Role Play: Actualizing the IEP Meeting for Pre-Service Teachers

Teacher preparation programs provide numerous teaching and learning opportunities for pre-service teachers; however, participating in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is not an experience that can be guaranteed. Leading and participating in IEP meetings are a responsibility that all special education teachers will be held accountable for, but many pre-service teachers will never be able to observe a real IEP meeting before entering the field. In this qualitative case study, the researcher utilizes a simulated IEP meeting to provide pre-service teachers with experience in participating in an IEP meeting prior to entering the profession. The case study method is utilized to examine the perceptions and experiences of pre-service teachers following the simulated IEP meeting experience. Findings in this study support the use of role-play in developing a greater understanding of the IEP process, from program development to the IEP meeting itself

Lysine pathway metabolites and the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the PREDIMED study: results from two case-cohort studies

Background: The pandemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) requires the identifcation of new predictor biomarkers. Biomarkers potentially modifable with lifestyle changes deserve a special interest. Our aims were to analyze: (a) The associations of lysine, 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) or pipecolic acid with the risk of T2D or CVD in the PREDIMED trial; (b) the efect of the dietary intervention on 1-year changes in these metabolites, and (c) whether the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) interventions can modify the efects of these metabolites on CVD or T2D risk. Methods: Two unstratifed case-cohort studies nested within the PREDIMED trial were used. For CVD analyses, we selected 696 non-cases and 221 incident CVD cases; for T2D, we included 610 non-cases and 243 type 2 diabetes incident cases. Metabolites were quantifed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, at baseline and after 1-year of intervention. Results: In weighted Cox regression models, we found that baseline lysine (HR+1 SD increase=1.26; 95% CI 1.06–1.51) and 2-AAA (HR+1 SD increase=1.28; 95% CI 1.05–1.55) were both associated with a higher risk of T2D, but not with CVD. A signifcant interaction (p=0.032) between baseline lysine and T2D on the risk of CVD was observed: subjects with prevalent T2D and high levels of lysine exhibited the highest risk of CVD. The intervention with MedDiet did not have a signifcant efect on 1-year changes of the metabolites. Conclusions: Our results provide an independent prospective replication of the association of 2-AAA with future risk of T2D. We show an association of lysine with subsequent CVD risk, which is apparently diabetes-dependent. No evidence of efects of MedDiet intervention on lysine, 2-AAA or pipecolic acid changes was found

Arginine catabolism metabolites and atrial fibrillation or heart failure risk: 2 case-control studies within the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) trial

Background Arginine-derived metabolites are involved in oxidative and inflammatory processes related to endothelial functions and cardiovascular risks. Objectives We prospectively examined the associations of arginine catabolism metabolites with the risks of atrial fibrillation (AF) or heart failure (HF), and evaluated the potential modifications of these associations through Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) interventions in a large, primary-prevention trial. Methods Two nested, matched, case-control studies were designed within the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) trial. We selected 509 incident cases and 547 matched controls for the AF case-control study and 326 cases and 402 matched controls for the HF case-control study using incidence density sampling. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and arginine catabolism metabolites were measured using LC-tandem MS. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were applied to test the associations between the metabolites and incident AF or HF. Interactions between metabolites and intervention groups (MedDiet groups compared with control group) were analyzed with the likelihood ratio test. Results Inverse association with incident AF was observed for arginine (OR per 1 SD, 0.83; 95% CI: 0.73–0.94), whereas a positive association was found for N1-acetylspermidine (OR for Q4 compared with Q1 1.58; 95% CI: 1.13–2.25). For HF, inverse associations were found for arginine (OR per 1 SD, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69–0.97) and homoarginine (OR per 1 SD, 0.81; 95% CI: 0.68–0.96), and positive associations were found for the asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethlyarginine (SDMA) ratio (OR per 1 SD, 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02–1.41), N1-acetylspermidine (OR per 1 SD, 1.34; 95% CI: 1.12–1.60), and diacetylspermine (OR per 1 SD, 1.20; 95% CI: 1.02–1.41). In the stratified analysis according to the dietary intervention, the lower HF risk associated with arginine was restricted to participants in the MedDiet groups (P-interaction = 0.044). Conclusions Our results suggest that arginine catabolism metabolites could be involved in AF and HF. Interventions with the MedDiet may contribute to strengthen the inverse association between arginine and the risk of HF. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN35739639

Plasma Metabolites Associated with Coffee Consumption: A Metabolomic Approach within the PREDIMED Study

Few studies have examined the association of a wide range of metabolites with total and subtypes of coffee consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of plasma metabolites with total, caffeinated, and decaffeinated coffee consumption. We also assessed the ability of metabolites to discriminate between coffee consumption categories. This is a cross-sectional analysis of 1664 participants from the PREDIMED study. Metabolites were semiquantitatively profiled using a multiplatform approach. Consumption of total coffee, caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee was assessed by using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We assessed associations between 387 metabolite levels with total, caffeinated, or decaffeinated coffee consumption (≥50 mL coffee/day) using elastic net regression analysis. Ten-fold cross-validation analyses were used to estimate the discriminative accuracy of metabolites for total and subtypes of coffee. We identified different sets of metabolites associated with total coffee, caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption. These metabolites consisted of lipid species (e.g., sphingomyelin, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine) or were derived from glycolysis (alpha-glycerophosphate) and polyphenol metabolism (hippurate). Other metabolites included caffeine, 5-acetylamino-6-amino-3-methyluracil, cotinine, kynurenic acid, glycocholate, lactate, and allantoin. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.60 (95% CI 0.56–0.64), 0.78 (95% CI 0.75–0.81) and 0.52 (95% CI 0.49–0.55), in the multimetabolite model, for total, caffeinated, and decaffeinated coffee consumption, respectively. Our comprehensive metabolic analysis did not result in a new, reliable potential set of metabolites for coffee consumption

Com o diabo no corpo: os terríveis papagaios do Brasil colônia

Desde a Antiguidade, papagaios, periquitos e afins (Psittacidae) fascinaram os europeus por seu vivo colorido e uma notável capacidade de interação com seres humanos. A descoberta do Novo Mundo nada faria além de acrescentar novos elementos ao tráfico de animais exóticos há muito estabelecido pelos europeus com a África e o Oriente. Sem possuir grandes mamíferos, a América tropical participaria desse comércio com o que tinha de mais atrativo, essencialmente felinos, primatas e aves - em particular os papagaios, os quais eram embarcados em bom número. Contudo, a julgar pelos documentos do Brasil colônia, esses voláteis podiam inspirar muito pouca simpatia, pois nenhum outro animal - exceto as formigas - foi tantas vezes mencionado como praga para a agricultura. Além disso, alguns psitácidas mostravam-se tão loquazes que inspiravam a séria desconfiança de serem animais demoníacos ou possessos, pois só três classes de entidades - anjos, homens e demônios - possuíam o dom da palavra. Nos dias de hoje, vários representantes dos Psittacidae ainda constituem uma ameaça para a agricultura, enquanto os indivíduos muito faladores continuam despertando a suspeita de estarem possuídos pelo demônio. Transcendendo a mera curiosidade, essa crença exemplifica o quão intrincadas podem ser as relações do homem com o chamado “mundo natural”, revelando um universo mais amplo e multifacetado do que se poderia supor a princípio. Nesse sentido, a existência de aves capazes de falar torna essa relação ainda mais complexa e evidencia que as dificuldades de estabelecer o limite entre o animal e o humano se estendem além dos primatas e envolvem as mais inusitadas espécies zoológicas.Since ancient times, parrots and their allies (Psittacidae) have fascinated Europeans by their striking colors and notable ability to interact with human beings. The discovery of the New World added new species to the international exotic animal trade, which for many centuries had brought beasts to Europe from Africa and the Orient. Lacking large mammals, tropical America participated in this trade with its most appealing species, essentially felines, primates and birds - especially parrots - which were shipped in large numbers. It should be noted, however, that at times these birds were not well liked. In fact, according to documents from colonial Brazil, only the ants rank higher than parrots as the animals most often mentioned as agricultural pests. On the other hand, some of these birds were so chatty that people suspected them to be demonic or possessed animals, since only three classes of beings - angels, men and demons - have the ability to speak. Nowadays, several Psittacidae still constitute a threat to agriculture, and the suspicion that extremely talkative birds were demon possessed has also survived. More than a joke or a mere curiosity, this belief exemplifies how intricate man’s relationships with the “natural world” may be. In this sense, the existence of birds that are able to speak adds a further twist to these relationships, demonstrating that the problem of establishing a boundary between the animal and the human does not only involve primates, but also includes some unusual zoological species

Practice Makes Progress: Utilizing a Simulated IEP Meeting in Teacher Preparation

This paper proposes that a simulated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is an effective way for pre-service teachers to gain an understanding of the IEP process. Heinrich (2017) supports the use of role-play activities in order to achieve long term objectives and engage the students in collaborative work. In addition, using the work of Coulson & Harvey (2013), this paper explains how reflection supports the meaning-making process for students. By combining the research behind engaging students in role play and reflection, a simulated IEP meeting activity is described in detail with suggestions and materials for immediate implementation. Based on the author\u27s experience of conducting this activity within an undergraduate setting, the author proposes that this activity helps to not only support comprehension, but also alleviate the stress that novice special education teachers often feel in regards to IEP documentation and meetings

So that’s what Teachers do at Pre-planning: A Pilot of a True Full Year Internship in a Classroom

Typically new teachers leave teacher preparation programs without experiencing the start of the school year. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of a piloted beginning of the school year experience during a yearlong internship. Presenters will provide an overview of the development of both of this experience, examples of assignments, feedback from school partners and teacher candidates, successes and limitations

Metabolites of glutamate metabolism are associated with incident cardiovascular events in the PREDIMED PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Trial.

BACKGROUND: Glutamate metabolism may play a role in the pathophysiology of cardiometabolic disorders. However, there is limited evidence of an association between glutamate-related metabolites and, moreover, changes in these metabolites, and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasma levels of glutamate and glutamine were measured at baseline and 1-year follow-up in a case-cohort study including 980 participants (mean age 68 years; 46% male) from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) randomized trial, which assessed a Mediterranean diet intervention in the primary prevention of CVD. During median 4.8 years of follow-up, there were 229 incident CVD events (nonfatal stroke, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or CVD death). In fully adjusted models, per 1-SD, baseline glutamate was associated with 43% (95% CI: 16% to 76%) and 81% (39% to 137%) increased risk of composite CVD and stroke alone, respectively, and baseline glutamine-to-glutamate ratio with 25% (6% to 40%) and 44% (25% to 58%) decreased risk of composite CVD and stroke alone, respectively. Associations appeared linear for stroke (both Plinear trend≤0.005). Among participants with high baseline glutamate, the interventions lowered CVD risk by 37% compared to the control diet; the intervention effects were not significant when baseline glutamate was low (Pinteraction=0.02). No significant effect of the intervention on year-1 changes in metabolites was observed, and no effect of changes themselves on CVD risk was apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline glutamate was associated with increased CVD risk, particularly stroke, and glutamine-to-glutamate ratio was associated with decreased risk. Participants with high glutamate levels may obtain greater benefits from the Mediterranean diet than those with low levels.This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, 1R01HL118264. The PREDIMED trial was supported by the official funding agency for Biomedical Research of the Spanish Government, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, through grants provided to research networks specifically developed for the trial: RTIC G03/140 (Period 2003–2006, Coordinator: R. Estruch, MD, PhD), and RTIC RD 06/0045 (Period 2007–2013, Coordinator: M. A. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, PhD). We also acknowledge the grants from Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares CNIC06/2007,Fondo de Investigaci on Sanitaria—Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (PI04-2239, PI05/2584, CP06/00100, PI07/0240, PI07/1138, PI07/0954, PI 07/0473, PI08/1259, PI10/01407, PI11/01647, PI11/01791), and Consejer ıa de Salud de la Junta de Andaluc ıa (PI0105/2007). Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci on (AGL-2009- 13906-C02, AGL2010-22319-C03), Fundaci on Mapfre 2010, Consejeria de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia (PI0105/2007), Agencia Canaria de Investigaci on, Innovaci on y Sociedad de la Informaci on-EU FEDER (PI 2007/050), Public Health Division of the Department of Health of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and Generalitat Valenciana (ACOMP06109, GVACOMP2010-181, GVACOMP2011-151, CS2010-AP-111, CS2011-AP-042, AP-042/11 and BEST11-263) and Ministerio de Econom ıa (PI07-0954, CNIC-06, AGL2010-22319-C03-03, PI11/02505). CIBEROBN is an initiative of ISCIII, Spain