Language and communication skills in multilingual children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review.

Both parents and service providers have voiced concerns about the potential negative impact of exposure to multiple languages on the language and communication skills of autistic children. The current literature review summarized research that assessed the language and communication skills of multilingual autistic children in comparison with their autistic and nonautistic peers. After a comprehensive search, 22 relevant publications were identified that met the inclusion criteria of the current review.

Intraperitoneal delivery of acetate-encapsulated liposomal nanoparticles for neuroprotection of the penumbra in a rat model of ischemic stroke.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a devastating condition, with metabolic derangement and persistent inflammation enhancing the initial insult of ischaemia. Recombinant tissue plasminogen remains the only effective treatment but limited as therapy must commence soon after the onset of symptoms.

Purpose: We investigated whether acetate, which modulates many pathways including inflammation, may attenuate brain injury in stroke.

Subthalamic nucleus neurones in slices from 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-lesioned mice show irregular, dopamine-reversible firing pattern changes, but without synchronous activity.

The loss of dopamine in idiopathic or animal models of Parkinson's disease induces synchronized low-frequency oscillatory burst-firing in subthalamic nucleus neurones. We sought to establish whether these firing patterns observed in vivo were preserved in slices taken from dopamine-depleted animals, thus establishing a role for the isolated subthalamic-globus pallidus complex in generating the pathological activity. Mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) showed significant reductions of over 90% in levels of dopamine as measured in striatum by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Non-CFTR chloride channels likely contribute to secretion in the murine small intestine.

While most cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-knockout animals die due to intestinal obstruction before or at the time of weaning, a subpopulation of these animals are long living and exhibit a milder phenotype. The decreased severity of intestinal disease in these mildly affected CF mice is related to the expression of non-CFTR genetic modifiers. The identity of these genetic modifiers is not known, but we hypothesize that they may complement CFTR function as a chloride channel in this tissue.

Walker mutations reveal loose relationship between catalytic and channel-gating activities of purified CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator).

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) functions as an ATPase and as a chloride channel. It has been hypothesized, on the basis of electrophysiological findings, that the catalytic activity of CFTR is tightly coupled to the opening and closing of the channel gate. In the present study, to determine the structural basis for the ATPase activity of CFTR, we assessed the effect of mutations within the "Walker A" consensus motifs on ATP hydrolysis by the purified, intact protein.

ClC-2 activation modulates regulatory volume decrease.

ClC-2 belongs to a large family of chloride channels and its expression in certain cell types is associated with the appearance of swelling-activated chloride (Cl-) currents. In the present report, we examined the hypothesis that ClC-2 plays a role in regulatory volume decrease by expressing ClC-2 in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus system. First, we showed that ClC-2 protein expression is associated with appearance of a Cl- conductance which is activated by hypo-osmotic shock and can be distinguished from swelling-activated chloride currents endogenous to Sf9 cells on the basis of its pharmacology and specific inhibition by an anti-ClC-2 antibody.

A conserved region of the R domain of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator is important in processing and function.

The R domain of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) connects the two halves of the protein, each of which possess a transmembrane-spanning domain and a nucleotide binding domain. Phosphorylation of serine residues, which reside mostly within the C-terminal two-thirds of the R domain, is required for nucleotide-dependent activation of CFTR chloride channel activity. The N terminus of the R domain is also likely to be important in CFTR function, since this region is highly conserved among CFTRs of different species and exhibits sequence similarity with the "linker region" of the related protein, P-glycoprotein.

Coupling of ATP hydrolysis with channel gating by purified, reconstituted CFTR.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a chloride channel situated on the apical membrane of epithelial cells. Our recent studies of purified, reconstituted CFTR revealed that it also functions as an ATPase and that there may be coupling between ATP hydrolysis and channel gating. Both the ATP turnover rate and channel gating are slow, in the range of 0.

A novel procedure for the efficient purification of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).

This report describes a novel, single-step strategy for the purification of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator from Sf9 cells, which will facilitate studies of the structure-function relationships of this clinically important molecule. The new method combines the use of the novel detergent sodium pentadecafluoro-octanoate with metal-affinity chromatography to produce a high yield of purified protein which can be functionally reconstituted as a chloride channel and an ATPase.

ATPase activity of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

The gene mutated in cystic fibrosis codes for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a cyclic AMP-activated chloride channel thought to be critical for salt and water transport by epithelial cells. Plausible models exist to describe a role for ATP hydrolysis in CFTR channel activity; however, biochemical evidence that CFTR possesses intrinsic ATPase activity is lacking. In this study, we report the first measurements of the rate of ATP hydrolysis by purified, reconstituted CFTR.

Peri-islet infiltrates of young non-obese diabetic mice display restricted TCR beta-chain diversity.

To define the clonal diversity of autoreactive T cells associated with the induction of type 1 diabetes, we characterized TCR expression in the earliest detectable islet infiltrates of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The islets of young NOD females were examined for V beta and J beta germ-line gene usage and V(D)J beta junctional sequence diversity. The results from 7-wk-old mice corroborate prior studies demonstrating that the T cell repertoire of islet infiltrates diversifies early in the inflammatory process.

Differential modulation of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in human epidermal keratinocytes by UVB.

Conflicting reports exist concerning ultraviolet-B (UVB) effects on keratinocyte (KC) interleukin-1 (IL-1) expression. To clarify the modulatory effects of UVB on IL-1, the following study was undertaken. Normal human epidermal KCs cultured in a standard low Ca2+ and serum-free medium were irradiated in quiescent phase with UVB.

Cloning of HSP70 (dnaK) gene from Clostridium perfringens using a general polymerase chain reaction based approach.

A general method to clone the HSP70 gene from any species employing polymerase chain reaction and degenerate oligonucleotide primers for conserved regions of this protein family is described. Using this method, a clone containing the entire coding sequence for the HSP70 gene from Clostridium perfringens, has been isolated and sequenced. The HSP70s from C.