Role of the FTO gene in the genetic determination of common multifactorial diseases

Obesity is a risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes type 2 and some cancers. Newly detected genetic risk factor for body weight is the FTO gene ("fat mass and obesity associated"). The aim of this thesis was determine 1) whether the presence of risk alleles correlate with BMI in Czech population and to determine 2) whether there is an association between variants in the FTO gene and risk of myocardial infarction/ acute coronary syndrome (MI/ ACS), 3) renal failure (ESRD), or 4) incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). We analyzed polymorphisms rs17817449 (first intron) and rs17818902 (3rd intron) using by PCR-RFLP and then also RT PCR. We found an association of the first intron variant (but not the 3rd one) and BMI in Czech control population. We have detected an association of 1st intron SNP and BMI changes during the intervention study in obese children, but not in obese females. We found a correlation between the risk allele and increased risk of ACS (OR 1.49) in patients with MI. In patients with ESRD was detected association between the risk allele and the risk of disease (OR 1.37). We didn't confirmed the association between rs17817449 and the development of CRC. Representative selected groups of the Czech populations "MONICA" and "HAPPIE" were used as controls. One..

Methodology of development and use of case studies in teaching and as Open Education Resources (OER)

Předložená metodika tvorby regionálních případových studií (PS) udržitelného rozvoje pro vysokoškolské vzdělávání má za úkol ukázat, jakým způsobem lze ve výuce využít konkrétní případy z praxe a současně jak rozvíjet výzkumné nástroje relevantní pro místní environmentální problematiku a otázky udržitelného rozvoje území; důraz je přitom kladen na regionální kontext a specifika. Publikace výsledků formou otevřených vzdělávacích zdrojů (tzv. Open Educational Resources, OER) umožní využít tyto materiály pro regionálně orientované školství i na nižších stupních vzdělávacího systému, pro prezentaci regionálních zvláštností, a může sloužit též pro podporu dialogu o rozvoji území mezi různými společenskými aktéry.The methodology of development of regional case studies of Sustainable Development for Higher Education is aimed at the promotion of the use of practical cases in teaching; it should lead to the development of research tools relevant to local environmental issues and issues of sustainable development of the region, and thus emphasizes the importance of the regional context and specifics. The publication of the cases in the form of open educational resources (OER) enables access to these materials for regionally oriented education at earlier stages of the education system, and can be used for the presentation of regional specifics, and may also serve to promote dialogue concerning the development of the territory between the different social actors. The methodology outlines the procedure for creating educational case studies and shows how they are used in university teaching. Because the methodology is based on qualitative research methods working with direct experience, discussion also addresses the ways and means of creating a knowledge base as an open educational resources (OER), to facilitate the accumulation of this experience. The methodology takes into account the requirement for continuity of learning at different educational levels and gives a brief overview of similar approaches applied at lower levels of the education system; it also shows how the results can be applied in practice. The methods of case study development and use are based on the authors’ own teaching experience, and on its theoretical reflection. The methodology clearly summarizes the assumptions for teaching sustainable development issues from a regional perspective; it offers the possibility of linking university teaching and research with practice, which should lead to an increased competence in addressing local issues of sustainable development in cooperation with universities

Opportunities and Risks of the Use of Open Education Resources in Environmental Disciplines at University Level in the Czech Republic: A Criteria for Assessing Quality

Prosazování otevřených vzdělávacích zdrojů (OER) v dokumentech i praxi na různých úrovních souvisí mj. s možnostmi, které tyto zdroje nabízejí při studiu, sdílení, a popřípadě společné tvorbě souborů informací a poznatků, což má významné dopady na ekonomiku znalostí, ale i způsoby jejich vytváření a reprodukce ve vzdělávání. Článek představuje koncept OER s ohledem na jeho zakotvení v legislativě (problematika copyrightu), roli v celosvětových závazcích k udržitelnému rozvoji, a zejména souvislosti s pedagogickými přístupy v procesu jejich současné proměny a vývoje; poukazuje na inovační potenciál OER pro multidisciplinární obory životního prostředí a UR. Podává stručný přehled typů OER, které jsou v ČR k dispozici otevřenou formou pro studium oborů ŽP a UR, s využitím kvalitativní metody provádí jejich analýzu a navrhuje soubor kritérií, podle kterých lze jednoduše usuzovat na kvalitu daného zdroje. Hodnotí různé typy OER (po 3 v několika skupinách) podle těchto kritérií a diskutuje celkovou povahu informačního prostředí, jak se studentům vysokých škol nabízí. Přehled o situaci OER je uzavřen konstatováním značných příležitostí zvláště v oblasti ŽP a UR, které souvisí s multidisciplinární povahou těchto oborů; tyto možnosti však nebývají naplněny především pro nesnadné rozlišení kvality zdroje v prostředí internetu, ale pravděpodobně i neschopnost samotných studentů takovou kvalitu posuzovat a možná i všeobecnou nedůslednost vysokoškolských učitelů při prosazování etických norem při studiu.The expansion of open educational resources (OER) in documents and practice at various levels is related to, among other things, the options these resources offer for the study, sharing, and possibly joint creation of information materials. This has important implications for the knowledge economy, but also the ways of its production and reproduction in education. The article introduces the concept of OER from a legislative perspective (copyright issues), its role in global commitments to sustainable development and particularly in relation to the teaching/learning methods and approaches in the process of their current transformation; the innovative potential of OER for the multidisciplinary field of environment and sustainable development is highlighted. A brief overview of the types of OER which are available in the Czech Republic for the study of environmental and sustainability fields is provided, and qualitative methods of analysis are used to develop a set of criteria through which the quality of the resource can be easily assessed. Different types of OER are evaluated according to these criteria and the overall character of the information environment available to university students is discussed. This brief overview is concluded by underlining significant opportunities of OER particularly in the environment and sustainability oriented disciplines owing to the multidisciplinary nature of these fields. These opportunities, however, are not fully exploited especially because the quality of these resources available on the internet is difficult to assess. Another issue is also the possibility that students themselves are not skilled in distinguishing the quality of resources, and perhaps the reluctance of university teachers to encourage and support students in applying consistent ethical standards in their use of materials in their studies

Sustainability-oriented higher education networks: Characteristics and achievements in the context of the UN DESD

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are, as a sector, an important actor in society and their role in sustainability transition has been acknowledged. However, their commitments to sustainability expressed through the adoption of various declarations are often not effective unless combined with other ‘internal’ and ‘external’ strategies (concerned with activities within and outside the institution, respectively). Networking is an example of the latter: universities enter into coalitions in order to discuss progress in sustainability implementation, exchange experience and formulate joint policies. The presented research explores the field of sustainability-oriented higher education networks, analyses their key areas of interest, inter-network relationships, links with the policy field, and (conditions for) cooperation in joint programs and strategy development. Based on information gained through desk-top research to map the field from 14 HE networks' web pages, a survey was designed and distributed to selected university networks, with 15 responses received (30% response rate). Qualitative analysis of the data concentrated on the elements of social capital: the diversity of the networks, heterogeneity of the membership, size, regional scope and communication formats. The networks' activity areas range from those supporting sustainability initiatives within individual HEIs (education, research, campus operations, outreach) and networking initiatives directed beyond individual institutional change (contribution to policy debate at national, regional and global level, professional development and student network initiatives). The achievements of the analysed networks show a considerable contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) in all their reported outcomes. Dialogue with key actors held after the exploratory mapping and the survey stages resulted in further delineation of the benefits and goals of cooperation: achievement of academia's cumulative impact on the sustainable development of our societies. This study highlights the significance of the autonomous character of HEIs based on data from 25 HE networks in total, and how they not only follow, but also stimulate the policy environment, consciously contributing to shared (sustainability) goals. Networking thus may be an important mechanism for systemic change in higher education, and the nature and role of social capital embedded in higher education networks should be the subject of further exploration

Attenuation of Hypocretin/Orexin Signaling Is Associated With Increased Mortality After Myocardial Infarction

Background The hypocretin/orexin system has been shown to play a role in heart failure. Whether it also influences myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes is unknown. We evaluated the effect of the rs7767652 minor allele T associated with decreased transcription of the hypocretin/orexin receptor‐2 and circulating orexin A concentrations on mortality risk after MI. Methods and Results Data from a single‐center, prospectively designed registry of consecutive patients hospitalized for MI at a large tertiary cardiology center were analyzed. Patients without previous history of MI or heart failure were included. A random population sample was used to compare allele frequencies in the general population. Out of 1009 patients (aged 64±12 years, 74.6% men) after MI, 6.1% were homozygotes (TT) and 39.4% heterozygotes (CT) for minor allele. Allele frequencies in the MI group did not differ from 1953 subjects from general population (χ2 P=0.62). At index hospitalization, MI size was the same, but ventricular fibrillation and the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation were more prevalent in the TT allele variant. Among patients with ejection fraction ≤40% at discharge, the TT variant was associated with a lower increase in left ventricular ejection fraction during follow‐up (P=0.03). During the 27‐month follow‐up, there was a statistically significant association of the TT variant with increased mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR], 2.83; P=0.001). Higher circulating orexin A was associated with a lower mortality risk (HR, 0.41; P<0.05). Conclusions Attenuation of hypocretin/orexin signaling is associated with increased mortality risk after MI. This effect may be partially explained by the increased arrhythmic risk and the effect on the left ventricular systolic function recovery

Leading Practice: Professional development of university educators on Education for Sustainable Development in European countries

This Leading Practice Publication (LPP) is the result of nearly two years of work on the European project University Educators for Sustainable Development (UE4SD) building on the knowledge and experience of 53 partners from 33 countries active in the area of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at European higher education institutions (HEIs). In these two years (2013-2015), a wealth of information has been gathered and we are pleased to share with you some of the key findings and experiences gained during the project in this publication. The aim of this book is to: 1) provide an overview of the best practice examples of professional development opportunities for European university educators in the area of ESD; and to 2) inspire the reader to engage in supporting further developments in this field. We believe that this book can serve as a reference point for current best practice in this important field of European higher education (HE), helping to pave the way towards a future in which all university educators have the opportunity to acquire relevant professional development in ESD