Effects of mild running on substantia nigra during early neurodegeneration

Moderate physical exercise acts at molecular and behavioural levels, such as interfering in neuroplasticity, cell death, neurogenesis, cognition and motor functions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the cellular effects of moderate treadmill running upon substantia nigra during early neurodegeneration. Aged male Lewis rats (9-month-old) were exposed to rotenone 1mg/kg/day (8 weeks) and 6 weeks of moderate treadmill running, beginning 4 weeks after rotenone exposure. Substantia nigra was extracted and submitted to proteasome and antioxidant enzymes activities, hydrogen peroxide levels and Western blot to evaluate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), alpha-synuclein, Tom-20, PINK1, TrkB, SLP1, CRMP-2, Rab-27b, LC3II and Beclin-1 level. It was demonstrated that moderate treadmill running, practiced during early neurodegeneration, prevented the increase of alpha-synuclein and maintained the levels of TH unaltered in substantia nigra of aged rats. Physical exercise also stimulated autophagy and prevented impairment of mitophagy, but decreased proteasome activity in rotenone-exposed aged rats. Physical activity also prevented H₂O₂ increase during early neurodegeneration, although the involved mechanism remains to be elucidated. TrkB levels and its anterograde trafficking seem not to be influenced by moderate treadmill running. In conclusion, moderate physical training could prevent early neurodegeneration in substantia nigra through the improvement of autophagy and mitophagy.     

Collaborative Teaching of Motor Skills for Preschoolers with Developmental Delays

The purpose of this paper is to describe collaborative teaching between preschool teachers, adapted physical educators, physical therapists, and occupational therapists of motor skills for preschoolers with developmental delays. The motor domain is typically taught by the classroom teacher who may have little to no knowledge of how to initiate a motor program. For this reason, a collaborative approach in teaching the motor domain facilitates developing preschool readiness skills such as motor imitation, bilateral coordination and sequencing, and spatial awareness—all while taking the child’s special needs into consideration. The team also collaborates on teaching strategies, behavioral supports, and how they will keep the activities fun to facilitate active participation. The team members work in synchrony for common goals, providing input from their individual areas of expertise, so the children can learn and generalize skills across all environments.     

Dialogic voices in talk about drinking and pregnancy

Alcohol use during pregnancy poses a significant risk of fetal alcohol syndrome. This study presents the interpretive findings of the formative research phase of a funded grant to develop a community-based public health media campaign on the topic of drinking during pregnancy. In the initial wave of data collection, 50 rural women were recruited from four Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics in southeastern Iowa to participate in semi-structured interviews. In the second wave, 10 additional WIC clients were interviewed for member-checking purposes. Findings revealed two competing discourses that organized these women's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors surrounding drinking and pregnancy: the discourse of individualism and the discourse of responsible motherhood. These two discourses offer opposing normative guidelines for talk among their close female relatives and friends. The implications of these findings for designing a community-based media campaign are discussed.     

The implementation of counsellor training in the Netherlands and its effects: An analysis of educational policy

The development of a counsellor education program and the implementation and dissemination of counselling services in Dutch schools is treated in this article as an example of educational innovation in a country with a centralized system of decision-making in educational matters. Advantages and disadvantages of the pivotal role of the government in the determination of educational policy are discussed with respect to the counselling movement.