Efficacy of Heart Health Claims Regarding Trans Fat, Unsaturated Fat, and Stanols/Sterols

In the United States, nearly 80 million people have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This amounts to one in three adults, making it the number one cause of death each year for over a century. Because of the high prevalence of CVD, it is a priority in the U.S. to decrease its morbidity and mortality. Extensive research has been dedicated to pinpointing risk factors, determining preventive techniques, and developing treatments. A major focus in this research is the role of nutrition in the pathogenesis of CVD. Quality of diet is an important factor in health and disease progression. To transfer this information to the general public, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created labeling regulations and health claims to be used on food labels. The intent is to convey to the American public the positive or negative effects of the foods they choose to consume. Health claims are beneficial because they increase consumer awareness, encourage manufacturers to create healthier products, and recognize the work of researchers. But they can cause confusion and manufacturers often distort their meanings. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the efficacy of the health claims regarding trans fat, unsaturated fat, and plant stanols and sterols. It is important for dietitians to examine current research, scrutinize products, and convey this information to their clients. Understanding health claims, along with living a healthy lifestyle and having good dietary habits play a part in maximizing heart health

Field trips as short-term experiential learning activities in legal education

Field trips offer students the opportunity to learn in a real-world setting and bridge the gap between theory and practice. To date, there has been a dearth of both theoretical and empirical research into the use and effectiveness of field trips as a pedagogic tool in legal education. This article seeks to fill this gap, first by analysing the current research on the use of field trips in higher education across different disciplines and the reported advantages and disadvantages of such usage, and secondly by providing empirical evidence on the benefits of such activities from a field trip, “Living the Law: A Tour of Legal Dublin”, undertaken with students in Dublin City University, Ireland. The tour involved visits to important legal establishments in the city of Dublin, including the Supreme Court, the training institutions of barristers and solicitors in Ireland and a premier legal firm. The article analyses feedback from the students who took this trip on the benefits of such a learning experience

Interventional Physical and Occupational Therapy Services and Motor Coordination among Low Birth Weight Infants

Introduction: Children born very low birth weight (VLBW) have an increased risk of impaired preschool motor coordination, which may have negative effects on the child's mental and physical health. Physical and occupational therapy services are suggested to attenuate the negative effects of poor preschool coordination. We estimated the effect of physical and occupational therapy services delivered in early childhood on preschool motor coordination among VLBW children. To control for confounding, we implemented propensity score (PS) methods estimated using traditional logistic regression (LR) and tree based methods. Methods: Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) we estimated the effect of therapy on: skipping eight consecutive steps, hopping five times, standing on one leg for ten seconds, walking backwards six steps on a line, jumping distance, and change in jumping distance from preschool to kindergarten. We estimated the PS using random forest classification, bagging, and a single tree using the R statistical program and with LR in SAS 9.2. Using linear regression, we modeled the estimated effect of therapy on the distance that the child jumped. We weighted the adjusted models using inverse probability of treatment weights estimated from all four methods. We modeled all other end points as stated using LR. Results: Approximately 500 children were VLBW. RF and Bagging produced the best covariate balance between treatment groups (MSD 0.07, 0.03). The single classification tree produced the worst covariate balance (MDS 0.18). When estimating the PS with RF, treated VLBW children were 2.39 times as likely to successfully skipping eight steps (OR: 2.39, 95% CI: 0.75, 7.51) compared to the untreated group. Treated children jumped an additional 1.79 inches (95% CI: -2.21-5.79) further and were also 52% (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 0.51, 4.54) more likely to successfully complete the backwards walking task. There was little effect of therapy on other endpoints. Effect estimates were similar among models weighted with RF, bagging, and LR. Conclusion: Providing therapy to VLBW children, may improve the child's school age motor coordination. RF is a useful method to improve covariate balance when estimating the PS and to potentially reduce bias in observational studies.Doctor of Philosoph

dh+CU: Future Directions for Digital Humanities at CU Boulder

Digital Humanities (DH) work harnesses digital technologies to disseminate, analyze and synthesize information in new and innovative ways, often to answer humanistic questions, and may make use of tools like visualization, text mining and statistical tools. The Libraries’ Digital Humanities Task Force was formed to investigate and report on DH activities and needs on campus and formulate recommendations for how the Libraries might help support these needs in tandem with campus partners. We take a broad view of DH and were as inclusive as possible in all of these activities – the disciplinary affiliation of the scholar engaging in these activities (humanities, social sciences or sciences) is irrelevant. In this context, DH is not a circumscribed concept but rather a broad set of methodologies and approaches that loom large in the realm of support and participation libraries and their staff can offer to users undertaking digital scholarship. The Task Force undertook several major activities to meet these goals. Among them are: an investigation of library-associated DH initiatives at other institutions; an environmental scan of campus facilities and services; a campus-wide survey (345 responses); in-depth interviews with 20 faculty, graduate students and other campus researchers; additional interviews with those involved in external DH initiatives; and presentations and feedback during the DH symposium and workshop held in August 2013. Our research showed that DH work was of broad interest to graduate students and faculty on campus across disciplinary boundaries

Assessing gender mainstreaming in the education sector: depoliticised technique or a step towards women's rights and gender equality?

In 1995 the Beijing Conference on Women identified gender mainstreaming as a key area for action. Policies to effect gender mainstreaming have since been widely adopted. This special issue of Compare looks at research on how gender mainstreaming has been used in government education departments, schools, higher education institutions, international agencies and NGOs .1 In this introduction we first provide a brief history of the emergence of gender mainstreaming and review changing definitions of the term. In the process we outline some policy initiatives that have attempted to mainstream gender and consider some difficulties with putting ideas into practice, particularly the tensions between a technical and transformative interpretations . Much of the literature about experiences with gender mainstreaming tends to look at organizational processes and not any specificities of a particular social sector. However, in our second section, we are concerned to explore whether institutional forms and particular actions associated with education give gender mainstreaming in education sites some distinctive features. In our last section we consider some of the debates about global and local negotiations in discussions of gender policy and education and the light this throws on gender mainstreaming. In so doing, we place the articles that follow in relation to contestations over ownership, political economy, the form and content of education practice and the social complexity of gender equality

A top-down systems biology view of microbiome-mammalian metabolic interactions in a mouse model

Symbiotic gut microorganisms (microbiome) interact closely with the mammalian host's metabolism and are important determinants of human health. Here, we decipher the complex metabolic effects of microbial manipulation, by comparing germfree mice colonized by a human baby flora (HBF) or a normal flora to conventional mice. We perform parallel microbiological profiling, metabolic profiling by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance of liver, plasma, urine and ileal flushes, and targeted profiling of bile acids by ultra performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and short-chain fatty acids in cecum by GC-FID. Top-down multivariate analysis of metabolic profiles reveals a significant association of specific metabotypes with the resident microbiome. We derive a transgenomic graph model showing that HBF flora has a remarkably simple microbiome/metabolome correlation network, impacting directly on the host's ability to metabolize lipids: HBF mice present higher ileal concentrations of tauro-conjugated bile acids, reduced plasma levels of lipoproteins but higher hepatic triglyceride content associated with depletion of glutathione. These data indicate that the microbiome modulates absorption, storage and the energy harvest from the diet at the systems level

Integrating acute stroke telemedicine consultations into specialists' usual practice: a qualitative analysis comparing the experience of Australia and the United Kingdom

Stroke telemedicine can reduce healthcare inequities by increasing access to specialists. Successful telemedicine networks require specialists adapting clinical practice to provide remote consultations. Variation in experiences of specialists between different countries is unknown. To support future implementation, we compared perceptions of Australian and United Kingdom specialists providing remote acute stroke consultations. Specialist participants were identified using purposive sampling from two new services: Australia's Victorian Stroke Telemedicine Program (n = 6; 2010-13) and the United Kingdom's Cumbria and Lancashire telestroke network (n = 5; 2010-2012). Semi-structured interviews were conducted pre- and post-implementation, recorded and transcribed verbatim. Deductive thematic and content analysis (NVivo) was undertaken by two independent coders using Normalisation Process Theory to explore integration of telemedicine into practice. Agreement between coders was M = 91%, SD = 9 and weighted average κ = 0.70. Cross-cultural similarities and differences were found. In both countries, specialists described old and new consulting practices, the purpose and value of telemedicine systems, and concerns regarding confidence in the assessment and diagnostic skills of unknown colleagues requesting telemedicine support. Australian specialists discussed how remote consultations impacted on usual roles and suggested future improvements, while United Kingdom specialists discussed system governance, policy and procedures. Australian and United Kingdom specialists reported telemedicine required changes in work practice and development of new skills. Both groups described potential for improvements in stroke telemedicine systems with Australian specialists more focused on role change and the United Kingdom on system governance issues. Future research should examine if cross-cultural variation reflects different models of care and extends to other networks

Exome Sequencing Identifies Rare Variants in Multiple Genes in Atrioventricular Septal Defect

Purpose The genetic etiology of atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) is unknown in 40% cases. Conventional sequencing and arrays have identified the etiology in only a minority of non-syndromic individuals with AVSD. Methods: Whole exome sequencing was performed in 81 unrelated probands with AVSD to identify potentially causal variants in a comprehensive set of 112 genes with strong biological relevance to AVSD. Results: A significant enrichment of rare and rare/damaging variants was identified in the gene set, compared with controls (odds ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.35–1.71, p = 4.8 x 10-11). The enrichment was specific to AVSD probands compared with a non-AVSD cohort with tetralogy of Fallot (odds ratio 2.25, 95% confidence interval 1.84-2.76, p = 2.2 x 10-16). Six genes (NIPBL, CHD7, CEP152, BMPR1a, ZFPM2 and MDM4) were enriched for rare variants in AVSD compared to controls, including three syndrome-associated genes (NIPBL, CHD7, CEP152). The findings were confirmed in a replication cohort of 81 AVSD probands. Conclusion: Mutations in genes with strong biological relevance to AVSD, including syndrome-associated genes, can contribute to AVSD even in those with isolated heart disease. The identification of a gene set associated with AVSD will facilitate targeted genetic screening in this cohort

Analysis of Germline GLI1 Variation Implicates Hedgehog Signalling in the Regulation of Intestinal Inflammatory Pathways

Charlie Lees and colleagues identify a reduced-function variant of the hedgehog signaling pathway protein GLI1 that associates with inflammatory bowel disease, and investigate its role in a mouse model of colitis

Distribution and medical impact of loss-of-function variants in the Finnish founder population.

Exome sequencing studies in complex diseases are challenged by the allelic heterogeneity, large number and modest effect sizes of associated variants on disease risk and the presence of large numbers of neutral variants, even in phenotypically relevant genes. Isolated populations with recent bottlenecks offer advantages for studying rare variants in complex diseases as they have deleterious variants that are present at higher frequencies as well as a substantial reduction in rare neutral variation. To explore the potential of the Finnish founder population for studying low-frequency (0.5-5%) variants in complex diseases, we compared exome sequence data on 3,000 Finns to the same number of non-Finnish Europeans and discovered that, despite having fewer variable sites overall, the average Finn has more low-frequency loss-of-function variants and complete gene knockouts. We then used several well-characterized Finnish population cohorts to study the phenotypic effects of 83 enriched loss-of-function variants across 60 phenotypes in 36,262 Finns. Using a deep set of quantitative traits collected on these cohorts, we show 5 associations (p<5×10⁻⁸) including splice variants in LPA that lowered plasma lipoprotein(a) levels (P = 1.5×10⁻¹¹⁷). Through accessing the national medical records of these participants, we evaluate the LPA finding via Mendelian randomization and confirm that these splice variants confer protection from cardiovascular disease (OR = 0.84, P = 3×10⁻⁴), demonstrating for the first time the correlation between very low levels of LPA in humans with potential therapeutic implications for cardiovascular diseases. More generally, this study articulates substantial advantages for studying the role of rare variation in complex phenotypes in founder populations like the Finns and by combining a unique population genetic history with data from large population cohorts and centralized research access to National Health Registers