Development of core entrustable professional activities linked to a competency-based veterinary education framework

Purpose: Despite the adoption of competency-based education in some veterinary schools over the past 15 years, only recently has a concerted effort been directed toward this in veterinary education internationally. Methods: In 2015, educational leaders from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) member schools came together with a strong call to action to create shared tools for clinical competency assessment. Results: This resulted in the formation of the AAVMC Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Working Group, which then embarked on the creation of a shared competency framework and the development of eight core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) linked to this framework. Conclusions: This paper will report on the development of these EPAs and their integration with the concurrently-developed CBVE Framework

Novel Oxysterols Have Pro-Osteogenic and Anti-Adipogenic Effects In Vitro and Induce Spinal Fusion In Vivo

ABSTRACT Stimulation of bone formation by osteoinductive materials is of great clinical importance in spinal fusion surgery, repair of bone fractures, and in the treatment of osteoporosis. We previously reported that specific naturally occurring oxysterols including 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) induce the osteogenic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells, while inhibiting their adipogenic differentiation. Here we report the characterization of two structural analogues of 20S, Oxy34 and Oxy49, which induce the osteogenic and inhibit the adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) through activation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling. Treatment of M2-10B4 MSC with Oxy34 or Oxy49 induced the expression of osteogenic differentiation markers Runx2, Osterix (Osx), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and osteocalcin (OCN), as well as ALP enzymatic activity and robust mineralization. Treatment with oxysterols together with PPARg activator, troglitazone (Tro), inhibited mRNA expression for adipogenic genes PPARg, LPL, and aP2, and inhibited the formation of adipocytes. Efficacy of Oxy34 and Oxy49 in stimulating bone formation in vivo was assessed using the posterolateral intertransverse process rat spinal fusion model. Rats receiving collagen implants with Oxy 34 or Oxy49 showed comparable osteogenic efficacy to BMP2/collagen implants as measured by radiography, MicroCT, and manual inspection. Histological analysis showed trabecular and cortical bone formation by oxysterols and rhBMP2 within the fusion mass, with robust adipogenesis in BMP2-induced bone and significantly less adipocytes in oxysterol-induced bone. These data suggest that Oxy34 and Oxy49 are effective novel osteoinductive molecules and may be suitable candidates for further development and use in orthopedic indications requiring local bone formation

Article Novel Oxysterols Have Pro-Osteogenic and Anti-Adipogenic Effects In Vitro and Induce Spinal Fusion In Vivo

Histological analysis showed trabecular and cortical bone formation by oxysterols and rhBMP2 within the fusion mass, with robust adipogenesis in BMP2-induced bone and significantly less adipocytes in oxysterol-induced bone. These data suggest that Oxy34 and Oxy49 are effective novel osteoinductive molecules and may be suitable candidates for further development and use in orthopaedic indications requiring local bone formation

The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of heritability. To test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole genome sequencing in 2,657 Europeans with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in a total of 12,940 subjects from five ancestral groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support a major role for lower-frequency variants in predisposition to type 2 diabetes

Bok_2018_Evangelism and Relief & Development (.dta)

Survival Data for U.S. Protestant Mission Agencies Engagement in Evangelism and Relief & Development respectively from 1969 to 2008 based on data provided in the publicly available hard copies of the Mission Handbook. These datasets have been formatted for survival analysis specific to activities associated with both activity sectors. Datasets are in Stata's .dta format