymous, self-report questionnaire with 162 items addressing 10 dimensions of health., Results: Poor physical health was reported by 2% of the study sample and was significantly correlated with social risk factors of physical and/or sexual abuse, suicide attempts, substance abuse, poor school performance, and nutritional inadequacies. Injury risk behaviors included never wearing seatbelts (44%), drinking and driving (37.9% of driving 10th through 12th graders), and riding with a driver who had been drinking (21.8%). Physical and sexual abuse prevalence was 10% and 13%, respectively, with 23.9% of females reporting physical abuse and 21.6% of females reporting sexual abuse by the 12th grade. Almost 6% of the entire sample endorsed signs of severe emotional distress. Eleven percent of the teens surveyed knew someone who had killed himself or herself, and 17% had attempted suicide themselves. Sixty-five percent of males and 56.8% of females reported having had intercourse by the 12th grade. Weekly or more frequent alcohol use rose from 8.2% of seventh graders to 14.1% by the 12th grade; for males, the survey noted an increase in regular alcohol use of 3% to 5% a year to 27.3% by the 12th grade. For each variable measured, rates are much higher for American Indian adolescents than those for rural white Minnesota youth, except for age at first intercourse and alcohol use., Conclusions: American Indian-Alaska Native adolescents reported high rates of health-compromising behaviors and risk factors related to unintentional injury, substance use, poor self-assessed health status, emotional distress, and suicide. Interventions must be culturally sensitive, acknowledge the heterogeneity of Indian populations, be grounded in cultural traditions that promote health, and be developed with full participation of the involved communities.