Experimental therapeutic intervention with alpha tocopherol in ethanol induced testicular injuries in rats

Infertility is well-established harmful effect in chronic alcoholism and so far, there is no effective treatment for this condition. The study was conducted to determine the effects of alpha tocopherol on ethanol induced testicular injuries in male albino rats of Wistar strain. Five groups (n=6) of animals were used. Group I served as control. Group II received daily 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight/day for 4 weeks orally. Group III received 1.6g ethanol+80mg alpha tocopherol/kg body weight/day for four weeks orally. Group IV received 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight for/day 4 weeks and followed by 80mg alpha tocopherol/kg body weight/day for four weeks orally. Group V received 1.6g ethanol/kg body weight/day orally for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks abstinence. Twently-four hours after the last treatment the rats were sacrificed using anesthetic ether. Testes were removed and used for the estimation of extent of lipid peroxidation and tissue levels of antioxidants and steroidogenic enzymes. Alpha tocopherol treatment increased the activities of testicularΔ ⁵, 3β-HSD. Moreover, the treatment was also associated with significant decrease in testicular oxidative stress. Ethanol-induced oxidative stress and decreased steroidogenesis can be reversed by treatment with alpha tocopherol.     

Biological and Biochemical Potential of Sea Snake Venom and Characterization of Phospholipase A<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Anticoagulation Activity

This study is designed to isolate and purify a novel anti-clotting protein component from the venom of Enhydrina schistosa, and explore its biochemical and biological activities. The active protein was purified from the venom of E. schistosa by ion-exchange chromatography using DEAE-cellulose. The venom protein was tested by various parameters such as, proteolytic, haemolytic, phospholipase and anti-coagulant activities. 80 % purity was obtained in the final stage of purification and the purity level of venom was revealed as a single protein band of about 44 kDa in SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis under reducing conditions. The results showed that the Potent hemolytic activity was observed against cow, goat, chicken and human (A, B and O positive) erythrocytes. Furthermore, the clotting assays showed that the venom of E. schistosa significantly prolonged in activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, and prothrombin time. Venomous enzymes which hydrolyzed casein and gelatin substrate were found in this venom protein. Gelatinolytic activity was optimal at pH 5–9 and ¹H NMR analysis of purified venom was the base line information for the structural determination. These results suggested that the E. schistosa venom holds good promise for the development of novel lead compounds for pharmacological applications in near future.     

Are preservice teachers prepared to teach struggling readers?

Reading disabilities such as dyslexia, a specific learning disability that affects an individual’s ability to process written language, are estimated to affect 15–20% of the general population. Consequently, elementary school teachers encounter students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. However, recent evidence may suggest that teacher preparation programs are not providing preservice teachers with information about basic language constructs and other components related to scientifically based reading instruction. As a consequence preservice teachers have not exhibited explicit knowledge of such concepts in previous studies. Few studies have sought to assess preservice teachers’ knowledge about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts. The purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school preservice teachers’ knowledge of basic language constructs and their perceptions and knowledge about dyslexia. Findings from the present study suggest that preservice teachers, on average, are able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs (i.e., syllable counting), but fail to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e., phonics principles). Also, preservice teachers seem to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual perception deficit rather than a problem with phonological processing. Implications for future research as well as teacher preparation are discussed.     

What is the best way to achieve broader reach of improved practices in higher education?

This article examines a common problem in higher education – how to create more widespread use of improved practices, often commonly referred to as innovations. I argue that policy models of scale-up are often advocated in higher education but that they have a dubious history in community development and K-12 education and that higher education leaders should shirk policymakers’ push to use a scale-up model of change. These thoughts are conceptual and are based upon a critical review of literature in community development and K-12, but I also draw upon empirical data in reviewing examples of widespread use of innovations in higher education.     

Infant-toddler teachers can successfully employ authentic assessment: The Learning Through Relating system

This study documents the reliability and validity of a new infant-toddler authentic assessment, the Learning Through Relating Child Assets Record (LTR-CAR), and its feasibility of use by infant-toddler caregivers in an Early Head Start program. In a sample of 136 children, results indicated a strong internal structure of the LTR-CAR as evidenced by high internal consistency within age bands, expected performance in terms of the order of difficulty of items, and expected performance relative to the chronological ages of children. Moreover, the LTR-CAR accounted for a statistically significant amount of unique variance (between 6 and 26%), over and above age and gender, in six out of eight regressions predicting criterion measures. Given the increasing numbers of infants and toddlers in non-parental care, the need for authentic assessment as a tool to plan meaningful learning opportunities, as well as the lack of evidence-based authentic assessment options at the infant-toddler level, the LTR-CAR may provide a viable option for the field.