Young women with AN have low cold-activated BAT, which may be due to impaired BAT thermogenesis. Young women with BAT have higher BMD and lower Pref-1 compared with women without BAT, suggesting that BAT may be involved in the regulation of stem cell differentiation into the bone lineage at the expense of adipogenesis.

Women with anorexia nervosa (AN) have elevated marrow fat mass despite low visceral and subcutaneous fat depots, which is inversely associated with bone mineral density (BMD). Whether marrow fat mass remains persistently elevated or decreases with recovery from AN is currently unknown. In this study, we investigated changes in marrow fat with recovery from AN and the relationship between preadipocyte factor (Pref)-1 -- a member of the EGF-like family of proteins and regulator of adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation -- and fat depots and BMD in women who have recovered from AN (AN-R) compared to women with AN and healthy controls (HC). We studied 29 women: 14 with active or recovered AN (30.7 + 2.2 years (mean ± SEM)) and 15 normal-weight controls (27.8 ± 1.2 years). We measured marrow adipose tissue (MAT) of the L4 vertebra and femur by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy, BMD of the spine, hip and total body by DXA and serum Pref-1 and leptin levels. We found that MAT of the L4 vertebra was significantly lower in AN-R as compared to AN (p = 0.03) and was comparable to levels in HC. Pref-1 levels were also significantly lower in AN-R as compared to AN (p = 0.02) and comparable to levels in healthy controls. Although Pref-1 was positively associated with MAT of the L4 vertebra in AN (R = 0.94; p = 0.002), we found that it was inversely associated with MAT of the L4 vertebra in HC (R = −0.71; p = 0.004). Therefore, we have demonstrated that MAT and Pref-1 levels decrease with recovery from AN. Our data suggest that Pref-1 may have differential effects in states of nutritional deprivation as compared to nutritional sufficiency.

Increased GC exposure as a consequence of reduced 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity is likely to be a critical determinant of growth in early life. This not only highlights the central role of GCs and their metabolism, but also emphasizes the need for detailed longitudinal analyses.

How do secondary teacher candidates learn about their responsibility for the ongoing literacy development of their students? How do they gain the understandings and knowledge of instructional practices necessary to meet this responsibility within their content teaching? The authors document three stages of development their students progress through in the two integrated preservice courses they teach. In the first stage of “naive wonder,” the students exhibit enthusiasm for adolescent literacy development but provide only superficial, simplistic, and clichéd responses. At the stage of “dawning realization,” students begin to recognize the challenges involved and shift their focus from themselves as teachers to their students as learners. By the end of the two integrated courses, the students were in the third stage and approaching their responsibility for literacy development with intellectual rigor.