Serum copper in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the elderly and it’s prevalence is rapidly rising. Oxidative stress plays important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Metals like copper, iron derived through diet can act as pro-oxidant under oxidative stress. In the present study, serum copper levels were evaluated in 50 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 24 patients with Vascular Dementia and 30 controls. All the groups were also investigated for serum ceruloplsmin levels. The mean copper levels in Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia were significantly raised compared to controls. An attempt has been made to study the relationship of serum copper with ceruloplasmin. Our study found weak correlation between copper and ceruloplasmin levels in Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia.     

The Value of Applied Research: Retrieval Practice Improves Classroom Learning and Recommendations from a Teacher, a Principal, and a Scientist

Over the course of a 5-year applied research project with more than 1,400 middle school students, evidence from a number of studies revealed that retrieval practice in authentic classroom settings improves long-term learning (Agarwal et al. 2009; McDaniel et al., Journal of Educational Psychology 103:399–414, 2011; McDaniel et al. 2012; Roediger et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 17:382–395, 2011a). Retrieval practice, or the use of quizzes and exams to engage and enhance retrieval processes, has been widely established as an effective strategy for facilitating learning in laboratory settings (e.g., Roediger et al. 2011c). In this article, we review recent findings from applied research that demonstrate that retrieval practice enhances long-term classroom learning, delayed quizzes are particularly potent for retention, quizzes benefit students’ transfer to novel quiz items, and quizzes with feedback improve students’ learning and metacognitive awareness. In addition to generating evidence to support retrieval-based learning, these applied research studies also enhanced the professional development of the teachers, administrators, and scientists involved in the project. In this article, it is our hope that by sharing what we have learned from a variety of perspectives, applied scientific research in K-12 classrooms will continue to be explored and generated at local, state, and national levels, improving student learning and educational decision-making.     

Experimental Effects of Student Evaluations Coupled with Collaborative Consultation on College Professors’ Instructional Skills

This experimental study concerned the effects of repeated students’ evaluations of teaching coupled with collaborative consultation on professors’ instructional skills. Twenty-five psychology professors from a Dutch university were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. During their course, students evaluated them four times immediately after a lecture (class meeting in which lecturing was the teaching format) by completing the Instructional Skills Questionnaire (ISQ). Within 2 or 3 days after each rated lecture, the professors in the experimental group were informed of the ISQ-results and received consultation. Each consultation, three in total, resulted in a plan to improve their teaching for the next lectures. Controls received neither their ISQ-results nor consultation during their course. Multilevel regression analyses showed significant differences in ISQ-ratings in the experimental group compared to the control group, specifically on the instructional dimensions Explication, Comprehension and Activation. In addition, the impact of each of the three consultations plus differences between targeted versus non targeted dimensions were analyzed. This study complements recent non-experimental research on a collaborative consultation approach with experimental results in order to provide evidence-based guidelines for faculty development practices.     

Knowledge sources of entrepreneurship: Firm formation by academic,user and employee innovators

Innovative new ventures are at the heart of economic development, particularly when these startups are created by employee, academic, and user innovators. We synthesize across literature streams examining each phenomena to document distinctions between firms originating from different “knowledge contexts.” We then integrate the knowledge context into Teece's (1986) theoretical framework identifying factors that impact a firm's ability to profit from innovation. Doing so allows us to develop stylized facts and predictive propositions pertaining to differences in the innovative contributions, roles played in shaping industrial dynamics and evolution, and performance outcomes for startups stemming from the three entrepreneurial origins. These propositions provide unique insights into the causes of patterns of industry evolution, contribute to theory in the areas of entrepreneurship and industry evolution, and yield important policy and managerial implications.     

Pharmacogenetic Aspects of Coumarinic Oral Anticoagulant Therapies

Coumarinic oral-anticoagulants (COAs) are commonly used for treatment of thromboembolic events. However, these medications have a narrow therapeutic range and there are large inter-individual variations in drug response. This is especially important in the initial phases of oral-anticoagulant therapy. Recent advancements in pharmacogenetics have established that clinical outcomes in oral-anticoagulant therapy are affected by genetic factors. The allelic variants of genes like cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) and vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) are closely associated with maintenance dose of oral anti-coagulants. In addition, GGCX (Gamma-glutamyl carboxylase) polymorphism at position 12970 (rs11676382), CYP4F2 (rs2108622; V433M; 1347 C > T) and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) variants have been shown to explain a small but significant influence on dose requirements. There are large differences in the frequencies of these polymorphisms between different world populations which are also related to the requirements of oral anticoagulants. However, the final drug dosage in an individual is determined by complex sets of genetic and environmental factors and several dosing algorithms which combine clinical and genetic parameters to predict therapeutic COA doses have also been developed. The algorithm based dose prediction shows the importance of pharmacogenetic testing in patients undergoing oral anticoagulant therapies.     

Cytokine Gene Polymorphism in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome Children

The pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is not completely understood. We postulate that cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence susceptibility or clinical course in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome. Polymorphisms of IL-4, IL-6, and TNF-α cytokines were investigated in 150 children with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome and 569 healthy controls by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. On comparing patient with controls strong association were found for IL-6, TNF-α and IL-4 at allelic level (IL-6-G174C (G vs. C): P = <0.001; OR = 6.33, TNF-α-G308A (G vs. A): P = <0.001; OR = 1.99, IL-4-C590T (C vs. T): P = 0.048; OR = 1.38). Further when SR group was compared with SS group significant association was found at genotypic level in all the studied genetic polymorphisms. Studied cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence susceptibility to idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and might affect steroid response in INS patients.     

Role of Iron and Copper in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an old age disorder of basal ganglia which involves oligomerization of α-synuclein protein and formation of intercellular inclusions known as “Lewy bodies” in substantia nigra and caudate nuclei in brain which is progressive in nature. It is second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremor at rest, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia, akinesia), and changes in posture (instability). Both excess and deficiency in levels of transition metals (especially iron, copper) can be detrimental to the central nervous system. Abnormalities in iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) metabolism have been reported to produce oxidative stress which is one of the major cause in pathogenesis of PD. In the present study 35 PD patients and 33 controls of Northern Indian population were included and serum levels of Fe, Cu and ceruloplasmin (Cp) were measured. Serum Fe (p < 0.01) and Cu (p < 0.01) levels were found to be significantly decreased in PD, whereas there was no significant change in Cp levels in PD patients as compared to controls. These results suggest the existence of a defect in iron which over the time, may hasten the entry of iron into the brain and decrease iron in the extracellular compartment in PD patients.     

Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Prognostic Indicator

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma constitutes a group of disorders originating from the malignant transformation of lymphocytes and involving either the lymph nodes or extranodal sites. NHL commonly presents in the sixth to seventh decade of life with a male preponderance (50–75 %). Recent studies have shown importance of serum LDH in prognosis of NHL. Authors report a case of a 63 year old male presenting with complaints of fever and backache for past 4 months. General and systemic examination revealed bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly respectively. Serum LDH level was highly elevated (3441 U/l). Excisional axillary and bone marrow biopsy were done before oncology referral. Complete workup revealed diffuse Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with bone marrow infiltration. Patient died because of acute renal failure due to NHL and DM 2 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus).     

Quantitation of proteinuria by spot urine sampling

Few studies have shown that calculation of protein/creatinine ratio in a spot urine sample correlates well with the 24-hour urine collection. A study was conducted to compare the accuracy of a spot urinary protein/creatinine ratio (P/C ratio) and urinary dipstick (albustix) with the 24-hour urine protein (24-HUP). Fifty samples from 26 patients were collected. This included a 24-hour urine sample followed by the next voided spot sample. The protein/creatinine ratio was calculated and dipstick (albustix) was performed on the spot sample. This was compared with the 24-hour urine protein excretion. The correlation between the three samples was statistically highly significant (p=<0.001) for all levels of proteinuria. The normal value of protein/creatinine ratio in Indian children was also estimated on 100 normal children attending the OPD and was calculated to be 0.053 (S.E of mean±0.003).