THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE PRESCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Research findings suggest that teachers’ education and training is a key factor in improving the preschool quality. Teachers’ qualifications can lead to high-quality preschool education and positive developmental outcomes for the children. This study examines the effectiveness of the teachers’ professional development program “Upgrading the Quality of the Preschool Environment” on improving the quality of the Kindergartens. The research followed a quasi-experimental design and included 26 kindergarten teachers from 23 public Greek kindergartens, who were divided into an Experimental and a Control Group. The quality of the kindergartens was initially assessed using the ECERS-R scale and a five-month professional development program, based on this initial evaluation and on collaborative practices, was designed and implemented to the Experimental Group. Our results show that although the mean scores of quality before the implementation of the program did not differ significantly (t = 6.45, p =.52), the mean scores, for the Experimental Group (M = 4.71, SD = .62) were significantly higher after the intervention (t = 4.30, p <001) than those of the Control Group (M = 3.78, SD = .37). The follow up evaluation one and a half years later showed the maintenance and further improvement of the results of the program in the quality of the kindergartens. Our research provides useful information that can be used in the future for the designing of professional development programs aimed at improving the quality of the preschool environment.  Article visualizations

Improving the Quality of the Preschool Environment through a Τeachers’ Professional Development Program

Σκοπός της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν ο σχεδιασμός, η εφαρμογή και η αξιολόγηση ενός προγράμματος επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης για εκπαιδευτικούς προσχολικής ηλικίας, με στόχο τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας των νηπιαγωγείων. Η έρευνα ακολούθησε έναν οιονεί πειραματικό σχεδιασμό, με μια πειραματική ομάδα και μια ομάδα ελέγχου. Στη μελέτη συμμετείχαν 26 νηπιαγωγοί που υπηρετούν σε 23 δημόσια ελληνικά νηπιαγωγεία της περιοχής της Πιερίας, οι οποίοι χωρίστηκαν σε πειραματική ομάδα και ομάδα ελέγχου. Αρχικά αξιολογήθηκε η ποιότητα των νηπιαγωγείων με τη χρήση της κλίμακας ECERS-R και στη συνέχεια σχεδιάστηκε ένα πεντάμηνο πρόγραμμα επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης, το οποίο βασίστηκε σε συνεργατικές πρακτικές. Στόχος ήταν η υποστήριξη των εκπαιδευτικών σε θεωρητικό, πρακτικό και αναστοχαστικό επίπεδο, ώστε να βελτιώσουν τις πρακτικές τους και κατ' επέκταση την ποιότητα της παρεχόμενης προσχολικής εκπαίδευσης. Τα αποτελέσματά μας δείχνουν ότι, αν και οι μέσοι όροι της πειραματικής ομάδας και της ομάδας ελέγχου δε διέφεραν σημαντικά πριν από την εφαρμογή του προγράμματος, ο μέσος όρος της ποιότητας μετά την παρέμβαση ήταν σημαντικά υψηλότερος για την πειραματική ομάδα από ό,τι για την ομάδα ελέγχου. Τα ευρήματά μας μπορούν να ενισχύσουν την υπάρχουσα γνώση σχετικά με το σχεδιασμό και την εφαρμογή αποτελεσματικών προγραμμάτων επαγγελματικής ανάπτυξης εκπαιδευτικών, με στόχο τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας της προσχολικής εκπαίδευσης. Συνεπώς, τα ευρήματα της παρούσας μελέτης καταδεικνύουν την εκπαίδευση και την κατάρτιση των εκπαιδευτικών ως έναν από τους σημαντικότερους παράγοντες που επηρεάζουν την ποιότητα του προσχολικού περιβάλλοντος. Η προσωπική, επιστημονική και επαγγελματική ανάπτυξη των εκπαιδευτικών μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε υψηλής ποιότητας προσχολική εκπαίδευση και θετικά αναπτυξιακά αποτελέσματα για τα παιδιά.The purpose of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a professional development program for preschool teachers with the aim of improving the quality of kindergartens. The research followed a quasi-experimental design, including an experimental and a control group. Ιn the study participated 26 kindergarten teachers serving in 23 public Greek kindergartens in the region of Pieria, who were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The quality of the kindergartens was initially assessed using the ECERS-R scale and a five-month professional development program, which was based on collaborative practices, was designed afterward. The aim was to support teachers on a theoretical, practical and reflectional level in order for them to improve their practices and by extension the quality of the pre-school education provided. Our results show that although the averages of the experimental and the control group did not differ significantly before the implementation of the program, the average quality after the intervention, was significantly higher for the experimental group than for the control group. Our findings can enhance the existing knowledge about the design and implementation of effective teacher professional development programs, with the aim of improving the quality of preschool education. Therefore, our findings suggest that teachers’ education and training is one of the most important factors that affect the quality of preschool environment. Teachers΄ personal, scientific and professional development can lead to high-quality preschool education and positive developmental outcomes for the children

Erythropoietin signaling regulates heme biosynthesis

Heme is required for survival of all cells, and in most eukaryotes, is produced through a series of eight enzymatic reactions. Although heme production is critical for many cellular processes, how it is coupled to cellular differentiation is unknown. Here, using zebrafish, murine, and human models, we show that erythropoietin (EPO) signaling, together with the GATA1 transcriptional target, AKAP10, regulates heme biosynthesis during erythropoiesis at the outer mitochondrial membrane. This integrated pathway culminates with the direct phosphorylation of the crucial heme biosynthetic enzyme, ferrochelatase (FECH) by protein kinase A (PKA). Biochemical, pharmacological, and genetic inhibition of this signaling pathway result in a block in hemoglobin production and concomitant intracellular accumulation of protoporphyrin intermediates. Broadly, our results implicate aberrant PKA signaling in the pathogenesis of hematologic diseases. We propose a unifying model in which the erythroid transcriptional program works in concert with post-translational mechanisms to regulate heme metabolism during normal development

The Combination of Molnupiravir with Nirmatrelvir or GC376 Has a Synergic Role in the Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Replication In Vitro

Introduction: The development of effective vaccines has partially mitigated the trend of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; however, the need for orally administered antiviral drugs persists. This study aims to investigate the activity of molnupiravir in combination with nirmatrelvir or GC376 on SARS-CoV-2 to verify the synergistic effect. Methods: The SARS-CoV-2 strains 20A.EU, BA.1 and BA.2 were used to infect Vero E6 in presence of antiviral compounds alone or in combinations using five two-fold serial dilution of compound concentrations <= EC90. After 48 and 72 h post-infection, viability was performed using MTT reduction assay. Supernatants were collected for plaque-assay titration. All experiments were performed in triplicate, each being repeated at least three times. The synergistic score was calculated using Synergy Finder version 2. Results: All compounds reached micromolar EC90. Molnupiravir and GC376 showed a synergistic activity at 48 h with an HSA score of 19.33 (p < 0.0001) and an additive activity at 72 h with an HSA score of 8.61 (p < 0.0001). Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir showed a synergistic activity both at 48 h and 72 h with an HSA score of 14.2 (p = 0.01) and 13.08 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusion: Molnupiravir associated with one of the two protease-inhibitors nirmatrelvir and GC376 showed good additive-synergic activity in vitro

Discovery of a AHR pelargonidin agonist that counter-regulates Ace2 expression and attenuates ACE2-SARS-CoV-2 interaction

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 is the pathogenetic agent of Corona Virus Induced Disease (COVID)19. The virus enters the human cells after binding to the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2 receptor in target tissues. ACE2 expression is induced in response to inflammation. The colon expression of ACE2 is upregulated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), highlighting a potential risk of intestinal inflammation in promoting viral entry in the human body. Because mechanisms that regulate ACE2 expression in the intestine are poorly understood and there is a need of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies, we have settled to investigate whether natural flavonoids might regulate the expression of Ace2 in intestinal models of inflammation. The results of these studies demonstrated that pelargonidin activates the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) in vitro and reverses intestinal inflammation caused by chronic exposure to high fat diet or to the intestinal braking-barrier agent TNBS in a AhR-dependent manner. In these two models, development of colon inflammation associated with upregulation of Ace2 mRNA expression. Colon levels of Ace2 mRNA were directly correlated with Tnf-α mRNA levels. Molecular docking studies suggested that pelargonidin binds a fatty acid binding pocket on the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. In vitro studies demonstrated that pelargonidin significantly reduces the binding of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein to ACE2 and reduces the SARS-CoV-2 replication in a concentration-dependent manner. In summary, we have provided evidence that a natural flavonoid might hold potential in reducing intestinal inflammation and ACE2 induction in the inflamed colon in a AhR-dependent manner

Comparison of diagnostic performances of HDV-RNA quantification assays used in clinical practice: Results from a national quality control multicenter study

Introduction: A reliable quantification of hepatitis D virus (HDV) RNA is of paramount importance for monitoring patients under antiviral therapy. This quality control study compares the diagnostic performances of quantitative HDV-RNA assays used in clinical practice. Methods: Two HDV-RNA sample panels were quantified in 30 centers by RoboGene (N = 9 laboratories), EurobioPlex (N = 7), RealStar (N = 4), AltoStar (N = 1), Bosphore (N = 3), Bosphore-on-InGenius (N = 1), Dia.Pro (N = 2), Nuclear-Laser-Medicine (N = 1) and 3 in-house assays. Panel A and B comprised 8 serial dilutions of WHO/HDV standard (range: 0.5–5.0 log10 IU/ml) and 20 clinical samples (range: 0.5–6.0 log10 IU/ml), respectively. The following parameters were determined: sensitivity by 95 % LOD (limit of detection), precision by intra- and inter-run CV (coefficient of variation), accuracy by the differences between expected-observed HDV-RNA, linearity by linear regression analysis. Results: 95 % LOD varied across assays and centers underlining heterogeneous sensitivities: AltoStar had the lowest 95 % LOD (3 IU/ml) followed by RealStar (10 [min–max: 3–316] IU/ml), Bosphore-on-InGenius (10 IU/ml), RoboGene (31 [3–316] IU/ml), Nuclear-Laser-Medicine (31 IU/ml) and EuroBioplex (100 [100–316] IU/ml). Moreover, 6 assays (RoboGene, EurobioPlex, RealStar, AltoStar, Nuclear-Laser-Medicine and In-house) showed <0.5 log10 IU/ml differences between expected and observed HDV-RNA for all dilutions while other assays had >1 log10 IU/ml underestimations. RealStar, Bosphore-on-InGenius and EurobioPlex had the highest precision (mean intra-run CV < 20 %). Inter-run CV was higher for all assays, with CVs < 25 % for RealStar, AltoStar, Nuclear-Laser-Medicine and EurobioPlex. Seven assays (RoboGene/AltoStar/RealStar/EurobioPlex/Nuclear-Laser-Medicine/In-house) showed a good linearity (R2 > 0.90), but for HDV-RNA < 1000 IU/ml only Bosphore-on-InGenius, AltoStar, RealStar and Robogene showed a R2 > 0.85. Conclusions: This study underlines heterogeneous sensitivities (inter- and intraassays), that could hamper proper HDV-RNA quantification, particularly at low viral loads. This raises the need to improve the diagnostic performance of most assays for properly identifying virological response to anti-HDV drugs

Phylogeography and genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Italy and Europe with newly characterized Italian genomes between February-June 2020

The aims of this study were to characterize new SARS-CoV-2 genomes sampled all over Italy and to reconstruct the origin and the evolutionary dynamics in Italy and Europe between February and June 2020. The cluster analysis showed only small clusters including < 80 Italian isolates, while most of the Italian strains were intermixed in the whole tree. Pure Italian clusters were observed mainly after the lockdown and distancing measures were adopted. Lineage B and B.1 spread between late January and early February 2020, from China to Veneto and Lombardy, respectively. Lineage B.1.1 (20B) most probably evolved within Italy and spread from central to south Italian regions, and to European countries. The lineage B.1.1.1 (20D) developed most probably in other European countries entering Italy only in the second half of March and remained localized in Piedmont until June 2020. In conclusion, within the limitations of phylogeographical reconstruction, the estimated ancestral scenario suggests an important role of China and Italy in the widespread diffusion of the D614G variant in Europe in the early phase of the pandemic and more dispersed exchanges involving several European countries from the second half of March 202