Posts

May 23, 2013

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8:33 AM | Big data for autism and the promise of newborn bloodspots

An episode of the BBC program Horizon on 'Big Data' recently caught my attention. The content was a fascinating insight into how we are living in a data-rich age and how trawling/mining/dredging such data has the ability to advance medicine, predict crime and even make someone a few quid/dollars/euros on the stock market.Gone (data) fishing @ Wikipedia I'm a big believer in big data. In particular how, with the right sources, technology, techniques and people, big data might be able […]

Mizejewski GJ, Lindau-Shepard B & Pass KA (2013). Newborn screening for autism: in search of candidate biomarkers., Biomarkers in medicine, 7 (2) 247-60. PMID: 23547820

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May 20, 2013

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7:59 AM | Autism, plasma cytokines and siblings

I'm gonna try and be fairly brief in this post on the paper by Valerio Napolioni and colleagues* (open-access) looking at plasma cytokine profiles in cases of autism and their asymptomatic siblings. Brief because (a) the paper is open-access and (b) the participant groups (autism: n=25; sibling controls n=25) were relatively small so one has to be quite careful in extrapolating the findings with any large degree of confidence.Siblings by Paul Klee @ WikiPaintings Just in case you are […]

Napolioni V, Ober-Reynolds B, Szelinger S, Corneveaux JJ, Pawlowski T, Ober-Reynolds S, Kirwan J, Persico AM, Melmed RD, Craig DW & Smith CJ (2013). Plasma cytokine profiling in sibling pairs discordant for autism spectrum disorder., Journal of neuroinflammation, 10 38. PMID: 23497090

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May 18, 2013

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9:33 AM | Darth DSM-5 and autism

Blue Harvest @ Wikipedia @ Family GuyI need to create a suitable atmosphere for this post, so try this music for size and think Blue Harvest...Right. The wait is over. The discussions / arguments / objections / agreements are all confined to history. Drum roll, spotlight centre-stage... enter DSM-5 and into unknown territory we all go, particularly with autism, sorry.. autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mind.As you can see from the link above to the new diagnostic guidelines from the […]

Lai M-C, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B & Baron-Cohen S (2013). Subgrouping the Autism “Spectrum": Reflections on DSM-5, PLoS Biology, Other: Link

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May 16, 2013

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8:00 AM | Meta-analysing MTHFR and autism

I told you so.I'm talking about the paper by Pu and colleagues* who meta-analysed the currently available literature looking at two SNPs in everyone's favourite Scrabble classic gene, MTHFR in relation to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Said gene controls production of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) which fits very snugly into the whole one carbon metabolism cycle (see here).Love at first sight? @ Wikipedia Regular readers might know that I have a […]

Pu D, Shen Y & Wu J (2013). Association between MTHFR Gene Polymorphisms and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis., Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, PMID: 23653228

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May 14, 2013

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8:04 PM | RDoC and the cross-roads of psychiatry

The Irish poet Brendan Behan is, I think, credited with the phrase: "There's no bad publicity except an obituary". One wonders how appropriate this phrase might be to the 'diagnostic Bible' (except that it isn't) which is DSM-V which is poised to make its entrance into the World in the coming days.The real Homer @ Wikipedia Indeed, the story of DSM-V even before it hits the diagnostic shelves of all good psychiatric bookshops, has the makings of an epic piece of poetry or literature, […]

Ian B Hickie1, Jan Scott, Daniel F Hermens, Elizabeth M Scott, Sharon L Naismith, Adam J Guastella, Nick Glozier & Patrick D McGorry (2013). Clinical classification in mental health at the cross-roads: which direction next?, BMC Medicine, 11 126. Other: Link

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May 12, 2013

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10:51 AM | An interesting case report on autism and diet

Nodding syndrome.Ever heard of it? Well, up until a few days ago I hadn't. That is before coming across articles on the topic by Richard Idro and colleagues* (open-access) and Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige and colleagues** (open-access). Whilst not specifically my line of expertise or interest, I was intrigued to read about how nodding and other symptoms of the epileptic variety, at least in some cases, seemed to be precipitated by food and showed a potential nutritional angle.Curving […]

Herbert, M. & Buckley, J. (2013). Autism and Dietary Therapy: Case Report and Review of the Literature, Journal of Child Neurology, DOI: 10.1177/0883073813488668

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May 10, 2013

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7:44 AM | Depression or antidepressant use linked to C.diff infection?

"There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny". So said a very sceptical Han Solo.Regular readers might know that I'm a bit of fan of the whole gut-brain axis; indeed other kinds of axes too. I know that to some it might sound a bit daft that what goes on in our deepest, darkest bowels might actually have some important effects on the operations of the grey-pinkish matter floating around in skull central - and vice-versa - but nonetheless it interests me. The gastrointestinal […]

Rogers, M., Greene, M., Young, V., Saint, S., Langa, K., Kao, J. & Aronoff, D. (2013). Depression, antidepressant medications, and risk of Clostridium difficile infection, BMC Medicine, 11 (1) 121. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-11-121

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May 08, 2013

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8:35 AM | Does melatonin affect leaky gut? Relevance to autism

Shocker alert: medicines might have more effects than those listed on the patient information leaflet.I like being surprised. I particularly like being surprised about medicines and health, and how many of the medicines which even reside in the typical household medicines cabinet* might carry the potential to do so much more than that listed on the package insert. Leaking? @ Wikipedia Take for example the recent paper I bumped into by Sommansson and colleagues** continuing their […]

Sommansson A, Wan Saudi WS, Nylander O & Sjöblom M (2013). Melatonin inhibits alcohol-induced increases in duodenal mucosal permeability in rats in vivo., American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology, PMID: 23639810

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May 06, 2013

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8:36 AM | The ESSENCE of autism comorbidity?

Like Charlie Bucket looking through the sweet shop window at the delicious chocolates produced by the workforce of a certain Mr Willy Wonka (the candyman no less), I am always quite interested in the goings-on at the IMFAR autism research conference. The candyman can... @ Wikipedia This year (2013) proved to be a bit of a vintage, as once again the great and the good presented their Wonka bars of autism research; thus hinting at the direction of future autism research and what […]

Höglund Carlsson, L., Norrelgen, F., Kjellmer, L., Westerlund, J., Gillberg, C. & Fernell, E. (2013). Coexisting Disorders and Problems in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, The Scientific World Journal, 2013 1-6. DOI: 10.1155/2013/213979

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May 04, 2013

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7:30 AM | Surgery following self-injurious behaviour

Discussions on self-injurious behaviour (SIB) or auto-aggression are not normally for the faint-hearted.Indeed, as I intimated on a previous post on SIB and autism, when such behaviours are witnessed in children and young adults - even older adults, one does wonder what the effects might be not only on the person themselves but also on a parent or a sibling as they watch their own flesh and blood banging their head on a wall or pulling their hair out or trying to gouge their eyes out. I can't […]

Sisk RA, Motley WW 3rd, Yang MB & West CE (2013). Surgical outcomes following repair of traumatic retinal detachments in cognitively impaired adolescents with self-injurious behavior., Journal of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, 50 (1) 20-6. PMID: 23061560

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May 01, 2013

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6:08 PM | Autism research at IMFAR 2013

"Kaixo!" That's hello by the way in Basque, or at least I think it is.The beautiful Basque Country is currently welcoming the 2013 IMFAR conference and its delegates to its shores, as once again one of the premier autism research conferences brings together the minds (and souls) of many an autism researcher.San Sebastian @ Wikipedia As per my previous posts on the IMFAR conference series - the 2011 conference and 2012 conference - hopes are high that more advances are being made into the […]

April 30, 2013

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10:05 PM | Lyme and soda: hold the autism risk?

I've talked about the mighty tick previously on this blog and some speculation on how a tick harbouring the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (or a close relation) bites and transmits said bacteria to humans which can lead to Lyme disease and whether this might be implicated in some cases of autism. Tickety boo @ Wikipedia The suggestion from that post was that whilst the data was speculative and relatively sparse at that time on whether Lyme disease is common in cases of […]

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April 29, 2013

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2:02 PM | Autism and the folding placenta

Men don't generally talk about placentas it has to be said. But today, in the name of blogging, I'm going to.I'm going to start by telling you how the placenta really is a marvel of biological engineering. An absolutely vital part of our existence in-utero that nourishes us and protects us during our earliest days living in the amniotic sac. Little wonder that whole nations have come to revere the placenta as mother, sibling even doubles of ourselves (see here). Although I have to say I do […]

Walker, C., Anderson, K., Milano, K., Ye, S., Tancredi, D., Pessah, I., Hertz-Picciotto, I. & Kliman, H. (2013). Trophoblast Inclusions Are Significantly Increased in the Placentas of Children in Families at Risk for Autism, Biological Psychiatry, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.03.006

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April 27, 2013

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10:37 AM | A vaccine for autism symptoms? Not exactly

"Vaccine". "Autism".I'm struggling to think of two words in combination which, in modern times, are any more likely to stir up emotion, debate and even argument. Indeed in these times of measles outbreaks and seemingly daily news reporting on the very, very strong requirement for vaccination to protect against the disease, it is coincidental that two research papers should now land in my inbox which mention both of those words in the title.Paradise in Zakynthos @ Wikipedia The […]

Pequegnat B, Sagermann M, Valliani M, Toh M, Chow H, Allen-Vercoe E & Monteiro MA (2013). A vaccine and diagnostic target for Clostridium bolteae, an autism-associated bacterium., Vaccine, PMID: 23602537

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April 25, 2013

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9:22 AM | Prenatal valproate exposure and autism: reloaded

When does the the term 'correlation does not equal causation' become a moot point? It's a question I've often pondered, having discussed the issue quite a few times on this blog for all manner of correlations and associations linked to autism (sorry, the autisms).The weight of the heart @ Wikipedia Is there, for example, a recognised tipping point where the weight of evidence correlating A with B might actually lead to the consensus that A causes B either wholly or partially?Yes, I […]

Jakob Christensen, Therese Koops Grønborg, Merete Juul Sørensen, Diana Schendel, Erik Thorlund Parner, Lars Henning Pedersen & Mogens Vestergaard (2013). Prenatal Valproate Exposure and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Childhood Autism, JAMA, Other: Link

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April 23, 2013

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12:33 PM | Autism and the methylome

Q: When is an identical twin not an identical twin? A: Pretty much all the time (at least according to some people) as our increasing understanding of the complexity of genetics stretches and modifies long-held beliefs about the building blocks of life and their role in our health and wellbeing.DNA methylation differences? @ Wikipedia Today I'm talking about identical (monozygotic) twins - siblings derived from one fertilised egg - and how the science of epigenetics might have […]

Wong, C., Meaburn, E., Ronald, A., Price, T., Jeffries, A., Schalkwyk, L., Plomin, R. & Mill, J. (2013). Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for autism spectrum disorder and related behavioural traits, Molecular Psychiatry, DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.41

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April 21, 2013

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7:43 AM | All eyes on minocycline

Minocycline, the tetracycline antibiotic, is probably not something that most people would traditionally link with autism or conditions presenting with autism-like behaviours. Indeed, the suggestion that antibiotics or antimicrobials if you prefer, may be able to modify either the behaviour or linked biochemistry of the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or even influence the onset and expression of ASD is quite frankly a little bit unusual.Minocycline (for chemists) @ Wikipedia But unusual […]

Leigh, M., Nguyen, D., Mu, Y., Winarni, T., Schneider, A., Chechi, T., Polussa, J., Doucet, P., Tassone, F., Rivera, S. & Hessl, D. (2013). A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Minocycline in Children and Adolescents with Fragile X Syndrome, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 34 (3) 147-155. DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e318287cd17

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April 17, 2013

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9:19 AM | Autism, the autisms or "developmental brain dysfunction"?

"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism" so the oft-cited phrase goes. The implication is that whilst unified under the label of presenting with the triad/dyad characteristics of an autism spectrum condition, the heterogeneity present across the spectrum coupled with other comorbidity, allied to factors such as genes, personality, temperament, maturation, environment et al, mean that everyone is different and importantly everyone is dynamic.Umbrella under […]

Whitehouse AJ & Stanley FJ (2013). Is autism one or multiple disorders?, The Medical journal of Australia, 198 (6) 302-3. PMID: 23545020

Moreno-De-Luca A, Myers SM, Challman TD, Moreno-De-Luca D, Evans DW & Ledbetter DH (2013). Developmental brain dysfunction: revival and expansion of old concepts based on new genetic evidence., Lancet neurology, 12 (4) 406-14. PMID: 23518333

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April 14, 2013

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2:52 PM | Fatigue severity and serum leptin levels in chronic fatigue syndrome

In the very complicated world of medical research and science, the days of one chemical, one metabolite, or one gene driving and sustaining ill-health and particular diseases or conditions seem to be all but long past. Sure, there are conditions which on the surface seem to be driven by only one factor, but more often than not is the realisation that we humans are very complicated creatures indeed.Leptin @ Wikipedia I was therefore interested to read the paper by Elizabeth Stringer and […]

Stringer, E., Baker, K., Carroll, I., Montoya, J., Chu, L., Maecker, H. & Younger, J. (2013). Daily cytokine fluctuations, driven by leptin, are associated with fatigue severity in chronic fatigue syndrome: evidence of inflammatory pathology, Journal of Translational Medicine, 11 (1) 93. DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-11-93

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April 12, 2013

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8:53 AM | ADHD and a sunny disposition

'Light it up blue' is probably a familiar phrase to many of those involved with autism as being the message championed by Autism Speaks on World Autism Awareness Day (2 April). The intention is noble enough: to bring autism to the attention of the world at large and importantly, keep their attention and resources focused on autism. I might add that awareness is one thing; actually 'doing something about autism' - whether that means improving prospects or modifying the course of autism or just […]

Arns M, van der Heijden KB, Arnold LE & Kenemans JL (2013). Geographic Variation in the Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Sunny Perspective., Biological psychiatry, PMID: 23523340

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April 09, 2013

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8:34 PM | IACC and summary of research advances in autism 2012

I'm very much an outsider looking in when it comes to the goings-on at the US Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). I'm a Limey working here in Blighty (translation: Brit working in the UK) not in the States and as far as I can see we don't have such an agency here in the UK. Yes, we do have the NICE review which is coming to a close shortly but nothing like the IACC which seems to orchestrate many autism-related activities in the States, including research.Annually, the […]

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9:28 AM | The autism spectrum and the job interview

I'm very conscious of the fact that I tend to talk quite a lot about biological research on this blog and its potential implications for people on the autism spectrum and beyond. To some, this can seem a little one-sided in terms of how autism is viewed and indeed at the expense of a large proportion of people on the autism spectrum who are not necessarily looking to understand how cytokines or dietary intervention for example, might impact on their signs, symptoms or everyday quality of […]

Strickland DC, Coles CD & Southern LB (2013). JobTIPS: A Transition to Employment Program for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders., Journal of autism and developmental disorders, PMID: 23494559

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April 07, 2013

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8:55 AM | Asperger syndrome in first-episode psychosis

There are some key 'go-to' peer-reviewed texts which I've found to be useful when talking about the various conditions on the autism spectrum. On the topic of Asperger syndrome, I've always tended to come back to the paper by Tom Berney* (open-access) charting the progression of the condition through childhood into adulthood.The whisper of the Muse @ Wikipedia Despite being published nearly 10 years ago, the paper by Dr Berney weathers well and covers many of the discussions which have […]

Davidson C, Greenwood N, Stansfield A & Wright S (2013). Prevalence of Asperger syndrome among patients of an Early Intervention in Psychosis team., Early intervention in psychiatry, PMID: 23472601

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April 04, 2013

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9:43 AM | CNV duplication load, hotspots and autism

Viewers here in the UK might remember the catchphrase of one Michael Barrymore on the show 'Strike It Lucky': "What is a hotspot not? A good spot". It is with a rather different kind of hotspot in mind, that I'm posting about today: genomic hotspots and autism with a specific focus on copy number variants.An intriguing paper by Santhosh Girirajan and colleagues* (open-access) popped up on my Twitter radar recently discussing copy number variant (CNV) load in relation to autism spectrum […]

Girirajan S, Johnson RL, Tassone F, Balciuniene J, Katiyar N, Fox K, Baker C, Srikanth A, Yeoh KH, Khoo SJ & Nauth TB (2013). Global increases in both common and rare copy number load associated with autism., Human molecular genetics, PMID: 23535821

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April 02, 2013

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8:07 AM | Gastrointestinal comorbidity for World Autism Awareness Day

Today (Tuesday 2 April 2013) is World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD).I don't exactly know how one is supposed to communicate this message ('Happy world autism awareness day' just doesn't roll off the tongue). So I guess all I will say is to reiterate the subtext of this blog on what the spectrum - the very wide spectrum - means: "To some it means a need for life-long support. To others it is part of the varied tapestry of humanity. To all it means a need to foster a welcoming society […]

Horvath K, Papadimitriou JC, Rabsztyn A, Drachenberg C & Tildon JT (1999). Gastrointestinal abnormalities in children with autistic disorder., The Journal of pediatrics, 135 (5) 559-63. PMID: 10547242

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March 29, 2013

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9:30 PM | Antigen content exposure and autism: no link

I'm hopefully not setting myself up for a fall by discussing the study published by Frank DeStefano and colleagues* (open-access) suggesting no link between the 'too many too soon' argument of vaccination and risk of autism. As probably would be expected with such study results, there has been a flurry of interest on this paper (see here and here for example) and so once again I'm not going to add too much to the details which have already been reported.The basics:Based on a final […]

Frank DeStefano, Cristofer S. Price & Eric S. Weintraub (2013). Increasing Exposure to Antibody-Stimulating Proteins and Polysaccharides in Vaccines Is Not Associated with Risk of Autism, The Journal of Pediatrics, Other: Link

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March 28, 2013

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11:00 PM | NICE on managing autism in children & young people: draft

A very quick post to direct readers to the draft version of the final strand of guidance from NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) on managing autism in children and young people here in Blighty. The guidance documents can be found here and include the rather sizeable draft version of the full guidance (here) alongside a more condensed summary version (here).These are draft documents (at the time of this post) so there may yet be some movement in some of the […]

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9:46 AM | Inflammation, oxidative stress and autism: Saudi style

Saudi Arabia and autism research appearing on this blog? Regular readers know that this can mean only one thing: Laila Al-Ayadhi and special guests - in this case Afaf El-Ansary - and their fairly recent paper* (open-access) on plasma lipid mediators in autism.Kingdom Tower @ Wikipedia You might already know that I'm a bit of a fan of the Saudi autism research group which also on occasion includes Gehan Mostafa. Their papers have an exquisite range of topics around autism, the most recent […]

El-Ansary A & Al-Ayadhi L (2012). Lipid mediators in plasma of autism spectrum disorders., Lipids in health and disease, 11 (1) 160. PMID: 23170784

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March 25, 2013

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9:44 AM | The gut microbiome and chronic fatigue syndrome

I've hinted before on this blog and its sister blog about how one of the most unappealing of interventions - fecal bacteriotherapy - is starting to make some waves in managing various conditions. I know its not everyone's cup of tea but the concept of transplanting whole stools or specific types of enteric bacteria from one person to another is actually providing some well needed relief for quite a few people.Insert here.... @ Wikipedia If it sounds like an undesirable treatment option, […]

Thomas Borody, Anna Nowak & Sarah Finlayson (2012). The GI microbiome and its role in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A summary of bacteriotherapy, Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 31 (3) Other: Link

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March 22, 2013

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9:52 AM | Advancing grandparental age and autism risk

The paper by Emma Frans and colleagues* looking at autism risk across the generations is the focus of this post. Published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry alongside a provocative article by Andrea Roberts and colleagues** on maternal exposure to child abuse being "associated" with elevated risk for offspring autism (see here and here), the theme is transgenerational effects and quote: "that your father's and grandfather's lifestyle choices can affect you" as per some of media on this […]

Frans, E. (2013). Autism Risk Across GenerationsA Population-Based Study of Advancing Grandpaternal and Paternal AgeAutism Risk, JAMA Psychiatry, 1. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1180

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