Assessing faculty professional development in STEM higher education: Sustainability of outcomes.

We tested the effectiveness of Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching IV (FIRST), a professional development program for postdoctoral scholars, by conducting a study of program alumni. Faculty professional development programs are critical components of efforts to improve teaching and learning in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, but reliable evidence of the sustained impacts of these programs is lacking. We used a paired design in which we matched a FIRST alumnus employed in a tenure-track position with a non-FIRST faculty member at the same institution.

Breaking the cycle: future faculty begin teaching with learner-centered strategies after professional development.

The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification of professional development "best practices" and effective models for change difficult. We aimed to determine the extent to which postdoctoral fellows (i.e.

Indirect effects of overfishing on Caribbean reefs: sponges overgrow reef-building corals.

Consumer-mediated indirect effects at the community level are difficult to demonstrate empirically. Here, we show an explicit indirect effect of overfishing on competition between sponges and reef-building corals from surveys of 69 sites across the Caribbean. Leveraging the large-scale, long-term removal of sponge predators, we selected overfished sites where intensive methods, primarily fish-trapping, have been employed for decades or more, and compared them to sites in remote or marine protected areas (MPAs) with variable levels of enforcement.

Reslizumab in children and adolescents with eosinophilic esophagitis: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic allergic disease with insufficient treatment options. Results from animal studies suggest that IL-5 induces eosinophil trafficking in the esophagus.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the effect of reslizumab, a neutralizing antibody against IL-5, in children and adolescents with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Reslizumab for poorly controlled, eosinophilic asthma: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Rationale: Eosinophilic asthma is a phenotype of asthma characterized by the persistence of eosinophils in the airways. IL-5 is involved in the activation and survival of eosinophils.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the antibody to IL-5, reslizumab, in patients with eosinophilic asthma that is poorly controlled with high-dose inhaled corticosteroid.

Demographics of increasing populations of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys.

The structure of Caribbean coral reef communities has been altered by numerous anthropogenic and natural stressors. Demographic studies of key functional groups have furthered efforts to describe and understand these changes. Little is known, however, about the demographics of sponges on coral reefs, despite their abundance and the important functions they perform (e.

Lack of pharmacokinetic interaction between anidulafungin and tacrolimus.

The safety and pharmacokinetics of anidulafungin coadministered with tacrolimus were investigated using a single-sequence, open-label design. Healthy volunteers received 5 mg tacrolimus orally on days 1 and 13 of the study. Anidulafungin (200 mg) was administered intravenously on day 4, followed by 100-mg doses on days 5 through 13.

Human pharmacokinetics and rationale for once-weekly dosing of dalbavancin, a semi-synthetic glycopeptide.

The selection of a novel weekly dalbavancin dosage regimen was based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data from humans and an animal model of infection. The results from the granuloma pouch model of infection suggested that dalbavancin concentrations >/=5 mg/L are necessary for extended in vivo activity. Serum bactericidal activity assessments demonstrated that dalbavancin serum concentrations of approximately 20 mg/L were bactericidal upon two-fold dilution.

Assessment of the safety and pharmacokinetics of anidulafungin when administered with cyclosporine.

Anidulafungin is a novel antifungal agent of the echinocandin class that is intended for the treatment of invasive fungal disease. It is likely that anidulafungin will be coadministered with cyclosporine. In vitro studies and clinical studies were performed to evaluate the effect of anidulafungin on cyclosporine metabolism and to investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of anidulafungin when concomitantly administered with cyclosporine.

A randomized, double-blind trial of anidulafungin versus fluconazole for the treatment of esophageal candidiasis.

Anidulafungin is a novel antifungal agent of the echinocandin class. This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous anidulafungin to that of oral fluconazole in 601 patients with endoscopically and microbiologically documented esophageal candidiasis. Patients received intravenous anidulafungin (100 mg on day 1, followed by 50 mg per day) or oral fluconazole (200 mg on day 1, followed by 100 mg per day) for 7 days beyond resolution of symptoms (range, 14-21 days).

Phase 2, randomized, dose-ranging study evaluating the safety and efficacy of anidulafungin in invasive candidiasis and candidemia.

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of anidulafungin, a novel echinocandin, in patients with invasive candidiasis, including candidemia. A total of 123 eligible patients were randomized to one of three intravenous regimens, 50, 75, or 100 mg once daily. Treatment continued for 2 weeks beyond resolution or improvement of signs and symptoms.

Multiple defensive roles for triterpene glycosides from two Caribbean sponges.

Despite their high nutritional value and a lack of physical defenses, most marine sponges appear to be minimally affected by predators, competitors, and fouling organisms, possibly due to sponge chemical defenses. In the last 15 years, several triterpene glycosides have been isolated from sponges, but their ecological or physiological roles are largely unknown. We tested triterpene glycosides from Erylus formosus and Ectyoplasia ferox, Caribbean sponges belonging to two different orders, in field and laboratory assays for effects on fish feeding, attachment by potential biofilm-forming bacteria, fouling by invertebrates and algae, and overgrowth by neighboring sponges.