This patient education program explains amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease) including the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. This resource is a MedlinePlus Interactive Health Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine, designed and developed by the Patient Education Institute.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Among patients undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery, a high-grade pivot shift before surgery is widely considered to confer an increased risk of graft rupture and persistent instability after surgery. But what are the risk factors for high-grade pivot shifts themselves? A new study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine reports injury to anterolateral structures as the most important risk factor for high-grade pivot shifts in patients suffering ACL injuries. The pivot shift test is the most specific physical exam for diagnosing ACL injuries. The examiner applies inward pressure on the lateral thigh with one hand while internally rotating the lower leg as the knee is flexed from a fully extended position. The presence of a pivot shift is indicated by an abrupt forward shift of the tibia back to its normal anatomical position. This shift is graded between 1 and 3 according International Knee Documentation Committee criteria, with 1 and 2 considered low grade, and 3 considered high grade..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

These introductory plans will springboard students into the fictional text, Night of the Twister.  This modified text, and informational PowerPoint featuring four natural disasters, was inspired by a real event that happened in Nebraska in 1980.  The modified text was created using more simplistic language while keeping the main idea intact.  Students will recount events and analyze characteristics that define natural disasters, while answering the overarching unit question: How do natural disasters impact us? This set of lessons is intended to span between 5-10 instructional periods and will also set the stage for specific learning structures and routines.  Students will use response strategies to identify how nature can impact us.  Through reading and discussion, students will cite key details and make inferences based evidence that support the main idea of portions of the text read.  Included are examples of text dependent questions and sample questions to guide instruction.  Contained in this plan are day-by-day lessons.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A new clinical trial suggests levosimendan could improve respiratory function in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disease that results in progressive weakness. Those affected by the disease typically die within three to four years of diagnosis due to respiratory failure commonly resulting from weakening of the diaphragm. Prior studies indicate that levosimendan – a calcium sensitizer on the market since 2000 for the treatment of acute worsening of severe heart failure – can also boost the force and efficiency with which the diaphragm contracts. This prompted researchers to investigate whether levosimendan is clinically beneficial to those with ALS. The phase 2 trial used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral levosimendan in 66 patients with ALS..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

These introductory plans will springboard students into the inspirational text, Dolphin Tale: The Junior Novel. This modified text, and a full length feature movie, was inspired by the true story of Winter, an injured bottlenose dolphin, and her recovery. Selected as an anchor text for this unit, Dolphin Tale: The Junior Novel provides many opportunities for third graders to engage in deep comprehension with a motivating and relevant text.  The modified text, was created using more simplistic language while keeping the main idea and characters intact. Students will recount events and identify the many and varied types of relationships presented in the story. Later in this unit, students will read a modified version of, Winter’s Tail, the informative account of Winter’s rescue and her rehabilitation. This set of lessons is intended to span between 6-10 instructional periods and will also set the stage for specific learning structures and routines.  Students will use response strategies to identify relationships among characters and animals.  Through reading and discussion, students will cite key details and evidence that support the main idea of portions of the text read. Contained in this plan are day-by-day lessons.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, fatal neurodegenerative disease. One of the likely mechanisms of ALS degeneration is a calcium (Ca²⁺) imbalance in neurons. The neurotoxin L-BMAA causes ALS-like symptoms, likely by causing a Ca²⁺ ‘leak’ in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leading to cell stress and death. The enzyme SOD1 and its non-metallated form ApoSOD1 can prevent cell death from L-BMAA. Both forms of SOD1 do this by rapidly increasing the concentration of Ca²⁺ in the ER, but the intermediary mechanism is not yet understood. However, a recent study suggested that the sodium/calcium ion (Na⁺/Ca²⁺) exchanger protein, NCX1, mediates this increase in Ca²⁺ concentration. Both forms of SOD1 activated NCX1 in its ‘reverse mode’ where it pumps Ca²⁺ back into the ER, counteracting the leak. This was likely achieved by a prior SOD1-induced increase in the Na⁺ concentration..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.