Amy Conley Wright

Marine sponge bis(indole) alkaloids that displace ligand binding to α1 adrenergic receptors

The α1 adrenergic receptor assay guided fractionation of an extract from the marine sponge Spongosorites sp. led to the isolation of topsentin-B2 (bromotopsentin) as the active compound. Topsentin-B2 and five related bis(indole) marine sponge metabolites were shown to displace ligand binding to α1a and α1b adrenergic receptors with Ki values for the α1b receptor ranging from 0.08 to 1.15 μM. All six compounds show selectivity for α1b relative to α1a adrenergic receptors.

Advocacy by Parents of Young Children With Special Needs: Activities, Processes, and Perceived Effectiveness

ABSTRACT. This article examines parental advocacy for young children with disabilities using a subset of data drawn from a larger exploratory and descriptive study on parental advocacy for children with disabilities from birth to age 18 with a sample of 400 participants. Because this article focuses on parents of children from birth to age 6, only parents (n = 76) meeting this criterion were selected. Data were collected through an online survey, with a snowball sample generated through e-mail lists and social media groups. The survey included questions on demographics, types of advocacy settings, perceived effectiveness of advocacy efforts, and an example of a successful advocacy effort. Parental advocacy was most common in schools, medical clinics, social services, and social media and involved processes such as educating oneself about the childs condition and rights for services, educating others including professionals, and making persistent efforts. These findings suggest advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities starts early and is important from birth to age 6. Policy and social work practice should help parents with support, knowledge, and skills to be effective advocates for their children. Future research is recommended to explore the relationships between advocacy, empowerment, coping, and resilience in parents of children with special needs.

FROM MAID TO MOTHER: TRANSFORMING FACILITIES, STAFF TRAINING, AND CAREGIVER DIGNITY IN AN INSTITUTIONAL FACILITY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN IN NEPAL

This article provides a case study of a project to improve the health, safety, and development of children birth to 6 years old in a large orphanage in Nepal. Two interventions were conducted: improvement of physical infrastructure and training, mentoring, and support for caregiving staff. As a result of these interventions, positive outcomes in terms of childrens health and development have been observed, including reduction of communicable diseases and increased social interactions with caregivers. As part of the new training initiative, the caregivers began to meet regularly to share their ideas and experiences, and came to realize their vital role in the holistic development of the children in their care. One important change was a greater sense of dignity for the caregivers. The caregivers were formerly called Maids (Aaya), but asked to be called Mothers (Aama). The project also faced challenges, including communication barriers related to organizational structure.

Teaching about diverse families through case studies and authentic performance assessment

Authentic performance assessment connects active learning pedagogy with assessment of student learning. For family sciences, authentic performance assessment presents an opportunity to evaluate knowledge and skills related to working with families within the classroom context. This form of assessment can be combined with popular teaching strategies, like using family case studies, to provide application and context for course content. This article reviews the literature on authentic performance assessment and its application in the family science literature, and provides an example of an authentic performance assessment in a course on understanding and working with diverse families. The discussion provides suggestions for instructors in family science considering a shift from traditional to authentic assessment.

Spongiatriol inhibits nuclear factor kappa B activation and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US, is highly resistant to all current chemotherapies, and its growth is facilitated by chronic inflammation. The majority of pro-inflammatory cytokines initiate signaling cascades that converge at the activation of the Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFκB), a signal transduction molecule that promotes cell survival, proliferation and angiogenesis. In an effort to identify novel inhibitors of NFκB, the HBOI library of pure compounds was screened using a reporter cell line that produces luciferin under the transcriptional control of NFκB. Seven compounds were identified through this screen, but in the case of five of them, their reported mechanism of action made them unlikely to be specific NFκB inhibitors. Spongiatriol, a marine furanoditerpenoid that was first isolated in the 1970s, is shown here to inhibit NFκB transcriptional activity in a reporter cell line, to reduce levels of phosphorylated (active) NFκB in the AsPC-1 cell line, to have an IC50 for cytotoxicity in the low micromolar range against the AsPC-1, BxPC-3, MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cell lines, and to induce moderate but significant apoptosis in both the AsPC-1 and the Panc-1 cell lines.

Social Investment and Social Welfare

This book contributes to the growing literature on social investment by discussing the way social investment ideas have been adopted in different countries and in various academic and professional fields, including social policy, development studies and non-profit management. Documenting the experience of implementing social investment in different communities, it encourages a One World perspective that integrates these diverse experiences and promotes policy learning between different nations.

Dragmacidin G, a Bioactive Bis-Indole Alkaloid from a Deep-Water Sponge of the Genus Spongosorites

A deep-water sponge of the genus Spongosorites has yielded a bis-indole alkaloid which we have named dragmacidin G. Dragmacidin G was first reported by us in the patent literature and has recently been reported by Hitora et al. from a sponge of the genus Lipastrotheya. Dragmacidin G is the first in this series of compounds to have a pyrazine ring linking the two indole rings. It also has a rare N-(2-mercaptoethyl)-guanidine side chain. Dragmacidin G shows a broad spectrum of biological activity including inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Plasmodium falciparum, and a panel of pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Policy capacity is necessary but not sufficient: Comment on "Health reform requires policy capacity"

Policy capacity focuses on the managerial and organizational abilities to inform policy decisions with sound research and analysis, and facilitate policy implementation with operational efficiency. It stems from a view of the policy process that is rational and positivistic, in which optimal policy choices can be identified, selected, and implemented with objectivity. By itself, however, policy capacity neglects the political aspects of policy-making that can dominate the process, even in health policies. These technical capabilities are certainly needed to advance reforms in health policies, but they are not sufficient. Instead, they must be complemented with public engagement and policy advocacy to ensure support from the public that policies are meant to serve.

Identity Formation in Children and Young People in Open Adoptions from Out-of-home Care in New South Wales, Australia

ABSTRACT Semi-structured interviews were used to explore identity development for nine adoptees (aged 9–23 years) who were adopted by their foster carers in New South Wales, Australia. Adoptions were open, with court-ordered face-to-face contact with birth families. Findings suggest that participants had healthy adoptive identities, with coherent and meaningful narratives about their life histories. Adoption provided a sense of security and belonging. Openness provided information to build a self-narrative and encouraged discussion of adoption issues within adoptive families. Adoptive parents were critical in helping children understand their adoption and facilitating direct contact with birth families, thus laying foundations for positive identity development.

Conclusion: lessons learned and future directions: International and Critical Perspectives

The concluding chapter by the editors offers a short summary of the book and its chapters, drawing attention to the major lessons learned and discussing some of the future directions scholarly research in the field should take. They point out that although the book offers a critique of the Western literature, it is not intended primarily to critique this literature but rather to enhance its international relevance and contribute to the emergence of a globally relevant body of knowledge on social investment that will be helpful to policy-makers and practitioners seeking to promote social welfare around the world. Key words: social investment, international social welfare