Medicine posts
- July 2, 2016
- 04:37 AM
- 209 views
The gut microbiome and coeliac disease risk
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Elective caesarean delivery and repeated maternal urinary tract infections during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of CD [coeliac disease] onset during childhood, suggesting the role of dysbiosis during early life."Those were some of the rather surprising findings reported by Fredinah Namatovu and colleagues [1] (open-access) following their pretty well-powered study covering "1 912 204 children born between 1991 and 2009, 6 596 of whom developed CD before 15 years of........ Read more »
Namatovu, F., Olsson, C., Lindkvist, M., Myléus, A., Högberg, U., Ivarsson, A., & Sandström, O. (2016) Maternal and perinatal conditions and the risk of developing celiac disease during childhood. BMC Pediatrics, 16(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12887-016-0613-y
- July 1, 2016
- 02:34 AM
- 206 views
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): another over-represented condition in autism
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Returning to the idea that not every symptom/characteristic present in cases of autism is necessarily 'due to autism' are the findings reported by Heifert and colleagues [1] and the observations that: "Children with ASD are more likely to be diagnosed with EoE [Eosinophilic esophagitis] compared to controls" and further: "A diagnosis of feeding disorder was strongly associated with EoE."EoE is something that has been discussed before on this blog in relation to the myriad of gastrointe........ Read more »
Heifert TA, Susi A, Hisle-Gorman E, Erdie-Lalena CR, Gorman G, Min SB, & Nylund CM. (2016) Feeding Disorders in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Are Associated with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. PMID: 27276430
- June 30, 2016
- 02:08 AM
- 221 views
Gestional exposure to Group B Streptococcus and an autism model
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Overall, these data show for the first time that gestational exposure to GBS [Group B Streptococcus] plays an important role in the generation of neurodevelopmental abnormalities reminiscent of human autism spectrum disorders (ASD)."I chose to discuss the findings reported by Marie-Julie Allard and colleagues [1] on this blog for various reasons. That this research team already have some research 'form' when it comes to looking at GBS [2] is one; another is the idea that they rep........ Read more »
Allard MJ, Bergeron JD, Baharnoori M, Srivastava LK, Fortier LC, Poyart C, & Sébire G. (2016) A sexually dichotomous, autistic-like phenotype is induced by Group B Streptococcus maternofetal immune activation. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. PMID: 27220806
- June 29, 2016
- 02:49 AM
- 157 views
Antipsychotic prescribing trends in autism meta-analysed
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Almost 1 in 10 antipsychotic-treated youth were diagnosed with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] and/or ID [intellectual disability], and 1 in 6 youth with ASD received antipsychotics."The findings reported by Su Young Park and colleagues [1] have not surprisingly garnered some media attention (see here). Meta-analysing the available peer-reviewed data on "the frequency of youth diagnosed with ASDs and/or ID among antipsychotic-treated youth, as well as antipsychotic use in you........ Read more »
Park SY, Cervesi C, Galling B, Molteni S, Walyzada F, Ameis SH, Gerhard T, Olfson M, & Correll CU. (2016) Antipsychotic Use Trends in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(6), 456-4680000. PMID: 27238064
- June 28, 2016
- 02:07 AM
- 186 views
An excess of ADHD among children born to glyphosate appliers?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The job of pesticide applicator is one that has been discussed on this blog before (see here). Minus any scaremongering, the conclusion of that post was that under certain circumstances (e.g. a high pesticide exposure event - HPEE), the effects of that particular occupation might be pretty far-reaching for the 'cognitive' as well as physical health of the individual concerned.Today I'm talking about other potential effects "needing confirmation by further studies" related to perhaps one of ........ Read more »
de Araujo, J., Delgado, I., & Paumgartten, F. (2016) Glyphosate and adverse pregnancy outcomes, a systematic review of observational studies. BMC Public Health, 16(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3153-3
- June 27, 2016
- 03:03 AM
- 159 views
Eating difficulties in adolescents with CFS/ME
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
I tread quite carefully when discussing the paper by Sarah Harris and colleagues [1] (open-access available here) on the potential causes and effects of 'eating difficulties' when it comes to adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).Careful because (i) I don't want to confuse eating difficulties with eating disorder (they are not one and the same) and (ii) the suggestion that some of the young adults included for study "recognised how their eating difficulties were ........ Read more »
Harris S, Gilbert M, Beasant L, Linney C, Broughton J, & Crawley E. (2016) A qualitative investigation of eating difficulties in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry. PMID: 27215228
- June 25, 2016
- 03:42 AM
- 185 views
HBOT and autism systematically reviewed
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Current evidence indicates that HBOT [Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy] is not an effective treatment for children and youth with autism."That was the conclusion reached by Cynthia Goldfarb and colleagues [1] following their "systematic review of the literature evaluating the clinical impact of HBOT on behavior and development in ASD [autism spectrum disorder]." Drawing on guidance from the American Academy of Neurology and their "Classification of Recommendations", authors lo........ Read more »
Goldfarb, C., Genore, L., Hunt, C., Flanagan, J., Handley-Derry, M., Jethwa, A., Jones-Stokreef, N., Kirkpatrick, S., Richards, A., Rojnica, L.... (2016) Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An evidence-based systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 1-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2016.05.004
- June 24, 2016
- 02:31 AM
- 181 views
Is autism underdiagnosed in prisoners? Probably not...
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The UK media today is awash with the result of 'that referendum'.Life however goes on here at Questioning Answers and today the recent opinion piece by Sarah Ashworth [1] talking about autism being 'underdiagnosed' in the prison population provides the starting material for today's post.Being careful not to generalise nor also 'excusing' the often important reasons why people end up in prison, I'm particularly interested in this area of discussion given what is increasingly being recognised with........ Read more »
Ashworth S. (2016) Autism is underdiagnosed in prisoners. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 27255544
- June 23, 2016
- 08:55 AM
- 44 views
Weird stuff found in recreational drugs: Pot/LSD edition
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
This is the fourth post in a series on strange substances accidentally or intentionally added to street drugs. When you're done here, check out the posts on alcohol, meth, opioids, and cocaine.In the autumn of 2007, hospitals near Leipzig, Germany admitted 29 people after they inadvertently smoked weed contaminated with lead. Yep, some dealer or grower decided it was a good idea to drop a bunch of small lead particles into the marijuana they were selling, presumably to increase its weight (lead ........ Read more »
Busse F, Omidi L, Timper K, Leichtle A, Windgassen M, Kluge E, & Stumvoll M. (2008) Lead poisoning due to adulterated marijuana. The New England Journal of Medicine, 358(15), 1641-1642. PMID: 18403778
- June 23, 2016
- 02:53 AM
- 131 views
ADHD symptoms improved with allergic rhinitis treatment
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The findings reported by Ming-Tao Yang and colleagues [1] make for some brief blogging fodder today and the idea that: "Higher ADHD [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder] scores in children with AR [allergic rhinitis] compared with healthy controls decreased significantly with AR treatment." Said AR treatment consisted of "nonpharmacologic intervention, oral antihistamines, and topical steroids."I know furrowed brows and eye-rolling might be the response of some people to........ Read more »
Yang MT, Chen CC, Lee WT, Liang JS, Fu WM, & Yang YH. (2016) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms improved with allergic rhinitis treatment in children. American journal of rhinology , 30(3), 209-14. PMID: 27216352
- June 22, 2016
- 03:07 AM
- 124 views
Still 'nothing good comes from exposure to lead'
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Consider this short-ish entry a sort of extension of other discussions on this blog on the topic of lead (Pb) (see here). As per the blog title, the systematic review published by Maryam Daneshparvar and colleagues [1] (open-access available here) adds to the quite voluminous peer-reviewed literature indicating that lead exposure, particularly during infancy and childhood, seems to be associated with nothing but adverse outcomes in terms of development and behaviour.Surveying the research litera........ Read more »
Daneshparvar M, Mostafavi SA, Zare Jeddi M, Yunesian M, Mesdaghinia A, Mahvi AH, & Akhondzadeh S. (2016) The Role of Lead Exposure on Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in Children: A Systematic Review. Iranian journal of psychiatry, 11(1), 1-14. PMID: 27252763
- June 21, 2016
- 08:17 AM
- 163 views
Weird stuff found in recreational drugs: Opioid edition
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
This is the third post in a series on strange substances accidentally or intentionally added to street drugs. When you're done here, check out the posts on alcohol and meth.Opioids are drugs that affect the human body by binding to a group of related proteins conveniently known as opioid receptors. By connecting to these receptors in a certain manner, they convince receptor-bearing cells in the brain, spinal cord, and intestine to do useful things like reduce the sensation of pain (while making ........ Read more »
Brett M, Hallas G, & Mpamugo O. (2004) Wound botulism in the UK and Ireland. . Journal of Medical Microbiology, 53(6), 555-561. DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.05379-0
Fahn S, & Sulzer D. (2004) Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in Parkinson disease. . NeuroRX, 1(1), 139-154. DOI: 10.1602/neurorx.1.1.139
- June 21, 2016
- 03:05 AM
- 127 views
'Self-treatment' with helminths and autism?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
At the end of 2013 there was some media interest in the presentation of interim data at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology from a couple of studies being run by Prof. Eric Hollander.It's life Jim but not as we know it... @ CDCThe abstracts for the studies 'Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) as an Immune-inflammatory Treatment for Repetitive Behaviors in ASD' and 'Hyperthermia and the Improvement of ASD Symptoms' can be found here (look under abstracts........ Read more »
Liu J, Morey RA, Wilson JK, & Parker W. (2016) Practices and outcomes of self-treatment with helminths based on physicians' observations. Journal of helminthology, 1-11. PMID: 27240605
- June 20, 2016
- 04:10 PM
- 142 views
Fear factor: A new genetic candidate for treating PTSD
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Researchers have identified a new genetic candidate for testing therapies that might affect fear learning in people with PTSD or other conditions. Individuals with trauma- and stress-related disorders can manifest symptoms of these conditions in a variety of ways. Genetic risk factors for these and other psychiatric disorders have been established but do not explain the diversity of symptoms seen in the clinic - why are some individuals affected more severely than others and why do some respond ........ Read more »
Knoll, A., Halladay, L., Holmes, A., & Levitt, P. (2016) Quantitative Trait Loci and a Novel Genetic Candidate for Fear Learning. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(23), 6258-6268. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0177-16.2016
- June 20, 2016
- 09:12 AM
- 151 views
Mosquitoes Don’t Like Parasites Either (A Guest Post)
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
By Maranda CardielA photograph of Culex pipiens, the species of mosquito that the researchers used in their experiment. Source: David Barillet-Portal at Wikimedia Commons.Everybody hates mosquitoes. They are annoying, persistent, and make us itch like crazy. Sometimes there are so many of them that we are afraid to go outside unless we want to risk getting covered in spots and scratching ourselves all over for the next week. And if that wasn’t enough, they can also carry dangerous diseases wi........ Read more »
Lalubin, F., Bize, P., van Rooyen, J., Christe, P., & Glaizot, O. (2012) Potential evidence of parasite avoidance in an avian malarial vector. Animal Behaviour, 84(3), 539-545. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.06.004
- June 20, 2016
- 04:30 AM
- 140 views
Athletes Are Open to Genetic Testing and Are Willing to Share Results
by Jane McDevitt in Sports Medicine Research (SMR): In the Lab & In the Field
Despite a number of concerns many athletes responded with substantial interest and little resistance to the idea of genetic testing for the purpose of risk assessment for prolonged concussion recovery and late onset Alzheimer’s disease.... Read more »
Hercher LS, Caudle M, Griffin J, Herzog M, Matviychuk D, & Tidwell J. (2016) Student-Athletes' Views on APOE Genotyping for Increased Risk of Poor Recovery after a Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Genetic Counseling. PMID: 27207686
- June 20, 2016
- 02:49 AM
- 126 views
Lactobacillus reuteri rescuing [mouse] social behaviours: relevance to autism?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Continuing a recent 'probiotic theme' on this blog I've decided to talk a little about the study results reported by Shelly Buffington and colleagues [1] on how a "single species of gut bacteria can reverse autism-related social behavior in mice." I say 'talk about' but my conversations on this topic should be viewed in light of what others have also said about this study (see here for example) including the lead author (see here).To summarise the findings: authors started from the idea that mat........ Read more »
Buffington, S., Di Prisco, G., Auchtung, T., Ajami, N., Petrosino, J., & Costa-Mattioli, M. (2016) Microbial Reconstitution Reverses Maternal Diet-Induced Social and Synaptic Deficits in Offspring. Cell, 165(7), 1762-1775. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.06.001
- June 18, 2016
- 04:25 PM
- 188 views
Mothers with diabetes more likely to have anti-fetal brain autoantibodies
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Mothers of children with autism and were diagnosed with metabolic conditions during pregnancy, particularly gestational and type 2 diabetes, were more likely to have anti-fetal brain autoantibodies in their blood compared to healthy women of children with autism. The presence of these anti-fetal brain autoantibodies has been previously found to be specific to some mothers of children with autism and rare among mothers of children without autism.
... Read more »
Krakowiak, P., Walker, C., Tancredi, D., Hertz-Picciotto, I., & Van de Water, J. (2016) Autism-specific maternal anti-fetal brain autoantibodies are associated with metabolic conditions. Autism Research. DOI: 10.1002/aur.1657
- June 18, 2016
- 12:05 PM
- 192 views
A Step Closer To Artificial Human Beings?
by Agnese Mariotti in United Academics
Scientists propose the creation of a synthetic human genome as a follow-up of the Human Genome Project... Read more »
Boeke, J., Church, G., Hessel, A., Kelley, N., Arkin, A., Cai, Y., Carlson, R., Chakravarti, A., Cornish, V., Holt, L.... (2016) The Genome Project-Write. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf6850
- June 18, 2016
- 04:57 AM
- 163 views
A study to watch... probiotics for autism
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Happy as a pig in...Assuming that I'm still around as and when published, I'd like to think that the final product of the study protocol from Elisa Santocchi and colleagues [1] will eventually find it's way on to this blog when the peer-reviewed results are finally in.Alongside it's ClinicalTrials.gov entry (see here), authors describe an interesting double-blind, placebo-controlled study where the aim is to "determine the effects of supplementation with a probiotic mixture (Vivomixx®) in ASD&n........; Read more »
Santocchi E, Guiducci L, Fulceri F, Billeci L, Buzzigoli E, Apicella F, Calderoni S, Grossi E, Morales MA, & Muratori F. (2016) Gut to brain interaction in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a randomized controlled trial on the role of probiotics on clinical, biochemical and neurophysiological parameters. BMC psychiatry, 16(1), 183. PMID: 27260271
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