Sacramento, Calif. (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 A team of UC Davis researchers has found that mothers who had fevers during their pregnancies were more than twi
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| Research: UC Davis MIND Institute |
Sacramento, Calif. (PRWEB) May 23, 2012
A team of UC Davis researchers has found that mothers who had fevers during their pregnancies were more than twice as likely to have a child with autism or developmental delay than were mothers who did not have a fever or who took medication to counter its effect.
"Our study provides strong evidence that controlling fevers while pregnant may be effective in modifying the risk of having a child with autism or developmental delay," said Ousseny Zerbo, lead author of the study, who was a Ph.D. candidate with UC Davis when the study was conducted and is now a postdoctoral researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. "We recommend that pregnant women who develop fever take anti-pyretic medications and seek medical attention if their fever persists."
Published online in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the study is believed to be the first to consider how fever from any cause, including the flu, and its treatment during pregnancy could affect the likelihood of having a child with autism or developmental delay.
The results are based on data from a large, case-control investigation known as the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment(CHARGE) Study led by the UC Davis MIND Institute. Another recent study based on CHARGE data found that mothers who were obese or diabetic had a higher likelihood of having children with autism.
Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of public health sciences at UC Davis and principal investigator of CHARGE, pointed out that fever is produced by acute inflammation the short-term, natural immune system reaction to infection or injury and that chronic inflammation, which no longer serves a beneficial purpose and can damage healthy tissue, may be present in mothers with metabolic abnormalities like diabetes and obesity.
"Since an inflammatory state in the body accompanies obesity and diabetes as well as fever," said Hertz-Picciotto, "the natural question is: Could inflammatory factors play a role in autism?"
She explained that when people are infected by bacteria or viruses, the body generally reacts by mounting a healing response that involves the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from white blood cells into the bloodstream. Some cytokines are able to cross the placenta, and therefore could reach the fetal central nervous system, potentially altering levels of neurotransmitters and brain development.
"We definitely think more research is necessary to pinpoint the ways that inflammation could alter brain development," said Hertz-Picciotto.
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Article about Autism - Exactly my thoughts, We need to take precautions?
UC Davis Study Authors: Autism is Environmental - Can We Move On Now?I have always said there may be a small percentage of people with autism spectrum disorder (perhaps those with Asperger Syndrome) whose symptoms are a result only of their genetic makeup, with no environmental factors involved at all.
But a new study out of UC Davis MIND Institute says that it s time to abandon science s long, expensive, and not very fruitful quest to find the gene or genes that cause autism alone, without any environmental triggers.
"We need to keep (environmental) studies going," Irva Hertz-Picciotto, the co-author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health and epidemiology at UC Davis, said in a statement.
"We re looking at the possible effects of metals, pesticides and infectious agents on neurodevelopment," Hertz-Picciotto said. "If we re going to stop the rise in autism in California, we need to keep these studies going and expand them to the extent possible."
Autism is predominantly an environmentally acquired disease, the study seems to conclude. Its meteoric rise, at least in California, cannot possibly be attributed to that shopworn mantra we still hear everyday, incredibly, from far too many public health officials: It s due to better diagnosing and counting.
The autism epidemic is real, and it is not caused by genes alone: You cannot have a genetic epidemic. It really is time that we, as a society, accept that cold, hard truth.
"It s time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of autism in California," Dr. Hertz-Piccotto said.
The study results suggest that "research should shift from genetics, to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California s children," the statement added.
The UC Davis Study, funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that the rate of autism among six-year-olds in California mushroomed from less than 9 per 10,000 among the 1990 birth cohort, to more than 44 per 10,000 for kids born in 2000.
This increase, "cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted," the statement said, "and the trend shows no sign of abating."
(It is important to keep in mind that almost every child born in 2000 would have received many vaccines that contained the mercury preservative thimerosal, which was not completely phased out of most - but not all - childhood vaccines until at least 2003.)
Of the 600-to-700 percent increase in autism reported in California between 1990 and 2000, fewer than 10 percent were due to the inclusion of milder cases, the study found, while only 24 percent could be attributed to earlier age at diagnosis.
There was only one logical conclusion: some thing or things in the environment had to be at play here.
I have always said that all environmental factors should be considered in at least some subgroups of autism. This position has been met with considerable ridicule. I believe that opponents are afraid that, if we start looking at toxins like heavy metals, it might one day lead back to thimerosal. Likewise, if we consider live virus triggers, we may have to take another look at the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (which thousands of parents swear was the trigger than sent their children tumbling into autism).
Now, it s always been easier and more reassuring to tell ourselves that autism was almost purely genetic, that it was always with us at the rate of 1 in 90 men (1 in 60 in New Jersey) and that, gee, weren t doctors doing a great job these days of recognizing and diagnosis this disorder.
This pathetic groupthink has helped create hugely lopsided funding priorities in autism, where genetic studies get lavishly funded, while environmental ones are lucky to even pick up the dollar scraps left behind
"Right now, about 10 to 20 times more research dollars are spent on studies of the genetic causes of autism than on environmental ones," Hertz-Picciotto said. "We need to even out the funding."
I agree.
Yes, we must continue to look for the susceptibility genes that make some kids more vulnerable to environmental triggers - possibly through a diminished capacity to detoxify themselves.
But the sooner our best minds in science and medicine come to grips with the fact that these poor, hapless kids have been exposed to the wrong environmental toxins and/or infectious agents at the wrong time, the sooner we can find out how to best treat what really ails them.
It is illogical for us to oppose the study of, say, mercury exposures and autism, because it might somehow implicate thimerosal, and by extension, vaccines.
After all, heavy metal studies into autism could very well incriminate background environmental sources, but exonerate metal sources found in vaccines, such as mercury and aluminum.
And that would be a goo
I am a parent of a 7 year old boy with Aspergers Syndrome. I have always felt like my son became ill after receiving his MMR vaccinations. However, ofcourse, I have been met by the brick wall of "no, children are just going through a time of change at the same time they are getting their MMR vaccines. This year I enrolled my son in a new school and something major happened. When I turned in my sons vaccine record I received a call from the school nurse who informed me that there was an issue on his record. His two vaccinations were given in too close of proximity to one another. The vaccines are supposed to be given no less then 1 month apart and my son received his about 2 weeks apart. After doing some research I have found that a side effect of the MMR shot is indeed brain damage. So I am now left questioning what the effect of receiving the amount of medication my son did in too close of proximity. My son has been going to school all this time and this error has never been noticed until this year when I switched my sons school. I am so grateful for the school nurses attentiveness, now I can proceed in a whole new direction with trying to figure out what happened to my son. However, it makes me truly wonder about the doctors that we trust to take care of our children, and would never really know if they did something wrong. I mean really, who knows how far apart MMR vaccinations are supposed to be given. We just do what our doctors tell us to do, and assume that it is the write thing. A blessing in my sons school nurse brought this important piece of information to light for me. But it is a scary thought to wonder, how many other parents are unknowingly walking around going through the same thing?
Can you edit my essay? Short!?
If someone asked me what is the purpose of life, I would refer to this bible verse: The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed Proverbs 11:25. The altruistic motivation behind this verse provokes my desire to help those in need. I appreciate all the blessings in my life: a supportive family, amazing friends, bounty resources, and a stable environment. Unfortunately, not everyone can live this comfortable lifestyle in which aroused me to volunteer for the financial and intellectual challenged. Last year, I contributed about four hours every Saturday at a food bank where I would check out or bring the groceries to the customers car. As a result, I established good relationships with some of the customers; they frequently thanked me for my time and devotion. Something simple like taking their food to the car motivated me to volunteer more, leading to the organization Special Olympics. This organization encourages mentally retarded and physically challenged to come together and accomplish many people have doubt in. Athletes compete and practice in sporting events to show they can be successful if given the chance. The athletes perseverance and strong-will startled my ambition to become a medical researcher for mental retardation.As a committed and conscientious student, I enrolled in countless number of honors and APs classes in the past three year. My motivation for medical research ignited when I studied about gene mutations and chromosomal disorders in biology. The abnormalities engrossed me to research on the internet about the causes and cases of Cystic fibrosis or Down syndrome amplifying my passion towards this admirable career. Hopefully, my rank being in the top five percent and my above four-point-average every year speak out my determination and persistence. I aspire to enroll in UC San Diego and major molecular biology to learn how genes affect the human health. For graduate school, my dream is to attend UC Davis School of Medicine and study at the UC Davis Mind Institute learning about the affects and causes of Autism and other development disabilities. I yearn to devote my life to discover prevention, care, and cure of neurodevlopmental disorders.
During my undergraduate years, I love the idea of studying abroad in countries like Japan or France to experience the different cultural aspects and their advances in medical research. After graduating from UC Sand Diego, I intend to volunteer for a one-year mission trip in a third world country. My initiative sparked in summer as I was arriving home from Mexico after building a house through the organization, Amor Ministry. This establishment aims to transform the hearts of the participants and families through building a house. During the trip, I complained about the lack of plumbing system and the unbearable stench from the stalls, when Carlos and his family-the future residents- gratefully accepted the house. This house symbolized the new beginning of a relationship for the family for they have lived separately for their entire life. I anticipate reliving this experience through my future mission trips. The experiences with volunteer work and my allegiance with academic studies, I aim for a bight future ahead of me with these lifetime goals accomplished.
Just grammar mistakes!
Hmm...sometimes it sounds like you re using the same sentence type over and over, and it sounds like a list. So try to break it up by interchanging compound sentences with simple ones, etc. (: But otherwise, looks great!
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