Role of comprehension on performance at higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy: Findings from assessments of healthcare professional students.

The first four levels of Bloom's taxonomy were used to create quiz questions designed to assess student learning of the gross anatomy, histology, and physiology of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Information on GI histology and physiology was presented to separate samples of medical, dental, and podiatry students in computer based tutorials where the information from the two disciplines was presented either separately or in an integrated fashion. All students were taught GI gross anatomy prior to this study by course faculty as part of the required curriculum of their respective program.

Photothermal Catalyst Engineering: Hydrogenation of Gaseous CO with High Activity and Tailored Selectivity.

This study has designed and implemented a library of hetero-nanostructured catalysts, denoted as Pd@NbO, comprised of size-controlled Pd nanocrystals interfaced with NbO nanorods. This study also demonstrates that the catalytic activity and selectivity of CO reduction to CO and CH products can be systematically tailored by varying the size of the Pd nanocrystals supported on the NbO nanorods. Using large Pd nanocrystals, this study achieves CO and CH production rates as high as 0.

Genomic timetree and historical biogeography of Caribbean island ameiva lizards (: Teiidae).

The phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of Caribbean island ameivas () are not well-known because of incomplete sampling, conflicting datasets, and poor support for many clades. Here, we use phylogenomic and mitochondrial DNA datasets to reconstruct a well-supported phylogeny and assess historical colonization patterns in the group. We obtained sequence data from 316 nuclear loci and one mitochondrial marker for 16 of 19 extant species of the Caribbean endemic genus .

Extra-virgin olive oil ameliorates cognition and neuropathology of the 3xTg mice: role of autophagy.

Objective: Consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), a major component of the Mediterranean diet, has been associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms involved in this protective action remain to be fully elucidated.

Methods: Herein, we investigated the effect of daily consumption of EVOO on the AD-like phenotype of a mouse mode of the disease with plaques and tangles.

Psychosocial Predictors of HBV Screening Behavior among Vietnamese Americans.

Objective: We evaluated the influence of psychosocial factors on HBV screening.

Methods: Sample consisted of 1716 Vietnamese participants in our previous HBV intervention trial, recruited from 36 community-based organizations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City between 2009 and 2014. Using the Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory, we measured self-efficacy, knowledge, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, perceived severity, and risk susceptibility.

Nurses' attitudes and behaviors on patient medication education.

Background: Medication education is vital for positive patient outcomes. However, there is limited information about optimal medication education by nurses during hospitalization and care transitions.

Objective: Examine nurses' attitudes and behaviors regarding the provision of patient medication education.

Evaluation of a web-based weight loss intervention in overweight cancer survivors aged 50 years and younger.

Purpose: Half of adult cancer survivors under age 50 years are obese. Excess body weight is associated with cancer recurrence, and effective weight loss interventions for younger cancer survivors are needed. Commercially available, online weight loss programmes are readily accessible, but few have been studied in this population.

Five lipoxygenase hypomethylation mediates the homocysteine effect on Alzheimer's phenotype.

Environmental and genetic risk factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how they interact and influence its pathogenesis remains to be investigated. High level of homocysteine (Hcy) is an AD risk factor and associates with an up-regulation of the ALOX5 gene.

Genetic absence of ALOX5 protects from homocysteine-induced memory impairment, tau phosphorylation and synaptic pathology.

Elevated level of homocysteine (Hcy) is considered a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, but the mechanisms remain to be established. Because high Hcy is associated with an up-regulation of the ALOX5 gene product, the 5Lipoxygenase (5LO), herein we investigated whether this activation is responsible for the Hcy effect on neurodegeneration or is a secondary event. To reach this goal, wild type mice and mice genetically deficient for 5LO were assessed after being exposed to a diet known to significantly increase brain levels of Hcy.

A Neural Dynamic Architecture for Reaching and Grasping Integrates Perception and Movement Generation and Enables On-Line Updating.

Reaching for objects and grasping them is a fundamental skill for any autonomous robot that interacts with its environment. Although this skill seems trivial to adults, who effortlessly pick up even objects they have never seen before, it is hard for other animals, for human infants, and for most autonomous robots. Any time during movement preparation and execution, human reaching movement are updated if the visual scene changes (with a delay of about 100 ms).

The Effect of Selective D- or N-Methyl Arginine Substitution on the Activity of the Proline-Rich Antimicrobial Peptide, Chex1-Arg20.

pharmacokinetics studies have shown that the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide, A3-APO, which is a discontinuous dimer of the peptide, Chex1-Arg20, undergoes degradation to small fragments at positions Pro6-Arg7 and Val19-Arg20. With the aim of minimizing or abolishing this degradation, a series of Chex1-Arg20 analogs were prepared Fmoc/tBu solid phase peptide synthesis with D-arginine or, in some cases, peptide backbone N-methylated arginine, substitution at these sites. All the peptides were tested for antibacterial activity against the Gram-negative bacterium .

Molecular Aggregate Photophysics beyond the Kasha Model: Novel Design Principles for Organic Materials.

The transport and photophysical properties of organic molecular aggregates, films, and crystals continue to receive widespread attention, driven mainly by expanding commercial applications involving display and wearable technologies as well as the promise of efficient, large-area solar cells. The main blueprint for understanding how molecular packing impacts photophysical properties was drafted over five decades ago by Michael Kasha. Kasha showed that the Coulombic coupling between two molecules, as determined by the alignment of their transition dipoles, induces energetic shifts in the main absorption spectral peak and changes in the radiative decay rate when compared to uncoupled molecules.

Acute right heart failure after hemorrhagic shock and trauma pneumonectomy-a management approach: A blinded randomized controlled animal trial using inhaled nitric oxide.

Background: Hemorrhagic shock and pneumonectomy causes an acute increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). The increase in PVR and right ventricular (RV) afterload leads to acute RV failure, thus reducing left ventricular (LV) preload and output. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) lowers PVR by relaxing pulmonary arterial smooth muscle without remarkable systemic vascular effects.

Financial Implications of the Emergency Medicine Interview Process.

Background: Emergency medicine (EM) residency interviews are an important, yet costly process for programs and applicants. The total economic burden of the EM interviewing process is previously unstudied. Graduate medical education funding and student finances are both fragile shifting sources, which appear to fund most of these economic expenditures.

Engineering Intrinsically Zirconium-89 Radiolabeled Self-Destructing Mesoporous Silica Nanostructures for In Vivo Biodistribution and Tumor Targeting Studies.

A systematic study of in vitro and in vivo behavior of biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles (bMSNs), designed to carry multiple cargos (both small and macromolecular drugs) and subsequently self-destruct following release of their payloads, is presented. Complete degradation of bMSNs is seen within 21 d of incubation in simulated body fluid. The as-synthesized bMSNs are intrinsically radiolabeled with oxophilic zirconium-89 (Zr, = 78.

Bile Acids in Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Bile acids, a structurally related group of molecules derived from cholesterol, have a long history as therapeutic agents in medicine, from treatment for primarily ocular diseases in ancient Chinese medicine to modern day use as approved drugs for certain liver diseases. Despite evidence supporting a neuroprotective role in a diverse spectrum of age-related neurodegenerative disorders, including several small pilot clinical trials, little is known about their molecular mechanisms or their physiological roles in the nervous system. We review the data reported for their use as treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and their underlying molecular basis.

Reward Sensitivity Enhances Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Free Choice.

Expressing one's preference via choice can be rewarding, particularly when decisions are voluntarily made as opposed to being forced. An open question is whether engaging in choices involving rewards recruits distinct neural systems as a function of sensitivity to reward. Reward sensitivity is a trait partly influenced by the mesolimbic dopamine system, which can impact an individual's neural and behavioral response to reward cues.

Homocysteine modulates 5-lipoxygenase expression level via DNA methylation.

Elevated levels of homocysteinemia (Hcy), a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), have been associated with changes in cell methylation. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by an upregulation of the 5-lipoxygenase (5LO), whose promoter is regulated by methylation. However, whether Hcy activates 5LO enzymatic pathway by influencing the methylation status of its promoter remains unknown.

Corrigendum: Designer Leptin Receptor Antagonist Allo-aca Inhibits VEGF Effects in Ophthalmic Neoangiogenesis Models.

[This corrects the article on p. 67 in vol. 3, PMID: 27790618.

Initial weight loss goals: have they changed and do they matter?

Objective: Nearly 20 years ago, participants in behavioural weight loss programmes reported goals that greatly exceeded the amount of weight typically produced by these programmes. Whether having unrealistic weight loss goals impacts weight loss or attrition is unclear. The intent of the current study was to revisit current weight loss goals and examine whether goals impact outcomes.

Designer Leptin Receptor Antagonist Allo-aca Inhibits VEGF Effects in Ophthalmic Neoangiogenesis Models.

Experimental and clinical data suggest that pro-angiogenic, pro-inflammatory and mitogenic cytokine leptin can be implicated in ocular neovascularization and other eye pathologies. At least in part, leptin action appears to be mediated through functional interplay with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF is a potent regulator of neoangiogenesis and vascular leakage with a proven role in conditions such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.