Epidemiology of psychological disorders in Irish children

Three major epidemiological studies of psychological disorders in Irish children were reviewed. These are the first systematic investigations to be conducted in Ireland and all have been completed within the last 5 years. The studies were conducted in Dublin (N = 2029), Clare (N = 1361) and Cork (N = 733). In all three studies children were screened with the Rutter Teacher Questionnaire. The prevalence rates of children with deviant scores were 17%, 11% and 15% for Dublin, Clare and Cork respectively. Externalizing behavioural problems were three times more prevalent than internalizing problems in Dublin and Clare. Data for Cork, on this variable, were unavailable. In all three studies the prevalence of disorders was higher in boys, but this pattern was particularly marked in Dublin where 21 % of boys had disorders compared to 12% of girls. In Dublin and Clare, but not in Cork, lower intelligence and reading attainment difficulties were associated with the presence of a psychological disorder. In Dublin (the only area for which data on family circumstances were available) family adversity was associated with psychological disorder. In Dublin and Cork, screening by questionnaire was followed-up with an intensive interview study of cases and controls. Estimated prevalence rates of psychological disorder based on interview data were 16% for Dublin and 10% for Cork.Author has checked copyrightkpw18/12/1

GS32, a Novel Golgi SNARE of 32 kDa, Interacts Preferentially with Syntaxin 6

Syntaxin 1, synaptobrevins or vesicle-associated membrane proteins, and the synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) are key molecules involved in the docking and fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane. We report here the molecular, cell biological, and biochemical characterization of a 32-kDa protein homologous to both SNAP-25 (20% amino acid sequence identity) and the recently identified SNAP-23 (19% amino acid sequence identity). Northern blot analysis shows that the mRNA for this protein is widely expressed. Polyclonal antibodies against this protein detect a 32-kDa protein present in both cytosol and membrane fractions. The membrane-bound form of this protein is revealed to be primarily localized to the Golgi apparatus by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, a finding that is further established by electron microscopy immunogold labeling showing that this protein is present in tubular-vesicular structures of the Golgi apparatus. Biochemical characterizations establish that this protein behaves like a SNAP receptor and is thus named Golgi SNARE of 32 kDa (GS32). GS32 in the Golgi extract is preferentially retained by the immobilized GST–syntaxin 6 fusion protein. The coimmunoprecipitation of syntaxin 6 but not syntaxin 5 or GS28 from the Golgi extract by antibodies against GS32 further sustains the preferential interaction of GS32 with Golgi syntaxin 6