Collaborative Learning: Gifted Students in the Regular Classroom

Unique collaborative learning possibilities exist when there are a few academically talented or gifted students in a class. Under the right conditions they can advance socially, develop intellectually and make a contribution to the regular classroom. The research evidence from related fields is overwhelming: students of all ability levels learn more and have better attitudes toward others when they work together as a group (Wang and Walberg, 1985). Cooperative learning activities can help the gifted avoid boredom - while assisting regular students

Taking data seriously: the value of actor-network theory in rethinking patient experience data

Hospitals are awash with patient experience data, much of it collected with the ostensible purpose of improving the quality of patient care. However, there has been comparatively little consideration of the nature and capacities of data itself. Using insights from actor-network theory, we propose that paying attention to patient experience data as having agency in particular hospital interactions allows us to better trace how and in what circumstances data lead (or fail to lead) to quality improvement

The Iowa Homemaker vol.26, no.6

Extracurricular Activities Provide Training, Tony DeLay, page 2 Home Service Program for Young America, Doris Adams, page 3 The Home Economist in Business, Beth Bailey McLean, page 4 How to Become a Career Girl, Frances Kerekes, page 6 Clubs Combine as Future Homemakers of America, Barbara Bates, page 7 1947 Vicky Turns the Page of Fashion, Ann Fuhs, page 8 Christmas Lighting, Ann Rozeboom, page 9 Homemaking is a Challenging Career, Martha Coover, page 10 Good Professional Attitude, Mary Elizabeth Lush, page 11 Alum Head Product Testing Program, Lydia Cooley, page 12 Keeping Up With Today, Joyce Edgar, page 14 Festival Book Aids Party Planning, Luanne Madsen, page 1

The realities and expectations of community involvement in COVID-19 research: A Consumer Reference Group perspective

Background: Older adults have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 restrictions such as stay at home orders and physical distancing measures have been implemented to reduce older adults’ risk of infection, however, such measures can have negative effects on older adults’ mental health and social wellbeing. In 2020, the research team received funding as part of an Australian COVID-19 research grants program to investigate how services can better meet the mental health and social support needs of older adults during COVID-19. A Consumer Reference Group (CRG) was established to provide a community perspective on all research activities. Main body: The CRG comprised of eight older adults aged 65 years and older living in Western Australia. Two members of the CRG were involved in the initial grant proposal, and one member worked for a not-for-profit organisation that provides support and advocacy for older adults. The CRGs role was to provide consumer and community perspectives on the research design, advise on study materials, facilitate links between consumers, the community, and researchers, and advocate on behalf of consumers and the community. The CRG was encouraged to reflect on the research project, their contributions, and the outcomes obtained. In this commentary, we document the CRGs contributions to the project, and record their reflections, including what went well, what were some challenges, the realities of conducting research during COVID-19, and lessons learnt. Conclusion: The CRG were active participants in the research process. They shared their perspectives and made important contributions to the project. Through collaboration with the CRG, we were able to reach four key messages, underpinned by consumers lived experiences, that were used to co-develop knowledge translation products. These were disseminated to service providers and older adults

Gender differences in advanced heart failure: insights from the BEST study

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the influence of gender on baseline characteristics, response to treatment, and prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) and impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). BACKGROUND: Under-representation of women in HF clinical trials has limited our understanding of gender-related differences in patients with HF. METHODS: The impact of gender was assessed in the Beta-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST) which randomized 2,708 patients with New York Heart Association class III/IV and LVEF < or =0.35 to bucindolol versus placebo. Women (n = 593) were compared with men (n = 2,115). Mean follow-up period was two years. RESULTS: Significant differences in baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics were found. Women were younger, more likely to be black, had a higher prevalence of nonischemic etiology, higher right and left ventricular ejection fraction, higher heart rate, greater cardiothoracic ratio, higher prevalence of left bundle branch block, lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation, and lower plasma norepinephrine level. Ischemic etiology and measures of severity of HF were found to be predictors of prognosis in women and men. However, differences in the predictive values of various variables were noted; most notably, coronary artery disease and LVEF appear to be stronger predictors of prognosis in women. In the nonischemic patients, women had a significantly better survival rate compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: In HF patients with impaired LVEF, significant gender differences are present, and the prognostic predictive values of some variables vary in magnitude between women and men. The survival advantage of women is confined to patients with nonischemic etiology

Vitamin D Supplementation for the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Aim. To determine the efficacy and safety of vitamin D3 supplementation in reducing depressive symptoms in women with type 2 diabetes (T2D), depression, and low vitamin D. Methods. In this double-blind randomized active comparator-controlled trial, women with significant depressive symptoms as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale received weekly oral vitamin D3 supplementation (50,000 IU) or an active comparator (5,000 IU) for 6 months. Assessments of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D], and depression were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Results. A total of 129 women were randomized, from which 119 completed the study (57 in lower dose and 62 in higher dose). Participants had an average 25 (OH) D and HbA1c of 20.8 ng/mL and 7.8%, respectively, at baseline. They were diverse (48% Black) and had a mean age of 50 and T2D for about 8 years. Upon completion of vitamin D3 supplementation, serum 25 (OH) D levels increased with 50,000 IU (+34 ng/mL) and 5,000 IU (+10 ng/mL). There was no difference in CES-D scores by treatment dose. Overall, depressive symptoms significantly improved over time with an average CES-D decline of 12.98 points (95% CI: −15.04 to −10.93; ). Among women with moderate baseline depressive symptoms, those receiving the lower dose had nominally lower depression scores at follow-up than those in the higher dose cohort. Among women with severe baseline depressive symptoms, the improvement in follow-up depression scores was the same regardless of dose. Conclusions. There was no difference in the dosing effect of vitamin D3 supplementation for the treatment of depressive symptoms in women with T2D who present with significant symptoms and low vitamin D. Regardless of the dose, participants’ mood improved over time. Further study of vitamin D to target depressive symptoms in comorbid populations is needed

The proteome of cholesteryl-ester-enriched versus triacylglycerol-enriched lipid droplets

Within cells, lipids are stored in the form of lipid droplets (LDs), consisting of a neutral lipid core, surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer and an outer layer of protein. LDs typically accumulate either triacylglycerol (TAG) and diacylglycerol or cholesteryl ester (CE), depending on the type of tissue. Recently, there has been an increased interest in the proteins that surround LDs. LD proteins have been found to be quite diverse, from structural proteins to metabolic enzymes, proteins involved in vesicular transport, and proteins that may play a role in LD formation. Previous proteomics analyses have focused on TAG-enriched LDs, whereas CE-enriched LDs have been largely ignored. Our study has compared the LD proteins from CE-enriched LDs to TAG-enriched LDs in steroidogenic cells. In primary rat granulosa cells loaded with either HDL to produce CE-enriched LDs or fatty acids to produce TAG-enriched LDs, 61 proteins were found to be elevated in CE-enriched LDs and 40 proteins elevated in TAG-enriched LDs with 278 proteins in similar amounts. Protein expression was further validated by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mass spectrometry (MS). SRM verified expression of 25 of 27 peptides that were previously detected by tandem mass tagging MS. Several proteins were confirmed to be elevated in CE-enriched LDs by SRM including the intermediate filament vimentin. This study is the first to compare the proteins found on CE-enriched LDs with TAG-enriched LDs and constitutes the first step in creating a better understanding of the proteins found on CE-enriched LDs in steroidogenic cells

The Trail, 1964-10-01

https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/thetrail_all/1892/thumbnail.jp

Hormone replacement therapy is associated with improved survival in women with advanced heart failure

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with an improved prognosis in women with advanced heart failure (HF) and systolic dysfunction. BACKGROUND: There are about two million postmenopausal women in the U.S. with HF. However, limited data are available to assess the effects of HRT on survival in this large group of patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of women age 50 years and over entered into the Beta-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST) was conducted using Cox regression analysis comparing survival in HRT users and non-users after correcting for baseline variables known to predict survival in women with HF and systolic dysfunction. RESULTS: In 493 women age 50 years and older, HRT was associated with a significant reduction in mortality-21% mortality in HRT users and 34% in non-users (p = 0.025). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a hazard ratio for mortality of 0.6 (95% confidence interval = 0.36 to 0.97) (p = 0.039) for HRT users. The benefits of HRT were noted only in women with a nonischemic etiology of HF (n = 237). CONCLUSIONS: Hormone replacement therapy is associated with a marked improvement in survival in postmenopausal women with advanced HF. A prospective, randomized trial of HRT should be performed in this large group of patients