Relationship Between School Counselor Multicultural Counseling Competence and Self-Efficacy in Working with Recent Immigrant Students

The purpose of this study is to examine how school counselors' multicultural counseling competence is related to their self-efficacy in working with recent immigrant students. This study investigated the demographic variables of school counselors, as well as three multicultural counseling competencies (multicultural terminology, multicultural knowledge, and multicultural awareness). A random sample of American School Counselor Association (ASCA) members received an online questionnaire via email, and a total of 381 professional school counselors participated in the study. The questionnaire combined the Multicultural Counseling and Training Survey-Revised (MCCTS-R), the School Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (SCSE) and demographic questionnaires. To assess the relationships between demographic variables, three multicultural counseling competencies, and five dimensions of self-efficacy the researcher conducted a series of descriptive analyses and a two-step hierarchical multiple regression. The results of the study suggested that training experiences in a graduate program, school urbanicity, and age were related to the counselors' perceived level of self-efficacy. Years of experience as a school counselor and race/ethnicity also were related to school counselors' self-efficacy, after controlling multicultural counseling competency variables. The study suggests that multicultural knowledge and multicultural awareness were related significantly to school counselors' self-efficacy when working with recent immigrant students

Culturally Responsive Distance Counselor Education for International Counseling Students

Counselor education programs have increasingly offered distance education during the last decades. As one of the growing student populations in counselor education programs, international students need to be given more attention pertaining to their cultural and educational experiences as counseling students. Although distance learning in counselor education has gained empirical support for its effectiveness, it may still pose challenges to international counseling students due to their unique characteristics such as language barriers and cultural differences, which may render differing qualities of students’ learning experiences. Aiming to enhance our understanding of this student population to provide culturally responsive distance counselor education, the present article introduces international students in the context of distance counselor education and discusses implications for supporting international students in distance counselor education

Dynamics of Online Engagement: Counseling Students’ Experiences and Perceptions in Distance Learning

In this article, the authors present counseling students’ personal accounts of their experiences in distance education with a focus on online engagement based on an extensive review of the counseling literature. In addition, an evaluation tool was introduced for gathering qualitative and quantitative information regarding patterns of instructor engagement efforts and styles. Facilitating factors for experiential online learning were also identified from the students’ perceptions of online learning experience. Finally, the results were used to make specific recommendations for counselor educators to enhance their teaching efficacy and engagement

Oral immunization of haemaggulutinin H5 expressed in plant endoplasmic reticulum with adjuvant saponin protects mice against highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus infection

Pandemics in poultry caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A virus occur too frequently globally, and there is growing concern about the HPAI A virus due to the possibility of a pandemic among humans. Thus, it is important to develop a vaccine against HPAI suitable for both humans and animals. Various approaches are underway to develop such vaccines. In particular, an edible vaccine would be a convenient way to vaccinate poultry because of the behaviour of the animals. However, an edible vaccine is still not available. In this study, we developed a strategy of effective vaccination of mice by the oral administration of transgenic Arabidopsis plants (HA-TG) expressing haemagglutinin (HA) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Expression of HA in the ER resulted in its high-level accumulation, N-glycosylation, protection from proteolytic degradation and long-term stability. Oral administration of HA-TG with saponin elicited high levels of HA-specific systemic IgG and mucosal IgA responses in mice, which resulted in protection against a lethal influenza virus infection with attenuated inflammatory symptoms. Based on these results, we propose that oral administration of freeze-dried leaf powders from transgenic plants expressing HA in the ER together with saponin is an attractive strategy for vaccination against influenza A virus.X111411Ysciescopu

Unripe Rubus coreanus Miquel Extract Containing Ellagic Acid Regulates AMPK, SREBP-2, HMGCR, and INSIG-1 Signaling and Cholesterol Metabolism In Vitro and In Vivo

Our previous study demonstrated that a 5% ethanol extract of unripe Rubus coreanus (5-uRCK) has hypo-cholesterolemic and anti-obesity activity. However, the molecular mechanisms of its effects are poorly characterized. We hypothesized that 5-uRCK and one of its major bioactive compounds, ellagic acid, decrease cellular and plasma cholesterol levels. Thus, we investigated the hypocholesterolemic activity and mechanism of 5-uRCK in both hepatocytes and a high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced rat model. Cholesterol in the liver and serum was significantly reduced by 5-uRCK and ellagic acid. The hepatic activities of HMG-CoA and CETP were reduced, and the hepatic activity of LCAT was increased by both 5-uRCK extract and ellagic acid, which also caused histological improvements. The MDA content in the aorta and serum was significantly decreased after oral administration of 5-uRCK or ellagic acid. Further immunoblotting analysis showed that AMPK phosphorylation in the liver was induced by 5-uRCK and ellagic acid, which activated AMPK, inhibiting the activity of HMGCR by inhibitory phosphorylation. In contrast, 5-uRCK and ellagic acid suppressed the nuclear translocation and activation of SREBP-2, which is a key transcription factor in cholesterol biosynthesis. In conclusion, our results suggest that 5-uRCK and its bioactive compound, ellagic acid, are useful alternative therapeutic agents to regulate blood cholesterol

PRE-Operative ECHOcardiograhy for prevention of cardiovascular events after non-cardiac surgery in intermediate- and high-risk patients: protocol for a low-interventional, mixed-cohort prospective study design (PREOP-ECHO)

Background: Cardiac evaluation using transthoracic echocardiography before noncardiac surgery is common in real-world practice. However, evidence supporting preoperative echocardiography is lacking. This study aims to evaluate the additional benefit of preoperative echocardiography in predicting postoperative cardiovascular events (CVE) in noncardiac surgery. Methods: This study is designed as a multicenter, prospective study to assess the utility of preoperative echocardiography in patients undergoing intermediate- or high-risk noncardiac surgery. This trial comprises two studies: (1) a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for patients undergoing intermediate-risk surgery with fewer than three clinical risk factors from the revised cardiac risk index (intermediate-risk group) and (2) a prospective cohort study for patients undergoing intermediate-risk surgery with three or more clinical risk factors, or who undergo high-risk surgery regardless of the number of clinical risk factors (high-risk group). We hypothesize that the use of preoperative echocardiography will reduce postoperative CVEs in patients undergoing intermediate- to high-risk surgery through discovery of and further intervention for unexpected cardiac abnormalities before elective surgery. A total of 2330 and 2184 patients will be enrolled in the two studies. The primary endpoint is a composite of all-cause death; aborted sudden cardiac arrest; type I acute myocardial infarction; clinically diagnosed unstable angina; stress-induced cardiomyopathy; lethal arrhythmia, such as sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation; and/or newly diagnosed or acutely decompensated heart failure within 30 days after surgery. Discussion: This study will be the first large-scale prospective study examining the benefit of preoperative echocardiography in predicting postoperative CVE. The PREOP-ECHO trial will help doctors identify patients at risk of postoperative CVE using echocardiography and thereby reduce postoperative CVEs.N