Changes in the serum metabolite profile correlate with decreased brain gray matter volume in moderate-to-heavy drinking young adults

Our aim was to analyze metabolite profile changes in serum associated with moderate-to-heavy consumption of alcohol in young adults and to evaluate whether these changes are connected to reduced brain gray matter volumes. These study population consisted of young adults with a 10-year history of moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption (n = 35) and light-drinking controls (n = 27). We used the targeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method to measure concentrations of metabolites in serum, and 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain gray matter volumes. Alterations in amino acid and energy metabolism were observed in the moderate-to-heavy drinking young adults when compared to the controls. After correction for multiple testing, the group of moderate-to-heavy drinking young adults had increased serum concentrations of 1-methylhistamine (p = 0.001, d = 0.82) when compared to the controls. Furthermore, concentrations of 1-methylhistamine (r = 0.48, p = 0.004) and creatine (r = 0.52, p = 0.001) were negatively correlated with the brain gray matter volumes in the females. Overall, our results show association between moderate-to-heavy use of alcohol and altered metabolite profile in young adults as well as suggesting that some of these changes could be associated with the reduced brain gray matter volume. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Exome Sequencing of Uterine Leiomyosarcomas Identifies Frequent Mutations in TP53, ATRX, and MED12

Uterine leiomyosarcomas (ULMSs) are aggressive smooth muscle tumors associated with poor clinical outcome. Despite previous cytogenetic and molecular studies, their molecular background has remained elusive. To examine somatic variation in ULMS, we performed exome sequencing on 19 tumors. Altogether, 43 genes were mutated in at least two ULMSs. Most frequently mutated genes included tumor protein P53 (TP53; 6/19; 33%), alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX; 5/19; 26%), and mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12; 4/19; 21%). Unlike ATRX mutations, both TP53 and MED12 alterations have repeatedly been associated with ULMSs. All the observed ATRX alterations were either nonsense or frameshift mutations. ATRX protein levels were reliably analyzed by immunohistochemistry in altogether 44 ULMSs, and the majority of tumors (23/44; 52%) showed clearly reduced expression. Loss of ATRX expression has been associated with alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), and thus the telomere length was analyzed with telomere-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization. The ALT phenotype was confirmed in all ULMSs showing diminished ATRX expression. Exome data also revealed one nonsense mutation in death-domain associated protein (DAXX), another gene previously associated with ALT, and the tumor showed ALT positivity. In conclusion, exome sequencing revealed that TP53, ATRX, and MED12 are frequently mutated in ULMSs. ALT phenotype was commonly seen in tumors, indicating that ATR inhibitors, which were recently suggested as possible new drugs for ATRX-deficient tumors, could provide a potential novel therapeutic option for ULMS.Peer reviewe

Fine-Scale Mapping of the 4q24 Locus Identifies Two Independent Loci Associated with Breast Cancer Risk

Background: A recent association study identified a common variant (rs9790517) at 4q24 to be associated with breast cancer risk. Independent association signals and potential functional variants in this locus have not been explored. Methods: We conducted a fine-mapping analysis in 55,540 breast cancer cases and 51,168 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Results: Conditional analyses identified two independent association signals among women of European ancestry, represented by rs9790517 [conditional P = 2.51 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.07] and rs77928427 (P = 1.86 × 10−4; OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.07). Functional annotation using data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project revealed two putative functional variants, rs62331150 and rs73838678 in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs9790517 (r2 ≥ 0.90) residing in the active promoter or enhancer, respectively, of the nearest gene, TET2. Both variants are located in DNase I hypersensitivity and transcription factor–binding sites. Using data from both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC), we showed that rs62331150 was associated with level of expression of TET2 in breast normal and tumor tissue. Conclusion: Our study identified two independent association signals at 4q24 in relation to breast cancer risk and suggested that observed association in this locus may be mediated through the regulation of TET2. Impact: Fine-mapping study with large sample size warranted for identification of independent loci for breast cancer risk

Common non-synonymous SNPs associated with breast cancer susceptibility: findings from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium.

Candidate variant association studies have been largely unsuccessful in identifying common breast cancer susceptibility variants, although most studies have been underpowered to detect associations of a realistic magnitude. We assessed 41 common non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) for which evidence of association with breast cancer risk had been previously reported. Case-control data were combined from 38 studies of white European women (46 450 cases and 42 600 controls) and analyzed using unconditional logistic regression. Strong evidence of association was observed for three nsSNPs: ATXN7-K264R at 3p21 [rs1053338, per allele OR = 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.10, P = 2.9 × 10(-6)], AKAP9-M463I at 7q21 (rs6964587, OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03-1.07, P = 1.7 × 10(-6)) and NEK10-L513S at 3p24 (rs10510592, OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.07-1.12, P = 5.1 × 10(-17)). The first two associations reached genome-wide statistical significance in a combined analysis of available data, including independent data from nine genome-wide association studies (GWASs): for ATXN7-K264R, OR = 1.07 (95% CI = 1.05-1.10, P = 1.0 × 10(-8)); for AKAP9-M463I, OR = 1.05 (95% CI = 1.04-1.07, P = 2.0 × 10(-10)). Further analysis of other common variants in these two regions suggested that intronic SNPs nearby are more strongly associated with disease risk. We have thus identified a novel susceptibility locus at 3p21, and confirmed previous suggestive evidence that rs6964587 at 7q21 is associated with risk. The third locus, rs10510592, is located in an established breast cancer susceptibility region; the association was substantially attenuated after adjustment for the known GWAS hit. Thus, each of the associated nsSNPs is likely to be a marker for another, non-coding, variant causally related to breast cancer risk. Further fine-mapping and functional studies are required to identify the underlying risk-modifying variants and the genes through which they act.BCAC is funded by Cancer Research UK (C1287/A10118, C1287/A12014) and by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n8 223175 (HEALTH-F2–2009-223175) (COGS). Meetings of the BCAC have been funded by the European Union COST programme (BM0606). Genotyping of the iCOGS array was funded by the European Union (HEALTH-F2-2009-223175), Cancer Research UK (C1287/A10710), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the ‘CIHR Team in Familial Risks of Breast Cancer’ program and the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade of Quebec (PSR-SIIRI-701). Additional support for the iCOGS infrastructure was provided by the National Institutes of Health (CA128978) and Post-Cancer GWAS initiative (1U19 CA148537, 1U19 CA148065 and 1U19 CA148112—the GAME-ON initiative), the Department of Defence (W81XWH-10-1-0341), Komen Foundation for the Cure, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The ABCFS and OFBCR work was supported by grant UM1 CA164920 from the National Cancer Institute (USA). The content of this manuscript does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the National Cancer Institute or any of the collaborating centers in the Breast Cancer Family Registry (BCFR), nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement t by the US Government or the BCFR. The ABCFS was also supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the New South Wales Cancer Council, the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (Australia) and the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium. J.L.H. is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Principal Research Fellow and M.C.S. is a NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. The OFBCR work was also supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ‘CIHR Team in Familial Risks of Breast Cancer’ program. The ABCS was funded by the Dutch Cancer Society Grant no. NKI2007-3839 and NKI2009-4363. The ACP study is funded by the Breast Cancer Research Trust, UK. The work of the BBCC was partly funded by ELAN-Programme of the University Hospital of Erlangen. The BBCS is funded by Cancer Research UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer and acknowledges NHS funding to the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN). E.S. is supported by NIHR Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre, Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King’s College London, UK. Core funding to the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics was provided by the Wellcome Trust (090532/Z/09/Z). I.T. is supported by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The BSUCH study was supported by the Dietmar-Hopp Foundation, the Helmholtz Society and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The CECILE study was funded by the Fondation de France, the French National Institute of Cancer (INCa), The National League against Cancer, the National Agency for Environmental l and Occupational Health and Food Safety (ANSES), the National Agency for Research (ANR), and the Association for Research against Cancer (ARC). The CGPS was supported by the Chief Physician Johan Boserup and Lise Boserup Fund, the Danish Medical Research Council and Herlev Hospital.The CNIO-BCS was supported by the Genome Spain Foundation the Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Cáncer and grants from the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer and the Fondo de Investigación Sanitario PI11/00923 and PI081120). The Human Genotyping-CEGEN Unit, CNIO is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. D.A. was supported by a Fellowship from the Michael Manzella Foundation (MMF) and was a participant in the CNIO Summer Training Program. The CTS was initially supported by the California Breast Cancer Act of 1993 and the California Breast Cancer Research Fund (contract 97-10500) and is currently funded through the National Institutes of Health (R01 CA77398). Collection of cancer incidence e data was supported by the California Department of Public Health as part of the statewide cancer reporting program mandated by California Health and Safety Code Section 103885. HAC receives support from the Lon V Smith Foundation (LVS39420). The ESTHER study was supported by a grant from the Baden Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Arts. Additional cases were recruited in the context of the VERDI study, which was supported by a grant from the German Cancer Aid (Deutsche Krebshilfe). The GENICA was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Germany grants 01KW9975/5, 01KW9976/8, 01KW9977/0 and 01KW0114, the Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Heidelberg Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA), as well as the Department of Internal Medicine , Evangelische Kliniken Bonn gGmbH, Johanniter Krankenhaus Bonn, Germany. The HEBCS was supported by the Helsinki University Central Hospital Research Fund, Academy of Finland (132473), the Finnish Cancer Society, The Nordic Cancer Union and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation. The HERPACC was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture and Technology of Japan, by a Grant-in-Aid for the Third Term Comprehensive 10-Year strategy for Cancer Control from Ministry Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, by a research grant from Takeda Science Foundation , by Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants for Research on Applying Health Technology from Ministry Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan and by National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund. The HMBCS was supported by short-term fellowships from the German Academic Exchange Program (to N.B), and the Friends of Hannover Medical School (to N.B.). Financial support for KARBAC was provided through the regional agreement on medical training and clinical research (ALF) between Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet, the Stockholm Cancer Foundation and the Swedish Cancer Society. The KBCP was financially supported by the special Government Funding (EVO) of Kuopio University Hospital grants, Cancer Fund of North Savo, the Finnish Cancer Organizations, the Academy of Finland and by the strategic funding of the University of Eastern Finland. kConFab is supported by grants from the National Breast Cancer Foundation , the NHMRC, the Queensland Cancer Fund, the Cancer Councils of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia and the Cancer Foundation of Western Australia. The kConFab Clinical Follow Up Study was funded by the NHMRC (145684, 288704, 454508). Financial support for the AOCS was provided by the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (DAMD17-01-1-0729), the Cancer Council of Tasmania and Cancer Foundation of Western Australia and the NHMRC (199600). G.C.T. and P.W. are supported by the NHMRC. LAABC is supported by grants (1RB-0287, 3PB-0102, 5PB-0018 and 10PB-0098) from the California Breast Cancer Research Program. Incident breast cancer cases were collected by the USC Cancer Surveillance Program (CSP) which is supported under subcontract by the California Department of Health. The CSP is also part of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, under contract number N01CN25403. LMBC is supported by the ‘Stichting tegen Kanker’ (232-2008 and 196-2010). The MARIE study was supported by the Deutsche Krebshilfe e.V. (70-2892-BR I), the Federal Ministry of Education Research (BMBF) Germany (01KH0402), the Hamburg Cancer Society and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). MBCSG is supported by grants from the Italian Association ciation for Cancer Research (AIRC) and by funds from the Italian citizens who allocated a 5/1000 share of their tax payment in support of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, according to Italian laws (INT-Institutional strategic projects ‘5 × 1000’). The MCBCS was supported by the NIH grants (CA122340, CA128978) and a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Breast Cancer (CA116201), the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and a generous gift from the David F. and Margaret T. Grohne Family Foundation and the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation. MCCS cohort recruitment was funded by VicHealth and Cancer Council Victoria. The MCCS was further supported by Australian NHMRC grants 209057, 251553 and 504711 and by infrastructure provided by Cancer Council Victoria. The MEC was supported by NIH grants CA63464, CA54281, CA098758 and CA132839. The work of MTLGEBCS was supported by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant CRN-87521) and the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (grant PSR-SIIRI-701). MYBRCA is funded by research grants from the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (UM.C/HlR/MOHE/06) and Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF). Additional controls were recruited by the Singapore Eye Research Institute, which was supported by a grant from the Biomedical Research Council (BMRC08/1/35/19,tel:08/1/35/19./550), Singapore and the National medical Research Council, Singapore (NMRC/CG/SERI/2010). The NBCS was supported by grants from the Norwegian Research council (155218/V40, 175240/S10 to A.L.B.D., FUGE-NFR 181600/ V11 to V.N.K. and a Swizz Bridge Award to A.L.B.D.). The NBHS was supported by NIH grant R01CA100374. Biological sample preparation was conducted the Survey and Biospecimen Shared Resource, which is supported by P30 CA68485. The OBCS was supported by research grants from the Finnish Cancer Foundation, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, the Academy of Finland, the University of Oulu, and the Oulu University Hospital. The ORIGO study was supported by the Dutch Cancer Society (RUL 1997-1505) and the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI-NLCP16). The PBCS was funded by Intramural Research Funds of the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services, USA. pKARMA is a combination of the KARMA and LIBRO-1 studies. KARMA was supported by Ma¨rit and Hans Rausings Initiative Against Breast Cancer. KARMA and LIBRO-1 were supported the Cancer Risk Prediction Center (CRisP; www.crispcenter.org), a Linnaeus Centre (Contract ID 70867902) financed by the Swedish Research Council. The RBCS was funded by the Dutch Cancer Society (DDHK 2004-3124, DDHK 2009-4318). SASBAC was supported by funding from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research of Singapore (A∗STAR), the US National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation KC was financed by the Swedish Cancer Society (5128-B07-01PAF). The SBCGS was supported primarily by NIH grants R01CA64277, R01CA148667, and R37CA70867. Biological sample preparation was conducted the Survey and Biospecimen Shared Resource, which is supported by P30 CA68485. The SBCS was supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research S305PA, S299 and S295. Funding for the SCCS was provided by NIH grant R01 CA092447. The Arkansas Central Cancer Registry is fully funded by a grant from National Program of Cancer Registries, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data on SCCS cancer cases from Mississippi were collected by the Mississippi Cancer Registry which participates in the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or the Mississippi Cancer Registry. SEARCH is funded by a programme grant from Cancer Research UK (C490/A10124) and supported by the UK National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. The SEBCS was supported by the BRL (Basic Research Laboratory) program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2012-0000347). SGBCC is funded by the National Medical Research Council Start-up Grant and Centre Grant (NMRC/CG/NCIS /2010). The recruitment of controls by the Singapore Consortium of Cohort Studies-Multi-ethnic cohort (SCCS-MEC) was funded by the Biomedical Research Council (grant number: 05/1/21/19/425). SKKDKFZS is supported by the DKFZ. The SZBCS was supported by Grant PBZ_KBN_122/P05/2004. K. J. is a fellow of International PhD program, Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, supported by the Polish Foundation of Science. The TNBCC was supported by the NIH grant (CA128978), the Breast Cancer Research Foundation , Komen Foundation for the Cure, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and a generous gift from the David F. and Margaret T. Grohne Family Foundation and the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation. Part of the TNBCC (DEMOKRITOS) has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek National Funds through the Operational Program ‘Education and Life-long Learning’ of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)—Research Funding Program of the General Secretariat for Research & Technology: ARISTEIA. The TWBCS is supported by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica and the National Science Council, Taiwan. The UKBGS is funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). ICR acknowledges NHS funding to the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. Funding to pay the Open Access publication charges for this article was provided by the Wellcome Trust.This is the advanced access published version distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0, which can also be viewed on the publisher's webstie at: http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/07/04/hmg.ddu311.full.pdf+htm

Comparison of 6q25 Breast Cancer Hits from Asian and European Genome Wide Association Studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC)

Peer reviewe

Sexist harassment at university

Abstract The challenge for the study was to elaborate sexist harassment experiences at the university, the laws and policies that define and regulate sexist harassment, and the implementation and outcome of such policies that aim to prevent sexist harassment within the university organization. The whole research process resulted in two theoretical themes reflective of the areas of sexual harassment and gender equality: the first one is conceptual and the second one is organizational. The concepts of gender and sexual harassment, sexist harassment, and sexist discrimination are, firstly, used to refer to the same phenomenon, also indicating how the phenomenon is understood and how it should be solved. Secondly, it seems essential to elaborate the topic from the individual level to the organizational level in a way that also considers individuals and the realisation of their capabilities within an organization. Both of these questions are also important in developing the theory further, as that is also an aim of my study. The research contributes to the conceptual-theoretical discussion of the development of gender equality work at organizations

Sexist harassment as an issue of gender equality politics and policies at university

Abstract This study scrutinises sexist harassment and the construction of gender equality policy at the University of Oulu, one of the largest universities in Finland. Furthermore, the study addresses policies that are intended to prevent gender and sexual harassment, the implementation of such policies, and their practical outcomes. Universities are a place of knowledge (re-)production, but research suggests that sexist harassment at least occasionally bothers, and may even call into question, the central tasks of the academy—the creation and maintenance of knowledge. Acker’s theory of gendered organisation is used to frame the analysis of the study on three levels: structures, resources and processes. Lukes’s and Olsen’s views regarding power are used to locate and make visible blind spots of gender equality work related to sexual harassment. Nussbaum’s capabilities approach is used to strengthen the individual agency perspective. Additionally, intersectionality is considered in the analyses. The method of research is a case study. Detailed and intensive knowledge is produced by using various complementary data, analysis methods, vantage points and perspectives. The research contributes to the conceptual-theoretical discussion of the development of gender equality work at organisations. Based on this study, I argue that it would be reasonable to use the term sexist harassment when individual harassment experiences and organisational harassment incidences are discussed. Additionally, the concepts of sexism and sexist discrimination should be considered, especially when the ideology behind the harassment is addressed. Nussbaum’s capabilities approach complements Acker’s theory of gendered organisations in a meaningful manner by providing concrete gender equality indicators for organisations’ gender equality work.Tiivistelmä Tutkimus tarkastelee seksististä häirintää ja sukupuolten tasa-arvopolitiikan rakentumista Oulun yliopistossa, joka on yksi suurimmista yliopistoista Suomessa. Lisäksi tutkimus paikantuu toimenpiteisiin jotka on tarkoitettu sukupuolisen ja seksuaalisen häirinnän ehkäisemiseen, näiden toimenpiteiden toimeenpanoon ja niiden käytännöllisiin seurauksiin. Yliopistot ovat tiedon tuottamisen paikkoja, mutta tutkimuksen mukaan seksistinen häirintä vähintäänkin tilanteisesti haittaa ja voi jopa kyseenalaistaa akatemian keskeisten tehtävien — uuden tiedon tuottamisen ja ylläpitämisen – toteuttamista. Ackerin sukupuolistuneiden organisaatioiden teoriaa käytetään analyysin kehikkona kolmella tasolla: rakenteet, resurssit ja prosessit. Lukesin ja Olsenin valtakäsitteitä käytetään paikantamaan ja tekemään näkyväksi tasa-arvotyön katvealueita, jotka liittyvät seksuaalisen häirinnän eliminoimiseen. Nussbaumin inhimillisten kyvykkyyksien lähestymistapaa käytetään vahvistamaan yksittäisen toimijan perspektiiviä. Lisäksi analyysissa otetaan huomioon intersektionaalisuus. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on tapaustutkimus. Yksityiskohtaista ja intensiivistä tietoa tuotetaan käyttämällä vaihtelevia ja toisiaan täydentäviä aineistoja, analyysimenetelmiä, näkökulmia ja perspektiivejä. Tutkimus osallistuu käsitteellis-teoreettiseen keskusteluun sukupuolten tasa-arvotyön kehittämisestä organisaatiossa. Tutkimukseen perustuen esitän, että olisi perusteltua ottaa käyttöön käsite seksistinen häirintä, kun häirintää tarkastellaan häirittyjen näkökulmasta kokemuksen tasolla, ja käyttää käsitteitä seksismi ja seksistinen diskriminaatio viitattaessa häirinnän taustalla vaikuttavaan ideologiaan ja häiritsijän teon luonteeseen. Nussbaumin inhimillisten kyvykkyyksien lähestymistapa täydentää mielekkäällä tavalla Ackerin sukupuolistuneiden organisaatioiden teoriaa, koska se tarjoaa konkreettisia indikaattoreita organisaatioille niiden työssä tasa-arvon edistämiseksi

Toiminnallinen tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuussuunnittelu perusopetuksessa ja päiväkodissa

Abstract The “Gender equality and diversity planning at compulsory school and in kindergarten” guidebook is a compilation of study materials that were produced for a national in-service training pilot arranged online in 2014 with a funding provided by National Board of Education. Our intention was to write a guidebook for teaching personnel that would provide them easy access to and a holistic overview of gender equality and diversity planning, approaching the theme from an organization perspective. In the guidebook, we are examining the structures, processes and resources of schools and kindergartens in relation to the principles of gender equality and diversity to view possible needs and shadows. Consideration of prevailing cultural diversity, recognition and resolution of possible conflicts as well as addressing the larger societal and legal context brings depth to gender equality and diversity work from an organizational point of view. The guidebook is oriented towards a process of gender equality and diversity planning and its various phases. The chapters address the basic knowledge and skills needed to create an equal and diverse culture at schools and kindergartens. The book teaches recognition of factors that have potential to create inequalities in children’s and pupils’ everyday life at schools and kindergartens. Additionally, the guidebook invites the reader to develop further his or her pedagogical capabilities to use dialogue when leading lessons on equality and diversity. The core message in the guidebook is that gender equality and diversity work with a group of children supports the development of an overall culture in the school or kindergarten that would be fitting for all. Gender equality and diversity planning has been found to be a good means to promote the actual materialization of gender equality and diversity. Additionally, it appears to relate to the prevention of bullying and discrimination, the mutual recognition of diversity among children and the general advancement of social skills. Therefore, equality and diversity education based on a jointly drafted strategy should be viewed as a kind of quality criterion for schools and kindergartens.Tiivistelmä ”Toiminnallinen tasa-arvo ja yhdenvertaisuussuunnittelu perusopetuksessa ja päiväko-dissa” oppimateriaali kokoaa yhteen materiaalit, jotka tuotettiin vuonna 2014 järjestettyä valtakunnallista verkko-opintoina toteutettua täydennyskoulutuspilottia varten Opetushallituksen rahoittamana. Tarkoituksenamme oli tuottaa opetushenkilöstölle suunnattu, helposti lähestyttävä, tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuussuunnittelusta kokonaisnäkemyksen antava oppimateriaali, jossa aihetta lähestytään organisaationäkökulmasta. Tarkastelemme koulujen ja päiväkotien eli kasvatus- ja koulutusorganisaation rakenteita, prosesseja ja resursseja suhteessa sukupuolten tasa-arvon ja yhdenvertaisuuden periaatteisiin saadaksemme kuvan mahdollisista tarpeista sekä katveista. Syvyyttä organisaationäkökulmaiseen tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuustyön tarkasteluun tuovat kulttuurisen moninaisuuden huomioiminen, konfliktien tunnistaminen ja ratkaisu sekä laajempi yhteiskunnallinen ja lainsäädännöllinen konteksti. Oppimateriaalissa orientoidutaan perusopetuksen ja päiväkodin ja toiminnalliseen tasa-arvosuunnitteluun ja sen eri vaiheisiin. Oppimateriaalissa käsitellään tasa-arvoisen ja yhdenvertaisen toimintakulttuurin luomiseksi tarvittavia perustietoja ja -taitoja. Oppimateriaalin avulla opetellaan tunnistamaan potentiaalisesti eriarvoisuutta tuottavia tekijöitä lasten ja oppilaiden elämässä sekä päiväkodin ja koulun arjessa. Lisäksi kirja haastaa kehittämään pedagogisia valmiuksia tasa-arvoa ja yhdenvertaisuutta käsittelevien opetustuokioiden ohjaamiseksi dialogisuutta hyödyntäen. Oppimateriaalin keskeinen viesti on, että lapsiryhmässä tehtävä tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuustyö tukee koko koulun ja päiväkodin toimintakulttuurin kehittämistä kaikille sopivaksi. Toiminnallinen tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuussuunnittelu on havaittu hyväksi keinoksi edistää sukupuolten tasa-arvon ja yhdenvertaisuuden toteutumista. Lisäksi sillä voidaan nähdä olevan yhteyksiä myös kiusaamisen ja syrjinnän ennaltaehkäisyyn, lasten moninaisuuden huomioimiseen ja sosiaalisten taitojen kehittämiseen. Suunnitelmaan perustuva tasa-arvo- ja yhdenvertaisuuskasvatus olisikin syytä nähdä eräänlaisena koulujen ja päiväkotien laatukriteereinä

Promising Nordic practices in gender equality promotion in basic education and kindergartens

Abstract Nordic collaboration in issues of gender equality has a history spanning four decades. In recent years, the issue of gender equality in schools and preschools has received extensive attention. The reasons for this attention are one, that the development of Nordic societies has caused pressure to update gender equality laws to bring about equality and equity in schools; and two, that boys have begun to fall behind girls’ achievements academically in many western countries, drawing attention again to gender issues. Changes in legislation create pressure for educational professionals to develop their practices. However, gender-equality promotion practices vary considerably between Nordic countries and between regions of single countries. In this project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, participants gathered and compared data on current ‘promising practices’ relating to gender equality promotion at schools and kindergartens in each Nordic country. This project identified the following as the most promising practices for furthering gender equality in education: one; gender mainstreaming in education, both in teaching and learning; two, gender equality planning at schools (GEP); three, recruiting gender equality educators to municipalities; four, creating a national or a Nordic gender-equality certificate for educational institutions to acquire; five, promoting gender balance and diversity among educational staff; and six, gender equality work with the parents of students. Each practice is itself an influential activity; together, these six practices present a systematic approach to the development of the organisation of education, and a comprehensive strategy for promoting gender equality in education. This project report aims to contribute discussion on the issues, ‘Can one speak of a ‘Nordic equality model’ in education?’ and, ‘How can Nordic countries benefit from a joint gender equality promotion?’ and ‘Can Nordic gender equality promotion be beneficial for non-European countries?

Bridging conceptual divides related to sex, gender and sexuality in teacher education

Abstract A fluid understanding of sex, gender and sexuality contradicts categorical binary thinking. In this article on the implementation of the ethical principles of ‘shared moral space’ (Nussbaum 2008) and ‘deconstructive ethics’ (Lenz-Taguchi 2007), we illustrate the realization of these two principles within a framework of gender and sexual diversity on a professional ethics course. Deconstructive ethics is integrated into our course with teacher education students, querying assumptions on sex, gender and sexuality. Sex, gender and sexuality are explored as part of the course in order to deconstruct gender-stereotyped meaning-making and provide a safe space to learn about LGBTIQQAA2S — as we refer to gender and sexual diversity issues in initial teacher education. The fluidity of these categories becomes apparent in cases that break the boundaries of the normative categories, e.g. transgender and intersex children and young people. Therefore, the approach in question is about reconstructing a fluid understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Teacher education students’ learning process on the topic is supported by a pedagogical approach that is grounded in critical self-reflection, with theory and practice aiming to produce critical self-empowerment when realizing the various dimensions of the ethical responsibility of the teaching profession