Many studies have suggested that prenatal and perinatal factors increase the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, few reports have addressed the question of their influence on the severity of the clinical presentation of children with ASD. Our objective was to determine the prenatal and perinatal factors that are associated with the severity of autistic symptoms and intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: There is global concern about the increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which are early-onset and long-lasting disorders. Although ASDs are considered to comprise a unique syndrome, their clinical presentation and outcome vary widely. Large-scale and long-term cohort studies of well-phenotyped samples are needed to better understand the course of ASDs and their determinants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFollowing inhalation, manganese travels along the olfactory nerve from the olfactory epithelium (OE) to the olfactory bulb (OB). Occupational exposure to inhaled manganese is associated with changes in olfactory function. This pilot study evaluated two related hypotheses: (a) intranasal manganese administration increases OE and OB manganese concentrations; and (b) intranasal manganese exposure impairs performance of previously trained rats on a go-no-go olfactory discrimination (OD) task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirculating or "extracellular" microRNAs (miRNAs) detected in biological fluids, could be used as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of several disease, such as cancer, gynecological and pregnancy disorders. However, their contributions in female infertility and in vitro fertilization (IVF) remain unknown. This study investigated the expression profiles of five circulating miRNAs (let-7b, miR-29a, miR-30a, miR-140 and miR-320a) in human follicular fluid from 91 women with normal ovarian reserve and 30 with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their ability to predict IVF outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present data relating to the interactome of MCM9 from the nuclei of human cells. MCM9 belongs to the AAA+ superfamily, and contains an MCM domain and motifs that may confer DNA helicase activity. MCM9 has been shown to bind MCM8, and has been implicated in DNA replication and homologous recombination.
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