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Background Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare condition that causes the accumulation of phenylalanine; without prompt diagnosis and treatment following birth, severe neurologic and cognitive impairments occur. While dietary management can help reduce Phe levels, adherence is challenging and deficits in cognitive function often remain. The importance of the exact features of dietary management, treatment, and control at different time points with respect to eventual IQ scores has not been established. The objective of the present study was to review and describe published data on the impact of PKU on cognition as measured by IQ among PKU patients receiving early dietary management. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines to examine IQ among patients with PKU. Instruments used to assess IQ included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Culture Fair Intelligence Test and Stanford Binet Test. Results were reported overall and by subgroups. Results Twenty-five out of 28 identified studies could be included in the review. Lower IQ scores were generally observed among those with high phenylalanine levels, although variations in the study populations hinder the ability to make comparisons. Mean IQ scores among those with PKU were consistently lower compared to control groups. Even though all patients in this review received early treatment, those with poor dietary adherence and higher phenylalanine levels tended to show poorer cognitive ability. Conclusions Cognition is affected in PKU, despite early and continuous dietary management. Treatments are needed that reduce phenylalanine levels so that the burden of neurocognitive impairment in PKU can be alleviated.

To make the engineering process more accessible to preschoolers, teachers followed Christine Cunningham's approach of simplifying the process by breaking it down to three steps: Explore, Create, and Improve. First, children are provided time to explore the problem and access to a variety of materials to spark brainstorming. Children then build on these explorations to create potential solutions. Trying them out, improving on them, and trying again until a satisfactory solution is reached is what engineering is all about. Here, Mnao et al document how a preschool classroom began an engineering investigation by addressing a real problem that requires a solution.

In this problem-based research project, the research team investigated the importance of school leadership with an emphasis on how school leaders can foster collective teacher efficacy through the implementation of school systems to increase student learning. This study will add to current research on school leaders’ knowledge of collective teacher efficacy and highlight school systems and processes shown to increase collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes. During this project, the team examined why school leaders face difficulties when building systems to foster collective teacher efficacy and considered how school leaders can improve their efforts to impact student achievement. In an investigation of the barriers school leaders face in the quality implementation of evidence-based practices to foster collective teacher efficacy, the team created a thirty-four-question survey. The survey targeted current principals employed in the states of Missouri and Illinois. Over two hundred administrators at varying stages of their service voluntarily completed the survey. The survey examined school principals’ beliefs regarding the development of collective teacher efficacy, systems to support collective teacher efficacy, aspects of quality implementation of those systems, common barriers, and the relationship between school culture and collective teacher efficacy. Survey responses indicated principals value teacher empowerment, supportive leadership, implementing a common and viable curriculum, and creating a shared vision as a component of school culture. Lack of teacher self-efficacy was identified as a barrier to the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy, and principals identified strategies such as regularly observing classroom practices and providing feedback to ensure quality implementation of effective school systems. Based on an analysis of the survey findings, the research team developed three recommendations for administrators to consider for the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy. The recommendations included administrators gaining an honest assessment of the building climate before implementing a vision, creating and communicating a shared vision, and implementing highly effective professional learning communities.

In this problem-based research project, the research team investigated the importance of school leadership with an emphasis on how school leaders can foster collective teacher efficacy through the implementation of school systems to increase student learning. This study will add to current research on school leaders’ knowledge of collective teacher efficacy and highlight school systems and processes shown to increase collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes. During this project, the team examined why school leaders face difficulties when building systems to foster collective teacher efficacy and considered how school leaders can improve their efforts to impact student achievement. In an investigation of the barriers school leaders face in the quality implementation of evidence-based practices to foster collective teacher efficacy, the team created a thirty-four-question survey. The survey targeted current principals employed in the states of Missouri and Illinois. Over two hundred administrators at varying stages of their service voluntarily completed the survey. The survey examined school principals’ beliefs regarding the development of collective teacher efficacy, systems to support collective teacher efficacy, aspects of quality implementation of those systems, common barriers, and the relationship between school culture and collective teacher efficacy. Survey responses indicated principals value teacher empowerment, supportive leadership, implementing a common and viable curriculum, and creating a shared vision as a component of school culture. Lack of teacher self-efficacy was identified as a barrier to the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy, and principals identified strategies such as regularly observing classroom practices and providing feedback to ensure quality implementation of effective school systems. Based on an analysis of the survey findings, the research team developed three recommendations for administrators to consider for the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy. The recommendations included administrators gaining an honest assessment of the building climate before implementing a vision, creating and communicating a shared vision, and implementing highly effective professional learning communities.

In this problem-based research project, the research team investigated the importance of school leadership with an emphasis on how school leaders can foster collective teacher efficacy through the implementation of school systems to increase student learning. This study will add to current research on school leaders’ knowledge of collective teacher efficacy and highlight school systems and processes shown to increase collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes. During this project, the team examined why school leaders face difficulties when building systems to foster collective teacher efficacy and considered how school leaders can improve their efforts to impact student achievement. In an investigation of the barriers school leaders face in the quality implementation of evidence-based practices to foster collective teacher efficacy, the team created a thirty-four-question survey. The survey targeted current principals employed in the states of Missouri and Illinois. Over two hundred administrators at varying stages of their service voluntarily completed the survey. The survey examined school principals’ beliefs regarding the development of collective teacher efficacy, systems to support collective teacher efficacy, aspects of quality implementation of those systems, common barriers, and the relationship between school culture and collective teacher efficacy. Survey responses indicated principals value teacher empowerment, supportive leadership, implementing a common and viable curriculum, and creating a shared vision as a component of school culture. Lack of teacher self-efficacy was identified as a barrier to the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy, and principals identified strategies such as regularly observing classroom practices and providing feedback to ensure quality implementation of effective school systems. Based on an analysis of the survey findings, the research team developed three recommendations for administrators to consider for the development of Collective Teacher Efficacy. The recommendations included administrators gaining an honest assessment of the building climate before implementing a vision, creating and communicating a shared vision, and implementing highly effective professional learning communities.

Early-life seizures increase susceptibility to seizures in adulthood. However, mechanisms by which seizures in the developing brain lead to increased vulnerability to seizures and exacerbation of neurological injury in adulthood remain unknown. We test the hypothesis that upregulation of proinflammatory cytokine levels and chronic glial activation following early-life seizures result in increased susceptibility to seizures and greater neurological injury in adulthood. We first demonstrate that kainic acid (KA)-induced early-life seizures in a rat model result in acute increase in proinflammatory cytokines and chronic astrocyte activation associated with hippocampal-dependent behavioral impairment. The early glial activation response precedes the appearance of neuronal injury. Next, we show that post-injury treatment with the novel aminopyridazine anti-inflammatory compound, Minozac (Mzc), suppresses the upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, attenuates prolonged astrocyte activation, and improves behavioral deficits following early-life seizures. Utilizing the 'two-hit' model of KA-induced seizures, we demonstrate that upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and chronic astrocyte activation following early-life seizures prime microglia for enhanced and greater microglial activation response to subsequent seizures in adulthood. The greater increase in proinflammatory cytokines following a 'second hit' of seizures in adulthood compared to early-life response is accompanied by earlier onset of seizures, greater severity of seizures, hippocampal-linked behavioral impairment, more extensive increase in neuronal injury, and enhanced microglial activation. Thus, the glial activation response following early-life seizures renders the brain more vulnerable to seizures and neuronal injury in adulthood. The suppression of enhanced microglial activation responses, concomitant reduction in neuronal injury, and prevention of increased susceptibility to seizures by treatment with Mzc following early-life seizures provide direct evidence of the mechanistic link between glial activation, microglial priming, neuronal dysfunction, and seizure susceptibility. The efficacy of Mzc in preventing the long-term neurologic sequelae of early-life seizures in these studies is further evidence in support of glial activation as a therapeutic target in neurological disorders. Overall, the results establish a role for glial activation as a susceptibility factor for subsequent neurological injury.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic disease whose neurological basis and pathophysiology remain poorly understood. Initially, it was proposed that genetic variations were responsible for the development of this disease. Nevertheless, several studies within the last decade have provided evidence suggesting that environmental factors play an important role in MDD pathophysiology. Alterations in epigenetics mechanism, such as DNA methylation, histone modification and microRNA expression could favor MDD advance in response to stressful experiences and environmental factors. The aim of this review is to describe genetic alterations, and particularly altered epigenetic mechanisms, that could be determinants for MDD progress, and how these alterations may arise as useful screening, diagnosis and treatment monitoring biomarkers of depressive disorders.