Teachers\u27 Efforts to Support Undocumented Students Within Ambiguous Policy Contexts

Although education scholars have recently focused greater attention on the experiences of undocumented youth in schools, few studies have examined educators\u27 perceptions of their roles and responsibilities with regards to this population. Since the 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe guaranteed education to this group and barred schools from inquiring about immigration status, little additional policy has offered guidance on how schools can support this group while also refraining from identifying it\u27s members. Policies are particularly lacking in new destination areas where there are fewer resources and less infrastructure for new immigrant populations. As increasingly harsh immigration enforcement policies amplify fear and anxiety among families, educators and other service providers are more in need of support than perhaps ever before. Some teachers in new destination areas, however, have found ways to create safe and empowering spaces for undocumented students. We conducted a qualitative case study to explore how such educators understand their roles amidst both this policy void and a political climate in which immigration has become an especially contentious and divisive issue. We interviewed 18 teachers of immigrant students in one new destination area in Virginia, a state experiencing an increase in the undocumented population. We found that teachers took actions to enhance students\u27 feelings of security and normalcy through curricular decisions, emotional support, and even the provision of basic needs. Teacher\u27s actions, which were often spontaneous, adaptive, and resourceful, could be described as agile advocacy. These actions ranged from providing information to families to pushing for school and district policy changes. However, the teachers also encountered many barriers and few supports in these efforts. They felt largely alone and frustrated by the incomprehensibility of the immigration system and the absence of building-and district-level leadership in support of undocumented students

Depression symptoms and mortality in elderly peruvian navy veterans: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract: Our study was design to determine the association between depressive symptoms and mortality in adults over 60 years old Navy Peruvian Veterans. We performed a retrospective cohort study based on a previous cohort study. A total of 1681 patients over 60 years old were included between 2010–2015. Demographic information, self-reported information about falls, physical frailty assessment, tobacco consumption, hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and was collected. Depression was assessed by the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale. We found that depressive symptoms were present in 24.9% of the participants and 40.5% of them died. Mortality risk in patients with depressive symptoms, physical frailty, and male sex was: RR of 23.1 (95% CI: 11.7–45.7), 3.84 (95% CI: 2.16–6.82), and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.07–1.75) respectively. We concluded that depressive symptoms in Peruvian retired military personnel and their immediate relatives are high and are significatively associated with mortality. Also, being male and frail was associated with an increased risk of death. This reinforces that early detection and assessment of depressive symptoms could be an opportunity to improve the health status of older adults

Modeling Stochasticity and Variability in Gene Regulatory Networks

Modeling stochasticity in gene regulatory networks is an important and complex problem in molecular systems biology. To elucidate intrinsic noise, several modeling strategies such as the Gillespie algorithm have been used successfully. This paper contributes an approach as an alternative to these classical settings. Within the discrete paradigm, where genes, proteins, and other molecular components of gene regulatory networks are modeled as discrete variables and are assigned as logical rules describing their regulation through interactions with other components. Stochasticity is modeled at the biological function level under the assumption that even if the expression levels of the input nodes of an update rule guarantee activation or degradation there is a probability that the process will not occur due to stochastic effects. This approach allows a finer analysis of discrete models and provides a natural setup for cell population simulations to study cell-to-cell variability. We applied our methods to two of the most studied regulatory networks, the outcome of lambda phage infection of bacteria and the p53-mdm2 complex.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay Using TaqMan Probes for the Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs in Biological and Clinical Samples

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi has been classified into six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), designated as TcI–TcVI. In order to effectively use this standardized nomenclature, a reproducible genotyping strategy is imperative. Several typing schemes have been developed with variable levels of complexity, selectivity and analytical sensitivity. Most of them can be only applied to cultured stocks. In this context, we aimed to develop a multiplex Real-Time PCR method to identify the six T. cruzi DTUs using TaqMan probes (MTq-PCR).Methods/Principal Findings: The MTq-PCR has been evaluated in 39 cultured stocks and 307 biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients from different geographical regions and transmission cycles in comparison with a multi-locus conventional PCR algorithm. The MTq-PCR was inclusive for laboratory stocks and natural isolates and sensitive for direct typing of different biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients with acute, congenital infection or Chagas reactivation. The first round SL-IR MTq-PCR detected 1 fg DNA/reaction tube of TcI, TcII and TcIII and 1 pg DNA/reaction tube of TcIV, TcV and TcVI reference strains. The MTq-PCR was able to characterize DTUs in 83% of triatomine and 96% of reservoir samples that had been typed by conventional PCR methods. Regarding clinical samples, 100% of those derived from acute infected patients, 62.5% from congenitally infected children and 50% from patients with clinical reactivation could be genotyped. Sensitivity for direct typing of blood samples from chronic Chagas disease patients (32.8% from asymptomatic and 22.2% from symptomatic patients) and mixed infections was lower than that of the conventional PCR algorithm.Conclusions/Significance: Typing is resolved after a single or a second round of Real-Time PCR, depending on the DTU. This format reduces carryover contamination and is amenable to quantification, automation and kit production.This work received financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina [PICT 2011-0207 to AGS] and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina (CONICET) [PIP 112 2011-010-0974 to AGS]. Work related to evaluation of biological samples was partially sponsored by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) [Small Grants Program PAHO-TDR]; the Drugs and Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi, Geneva, Switzerland), Wellcome Trust (London, United Kingdom), SANOFI-AVENTIS (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico (CONACYT) [FONSEC 161405 to JMR]

Adjuvant interferon gamma in patients with drug – resistant pulmonary tuberculosis: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is increasing in the world and drug-resistant (DR) disease beckons new treatments. METHODS: To evaluate the action of interferon (IFN) gamma as immunoadjuvant to chemotherapy on pulmonary DR-TB patients, a pilot, open label clinical trial was carried out in the Cuban reference ward for the management of this disease. The eight subjects existing in the country at the moment received, as in-patients, 1 × 10(6 )IU of recombinant human IFN gamma intramuscularly, daily for one month and then three times per week up to 6 months as adjuvant to the indicated chemotherapy, according to their antibiograms and WHO guidelines. Sputum samples collection for direct smear observation and culture as well as routine clinical and thorax radiography assessments were done monthly. RESULTS: Sputum smears and cultures became negative for acid-fast-bacilli before three months of treatment in all patients. Lesion size was reduced at the end of 6 months treatment; the lesions disappeared in one case. Clinical improvement was also evident; body mass index increased in general. Interferon gamma was well tolerated. Few adverse events were registered, mostly mild; fever and arthralgias prevailed. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that IFN gamma is useful and well tolerated as adjunctive therapy in patients with DR-TB. Further controlled clinical trials are encouraged