Constipation is commonly associated with diabetes. Serotonin (5-HT), produced predominantly by enterochromaffin (EC) cells via tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), is a key modulator of gastrointestinal ...(GI) motility. However, the role of serotonergic signaling in constipation associated with diabetes is unknown.
We generated EC cell reporter Tph1-tdTom, EC cell–depleted Tph1-DTA, combined Tph1-tdTom-DTA, and interstitial cell of Cajal (ICC)-specific Kit-GCaMP6 mice. Male mice and surgically ovariectomized female mice were fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet to induce diabetes. The effect of serotonergic signaling on GI motility was studied by examining 5-HT receptor expression in the colon and in vivo GI transit, colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs), and calcium imaging in mice treated with either a 5-HT2B receptor (HTR2B) antagonist or agonist.
Colonic transit was delayed in males with diabetes, although colonic Tph1+ cell density and 5-HT levels were increased. Colonic transit was not further reduced in diabetic mice by EC cell depletion. The HTR2B protein, predominantly expressed by colonic ICCs, was markedly decreased in the colonic muscles of males and ovariectomized females with diabetes. Ca2+ activity in colonic ICCs was decreased in diabetic males. Treatment with an HTR2B antagonist impaired CMMCs and colonic motility in healthy males, whereas treatment with an HTR2B agonist improved CMMCs and colonic motility in males with diabetes. Colonic transit in ovariectomized females with diabetes was also improved significantly by the HTR2B agonist treatment.
Impaired colonic motility in mice with diabetes was improved by enhancing HTR2B signaling. The HTR2B agonist may provide therapeutic benefits for constipation associated with diabetes.
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•Various measures of achievement correlate to different degrees at country level•While mathematics, science, and reading are the most closely correlated subject domains, the correlations with civic ...education and computer and information literacy are considerably lower•Subject domains as civic education and computer and information literacy adds a significant value to the assessment of education
The major international large-scale assessments in education prioritize the three core domains such as mathematics, science, and reading, neglecting other important domains such as civic education or computer and information literacy. The present study aims at determining the added value of different international large-scale assessments to evaluating educational systems across the globe. Using country-level data from all recent international assessments by the IEA and the OECD, we conducted a series of correlational analyses and multidimensional scaling to determine the similarities and differences among educational assessments. The findings of this study show that the various measures of achievement correlate to different degrees at country level. While mathematics, science, and reading are the most closely correlated, the correlations with civic education and computer and information literacy are considerably lower. We conclude that subject domains as civic education and computer and information literacy add a significant value to the assessment of education.
There is no validated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) index for assessment of perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). We developed and internally validated a new instrument.
We used ...paired baseline and week-24 MRI scans from 160 participants in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of stem cell therapy for patients with perianal fistulizing CD. Four radiologists scored disease activity using index items identified during previous studies and exploratory items. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. We developed an index using backward elimination linear regression analysis, in which potential independent variables were items having intraclass correlation coefficients of at least 0.4 and the dependent variable was perianal fistulizing disease activity, measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. The final model was internally validated using the .632 bootstrap method to correct model optimism and quantify calibration accuracy. We evaluated responsiveness of the index by assessing longitudinal validity and estimating standardized effect sizes.
We developed the magnetic resonance novel index for fistula imaging in CD (MAGNIFI-CD) using 6 items. The optimism-corrected R2 of the model was 0.71, which was comparable to R2 for the original sample (0.74). The calibration slope for the model was 0.98. Compared with the original and modified versions of the Van Assche Index, the MAGNIFI-CD had improved operating characteristics. Estimates of intraclass correlation coefficients for MAGNIFI-CD, the modified Van Assche Index, and Van Assche Index were 0.85 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.77–0.90), 0.81 (95% CI, 0.74–0.86), and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.71–0.86) for intra-rater reliability, and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.63–0.80), 0.67 (95% CI, 0.55–0.75) and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.56–0.77) for inter-rater reliability. Corresponding standardized effect size estimates were 1.02 (95% CI, 0.65–1.39), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.48–1.21), and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.33–1.03).
We developed an index called the MAGNIFI-CD, which is based on 6 items. It assesses MRI data and determines perianal fistulizing CD activity with improved operating characteristics compared to previous indices. This index may be used as an outcome measure in clinical trials comparing treatment effects in patients with perianal fistulizing CD. Although the performance of the MAGNIFI-CD indicates its stability and reasonable external validity, external validation is needed.
Aurantii Fructus Immaturus total flavonoids (AFIF) is the main effective fraction extracted from AFI, which has a good effect on promoting gastrointestinal motility. This study aimed to investigate ...AFIF which regulates miR-5100 to improve constipation symptoms in mice by targeting Frizzled-2 (Fzd2) to alleviate interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) calcium ion balance and autophagy apoptosis. The constipated mouse model was induced by an antibiotic suspension, and then treated with AFIF. RNA-seq sequencing, luciferase assay, immunofluorescence staining, transmission electron microscopy, ELISA, flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blot were applied in this study. The results showed that AFIF improved constipation symptoms in antibiotic-induced constipated mice, and decreased the autophagy-related protein Beclin1 levels and the LC3-II/I ratio in ICCs. miR-5100 and its target gene Fzd2 were screened as key miRNAs and regulator associated with autophagy. Downregulation of miR-5100 caused increased expression of Fzd2, decreased proliferation activity of ICCs, increased apoptotic cells, and enhanced calcium ion release and autophagy signals. After AFIF treatment, miR-5100 expression was upregulated and Fzd2 was downregulated, while autophagy-related protein levels and calcium ion concentration decreased. Furthermore, AFIF increased the levels of SP, 5-HT, and VIP, and increased the expression of PGP9.5, Sy, and Cx43, which alleviated constipation by improving the integrity of the enteric nervous system network. In conclusion, AFIF could attenuate constipation symptoms by upregulating the expression of miR-5100 and targeting inhibition of Fzd2, alleviating calcium overload and autophagic death of ICCs, regulating the content of neurotransmitters, and enhancing the integrity of the enteric nervous system network.
This open access book presents an in-depth analysis of data from ICCS. An international group of scholars critically address the state of civic and citizenship education in the four Nordic countries ...that participated in the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009 and 2016. The findings are of particular relevance to educators at all levels, from school education through to teacher education. Nordic countries have long traditions of democracy and their students have performed relatively well in the ICCS assessments. Nonetheless, citizenship education continues to evolve and has received increasing attention in recent educational reforms, indicating policymakers understanding that schools play an important role in establishing democratic values among future citizens. Data from ICCS can be used to analyze, discuss, and reflect on the status of civic and citizenship education and can contribute to the discourse on the potential role of education in contributing to sustainable democracies for a common future. However, teaching citizenship and learning democracy are two different things. While young people can be taught about democracy in school, it is vital that schools work together with the wider community in which youth operate to strengthen civic understanding and values for all young people regardless of their social and economic background.
Consensus Enables Accurate Social Judgments Bjornsdottir, R. Thora; Hehman, Eric; Human, Lauren J.
Social psychological & personality science,
08/2022, Letnik:
13, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Ubiquitous to theories of social perception is an assumed relationship between an
attribute’s (e.g., intelligence) “signal” and
judgment accuracy, with accuracy impossible without the presence and ...consensual
use of signal. Yet this foundational assumption remains untested. Our
investigation focused on consensus (quantified using intraclass
correlations, ICCs), which should suggest signal availability, according
to theories of accurate social perception. Study 1 confirmed that judgments of
different social attributes exhibit different degrees of consensus. Study 2
specifically tested the consensus → accuracy link, anticipating that
social judgments with higher consensus (target ICCs) would show
greater judgment accuracy. Using 497,780 judgments of 3,847 targets from 4,162
participants across 45 data sets testing a broad variety of social judgments, we
found that consensus moderated the relationship between targets’
self-report and participants’ judgments: Judgment accuracy was higher
when consensus was higher. Results show the first empirical support for a
foundational assumption of theories of social perception.
This open access publication outlines the underlying framework for gathering data on civic knowledge, attitudes, and engagement as well as contextual information, and it describes the assessment ...design for the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s (IEA) International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2022. The IEA International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS) investigates how young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens in a range of countries in the second decade of the 21st century. ICCS 2022 is a continuation of two earlier IEA studies, ICCS 2009 and ICCS 2016, and, for the first time, this survey includes the option of a computer-based assessment. Responding to enduring and emerging challenges of educating young people in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change, the study addresses issues related to young people’s engagement through digital technologies, migration and diversity, perceptions of the political system, global citizenship, and education for sustainable development. Over the past 50 years, IEA has conducted comparative research studies in a range of domains focusing on educational policies, practices, and outcomes in many countries around the world. Prior to ICCS 2022, IEA conducted four international comparative studies of civic and citizenship education, with a first survey implemented in 1971, a second one in 1999, third in 2009 and fourth in 2016. ICCS 2022 data will allow education systems to evaluate the strengths of educational policies, both internationally, and in a regional context, and to measure progress in achieving critical components of their educational policy agendas.
As a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. possesses the effects of nourishing yin, moistening dryness, clearing lungs and relieving fire. Simultaneously, it has been ...used to treat constipation for more than one thousand years in China. However, modern medical studies are limited and lacking on its therapeutic mechanism.
Aim of the study: This current study was aimed to investigate the laxative activities and explore the potential mechanism of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. polysaccharides (AABP) in loperamide-induced constipation rats.
The structure of AABP was determined by using infrared spectrum, high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multitudinous methods were adopted to explore the underlining therapeutic mechanism of AABP in treating constipation, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), histopathological, immunohistochemistry and western blotting.
In the present study, the average molecular weight of AABP was determined as 1.11 × 103 kDa. The primary monosaccharide compositions were analyzed including D-mannose, L-rhamnose, D-galacturonic acid, D-glucose, D-galactose and L-arabinose (1, 0.04, 0.53, 0.11, 0.33, 0.25, respectively) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). AABP significantly increased the levels of gastrin (Gas), motilin (MTL), substance P (SP), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and decreased the NO content of loperamide-induced rats to ameliorate constipation in the rats. Whilst, AABP repaired the damaged colons by regulating PCNA and ICAM-1 protein expressions. Additionally, AABP up-regulated the levels of SCF, c-Kit, AQP3 and VIP as well as down-regulated the expressions of AQP8, AQP4 and PGE2.
The present findings suggested that AABP were the laxative active ingredients isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge., which could treat constipation through regulating the gastrointestinal hormones and neurotransmitters to improve the intestinal motility and water metabolism.
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