Together we are heard: Effectiveness of daily 'language' groups in a community preschool

Strong oral language skills are a prerequisite for successful literacy and there is a strong interdependence between oral language acquisition and emergent literacy development. Ramifications of this are that children with language impairments are at great risk for difficulties in learning to read and write, with problems often persisting throughout the school years into adulthood. The Together we are heard program involved improving each child's oral language skills through group sessions facilitated by a speech pathologist on a daily basis at preschool. The aim of the present research was to determine the effectiveness of the program to identify the best way to assist children to develop appropriate language skills. The study showed that the children improved significantly in all four levels of the Preschool Language Assessment Inventory (PLAI). Importantly, the program was effective for both genders and there was no difference in the success of Indigenous children when compared to their European counterparts. There is a strong recommendation for further research and to expand such programs, particularly in areas that target children from impoverished and deprived environmental backgrounds

Free histidine as a metal chelator in plants that accumulate nickel

A number of terrestrial plants accumulate large quantities of metals such as zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper in their shoots. The largest group of these so called 'metal hyperaccumulators' is found in the genus Alyssum, in which nickel concentrations can reach 3% of leaf dry biomass. Apart from their intrinsic interest, plants exhibiting this trait could be of value in the decontamination of metal polluted soils. However, the biochemical basis of the capacity for metal accumulation has not been elucidated. Here we report that exposing hyperaccumulator species of Alyssum to nickel elicits a large and proportional increase in the levels of free histidine, which is shown to be coordinated with nickel in vivo. Moreover, supplying histidine to a non-accumulating species greatly increases both its nickel tolerance and capacity for nickel transport to the shoot, indicating that enhanced production of histidine is responsible for the nickel hyperaccumulation phenotype in Alyssum

Effectiveness of Collaborative Care Depression Treatment in Veterans' Affairs Primary Care

OBJECTIVE: To compare collaborative care for treatment of depression in primary care with consult-liaison (CL) care. In collaborative care, a mental health team provided a treatment plan to the primary care provider, telephoned patients to support adherence to the plan, reviewed treatment results, and suggested modifications to the provider. In CL care, study clinicians informed the primary care provider of the diagnosis and facilitated referrals to psychiatry residents practicing in the primary care clinic. DESIGN: Patients were randomly assigned to treatment model by clinic firm. SETTING: VA primary care clinic. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty-eight collaborative care and 186 CL patients who met criteria for major depression and/or dysthymia. MEASUREMENTS: Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20), Short Form (SF)-36, Sheehan Disability Scale. MAIN RESULTS: Collaborative care produced greater improvement than CL in depressive symptomatology from baseline to 3 months (SCL-20 change scores), but at 9 months there was no significant difference. The intervention increased the proportion of patients receiving prescriptions and cognitive behavioral therapy. Collaborative care produced significantly greater improvement on the Sheehan at 3 months. A greater proportion of collaborative care patients exhibited an improvement in SF-36 Mental Component Score of 5 points or more from baseline to 9 months. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative care resulted in more rapid improvement in depression symptomatology, and a more rapid and sustained improvement in mental health status compared to the more standard model. Mounting evidence indicates that collaboration between primary care providers and mental health specialists can improve depression treatment and supports the necessary changes in clinic structure and incentives