The Relationship Between Response to Intervention Implementation and Student Achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation and student achievement in reading. The study used primary data derived from the winter STAR reading diagnostic screener collected from third, fourth and fifth grade students in the RTI process. These scores were then compared to the archival data collected in the fall STAR reading diagnostic screener from the same students. Paired-tests were performed in order to determine if there was a relationship between RTI implementation and student achievement in reading. The study sample represented in this investigation was 125 students who were given the STAR reading diagnostic screener in the fall and winter months during the 2010-2011 school year. The participants were chosen from three elementary schools and one fifth grade school from a coastal school district. The schools are similar in socioeconomic status and have approximately 40% free and reduced lunch participation. Minority groups from each school represent 20% of their respective populations. The three elementary schools that were selected have a similar grade size of approximately 150 students per grade with an average class size of 26 students. The fifth grade school has an enrollment of approximately 430 students with an average class size of 26 students. All four schools combined have a population of approximately 1,600 students. All students selected had been identified as being below iii benchmark in reading and had been placed in the RTI process for remediation. Only students who attended third, fourth and fifth grades in the district during the 2010-2011 school year and who were assessed in fall and winter using the STAR Reading diagnostic screener, were selected for the study. Results indicated that RTI implementation did make an overall difference. The frequency of the intervention (tier 2) made no significant impact on grades three and four. However, grade five made significant gains. Based on the results, it appears as the interventions became more intense (tier 3); the results were significant with grades three and four, but not significant with grade 5. This could be an indication that younger students who struggle with reading fluency may benefit more from an intense level of intervention

Resistance to thyroid hormone due to defective thyroid receptor alpha.

Thyroid hormones act via nuclear receptors (TRα1, TRβ1, TRβ2) with differing tissue distribution; the role of α2 protein, derived from the same gene locus as TRα1, is unclear. Resistance to thyroid hormone alpha (RTHα) is characterised by tissue-specific hypothyroidism associated with near-normal thyroid function tests. Clinical features include dysmorphic facies, skeletal dysplasia (macrocephaly, epiphyseal dysgenesis), growth retardation, constipation, dyspraxia and intellectual deficit. Biochemical abnormalities include low/low-normal T4 and high/high-normal T3 concentrations, a subnormal T4/T3 ratio, variably reduced reverse T3, raised muscle creatine kinase and mild anaemia. The disorder is mediated by heterozygous, loss-of-function, mutations involving either TRα1 alone or both TRα1 and α2, with no discernible phenotype attributable to defective α2. Whole exome sequencing and diagnostic biomarkers may enable greater ascertainment of RTHα, which is important as thyroxine therapy reverses some metabolic abnormalities and improves growth, constipation, dyspraxia and wellbeing. The genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of RTHα and its optimal management remain to be elucidated.Our research is supported by the Wellcome Trust (095564/Z/11/Z to KC), the National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the British Thyroid Foundation (CM).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2015.07.00

Seed dispersing birds respond to local rainforest cover: consequences for seed fate

Most Australian rainforest plants are dispersed by fruit-eating birds. In partly deforested landscapes, seed dispersal within and between forest patches is influenced by these birds' use of forest fragments, and by their patterns of fruit consumption. If the dispersers of a plant species decline or disappear, this will set an ultimate limit to the fate of its seeds – reduced dispersal. Therefore an important question for the conservation of rainforest plant communities is how to sustain or recover seed disperser abundances in fragmented forests. We assessed the effects of fragment size and surrounding forest cover on communities of seed disperser birds in an extensively-cleared Australian rainforest landscape, where different bird species vary in both their sensitivities to fragmentation and their roles as seed dispersers. In surveys of single one-hectare plots within 25 rainforest fragments, we recorded 20 seed disperser species. We used regression modelling to test how well particular seed disperser variables (species abundances, richness and abundance of functional groups) could be predicted by fragment size and six measures of surrounding forest cover (within 200m, 1000m and 5000m radii, for cover of rainforest and of all forest types). Model comparisons showed that the amount of rainforest cover within 200m was the best predictor of the abundances of fragmentation-sensitive disperser species, and of birds which disperse most plant species (including plants which have few dispersers). We conclude that a high proportion of local rainforest cover will help maintain seed disperser assemblages and seed dispersal in forest fragments and during forest restoration

The relationship between zinc intake and serum/plasma zinc concentration in adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis by the EURRECA Network

Dietary zinc recommendations vary widely across Europe due to the heterogeneity of pproaches used by expert panels. Under the EURRECA consortium a protocol was designed to systematically review and undertake meta-analyses of research data to create a database that includes “best practice” guidelines which can be used as a resource by future panels when setting micronutrient recommendations. As part of this process, the objective of the present study was to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of previously published data describing the relationship between zinc intake and status in adults. Searches were performed of literature published up to February 2010 using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Data extracted included population characteristics, dose of zinc, duration of study, dietary intake of zinc, and mean concentration of zinc in plasma or serum at the end of the intervention period. An intake-status regression coefficient was estimated for each individual study, and pooled meta-analysis undertaken. The overall pooled for zinc supplementation on serum/plasma zinc concentrations from RCTs and observational studies was 0.08 (95% CI 0.05, 0.11; p<0.0001; I2 84.5%). An overall of 0.08 means that for every doubling in zinc intake, the difference in zinc serum or plasma concentration is (20.08 = 1.06), which is 6%. Whether the dose-response relationship, as provided in this paper, could be used as either qualitative or quantitative evidence to substantiate the daily zinc intake dose necessary to achieve normal or optimal levels of biomarkers for zinc status, remains a matter of discussion

Resistance to thyroid hormone with a mutation of the thyroid β receptor gene in an eight-month-old infant — a case report

Introduction: Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTHβ) is a rare syndrome of impaired tissue responsiveness to thyroid hormones (THs). The disorder has an autosomal dominant or recessive pattern of inheritance. Most of the reported mutations have been detected in the thyroid hormone receptor β gene (THRβ). Case report: Authors present an eight-month-old infant with poor linear growth, decreased body weight, tachycardia, positive family history, and neonatal features suggestive of RTHβ. Both our patient and his mother had elevated free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, and non-suppressed thyrotropin (TSH) concentration. The fluorescent sequencing analysis showed a heterozygous mutation c.728G &gt; A in TRβ gene. This pathogenic variant is known to be associated with THR. Conclusions: The clinical presentation of RTHb is variable, ranging from isolated biochemical abnormalities to symptoms of thyrotoxicosis or hypothyroidism. The syndrome should be suspected in patients with increased serum TH level, accompanied by a normal or elevated TSH concentration. The affected patients require individualised management.Introduction: Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTHβ) is a rare syndrome of impaired tissue responsiveness to thyroid hormones (THs). The disorder has an autosomal dominant or recessive pattern of inheritance. Most of the reported mutations have been detected in the thyroid hormone receptor β gene (THRβ). Case report: Authors present an eight-month-old infant with poor linear growth, decreased body weight, tachycardia, positive family history, and neonatal features suggestive of RTHβ. Both our patient and his mother had elevated free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, and non-suppressed thyrotropin (TSH) concentration. The fluorescent sequencing analysis showed a heterozygous mutation c.728G > A in TRβ gene. This pathogenic variant is known to be associated with THR. Conclusions: The clinical presentation of RTHb is variable, ranging from isolated biochemical abnormalities to symptoms of thyrotoxicosis or hypothyroidism. The syndrome should be suspected in patients with increased serum TH level, accompanied by a normal or elevated TSH concentration. The affected patients require individualised management

2019 European Thyroid Association Guidelines on the Management of Thyroid Dysfunction following Immune Reconstitution Therapy.

Thyroid dysfunction (TD) frequently occurs as an autoimmune complication of immune reconstitution therapy (IRT), especially in individuals with multiple sclerosis treated with alemtuzumab, a pan-lymphocyte depleting drug with subsequent recovery of immune cell numbers. Less frequently, TD is triggered by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or patients undergoing bone-marrow/hematopoietic-stem-cell transplantation (BMT/HSCT). In both alemtuzumab-induced TD and HIV/HAART patients, the commonest disorder is Graves' disease (GD), followed by hypothyroidism and thyroiditis; Graves' orbitopathy is observed in some GD patients. On the contrary, GD is rare post-BMT/HSCT, where hypothyroidism predominates probably as a consequence of the associated radiation damage. In alemtuzumab-induced TD, the autoantibodies against the thyrotropin receptor (TRAb) play a major role, and 2 main aspects distinguish this condition from the spontaneous form: (1) up to 20% of GD cases exhibit a fluctuating course, with alternating phases of hyper- and hypothyroidism, due to the coexistence of TRAb with stimulating and blocking function; (2) TRAb are also positive in about 70% of hypothyroid patients, with blocking TRAb responsible for nearly half of the cases. The present guidelines will provide up-to-date recommendations and suggestions dedicated to all phases of IRT-induced TD: (1) screening before IRT (recommendations 1-3); (2) monitoring during/after IRT (recommendations 4-7); (3) management of TD post-IRT (recommendations 8-17). The clinical management of IRT-induced TD, and in particular GD, can be challenging. In these guidelines, we propose a summary algorithm which has particular utility for nonspecialist physicians and which is tailored toward management of alemtuzumab-induced TD. However, we recommend prompt referral to specialist endocrinology services following diagnosis of any IRT-induced TD diagnosis, and in particular for pregnant women and those considering pregnancy

Apreensões operatórias em registros figurais: um estudo com alunos de Licenciatura em Matemática

Este trabalho investiga o uso dos registros de representação semiótica na Geometria. Para isso, foi observada a influência dos Materiais Manipuláveis (MM), do Software GeoGebra (SG) e das Expressões Gráficas (EG) como registros figurais nas apreensões operatórias de figuras geométricas. As referidas apreensões foram estudadas com base na teoria dos registros de representação semiótica, de Raymond Duval, e dizem respeito às possíveis modificações que podem ser realizadas em registros figurais com o intuito de resolver um problema de geometria. Para esta investigação, realizamos a aplicação de uma atividade com 12 licenciandos do 3º e 4º anos de Matemática de uma Universidade ao norte do Estado do Paraná. A atividade foi aplicada individualmente e elaborada com o propósito de pesquisar os indícios de apreensões operatórias que o contato com os registros figurais na forma de MM, SG e EG proporciona. A análise dos dados foi realizada com base nos objetivos propostos, nas resoluções escritas pelos alunos e áudios gravados durante a aplicação da atividade. Com esta pesquisa, constatamos que a diversidade de registros figurais contribui para a visualização de conceitos e propriedades dos objetos geométricos em questão, auxiliando na resolução do problema, proporcionando diferentes operações e completando um registro figural ao outro

Failure to Preserve β-Cell Function With Mycophenolate Mofetil and Daclizumab Combined Therapy in Patients With New- Onset Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE This trial tested whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) alone or with daclizumab (DZB) could arrest the loss of insulin-producing β-cells in subjects with new-onset type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial was initiated by Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet at 13 sites in North America and Europe. Subjects diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and with sufficient C-peptide within 3 months of diagnosis were randomized to either MMF alone, MMF plus DZB, or placebo, and then followed for 2 years. The primary outcome was the geometric mean area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide from the 2-h mixed meal tolerance test. RESULTS One hundred and twenty-six subjects were randomized and treated during the trial. The geometric mean C-peptide AUC at 2 years was unaffected by MMF alone or MMF plus DZB versus placebo. Adverse events were more frequent in the active therapy groups relative to the control group, but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS Neither MMF alone nor MMF in combination with DZB had an effect on the loss of C-peptide in subjects with new-onset type 1 diabetes. Higher doses or more targeted immunotherapies may be needed to affect the autoimmune process

Patients with mutations of the Thyroid hormone beta-receptor show an ADHD-like phenotype for performance monitoring: an electrophysiological study.

Resistance to thyroid hormone beta (RTHβ) is a syndrome of reduced responsiveness of peripheral tissue to thyroid hormone, caused by mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRB). Its cognitive phenotype has been reported to be similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study used electrophysiological biomarkers of performance monitoring in RTHβ to contribute further evidence on its phenotypical similarity to ADHD. Twenty-one participants with RTHβ aged 18-67 years and 21 matched healthy controls performed a modified flanker task during EEG recording. The RTHβ and control groups were compared on behavioural measures and components of event related potentials (ERPs), i.e. the error related negativity (ERN), the error positivity (Pe) and P3 component. There were no significant group differences with regard to behaviour. RTHβ subjects displayed significantly reduced ERN and Pe amplitudes compared to the controls in the response-locked ERPs. In addition, we observed reduced P3 amplitudes in both congruent and incongruent trials, as well as prolonged P3 latencies in RTHβ subjects in the stimulus-locked ERPs. Our findings reveal alterations in error detection and performance monitoring of RTHβ patients, likely indicating reduced error awareness. The electrophysiological phenotype of RTHß subjects with regard to action monitoring is indistinguishable from ADHD