Objective: To predict prodromal psychosis in adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). Method: A total of 70 youth with VCFS, 27 siblings of youth with VCFS, and 25 community controls were followed from childhood (mean age = 11.8 years) into mid-adolescence (mean age = 15.0 years). Psychological tests measuring intelligence, academic…

The primary focus of pain research in intellectually disabled individuals is still on pain assessment. Several observational pain assessment scales are available, each with its own characteristics, its own target group and its own validated use. Observational studies report differences in the treatment of intra- and postoperative pain of…

Millions of people currently live at altitudes in excess of 2500 metres, where oxygen supply is limited, but very little is known about the development of brain and behavioural function under such hypoxic conditions. We describe the physiological, cognitive and behavioural profile of a large cohort of infants (6-12 months), children (6-10 years)…

With new technologies developing so fast, it is difficult for students and teachers alike to keep up to date. Add into the mix skewed media reporting, some creative science fiction films and the unregulated world of the internet, and it becomes increasingly hard to separate fact from fiction. As Australia's largest funding body for stem cell…

Textbook illustrations of 3D biopolymers on printed paper, regardless of how detailed and colorful, suffer from its two-dimensionality. For beginners, computer screen display of skeletal models of biopolymers and their animation usually does not provide the at-a-glance 3D perception and details, which can be done by good hand-held models. Here, we…

A key goal of molecular/cell biology/biotechnology is to identify essential genes in virtually every physiological process to uncover basic mechanisms of cell function and to establish potential targets of drug therapy combating human disease. This article describes a semester-long, project-oriented molecular/cellular/biotechnology laboratory…

In 1990, a woman was wrongly convicted of poisoning her infant son and was sentenced to life in prison. Her conviction was based on laboratory work that wrongly identified ethylene glycol as present in her son's blood and in the formula he drank prior to his death. The actual cause of the infant's death, a metabolic disease, was eventually…

A modified version of this project was used during the final seven days of a year-long calculus sequence at the United States Military Academy to introduce students to the nature of integrative learning. Students from different majors were brought together in groups and spent the first few days going over the mathematics material presented here.…

Individuals with late-treated phenylketonuria (PKU) not detected by newborn screening but who followed dietary treatment for at least 12 months before 7 years of age have intelligence quotient (IQ) scores that range from severe impairment to the low-normal range. Among adults with late-treated PKU in California, 85% of those who were born from…

The collection of articles in this special issue and related studies over the past decade provides a fine example of the substantial progress that has been made in our understanding and remediation of mathematical learning disabilities and difficulties since 1993 (Geary, 1993). The originally proposed procedural and retrieval deficits have been…

This article describes how DNA barcoding investigations bring biology to life. Biologists recognize the power of DNA barcoding not just to teach biology through connections to the real world but also to immerse students in the exciting process of science. As an investigator in the Program for the Human Environment at Rockefeller University in New…

Background: A common polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4, 5HTT) has been repeatedly shown to moderate the influence of childhood adversity and stressful life events on the development of psychopathology. Using data from the English and Romanian Adoptee Study, a prospective-longitudinal study of individuals (n = 125) exposed to…

In this introductory, hands-on, multicultural genetics lesson for elementary students, the author describes an activity used to engage learners in understanding diversity in self, family, and others. Students make connections between traits within their family and learn a few basic concepts about inheritance. At the end of the lesson, the author…

Glutamatergic dysfunction is implicated in the pathophysiology of fragile X syndrome (FXS). We report on the first trial of acamprosate, a drug with putative mGluR5 antagonism, in three adults with FXS and autism. Medical records describing open-label treatment with acamprosate in 3 patients with FXS and a comorbid diagnosis of autistic disorder…

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, risk factors, manifestations, and outcome of epilepsy in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) due to perinatal arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS). Method: The study group comprised 63 participants (41 males, 22 females) from a population-based CP register whose brain imaging showed…