Using Technology-Supported Enrichment Activities to Extend Student Learning in a Chinese as a Foreign Language Classroom

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether exposing middle school students to content above their ability level produced significant differences in students’ confidence in their Chinese as a foreign language competence in each of the following four areas: reading, listening, speaking, and learning vocabulary. Participants (N = 30) were sixth and seventh graders. Results of paired t-test analyses indicated that there was no significant difference in student confidence in Chinese reading competence, t(30) = 0.78, p = 0.22; in Chinese speaking competence, t(30) = -0.50, p = 0.31; or to learn Chinese vocabulary, t(30) = -0.80, p = 0.21. However, there was a significant difference in student confidence in ability to learn Chinese listening, t(30) = -1.78, p \u3c 0.05. It is suggested that exposing students to content well above their ability level can increase their confidence in ability to learn Chinese listening

Induced pluripotent stem cells and regenerative medicine

AbstractStem cells, a special subset of cells derived from embryo or adult tissues, are known to present the characteristics of self-renewal, multiple lineages of differentiation, high plastic capability, and long-term maintenance. Recent reports have further suggested that neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from the adult hippocampal and subventricular regions possess the utilizing potential to develop the transplantation strategies and to screen the candidate agents for neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity in neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we review the roles of NSCs and other stem cells in neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases. We show the evidences that NSCs play the key roles involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, the potential and possible utilities of induced pluripotent stem cells, reprogramming from adult fibroblasts with ectopic expression of four embryonic genes, are also reviewed and further discussed. An understanding of the biophysiology of stem cells could help us elucidate the pathogenicity and develop new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. In contrast to cell transplantation therapies, the application of stem cells can further provide a platform for drug discovery and small molecular testing, including Chinese herbal medicines. In addition, the high-throughput stem cell-based systems can be used to elucidate the mechanisms of neuroprotective candidates in translation medical research for neurodegenerative diseases

Prognostic values of a combination of intervals between respiratory illness and onset of neurological symptoms and elevated serum IgM titers in Mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalopathy

Background/PurposeTo retrospectively analyze the clinical manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae)-associated encephalopathy in pediatric patients.MethodsPediatric patients with positive serum anti-M. pneumoniae immunoglobulin M (IgM) were enrolled in this study. Clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory data, neuroimaging findings, and electrophysiological data were reviewed.ResultsOf 1000 patients identified, 11 (1.1%; male:female ratio = 7:4) had encephalopathy and were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Clinical presentation included fever, symptoms of respiratory illness, and gastrointestinal upset. Neurological symptoms included altered consciousness, seizures, coma, focal neurological signs, and personality change. Neuroimaging and electroencephalographic findings were non-specific. Specimens of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for M. pneumoniae polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were negative. Higher M. pneumoniae IgM titers and longer intervals between respiratory and CNS manifestations were associated with worse outcomes.ConclusionClinical manifestations of M. pneumoniae-associated encephalopathy were variable. Diagnosis of M. pneumoniae encephalopathy should not rely on CSF detection of M. pneumoniae by PCR. M. pneumoniae IgM titers and intervals between respiratory and CNS manifestations might be possibly related to the prognosis of patients with M. pneumoniae-associated encephalopathy

Clerodendrum inerme

Previously, we found a patient with intractable motor tic disorder, a spectrum of Tourette syndrome (TS), responsive to the ground leaf juice of Clerodendrum inerme (CI). Here, we examined the effect of the ethanol extract of CI leaves (CI extract) on animal behaviors mimicking TS, hyperlocomotion, and sensorimotor gating deficit. The latter is also observed in schizophrenic patients and can be reflected by a disruption of prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle response (PPI) in animal models induced by methamphetamine and NMDA channel blockers (ketamine or MK-801), based on hyperdopaminergic and hypoglutamatergic hypotheses, respectively. CI extract (10–300 mg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently inhibited hyperlocomotion induced by methamphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) and PPI disruptions induced by methamphetamine, ketamine (30 mg/kg, i.p.), and MK-801 (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) but did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity, rotarod performance, and grip force. These results suggest that CI extract can relieve hyperlocomotion and improve sensorimotor gating deficit, supporting the therapeutic potential of CI for TS and schizophrenia

Src-family kinase-Cbl axis negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is crucial for immune defense, but improper and excessive activation causes inflammatory diseases. We previously reported that Pyk2 is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Here we show that the Src-family kinases (SFKs)-Cbl axis plays a pivotal role in suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation in response to stimulation by nigericin or ATP, as assessed using gene knockout and gene knockdown cells, dominant active/negative mutants, and pharmacological inhibition. We reveal that the phosphorylation of Cbl is regulated by SFKs, and that phosphorylation of Cbl at Tyr371 suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Mechanistically, Cbl decreases the level of phosphorylated Pyk2 (p-Pyk2) through ubiquitination-mediated proteasomal degradation and reduces mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) production by contributing to the maintenance of mitochondrial size. The lower levels of p-Pyk2 and mtROS dampen NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In vivo, inhibition of Cbl with an analgesic drug, hydrocotarnine, increases inflammasome-mediated IL-18 secretion in the colon, and protects mice from dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis. Together, our novel findings provide new insights into the role of the SFK-Cbl axis in suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and identify a novel clinical utility of hydrocortanine for disease treatment