Promoting foundational linguistic skills for reading development in young Chinese language learners: A 1-year intervention study

Background

Using a 1-year longitudinal design, we evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention programme to improve reading attainments among Chinese-as-a-second-language (CSL) learners. Using the simple view of reading as a theoretical framework, the intervention focused on students' orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension to facilitate reading comprehension.

Method

A total of 186 Grade 4 CSL students (mean age = 9.22, SD = 0.56) participated in the study and were grouped into the treatment (N = 96) and control (N = 90) groups. A range of Chinese language and literacy skills were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results

The path analysis showed that the intervention significantly affected orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension directly and reading comprehension indirectly through the three componential skills after controlling for nonverbal reasoning, vocabulary and autoregressors.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension may be promising targets for instructing young CSL learners.     

Effects of atorvastatin on progression of diabetic nephropathy and local RAGE and soluble RAGE expressions in rats

Objective  

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) exert inflammatory and oxidative stress insults to produce diabetic nephropathy mainly through the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). This study aimed to assess the effect of atorvastatin on diabetic nephropathy via soluble RAGE (sRAGE) and RAGE expressions in the rat kidney.     

Classroom effects are as large as grade-level effects on curriculum-based measurement maze reading scores of secondary school students with and without special educational needs

Background

Previous studies used curriculum-based measurement (CBM) maze scores as an indicator of the reading comprehension level of secondary school students with and without special educational needs in multiple grades, pinpointing a high influence of both student- and context-related variables. However, studies on cumulative influence are necessary for better understanding of data-based decision-making.

Methods

We examined a sample of 1066 secondary school students using four linear mixed-effect models: How much variance in maze scores exists between multiple student characteristics (i.e., gender, immigration background, learning disability and developmental language disorder) and context variables (i.e., classroom, grade and school type) across Grades 5–8?

Results

The intra-class correlation (ICC) results show that the influence by the context-related variable classroom (ICC = .094) is almost as large as by the variable grade level (ICC = .126). School type (i.e., inclusive school vs. special school) has the least influence (ICC = .02). In addition, the effects of student-related variables explain only a small proportion of the variance (marginal R² = .114).

Conclusions

Maze scores can be used as a screening instrument for students with multiple characteristics across grades; they also show that it makes no difference which type of school students attend. As teachers and further classroom-related variables have almost as much influence as grade level, we discuss that teachers can minimise classroom effects by using maze scores as a formative approach.     

Management of traumatic hemothorax by closed thoracic drainage using a central venous catheter

Objective  

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment of traumatic hemothorax by closed pleural drainage using a central venous catheter (CVC), compared with using a conventional chest tube.     

Transumbilical single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy using traditional laparoscopic instruments: a report of thirty-six cases

Objective  

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of the operation of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (TSPLC) by traditional laparoscopic instruments and summarize the initial experience.     

Minimally-invasive treatment of communicating hydrocephalus using a percutaneous lumboperitoneal shunt

Objective  

To investigate the clinical value of a minimally-invasive treatment of communicating hydrocephalus using a percutaneous lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt.     

Cardioprotective effect of liposomal prostaglandin E1 on a porcine model of myocardial infarction reperfusion no-reflow

Objective  

To evaluate whether liposomal prostaglandin E1 (lipo-PGE1) can decrease reperfusion no-reflow in a catheter-based porcine model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).     

Pathogenic mutations of TGFBI and CHST6 genes in Chinese patients with Avellino, lattice, and macular corneal dystrophies

Objective  

To investigate gene mutations associated with three different types of corneal dystrophies (CDs), and to establish a phenotype-genotype correlation.     

Does speed-reading training work,and if so,why? Effects of speed-reading training and metacognitive training on reading speed,comprehension and eye movements

Background

Commercial speed-reading training programs are typically marketed with the promise to dramatically increase reading speed without impairing comprehension. From the perspective of reading psychology, it seems quite unlikely that speed-reading training can indeed have such effects. However, research on the effectiveness of modern speed-reading training programs on reading performance in typical readers is sparse. The present study had two goals. First, we sought to extend prior research on speed-reading by assessing the effects of a speed-reading application on reading performance in a pre-training and post-training design with a control group. Second, we aimed to identify the mechanism underlying speed-reading training programs.

Methods

We assessed reading speed, comprehension and eye movements of 30 German-speaking undergraduates (M_age = 22.77 years, SD_age = 3.41 years) before and after they received a commercial, app-based speed-reading training, a metacognitive training or no training.

Results

Results revealed higher reading speed in the speed-reading condition and metacognitive condition compared with the control condition, although not to the extent claimed in the application. Eye-movement data indicated that the increase in reading speed was due to fewer and shorter fixations in measures reflecting late but not early lexical processing. No differences in comprehension performance were observed between the three conditions.

Conclusions

We discuss our findings in support of the idea that the increase in reading speed was not caused by a change in basic characteristics of participants' reading behaviour, but rather by an increase in their awareness of their own reading process. Further research is needed to investigate whether the observed effects are maintained over time.

     

Effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on the properties of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro

Objective  

To explore the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on migration, proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).     

Successful treatment of patients with paraquat intoxication: three case reports and review of the literature

Objective  

To report on three patients with paraquat (PQ) intoxication surviving after combined therapy with hemoperfusion (HP), cyclophosphamide (CTX), and glucocorticoid.     

Cordycepin induces apoptosis by enhancing JNK and p38 kinase activity and increasing the protein expression of Bcl-2 pro-apoptotic molecules

Objective  

To explore the molecular mechanism by which cordycepin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells.     

Association between TaqIB polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein and coronary artery disease in the Chinese population

Objective  

To assess whether the TaqIB polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Chinese population, we performed a meta-analysis in this paper.     

Clinical outcomes of fertility-sparing treatments in young patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Objective  

To assess the clinical outcomes of fertility-sparing treatments in young patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC).     

Induced pluripotent stem cell-related genes influence biological behavior and 5-fluorouracil sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells

Objective  

We aimed to perform a preliminary study of the association between induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)-related genes and biological behavior of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, and the potential for developing anti-cancer drugs targeting these genes.     

Use of digital subtraction angiography for assessment of digital replantation

Objective  

To assess the blood flow of the proper digital artery using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in the early stage after replantation.     

Up-regulation of mitochondrial antioxidation signals in ovarian cancer cells with aggressive biologic behavior

Objective  

Recently, a high frequency of mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been detected in ovarian cancer. To explore the alterations of proteins in mitochondria in ovarian cancer, a pair of human ovarian carcinoma cell lines (SKOV3/SKOV3.ip1) with different metastatic potentials was examined.     

Chewing substances with or without tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease in Asia: a meta-analysis

Objective  

To assess whether people who ever use any form of chewing substance in Asia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).     

Comparative proteome analysis of Helicobacter pylori clinical strains by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

Objective  

To investigate the pathogenic properties of Helicobacter pylori by comparing the proteome map of H. pylori clinical strains.