Background: Due to the progressive deterioration of motor, cognitive, and psychological function, individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) rely heavily on family caregivers, including children in the home. This "young carer" role can result in responsibilities that are inappropriate for the child's age and abilities. Also referred to…

Objectives: Certain heart conditions and diseases are common in Down syndrome (DS; trisomy 21), but their role in early onset dementia that is prevalent in older adults with DS has not been evaluated. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study of risk factors for low neurocognitive/behavioral scores obtained with a published dementia test…

Zika virus infection-associated microcephaly has generated public health and media concern. Unsettling images emerging from Brazil of infants with abnormally small heads have raised concern among women of childbearing age, international travelers, government officials, and health care professionals. The World Health Organization declared the most…

Background: The aim of this paper was to summarize the main results of the POMONA-ESP project, the first study to explore health status in a large representative, randomized and stratified sample of people with intellectual developmental disorders in Spain. Methods: The POMONA-ESP project collected information about the health of 953 individuals…

One crucial characteristic of scientifically literate individuals is making informed decisions in socioscientific issues (SSI). Participants' reasoning patterns and their risk perceptions shape their decisions. Thus, determining participants' informal reasoning patterns along with their risk perceptions while making decisions in SSI becomes…

This case-control study explores the association between pregnancy/birth complications and other factors with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Lebanese subjects aged 2-18 years. Researchers interviewed 136 ASD cases from the American University of Beirut Medical Center Special Kids Clinic, and 178 controls selected by systematic digit dialing in…

Introduction: Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by limitations in cognitive and adaptive functioning. The aim of this study is to examine sociodemographic characteristics, perinatal and childhood risk factors, and prevalence of psychiatric and biomedical comorbidities in children with ID. Methods: 260 patients with ID were included in…

Epilepsy is a heterogeneous collection of neurological conditions and syndromes characterized by recurrent, unprovoked, paroxysmal seizure activity. It is estimated that 10.5 million children under 15 years have active epilepsy, representing about 25% of the global epilepsy population. Of the 3.5 million people who develop epilepsy annually, 40%…

Optimal cognitive development is defined in this article as the highest level of cognitive function reached in each cognitive domain given a person's biological and genetic disposition, and the highest possible maintenance of cognitive function over the adult life course. Theoretical perspectives underpinning the development of a framework…

Background: High-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) is highly prevalent in sexually active men and women; HR-HPV has been classified as a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and as a necessary, but not sufficient, causal agent for cervical cancer. Women who test positive for HPV often experience serious psychosocial consequences such as fear,…

In the current laboratory assignment, technical aspects of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are integrated in the context of six different bacterial outbreak scenarios. The "Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Sequence" (ERIC) PCR was used to analyze different outbreak scenarios. First, groups of 2-4 students determined optimal…

Objective: College lifestyle places an individual at greater risk for the development of insulin resistance (IR) and disease. The aim of this study was to establish a baseline measurement of insulin, and other variables influencing IR in college freshmen. Participants: Twenty-two men and women, 18 to 19 years of age, during first month of college.…

The health disparities literature has identified a common pattern among middle-aged African Americans that includes high rates of chronic disease along with low rates of psychiatric disorders despite exposure to high levels of cumulative socioeconomic status (SES) risk. The current study was designed to test hypotheses about the developmental…

The Apolipoprotein (ApoE) [epsilon]4 allele is a major genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease, and may affect the production of amyloid beta (A[beta][subscript 1-42]). Recently, we have shown that [beta]-secretase (BACE 1) activity can be reliably detected within the brain and human CSF. Here, we have examined an association between the ApoE…

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) led the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) contribution to the International Human Genome Project, whose primary goal was the sequencing of the human genome. This project was successfully completed in April 2003. Now, the NHGRI's mission is focused on a broad range of studies aimed at…