SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF A TARSAL LUXATION IN A RED KANGAROO (OSPHRANTER RUFUS).

Joint luxations commonly occur in animals secondary to traumatic injury. Because of the unique hind-limb anatomy of macropods, surgical stabilization of orthopedic injuries is considered challenging, and reports of successful management are limited. A 4-yr-old male neutered red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) presented with a dorsolateral luxation of the left tibiotarsal joint. Surgical reduction and tarsal arthrodesis were performed. Although the full range of motion of the tarsal joint was limited, this kangaroo was still able to ambulate normally at slow speeds following surgery and recovery. The aim of this report was to describe the surgical and postoperative management of a tibiotarsal luxation in a kangaroo. There were significant postoperative complications in this kangaroo, and antibiotic regional limb perfusion was used to treat wound and implant infection.

Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities.

BACKGROUND: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs are approved for the treatment of obesity in adults and adolescents. Reports have emerged that the weight loss effect of these medications may be related to changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors following the treatment. Understanding the mechanisms which impact ingestive behavior could expand opportunities to develop more refined and personalized treatment options for obesity. METHODS: Recent studies investigating the relationship between GLP-1 analogs and ingestive behaviors were retrieved from PubMed using the search terms: "obesity," "food preference," "taste," "ingestive behavior," "weight loss medication," "anti-obesity medication," "GLP-1 analog," "tirzepatide," "liraglutide," "semaglutide." Measurement tools were studied to compare variables used to assess food intake behavior. The main outcomes from each study were analyzed to evaluate the current standing and future directions of appetitive, ingestive, and consummatory behaviors and their association with GLP-1 analogs. RESULTS: Thus far, studies have primarily explored the weight loss phase and report decreased short-term appetite and food intake upon treatment. However, research during the weight maintenance phase and objective measurements of food intake are notably sparse. Additionally, verbal reports have been primarily used to examine food intake, which can be susceptible to subjectivity. CONCLUSIONS: Elucidating the relationship between GLP-1 analogs and ingestive behavior could reveal additional parameters which contribute to their anti-obesity effects. To better understand these mechanisms, it is imperative to consider objective measurements of food intake in future studies. Several measurement tools have been adapted to measure variables of food behavior in humans, and each must be carefully considered with their strengths and limitations to develop optimal investigations.

Evaluating the Implementation Quality of a Social and Emotional Learning Program: A Mixed Methods Approach.

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been shown to be effective in producing positive outcomes for adolescents. However, variability in implementation quality can have a negative impact on these program effects. The aim of this current study is to examine the variability in implementation quality for schools implementing the MindOut program and to identify factors that were likely to contribute to this variability. Employing a mixed methods approach, quantitative and qualitative implementation data were collected from teachers (n = 16) and students (n = 280) who participated in the MindOut program. Quantitative indicators were used to score schools' implementation quality across four dimensions (dosage, adherence/fidelity, quality of delivery and participant responsiveness), and these were averaged to determine overall level of implementation (high/low). Qualitative data identified factors that contributed to implementation quality, and factors were then analyzed in accordance with the schools' implementation level grouping. Findings indicated that variability in implementation quality existed both between and within schools. A total of eight schools were assigned as high implementers and another eight as low implementers. Influencing factors were categorized into five themes: (i) program factors, (ii) participant factors, (iii) teacher factors, (iv) school contextual factors, and (v) organizational capacity factors. Several differences between high and low implementers were found in relation to these influencing factors. The findings contribute to the evidence on implementation quality in schools by advancing knowledge on measuring implementation quality across multiple dimensions and informants successfully. These findings can also inform practitioners of the main influencing factors in schools so that strategies can be developed to optimize implementation quality in the future.

The Effects of Implementation Quality of a School-Based Social and Emotional Well-Being Program on Students' Outcomes.

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs can be effective in producing positive outcomes for students. However, when the implementation quality is poor, these programs often lose their effectiveness and fail to produce the expected positive outcomes. The current study evaluates a school-based SEL program for 15-18-year-olds in Ireland by determining the impact of implementation quality on program outcomes. The study also examines the effects on outcomes of different implementation dimensions including Dosage, Adherence, Quality of Delivery, and Participant Responsiveness. Employing a cluster randomized controlled trial design, this study collected student outcome data (n = 675) from 32 disadvantaged schools across three time points (pre-, post-, 12-month follow-up) and compared these data across three treatment groups (high-implementation, low-implementation, and control). Linear mixed models (LMM) were used to determine the relationships between the implementation data and student outcome data longitudinally. The findings revealed that the positive effects of the program were only observed with the high-, but not the low-implementation group (reduced suppression of emotions (p = 0.049); reduced avoidance coping (p = 0.006); increased social support coping (p = 0.009); reduced levels of stress (p = 0.035) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.025). The comparison of implementation dimensions revealed that only Quality of Delivery had a significant effect on all of the tested outcomes. This study highlights the importance of high-quality implementation in producing positive outcomes and supports the need to evaluate implementation using multiple dimensions.

A Cluster Randomized-Controlled Trial of the MindOut Social and Emotional Learning Program for Disadvantaged Post-Primary School Students.

School-based social and emotional learning programs aim to provide students with the skills they need to deal with life challenges, thereby enhancing their social and emotional wellbeing, academic outcomes, and reducing their risk of mental health difficulties. While there is a robust evidence base on the effectiveness of these programs originating from the US, there is a relative paucity of research on how these programs impact young people in other county contexts, especially for older adolescents and those at higher risk. This study sets out to address this research gap by evaluating the effectiveness of a social emotional learning program designed for older adolescents in Ireland, the MindOut program. MindOut is a universal school-based social and emotional learning program designed for older adolescents in Ireland which was developed based on a common elements approach underpinned by CASEL's framework. Employing a cluster randomized-controlled trial, data on social and emotional skills, academic performance and mental health outcomes were collected from students (n = 497; 51.1% female) ages 15-18 years in 32 disadvantaged schools. There were significant improvements in intervention students' social and emotional skills including, reduced suppression of emotions (p = 0.035), use of more positive coping strategies [reduced avoidance coping p = < 0.001) and increased social support coping p = 0.044)]. Improvements in mental health and wellbeing were also found with significantly reduced levels of stress (p = 0.017) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.030) as well as reduced anxiety scores for females students (p = 0.044). These short-term evaluation findings support the positive impact of school-based social and emotional learning programs, such as MindOut, when designed to be both age and culturally appropriate and delivered to older adolescents in disadvantaged schools.

TDP-43, an ALS linked protein, regulates fat deposition and glucose homeostasis.

The identification of proteins which determine fat and lean body mass composition is critical to better understanding and treating human obesity. TDP-43 is a well-conserved RNA-binding protein known to regulate alternative splicing and recently implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While TDP-43 knockout mice show early embryonic lethality, post-natal conditional knockout mice show weight loss, fat depletion, and rapid death, suggesting an important role for TDP-43 in regulating energy metabolism. Here we report, that over-expression of TDP-43 in transgenic mice can result in a phenotype characterized by increased fat deposition and adipocyte hypertrophy. In addition, TDP-43 over-expression in skeletal muscle results in increased steady state levels of Tbc1d1, a RAB-GTPase activating protein involved in Glucose 4 transporter (Glut4) translocation. Skeletal muscle fibers isolated from TDP-43 transgenic mice show altered Glut4 translocation in response to insulin and impaired insulin mediated glucose uptake. These results indicate that levels of TDP-43 regulate body fat composition and glucose homeostasis in vivo.