The Legalization of Medical/Recreational Marijuana: Implications for School Health Drug Education Programs

BACKGROUND More than half of US states have legalized medical marijuana. Several states have also legalized it for recreational use. In spite of states\u27 actions, marijuana remains illegal under federal law. It remains to be seen, however, if the Trump administration will enforce federal law in states that have legalized marijuana. For now, it appears the move toward state legalization of marijuana will increase. Because of its legal status, research concerning the medical benefits of marijuana has been limited. METHODS We reviewed the literature pertaining to medical use and legalization of marijuana. RESULTS Available research shows that marijuana can benefit some conditions. There are also concerns about harmful effects on both individual and public health and whether legalization will lead to increased marijuana use among youth. Each of these elements has implications for school‐based drug education programs. Researchers have shown that the 10 states with the highest rate of past month marijuana use by youth all have legalized recreational and/or medical use of marijuana, whereas none of the 10 states with the lowest rate of past month marijuana use by youth, has legalized marijuana. In the debate over legalization schools can potentially serve as a community resource, providing accurate information concerning marijuana. CONCLUSIONS Teachers and parents should continue to discourage young people from using marijuana (as well as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs)

Layered Long Term Co-Culture of Hepatocytes and Endothelial Cells on a Transwell Membrane: Toward Engineering the Liver Sinusoid

This paper presents a novel liver model that mimics the liver sinusoid where most liver activities occur. A key aspect of our current liver model is a layered co-culture of primary rat hepatocytes (PRHs) and primary rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) or bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) on a transwell membrane. When a layered co-culture was attempted with a thin matrigel layer placed between hepatocytes and endothelial cells to mimic the Space of Disse, the cells did not form completely separated monolayers. However, when hepatocytes and endothelial cells were cultured on the opposite sides of a transwell membrane, PRHs co-cultured with LSECs or BAECs maintained their viability and normal morphology for 39 and 57 days, respectively. We assessed the presence of hepatocyte-specific differentiation markers to verify that PRHs remained differentiated in the long-term co-culture and analyzed hepatocyte function by monitoring urea synthesis. We also noted that the expression of cytochrome P-450 remained similar in the cocultured system from Day 13 to Day 48. Thus, our novel liver model system demonstrated that primary hepatocytes can be cultured for extended times and retain their hepatocyte-specific functions when layered with endothelial cells

Lessons From the Trenches: Meeting Evaluation Challenges in School Health Education

BACKGROUND: Those involved in school health education programs generally believe that health education programs can play an important role in helping young people make positive health decisions. Thus, it is to document the effects of such programs through rigorous evaluations published in peer‐reviewed journals. METHODS: This paper helps the reader understand the context of school health program evaluation, examines several problems and challenges, shows how problems can often be fixed, or prevented, and demonstrates ways in which challenges can be met. A number of topics are addressed, including distinguishing between curricula evaluation and evaluation of outcomes, types of evaluation, identifying stakeholders in school health evaluation, selection of a program evaluator, recruiting participants, design issues, staff training, parental consent, instrumentation, program implementation and treatment fidelity, participant retention, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, presentation of results, and manuscript preparation and submission. RESULTS: Although there is a lack of health‐education program evaluation, rigorous evaluations that have been conducted have, at least in some cases, led to wider dissemination of effective programs. CONCLUSIONS: These suggestions will help those interested in school health education understand the importance of evaluation and will provide important guidelines for those conducting evaluations of school health education programs

Area Specific Self-Esteem, Values, and Adolescent Sexual Behavior

This study examined area-specific self-esteem scores by sexual behavior relative to adolescents\u27 values concerning participation in sexual intercourse as an unmarried teenager. The sample consisted of 332 students in grades 7–12 from a Southern rural school district. Students were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse (yes/no) and if they had participated in sexual intercourse in the last month (yes/no). Respondents also indicated on a 4-point scale their response to the statement “It is against my values to have sex as an unmarried teenager.” Data were analyzed using a 2 × 4 (behavior x values) analysis of variance for each of the three area-specific self-esteem scores (peer, school, and home). Results indicated that students who had participated in sexual intercourse had significantly lower scores in school and home self-esteem than those who had not participated. In addition, those who “strongly agreed” with the values statement and indicated they had not had intercourse had the highest school and home self-esteem scores. Those who strongly agreed with the values statement but indicated they had participated in sexual intercourse had the lowest school and home self-esteem scores. This behavior x values interaction was significant for sexual intercourse–ever, and for school self-esteem and sexual intercourse in the last month. No difference was seen in peer self-esteem scores by behavior nor were there behavior x values interactions

Liver Sinusoid on a Chip: Long-Term Layered Co-Culture of Primary Rat Hepatocytes and Endothelial Cells in Microfluidic Platforms

We describe the generation of microfluidic platforms for the co-culture of primary hepatocytes and endothelial cells; these platforms mimic the architecture of a liver sinusoid. This paper describes a progressional study of creating such a liver sinusoid on a chip system. Primary rat hepatocytes (PRHs) were co-cultured with primary or established endothelial cells in layers in single and dual microchannel configurations with or without continuous perfusion. Cell viability and maintenance of hepatocyte functions were monitored and compared for diverse experimental conditions. When primary rat hepatocytes were co-cultured with immortalized bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) in a dual microchannel with continuous perfusion, hepatocytes maintained their normal morphology and continued to produce urea for at least 30 days. In order to demonstrate the utility of our microfluidic liver sinusoid platform, we also performed an analysis of viral replication for the hepatotropic hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV replication, as measured by the presence of cell-secreted HBV DNA, was successfully detected. We believe that our liver model closely mimics the in vivo liver sinusoid and supports long-term primary liver cell culture. This liver model could be extended to diverse liver biology studies and liver-related disease research such as drug induced liver toxicology, cancer research, and analysis of pathological effects and replication strategies of various hepatotropic infectious agents

Equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena in two- and three-dimensional correlated systems

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-215).by Michael J. Young.Ph.D

Perceptions of Peer Sexual Behavior: Do Adolescents Believe in a Sexual Double Standard?

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study was to (1) examine attitudes of adolescents toward peer models having sex or choosing abstinence, and (2) determine whether a “double standard” in perception existed concerning adolescent abstinence and sexual behavior. METHODS Adolescents (N = 173) completed questionnaires that included 1 of 6 randomly assigned vignettes that described male and female peer models 3 ways: (1) no information about model\u27s sexual behavior, (2) model in love but choosing abstinence, and (3) model in love and having sex. Participants read the vignette to which they had been assigned and responded to statements about the peer model. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS Results did not show evidence of a sexual double standard among male participants but did show some evidence of a sexual double standard among female participants. Additionally, both male and female participants evaluated more harshly peer models that were having sex than peer models that chose abstinence. CONCLUSIONS Findings provide insight concerning the lack of a sexual double standard among male participants, the existence, to some degree, of a sexual double standard among female participants, and demonstrate the existence of a social cost to both young men and young women for choosing to have sex

The Effects of the Yes You Can! Curriculum on the Sexual Knowledge and Intent of Middle School Students

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the “Yes You Can!” (YYC) curriculum on sexual knowledge and behavioral intent of program participants. METHODS Participants included students ages 10‐14 from schools in a northeast US urban area. Yes You Can! program lessons were designed to support healthy relationships. The curriculum was taught by trained instructors. The testing instrument was a 30‐item questionnaire, which included sexual knowledge and intent items. Students completed the questionnaire before program implementation, immediately following intervention, and a third time at follow‐up. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Pretest knowledge scores were used as the covariate for the knowledge analyses. Pretest intent scores were used as the covariate for the intent analyses. RESULTS Results showed the intervention group had less intent to engage in sexual intercourse than the control group at post‐test (p \u3c .001) and at follow‐up (p \u3c .001). Similarly, the intervention group had higher knowledge scores than the control group at post‐test (p \u3c .001) and at follow‐up (p \u3c .001). CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that the YYC program had a statistically significant, positive impact on knowledge and sexual intent. These variables are important precursors to actual behavior. Future research should examine the effects of the program on changes in sexual behavior