Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Abnormal Gastrointestinal Flora in Late-Onset Autism

Finegold SM et al. Gastrointestinal microflora studies in late-onset autism. Clin Infect Dis 2002 35(Suppl 1):S6-S16 PMID 12173102

“Some cases of late-onset (regressive) autism may involve abnormal flora because oral vancomycin, which is poorly absorbed, may lead to significant improvement in these children. Fecal flora of children with regressive autism was compared with that of control children, and clostridial counts were higher. The number of clostridial species found in the stools of children with autism was greater than in the stools of control children. Children with autism had 9 species of Clostridium not found in controls, whereas controls yielded only 3 species not found in children with autism. In all, there were 25 different clostridial species found. In gastric and duodenal specimens, the most striking finding was total absence of non-spore-forming anaerobes and microaerophilic bacteria from control children and significant numbers of such bacteria from children with autism. These studies demonstrate significant alterations in the upper and lower intestinal flora of children with late-onset autism and may provide insights into the nature of this disorder.”

Interested in self storage in the Smyrna TN (Nashville) area?

Should anyone with autism be considered for gastric bypass surgery?

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Autism Epidemiology Study

Download this autism epidemiology study (in PDF format)
http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0033-3549/PIIS0033354904001347.pdf

Synopsis: Increases in the reported prevalence of autism and autistic spectrum disorders in recent years have fueled concern over possible environmental causes. The author reviews the available survey literature and finds evidence of large increases in prevalence in both the United States and the United Kingdom that cannot be explained by changes in diagnostic criteria or improvements in case ascertainment. Incomplete ascertainment of autism cases in young child populations is the largest source of predictable bias in prevalence surveys; however, this bias has, if anything, worked against the detection of an upward trend in recent surveys. Comparison of autism rates by year of birth for specific geographies provides the strongest basis for trend assessment. Such comparisons show large recent increases in rates of autism and autistic spectrum disorders in both the U.S. and the U.K. Reported rates of autism in the United States increased from ,3 per 10,000 children in the 1970s to .30 per 10,000 children in the 1990s, a 10-fold increase. In the United Kingdom, autism rates rose from ,10 per 10,000 in the 1980s to roughly 30 per 10,000 in the 1990s. Reported rates for the full spectrum of autistic disorders rose from the 5 to 10 per 10,000 range to the 50 to 80 per 10,000 range in the two countries. A precautionary approach suggests that the rising incidence of autism should be a matter of urgent public concern.

Clinical Analysis of Glutathione

Pastore A et al. Analysis of glutathione: implication in redox and detoxification. Clin Chim Acta. 2003 Jul 1;333(1):19-39. PMID: 12809732

“Glutathione...plays a central role in cell biology. It is implicated in the cellular defence against xenobiotics and naturally occurring deleterious compounds, such as free radicals and hydroperoxides… Glutathione is a critical factor in protecting organisms against toxicity and disease."