| Autism may be caused by brain swelling due to immune system reaction |
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Autism could be caused by an immune system reaction which causes the brain to swell, say researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
Autism could be caused by an immune system reaction which causes the brain to swell, say researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. If this is so, we may one day be able to create a test for autism, and perhaps even develop treatment to prevent it.
Unfortunately, we cannot diagnose autism until it has already developed in the person - the earliest diagnosis takes place in the second year of life when signs of communication problems appear in the child (we don’t really know whether it develops or not after birth, whether it is already there before birth).
Professor Carlos Pardo-Villamizar , team leader, said to the BBC These findings open new possibilities for understanding the dynamic changes that occur in the brain of autistic patients during childhood and adulthood. Although they may lend themselves to the development of new medical treatments for autism, much more research would be needed to establish the validity of this approach.
The prevalence of autism has grown over the last twenty years. Some people wonder whether there may be some environmental trigger. Others suggest that diagnosis is much more accurate these days. Many people in the past with Asperger’s Syndrome were not classed as autistic - today they are, hence the numbers of autistic people today are higher than before. In most of the world, Asperger’s Syndrome was not recognised until 1994.
TYPES OF AUTISM
Several types have been defined along the autism spectrum, differing in the severity of the symptoms and total disability and in the combinations of autistic impairments with other disabilities. We present brief accounts of some of these.
CLASSIC AUTISM, AUTISTIC DISORDER OR KANNER’S SYNDROME
The psychiatrist Leo Kanner of John Hopkins University first described and named this syndrome based on 11 of his child patients between 1932 and 1943. He noted the following common features:
-- a profound lack of affect or emotional contact with others
-- an intense wish for sameness in routines
-- muteness or abnormality of speech
-- fascination with manipulating objects
-- high levels of visuo-spatial skills, but major learning difficulties in other areas
-- attractive, alert and intelligent appearance.
Kanner’s observations became the criteria for early studies of the prevalence of autism. Children (and adults) with these features have the full triad of impairments and represent the most severely disabled end of the autism spectrum of disorders.
Autism organizations were first formed in the 1960s and 1970s by the parents of children with classic autism. More recently these organizations have been enlarged in scope and functions to serve those with a wider range of autistic and pervasive developmental disorders.
ASPERGER’S DISORDER
First described by Hans Asperger of Vienna in 1944, whose work was not generally known in English translation until 1981, the disorder was not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) http://www.autism-biomed.org/dsm-iv.htm until 1994.
Asperger’s shares with autism a severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. But people with Asperger’s do not have the significant delays in language, cognition, self-help skills or adaptive behaviour that are typical in autism; they are often physically clumsy and awkward, more obviously than children with classic autism. Asperger’s is often not recognized easily or early, and may be misdiagnosed as Tourette’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. As with autism, the disorder is lifelong and no complete cure is known. Asperger’s disorder may be the largest type on the autism spectrum, affecting 35 in every 10,000 people.
People with Asperger’s may hav
e an exceptional talent or skill with which they are preoccupied. It is conjectured that several people of remarkable genius may have had Asperger’s--including Albert Einstein, Vladimir Nabokov, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bela Bartok and Andy Warhol. Of Canadian interest is a front-page story in The Globe and Mail (1 February 2000) entitled Was Glenn Gould autistic? The possibility that Asperger’s Syndrome could explain Gould’s social deficiencies, obsessive perfectionism and intolerance of change was raised in the 1996 biography by psychiatrist Peter Oswald, Glenn Gould: The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius, and is now elaborated by the musicologist Timothy Maloney. Gould was acutely sensitive to light, sound and temperature, and had a phobia about shaking hands as well as a limited range of preferred foods. His bizarre mannerisms as a concert performer could be understood as uncontrollable expressions of Asperger’s.
RETT’S SYNDROME
First identified by the Australian, Dr Andreas Rett, in 1965, Rett’s is a complex neurological degenerative disorder that affects only girls. It is rarer than some of the types on the autism spectrum, affecting 1 in every 10,000 girls. From onset at about 18 months of age, its victims become profoundly and multiply disabled and dependent on others for all their needs. Key symptoms include hypotonia (reduced muscle tone) and such autistic-like behaviours as wringing and waving hands. The discovery of the gene for Rett’s syndrome was reported in October 1999.
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| Egg donors could be paid £1,000, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:39 IST |
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Women who donate their eggs to infertile couples could be paid up to £1,000 under new proposals from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Although the sale of gametes is illegal, the EU Tissues and Cells Directive, which comes into force from next April, says donors may receive compensation for the inconvenience of the procedure.
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| Faith in God is down to your genes, says Researcher - Nov 17, 2004 11:38 IST |
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Whether or not you are religious and believe in God is down to your genes, says Dean Hamer, National Cancer Institute’s Gene Structure Regulation Unit, USA. He reckons Jesus, Mohammed (the prophet) and Buddha probably carried the ‘God Gene’ in them. Church representatives have criticised Dean Hamer’s findings.
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| Arthritis patients ’failed’ by NHS, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:38 IST |
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The NHS is failing to provide adequate support for those suffering with musculoskeletal conditions (MSCs), according to new research.
A study conducted by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) found that many patients are being subjected to poor standards of care and provided with little support to help them deal with their condition.
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| Charities call for smoking ban - Nov 17, 2004 11:37 IST |
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The UK’s leading cancer charities are calling on the Government to introduce a full ban on public smoking.
Macmillan Cancer Relief, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, the British Lung Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care are jointly requesting that England follow the example of Ireland and Scotland and impose an outright smoking ban in enclosed public places such as bars and restaurants.
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| Reid denies health plans will restrict freedom, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:36 IST |
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The Government aims to protect public health but its plans will not restrict people’s freedom of choice, health secretary John Reid has said.
Tomorrow’s White Paper on public health is expected to suggest how to tackle the increasing problems of childhood obesity and smoking-related illnesses.
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| Inactive form of scatter factor protein found to suppress tumor growth and spread - Nov 17, 2004 11:35 IST |
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Scatter factor (SF) is a growth factor that controls the proliferation and survival of many tissues by promoting invasive growth in both normal and disease-related biological processes.
Produced in a precursor form, pro-SF must be cleaved in order to activate its receptor, Met tyrosine kinase.
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| Take the Dust Mite Quiz! - Nov 17, 2004 11:34 IST |
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To help people learn about and reduce dust mites from their homes, the American Lung Association and ProTeam, maker of high-performance vacuum cleaners, have launched a simple online quiz that will test consumers’ Dust Mite I Q.
With a time limit of 30 seconds per question, visitors quickly choose from multiple-choice answers to questions that test their knowledge about dust mite basics: where they live in your home, what they feed on, how they can affect your breathing, and how to control them. Click here to take the quiz!
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| MS Patients Benefit from Pumping Iron - Nov 17, 2004 11:34 IST |
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Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have found that exercise can have significant benefits for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), challenging the conventional medical wisdom.
Doctors normally do not recommend that patients with MS do strenuous exercise.
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| UN Fails to Reach Compromise on Human Cloning Issue - Nov 17, 2004 11:32 IST |
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United Nations diplomats on Thursday said that talks aimed at reaching a compromise on a proposed human cloning ban have failed and, as a result, a General Assembly panel on Friday is expected to vote on the U.S.-supported total cloning ban, Reuters reports (Arieff, Reuters, 11/11).
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| Combination treatment helps thyroid cancer patients live longer - Nov 17, 2004 11:32 IST |
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Combining radiation therapy with surgery and chemotherapy helps patients with rare forms of thyroid cancer live longer, according to a study published in the November 15, 2004, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
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| Good Intentions Versus Bad Habits: Why the Old Ways Win Out - Nov 17, 2004 11:31 IST |
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Why are old habits so hard to break? A new study suggests that over time, our bad habits (such as smoking cigarettes or over eating) become automatic, learned behaviors. Even if we consciously try to put new good intentions into place, those previously learned habits remain stronger in more automatic, unconscious forms of memory.
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| Ban on TV junk food ads - Nov 17, 2004 11:30 IST |
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Adverts for junk foods could be banned from being shown on television before the 9pm watershed as part of a Government strategy to tackle obesity.
Sunday newspaper reports suggest that the proposal will form part of the Government’s Public Health White Paper to be published tomorrow.
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| Radio tagging drug bottles to combat counterfeiting, USA - Nov 17, 2004 11:29 IST |
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Medicine bottles in the USA are going to have miniscule radio antennas (mini masts) as manufacturers try to combat growing counterfeiting of drugs. The antennas will emit radio signals so that the drug companies that make them can keep tags on where they are. The aim is to stop criminals getting hold of the bottles.
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| How happy are you with your lot in life? New WHO study asks - Nov 17, 2004 11:28 IST |
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Researchers are asking people throughout Britain to describe how happy they are with their lot in life to help improve the effect of the healthcare they receive.
The researchers have set up an online survey to collect information on the factors that contribute to the quality of life of people in Britain. (The survey is at: http://www.bath.ac.uk/whoqol/questionnaires).
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| Continuous Intake of Barley Tea Improves Blood Fluidity - Nov 17, 2004 11:27 IST |
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Japanese food conglomerate Kagome (TSE: 2811) has announced that its research division has confirmed a unique property of barely tea.
According to their latest research, continuous intake of barely tea helps improve the fluidity of blood. Moreover, as the density of alkylpyrazine, a key substance in the tea flavor, increases, the fluidity improves further.
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| FDA To Announce Important Labeling Changes for Mifepristone - Nov 17, 2004 11:26 IST |
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The Food and Drug Administration will announce today important new safety changes to the Danco Laboratories, LLC’s labeling of mifepristone (trade name Mifeprex, also known as RU-486). Mifeprex was approved in 2000 for the termination of early pregnancy, defined as 49 days or less. FDA and Danco Laboratories have received reports of serious bacterial infection, bleeding, ectopic pregnancies that have ruptured, and death, including another death from sepsis that was recently reported to FDA. These reports have led to the revision of the black box labeling.
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| Internet child porn doctor kept on by hospital, Australia - Nov 17, 2004 11:25 IST |
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A surgeon from Mackay in north Queensland, Australia will remain on the medical staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital despite being convicted on Internet child porn charges.
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| HIV, diagnostic health care tools top of list for UH researchers - Nov 17, 2004 11:24 IST |
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Designing devices to combat HIV and biosensors to aid in diagnostic health care will be among the presentations of two University of Houston professors at a gathering of the top nanotechnologists in the nation Nov. 19-21.
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| Experts Available to Discuss Low-Fat Versus Low-Carb Diets - Nov 17, 2004 11:18 IST |
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Dr. Elizabeth Pivonka heads the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a group charged with helping Americans reach their recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Dr. Pivonka can speak about the impact of fruit and vegetable consumption in the prevention of obesity (specifically childhood obesity), as well as the prevention of chronic disease. She can speak about a new program, 5 A Day the Color Way, that is providing parents with a fun, easy way to get their children interested in a healthy diet. PR Contact: Dan Ward 407-423-8006 dward@curleyandpynn.com
Dr. Robert Acuff, of East Tennessee State University, is the director of the Center for Nutrition Research. One of the center’s functions is evaluating human nutritional status. 423-439-6256
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| Alternative Medicine, Homeopathic & Herbal Remedies - Nov 17, 2004 10:34 IST |
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A new website containing extensive information on alternative medicine, vitamins, homeopathic and herbal remedies launched today on the Internet. The site, at www.MyVitaminGuide.com, contains one of the largest searchable databases of dietary supplement information available on the web.
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