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This article poses an alternative to traditional teacher education methods of preparing reading specialists in university programs focused solely on outcomes. An equally important issue to explore is that of process and how candidates are prepared. Studying outputs with limited attention to process factors leaves teacher educators with incomplete action steps and ambiguous mandates for change. Using qualitative applications, this case study of one university’s preparation program for reading specialists reflects a phenomenological stance centered on the nature of the preparation process. Through methods of naturalistic inquiry-including field observations, interview data, written evaluations and use of applied research-the course instructor participates as the researcher, embracing the notion that “we can only know what we experience by attending to perceptions and meanings that awaken our conscious awareness.” Because of that awakening, the author hopes that useful modifications to programs are made, which in turn lead to increased readiness of those who are prepared to teach in urban settings.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In recent decades, clinical research has made significant advances, resulting in improved survival and recovery rates for patients with CVD. Despite this progress, there is substantial residual CVD risk and an unmet need for better treatment. The complex and multifaceted pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of CVD pose a challenge for researchers seeking effective therapeutic interventions. Consequently, exosomes have emerged as a new focus for CVD research because their role as intercellular communicators gives them the potential to act as noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic nanocarriers. In the heart and vasculature, cell types such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle, cardiac fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, and resident stem cells are involved in cardiac homeostasis via the release of exosomes. Exosomes encapsulate cell-type specific miRNAs, and this miRNA content fluctuates in response to the pathophysiological setting of the heart, indicating that the pathways affected by these differentially expressed miRNAs may be targets for new treatments. This review discusses a number of miRNAs and the evidence that supports their clinical relevance in CVD. The latest technologies in applying exosomal vesicles as cargo delivery vehicles for gene therapy, tissue regeneration, and cell repair are described.

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