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25
November 2007
High
Dose Folic Acid Supplementation and Autism
There
is a theory that high dosage folic acid supplementation taken by a
mother during pregnancy (as advised by doctors to protect against neural
tube defects) causes a child in the first years of life to develop
folate metabolism disorders. Hence, regressive Autism - So very
plausible when folate (5-MTHF) is linked to the MTHFR (DNA Methylation)
gene detoxifying disorder that all Autistic children have.
Here's a more scientific explanation to the folate theory:
http://www.enlink.org/pt/re/nestle/abstract.00035138-200606000-00010.htm
29
September 2007
Stem
Cell Therapy For Treating Autism
Two
videos of stem cell-treatment in autistic children.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cdeI9ZYkvIg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlSaXCzLW6w
16
July 2007
Flu
While Pregnant Can Harm Foetus
Women
who catch the flu during pregnancy are up to seven times more likely to
have a child with schizophrenia - and scientists believe they have
finally figured out why.
A
rogue protein, interleukin 6 - produced when a pregnant woman is
fighting a viral infection - may help trigger mental illnesses such as
autism and schizophrenia in the child, US neuroscientist Paul Patterson
said yesterday.
Professor
Patterson, speaking from an international neuroscience conference in
Melbourne, said schizophrenia and autism resulted from a combination of
environmental factors such as the mother's health and genetic
predisposition.
Professor
Patterson, from the California Institute of Technology, said that when a
pregnant woman contracted respiratory infections such as influenza
during pregnancy, there was a greater risk the fetus's brain would be
permanently altered, leaving it prone to the possibility of mental
illness later in life.
But
while this knowledge had been known in the scientific community for some
time, just how the virus enhanced the conditions for schizophrenia was
unclear until Professor Patterson's as-yet unpublished research.
"What
Allan Brown and his colleagues from Columbia University did was show
that 15-20per cent of schizophrenic cases are due to viruses in the
mother, which are pretty amazing numbers," he told The Australian.
"What
we have looked to show is the mechanism of how the mother's response to
the flu alters fetal brain development."
He
said that in fighting the virus, the mother produced the protein
interleukin 6, "which we now think is the agent of change".
"We experimented with mice, and used antibodies to block that
protein from being developed after the mice hadbeen given the flu
virus," he said.
"We
found that, if you blocked it, the mice offspring seem to be completely
normal and presumably their pathology will be too."
Professor
Patterson said that taking any step towards a clinical trial on humans
was "dicey" because of the risks of experimenting on pregnant
women, so he and his team were looking at applications where they may be
able to intervene postnatally.
"Pregnant
women shouldn't feel that their child will definitely wind up with
schizophrenia because they have been sick, but Brown's work shows they
should definitely try to take as many precautions against getting sick
as they can," he said.
"Catching
the flu when you're pregnant is not a good thing, and does increase the
risk of adverse consequences for the fetus."
The
conference also heard that the active agent in the drug ecstasy,
oxytocin, had the potential to treat children with autism and
schizophrenia.
Sydney
neuropharmacologist Iain McGregor said oxytocin had "huge potential
benefits" if it could be harnessed in a safe and controlled way.
Professor
McGregor said oxytocin was released naturally during childbirth, when
breastfeeding and during orgasm.
He
said its natural effects could be used to treat children with autism to
help them overcome social detachment.
"People
with schizophrenia also display strong signs of social withdrawal, and
oxytocin could potentially play a role in addressing this aspect of the
condition."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22080530-23289,00.html
31
March 2007
Link
Between Ultrasounds and Autism? Is
there a link between ultrasounds and the incidence of autism? The
following link is to an interesting article which discusses this issue.
However, it should be kept in mind that the reason for multiple
ultrasounds during pregnancy may be due to other medical concerns for
the developing baby.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/ultrasoundrodgers.asp
12
March 2007
Two
New Genetic Links for Autism Discovered
Caroline
Cassels
Medscape
Medical News 2007. © 2007 Medscape
February
21, 2007 — In the largest study of autism ever conducted, an
international team of researchers has found 2 new genetic links that
contribute to the development of the disorder.
The Autism Genome Project (AGP) collected genetic samples from 1496
families (7917 family members) and used "gene-chip" technology
to look for genetic similarities among those with autism spectrum
disorders (ASD).
Led by Peter Szatmari, MD, from McMaster University, in Hamilton,
Ontario, investigators discovered a previously unidentified region of
chromosome 11, where they suspect another possible autism gene may lie,
and the neurexin 1 (NRXN1) gene, which is associated with the
release of the neurotransmitter glutamate and plays an important role in
early brain development.
The study is published online February 18 in Nature Genetics.
"The results obtained from scanning the genomes of the largest
cohort of ASD families yet assembled delineate a new understanding of
the genetic basis for this complex disorder," the authors write.
According to the authors, aberrant glutamate function has been linked to
autism like behaviours, and diagnoses of autism are common in
individuals with either fragile-X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis, both
of which are associated with dysregulated glutamate signaling.
Phase 2 of the AGP project has just been launched and will build on the
first study's success. In particular, the researchers will be working to
pinpoint a gene on the chromosome 11 region, which they believe is
involved in the disease.
The $14.5-million, 3-year initiative includes a combination of private
and public partners supporting a consortium of clinicians and
scientists.
Nat Genet. Published online February 18, 2007.
10 March
2007
A
Role For Oxytocin In Autism
There
is increasing interest in the hormone oxytocin to help improve social
and repetitive behaviour in autism. Although oxytocin is generally known
for its role in childbirth, research is revealing that this hormone has
a wider role in molecular neurobiology. There are studies appearing that
are trailing infused or nasally delivered oxytocin.
For
more up to date oxytocin information see: New
or Emerging Treatments in ASD
10
March 2007
Vaccines
at birth come a step closer
Not quite along the lines
of biomedical Intervention, but important to know what may be around the
corner. This is all we need, Scientists playing around with our
children's immune systems. Another disaster in the making?
A
single injection at birth may be all it will take to protect newborn
babies from a variety of dangerous infections. Babies are particularly
vulnerable during their first few weeks of life because their immature
immune system cannot generate a strong response to invading bacteria and
viruses. Now it seems that a gentle nudge to their immune system may be
enough to make it fight off disease.
Most
vaccines do not produce lasting immunity in newborn babies. Instead,
infants have to wait for vaccination until several months after birth
and need several doses in order to encourage their sluggish immune
memory. According to the latest thinking, newborns are capable of
mounting adult-like inflammatory responses, but their ability to do so
is "muted" by their immune systems. This muting could be
necessary in the womb to prevent the immune systems of mother and fetus
from clashing, leading to miscarriage or premature birth. In newborns it
might be possible to "unmute" the immune system to make
vaccinations more effective or provide a more vigorous defense against
pathogens.
Ofer
Levy, an infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital Boston,
thinks that they may have found a way of doing just that. His group has
been studying a group of molecules called Toll-like receptors (TLRs),
which are found on the surface of certain white blood cells. They act as
sentinels against invading bacteria or viruses, detecting foreign
particles and triggering the rest of the body's immune response.
Molecules that stimulate TLRs are already being added to vaccines in
clinical trials with older children and adults to try to stimulate their
immune systems and thereby increase the effectiveness of the vaccines.
In
newborn babies, however, most TLR-stimulating molecules trigger one
hundredth to one thousandth the response that they do in adults. There
is one exception: Levy's team has found that molecules that stimulate a
receptor called TLR8 provoke a much stronger immune reaction (Blood, DOI:
10/1182/blood-2005-12-4821). "We have found a stimulus that is able
to fully activate immune responses in a newborn baby," says Levy.
Some would consider this to be the holy grail of immunisation in the
newborn."
The
discovery might open the door to developing many more vaccines that work
in newborns. By adding TLR8 activators to vaccine formulations, vaccine
developers may be able to boost newborns' immune systems to the point
that vaccines can be given in a single dose at birth, rather than in
multiple doses several months later.
Levy
and others also caution that there may be unforeseen dangers in boosting
the immune systems of infants, since there may be good reasons for
keeping it turned down.
Source:
New Scientist 29 April 2006
10
March 2007
Hyperbaric
oxygen therapy (HBOT) Hyperbaric
oxygen therapy (HBOT) is being trailed to help ASD children and is
gaining popularity overseas. HBOT is used for brain
injury and wound healing, among other things. Some parents believe
that their children's gut healing was finally accomplished with HBOT. It
is also claimed that it turns on dormant neurons. In the case of
brain injuries, the theory is
that even though the brain tissue may be dead at the sight of the
injury, there is a region surrounding the dead tissue (an "ischemic
penumbra") where the tissue is dormant, not dead. This means it is
getting enough blood and oxygen to remain alive but not enough to
function. The infusion of blood and oxygen resulting from HBOT can lead
to a resurrection of that brain tissue. I would assume that same
holds true for the reduction in inflammation and the gut healing that is
said to take place in children with autism who undergo HBOT. Like all things, I think
you have to read, ask people, weigh pros and cons, and ultimately decide
if HBOT is right. There is an HBOT and autism group (NeuroHBOT or
MedicaidforHBOT), also you can google it for information. Dr. McCandless
has a chapter in her newest edition of Children with Starving Brains. HBOT is a serious medical
treatment and, as such, has risks associated with it.
If you decide to pursue HBOT, please choose a reputable clinic with
experienced, certified staff who are used to dealing with children.
For
more up to date HBOT information see: New
or Emerging Treatments in ASD
For
advice or to book a consultation for your child call (03) 8802 7687 or email
me.
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