The Iowa Perinatal Letter, April-May-June 2010, Vol. 31, no. 2

This newsletter from The Department of Public Health about perinatal health care and statistics.

Footnotes, April-May-June 2010, Vol.35, no.4-6

Monthly newsletter of State Library

Executive Order Number Twenty-Four, May 28, 2010

Restructures the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman by mandating that the Office become institutionally independent by means of relocating to a separate physical space and directing the Ombudsman’s Office to propose legislation that will ensure the independence of the Office, as required under the federal Older Americans Act.

Infonet, May 3, 2010, Issue 7

A publication of the Governorʼs DD Council & ID Action. It was first created nearly two decades ago as a print-only publication, sent to a few hundred people. Today we offer our nearly 3,000 direct subscribers and a variety of services.

Infonet, May 1, 2009, Issue 7

A publication of the Governorʼs DD Council & ID Action. It was first created nearly two decades ago as a print-only publication, sent to a few hundred people. Today we offer our nearly 3,000 direct subscribers and a variety of services.

Infonet, May 1, 2008, Issue 7

A publication of the Governorʼs DD Council & ID Action. It was first created nearly two decades ago as a print-only publication, sent to a few hundred people. Today we offer our nearly 3,000 direct subscribers and a variety of services.

Audit report on the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation for the year ended May 31, 2010

Audit report on the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation for the year ended May 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of certain driver’s license collections at the Sioux County Treasurer’s Office for the period July 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of certain driver’s license collections at the Sioux County Treasurer’s Office for the period July 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010

Special investigation of the Iowa Department of Economic Development Film Office and the Film, Television and Video Production Promotion Program for the period May 17, 2007 through September 21, 2009

Special investigation of the Iowa Department of Economic Development Film Office and the Film, Television and Video Production Promotion Program for the period May 17, 2007 through September 21, 2009

IPERB, May 2010

The IPERB newsletter is published by the Public Employment Relations Board. The opinions expressed should not be considered official opinions of the Iowa PERB.

Iowa Motor Fuel Tax Monthly Reports, May 2010

The monthly fuel tax report from Iowa Department of Transportation to the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance.

Placement of Students Ages 3-21 with Disabilities Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): A Policy Discussion, May 2010

The provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE), an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and the least restrictive environment (LRE) have been important cornerstones of educating students with disabilities since the enactment of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), Public Law 94-142, in 1975, and its subsequent reauthorizations, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, 1997, and 2004. It is impossible to consider any one of these cornerstones without the others, when determining an appropriate educational placement for a student with a disability. The Iowa Department of Education has identified several practice issues regarding the interplay between FAPE, LRE, and the IEP in placement decisions for students with disabilities. To that end, this document will provide guidance for administrators of local education agencies (LEAs) and area education agencies (AEAs), as well as IEP teams (or other placement teams) within Iowa LEAs and AEAs when making placement decisions for eligible children with disabilities. This guidance will specifically discuss ten LRE and FAPE placement/program policy questions that have been identified by the Iowa Department of Education as needing attention. The policy discussions are consistent with the legal provisions of the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA (IDEA 2004) and its 2006 final federal implementing regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This document is also consistent with the Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education (2007) [hereinafter “Iowa Rules”]. In addition, the term local education agency (LEA) is used interchangeably for school district throughout this document. Prior to the discussion of specific policy questions, a federal and state legal framework for providing FAPE for students with disabilities within the LRE is briefly outlined. Pertinent FAPE and LRE court decisions that impact Iowa LEAs and AEAs are also included within Section II.

p38/MKP-1-regulated AKT coordinates macrophage transitions and resolution of inflammation during tissue repair

Repair of damaged tissue requires the coordinated action of inflammatory and tissue-specific cells to restore homeostasis, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. In this paper, we report new roles for MKP-1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK] phosphatase-1) in controlling macrophage phenotypic transitions necessary for appropriate muscle stem cell¿dependent tissue repair. By restricting p38 MAPK activation, MKP-1 allows the early pro- to antiinflammatory macrophage transition and the later progression into a macrophage exhaustion-like state characterized by cytokine silencing, thereby permitting resolution of inflammation as tissue fully recovers. p38 hyperactivation in macrophages lacking MKP-1 induced the expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21), which in turn reduced PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue) levels, thereby extending AKT activation. In the absence of MKP-1, p38-induced AKT activity anticipated the acquisition of the antiinflammatory gene program and final cytokine silencing in macrophages, resulting in impaired tissue healing. Such defects were reversed by temporally controlled p38 inhibition. Conversely, miR-21¿AKT interference altered homeostasis during tissue repair. This novel regulatory mechanism involving the appropriate balance of p38, MKP-1, miR-21, and AKT activities may have implications in chronic inflammatory degenerative diseases.