Transgenic overexpression of CTRP3 prevents alcohol-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation.

This study tested the ability of a novel adipose tissue derived cytokine, C1q TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3), to prevent alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation, or alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD). Previous work has demonstrated that CTRP3 is effective at preventing high-fat diet-induced fatty liver; however, the potential of CTRP3 to inhibit ALD has not been explored. To test the potential protective effects of CTRP3, transgenic mice overexpressing CTRP3 (Tg) or wild-type littermates (WT) were subjected to one of two different models of ALD. In the first model, known as the NIAAA model, mice were fed control or alcohol-containing liquid diets (5% vol/vol) for 10 days followed by a single gavage of ethanol (5 g/kg). In the second model, the chronic model, mice were fed control or alcohol-containing diets for 6 wk with no gavage. This study found that CTRP3 reduced triglyceride accumulation in the chronic model of alcohol consumption by ~50%, whereas no reduction was observed in the NIAAA model. Further analysis of isolated primary hepatocytes from WT and Tg mice demonstrated that CTRP3 increased oxygen consumption in the presence of fatty acids, indicating that CTRP3 increases hepatic fatty acid utilization. In conclusion, this study indicates that CTRP3 attenuates hepatic triglyceride accumulation in response to long-term chronic, but not short-term, alcohol consumption.

Realizing Promising Educational Practices in Academic Public Health: A Model for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

This paper presents a conceptual framework and critical considerations for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in academic public health. Academic education for public health has undergone significant transformation over the last two decades as the demand for responsive and innovative public health pedagogy and training for preparing graduates to deploy an increasing array of skills has grown. The authors suggest that the role of schools, administrators, faculty, and educational staff in developing promising practices for teaching and learning in public health involves an articulated conceptual framework to guide the development and dissemination of scholarly, pedagogical innovations. Building on seminal philosophical foundations of SoTL, the authors conceptualize SoTL from the foundational belief that knowing and learning are communal tasks and that faculty are both scholars and learners in the practice of education. The paper advocates for SoTL as a form of engaged practice and scholarly inquiry that exists in contextually rich, diverse educational environments that abounds with uncertainty. SoTL is guided by an educational philosophy, values, and learning theories that envision educators critically examining themselves, their teaching practice, scholarly literature, and students' learning to improve their teaching, enhance learning, and promote further inquiry. The authors suggest that SoTL involves the search for multiple forms of evidence and fosters dialogues on multiple interpretations and perspectives of the most promising practices of teaching and learning. The authors advocate for the term promising practices as an outcome of SoTL that supports and nurtures ongoing scientific discovery and knowledge generation, instead of supporting the search for best-ness in teaching and learning endeavors. SoTL should occur across formal, informal, and nonformal education.