The Role of the School District in High-Performance Title One Schools in South Texas

A mixed research study was designed and conducted to identify effective characteristics of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four South Texas Title 1 schools identified as High Performing Schools by the Texas Education Agency in 2016 were selected for the study. To be selected, these schools were also required to meet or exceed a set of criteria applied by the researchers. An effective school model, comprised of eleven characteristics and school processes, was developed based on a synthesis of effective school research and served as the theoretical framework for the study. The characteristics include Culture, Leadership, Instruction, Improvement, Home and Community Relations, Curriculum, Environment, Professional Development, Vision/Mission, Resources, and Staff. Data was collected from professional school staff, principals, and parents related to the essentiality of the eleven effective characteristics and processes used by the schools. Onsite data collection from each school included a staff survey, focus group session, principal interview, and a parent survey. Results supported the essentiality of the eleven school characteristics synthesized from previous effective schools’ studies. The results also yielded valuable school district strategies that supported the High-Performing Reward Title 1 schools. These strategies included the provision of active specialized support by district staff, district curriculum designed by district teachers during the summer, instructional resources selected through teacher input, flexibility in implementing district supports, professional development during summer and the school year to meet individual teacher needs, district-designed student assessment, an intra-district and inter-district competitive school environment focused on student achievement, and parent initiatives aligned to local needs

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Effective School Leadership in High-Performing High-Poverty Elementary Schools in South Texas

A mixed-research case study was conducted to identify effective school characteristics of highperforming, high-poverty schools. Four High-Performing Reward schools in South Texas were selected to study. An eleven effective school characteristics model including processes was developed from the effective school research literature as the framework for the study. Onsite data collection from each school included a staff survey and focus group session, parent survey and focus group session, and principal interview. The study findings supported the eleven effective school characteristics model. An area of improvement in school application identified among these high-performing schools was Leadership. School staff and parent perceptions of the processes for effective Leadership were analyzed. School staff perceptions ranked Leadership mid-level in essentiality and application among the eleven characteristics. However, staff and parent focus groups strongly supported the principals’ leadership qualities; although, the principals’ leadership styles varied. Two areas of improvement identified were in improvement of instruction and student discipline. The study’s findings in the area of Leadership as an effective school characteristic support understanding “Leadership” as a varying ingredient integrated and mutually interactive with school context where leadership changes due to the school context and/or the school context changes due to the leadershi

Effect of postnatal anoxia on bilirubin levels in rat brain

The effects of a period of anoxia 18–24 h after birth on bilirubin levels in rat brain were investigated during anoxia, recovery, and development. Postnatal anoxia induces a significant, temporary increase (up to 200% with respect to control values) in newborn rat brain bilirubin levels during anoxia and short-term recovery. Pretreatment of the newborn rats with a single dose of the drug sulfixosazole markedly enhances bilirubin accumulation in the brain of the anoxic rats. A second rise in brain bilirubin concentration is detected in a group of the newborn rats 3–6 days after oxygen deprivation. Autoradiographic localization of radiolabeled bilirubin following in vivo experiments suggests that this substance is preferentially accumulated in some areas of the newborn rat brain as a consequence of postnatal anoxia, and indicates, together with the effect of sulfixosazole, that as a result of anoxia, a displacement of unbound bilirubin from blood to the nervous tissue occurs. Our results confirm the importance of anoxia as a risk factor for the development of bilirubin-induced encephalopathy. The possible relevance of intracerebral hemorrhages caused by perinatal asphyxia producing delayed bilirubin accumulation in the newborn rat brain is suggested.This work was supported by a grant from the Comision Asesora de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica (Ministry of Science and Education of Spain).Peer reviewe

Role of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) in insulin resistance and obesity

Resumen del trabajo presentado al XXXIV Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, celebrado en Barcelona del 5 al 8 de septiembre de 2011.Prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic scope in industrialized countries and it currently stands as a risk factor for the development of common metabolic disorders as insulin resistance and T2D. Nowadays, GRK2 has been recognized as an integrative node regulating a variety of transduction pathways including the insulin signaling cascade. We have recently reported that GRK2 plays a relevant physiological role in the modulation of insulin responses in vivo. In cultured adipocytes and myocytes, increased GRK2 levels inhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and signaling by a mechanism involving the formation of dynamic GRK2/IRS1 complexes. This work also uncovers a role for GRK2 in the regulation of adiposity since GRK2+/- mice were resistant to diet and age-induced obesity (Garcia-Guerra et al., 2010). We further evaluated the potential contribution of brown fat to the leaner phenotype of GRK2+/- mice. Our results indicate that GRK2 modulate white and brown fat lipid metabolism. GRK2+/- adult mice exhibited increased energy expenditure and a lower RER, consistently with a less deteriorated BAT morphology. Indeed, decreased GRK2 protein levels were associated with higher core body temperature and a better thermogenic capacity. In addition, we detect a negative effect of GRK2 in the metabolism and differentiation of cultured brown adipocytic cells, further supporting the hypothesis that the lean phenotype of GRK2 +/- mice clearly involves a role for this kinase in BAT function. In summary, our data identify GRK2 as an important negative regulator of insulin effects and point at GRK2 inhibition as a potential tool for the enhancement of brown fat activity, which may have important therapeutic implications for the treatment of obesity and associated metabolic disorders.Peer Reviewe

Skeletal muscle myogenesis is regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2, GRK2

Resumen del póster presentado al XXXIV Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, celebrado en Barcelona del 5 al 8 de septiembre de 2011.GRK2 is the more ubiquitous G protein-coupled receptor kinase isoform and, additionally to its role in GPCR desensitization, it has been implicated in the modulation of different intracellular signalling pathways. Recently, GRK2 has been identified as a novel inactivating kinase of p38MAPK that interferes with 3T3L1 differentiation. Therefore, a possible role for GRK2 in the differentiation of myocytic cells remains to be explored. In this regard, the main objective was to investigate the contribution of GRK2 to myogenesis.We analyzed myoblast C2C12 differentiation and cell cycle protein expression. In this issue we generated stable cell lines that overexpressed wild-type GRK2 or GRK2 catalytically-deficient mutant (K220R). Overexpression of wild-type GRK2 impaired the myoblast fusion and the expression of myogenic markers. These cells were unable to activate not only p38MAPK but also Akt pathways. However, cells overexpressing GRK2 kinasedeficient mutant differentiated in the same way as wild-type cells. We also analyzed the skeletal muscle phenotypic and functional differences between Wt and GRK2 hemizygous animals. GRK2+/- mice exhibited increased muscle fibber size and less number of fibbers compared to Wt animals. Furthermore, we also observed that this hypertrophy is consistent with increased glucose clearance into skeletal muscle in 9-month-old GRK2+/- mice, suggesting that the muscle of these animals preserved its functionality better than Wt mice during the elderly. We conclude that GRK2 inactivation leads to increased Akt and p38MAPK signalling improving skeletal muscle differentiation. Our data identify GRK2 as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle myogenesis, which uncovers an important new function in the signalling networks of this protein.Peer reviewe

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 plays a relevant role in insulin resistance and obesity

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance is associated with the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Given the emerging role of signal transduction in these syndromes, we set out to explore the possible role that G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), first identified as a G protein-coupled receptor regulator, could have as a modulator of insulin responses. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed the influence of GRK2 levels in insulin signaling in myoblasts and adipocytes with experimentally increased or silenced levels of GRK2, as well as in GRK2 hemizygous animals expressing 50% lower levels of this kinase in three different models of insulin resistance: tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) infusion, aging, and high-fat diet (HFD). Glucose transport, whole-body glucose and insulin tolerance, the activation status of insulin pathway components, and the circulating levels of important mediators were measured. The development of obesity and adipocyte size with age and HFD was analyzed. RESULTS: Altering GRK2 levels markedly modifies insulin-mediated signaling in cultured adipocytes and myocytes. GRK2 levels are increased by ∼2-fold in muscle and adipose tissue in the animal models tested, as well as in lymphocytes from metabolic syndrome patients. In contrast, hemizygous GRK2 mice show enhanced insulin sensitivity and do not develop insulin resistance by TNF-α, aging, or HFD. Furthermore, reduced GRK2 levels induce a lean phenotype and decrease age-related adiposity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our data identify GRK2 as an important negative regulator of insulin effects, key to the etiopathogenesis of insulin resistance and obesity, which uncovers this protein as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of these disorders

II. Conflictos entre felinos y humanos en América Latina.

Este libro contó con el liderazgo del Instituto Humboldt y de las Fundaciones Herencia Ambiental Caribe y Panthera. En 32 capítulos se recoge el esfuerzo de 77 instituciones y 110 autores que representan 18 países y abordan el conflicto entre humanos y felinos en América Latina. Es la compilación más completa que se ha elaborado acerca del tema en Latinoamérica, involucrando el análisis, la planificación, el manejo y la resolución de los conflictos entre humanos y felinos.BogotáCiencias de la Biodiversida