Big Food and Soda Versus Public Health: Industry Litigation Against Local Government Regulations to Promote Healthy Diets

Diets high in fats, sugars, and sodium are contributing to alarming levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers throughout the United States. Sugary drinks, which include beverages that contain added caloric sweeteners such as flavored milks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and sodas, are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet and an important causative factor for obesity and other diet-related diseases. City and county governments have emerged as key innovators to promote healthier diets, adopting menu labeling laws to facilitate informed choices and soda taxes, warnings labels, and a soda portion cap to discourage consumption. These measures raise tension between the public health promotion and the food and beverage industry’s interests in maximizing profits. This article analyzes the food and beverage industry’s efforts to undermine local government nutrition promotion measures, including lobbying, funding scientific research, public messaging, and litigation. It examines four case studies (New York City’s soda portion cap, San Francisco’s soda warnings ordinance, and soda taxes in Philadelphia and Cook County), and distills steps that local governments can take to address industry opposition and help ensure the legal viability and political sustainability of key public health interventions

Orphanages in America: Are they needed?

The purpose of this constructivist research study was to examine the idea of returning to the orphanage system, as a placement option for children who have been removed from their homes. The authors felt that this was especially important since lawmakers have been discussing this option as an answer to the question of welfare reform, and further felt that decisions such as these should not be made without the input of professionals in the social work field

Conceptualizing and Reimagining the Future of Inclusive Education in the UAE

The current study explored how students in various universities across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conceptualized inclusive education and views of the future with participation from twenty-one pre-service teachers from different universities within the UAE. Data collection consisted of an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews analyzed using a qualitative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Results indicated that students unanimously conceptualized inclusion from a holistic point of view and projected the future to be associated with a higher level of differentiated instruction. However, the conditions of the Education Act and the results were not in agreement with the premise of liberation pedagogy, as students with special needs reverted to a passive state and adopted a dependent relationship with the teacher. In conclusion, teachers\u27 motivation was faith in humanity, the rejection of fatalism, and the belief that all learners can actively participate in the transformation of the world by participating in liberation pedagogy, which caters to the diverse needs of students in present and future environments

The Brain: A Panel

Papers Presented: The Brain\u27s Power on Personality Development by Ashmima Brown, Jamila James, & Cara Clark The Brain\u27s Highway by Mikayla Rolda & Anna Le Abstract: The peripheral nerves, which are made out of fibers or bundles of axons, include all the nerves beyond the brain and the spinal cord. They start from the edges of the central nerves, or spinal cord, and extend outwards to the periphery of the body. The main function of the peripheral nerves is to carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles and to important organs and then relay the sensory information back to the brain. There are three types of nerves in the peripheral nervous system, and the first to be introduced would be the sensory nerves, also known as afferent nerves. These sensory neurons carry information about the visual environment from the eyes to the brain. Another type of peripheral nerves is the motor nerves, also called the efferent nerves. These efferent nerves contain special axons of motor neurons to help control glands and muscles. The third type of peripheral nerves is the autonomic nerves that regulate the internal organs such as heart, intestines, and stomach. Let\u27s Split! How the Effects of a Hemispherectomy of the Right Side of the Brain Compares to the Removal of the Left Side: by Jourdan Lawrence & Brylea Huitt Abstract: The “let’s split” project explores how a hemispherectomy of the left side of the brain affects personality and development, compared to removal of the right side of the brain. As a secondary research project, the project will explain the importance of each side of the brain and the common results of a hemispherectomy on either side. A hemispherectomy is a rare treatment in which a cerebral hemisphere of the brain is removed as a result of frequent seizures or epilepsy. While the prognosis of this treatment is good, it remains a last resort. Young patients are able to improve dramatically after the treatment, however there are some complications. Primarily, as a result of the hemispherectomy, patients always suffer from paralysis on the side of the body opposite from the removed hemisphere. Furthermore, the older the patient is, the less likely the brain can transfer over the information from one side of the brain to the other effectively. By studying these issues, however, this project can discover how the issues correlate with the right or left side of the brain respectively. With this information, neurologists and other healthcare professionals may be able to increase the quality of healthcare delivery for these patients

Altered Regulation of Aquaporin Gene Expression in Allergen and IL-13-Induced Mouse Models of Asthma

IL-13 is known to affect many processes that contribute to an asthmatic phenotype, including inflammation, fibrosis, and mucus production. Members of the aquaporin (AQP) family of transmembrane water channels are targets of regulation in models of lung injury and inflammation. Therefore, we examined AQP mRNA and protein expression in allergen and IL-13-induced mouse models of asthma. Lungs from ovalbumin sensitized and ovalbumin challenged (OVA/OVA) and IL-13 treated mice showed airway thickening, increased mucus production, and pulmonary eosinophilia. Pulmonary function tests showed a significant increase in methacholine-induced airway hyperreactivity in OVA/OVA and IL-13-treated mice as compared with controls. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed differential regulation of AQPs in these two models. AQP1 and AQP4 mRNA expression was downregulated in the OVA/OVA model, but not in the IL-13 model. AQP5 mRNA was reduced in both models, whereas AQP3 was upregulated only in the IL-13 model. Western analysis showed that diminished expression of an apically localized aquaporin, (AQP5), and concomitant upregulation of a basolateral aquaporin (AQP3 or AQP4) are characteristic features of both inducible asthma models. These results demonstrate that aquaporins are common targets of gene expression in both allergen and IL-13 induced mouse models of asthma

Stakeholder perceptions of physical literacy:results from a national consultation in England

Background: There is a lack of evidence of stakeholder perspective and understanding of physical literacy among relevant stakeholders from England. As part of research commissioned by Sport England to develop a physical literacy consensus statement for England, this study presents findings from the first national consultation with stakeholders in England.Methods: One hundred and ninety-three individual stakeholders (50.3%) from education, community sport, national governing bodies of sport, physical activity and sport coaching sectors completed an online survey consisting of fixed item and open ended questions designed to examine their knowledge, understanding, perceptions and practices relating to physical literacy. Results: Responses from stakeholders suggested there was confusion in use of the term physical literacy in practice and confusion regarding the definition of physical literacy. Most respondents suggested they were involved in physical literacy related activity and understood the term. However, when probed the physical literacy related activity they referred to was likely not actually physical literacy related. Understanding of the term physical literacy was inconsistent in general. Stakeholders considered the affective, social, physical and cognitive areas (domains) of learning to be most important for developing a positive relationship with movement, sport and physical activity for life. Conclusions: While stakeholders are aware of the term “physical literacy” and hold value of it within their practice, there remain key misconceptions relating to what physical literacy is, and debate as to whether any existing definitions truly capture the construct of physical literacy

The natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis in 781 children. A multicenter, international collaboration

There are limited data on the natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in children. We aimed to describe the disease characteristics and long-term outcomes of pediatric PSC. We retrospectively collected all pediatric PSC cases from 36 participating institutions and conducted a survival analysis from the date of PSC diagnosis to dates of diagnosis of portal hypertensive or biliary complications, cholangiocarcinoma, liver transplantation, or death. We analyzed patients grouped by disease phenotype and laboratory studies at diagnosis to identify objective predictors of long-term outcome. We identified 781 patients, median age 12 years, with 4,277 person-years of follow-up; 33% with autoimmune hepatitis, 76% with inflammatory bowel disease, and 13% with small duct PSC. Portal hypertensive and biliary complications developed in 38% and 25%, respectively, after 10 years of disease. Once these complications developed, median survival with native liver was 2.8 and 3.5 years, respectively. Cholangiocarcinoma occurred in 1%. Overall event-free survival was 70% at 5 years and 53% at 10 years. Patient groups with the most elevated total bilirubin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index at diagnosis had the worst outcomes. In multivariate analysis PSC-inflammatory bowel disease and small duct phenotypes were associated with favorable prognosis (hazard ratios 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.9, and 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.96, respectively). Age, gender, and autoimmune hepatitis overlap did not impact long-term outcome. CONCLUSION: PSC has a chronic, progressive course in children, and nearly half of patients develop an adverse liver outcome after 10 years of disease; elevations in bilirubin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index at diagnosis can identify patients at highest risk; small duct PSC and PSC-inflammatory bowel disease are more favorable disease phenotypes