Teaching What Is "Real" About Science: Critical Realism as a Framework for Science Education.

Discourse about public perception of science is often positioned as a dichotomy between trust in scientific evidence and scientists as experts, versus critiques of the limitations of scientific knowledge and a mistrust in scientists as biased professionals and political agents. However, this dichotomy becomes something of a false argument, as our tendency to look for the "right" answer in these arguments often gets in the way of finding a balancing point in which both of these positions could be held in productive tension. The purpose of the present article is to lay out the argument that society can both trust in scientific evidence and question scientific bias in the same space, holding these two seemingly opposite positions in productive tension, and that we should teach students to do the same. Critical realism is presented as an ontology and epistemology to frame science education, and focus on the development of critical scientific literacy by teaching students what is real and what is arbitrary about science. Recommendations for science education are outlined, grounded in critical realism and connected to current education research and principles of the nature of science.

Leveraging the opportunities of mixed methods in research synthesis: Key decisions in systematic mixed studies review methodology.

This article identifies and unpacks three key decision points in a systematic mixed research synthesis, a mixed methods approach to research synthesis. The research community has increasingly recognized the value of synthesis studies in expanding our understanding of phenomena. Mixed-methodology broadly has also gained ground as a pragmatic approach to research investigations. By leveraging mixed methods approaches in a synthesis review, systematic mixed studies review (SMSR) enables a broad and integrated summary of existing research on the topic. Yet SMSRs can be challenging to undertake given the complexity of working with research synthesis and mixed methods requirements. This methods guidance article presents information to assist novice researchers in navigating these critical decisions in SMSRs, and provides examples of how these were addressed by researchers in the two case studies provided. Implications of the SMSRs for the research community and future research directions are also discussed.

Serum Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Correlate with Serum Cytokines and Clinical Disease Activity in Crohn's Disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) has been associated with an increased consumption of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), while greater intake of n-3 PUFA has been associated with a reduced risk. We sought to investigate serum fatty acid composition in CD, and associations of fatty acids with disease activity, cytokines, and adipokines. Serum was prospectively collected from 116 CD subjects and 27 non-IBD controls. Clinical disease activity was assessed by the Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI). Serum fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography. Serum cytokines and adipokines were measured by Luminex assay. Dietary histories were obtained from a subset of patients. Nine serum cytokines and adipokines were increased in CD versus controls. CD subjects had increased percentage serum monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), dihomo-gamma linolenic acid (DGLA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and oleic acid, but decreased arachidonic acid (AA) versus controls. The % total n-3 fatty acids and % EPA directly correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and HBI, whereas the % total n-6 fatty acids were inversely correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and HBI. CD subjects had increased caloric intake versus controls, but no alterations in total fat or PUFA intake. We found differences in serum fatty acids, most notably PUFA, in CD that correlated both with clinical disease activity and inflammatory cytokines. Our findings indicate that altered fatty acid metabolism or utilization is present in CD and is related to disease activity.