Molecular and Genetic Insights into Thoracic Aortic Dilation in Conotruncal Heart Defects

Thoracic aortic dilation (AD) has commonly been described in conotruncal defects (CTDs), such as tetralogy of Fallot, double outlet right ventricle and transposition of the great arteries, and truncus arteriosus. Several theories for this have been devised, but fairly recent data indicate that there is likely an underlying histologic abnormality, similar to that seen in Marfan and other connective tissue disease. The majority of aortic dissection in the general population occurs after the age of 45 years, and there have been very few case reports of aortic dissection in CTD. Given advances in cardiac surgery and increasing survival over the past several decades, there has been rising concern that, as patients who have survived surgical correction of these defects age, there may be increased morbidity and mortality due to aortic dissection and aortic regurgitation. This review discusses the most recent developments in research into AD in CTD, including associated genetic mutations

The Internet and Civic Engagement

Based on a survey, analyzes how socioeconomic status and other demographics correlate with online and offline political and civic engagement. Explores suggestions that younger generations' political use of social media may alter such patterns

The Divergent Effects of External Systems of Control on Early Stage Goal Pursuit

International audienceThis research demonstrates divergent effects of reminding consumers that their long-term goals occur within external systems of control. We showed that such reminders can increase or decrease motivation in pursuing long-term goals depending on the level of specificity with which they are planned

Progressive development of scientific literacy through assessment in inquiry-based biomedical science curricula

A key outcome of science education is the development of graduates' scientific literacy, defined as "an individual's scientific knowledge, and use of that knowledge to identify questions, to acquire new knowledge, to explain scientific phenomena, and to draw evidence-based conclusions..." (OECD, 2010; pg 137). These skills are reflected throughout the Science Threshold Learning Outcomes (Jones, Yates and Kelder, 2011). To progressively develop such advanced skills within a broad major like biomedical science, it is essential to guide students along critical learning pathways. We have designed a series of inquiry-based classes to scaffold the development of these skills and vertically-integrated these across the curriculum (Zimbardi, Bugarcic, Colthorpe, Good and Lluka 2013), with this design receiving national recognition as best practice (Elliott, Boin, Irving, Johnson and Galea 2010; Kirkup and Johnson 2013). To facilitate skills development within these classes, students undertake increasingly complex assessment tasks as they progress through each course, requiring them to draw on their developing content knowledge to propose and undertake experiments, and to make conclusions based on their findings and evidence from scientific literature. Longitudinal analysis of a variety of assessment tasks from students across four semesters demonstrates the developmental trajectory of these skills. Specifically, they demonstrate increases in their ability to formulate testable hypotheses with measurable outcomes, their appreciation of cutting-edge methodologies and deeper understanding of the contestable nature of increasingly complex areas of scientific knowledge. This article reports on the design and use of these assessment tasks within the series of inquiry-based curricula, and their impact on the progression of student learning

Making sense of misfortune: Deservingness, self-esteem, and patterns of self-defeat.

Drawing on theorizing and research suggesting that people are motivated to view their world as an orderly and predictable place in which people get what they deserve, the authors proposed that (a) random and uncontrollable bad outcomes will lower self-esteem and (b) this, in turn, will lead to the adoption of self-defeating beliefs and behaviors. Four experiments demonstrated that participants who experienced or recalled bad (vs. good) breaks devalued their self-esteem (Studies 1a and 1b), and that decrements in self-esteem (whether arrived at through misfortune or failure experience) increase beliefs about deserving bad outcomes (Studies 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b). Five studies (Studies 3–7) extended these findings by showing that this, in turn, can engender a wide array of self-defeating beliefs and behaviors, including claimed self-handicapping ahead of an ability test (Study 3), the preference for others to view the self less favorably (Studies 4–5), chronic self-handicapping and thoughts of physical self-harm (Study 6), and choosing to receive negative feedback during an ability test (Study 7). The current findings highlight the important role that concerns about deservingness play in the link between lower self-esteem and patterns of self-defeating beliefs and behaviors. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Systolic Function after Pulmonary Valve Replacement Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Following reparative surgery for tetralogy of Fallot or critical pulmonary stenosis (PS), patients frequently present with severe right ventricular (RV) volume overload due to pulmonary regurgitation, resulting in decreased RV function. Surgical pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) is known to improve RV function, but changes in left ventricular (LV) function after PVR have rarely been described. We sought to determine the midterm results regarding LV systolic function after PVR using cardiac MRI in 40 consecutive patients with repaired TOF (31 patients) or PS (9 patients) with an age of 29±9 years who underwent PVR from 2006 to 2011 at a single center. Cardiac MRI RV and LV volumes before and after PVR were analyzed. Demographics, clinical variables, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, and medications were reviewed. LV ejection fraction (LVEF) increased from (54±8) to (57±6)% (P=0.02). Before PVR, 26 patients had depressed LVEF of (49±5)% (range 36–54%). In this group, LVEF increased by (7±7)% (P<0.0001) after PVR. Low LVEF before PVR was correlated with increased LVEF after PVR (regression coefficient −0.7, R 2 =0.59, P<0.0001). Demographics, medications, prior pregnancies, and cardiopulmonary bypass duration had no effect on LVEF after PVR. The increase in LVEF was most significant in patients with low pre-PVR LVEF

Direct and Correlated Responses to Selection for Increased Weaning and Yearling Weights in Angus Cattle

Animal Breedin

Culture modifies the operation of prime-to-behavior effects

Culture affects the extent to which people focus on other people or on the situation in drawing inferences. Building on recent research showing that perceptions of others and situations can mediate prime-to-behavior effects, we tested whether culture would modify both the mechanism and the outcome of primed constructs on behavior. Easterners and Westerners were primed with competitiveness or cooperativeness before playing a social dilemma game with an ambiguously or unambiguously competitive player. Results indicated that the primes had different effects on the social dilemma decisions of Easterners and Westerners and that these effects were due to the different consequences the primes had for Easterners’ and Westerners’ perceptions of the other player and construals of the situation

Expansion of Comprehensive Screening of Male Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic Attendees with \u3cem\u3eMycoplasma genitalium\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eTrichomonas vaginalis\u3c/em\u3e Molecular Assessment: a Retrospective Analysis

Of 1,493 encounters of males at a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in a community with a high prevalence of STI, Chlamydia trachomatis was detected in 8.7% and Neisseria gonorrhoeae was detected in 6.6%. Additional Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma genitalium screening found 17.4% and 23.9% of the encounters, respectively, to be positive for STI. STI agents were detected in 13.7% of urine specimens; addition of pharyngeal and rectal collections to the analysis resulted in detection of STI agents in 19.0% and 23.9% of encounters, respectively. A total of 101 (23.8%) encounters of identified STI involved sole detection of M. genitalium. Expansion of the STI analyte panel (including M. genitalium) and additional specimen source sampling within a comprehensive STI screening program increase identification of male STI carriers

Reply to Jutley et al.

Reply to a letter by Jutley et al.peer-reviewe