Claire Dickerson

Association of the Gsα Gene With Essential Hypertension and Response to β-Blockade

Abstract —We examined whether the GNAS1 locus, encoding the Gs protein α-subunit (Gsα), is implicated in the genetic causes of essential hypertension. A common silent polymorphism (ATT→ATC, Ile131) was identified in exon 5 of the Gsα gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. This polymorphism consists of the presence (+) or absence (−) of a restriction site for Fok I. Only 1 other rare allele was found in the coding region; the high GC content of the 5′ noncoding sequence prevented mutation scanning of the promoter region of the gene. There was a significant difference in frequency of the Fok I alleles between 268 white hypertensives ( Fok I+: Fok I−, 51%:49%) and a matched group of 231 control subjects ( Fok I+: Fok I−, 58%:42%) ( P =0.02). Multiple regression analysis showed that the Fok I genotype was independently related to the level of untreated systolic blood pressure in 294 well-characterized white hypertensives ( P =0.01) but not in normotensives. The influence of the Fok I allele on blood pressure (BP) response to β-blockade was examined in 114 of the patients randomly assigned to this class of drug. Significant differences in frequency of the Fok I allele were observed in the good responders ( Fok I+: Fok I−, 62.5%:37.5%, n=36) versus the poor responders ( Fok I+: Fok I−, 41.7%:58.3%, n=30) after β-blocker therapy ( P =0.02). In a multiple regression analysis, the Gsα genotype was the only independent predictor of BP response. These results suggest that the GNAS 1 locus might carry a functional variant that influences BP variation and response to β-blockade in essential hypertension.

β2-Adrenoceptor gene polymorphisms and blood pressure variations in East Anglian Caucasians

Objective The amino-terminal polymorphisms, Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu, of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) have been shown to affect regulation of the receptor expression by an agonist in cell culture studies. The Arg16Gly polymorphism has also been recently shown to be associated with essential hypertension. We therefore evaluated whether the amino-terminal polymorphisms of β2AR are associated with hypertension in a Caucasian population. Subjects and methods We performed an association study in 298 hypertensive patients and an equal number of age-matched normotensive controls from the East Anglian region, with blood pressure assessed categorically and quantitatively. We also examined the influence of the amino-terminal polymorphisms on blood pressure response to β-blockade in 144 of the patients randomly assigned to this class of drug. Genotyping of the Arg16Gly polymorphism was undertaken by a newly designed mismatched polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digestion with Nde I, whereas the Gln27Glu polymorphism was genotyped by PCR followed by Fnu4H I cleavage. Results We found no differences in the genotype or allele frequencies of the β2AR polymorphisms between hypertensive and normotensive participants. There was also no association between the β2AR genotypes and variations in either basal blood pressure or the blood pressure response to a β-blocker. Conclusion These findings suggest that the amino-terminal polymorphisms of the β2AR gene are unlikely to constitute major susceptibility for essential hypertension in the East Anglian population.

Selective suprasensitivity to calcitonin-gene-related peptide in the hands in Raynaud's phenomenon

The effects of intravenous infusion of three vasodilators on skin blood flow were studied in eight patients with Raynauds phenomenon and eight controls, matched for age and sex, by means of the non-invasive technique of laser doppler flowmetry (LDF). The responses to calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) were compared with those to the endothelium-dependent vasodilator adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the endothelium-independent vasodilator prostacyclin (epoprostenol; PGI2). In the patients with Raynauds phenomenon, CGRP induced flushing of the face and hands accompanied by a rise in skin blood flow, whereas in the controls CGRP caused flushing and increased blood flow only in the face. PGI2 caused similar rises in skin blood flow in the hands and face in both groups. ATP did not cause any significant changes in skin blood flow in the face or hands in the patients, but in the controls it increased skin blood flow in the face. Since the suprasensitivity to CGRP of skin blood flow in the hands of patients with Raynauds phenomenon is not common to other vasodilators, it may reflect a deficiency of endogenous CGRP release in this disorder.

Developing an appreciation of what it means to be a school-based teacher educator

The nature of partnership between schools and higher education institutions is changing in many countries, with experienced teachers taking on more responsibility for teacher education whilst remaining in their school as teachers, rather than entering the higher education sector to become teacher educators. This research considers the perspectives of these school-based teacher educators (SBTEs) in England, exploring the impact that this role has on them, their student-teachers and their schools. Some benefits and challenges that they face in the dual role of teacher and teacher educator are revealed. The research takes an interpretive perspective, listening to the meanings being constructed by the participants through use of a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and a focus group of student-teachers who learned from these SBTEs. Possible impacts on student-teachers’ learning and implications for the development of high-quality teacher education are examined.

Learning through projects: identifying opportunities for individual professional learning and development

This article is based on findings from the evaluation of a project established to enhance learning and teaching in higher education. This project took place within the University of Hertfordshire School of Education in England through the Change Academy for Blended Learning Enhancement (CABLE) project, the university version of the UK Higher Education Academy and Joint Information Systems Committee Pathfinder programme. The purpose of the project within the school was to increase the support for students’ reading at master’s degree level. The evaluation approach for the project was based on RUFDATA, which provides a framework for evaluation activity. Stakeholders’ reflections on the process and outcomes of the project included the contribution it had made to teaching and learning, and the opportunities it had provided for personal and professional learning and development. The CABLE project is one example of the many funded projects that are a common feature in higher education settings; all potentially of value for individual, team and organisational learning. In this article, the findings from the evaluation are used to suggest some questions that might be asked in future projects to prospectively and proactively identify opportunities for individual professional learning and development.

Staff–student collaboration: student learning from working together to enhance educational practice in higher education

ABSTRACT The association of research and teaching, and the roles and responsibilities of students and academic staff and the nature of their interrelationship are important issues in higher education. This article presents six undergraduate student researchers’ reports of their learning from collaborating with academic staff to design, undertake and evaluate enquiries into aspects of learning and teaching at a UK University. The students’ reflections suggest that they identified learning in relation to employability skills and graduate attributes and more importantly in relation to their perceptions of themselves as learners and their role in their own learning and that of others. This article draws attention to the potential of staff–student collaborative, collective settings for developing pedagogic practice and the opportunities they can provide for individual students learning on their journey through higher education.

Using action, reflection and modelling (ARM) in Malaysian primary schools: connecting 'the ARM theory' with student teachers' reported practice

Abstract This article presents Malaysian student teachers’ reports of using an action, reflection and modelling (ARM) pedagogical approach during their placements in Malaysian primary schools. The ARM approach was designed to support the implementation of the Malaysian primary school mathematics curriculum, which involved changing classroom practice in learning and teaching. It was developed and used during a Malaysia–UK collaborative project to construct a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree programme in Primary Mathematics for a cohort of 120 student teachers in Malaysia. The three principles integral to the ARM approach were repeatedly made explicit to the student practitioners who were engaged in learning and teaching on the new degree programme. Using findings from surveys carried out with the students at the end of their first and final placements, this article provides examples of the way some of them described ARM and recounted how they had used the approach in the classroom. Four of these narratives are used as ‘vignettes’ to illustrate the students’ perceptions of using new ways of learning and teaching in primary schools and to inform and enable a discussion of the relationship between theory and practice in teacher education.

Workforce development and effective evaluation of projects

The success of a project or programme is typically determined in relation to outputs. However, there is a commitment among UK public services to spending public funds efficiently and on activities that provide the greatest benefit to society. Skills for Health recognised the need for a tool to manage the complex process of evaluating project benefits. An integrated evaluation framework was developed to help practitioners identify, describe, measure and evaluate the benefits of workforce development projects. Practitioners tested the framework on projects within three NHS trusts and provided valuable feedback to support its development. The prospective approach taken to identify benefits and collect baseline data to support evaluation was positively received and the clarity and completeness of the framework, as well as the relevance of the questions, were commended. Users reported that the framework was difficult to complete; an online version could be developed, which might help to improve usability. Effective implementation of this approach will depend on the quality and usability of the framework, the willingness of organisations to implement it, and the presence or establishment of an effective change management culture.

‘I enjoy learning’: developing early years practitioners’ identities as professionals and as professional learners

Abstract Emphasis on professionalisation of the childcare workforce internationally is associated with evidence that links education and experience of early years practitioners; quality of early education and care; and outcomes for children and families. In England, this has led to a proliferation of vocational undergraduate programmes. This article draws on research carried out with early years practitioners who were completing a sector endorsed foundation degree in early years programme that provided students in full-time employment with opportunities for professional and workplace learning. The students’ views and experiences, documented in personal reflections and learning stories and voiced during focus groups, were complemented by those of early years managers and mentors. A critique of the findings to learn about developing early years practitioners’ identities as professionals and as professional learners suggests that the students became confident, reflective professionals and learners who shared their learning and sought to implement change in their settings. This research has implications for developing early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners, new to academic study, as learners and as confident, reflective members of a professional workforce at a time of ongoing change and uncertainty in ECEC policy and practice nationally and internationally.

Changing Practice in Malaysian Primary Schools: Learning from Student Teachers' Reports of Using Action, Reflection and Modelling (ARM).

Abstract Curricular and pedagogical reforms are complex inter-linked processes such that curricular reform can only be enacted through teachers teaching differently. This article reports the perspective of emergent Malaysian primary teachers who were expected to implement a Government reform that promoted active learning. The 120 student teachers were members of a single cohort completing a new B.Ed. degree programme in Primary Mathematics designed by teacher educators from Malaysia and the UK. They were taught to use a tripartite pedagogical framework involving action or active learning, supported in practice through reflection and modelling. Drawing on findings from surveys carried out with the student teachers at the end of their first and final placements this article examines evidence for the premise that the student teachers were teaching differently; illustrates how they reported using active learning strategies; and identifies factors that enabled and constrained pedagogic change in the primary classroom. The students’ accounts of using action, reflection and modelling are critiqued in order to learn about changing learning and teaching practice and to contribute to understanding teacher education and early teacher development. The students’ reports suggest diversity of understanding that emphasises the need to challenge assumptions when working internationally and within national and local cultures.