Teacher workshops chip away at economic illiteracy

Workshops put on for teachers by the Atlanta and St. Louis Feds are having the desired results, a recent assessment shows. Teachers are learning about the economy and personal finance, and they are passing this information on to a student body that desperately needs it.Education - Economic aspects ; Economics - Study and teaching

Sequence of protein expression of bone sialoprotein and osteopontin at the developing interface between repair cementum and dentin in human deciduous teeth

Experimental periodontal regeneration studies have revealed the weak binding of repair cementum to the root surface, whereas attachment of cementum to dentin preconditioned by odontoclasts appears to be superior. The aim of this study has been, therefore, to analyze the structural and partial biochemical nature of the interface that develops between resorbed dentin and repair cementum by using human deciduous teeth as a model. Aldehyde-fixed and decalcified tooth samples were embedded in acrylic or epoxy resins and sectioned for light and transmission electron microscopy. Antibodies against bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteopontin (OPN), two noncollagenous proteins accumulating at hard tissue interfaces in bone and teeth, were used for protein A-gold immunocytochemistry. Light microscopy revealed a gradually increasing staining intensity of the external dentin matrix starting after the withdrawal of the odontoclast. Labeling for both BSP and OPN was first detected among the exposed collagen fibrils and in the intratubular dentin matrix when odontoclasts had withdrawn but mesenchymal cells were present. Subsequently, collagen fibrils of the repair cementum were deposited concomitantly with the appearance of labeling for BSP and OPN over the intratubular, intertubular, and peritubular dentin matrix. Labeled mineralization foci indicated the advancing mineralization front, and the collagenous repair matrix became integrated in an electron-dense organic material that showed labeling for BSP and OPN. Thus, no distinct planar interfacial matrix layer lies between the resorbed dentin and the repair cementum. The results suggest that odontoclasts precondition the dentin matrix such that the repair cementum becomes firmly attache

Gene array of primary human osteoblasts exposed to enamel matrix derivative in combination with a natural bone mineral

Objectives: The application of an enamel matrix derivative (EMD) for regenerative periodontal surgery has been shown to promote formation of new cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. In intrabony defects with a complicated anatomy, the combination of EMD with various bone grafting materials has resulted in additional clinical improvements, but the initial cellular response of osteoblasts coming in contact with these particles have not yet been fully elucidated. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of EMD combined with a natural bone mineral (NBM) on a wide variety of genes, cytokines, and transcription factors and extracellular matrix proteins on primary human osteoblasts. Material and methods: Primary human osteoblasts were seeded on NBM particles pre-coated with versus without EMD and analyzed for gene differences using a human osteogenesis gene super-array (Applied Biosystems). Osteoblast-related genes include those transcribed during bone mineralization, ossification, bone metabolism, cell growth and differentiation, as well as gene products representing extracellular matrix molecules, transcription factors, and cell adhesion molecules. Results: EMD promoted gene expression of various osteoblast differentiation markers including a number of collagen types and isoforms, SMAD intracellular proteins, osteopontin, cadherin, alkaline phosphatase, and bone sialoprotein. EMD also upregulated a variety of growth factors including bone morphogenetic proteins, vascular endothelial growth factors, insulin-like growth factor, transforming growth factor, and their associated receptor proteins. Conclusion: The results from the present study demonstrate that EMD is capable of activating a wide variety of genes, growth factors, and cytokines when pre-coated onto NBM particles. Clinical relevance: The described in vitro effects of EMD on human primary osteoblasts provide further biologic support for the clinical application of a combination of EMD with NBM particles in periodontal and oral regenerative surger

The therapeutic efficacy and macrofilaricidal activity of doxycycline for the treatment of river blindness

Background. Onchocerca volvulus and lymphatic filariae, causing river blindness and elephantiasis, depend on endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria for growth, development, fertility, and survival. Clinical trials have shown that doxycycline treatment eliminates Wolbachia, causing long-term sterilization of adult female filariae and effecting potent macrofilaricidal activity. The continual reinfection by drug-naive worms that occurs in these trial settings dilutes observable anti-Wolbachia and antifilarial effects, making it difficult to estimate therapeutic efficacy and compare different doxycycline regimens, evaluated at different times after treatment. Methods. A meta-analytical modeling framework is developed to link all usable data collected from clinical trials measuring the Wolbachia status and viability of individual female adult worms collected at various times after treatment with 4, 5, or 6 weeks of daily 100 or 200 mg oral doxycycline. The framework is used to estimate efficacy parameters that are not directly measurable as trial outcomes. Results. The estimated efficacy of doxycycline (the maximum proportional reduction in the percentage of adult female O. volvulus positive for Wolbachia) is 91%–94% on average, irrespective of the treatment regimen. Efficacy is >95% in the majority of trial participants. The life span of Wolbachia-depleted worms is reduced by 70%–80%, from approximately 10 years to 2–3 years. Conclusions. The efficacy parameters are pertinent to the prospects of using doxycycline on a “test and treat” basis for onchocerciasis control and confirm doxycycline as a potent macrofilaricidal therapy. The modeling approach is more generally relevant to the design and evaluation of clinical trials for antifilarial drugs conducted in endemic settings

Cultural Influences on Women in Leadership: An Extension of the Hofstede and GLOBE Dimensions

Technology has forever changed the face of business. Although in the past business markets have been limited to local geographic areas, the concept of outsourcing has opened a diverse spectrum of international markets. An increase in suppliers and consumers can improve business effectiveness and efficiency, but entering international markets can be detrimental if the business is unaware of the subtle differences the new market has in regard to leadership styles and cultural values. Hofstede\u27s cultural dimension analysis has been the primary research study for many industry and academic professionals (Bond 2002; Hofstede 1997). However, many scholars are questioning whether Hofstede\u27s work is still relevant in the fast-changing business world, especially with the influx of women in the workforce. This proposal combines the research presented by Hofstede and the GLOBE study and narrows in on the effects culture has on women pursing leadership, particularly women already labeled as leaders. Seventy-two women from thirty-one different countries attending the 2014 Insight Dubai Conference were surveyed

Brugia Pahangi: Effects of Maternal Filariasis on the Responses of Their Progeny to Homologous Infection.

The effects of in utero and neonatal exposure to maternal Brugia pahangi infections on the development of homologous infections, immune responses, and pathologic lesions was studied in age-matched progeny of infected and uninfected female jirds. High IgG antibody titers to B. pahangi antigens were present in the sera of progeny from infected mothers. These neonatal titers to homologous antigens were shown to be of maternal origin, and did not alter the cellular responses of uninfected progeny as measured by in vitro antigen-stimulated blastogenesis and in vivo pulmonary granulomatous inflammatory responses to antigen-coated beads. Studies were conducted to measure age-related differences in susceptibility, lymphatic lesion formation, and antibody responses to B. pahangi infection in 2$-$, 6$-$, 10$-$, and 15-week old jirds from uninfected mothers. Significant reductions in quantities of testicular and intralymphatic worms recovered and antibody responses to solbule antigens in jirds infected at 2 weeks of age had no measurable effect on susceptibility or lymphatic lesion severity expressed as the ratio of intralymphatic thrombi formed per intralymphatic worm. Challenge infections in 2- or 4-week old progeny from B. pahangi-infected and uninfected female jirds yielded equivalent adult worm recoveries and microfilaremias. Lymphatic lesion severity expressed as the ratio of intralymphatic thrombi formed per intralymphatic worm recovered was similar in all groups. Offspring infected at either 2 or 4 weeks of age from infected mothers exhibited significantly lower serum IgG antibody titers to B. pahangi antigens compared to infected progeny of uninfected mothers at 5-8 weeks postinfection. Infected offspring from infected mothers displayed significantly fewer antigen-specific splenic plague-forming cells at 5 weeks postinfection than infected control progeny. Qualitative and quantitative reductions in serum antibody reactivity to B. pahangi antigens were also demonstrated by Western immunoblot at 8 weeks postinfection in infected progeny of infected females. These results suggest that a partial immune tolerance to B. pahangi antigens develops in infected offspring of infected female jirds. These modulated antibody responses had no measurable effect on the establishment of adult worms, microfilaremias, lymphatic lesion development, or antigen-specific pulmonary granulomatous inflammatory responses