Evaluating the Impact of an Assessment Course on Preservice Teachers’ Classroom Assessment Literacy and Self-Efficacy

While educational policy has resulted in many teachers being responsible for developing and interpreting student growth measures, they generally lack adequate assessment literacy and feel ill-prepared to manage such tasks. This quasi-experimental study explores the impact of an applied assessment course on preservice teachers’ assessment literacy and self-efficacy, while also examining the intersection between these variables. Results indicate a significant increase in assessment literacy and self-efficacy after completing the assessment course. Assessment literacy and self-efficacy held a significantly negative relationship at pre-test and a significantly positive relationship at post-test, suggesting meta-ignorance existed regarding classroom assessment skills among preservice teachers

Tel-eVax: a genetic vaccine targeting telomerase for treatment of canine lymphoma

Background: we have recently shown that Tel-eVax, a genetic vaccine targeting dog telomerase (dTERT) and based on Adenovirus (Ad)/DNA Electro-Gene-Transfer (DNA–EGT) technology can induce strong immune response and increase overall survival (OS) of dogs affected by multicentric Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) when combined to COP therapy in a double-arm study. Here, we have utilized a clinically validated device for veterinary electroporation called Vet-ePorator , based on Cliniporator technology currently utilized and approved in Europe for electro- chemotherapy applications and adapted to electrogenetransfer (EGT). Methods: 17 dogs affected by DLBCL were vaccinated using two Ad vector injections (Prime phase) followed by TM DNA–EGT (Boost phase) by means of a Vet-ePorator device and treated in the same time with a 27-week Madison Wisconsin CHOP protocol. The immune response was measured by ELISA assays using pool of peptides. Results: No significant adverse effects were observed. The OS of vaccine/CHOP animals was 64.5 weeks, in line with the previous study. Dogs developed antibodies against the immunizing antigen. Conclusions: Tel-eVax in combination with CHOP is safe and immunogenic in lymphoma canine patients. These data confirm the therapeutic efficacy of dTERT vaccine and hold promise for the treatment of dogs affected by other cancer types. More importantly, our findings may translate to human clinical trials and represent new strategies for cancer treatment

The effect of weight loss on lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis

This paper describes the effect of weight loss on lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). Fourteen obese client-owned dogs with clinical and radiographic signs of OA participated in an open prospective clinical trial. After a screening visit and a visit for collection of baseline data, the dogs were fed a restricted-calorie diet over a study period of 16 weeks that incorporated six follow-up visits. At each visit, body weight and pelvic circumference were measured and severity of lameness was assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS), a visual analogue scale (VAS) and kinetic gait analysis. This is the first study to assess both subjectively and objectively, the effect of weight loss alone on lameness in obese dogs with OA. The results indicate that body weight reduction causes a significant decrease in lameness from a weight loss of 6.10% onwards. Kinetic gait analysis supported the results from a body weight reduction of 8.85% onwards. These results confirm that weight loss should be presented as an important treatment modality to owners of obese dogs with OA and that noticeable improvement may be seen after modest weight loss in the region of 6.10 – 8.85% body weight

Navigating the complex pathway of youth athletic development; Challenges and solutions to managing the training load of youth team sport athletes

The development of a youth team sport athlete is a complex process. This paper outlines challenges which may restrict the optimal balance between training and recovery and provide solutions to help practitioners overcome these challenges. To facilitate positive youth athletic development, training aims must be aligned between stakeholders to synchronise periods of intensified training and recovery. Within- and between-athlete variations in weekly training load must be managed and practitioners should attempt to ensure the intended load of training equals the load perceived by the athlete. Furthermore, practitioners should be cognizant of the athletes’ non-sport related stressors to enable both academic and sporting pursuits. Whilst each of these challenges adds intricacy, they may be overcome through collaboration, monitoring and if necessary, the modification of the athletes’ training load

Canine cancer immunotherapy studies: linking mouse and human

Despite recent major clinical breakthroughs in human cancer immunotherapy including the use of checkpoint inhibitors and engineered T cells, important challenges remain, including determining the sub-populations of patients who will respond and who will experience at times significant toxicities. Although advances in cancer immunotherapy depend on preclinical testing, the majority of in-vivo testing currently relies on genetically identical inbred mouse models which, while offering critical insights regarding efficacy and mechanism of action, also vastly underrepresent the heterogeneity and complex interplay of human immune cells and cancers. Additionally, laboratory mice uncommonly develop spontaneous tumors, are housed under specific-pathogen free conditions which markedly impacts immune development, and incompletely model key aspects of the tumor/immune microenvironment. The canine model represents a powerful tool in cancer immunotherapy research as an important link between murine models and human clinical studies. Dogs represent an attractive outbred combination of companion animals that experience spontaneous cancer development in the setting of an intact immune system. This allows for study of complex immune interactions during the course of treatment while also directly addressing long-term efficacy and toxicity of cancer immunotherapies. However, immune dissection requires access to robust and validated immune assays and reagents as well as appropriate numbers for statistical evaluation. Canine studies will need further optimization of these important mechanistic tools for this model to fulfill its promise as a model for immunotherapy. This review aims to discuss the canine model in the context of existing preclinical cancer immunotherapy models to evaluate both its advantages and limitations, as well as highlighting its growth as a powerful tool in the burgeoning field of both human and veterinary immunotherapy