Reported April 27, 2005
Experimental Drug for GI Dysfunction in Autism
(Ivanhoe First)
By Heather Kohn, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An experimental immunoglobulin drug called Oralgam may help gastrointestinal dysfunction in kids with autism.
The immunoglobulin drug is FDA approved for intravenous use in immunodeficiency disorders where patients have lower-than-normal levels of immunoglobulin (a protein produced by plasma cells and lymphocytes). It is also used in chronic lymphoid leukemia and chronic idiopathic purpura. It has only been FDA approved for clinical trials administering it orally to treat gastrointestinal dysfunction in autism.
Read full article at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=11095
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Study: Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
ABSTRACT
Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Sandra L. Barnes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22305
Literature suggests that the poor often face a myriad of health care constraints and health problems. This study uses bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the effects of systemic factors, such as the availability of health-care providers and neighborhood poverty, on individual health decisions for a sample of African-Americans, Whites, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Results show that Medicaid usage and having a regular physician increase the number of days home ill and days hospitalized, while frequenting clinics decreases such activity. Additionally, residents in more impoverished urban areas are less likely to stay home ill. Differences in health profiles and providers are also evident based on race/ethnicity. These findings illustrate the important relationship between macro-level factors and specific health choices many resident in poor urban areas make at the micro-level.
Contact: Amy Patterson - Neubertapatterson@purdue.edu
765-494-9723
Purdue University - http://www.purdue.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Sandra L. Barnes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22305
Literature suggests that the poor often face a myriad of health care constraints and health problems. This study uses bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the effects of systemic factors, such as the availability of health-care providers and neighborhood poverty, on individual health decisions for a sample of African-Americans, Whites, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Results show that Medicaid usage and having a regular physician increase the number of days home ill and days hospitalized, while frequenting clinics decreases such activity. Additionally, residents in more impoverished urban areas are less likely to stay home ill. Differences in health profiles and providers are also evident based on race/ethnicity. These findings illustrate the important relationship between macro-level factors and specific health choices many resident in poor urban areas make at the micro-level.
Contact: Amy Patterson - Neubertapatterson@purdue.edu
765-494-9723
Purdue University - http://www.purdue.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to:
http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Study: Comparison of Blood & Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
Study: Comparison of Blood & Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
Read the study available at the link below.
Abstract:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7712/abstract.html
Full article available in PDF at:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Read the study available at the link below.
Abstract:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7712/abstract.html
Full article available in PDF at:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
Vaccination researchers urge caution
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
By Douglas Fischer, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
A mercury-laced preservative once widely added to pediatric vaccines exposes infants brains to twice the neurotoxin as previously suspected, offering evidence health guidelines may underestimate the risk newborns face, researchers say in a report being published today.
The additive, thimerosal, has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and is almost 50 percent mercury by weight. Since 2001, manufacturers have gradually phased it from almost all domestic pediatric vaccines, though it remains in use overseas in cheaper multi-dose vaccines.
The study, being published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed publication of the National Institutes of Health, also chides health officials for abandoning an earlier recommendation that the preservative be completely phased out and further studies conducted.
And it fuels the debate over the federal governments aggressive vaccination plan that subjects infants to a battery of shots - some of which contain aluminum and other potentially harmful compounds - in their first weeks of life.
Were talking about a low-level delivery of a toxin given toa baby on the first day of its life, said mercury expert Boyd Haley, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky but who was not involved in the study.
Whats needed is a total study of the sensibility of the vaccine program. Why would you want to vaccinate a baby on the first day of its life?
The report is one of the first to look beyond mercury blood levels resulting from vaccines. Instead it examines both the amount and type of mercury reaching the brain. It suggests health officials examined the wrong compound and failed to look far enough when assessing the danger of mercury in thimerosal.
This is largely a past concern for the United States, given the predominance today of thimerosal-free vaccines. Both the studys lead author and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged parents to have their children vaccinated.
Thats the first message, said Thomas Burbacher, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washingtons School of Public Health.
The bottom line is that trying to assess the effects of a compound with very little or no data is not a good thing to do.... Unfortunately, we started doing studies on this compound way too late. Basic information like this shouldve been available decades ago.
The problem is very much alive for developing nations, however, where the additive is common. The World Health Organization has expressed interest in Burbachers research.
The problem, Burbacher said, is that regulators trying to assess thimerosals harm used as a benchmark methylmercury, a widely studied compound, rather than the little-known compound called ethylmercury in thimerosal.
Both compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. But methylmercury breaks down slowly, whereas ethylmercury dissipates fairly rapidly, suggesting to regulators that a standard based on methyl mercury would adequately protect infants.
Burbacher and colleagues found ethylmercurys fast breakdown leaves higher levels of so-called inorganic mercury in the brain. Inorganic mercury lingers in the brain for a year or more, potentially altering certain cells. A previous study has shown such damaged cells are also found in children with autism.
Using monkeys, Burbacher found the brains of thimerosal-exposed infants had twice as much inorganic mercury as methylmercury-exposed infants.
The Food and Drug Administration has never required testing of thimerosals safety or of its safe exposure levels for newborns and children.
Although high mercury levels - particularly as a result of vaccinations - have long been suspected as a leading cause of skyrocketing autism levels, the CDC and Burbacher cautioned Wednesday against drawing any conclusion linking the two.
To date, the vast majority of the science doesnt support an association between thimerosal and incidences of autism, said CDC spokesman Glen Nowak. But at the end of the day, we still dont know what causes autism.
Others, however, expect such links to become apparent as thimerosal fades from use in the United States. Already, noted Haley, Californias autism rates have decreased three of the past four quarters - a first.
Theres something in the vaccines doing it. That something is thimerosal.
The FDAs Web site on thimerosal and vaccinations, including a chart showing common pediatric vaccines and the date thimerosal was eliminated, can be found at www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm.
Contact Douglas Fischer at dfischer@angnewspapers.com.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
New report suggests that mercury-laced preservative may be more toxic than once thought
By Douglas Fischer, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
A mercury-laced preservative once widely added to pediatric vaccines exposes infants brains to twice the neurotoxin as previously suspected, offering evidence health guidelines may underestimate the risk newborns face, researchers say in a report being published today.
The additive, thimerosal, has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and is almost 50 percent mercury by weight. Since 2001, manufacturers have gradually phased it from almost all domestic pediatric vaccines, though it remains in use overseas in cheaper multi-dose vaccines.
The study, being published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed publication of the National Institutes of Health, also chides health officials for abandoning an earlier recommendation that the preservative be completely phased out and further studies conducted.
And it fuels the debate over the federal governments aggressive vaccination plan that subjects infants to a battery of shots - some of which contain aluminum and other potentially harmful compounds - in their first weeks of life.
Were talking about a low-level delivery of a toxin given toa baby on the first day of its life, said mercury expert Boyd Haley, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky but who was not involved in the study.
Whats needed is a total study of the sensibility of the vaccine program. Why would you want to vaccinate a baby on the first day of its life?
The report is one of the first to look beyond mercury blood levels resulting from vaccines. Instead it examines both the amount and type of mercury reaching the brain. It suggests health officials examined the wrong compound and failed to look far enough when assessing the danger of mercury in thimerosal.
This is largely a past concern for the United States, given the predominance today of thimerosal-free vaccines. Both the studys lead author and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday urged parents to have their children vaccinated.
Thats the first message, said Thomas Burbacher, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washingtons School of Public Health.
The bottom line is that trying to assess the effects of a compound with very little or no data is not a good thing to do.... Unfortunately, we started doing studies on this compound way too late. Basic information like this shouldve been available decades ago.
The problem is very much alive for developing nations, however, where the additive is common. The World Health Organization has expressed interest in Burbachers research.
The problem, Burbacher said, is that regulators trying to assess thimerosals harm used as a benchmark methylmercury, a widely studied compound, rather than the little-known compound called ethylmercury in thimerosal.
Both compounds cross the blood-brain barrier. But methylmercury breaks down slowly, whereas ethylmercury dissipates fairly rapidly, suggesting to regulators that a standard based on methyl mercury would adequately protect infants.
Burbacher and colleagues found ethylmercurys fast breakdown leaves higher levels of so-called inorganic mercury in the brain. Inorganic mercury lingers in the brain for a year or more, potentially altering certain cells. A previous study has shown such damaged cells are also found in children with autism.
Using monkeys, Burbacher found the brains of thimerosal-exposed infants had twice as much inorganic mercury as methylmercury-exposed infants.
The Food and Drug Administration has never required testing of thimerosals safety or of its safe exposure levels for newborns and children.
Although high mercury levels - particularly as a result of vaccinations - have long been suspected as a leading cause of skyrocketing autism levels, the CDC and Burbacher cautioned Wednesday against drawing any conclusion linking the two.
To date, the vast majority of the science doesnt support an association between thimerosal and incidences of autism, said CDC spokesman Glen Nowak. But at the end of the day, we still dont know what causes autism.
Others, however, expect such links to become apparent as thimerosal fades from use in the United States. Already, noted Haley, Californias autism rates have decreased three of the past four quarters - a first.
Theres something in the vaccines doing it. That something is thimerosal.
The FDAs Web site on thimerosal and vaccinations, including a chart showing common pediatric vaccines and the date thimerosal was eliminated, can be found at www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm.
Contact Douglas Fischer at dfischer@angnewspapers.com.
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Study Says Ethylmercury [Thimerosal] is Most Toxic to Brain
PRESS RELEASE
April 21, 2005
Contact: Laura Bono (919) 423-3749
Rita Shreffler (417) 725-6107
Study Shows Ethylmercury Used In Vaccines Ends Up In The Brain Of Primates. Environmental Journal Puts Happy Spin On Results.
Study Says Ethylmercury Is Most Toxic To Brain - National Autism Association (NAA) Says Journal Paints Rosy Picture Of Ominous Outcome
Washington, DC - A newly-released primate study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), a NIEHS publication, is getting fluffy reviews today. The NIH-funded study, conducted by Dr. Thomas Burbacher, a University of Washington researcher, found that Thimerosal, best known for its use as an ethylmercury-based preservative in infant vaccines and pregnancy shots, is actually more toxic to the brain than methylmercury (MeHg).
MeHg has always been widely hailed as the greater of two evils, pushing ethylmercury out of the limelight as "most toxic." Burbacher's study, however, proves ethylmercury is more damaging because it crosses the blood-brain barrier at a quicker rate than MeHg. Once in the brain, ethylmercury converts to what's called "inorganic" mercury-the more toxic form-and is unable to be excreted.
Regardless of the study's grim findings, EHP is presenting their interpretations of the findings in a positive tone, "..injected Thimerosal reacted differently from methylmercury in that it cleared from the infant [blood] much more quickly."
In the actual study, Burbacher states: "There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg [mercury] in the brain of Thimerosal infants than MeHg infants (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the Thimerosal-exposed infants were approximately twice that of the MeHg infants."
Several organizations that advocate on behalf of children with neurodevelopmental disorders are surprised that the powerful findings are trivialized by those appointed to protect America's health. NAA asks the media to investigate this discrepancy. "To minimize Thimerosal's damage to the brain is concerning to say the least," says Scott Bono, Durham, NC, parent and Board Member of NAA. "These primates are shown to have the most toxic form trapped in their brains-how is that not the center of focus? To say that ethylmercury clears the blood faster and is therefore less toxic than MeHg is deceptive by omission, attempting to deflect attention from the alarming fact that ethylmercury makes its way to the brain much faster than MeHg and can be trapped there for years."
Burbacher is a long-time researcher of the effects of mercury. Earlier work by Burbacher and colleagues on low-dose MeHg demonstrated that inorganic mercury was the principle cause of tissue changes and toxic effects in primate brains. "This latest study in primates shows what happened to our children," says Jo Pike, Executive Director of NAA. "When people who can help turn a blind-eye to children injured by Thimerosal, it only adds to the heartache our children endure each and every day."
To learn more about Dr. Burbacher's findings, visit http://www.nationalautism.org/ or www.safeminds.org.
For more information and resources on autism, go to:http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
April 21, 2005
Contact: Laura Bono (919) 423-3749
Rita Shreffler (417) 725-6107
Study Shows Ethylmercury Used In Vaccines Ends Up In The Brain Of Primates. Environmental Journal Puts Happy Spin On Results.
Study Says Ethylmercury Is Most Toxic To Brain - National Autism Association (NAA) Says Journal Paints Rosy Picture Of Ominous Outcome
Washington, DC - A newly-released primate study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), a NIEHS publication, is getting fluffy reviews today. The NIH-funded study, conducted by Dr. Thomas Burbacher, a University of Washington researcher, found that Thimerosal, best known for its use as an ethylmercury-based preservative in infant vaccines and pregnancy shots, is actually more toxic to the brain than methylmercury (MeHg).
MeHg has always been widely hailed as the greater of two evils, pushing ethylmercury out of the limelight as "most toxic." Burbacher's study, however, proves ethylmercury is more damaging because it crosses the blood-brain barrier at a quicker rate than MeHg. Once in the brain, ethylmercury converts to what's called "inorganic" mercury-the more toxic form-and is unable to be excreted.
Regardless of the study's grim findings, EHP is presenting their interpretations of the findings in a positive tone, "..injected Thimerosal reacted differently from methylmercury in that it cleared from the infant [blood] much more quickly."
In the actual study, Burbacher states: "There was a much higher proportion of inorganic Hg [mercury] in the brain of Thimerosal infants than MeHg infants (up to 71% vs. 10%). Absolute inorganic Hg concentrations in the brains of the Thimerosal-exposed infants were approximately twice that of the MeHg infants."
Several organizations that advocate on behalf of children with neurodevelopmental disorders are surprised that the powerful findings are trivialized by those appointed to protect America's health. NAA asks the media to investigate this discrepancy. "To minimize Thimerosal's damage to the brain is concerning to say the least," says Scott Bono, Durham, NC, parent and Board Member of NAA. "These primates are shown to have the most toxic form trapped in their brains-how is that not the center of focus? To say that ethylmercury clears the blood faster and is therefore less toxic than MeHg is deceptive by omission, attempting to deflect attention from the alarming fact that ethylmercury makes its way to the brain much faster than MeHg and can be trapped there for years."
Burbacher is a long-time researcher of the effects of mercury. Earlier work by Burbacher and colleagues on low-dose MeHg demonstrated that inorganic mercury was the principle cause of tissue changes and toxic effects in primate brains. "This latest study in primates shows what happened to our children," says Jo Pike, Executive Director of NAA. "When people who can help turn a blind-eye to children injured by Thimerosal, it only adds to the heartache our children endure each and every day."
To learn more about Dr. Burbacher's findings, visit http://www.nationalautism.org/ or www.safeminds.org.
For more information and resources on autism, go to:http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Study: Promise of lowering costs for treating autism
Promise of lowering costs for treating autism
Case Western Reserve University study
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22709
Parents of autistic children can spend as much as $50,000 a year on therapies for their children. But a new research study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences shows promise of providing effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost.
Gerald Mahoney, the Verna Houck Motto Professor for Families and Communities and co-director of the Center on Intervention for Children and Families at the Mandel School, and Frida Perales, a research associate, conducted a year-long study of the effectiveness of "responsive teaching" strategies for parents to help their autistic children develop and use pivotal developmental behaviors.
Responsive teaching strategies promote parent interactions with their children through strategies such as "follow the child's lead" and "take one turn and wait." The results of their study appear in an article in the April 2005 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Mahoney and Perales compared the effects of the responsive teaching strategies on 50 children and their mothers, divided into two groups: children with pervasive developmental disorders, or PDDs (primarily autism), and children with other types of developmental disorders. The researchers investigated how these responsive teaching strategies helped parents' interaction with their children and improved children's development.
The study found that the responsive teaching strategies improved parents' responsiveness with their children, and were highly effective at enhancing children's developmental growth. Both groups of children made an overall 60 percent increase in their rate of cognitive development and a 150 percent increase in their rate of language development. The technique was also effective at reducing the social/emotional problems of the children with PDDs. "Although many professionals have speculated that interventions that encourage parents to become more responsive can be effective at promoting children's socioemotional well-being, this is the first long-term intervention study to actually demonstrate this effect," the authors write.
Equally important, the improvements occurred with an average of just 32 sessions with early intervention specialists, a relatively modest level of contact. The annual average costs for such interventions are about $5,000, a fraction of the annual costs of most existing interventions for children with PDDs.
The results also challenge the idea that only highly structured interventions can help children with PDDs, say the authors, since the less-structured procedures, which have aided the cognitive and language development of children with developmental disabilities, address those same needs in children with PDDs.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
Contact: Jeffrey Bendix
jeffrey.bendix@case.edu
216-368-6070
Case Western Reserve University
http://www.cwru.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
Case Western Reserve University study
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22709
Parents of autistic children can spend as much as $50,000 a year on therapies for their children. But a new research study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences shows promise of providing effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost.
Gerald Mahoney, the Verna Houck Motto Professor for Families and Communities and co-director of the Center on Intervention for Children and Families at the Mandel School, and Frida Perales, a research associate, conducted a year-long study of the effectiveness of "responsive teaching" strategies for parents to help their autistic children develop and use pivotal developmental behaviors.
Responsive teaching strategies promote parent interactions with their children through strategies such as "follow the child's lead" and "take one turn and wait." The results of their study appear in an article in the April 2005 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Mahoney and Perales compared the effects of the responsive teaching strategies on 50 children and their mothers, divided into two groups: children with pervasive developmental disorders, or PDDs (primarily autism), and children with other types of developmental disorders. The researchers investigated how these responsive teaching strategies helped parents' interaction with their children and improved children's development.
The study found that the responsive teaching strategies improved parents' responsiveness with their children, and were highly effective at enhancing children's developmental growth. Both groups of children made an overall 60 percent increase in their rate of cognitive development and a 150 percent increase in their rate of language development. The technique was also effective at reducing the social/emotional problems of the children with PDDs. "Although many professionals have speculated that interventions that encourage parents to become more responsive can be effective at promoting children's socioemotional well-being, this is the first long-term intervention study to actually demonstrate this effect," the authors write.
Equally important, the improvements occurred with an average of just 32 sessions with early intervention specialists, a relatively modest level of contact. The annual average costs for such interventions are about $5,000, a fraction of the annual costs of most existing interventions for children with PDDs.
The results also challenge the idea that only highly structured interventions can help children with PDDs, say the authors, since the less-structured procedures, which have aided the cognitive and language development of children with developmental disabilities, address those same needs in children with PDDs.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
Contact: Jeffrey Bendix
jeffrey.bendix@case.edu
216-368-6070
Case Western Reserve University
http://www.cwru.edu/
For more information and resources on autism, go to: http://www.autismconcepts.com/.
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