Publications by authors named "Hannah Leblanc"

Introduction: Traumatic injury is the leading cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity in the United States. While behavioral impairments of children after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been described, outcomes following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and multi-trauma (MT) are less known. We aimed to address the prevalence of behavioral and neuropsychiatric disorders in pediatric and adolescent trauma patients.

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Pseudouridine (Ψ) is an ubiquitous RNA modification, present in the tRNAs and rRNAs of species across all domains of life. Conserved pseudouridine synthases modify the mRNAs of diverse eukaryotes, but the modification has yet to be identified in bacterial mRNAs. Here, we report the discovery of pseudouridines in mRNA from E.

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We have previously developed a transcription-based bacterial three-hybrid (B3H) assay as a genetic approach to probe RNA-protein interactions inside of cells. This system offers a straightforward path to identify and assess the consequences of mutations in RBPs with molecular phenotypes of interest. One limiting factor in detecting RNA-protein interactions in the B3H assay is RNA misfolding arising from incorrect base-pair interactions with neighboring RNA sequences in a hybrid RNA.

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Long overlooked in neuroscience research, sex and gender are increasingly included as key variables potentially impacting all levels of neurobehavioral analysis. Still, many neuroscientists do not understand the difference between the terms "sex" and "gender," the complexity and nuance of each, or how to best include them as variables in research designs. This TechSights article outlines rationales for considering the influence of sex and gender across taxa, and provides technical guidance for strengthening the rigor and reproducibility of such analyses.

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From the early 1950s to the early 1970s, international nutritionists considered childhood protein malnutrition the world's most serious public health threat. By 1974, many believed that this "protein gap" had been exaggerated. Two questions remain: why protein, and why this period? Four converging developments created a network that maintained protein's "charisma": new food technology, a growing international health infrastructure, the nominal demise of eugenics, and new geopolitical priorities in a world shaped by both the Cold War and decolonization struggles.

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Introduction: Traumatic injury is the leading cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity in the United States. Pediatric trauma survivors requiring inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) require coordinated, multispecialty follow-up. Knowledge of the nature and level of disability is necessary for planning this continued care that is specific to the needs of pediatric trauma patients.

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Background: In this paper, we argue for Gender as a Sociocultural Variable (GASV) as a complement to Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV). Sex (biology) and gender (sociocultural behaviors and attitudes) interact to influence health and disease processes across the lifespan-which is currently playing out in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study develops a gender assessment tool-the Stanford Gender-Related Variables for Health Research-for use in clinical and population research, including large-scale health surveys involving diverse Western populations.

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Noncoding RNAs regulate gene expression in every domain of life. In bacteria, small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate gene expression in response to stress and are often assisted by RNA-chaperone proteins, such as Hfq. We have recently developed a bacterial three-hybrid (B3H) assay that detects the strong binding interactions of certain sRNAs with proteins Hfq and ProQ.

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The FinO-domain-protein ProQ is an RNA-binding protein that has been known to play a role in osmoregulation in proteobacteria. Recently, ProQ has been shown to act as a global RNA-binding protein in Salmonella and Escherichia coli, binding to dozens of small RNAs (sRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to regulate mRNA-expression levels through interactions with both 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). Despite excitement around ProQ as a novel global RNA-binding protein, and its potential to serve as a matchmaking RNA chaperone, significant gaps remain in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms ProQ uses to interact with RNA.

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Local axonal protein synthesis plays a crucial role in the formation and function of neuronal circuits. Understanding the role of this mechanism in specific circuits requires identifying the protein composition and mRNA cargos of the ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) that form the substrate for axonal translation. FXGs (Fragile X granules) are axonal RNPs present in a stereotyped subset of mature axons in the intact brain that contain one or more of the Fragile X related (FXR) proteins (FMRP, FXR2P, and FXR1P) along with mRNA and ribosomes.

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Introduction: Cigarette purchasing patterns may be linked with greater readiness to make a quit attempt and more quit attempts among domiciled samples. However, little is known about the cigarette purchasing patterns of homeless smokers or their potential relations to quitting intention and behaviors. This study redressed this gap among a convenience sample of homeless adult smokers from a large shelter in Dallas, Texas.

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Article Synopsis
  • Loss of Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) leads to Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism, and recent research highlights its role beyond the brain cell body into axons and presynaptic areas.
  • Fragile X granules (FXGs), which contain these proteins, are found in specific neuronal circuits and are especially prominent in areas linked to sensory processing and motor planning, functions that are often impaired in FXS patients.
  • Studies show that FMRP is necessary for the regulation of FXGs, indicating that disturbances in these presynaptic proteins may contribute to the neurological challenges faced by individuals with FXS.
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