Faculty Development in Technology Applications to University Instruction: An Evaluation

Progress in integrating new technologies into higher education classrooms has been slow despite emerging evidence on benefits for students when technologies are applied in ways that support teaching and learning. This article describes a program used by a college of education to support faculty applications of technology in instruction and reports results of a formal evaluation following the first year of implementation. The program provided intensive training and follow-up support to a heterogeneous cohort of 14 faculty members and was designed to enhance their ability to integrate technology into their teaching, use a new smart classroom facility, and/or develop products for instruction. Evaluation data were collected from program participants, their students, and the general faculty as a comparison group. Purposes of the evaluation were to determine the extent and quality of participants\u27 applications of technology in their courses, other effects on their professional development, and students\u27 perceptions of impact. Results demonstrate the program\u27s efficacy for increasing participants\u27 integration of technology in instruction. Students reported that these instructors\u27 applications of technology enhanced students\u27 learning and confidence in using technology

Endobiliary Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Patients with Unresectable Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Background: Endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a promising treatment modality for patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). However, no study has investigated the combined use of endobiliary RFA and gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) chemotherapy. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and efficacy of endobiliary RFA with GC therapy for patients with unresectable eCCA. Methods: The study outcomes included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), time to recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO), and adverse events associated with the treatment. These parameters were retrospectively compared between 25 patients who underwent RFA with self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement followed by GC therapy (with-RFA group) and a control cohort of 25 patients who underwent SEMS placement alone and GC therapy (without-RFA group). Results: The median time to RBO was significantly longer in the with-RFA group (10.7 versus 5.2 months, p = 0.048). The median OS was significantly higher in patients with locally advanced tumors in the with-RFA group (23.1 versus 16.6 months, p = 0.032), but did not differ significantly in patients with metastasis (11.4 versus 8.5 months, p = 0.180). Similarly, the median PFS was significantly higher in the with-RFA group in patients with locally advanced disease (10.1 versus 7.3 months, p = 0.015), while there was no significant difference in patients with metastasis (5.4 versus 4.4 months, p = 0.529). The rates of various toxicities did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions: Endobiliary RFA prolonged the patency period of uncovered SEMS combined with GC therapy in patients with eCCA. Although RFA also yielded survival benefits, its effect was restricted to locally advanced tumors

Endobiliary Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Patients with Unresectable Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Background: Endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a promising treatment modality for patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). However, no study has investigated the combined use of endobiliary RFA and gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) chemotherapy. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and efficacy of endobiliary RFA with GC therapy for patients with unresectable eCCA. Methods: The study outcomes included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), time to recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO), and adverse events associated with the treatment. These parameters were retrospectively compared between 25 patients who underwent RFA with self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement followed by GC therapy (with-RFA group) and a control cohort of 25 patients who underwent SEMS placement alone and GC therapy (without-RFA group). Results: The median time to RBO was significantly longer in the with-RFA group (10.7 versus 5.2 months, p = 0.048). The median OS was significantly higher in patients with locally advanced tumors in the with-RFA group (23.1 versus 16.6 months, p = 0.032), but did not differ significantly in patients with metastasis (11.4 versus 8.5 months, p = 0.180). Similarly, the median PFS was significantly higher in the with-RFA group in patients with locally advanced disease (10.1 versus 7.3 months, p = 0.015), while there was no significant difference in patients with metastasis (5.4 versus 4.4 months, p = 0.529). The rates of various toxicities did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions: Endobiliary RFA prolonged the patency period of uncovered SEMS combined with GC therapy in patients with eCCA. Although RFA also yielded survival benefits, its effect was restricted to locally advanced tumors

Characteristics of bile acid composition in high fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese diabetic rats.

Bile acid has attracted attention as a signal transmission molecule in energy metabolism. Although a high-fat diet (HFD) or obesity is known to increase hepatic fat content and alter bile acid composition, the changes in bile acid composition due to HFD or obesity remain to be elucidated. We sought to examine the bile acid composition in high fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese diabetic rats. Eight-week-old male spontaneously diabetic Torii fatty (SDTF) rats or control rats were fed an HFD. Twelve weeks post the commencement of HFD, serum and hepatic bile acid compositions and serum GLP-1 levels, which is stimulated by the secondary bile acid deoxycholic acid (DCA), were measured. The correlation between the bile acid composition and serum GLP-1 levels was also examined. While serum and hepatic levels of cholic acid (CA), a primary bile acid, tended to decrease in HFD-fed control rats, they were significantly decreased in HFD-fed SDTF rats. Hepatic CYP8B1, which plays a role in CA synthesis, the mRNA levels were significantly decreased in HFD-fed control and SDTF rats. In contrast, while serum and hepatic DCA levels were not changed in HFD-fed control rats, they were decreased in HFD-fed SDTF rats. Hepatic DCA/CA did not change in HFD-fed SDTF rats, but significantly increased in HFD-fed control rats. While serum GLP-1 levels were not changed in SDTF rats, they were significantly increased in HFD-fed control rats. Hepatic DCA/CA tended to correlate with serum GLP-1 levels, which tended to negatively correlate with the hepatic triglyceride content in SDTF rats. These results indicate that relatively increased DCA might contribute to an increase in serum GLP-1 levels, which inhibits hepatic steatosis in NAFLD

Conophylline inhibits high fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.

Conophylline (CnP), a vinca alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the tropical plant Tabernaemontana divaricate, attenuates hepatic fibrosis in mice. We have previously shown that CnP inhibits non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) using a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-fed mouse model. However, little is known about the CnP mediated inhibition of hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mouse models. CnP (0.5 and 1 μg/g/body weight) was co-administered along with a high-fat diet to male BALB/c mice. After nine weeks of administering the high-fat diet, hepatic steatosis, triglyceride, and hepatic fat metabolism-related markers were examined. Administration of a high-fat diet for 9 weeks was found to induce hepatic steatosis. CnP dose-dependently attenuated the high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis. The diet also attenuated hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARA) mRNA levels. PPARA is known to be involved in β-oxidation. CnP upregulated the mRNA levels of hepatic PPARA and its target genes, such as carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) and CPT2, in a dose-dependent manner in the liver. Furthermore, levels of hepatic β-hydroxybutyrate, which is a type of ketone body, were increased by CnP in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, CnP increased the expression of the autophagosomal marker LC3-II and decreased the expression of p62, which are known to be selectively degraded during autophagy. These results indicate that CnP inhibits hepatic steatosis through the stimulation of β-oxidation and autophagy in the liver. Therefore, CnP might prove to be a suitable therapeutic target for NAFLD

Hemothorax following Uncomplicated Endoscopic Variceal Sclerotherapy and Ligation for Esophageal Varices

Endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy and ligation are standard treatment modalities used for the management of esophageal varices. Reportedly, sclerotherapy and ligation are associated with complications such as hematuria, pulmonary thrombus formation, pleural effusion, renal dysfunction, and esophageal stenosis. However, hemothorax following sclerotherapy and ligation has not yet been reported. We treated a patient who presented with liver cirrhosis and polycythemia vera and later developed hemothorax following the above-mentioned procedures. An 86-year-old man diagnosed with liver cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis type B and alcohol abuse underwent variceal sclerotherapy using ethanolamine oleate to treat his esophageal varices. Oozing from the esophageal varices continued even after the sclerotherapy procedure; therefore, we performed endoscopic variceal ligation. The patient developed left-sided hemothorax within 24 h after treatment of his varices, and an emergency thoracotomy was performed. A pulmonary ligament of the left lung was bulging and ripping because of mediastinal hematoma, and oozing was noted. Cessation of bleeding was noted after the laceration of the left pulmonary ligament had been sutured. Ours is the first case of hemothorax reported in a patient following an uncomplicated procedure of sclerotherapy and ligation