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ABSTRACTThe graduate school experience is a relevant part of professional development and can be instrumental in framing future careers. There is, however, a lack of resources and understanding concerning how institutions can best develop a positive culture during graduate school. In this paper, six professionals outline their graduate program experiences and how the faculty members and peers within their program worked to create a culture of shared responsibility that established meaningful relationships and set them up for success in the multiple career paths they chose to pursue. Specifically, the authors address: 1) creating a foundation of shared values, 2) navigating challenges and celebrating success, and 3) team learning and growth. These elements allowed them to establish meaningful and long-lasting connections that have been personally and professionally beneficial. The authors discuss perspectives on how other graduate students can cultivate professional development within their graduate program that will stem beyond their time in the classroom. These relationships formed within graduate programs continue to provide opportunities for professional collaboration, resource sharing, and an unwavering network of social support. It is vital that other graduate programs work toward creating positive experiences within their programs that will allow for future success in the professional field.

ABSTRACTMore than two-thirds of U.S. adults fall below recommended guidelines for physical activity (PA). One possible explanation for this is decreased feelings of self-efficacy and heightened discomfort in exercise settings among persons in special populations. Increasing social justice-based education and experiences is important for creating an inclusive and welcoming PA environment; however, pre-professional training rarely focuses on social justice, diversity, and inclusion within the PA realm. The purpose of this study was to explore the current competencies and deficiencies of students in kinesiology-related disciplines when working with individuals in special populations. Through mixed-methods survey data collection, 145 current Kinesiology/Exercise Science students across three institutions participated in this study. Students rated self-efficacy for working with special populations, identified frequency of use of culturally competent terminology, and responded to three qualitative case studies focusing on special populations (identified as weight-stigmatized individuals, mobility-limited individuals, and older adults). Results revealed students feel moderately confident working with special populations in PA settings, and that the majority of participants were familiar with cultural terms. Qualitatively, case study responses indicated that students are unable to identify implicit biases or critically analyze conflict-centric situations, and do not feel they possess the knowledge to intervene as a future provider working with special populations. Students also indicated much of the knowledge they have to feel comfortable working with special populations in PA settings did not come from Kinesiology courses. Future research aims to develop tangible social justice-based curriculum changes for kinesiology-related disciplines to enhance skills when working in special populations.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the impact of peripherally administered norepinephrine on avoiding central venous catheter insertion while maintaining safety of the infusion. An institutional guideline allows peripheral infusion of norepinephrine via dedicated, 16- to 20-gauge, mid-to-upper arm intravenous (IV) catheters for up to 24 hours. The primary outcome was the need for central venous access in patients initially started on peripherally infused norepinephrine. A total of 124 patients were evaluated (98 initially on peripherally infused norepinephrine vs 26 with central catheter only administration). Thirty-six (37%) of the 98 patients who were started on peripheral norepinephrine avoided the need for central catheter placement, which was associated with $8,900 in direct supply cost avoidance. Eighty (82%) of the 98 patients who started peripherally infused norepinephrine required the vasopressor for ≤12 hours. No extravasation or local complications were observed in any of the 124 patients, regardless of site of infusion. Administration of norepinephrine via a dedicated peripheral IV site appears safe and may lead to a reduction in the need for subsequent central venous access. To achieve timely resuscitation goals, as well as to minimize complications associated with central access, initial peripheral administration should be considered for all patients.

The study of disordered eating in dietetics students is vital for health outcomes and ethical consequences for students and their future clients. The eating attitudes and behaviors of 317 undergraduate health students were examined using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Findings indicated 5.1% of dietetics students had scores symptomatic of eating disorders. In addition, dietetics students who completed more nutrition courses had lower EAT-26 scores than students who completed fewer nutrition courses. Given the personal and professional consequences of disordered eating, resources for preventing, identifying, and treating disordered eating are needed in dietetics education programs.

Cell-selective gene expression comprises a critical element of many adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapies, and to date achieving this goal has focused on AAV capsid engineering, cell-specific promoters, or cell-specific enhancers. Recently, we discovered that the capsid of AAV9 exerts a differential influence on constitutive promoters of sufficient magnitude to alter cell type gene expression in the rat CNS. For AAV9 vectors chicken β-actin (CBA) promoter-driven gene expression exhibited a dominant neuronal gene expression in the rat striatum. Surprisingly, for otherwise identical AAV9 vectors, the truncated CBA hybrid (CBh) promoter shifted gene expression toward striatal oligodendrocytes. In contrast, AAV2 vector gene expression was restricted to striatal neurons, regardless of the constitutive promoter used. Furthermore, a six-glutamate residue insertion immediately after the VP2 start residue shifted CBA-driven cellular gene expression from neurons to oligodendrocytes. Conversely, a six-alanine insertion in the same AAV9 capsid region reversed the CBh-mediated oligodendrocyte expression back to neurons without changing AAV9 capsid access to oligodendrocytes. Given the preponderance of AAV9 in ongoing clinical trials and AAV capsid engineering, this AAV9 capsid-promoter interaction reveals a previously unknown novel contribution to cell-selective AAV-mediated gene expression in the CNS.

Study background Limited knowledge of psychological correlates of weight loss is associated with continuing failures of behavioral obesity treatments beyond the short term.Purpose This study aimed to inform health professionals’ obesity interventions via an increased knowledge of mediators of the exercise-weight loss maintenance relationship.Methods Women participated in 6-month obesity treatments within community settings emphasizing moderate exercise and self-regulation skills development via primarily in-person (n = 54) or primarily written (n = 54) means. Changes in mood, self-regulating eating, and weight over 6, 12, and 24 months were assessed. A moderated mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro instruction.Results Improvements in mood, self-regulating eating, and weight were significantly greater in the in-person group. The relationship between a dichotomous measure of completing at least 3 sessions of exercise per week (or not) and change in weight over 6 months was no longer significant when the mediators of changes in negative mood and self-regulation of eating were sequentially entered. Paths of exercise→negative mood reduction→eating self-regulation increase→weight loss over 6, 12 and 24 months were significant. Exercise self-regulation at Month 3 significantly moderated the mood change→eating self-regulation change relationship.Conclusions Based on the identified paths, scalable obesity-treatment content and emphases were informed. This could help guide health professionals’ actions concerning the management of obesity.

ABSTRACTThe transition out of college sports can impact the health and well-being of former student-athletes who may face challenges with maintaining a physically active lifestyle beyond the structured environment of competitive athletics. Moving On! is an evidence-based, theory-driven transition program designed to help student-athletes plan for lifetime physical activity after college. The program incorporates tenets of identity theory and self-determination theory and includes group discussion activities along with introductory experiences in varied lifetime physical activities. To investigate the perspectives of program participants, senior student-athletes provided feedback on their experiences in the program through focus group interviews. Findings suggested that participants viewed the program as a valuable and positive experience, anchored by a change in consciousness that reflected expanded understandings of identity and its impact on physical activity. Participants cited helpful program elements including hands-on physical activity experiences, a program workbook, and goal-setting strategies for integrating physical activity into their future lives. Results from this study may inform other kinesiology and higher education professionals interested in implementing health-promoting college transition programs.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported the following errors.

Recent advances suggest that in vivo reprogramming of endogenous cell populations provides a viable alternative for neuron replacement. Astrocytes and oligodendrocyte precursor cells can be induced to transdifferentiate into neurons in the CNS, but, in these instances, reprogramming requires either transgenic mice or retroviral-mediated gene expression. We developed a microRNA (miRNA)-GFP construct that in vitro significantly reduced the expression of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein, and, subsequently, we packaged this construct in a novel oligodendrocyte preferring adeno-associated virus vector. Ten days after rat striatal transduction, the vast majority of the GFP-positive cells were oligodendrocytes, but 6 weeks to 6 months later, the majority of GFP-positive cells exhibited neuronal morphology and co-localized with the neuronal marker NeuN. Patch-clamp studies on striatal slices established that the GFP-positive cells exhibited electrophysiological properties indicative of mature neurons, such as spontaneous action potentials and spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Also, 3 months after striatal vector administration, GFP-positive terminals in the ipsilateral globus pallidus or substantia nigra retrogradely transported fluorescent beads back to GFP-positive striatal cell bodies, indicating the presence of functional presynaptic terminals. Thus, this viral vector approach provides a potential means to harness resident oligodendrocytes as an endogenous source for in vivo neuronal replacement.

To describe participants in a cardiac rehabilitation program who were referred to an in-house musculoskeletal clinic and their cardiac rehabilitation and musculoskeletal outcomes.

Structural rearrangements of the genome resulting in genic imbalance due to copy number change are often deleterious at the organismal level, but are common in immortalized cell lines and tumors, where they may be an advantage to cells. In order to explore the biological consequences of copy number changes in the Drosophilagenome, we resequenced the genomes of 19 tissue-culture cell lines and generated RNA-Seq profiles. Our work revealed dramatic duplications and deletions in all cell lines. We found three lines of evidence indicating that copy number changes were due to selection during tissue culture. First, we found that copy numbers correlated to maintain stoichiometric balance in protein complexes and biochemical pathways, consistent with the gene balance hypothesis. Second, while most copy number changes were cell line-specific, we identified some copy number changes shared by many of the independent cell lines. These included dramatic recurrence of increased copy number of the PDGF/VEGF receptor, which is also over-expressed in many cancer cells, and of bantam, an anti-apoptosis miRNA. Third, even when copy number changes seemed distinct between lines, there was strong evidence that they supported a common phenotypic outcome. For example, we found that proto-oncogenes were over-represented in one cell line (S2-DRSC), whereas tumor suppressor genes were under-represented in another (Kc167). Our study illustrates how genome structure changes may contribute to selection of cell lines in vitro. This has implications for other cell-level natural selection progressions, including tumorigenesis.

Background:Intuitive eating (IE) principles present an evidence-based strategy for improving one's relationship with food while reducing the incidence of weight cycling and health risks associated with chronic dieting and weight regain. Offering online programming provides improved access to education while reducing barriers to programme enrollment but is also associated with high rates of attrition. Aim:To examine the process of programme implementation and identify barriers and facilitators of engagement for an online IE programme for employees at a large Midwestern university. Methods:The web-based programme Finding Peace with Food: An Intuitive Eating Approachconsisted of an online community with discussion prompts, 10 weekly modules containing videos, activities, and counsellor interviews and was developed using recognized health behaviour theory and evidence-based practices. Participants were university employees (n = 20). Qualitative data were assessed using a phenomenological approach to discern the themes of barriers and facilitators of programme participation. Participation rates were assessed using descriptive statistics. Results:All participants were Caucasian, 85% were female, and their ages ranged from 26–64. The module-based structure was well received. The primary barriers to participation were time constraints, overwhelming amount of information, and aversion to Flipgrid platform use. The quality and usefulness of the programme information were identified as facilitators of participation. Conclusion:Program participation was influenced by the time frame available to complete the programme modules and participants’ ease of use of platform applications.

Melanoma is responsible for an estimated 62 000 new American cancer diagnoses and is projected to cause nearly 8000 deaths in 2008 alone. Although the histogenesis of the tumor is not well understood, it is thought to originate from a rare melanocyte stem cell that resides in the skin. The transcription factor PAX3 has a well-established role in the development of melanocytes during embryogenesis, and has recently been characterized as a molecular switch in the mature melanocyte. Based on this function, PAX3 promotes a melanocytic phenotype but blocks terminal differentiation. This mechanism may also contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth and loss of terminal differentiation in melanomas. Here, we find PAX3 expression in 8/8 melanoma cell lines. We also find that PAX3 is commonly expressed in primary melanoma samples (2 1/58) but significantly less frequently in benign pigmented lesions (9/75). Further analysis of our melanoma set revealed that PAX3 expression is strongly correlated with younger patients with low or no evidence of sun damage. Our data suggest that PAX3-expressing melanomas may be less environmentally dependent and more genetically linked.

Melanoma is responsible for an estimated 62 000 new American cancer diagnoses and is projected to cause nearly 8000 deaths in 2008 alone. Although the histogenesis of the tumor is not well understood, it is thought to originate from a rare melanocyte stem cell that resides in the skin. The transcription factor PAX3 has a well-established role in the development of melanocytes during embryogenesis, and has recently been characterized as a molecular switch in the mature melanocyte. Based on this function, PAX3 promotes a melanocytic phenotype but blocks terminal differentiation. This mechanism may also contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth and loss of terminal differentiation in melanomas. Here, we find PAX3 expression in 8/8 melanoma cell lines. We also find that PAX3 is commonly expressed in primary melanoma samples (21/58) but significantly less frequently in benign pigmented lesions (9/75). Further analysis of our melanoma set revealed that PAX3 expression is strongly correlated with younger patients with low or no evidence of sun damage. Our data suggest that PAX3-expressing melanomas may be less environmentally dependent and more genetically linked.Modern Pathology (2008) 21, 525–530; doi:10.1038/modpathol.3801019; published online 7 March 2008

Reports on the fourth annual conference of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Lecturers of the opening plenary; Campaign of the group of divestment to Israel; Condemnation of the wall built by the Israeli government by reverend Mark Davidson.

Creating silence on the campus for respite, reflection and deep knowing can be intentionally designed for students, faculty, and staff. This article explores the ways in which these types of silence can add value to the student experience.

Focuses on the role of the media at a panel discussion at the Fourth Annual Palestinian Solidarity Movement Divestment Conference. Description of various ways in which an organization responded to media bias; Tips for activists on being effective; Presentation on empirical studies of media representation of Palestinian and Israeli deaths during the Al-Aqsa intifada.

Focuses on a panel discussion on segregation, apartheid, and zionism by political organizer Bob Brown of Pan-African Roots. Assertion that the political systems are crimes against humanity; Role of economics in such systems; Quote attributed to Martin Luther King.

Reports on the second annual conference of the Network of Arab American Professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. Aim of the network to advance Arab Americans and Arab culture; Theme of the event; Discussion of several topics such as the organization of Arab women's movements, their right to vote, and civil rights; Screening of several motion pictures during the event.