Whooping Cough Bacterium Evolving Making Vaccine Less Effective
SAY NO VACCINES The bacterium that causes whooping cough, Bordetella pertussis, has changed – most likely in response to the vaccine used to prevent the disease – with a possible reduced effectiveness of the vaccine as a result, according to a study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The study was funded by the […]
Dogs Help Children with Autism
A University of Missouri researcher has studied dog ownership decisions in families of children with autism and found, regardless of whether they owned dogs, the parents reported the benefits of dog ownership included companionship, stress relief and opportunities for their children to learn responsibility. “Children with autism spectrum disorders often struggle with interacting with others, […]
Auism and Intellectual Disability Linked with Environmental Factors
An analysis of 100 million US medical records reveals that autism and intellectual disability (ID) rates are correlated at the county level with incidence of genital malformations in newborn males, an indicator of possible congenital exposure to harmful environmental factors such as pesticides. Autism rates — after adjustment for gender, ethnic, socioeconomic and […]
Swine Flu Vaccination Linked to Increased Risk of Narcolepsy in Young Adults
Pandemrix is an influenza vaccination, created in 2009 to combat H1N1, known as Swine Flu. Now, a team of Swedish clinicians testing the vaccine for links to immune-related or neurological diseases have linked Pandemrix to an increased risk of narcolepsy in young adults. Using a population-based prospective cohort study, the team analyzed data from regional […]
Employment may lead to improvement in autism symptoms
According to a new study released in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, more independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms and improve daily living in adults with the disorder. Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined 153 adults with autism and found that greater vocational independence […]
Worms and hot baths: Novel approaches to treating autism
A prevailing hypothesis of ASD is that a hyperactive immune system, resulting in elevated levels of inflammation, may contribute to the disorder. Consistent with this possibility, it is known that approximately one third of those with ASD show a clinical improvement in symptoms in response to a fever. A new study shows that two […]
Probiotic Therapy Helps with Autism Symptoms in Mice
Autism is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviors that include repetitive actions, decreased social interactions and impaired communication. Many parents and physicians have been stating for years that autism may really be an auto-immune or gastrointestinal (GI) condition that causes or exacerbates the symptoms of autism. Researchers from CalTech explored the link between gut microbial and their impact on social and […]
Probiotic Therapy Helps with Autism Symptoms in Mice
Autism is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviors that include repetitive actions, decreased social interactions and impaired communication. Many parents and physicians have been stating for years that autism may really be an auto-immune or gastrointestinal (GI) condition that causes or exacerbates the symptoms of autism. Researchers from CalTech explored the link between gut microbial and their impact on social and […]
Breastfeeding Can Help Prevent Autism
An article appearing in Medical Hypothesis has called for the testing of umbilical cord blood for levels of a growth protein that could help predict an infant’s propensity to develop autism. If depressed levels of a protein called insulin-like growth factor (IGF) are detected, the probability of developing autism is higher. Dr. Steinman […]
Antibiotics and Antifungal Medication Could be Linked to Autism
Researchers at UNC School of Medicine have discovered a potential environmental cause of autism – prescription drugs that interfere with a critical process in DNA called topoisomerases. Ordinarily, DNA is wound tightly in packages to ensure efficient storage and must be unwound during cell division and gene expression. Topoisomerases make the unwinding possible that […]