"All that weight is gonna crush your chest" : Examining the relationship between mentoring, academic success, and self-efficacy in Latino male community college students

Advisors: Joseph E. Flynn.Committee members: Laverne Gyant; Thomas Smith.The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between mentoring, academic success, and self-efficacy for Latino male students at a community college. Additionally, the study explored the significance of mentor matching with respect to race/ethnicity upon academic success and self-efficacy. The study used a quantitative approach to assess the predictive power of mentoring on the academic success of Latino male students, defined by GPA, as well as academic self-efficacy beliefs. The sample consisted of 123 Latino male students from a community college in Illinois. The College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) and the SELF-A scales were adapted into a survey instrument to assess mentoring supports and self-efficacy beliefs. The study supplemented the quantitative data with qualitative data collected via interviews with 7 students. Findings indicated that formal mentoring positively predicted GPA, while overall mentoring was positively predictive of academic self-efficacy; the significance of these models varied. Additionally, findings showed mentor/mentee matching with respect to race/ethnicity to negatively predict GPA and academic self-efficacy. Student perspectives further supported the notion of mentoring as being predictive of academic success and self-efficacy and showed congruence to the quantitative data with respect to importance students placed on various functions of mentoring. This study highlights the importance of mentoring programs, necessitates the hiring of more diverse faculty and staff, and proposes improvements in mentoring programs for Latino male students at community colleges.Ed.D. (Doctor of Education

Systematic review of randomised clinical trials and observational studies for patients with RAS wild-type or BRAF(V600E)-mutant metastatic and/or unresectable colorectal cancer

International audienceApproximately 8-10% of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) tumours harbour BRAF(V600E) mutations. Eleven randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 24 non-RCTs were identified. Seven studies evaluated BRAF inhibitors. Single-agent BRAF inhibitors had minimal efficacy, whereas BRAF inhibitor plus anti-EGFR therapy improved outcomes. In BEACON CRC, overall survival (OS) was significantly longer for patients receiving encorafenib plus cetuximab ± binimetinib when compared with irinotecan/FOLFIRI plus cetuximab as second- and third-line therapy. Seven prospective non-RCTs reported worse OS and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with BRAF(V600E)-mutant vs BRAF wild-type mCRC. Eight RCTs reported that PFS and OS were generally shorter for patients with BRAF(V600E)-mutant mCRC vs those with KRAS or RAS wild-type mCRC. Patients with BRAF(V600E)-mutant mCRC have worse outcomes with conventional therapy vs patients with BRAF wild-type tumours. BRAF inhibitors in conjunction with anti-EGFR therapy improves outcomes for patients with BRAF(V600E)-mutant mCRC vs conventional therapy or a BRAF inhibitor alone

High resolution melting curve analysis targeting the HBB gene mutational hot-spot offers a reliable screening approach for all common as well as most of the rare beta-globin gene mutations in Bangladesh

Abstract Background Bangladesh lies in the global thalassemia belt, which has a defined mutational hot-spot in the beta-globin gene. The high carrier frequencies of beta-thalassemia trait and hemoglobin E-trait in Bangladesh necessitate a reliable DNA-based carrier screening approach that could supplement the use of hematological and electrophoretic indices to overcome the barriers of carrier screening. With this view in mind, the study aimed to establish a high resolution melting (HRM) curve-based rapid and reliable mutation screening method targeting the mutational hot-spot of South Asian and Southeast Asian countries that encompasses exon-1 (c.1 - c.92), intron-1 (c.92 + 1 - c.92 + 130) and a portion of exon-2 (c.93 - c.217) of the HBB gene which harbors more than 95% of mutant alleles responsible for beta-thalassemia in Bangladesh. Results Our HRM approach could successfully differentiate ten beta-globin gene mutations, namely c.79G > A, c.92 + 5G > C, c.126_129delCTTT, c.27_28insG, c.46delT, c.47G > A, c.92G > C, c.92 + 130G > C, c.126delC and c.135delC in heterozygous states from the wild type alleles, implying the significance of the approach for carrier screening as the first three of these mutations account for ~85% of total mutant alleles in Bangladesh. Moreover, different combinations of compound heterozygous mutations were found to generate melt curves that were distinct from the wild type alleles and from one another. Based on the findings, sixteen reference samples were run in parallel to 41 unknown specimens to perform direct genotyping of the beta-thalassemia specimens using HRM. The HRM-based genotyping of the unknown specimens showed 100% consistency with the sequencing result. Conclusions Targeting the mutational hot-spot, the HRM approach could be successfully applied for screening of beta-thalassemia carriers in Bangladesh as well as in other countries of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The approach could be a useful supplement of hematological and electrophortic indices in order to avoid false positive and false negative results

Additional file 1: Table S1. of High resolution melting curve analysis targeting the HBB gene mutational hot-spot offers a reliable screening approach for all common as well as most of the rare beta-globin gene mutations in Bangladesh

Mutational status of 40 parents of beta-thalassemia patients recruited for initial evaluation of HRM study. (DOCX 11 kb

Additional file 2: Figure S1. of High resolution melting curve analysis targeting the HBB gene mutational hot-spot offers a reliable screening approach for all common as well as most of the rare beta-globin gene mutations in Bangladesh

Normalized melt curve patterns of homozygous and heterozygous c.79G > A and c.92 + 5G > C mutations. (TIFF 232 kb

Additional file 5: Figure S4. of High resolution melting curve analysis targeting the HBB gene mutational hot-spot offers a reliable screening approach for all common as well as most of the rare beta-globin gene mutations in Bangladesh

Normalized melt curve patterns of heterozygous c.92 + 130G > C, c.126delC and c.135delC mutations. (TIFF 189 kb