139 research outputs found
Role Definition and Procedures and Evaluating the High School Librarian
In 1984 the Missouri Committee for Performance Based Evaluation together with the Missouri Association of School Librarians developed criteria for evaluating the school librarian. The model consists of 20 criteria with descriptors that are appropriate to the responsibilities of the librarian. It was recommended by the committee that all school districts in Missouri adopt or adapt this method for evaluating the librarians in their schools. The purpose of this study was to determine how many school districts in St. Louis County evaluate librarians according to the Missouri Performance Based Evaluation for Librarians, and if not by this method, what methods were used.
In November, 1986 a letter was mailed to one head librarian in each of the 23 school districts in St. Louis County requesting information regarding forms and procedures for evaluating the librarians in their school districts. Follow-up phone calls were made in December , and by the end of that month, information had been received from 19 of the 23 school districts.
It was found that 12 school districts in St. Louis County evaluated the librarian on an evaluation form designed specifically for the school librarian. Seven of these 12 districts evaluated the school librarian according to the Missouri Performance Based Evaluation for Librarians format recommended by the state. Based on the returns of 19 school districts, it appeared that half the librarians in St. Louis County school districts were evaluated according to a form specifically designed to cover the responsibilities of the school librarian.
The remaining seven districts which continued to evaluate the librarian according to a teacher evaluation form or not at all, seemed to be failing to recognize the varied responsibilities and the unique role of the school librarian in the total school program
Targeting Galectin-1 as a Potential Therapeutic for Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma (GB) is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Grade IV astrocytoma characterized by a poor prognosis with a median survival time ranging from 15-16 months. The standard of care for GB is surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatment with Temozolomide, but even with the aggressive treatment, GB recurrence occurs in approximately 90 % of the patient population. New treatment options have been FDA approved which include Novocure’s Optune Device and Genentech’s Avastin, but neither of these options drastically change survival time or quality of life. Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a protein with a high affinity to bind β-galactosides, has been implicated in other cancers such as renal cancer, liver cancer, and urothelial cancer and plays a role ranging from angiogenesis to altering the tumor microenvironment for immune suppression. Little research has been conducted investigating Gal-1’s role in GB so the aim of our in vitro and in vivo studies was to gain a better understanding of Gal-1’s potential mechanisms in GB and see the feasibility of Gal-1 inhibition as a potential treatment option. The data collected illustrated roles of Gal-1 in angiogenesis, in apoptosis, and in facilitation of a hypoxic environment. Inhibition of Gal-1 shows signs of being a plausible treatment option especially if given coadjuvant to an Anti-VEGF therapy
Theory of High \tc Ferromagnetism in family: A case of Doped Spin-1 Mott insulator in a Valence Bond Solid Phase
Doped divalent hexaborides such as exhibit high \tc
ferromagnetism. We isolate a degenerate pair of -orbitals of boron with two
valence electrons, invoke electron correlation and Hund coupling, to suggest
that the undoped state is better viewed as a spin-1 Mott insulator; it is
predicted to be a type of 3d Haldane gap phase with a spin gap ,
much smaller than the charge gap of seen in ARPES. The
experimentally seen high \tc `ferromagnetism' is argued to be a complex
magnetic order in disguise - either a canted 6-sublattice AFM ()
order or its quantum melted version, a chiral spin liquid state, arising from a
type of double exchange mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; minor corrections, references adde
Major salivary gland aplasia and hypoplasia in Down syndrome: review of the literature and report of a case
Salivary gland aplasia and hypoplasia are rarely described in the medical
literature. This article presents a case of aplasia and hypoplasia of the major
salivary glands in a patient with Down syndrome. A literature review, as well as
an overview of the diagnosis and management of this condition, is presented
Effect of pre-germination time of brown rice on serum cholesterol levels of hypercholesterolaemic rats.
Background: Brown rice is unpolished rice with immeasurable benefits for human health. Brown rice (BR) and pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) are known to contain various functional compounds such as gamma-oryzanol, dietary fibre and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In the present study, the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24, 48 h pre-germination) were used to investigate the influence of pre-germination time of brown rice on blood cholesterol in Sprague-Dawley male rats.
Result: Hypercholesterolaemia and elevation of LDL-cholesterol were successfully ameliorated by the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24 and 48 h pre-germination). As compared to the control sample, the pre-germination time had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on blood cholesterol of Sprague-Dawley male rats. It was also found that the significantly (P < 0.05) better effect on lipid profile of hypercholesterolaemic rats was observed by prolonging the pre-germination time. As compared to non-germinated brown rice, the germinated brown rice showed the higher cardio-protective effect on hypercholesterolaemic Sprague-Dawley male rats.
Conclusion: The present study suggests that the changes of blood cholesterol can be mainly modulated by using the PGBR rather than BR. The prolonging of pre-germination time led to an increase in the bioactive components, thereby providing a more efficient functional diet affecting the high blood cholesterol. This study suggests that PGBR can be used instead of BR and polished rice in the human diet
Concentrated oat β-glucan, a fermentable fiber, lowers serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic adults in a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Soluble fibers lower serum lipids, but are difficult to incorporate into products acceptable to consumers. We investigated the physiological effects of a concentrated oat β-glucan on cardiovascular disease (CVD) endpoints in human subjects. We also compared the fermentability of concentrated oat β-glucan with inulin and guar gum in a model intestinal fermentation system. METHODS: Seventy-five hypercholesterolemic men and women were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 6 grams/day concentrated oat β-glucan or 6 grams/day dextrose (control). Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline, week 3, and week 6 and analyzed for total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP). To estimate colonic fermentability, 0.5 g concentrated oat β-glucan was incubated in a batch model intestinal fermentation system, using human fecal inoculum to provide representative microflora. Fecal donors were not involved with the β-glucan feeding trial. Inulin and guar gum were also incubated in separate serum bottles for comparison. RESULTS: Oat β-glucan produced significant reduction from baseline in total cholesterol (-0.3 ± 0.1 mmol/L) and LDL cholesterol (-0.3 ± 0.1 mmol/L), and the reduction in LDL cholesterol were significantly greater than in the control group (p = 0.03). Concentrated oat β-glucan was a fermentable fiber and produced total SCFA and acetate concentrations similar to inulin and guar gum. Concentrated oat β-glucan produced the highest concentrations of butyrate at 4, 8, and 12 hours. CONCLUSION: Six grams concentrated oat β-glucan per day for six weeks significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol in subjects with elevated cholesterol, and the LDL cholesterol reduction was greater than the change in the control group. Based on a model intestinal fermentation, this oat β-glucan was fermentable, producing higher amounts of butyrate than other fibers. Thus, a practical dose of β-glucan can significantly lower serum lipids in a high-risk population and may improve colon health
Plasma acylcarnitine concentrations reflect the acylcarnitine profile in cardiac tissues
Funding Information: This study was supported by the Latvian National Research Program BIOMEDICINE. E. Liepinsh was supported by the FP7 project InnovaBalt [grant Nr. 316149]. We would like to thank Dr. Reinis Vilskersts and Gita Dambrova for help with the isolated skeletal muscle experiments. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s).Increased plasma concentrations of acylcarnitines (ACs) are suggested as a marker of metabolism disorders. The aim of the present study was to clarify which tissues are responsible for changes in the AC pool in plasma. The concentrations of medium- and long-chain ACs were changing during the fed-fast cycle in rat heart, muscles and liver. After 60 min running exercise, AC content was increased in fasted mice muscles, but not in plasma or heart. After glucose bolus administration in fasted rats, the AC concentrations in plasma decreased after 30 min but then began to increase, while in the muscles and liver, the contents of medium- and long-chain ACs were unchanged or even increased. Only the heart showed a decrease in medium- and long-chain AC contents that was similar to that observed in plasma. In isolated rat heart, but not isolated-contracting mice muscles, the significant efflux of medium- and long-chain ACs was observed. The efflux was reduced by 40% after the addition of glucose and insulin to the perfusion solution. Overall, these results indicate that during fed-fast cycle shifting the heart determines the medium- and long-chain AC profile in plasma, due to a rapid response to the availability of circulating energy substrates.publishersversionPeer reviewe
Exposure to the Environmental Endocrine Disruptor TCDD and Human Reproductive Dysfunction: Translating Lessons from Murine Models
Humans and other animals are exposed to a wide array of man-made toxicants, many of which act as endocrine disruptors that exhibit differential effects across the lifespan. In humans, while the impact of adult exposure is known for some compounds, the potential consequences of developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is more difficult to ascertain. Animal studies have revealed that exposure to EDCs prior to puberty can lead to adult reproductive disease and dysfunction. Specifically, in adult female mice with an early life exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), we demonstrated a transgenerational occurrence of several reproductive diseases that have been linked to endometriosis in women. Herein, we review the evidence for TCDD-associated development of adult reproductive disease as well as known epigenetic alterations associated with TCDD and/or endometriosis. We will also introduce new "Organ-on-Chip" models which, combined with our established murine model, are expected to further enhance our ability to examine alterations in gene-environment interactions that lead to heritable disease
An overview of the recent developments on fructooligosaccharide production and applications
Over the past years, many researchers have suggested
that deficiencies in the diet can lead to disease states
and that some diseases can be avoided through an adequate
intake of relevant dietary components. Recently, a great interest
in dietary modulation of the human gut has been registered.
Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), play a key
role in the improvement of gut microbiota balance and in
individual health. FOS are generally used as components of
functional foods, are generally regarded as safe (generally
recognized as safe status—from the Food and Drug Administration,
USA), and worth about 150€ per kilogram. Due to
their nutrition- and health-relevant properties, such as moderate
sweetness, low carcinogenicity, low calorimetric value,
and low glycemic index, FOS have been increasingly used
by the food industry. Conventionally, FOS are produced
through a two-stage process that requires an enzyme production
and purification step in order to proceed with the chemical
reaction itself. Several studies have been conducted on the
production of FOS, aiming its optimization toward the development
of more efficient production processes and their potential
as food ingredients. The improvement of FOS yield and
productivity can be achieved by the use of different fermentative
methods and different microbial sources of FOS producing
enzymes and the optimization of nutritional and
culture parameter; therefore, this review focuses on the latest
progresses in FOS research such as its production, functional
properties, and market data.Agencia de Inovacao (AdI)-Project BIOLIFE reference PRIME 03/347. Ana Dominguez acknowledges Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, for her PhD grant reference SFRH/BD/23083/2005
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