Issue 1: Reimagining Overrepresentation Research: Critical Reflections on Researching the Overrepresentation of First Nations Children in the Child Welfare System

This paper builds on the experiences of the first author in doing research on the overrepresentation of First Nations children in child welfare systems in Canada. Six lessons are presented: (1) overrepresentation is an inherently quantitative construct; (2) overrepresentation is an inherently comparative construct; (3) a focus on overrepresentation draws attention to the needs of specific groups, but may obscure the need for broader systemic reform; (4) available data relies on, but incompletely represents, decision-maker perspectives; (5) available data emphasizes point-in-time decisions; and (6) ambiguity in data must be very clearly acknowledged. Building on discussion of these lessons, we explore implications for future research directions and highlight considerations for child welfare policy and practice

Issue 1: Reimagining Overrepresentation Research: Critical Reflections on Researching the Overrepresentation of First Nations Children in the Child Welfare System

This paper builds on the experiences of the first author in doing research on the overrepresentation of First Nations children in child welfare systems in Canada. Six lessons are presented: (1) overrepresentation is an inherently quantitative construct; (2) overrepresentation is an inherently comparative construct; (3) a focus on overrepresentation draws attention to the needs of specific groups, but may obscure the need for broader systemic reform; (4) available data relies on, but incompletely represents, decision-maker perspectives; (5) available data emphasizes point-in-time decisions; and (6) ambiguity in data must be very clearly acknowledged. Building on discussion of these lessons, we explore implications for future research directions and highlight considerations for child welfare policy and practice

Relationship between plasma free fatty acids and uncoupling protein-3 gene expression in skeletal muscle of obese subjects: in vitro evidence of a causal link

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether skeletal muscle uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) and uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) gene expression is altered in massive obesity and whether it correlates with in vivo insulin sensitivity and with metabolic and hormonal status. DESIGN Quantification of UCP2 and UCP3 gene expression in skeletal muscle of obese and lean subjects displaying different degrees of insulin sensitivity. PATIENTS Fourteen obese and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 43.6 +/- 1.4 and 22.8 +/- 1.8 (+/- SEM), respectively. MEASUREMENTS Insulin sensitivity by glucose clamp, body composition by bio-impedance, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, leptin and free fatty acids (FFA). Skeletal muscle UCP2 and UCP3 mRNA levels by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS No significant differences in UCP2 or UCP3 mRNA levels were found between obese and control subjects. No significant correlation was observed, in both groups, between UCP2 or UCP3 mRNA levels and both anthropometrical and metabolic parameters. In contrast, a highly significant correlation was observed between skeletal muscle UCP3, but not UCP2, mRNA levels and plasma FFA in the obese, but not in the lean, group. Furthermore, exposure of human myocytes to FFA for 24 h strongly induced both UCP3 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) but not UCP2 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS FFA levels correlate strongly with skeletal muscle UCP3 mRNA levels in obese, but not in lean, subjects; in addition, in human myocytes, high FFA concentrations promote UCP3 expression. Our studies therefore provide evidence that supports a role for increased plasma FFA concentrations in the regulation of human skeletal muscle UCP3 gene expression