Updating the Secondary Transition Research Base: Evidence- and Research-Based Practices in Functional Skills

Transition education should be grounded in quality research. To do so, educators need information on which practices are effective for teaching students with disabilities transition-related skills. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify evidence-based and research-based practices in secondary special education and transition for students with disabilities. This systematic review resulted in the identification of nine secondary transition evidence-based practices and 22 research-based practices across more than 45 different transition-related skills. The range of effects for each of the secondary transition evidence-based and research-based practices identified are also included. Limitations and implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed

Health benefits of late-onset metformin treatment every other week in mice

Chronic 1% metformin treatment is nephrotoxic in mice, but this dose may nonetheless confer health benefits if given intermittently rather than continuously. Here, we examined the effects of 1% metformin given every-other week (EOW) or two consecutive weeks per month (2WM) on survival of 2-year-old male mice fed standard chow. EOW and 2WM mice had comparable life span compared with control mice. A significant reduction in body weight within the first few weeks of metformin treatment was observed without impact on food consumption and energy expenditure. Moreover, there were differences in the action of metformin on metabolic markers between the EOW and 2WM groups, with EOW metformin conferring greater benefits. Age-associated kidney lesions became more pronounced with metformin, although without pathological consequences. In the liver, metformin treatment led to an overall reduction in steatosis and was accompanied by distinct transcriptomic and metabolomic signatures in response to EOW versus 2WM regimens. Thus, the absence of adverse outcomes associated with chronic, intermittent use of 1% metformin in old mice has clinical translatability into the biology of aging in humans

Updating the Secondary Transition Research Base: Evidence - and Research - Based Practices in Functional Skills

Transition education should be grounded in quality research. To do so, educators need information on which practices are effective for teaching students with disabilities transition-related skills. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify evidence-based and research-based practices in secondary special education and transition for students with disabilities. This systematic review resulted in the identification of nine secondary transition evidence-based practices and 22 research-based practices across more than 45 different transition-related skills. The range of effects for each of the secondary transition evidence-based and research-based practices identified are also included. Limitations and implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed

Psychosocial impact of undergoing prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

OBJECTIVES: To report the baseline results of a longitudinal psychosocial study that forms part of the IMPACT study, a multi-national investigation of targeted prostate cancer (PCa) screening among men with a known pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. PARTICPANTS AND METHODS: Men enrolled in the IMPACT study were invited to complete a questionnaire at collaborating sites prior to each annual screening visit. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics and the following measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, Cancer Worry Scale-Revised, risk perception and knowledge. The results of the baseline questionnaire are presented. RESULTS: A total of 432 men completed questionnaires: 98 and 160 had mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, respectively, and 174 were controls (familial mutation negative). Participants' perception of PCa risk was influenced by genetic status. Knowledge levels were high and unrelated to genetic status. Mean scores for the HADS and SF-36 were within reported general population norms and mean IES scores were within normal range. IES mean intrusion and avoidance scores were significantly higher in BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers than in controls and were higher in men with increased PCa risk perception. At the multivariate level, risk perception contributed more significantly to variance in IES scores than genetic status. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the psychosocial profile of men with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations undergoing PCa screening. No clinically concerning levels of general or cancer-specific distress or poor quality of life were detected in the cohort as a whole. A small subset of participants reported higher levels of distress, suggesting the need for healthcare professionals offering PCa screening to identify these risk factors and offer additional information and support to men seeking PCa screening

Student-Led IEP Meetings: Developing Student Leaders

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Multiphasic Approach Reveals Genetic Diversity of Environmental and Patient Isolates of Mycobacterium mucogenicum and Mycobacterium phocaicum Associated with an Outbreak of Bacteremias at a Texas Hospital▿

Between March and May 2006, a Texas hospital identified five Mycobacterium mucogenicum bloodstream infections among hospitalized oncology patients using fluorescence high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of mycolic acids. Isolates from blood cultures were compared to 16 isolates from environmental sites or water associated with this ward. These isolates were further characterized by hsp65, 16S rRNA, and rpoB gene sequencing, hsp65 PCR restriction analysis, and molecular typing methods, including repetitive element PCR, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of large restriction fragments. Three of five patient isolates were confirmed as M. mucogenicum and were in a single cluster as determined by all identification and typing methods. The remaining two patient isolates were identified as different strains of Mycobacterium phocaicum by rpoB sequence analysis. One of these matched an environmental isolate from a swab of a hand shower in the patient's room, while none of the clinical isolates of M. mucogenicum matched environmental strains. Among the other 15 environmental isolates, 11 were identified as M. mucogenicum and 4 as M. phocaicum strains, all of which were unrelated by typing methods. Although the 16S rRNA gene sequences matched for all 14 M. mucogenicum isolates, there were two each of the hsp65 and rpoB sequevars, seven PCR typing patterns, and 12 PFGE patterns. Among the seven M. phocaicum isolates were three 16S rRNA sequevars, two hsp65 sequevars, two rpoB sequevars, six PCR typing patterns, and six PFGE patterns. This outbreak represents the first case of catheter-associated bacteremia caused by M. phocaicum and the first report of clinical isolates from a U.S. hospital. The investigation highlights important differences in the available typing methods for mycobacteria and demonstrates the genetic diversity of these organisms even within narrow confines of time and space