How do nematodes transfer phosphorylcholine to carbohydrates?

An unusual aspect of the biology of nematodes is the attachment of phosphorylcholine (PC) to carbohydrate. The attachment appears to play an important role in nematode development and, in some parasitic species, in immunomodulation. This article considers the nature of the biosynthetic pathway of nematode PC-containing glycoconjugates and, in particular, the identity of the final component in the pathway - the enzyme that transfers PC to carbohydrate (the 'PC transferase'). We offer the opinion that the PC transferase could be a member of the fukutin family (fukutin refers to the mutated gene product that causes Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy), a group of enzymes with apparent phosphoryl-ligand transferase activity that are found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans

Sleep, anxiety and challenging behaviour in children with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder

Children with an intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to suffer from significantly more sleep problems, anxiety and challenging behaviour (CB) than typically developing children (TD), yet little is known about the relationship between these factors in the child ID/ASD population. The study aim was to examine these relationships. We hypothesised that there would be significant positive correlations between the three factors and that sleep problems and anxiety would predict a significant amount of the variance in levels of CB. Parental measures of sleep problems, anxiety and CB were completed by 187 parents of children with ID and/or ASD. Significant positive associations were found between the three factors. A hierarchical multiple regression showed that medication, sleep problems and anxiety accounted for 42% of the variance in CB, with a large effect size. These findings suggest that these relationships should be considered during clinical practice, particularly in the case of CB interventions where sleep problems and/or anxiety are also present

Literacy Gatekeepers in the Ontario Education System. Why ESL Students Fail? A Bordieuan Perspective

Ontario\u27s education system aims to improve children\u27s literacy levels who hail from diverse backgrounds. Schools must tailor their program layout to their students’ unique needs. Immersion is one of them. As with submersion, instruction occurs in the second language (L2), but there are significant differences. ESL students experience linguistic barriers. According to Migration Matters (June 2017), by 2022, 78% of job openings will require some post-secondary training or university degree. Many immigrants do not have the skills necessary to succeed, and these percentages have not improved. There is a widening incongruence between the complexity of the needs of ESL learners and the availability of ESL [English as a Second Language] services in Canadian schools. School boards across Canada have steadily reduced ESL services over the years (Nichols et al., 2020). Schools are not meeting the language needs of immigrant youth in Ontario, where 29.1% of the population, the highest of any province, is foreign-born (Government of Ontario, 2017). In 2017, 63% of Ontario\u27s elementary schools and 58% of secondary schools had English language learners (ELLs). However, only 38% of English-language elementary schools had ESL teachers (People for Education, 2017). 20% of elementary schools and 31% of secondary schools have no formal process for identifying ELL students (People for Education, 2015), which is the first step to placing students in ELL services. Students’ diverse needs must be met for them to acquire necessary literacy skills. Literacy is a civil right—no one should leave the school system as an illiterate person

Protective effect of small molecule analogues of the Acanthocheilonema viteae secreted product ES-62 on oxazolone-induced ear inflammation

ES-62 is the major secreted protein of the rodent filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae. The molecule contains covalently attached phosphorylcholine (PC) residues, which confer anti-inflammatory properties on ES-62, underpinning the idea that drugs based on this active moiety may have therapeutic potential in human diseases associated with aberrant inflammation. Here we demonstrate that two synthetic small molecule analogues (SMAs) of ES-62 termed SMA 11a and SMA 12b are protective in the oxazolone-induced acute allergic contact dermatitis mouse model of skin inflammation, as measured by a significant reduction in ear inflammation following their administration before oxazolone sensitisation and before oxazolone challenge. Furthermore, it was found that when tested, 12b was effective at reducing ear swelling even when first administered before challenge. Histological analysis of the ears showed elevated cellular infiltration and collagen deposition in oxazolone-treated mice both of which were reduced by treatment with the two SMAs. Likewise, the oxazolone-induced increase in IFNγ mRNA in the ears was reduced but no effect on other cytokines investigated was observed. Finally, no influence on the mast cell populations in the ear was observed

Spectroscopic Characterization of i-motif Forming c-myc Derived Sequences Double-Labeled with Pyrene

In current studies we use the oligonucleotides based on c-myc sequence: CCC CAC CCT CCC CAC CCT CCC C (cmyc22) and CCC CAC CCT CCC CAC CCT CCC CA (cmyc22A) functionalized by pyrene moieties at both termini. Results of the circular dichroism (CD), UV absorption melting experiments, and steady-state fluorescence measurements of pyrene-modified i-motifs as well as their unlabeled precursors are presented and discussed here. The pyrene labels have a remarkable influence on i-motif stability which was deduced from CD spectra and confirmed by UV melting experiments. Both probes emit fluorescence band of pyrene monomer with intensity decreasing upon pH lowering. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10895-013-1184-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

A Rhetorical Analysis of George W. Bush’s National Eulogies

This article offers a critique of President George W. Bush’s national eulogies for the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, and Hurricane Katrina. It addresses the problem of limited research of multiple eulogies from the same president. The article examines the eulogies in two phases: first, it places the speeches within the exigencies and constraints of the situations in which they were drafted and delivered and, then, it analyzes their construction using two frameworks, one developed by Michael Robert Dennis and Adrianne Kunkel and the other designed by Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. The examination centers around the translation of the theory on the genre of the national eulogy into practice, the most prevalent components and characteristics in the eulogies, and the rhetorical effect of the eulogies, understood in terms of achieving the goals defined by the genre

Mast cell subsets and their functional modulation by the Acanthocheilonema viteae product ES-62

ES-62, an immunomodulator secreted by filarial nematodes, exhibits therapeutic potential in mouse models of allergic inflammation, at least in part by inducing the desensitisation of Fc휀RI-mediated mast cell responses. However, in addition to their pathogenic roles in allergic and autoimmune diseases, mast cells are important in fighting infection, wound healing, and resolving inflammation, reflecting that mast cells exhibit a phenotypic and functional plasticity. We have therefore characterised the differential functional responses to antigen (via Fc휀RI) and LPS and their modulation by ES-62 of the mature peritoneal-derived mast cells (PDMC; serosal) and those of the connective tissue-like mast cells (CTMC) and themucosal-likemast cells derived from bone marrow progenitors (BMMC) as a first step to produce disease tissue-targeted therapeutics based on ES-62 action. All three mast cell populations were rendered hyporesponsive by ES-62 and whilst the mechanisms underlying such desensitisation have not been fully delineated, they reflect a downregulation of calcium and PKC훼 signalling. ES-62 also downregulatedMyD88 and PKC훿 in mucosal-type BMMC but not PDMC, the additional signals targeted in mucosal-type BMMC likely reflecting that these cells respond to antigen and LPS by degranulation and cytokine secretion whereas PDMC predominantly respond in a degranulationbased manner

Investigation into the relationship between sleep problems, anxiety and challenging behaviour in children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder

Introduction: Children with a learning disability (LD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to suffer from significantly more sleep problems, anxiety and challenging behaviour (CB) than typically developing children, yet little is known about the relationships between these factors in the child LD/ASD population. Aims and Hypotheses: The aim of the current study was to examine the relationships between sleep problems, anxiety and CB in children with LD and/or ASD. It was hypothesised that there would be differences between levels of sleep problems, anxiety and CB in children with LD alone, LD and ASD, and ASD alone. It was further hypothesised that there would be significant positive correlations between the three factors and that sleep problems and anxiety would predict a significant amount of the variance in levels of CB. Method: Postal questionnaires were returned by parents of one hundred and sixty seven parents of children with LD and/or ASD. Questionnaires consisted of parental report measures of sleep problems, anxiety and CB, in addition to general demographic variables. Results and Discussion: Statistical analysis revealed no difference between groups (LD, LD+ASD, ASD) in relation to sleep problems, however, some differences were found between the groups in relation to anxiety and CB. Correlational analysis revealed significant positive associations between the three factors. A hierarchical multiple regression showed that medication, sleep problems and anxiety accounted for 42% of the variance in CB, with a large effect size. These findings suggest that the relationships between sleep, anxiety and CB found in the TD child and adult LD/ASD populations are also evident in the child LD/ASD population and that these relationships should be considered during clinical practice, particularly in the case of CB interventions where sleep problems and/or anxiety are also present