Comparison of raloxifene effect on the growth and angiogenesis of human endometrium of healthy and endometriosis subjects: An in vitro three-dimensional tissue culture model

Introduction: Raloxifene (Ral) is the oldest SERM (selective oestrogen receptor modulators) for treatment of breast cancer and osteoporosis. Its oestrogen-modulating effects have been shown in breast and uterus. Since there is little available data on direct Ral effect on the human endometrium, the aim of present study was to investigate the Ral effect on the growth and angiogenesis of the human endometrium of healthy and endometriosis subjects in an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture model. Material and methods: Endometrial biopsies from healthy ( n = 9) and endometriosis ( n = 7) patients (endometriotic) were taken and were cut into 1 × 1 mm fragments and implanted between two layers of fibrin jell made by fibrinogen solution (3 mg/ml in medium 199+thrombin). Tissue cultures were performed in 24-wel culture plates. Each biopsy was divided into control wells which received M199 supplemented with FBS (5%) and experimental wells which received same media containing one of raloxifene doses (0.1, 1 and 10 μM). Endometrial tissues were photographed at the beginning and the end of the study period (21 days). Tissue growth and angiogenesis were determined by a scoring system. Results: In control (0), 0.1, 1 and 10 μM Ral, the growth score of normal human endometrial tissues were 1.99, 1.72, 1.53 and 1.12 ( p = 0.02) and angiogenesis percent were 29.6%, 31.28%, 33% and 11.5%. The Growth scores of the endometriotic endometrium were 1.92, 1.82, 1.92 and 1.1 ( p = 0.008) and angiogenesis percent were 36.6%, 16.6%, 44% and 12.5% respectively. Conclusion: Raloxifene showed a different dose dependent effect on endometrial and endometriotic tissue.

The Relationship Between Maxillary Growth and Speech in Children With a Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate at 5 Years of Age

Objective: This study sought to investigate the association between maxillary growth and speech outcomes for children with a repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at 5 years of age. Participants: In all, 521 children (180 females and 341 males) with a nonsyndromic complete UCLP, born between 2007 and 2012 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland were included in this study. Outcome Measures: Maxillary growth was analyzed using dental models scored by the 5-Year-Olds’ index, and perceptual speech analyses were scored by the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech – Augmented rating. Results: Forty-one percent of the children achieved good maxillary growth (scores 1 and 2 on 5-Year-Old’ index). Fifty percent of the children achieved normal speech (achieving UK speech standard 1). Maxillary growth was not found to have an impact on speech outcome when described by the 3 UK National Cleft Lip and Palate Speech Audit Outcome Standards. Analysis according to individual speech parameters showed dentalizations to be less prevalent in children with good maxillary growth compared to fair and poor growth ( P = .001). The remaining speech parameters within resonance, nasal airflow, and articulation categories were not significantly associated with maxillary growth. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that children with a history of complete UCLP, who have poor maxillary growth, are not at a higher risk of having major speech errors compared to children with good or fair maxillary growth at 5 years of age.

Examining Post traumatic Growth After a Natural Disaster: An Appreciative Inquiry

With the frequency and intensity of natural disasters expected to increase as climate change persists, it is crucial for agricultural educators and extension agents around the world to develop the capacity to assist individuals in the wake of traumatic natural disasters. Data were collected in January 2019 and surveyed Georgia residents who they themselves, or someone they cared about, were affected by Hurricane Michael which occurred in October 2018. Data were measured using a modified version of Tedeschi and Calhoun’s (1996) 21-item posttraumatic growth inventory. Highest mean posttraumatic growth score was associated with the Relate to Others scale, while the lowest mean score was associated with the Appreciation of Life scale. Approximately 48% of respondents reported a large or very large change in their compassion for others and their appreciation of each day as a result of their traumatic experience. Female respondents scored higher than male respondents on all the posttraumatic growth factors. Significant differences at the .05 level between male and female mean posttraumatic growth scores were identified for five scale factors; personal strength; spiritual change; appreciation of life; and overall posttraumatic growth. These findings suggest females may be more adaptive to traumatic events and more likely to be receptive to the potential to perceive positive benefits resulting from traumatic experiences. An associated recommendation would be for agricultural educators and extension personnel to utilize the appreciative inquiry approach when assisting individuals recovering from natural disasters and other traumatic events. Keywords: posttraumatic growth; Hurricane Michael; natural disasters; appreciative inquiry

The Relationship Between School Administrator and Teacher Ratings of Classroom Practices and Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools

This study examined the relationship of school administrator and teacher self-ratings of instructional and behavioral management practices to student growth on statewide achievement tests (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career [PARCC]). The study included 78 teachers and 1,594 students from fourth through eighth grades in nine high-poverty charter schools. Observation scores completed by school administrator and teacher self-ratings were collected on the Classroom Strategies Assessment System (CSAS), an observational assessment that reports outcomes as discrepancy scores: differences between recommended frequency and observed frequency of specific instructional and behavior management strategies for teachers. Correlations revealed negative relations between both informants’ discrepancy scores and PARCC growth scores, demonstrating that teachers with lower discrepancy scores tended to have students with greater PARCC growth scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed school administrator and teacher CSAS total discrepancy scores were related to student performance on PARCC mathematics, but not English Language Arts (ELA), and teachers’ CSAS Total discrepancy scores explained an additional 4.8% of variance in PARCC mathematics. Implications of findings for professional development and research are offered.

The Predictive Role of School Performance Indicators on Students’ College Achievement

The adoption of market theory as a guiding principle of education policy increased the need for assessments of school performance that families could use to compare academic benefits of attending one school to another. Prominent among measures used by states are the school proficiency and growth indicators resulting from high-stakes tests. Using a longitudinal dataset of college-bound public high school students in North Carolina ( N = 17,565), we test the usefulness of proficiency and growth scores of high schools in predicting students’ performance in college. We find both indicators to be useful and have the strongest associations with outcomes for students taking a mix of honors and non-honors classes. We also find that academic track placement has a stronger association with outcomes than either measure of school performance. Therefore, this study shows that reliance on school quality indicators can be inadequate because they exaggerate differences between schools and ignore differences within schools.

Visual Evaluation of Soil Structural and Sugarcane Root Under Deep Strip-till and Conventional Tillage

The Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) is a relatively simple methodology used for comparing management systems and for maintaining or recovering the quality of agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the structural soil quality in the production of sugarcane using VESS. Three treatments were established: Deep Strip-till (DST), Conventional Tillage (CT) and Uncultivated area (UC). For DST and CT soil samples were taken from two locations: in-row and inter-row. Soil blocks were extracted from mini-trenches and carefully fragmented into aggregates, whose appearance, resistance, and characteristics of the structural units define quality scores. The density of visible roots was quantified by a grid-based counting method. DST at in-row location had improved the structural quality of the soil, providing greater root growth. Scores of visual soil quality in CT showed no difference between in-row and inter-row locations. Preserved from machinery traffic the in-row trail in CT did not result in benefit to soil quality. Variability in the scores among the replicate blocks for DST in-row suggests that the equipment had produced irregular soil tillage. VESS proved to be a good indicator from which it is feasible to evaluate impacts of agricultural machines and tillage implements on soil quality.

Conceptual Replications of the Critical Content Monitoring General Outcome Measure in Science Content

We conducted conceptual replications for an online-administered general outcome measure known as critical content monitoring in science. Totally, 547 Grades 4 to 6 students from a rural Louisiana school district participated. Research questions addressed criterion validity, diagnostic accuracy, growth, and social validity concerns. Criterion measures included science and reading/literacy subtests from a state accountability test and a nationally standardized test. Findings indicated moderate to strong concurrent and predictive criterion validity correlations for the overall scores, fair diagnostic accuracy statistics for fall and winter and moderate for spring benchmark scores, variable growth scores across grades, and favorable social validity comments from teachers. Study limitations were listed. Research and practice implications were discussed.

Using a New Schema Approach with Primary At-Risk Students in Word Problem Solving

This comparative study of two approaches contrasts a schema-based approach to represent a solution approach to solving whole number contextual problems for Grades 2 and 3 with the traditional textbook approach. The participants are 9 to 11-year-old Afghani refugee students enrolled in non-public schools administered by NGO organization in Iran. The subjects have difficulty with grade-level mathematics and have been retained in grade at least one year. Subjects were randomly selected from four classrooms in two schools. The schema-based experimental approach is called the Problem Patterns (PP) approach. Students receiving this instructional approach were taught to break problems into data, units, and desired solution, removing irrelevant information, and make a solution model with manipulatives. Control students followed the traditional classroom approach. All classes were taught by the first researcher. Evaluation results showed the PP students had higher achievement and growth scores than the control students. The results also showed the schema building portion of instruction contributed most to the differences in performance of the experimental groups’ students.

Posttraumatic Growth Among Family Members With Missing Persons From War in Kosovo: Association With Social Support and Community Involvement

There is almost no data on the role of social support and in general on posttraumatic growth among people who have missing family member(s) as result of war and who experience ambiguous loss. This study explores relationship between reported posttraumatic growth and perceived social support and social activism in community-based organizations dealing directly with issues of missing persons. Family members who reported higher levels of social support from family, friends, and important others reported significant higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Family members that reported being active in community-based organizations reported significant higher averages in posttraumatic growth scores in total and its subscales. Regression analyses indicates that factors associated posttraumatic growth were as follows: being active in community organization dealing with missing person’s issues and higher levels of social support from friends and family. Findings provide insight for clinicians working with this population and psycho social experts working in postconflict contexts.

Total Factor Productivity Change in the Middle East Banking

This paper analyzes the total factor productivity developments in the Middle East banking, by drawing on the experience of Jordanian banks at the start of the new millennium. In order to control for the effects of different specifications of banking technology on the results, this study estimates the productivity and efficiency growth scores under two alternative approaches, production and intermediation models. On average, under the former model, we found 79% technical efficiency and 3.2% productivity growth, while under the later model we found 92% technical efficiency and 3.3% productivity growth for the sector. One implication is that the Jordanian banks can obtain considerable resource savings if they can catch up with the best practice banks. Among the organizational forms operating in this emerging market, we found that commercial banks generally outperform both investment and Islamic banks in terms of efficiency and total factor productivity growth.