Altered thalamotemporal structural connectivity is associated with autistic traits in children with ASD.

Background: Thalamocortical functional and structural connectivity alterations may contribute to clinical phenotype of Autism Spectrum Disorder. As previous studies focused mainly on thalamofrontal connections, we comprehensively investigated between-group differences of thalamic functional networks and white matter pathways projecting also to temporal, parietal, occipital lobes and their associations with core and co-occurring conditions of this population.

Methods: A total of 38 children (19 with Autism Spectrum Disorder) underwent magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral assessment.

Intrinsically disordered RNA-binding motifs cooperate to catalyze RNA folding and drive phase separation.

RNA-binding proteins are essential for gene regulation and the spatial organization of cells. Here, we report that the yeast ribosome biogenesis factor Loc1p is an intrinsically disordered RNA-binding protein with eight repeating positively charged, unstructured nucleic acid binding (PUN) motifs. While a single of these previously undefined motifs stabilizes folded RNAs, multiple copies strongly cooperate to catalyze RNA folding.

Engineered Protein-G variants for plug-and-play applications.

We have developed a portfolio of antibody-based modules that can be prefabricated as standalone units and snapped together in plug-and-play fashion to create uniquely powerful multifunctional assemblies. The basic building blocks are derived from multiple pairs of native and modified Fab scaffolds and protein G (PG) variants engineered by phage display to introduce high pair-wise specificity. The variety of possible Fab-PG pairings provides a highly orthogonal system that can be exploited to perform challenging cell biology operations in a straightforward manner.

Altered neural synchronization in response to 2 Hz amplitude-modulated tones in the auditory cortex of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An MEG study.

Objective: Some studies have hypothesized that atypical neural synchronization at the delta frequency band in the auditory cortex is associated with phonological and language skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it is still poorly understood. This study investigated this neural activity and addressed the relationships between auditory response and behavioral measures of children with ASD.

Methods: We used magnetoencephalography and individual brain models to investigate 2 Hz Auditory Steady-State Response (ASSR) in 20 primary-school-aged children with ASD and 20 age-matched typically developing (TD) controls.

[Fibrophysematous lung changes and microbiota changes in senile persons.].

Research on the condition of the lungs in senile people is an urgent task. This is due to the fact that degenerative or age-associated changes in the respiratory system play an important role in the formation of senile asthenia syndrome and a decrease in the age-related viability of the body as a whole. CT-scans of patients aged 80-90 years were analyzed (n=31).