Teaching for Social Justice with Students from Privileged Groups: Integrating Social Justice into Middle School Curriculum

This dissertation research focuses on the teaching for social justice with privileged middle school students. A need for this research was established based on the limited findings specific to teaching for social justice in mathematics. This research was implemented with junior high level students in a public charter school. The socio-economic status and ethnic diversity of the class in which this study took place is primarily middle to upper middle class and ten percent nonwhite. Qualitative research methods were used because this study focuses more on human interactions in the natural setting of a classroom. First, my observations of the social justice lessons and discussions were used. Second, students wrote reflection papers that depicted their reactions to the data related to social issues. Third, I conducted in-depth interviews with purposefully-selected students. All class sessions were video recorded and interviews were audiotaped. Real world income data related to class, gender, and ethnicity were used in the mathematics lessons. Students were surprised at the income differences according to class, gender, and ethnicity. Responses to the data showed that most students connected income discrepancy with possible underlying issues such as discrimination, hiring bias, and unequal opportunities based on class, gender, and ethnicity. In addition, students’ responses showed that they would take actions in pursuit of changes and social justice, even though issues with underlying problems were not directly related to them. Students also found mathematics as an interesting subject connected to real world situations. Some students expressed interest for additional social issue topics in their class. Finally, the results showed support for an interdisciplinary approach of social justice education into other subject areas

First Records of Two Spirostomum Ciliates (Heterotrichea: Heterotrichida: Spirostomidae) from Korea

Two Spirostomum species collected from freshwater in Korea were identified as S. caudatum (Muller, 1786) and S. teres (Claparede and Lachmann, 1858). They are recorded for the first time in Korea. The description was based on the observation of living specimens and protargol impregnated specimens. Diagnostics of these species are as follows. Spirostomum caudatum: body size 400-450×20-30 μm in vivo, shaped long and slender with a tapered posterior part, highly contractile; macronucleus ellipsoid; adoral zone of membranelles occupied 30% of body length; somatic kineties 14-22 in number. Spirostomum teres: body size 240-460×25-40 μm in vivo, shaped long and slender with a flattened posterior end, highly contractile; cortical granules arranged in 2-3 rows; adoral zone of membranelles occupied 50% of body length; somatic kineties 20-30 in number; macronucleus ellipsoid; micronuclei 2-3 in number. Spirostomum caudatum and S. teres are the most similar congeners, but they are different in the posterior part of body (tail-like posterior part vs. flattened posterior end), length of adoral zone of membranelles in body length (1/3 vs. 1/2), and the number of somatic kineties (14-22 vs. 20-30). These populations match with European populations in morphological characters

Intracellular Membrane Association of the Aplysia cAMP Phosphodiesterase Long and Short Forms via Different Targeting Mechanisms

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) play key roles in cAMP compartmentalization, which is required for intracellular signaling processes, through specific subcellular targeting. Previously, we showed that the long and short forms of Aplysia PDE4 (ApPDE4), which are localized to the membranes of distinct subcellular organelles, play key roles in 5-hydroxytryptamineinduced synaptic facilitation in Aplysia sensory and motor synapses. However, the molecular mechanism of the isoform-specific distinct membrane targeting was not clear. In this study, we further investigated the molecular mechanism of the membrane targeting of the ApPDE4 long and short forms. We found that the membrane targeting of the long form was mediated by hydrophobic interactions, mainly via 16 amino acids at the N-terminal region, whereas the short form was targeted solely to the plasma membrane, mainly by nonspecific electrostatic interactions between theirNtermini and the negatively charged lipids such as the phosphatidylinositol polyphosphates PI4P and PI(4,5)P<inf>2</inf>, which are embedded in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Moreover, oligomerization of the long or short form by interaction of their respective upstream conserved region domains, UCR1 and UCR2, enhanced their plasma membrane targeting. These results suggest that the long and short forms of ApPDE4 are distinctly targeted to intracellular membranes through their direct association with the membranes via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, respectively. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.1

Deficiency of antidiuretic hormone: a rare cause of massive polyuria after kidney transplantation

A 15-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with Alport syndrome and end-stage renal disease, received a renal transplant from a living-related donor. On postoperative day 1, his daily urine output was 10,000 mL despite normal graft function. His laboratory findings including urine, serum osmolality, and antidiuretic hormone levels showed signs similar to central diabetes insipidus, so he was administered desmopressin acetate nasal spray. After administering the desmopressin, urine specific gravity and osmolality increased abruptly, and daily urine output declined to the normal range. The desmopressin acetate was tapered gradually and discontinued 3 months later. Graft function was good, and urine output was maintained within the normal range without desmopressin 20 months after the transplantation. We present a case of a massive polyuria due to transient deficiency of antidiuretic hormone with the necessity of desmopressin therapy immediately after kidney transplantation in a pediatric patient

Mesenteric Pseudocyst of the Small Bowel in Gastric Cancer Patient: A Case Report

Mesenteric pseudocyst is rare. This term is used to describe the abdominal cystic mass, without the origin of abdominal organ. We presented a case of mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in a 70-year-old man. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy showed a 3.5 cm sized excavated lesion on the posterior wall of angle. Endocopic biopsy confirmed a histologic diagnosis of the poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which includes the signet ring cell component. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a focal mucosal enhancement in the posterior wall of angle of the stomach, a 2.4 cm sized enhancing mass on the distal small bowel loop, without distant metastases or ascites in rectal shelf, and multiple gallbladder stones. The patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy, segmental resection of the small bowel, and cholecystectomy. The final pathological diagnosis was mesenteric pseudocyst. This is the first case report describing incidentally detected mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in gastric cancer patients

Generalized Pustular Psoriasis and Hepatic Dysfunction Associated with Oral Terbinafine Therapy

We report a case of 61-yr-old man with stable psoriasis who progressively developed generalized pustular eruption, erythroderma, fever, and hepatic dysfunction following oral terbinafine. Skin biopsy was compatible with pustular psoriasis. After discontinuation of terbinafine and initiating topical corticosteroid and calcipotriol combination with narrow band ultraviolet B therapy, patient'S condition slowly improved until complete remission was reached 2 weeks later. The diagnosis of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) induced by oral terbinafine was made. To our knowledge, this is the first report of GPP accompanied by hepatic dysfunction associated with oral terbinafine therapy

Human cell-camouflaged nanomagnetic scavengers restore immune homeostasis in a rodent model with bacteremia

Bloodstream infection caused by antimicrobial resistance pathogens is a global concern because it is difficult to treat with conventional therapy. Here, scavenger magnetic nanoparticles enveloped by nanovesicles derived from blood cells (MNVs) are reported, which magnetically eradicate an extreme range of pathogens in an extracorporeal circuit. It is quantitatively revealed that glycophorin A and complement receptor (CR) 1 on red blood cell (RBC)-MNVs predominantly capture human fecal bacteria, carbapenem-resistant (CR) Escherichia coli, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-positive (ESBL-positive) E. coli, vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA), endotoxins, and proinflammatory cytokines in human blood. Additionally, CR3 and CR1 on white blood cell-MNVs mainly contribute to depleting the virus envelope proteins of Zika, SARS-CoV-2, and their variants in human blood. Supplementing opsonins into the blood significantly augments the pathogen removal efficiency due to its combinatorial interactions between pathogens and CR1 and CR3 on MNVs. The extracorporeal blood cleansing enables full recovery of lethally infected rodent animals within 7 days by treating them twice in series. It is also validated that parameters reflecting immune homeostasis, such as blood cell counts, cytokine levels, and transcriptomics changes, are restored in blood of the fatally infected rats after treatment

Impaired learning and memory in CD38 null mutant mice

CD38 is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of cyclic ADP ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate, both of which are involved in the mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Recently, CD38 has been shown to regulate oxytocin release from hypothalamic neurons. Importantly, CD38 mutations are associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and CD38 knockout (CD38(-/-)) mice display ASD-like behavioral phenotypes including deficient parental behavior and poor social recognition memory. Although ASD and learning deficits commonly co-occur, the role of CD38 in learning and memory has not been investigated. We report that CD38(-/-)mice show deficits in various learning and memory tasks such as the Morris water maze, contextual fear conditioning, and the object recognition test. However, either long-term potentiation or long-term depression is not impaired in the hippocampus of CD38(-/-)mice. Our results provide convincing evidence that CD38(-/-)mice show deficits in various learning and memory tasks including spatial and non-spatial memory tasks. Our data demonstrate that CD38 is critical for regulating hippocampus-dependent learning and memory without modulating synaptic plasticity.open1

Chylothorax in Gorham's disease.

A 25-yr-old woman presented with a right pleural effusion. Destruction of 9th through 12th ribs, adjacent vertebral bodies, and transverse processes was noted on plain radiograph and a large low-attenuated, irregular shaped mass lesion with peripheral rim enhancement, destroying vertebral body and transverse process, was revealed on the computed tomographic scan. Magnetic resonance imaging showed high signal on T1- weighted image and iso- and low signal on T2-weighted image for the mass lesion replacing the vertebral bony cortex and marrow space. An open rib biopsy revealed the histopathological changes of Gorham's disease (essential osteolysis), even though only bloody fluid filling the empty space and rib and vertebral transverse process destruction were grossly observed on operation. Even though there was no definite response to radiotherapy and pleurodesis, the patient showed stable condition up to 20 months after diagnosis