A Study of Students on the Autism Spectrum Transformation in a High School Transition Program

This paper shares the results of a dissertation sharing the transformative process of tenparticipants in a program for students with Asperger Syndrome transitioning from an urban highschool setting to college, which includes the extracurricular extension referred to as Ethos. Thedissertation considers the experience in the context of specialized education, and the broadercontexts of curricular development and instruction concerning school reform and design.Fundamentally, the study intends to examine and explain the extent to which these studentsexperience transformation during their transition to higher education in this progressive program.Embedded in the program design are in-depth inquiry driven discussions and experiences toenhance interpersonal relationships, effective communication, and higher level cognition. Theexploration examines whether the in-depth inquiry driven design does contribute to academicand lifelong learning, fundamentally improving students’ over-all self-perception, empowerment,and actualization of life goals, which is the underpinning purpose of an exceptional education

A Study of Students on the Autism Spectrum Transformation in a High School Transition Program

This paper shares the results of a dissertation sharing the transformative process of tenparticipants in a program for students with Asperger Syndrome transitioning from an urban highschool setting to college, which includes the extracurricular extension referred to as Ethos. Thedissertation considers the experience in the context of specialized education, and the broadercontexts of curricular development and instruction concerning school reform and design.Fundamentally, the study intends to examine and explain the extent to which these studentsexperience transformation during their transition to higher education in this progressive program.Embedded in the program design are in-depth inquiry driven discussions and experiences toenhance interpersonal relationships, effective communication, and higher level cognition. Theexploration examines whether the in-depth inquiry driven design does contribute to academicand lifelong learning, fundamentally improving students’ over-all self-perception, empowerment,and actualization of life goals, which is the underpinning purpose of an exceptional education

Exploring the putative role of kallikrein-6, calpain-1 and cathepsin-D in the proteolytic degradation of α-synuclein in multiple system atrophy

AIMS: There is evidence that accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) results from impaired removal of α-syn rather than its overproduction. Kallikrein-6 (KLK6), calpain-1 (CAPN1) and cathepsin-D (CTSD) are among a small number of proteases that cleave α-syn and are dysregulated in PD and DLB. Our aim in this study was to determine whether protease activity is altered in another α-synucleinopathy, multiple system atrophy (MSA), and might thereby modulate the regional distribution of α-syn accumulation. METHODS: mRNA and protein level and/or activity of KLK6, CAPN1 and CTSD were measured and assessed in relation to α-syn load in multiple brain regions (posterior frontal cortex, caudate nucleus, putamen, occipital cortex, pontine base and cerebellar white matter), in MSA (n = 20) and age-matched post-mortem control tissue (n = 20). RESULTS: CTSD activity was elevated in MSA in the pontine base and cerebellar white matter. KLK6 and CAPN1 levels were elevated in MSA in the putamen and cerebellar white matter. However, the activity or level of these proteolytic enzymes did not correlate with the regional distribution of α-syn. CONCLUSIONS: Accumulation of α-syn in MSA is not due to reduced activity of the proteases we have studied. We suggest that their upregulation is likely to be a compensatory response to increased α-syn in MSA. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Probiotic With or Without Fiber Controls Body Fat Mass, Associated With Serum Zonulin, in Overweight and Obese Adults-Randomized Contolled Trial

DiscussionThis clinical trial demonstrates that a probiotic product with or without dietary fiber controls body fat mass. B420 and LU + B420 also reduced waist circumference and food intake, whereas LU alone had no effect on the measured outcomes.</p

A Study of Students on the Autism Spectrum Transformation in a High School Transition Program

The dissertation explores as ethnography the transformative process of ten participants in\ud a program for students with Asperger Syndrome transitioning from an urban high school\ud setting to college, which includes the extracurricular extension referred to as Ethos. The\ud dissertation considers the experience in the context of specialized education, and the\ud broader contexts of curricular development and instruction concerning school reform and\ud design. Fundamentally, the study intends to examine and explain the extent to which\ud these students experience transformation during their transition to higher education in this\ud progressive program. Embedded in the program design are in-depth inquiry driven\ud discussions and experiences to enhance interpersonal relationships, effective\ud communication, and higher level cognition. The exploration examines whether the in-depth\ud inquiry driven design does contribute to academic and lifelong learning,\ud fundamentally improving students??? over-all self-perception, empowerment, and\ud actualization of life goals, which is the underpinning purpose of an exceptional education

Optimizing Protocols for the Derivation of Primary Cultures from Mammalian Tissue

The isolation of primary cell cultures from fresh mammalian tissue is a major interest of our laboratory. Thus, the ability to generate cancer cell lines from cancer tissue, or to generate non-malignant cultures form the host stroma surrounding a tumor, allows us to develop new laboratory models to study the behavior of cancer cells and its microenvironment. We report our proof of principle study on optimizing the derivation of primary culture, using rat tissues as a model. Thus, rat kidney and rat skin samples were isolated, minced with surgical blades, and then incubated with an enzyme digestion cocktail (Collagenase III- 4mg/mL, Collagenase IV-2mg/mL, Hyaluronidase-2mg/mL, in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4). Thereafter, the digested tissues were plated in tissue culture dishes in serum (20%) containing media. Three weeks after plating, very few cells were visible in any of the preparations. However, four weeks after plating we noted the appearance of colonies in rat kidney preparations. These colonies have since rapidly grown into larger colonies of fibroblast-like cells. These results demonstrate that we have an effective protocol for the derivation of fresh primary cultures from fresh tissues. Our plans for further optimization of the isolation procedure, for the eventual derivation of primary cultures from human and dog tumors (and from their benign stromal components such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells), will be discussed