Autism may be linked to gastrointestinal issues, Caltech study says

[proverbialwisdom]

Source: By Adam Poulisse, Pasadena Star-News

POSTED: 12/06/13, 8:23 AM PST

PASADENA >> A breakthrough at Caltech suggests that behaviors associated with autism are influenced from gastrointestinal (GI) issues, and could be treated with probiotic therapy.

Using a mouse model of autism previously developed at Caltech, researchers injected the mice with the “good” human bacteria Bacteroides fragilis, which can treat a “leaky gut,” metabolites pouring out of the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. Not only did the GI issue decrease, so did the autism symptoms in the mice.

Now, neuroscientists and biologists at Caltech hypothesize that behavioral issues on the autism spectrum may be influenced by GI issues, and could be treated with probiotics.

“To be able to address both the GI issues and the behavioral issues, I think it’s like the Holy Grail,” said Sarkis Mazmanian, who was co-senior investigator with Caltech neuroscientist Paul Patterson.

The research was published online in the Dec. 5 issue of the journal “Cell,” and marks the first study demonstrating how changes in gut bacteria can influence autism-like behaviors in a mouse model, according to a news release. Leaky gut has also been measured in cases of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more: http://www.presstelegram.com/health/20131206/autism-may-be-linked-to-gastrointestinal-issues-caltech-study-says

---

Link from: http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/12/da.html#more

[Archae]

1. More bullshit from "Age Of Autism," that STILL is laudatory of Wakefield.

How can you tell if a MOUSE is autistic?

[proverbialwisdom]

5. Read the full newspaper article above and check out the homepage of the journal CELL. Also, see #80.

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2013, 10:15 PM - Edit history (5)

http://www.cell.com/cellpress/impact

IMPACT FACTOR
New 2012 JCR journal metrics now published
CELL - 31.957

Cell continues to lead in its field with an impact factor of 31.957, and remains the number one research journal in the Cell Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology categories.

http://www.cell.com

5 December, 2013
Volume 155, Issue 6

Connect with the Editors on Facebook

New!
Cell celebrates the achievements of Editorial Board members Cornelia I. Bargmann, Lewis C. Cantley, Hans Clevers, Charles L. Sawyers, and Shinya Yamanaka, recipients of the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Read the award winners' research, published in Cell Press journals and made freely available.

Cell Press celebrates the achievements of James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman, and Neuron Editorial Board member Thomas C. Südhof, recipients of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and congratulates Structure Editorial Board member Martin Karplus, Biophysical Journal Editorial Board member Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel , the recipients of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Read the award winners' research published in Cell Press journals FREE.

Online Now
Crystal Structure of TET2-DNA Complex: Insight into TET-Mediated 5mC Oxidation
Hu, Xu, and colleagues

Microbiota Modulate Behavioral and Physiological Abnormalities Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Hsiao, Mazmanian, and colleagues

[proverbialwisdom]

2. More.

CUT AND PASTE ENTIRE LINK http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674(13)01473-6
http://download.cell.com/pdf/PIIS0092867413014736.pdf?intermediate=true

Microbiota Modulate Behavioral and Physiological Abnormalities Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Cell, 05 December 2013
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.024

Authors

Elaine Y. Hsiao, Sara W. McBride, Sophia Hsien, Gil Sharon, Embriette R. Hyde, Tyler McCue, Julian A. Codelli, Janet Chow, Sarah E. Reisman, Joseph F. Petrosino, Paul H. Patterson, Sarkis K. Mazmanian
See Affiliations

Hint: Rollover Authors and Affiliations
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Corresponding author
These authors contributed equally to this work

Highlights
The MIA model recapitulates GI comorbidities linked to a subset of ASD individuals
Targeting the microbiota treats specific GI and behavioral symptoms
Gut microbes regulate metabolites that alter behavior in animals
Microbiota may contribute to the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders

Summary
Neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are defined by core behavioral impairments; however, subsets of individuals display a spectrum of gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities. We demonstrate GI barrier defects and microbiota alterations in the maternal immune activation (MIA) mouse model that is known to display features of ASD. Oral treatment of MIA offspring with the human commensal Bacteroides fragilis corrects gut permeability, alters microbial composition, and ameliorates defects in communicative, stereotypic, anxiety-like and sensorimotor behaviors. MIA offspring display an altered serum metabolomic profile, and B. fragilis modulates levels of several metabolites. Treating naive mice with a metabolite that is increased by MIA and restored by B. fragilis causes certain behavioral abnormalities, suggesting that gut bacterial effects on the host metabolome impact behavior. Taken together, these findings support a gut-microbiome-brain connection in a mouse model of ASD and identify a potential probiotic therapy for GI and particular behavioral symptoms in human neurodevelopmental disorders.

[elfin]

3. "Leaky gut" is alternative medicine

While all approaches to autism may be important, this seems suspect to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut

[proverbialwisdom]

6. GO TO THE JOURNAL AND READ AWHLE.

[Warpy]

10. Sorry, those of us who are into real science

simply don't share your belief system.

[proverbialwisdom]

15. What? Self-delete is your friend here. nt

[proverbialwisdom]

39. Your 'belief system' diss won't hold. Watch the November 2013 IACC webcast.

Last edited Sat Dec 7, 2013, 11:57 AM - Edit history (1)

Or at least listen while multitasking until something grabs your attention, as it will, then pay careful attention. You will hear the words 'environmental' and 'biomedical' uttered by multiple Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) members without challenge. You'll discover that some members of the IACC fully expect peer-reviewed scientific studies to confer gold standard status on current cutting-edge clinical protocols within 5-10 years. You might reserve judgement until then. Check it out.

http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?Live=13225

2013 IACC Strategic Plan Update Workshop Agenda

Friday, November 15, 2013
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern

National Institutes of Health

Runtime: 07:33:03

Description: The workshop will feature discussions between IACC members and external subject matter and community experts regarding updates from the field and from the community that the committee may consider when developing the 2013 update of the IACC Strategic Plan.

[DeSwiss]

13. So is cannabis.

Cannabis Science - How Marijuana Affects Health - Educational Documentary

- Wake. Up.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. "Alternative" does not mean "wrong". Pasteur's Germ Theory was alternative a while back. nt

[lindysalsagal]

4. I really have a hard time believeing that feeding pro-biotics to autistic kids

will make them start talking and responding socially. I teach autistic kids. Really hard time believing this. No one starts out normal and then becomes autistic. If it were just a leaky gut, people would "turn" autistic overnight.

Makes no sense.

[proverbialwisdom]

8. Live and learn, as in this journal article entitled 'Autism and Dietary Therapy' published last May.

http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/05/new-study-by-dr-martha-herbert-dr-julie-buckley-in-journal-of-child-neurology-on-autism-and-dietary-.html#comments

New Study by Dr. Martha Herbert & Dr. Julie Buckley in Journal of Child Neurology on Autism and Dietary Therapy

Managing Editor's Note: Thank you to Dr. Martha Herbert and Dr. Julie Buckley.

Of special significance is that we have an academic researcher working in conjunction/cooperation with a practicing physician in order to publish academically rigorous case studies that may have an immediate impact on patients. Sure beats another eye gaze study in Amazonian water rats, eh?

Journal of Child Neurology

Autism and Dietary Therapy
Case Report and Review of the Literature

Martha R. Herbert, PhD, MD -1
Julie A. Buckley, MD, FAAP -2

1Pediatric Neurology and TRANSCEND Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
2Pediatric Partners of Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

Martha R. Herbert, PhD, MD, Pediatric Neurology, TRANSCEND Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA. Email: [e-mail]

Author Contributions MRH and JAB contributed equally to this work.

ABSTRACT:

We report the history of a child with autism and epilepsy who, after limited response to other interventions following her regression into autism, was placed on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, after which she showed marked improvement in autistic and medical symptoms.

Subsequently, following pubertal onset of seizures and after failing to achieve full seizure control pharmacologically she was advanced to a ketogenic diet that was customized to continue the gluten-free, casein-free regimen. On this diet, while still continuing on anticonvulsants, she showed significant improvement in seizure activity. This gluten-free casein-free ketogenic diet used medium-chain triglycerides rather than butter and cream as its primary source of fat. Medium-chain triglycerides are known to be highly ketogenic, and this allowed the use of a lower ratio (1.5:1) leaving more calories available for consumption of vegetables with their associated health benefits. Secondary benefits included resolution of morbid obesity and improvement of cognitive and behavioral features.

Over the course of several years following her initial diagnosis, the child’s Childhood Autism Rating Scale score decreased from 49 to 17, representing a change from severe autism to nonautistic, and her intelligence quotient increased 70 points. The initial electroencephalogram after seizure onset showed lengthy 3 Hz spike-wave activity; 14 months after the initiation of the diet the child was essentially seizure free and the electroencephalogram showed only occasional 1-1.5 second spike-wave activity without clinical accompaniments. (see the pdf of the abtract HERE: http://www.rescuepost.com/files/j-child-neurol-2013-herbert-and-buckley-0883073813488668-1.pdf )

[Trillo]

9. Casein and casomorphin are related, possibly off topic

Casomorphin causes behavioral changes in rats

http://aut.sagepub.com/content/3/1/85.abstract
"A Peptide Found in Schizophrenia and Autism Causes Behavioral Changes
in Rats

http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/peptide.asp
"What is Casomorphin?
"Casomorphin is a peptide derived from the milk protein casein. Casein
is one of the major proteins in the milk of all mammals including cows,
goats, and humans.
"Dr. Reichelt in Norway, Dr. Cade at the University of Florida, and
others found that urine samples from people with autism, PDD, celiac
disease and schizophrenia contained high amounts of the casomorphin
peptide. These peptides could also be elevated in other disorders such
as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and depression based on anecdotal
reports of symptom remission after exclusion of wheat and dairy.

http://www.notmilk.com/forum/942.html
"Florida researcher, Robert Cade, M.D., has identified a milk
protein, casomorphin, as the probable cause of attention
deficit disorder. Dr. Cade found Beta-casomorphin-7 in high
concentrations in the blood and urine of patients with
either schizophrenia or autism.

"Eighty percent of cow's milk protein is casein. After eating
milk chocolate, casein breaks down in the stomach to produce
a peptide opiate, casomorphine.

http://www.readingtarget.com/disability/Diet.htm
"For many autistic children, the protein in milk and wheat incompletely
metabolizes into close cousins of morphine, which further complicates
their condition.

[proverbialwisdom]

12. The link was to broadly corroborate for laypersons the concept that diet might impact autism.

Many DUers aggressively view that as woo/heresy. As you have indicated, research is demonstrating otherwise.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

16. I teach them also,

I believe it's in the other end.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

35. Beware of binary thinking. Do not expect magic bullet cures or shoot down non-magic bullet treatment

I don't expect that it would "make them start talking and responding socially" overnight either. Nor do I expect it to be the only factor or the only factor in all cases.

Also, your logic is flawed about "turning overnight". First, leaky gut is not "cured" overnight. Second, a problem like leaky gut can cause imbalances to build up over longer periods like months and years. Fixing one cause (leaky gut, if it is a cause) might allow those imbalances to clear out over long periods like months and years. Even then it might only help but not cure.

If (emphasis on if) leaky gut is involved (emphasis on "involved" rather than "sole cause&quot in autism, then it is entirely possible that a genetic predisposition to leaky gut could take weeks and months in infancy to build up and autism develop. My understanding of autism is that there is no instant diagnosis in infants and that autism spectrum disorders are not even diagnosed in many cases for a few years into childhood. Further, autism is a spectrum of disorders with differing degrees and differing manifestations.

[proverbialwisdom]

42. More.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/books/the-autism-revolution
https://www.facebook.com/TheAutismRevolution/posts/656535041036058

http://najms.net/wp-content/uploads/v06i03.pdf#page=34

...The final commentary was written by Dr. Herbert, who presents her paper entitled “Everyday Epigenetics from Molecular Intervention to Public Health and Lifestyle Medicine.” She asserts that it may well take a grass roots epigenetic/lifestyle medicine revolution to avert the worsening health trends we are facing in the setting of a progressively more toxic and endangered planet. She posits that everyday epigenetics can inform science of what is possible so that society can respond on an appropriate scale to the magnitude of the crisis we are facing.

[Sienna86]

7. Fascinating.

It's been interesting to see the research over the past few years identify how important the bacteria in our intestines affects our health, including our immune system.

Thanks for sharing.

[cer7711]

11. Indeed! Remember When Ulcers Were Caused By "Stress"?

Almost 100% of all ulcers are knocked out now by antibiotics.

This was so-called "junk science" 30 years ago.

"If it were that easy to cure ulcers with antibiotics . . ."

[mainer]

66. I remember the unnecessary surgeries

Partial gastrectomies and duodenectomies. What a tragedy that so many people suffered from our ignorance back then.

[laundry_queen]

75. I remember when antibiotic resistance was consisdered junk science as well

Now it's well known to be a fact.

I remember when probiotics were laughed at - now my gastroenterologist is telling people to take them (he put me on a specific brand that has made a big difference with my condition).

[Demeter]

14. No shit, Sherlock (literally)

Daughter, age 30, has found relief of her digestive issues via probiotics.

Also avoiding a couple of food sensitivities: lactose, chocolate, and caffeine.

Daughter is PDD-NOS, on Autism Spectrum. Which is a genetic condition, by the way.

Have seen no improvement of the underlying autism, except the less pain, the better functioning.

[lindysalsagal]

17. Hang in there: Parents like you are saints and heros.

And it must hurt to read such "research" which minimizes your challenges as "digestive disorders."

[RayOfHope]

19. ? This makes no sense

My son is on the autism spectrum. Reading this article minimizes nothing. It doesnt say that we are causing our children's issues or that the symptoms are all in our head. What the article does do is give us some information that may work. At the very least, introducing probiotics will improve the basic functioning of the gut.

[Demeter]

23. I respectfully submit that you missed the message from lindysalsagal to me

which I got just fine.

And your point about improving the basic function of the GI system is on point.

The second largest center of neurons is the messentery...and it is implicated in autism's symptoms. By reputable research.

[aroach]

77. My 10 year old son is on the spectrum

My son is diagnosed with Asperger's but was initially diagnosed PDD-NOS. He has lots of gastro-intestinal issues. We've been to doctors and even had the whole barium enema, etc. So far, nothing has helped. I admit I have not even entertained the notion of going gluten-free as I'm pretty sure he'd starve to death. I'm interested in learning more about the probiotics that helped your daughter with the GI issues. We don't mind the autism. It's part of who he is and I wouldn't change it for the world.

[Thirties Child]

18. Probiotics work

My sister's grandson knew his alphabet before he was two. Now, at seven, he isn't toilet trained and doesn't talk. His mother has started probiotics and last week he said "More". And fed himself at Thanksgiving. And is making eye contact. My guess is that there's a connection between his gut issue and not being toilet trained. We'll see where this goes, but right now it feels like a miracle.

[proverbialwisdom]

25. K&R!!!! Thank you for posting!

[elleng]

26. Thanks. Good to read.

[Thirties Child]

43. I remember you from the Clark forum

I was Disorganized then. I lost my DU membership last year when we moved, got a new computer, new server, lost my password. Anyway, nice to see you again.

[elleng]

49. Hi, Disorganized!

GOOD to see you again!

[user_name]

37. I second that!

My son was diagnosed with high functioning autism when he was young. He had very poor eye contact, very focused interests, would have unbearable meltdowns, and had no interests in his peers. We did the GAPS diet with him for 5 years. The GAPS diet focuses on GI health and probiotic foods. At 13, he seems like a normal young teen interested in soccer and girls. He still has more focused interests than some of his peers, but no one would look at him and see anything wrong.

[Thirties Child]

44. So good to hear about progress like that.

My grandson is an Aspie, brilliant, focused on one thing, meltdowns. Because he was so awkward he'd fall off the chair during dinner, my daughter started swimming lessons to improve his coordination. He was a natural and winning races helped his social skills, gave him confidence. Last month he saw a boy in the next lane struggling, had the presence of mind to turn him on his back so he could breathe, held him until a lifeguard reached them.

[diane in sf]

53. I tend to believe this theory, my friend's son who is autistic had really

strange smelling poop as a baby. Anecdotal, but suggestive.

[burnsei sensei]

72. My gosh, that's marvelous.

nt

[SoLeftIAmRight]

20. Oh Lord - If my world was as simple as yours.

You seem to know everything. Please, Please Please, write your book of wisdom. We can change the entire worlds education system and read only your holy words.

[proverbialwisdom]

36. You emailed me to apologize that this post was not directed at me, so I deleted my reply.

If you don't clarify (edit or delete), I will repost.

[PADemD]

21. So is this similar to PKU?

[hedgehog]

46. Clearly, you are unaware that connecting mental issues to diet is woo!

I dislike the term "leaky gut" because of it's association with anecdote rather than rigorous science. However, the possibility that the type of microflora in the gut could have some effect on autism is worth taking a look at - if only to eliminate the possibility! Changing diet may change the balance of the microflora, favoring some species over others. My guess is that the type of microflora may modulate the expression of autism, but that there is a basic difference in brain structure involved. But - if the microflora make the difference between functional and non -functional, this would be a fantastic break through!


There are seratonin receptors in the digestive system. I wonder if the microflora have any effect on diseases such as depression or schizophrenia?

[proverbialwisdom]

50. Herbert cites alcohol consumption as a no-brainer 'connecting mental issues to diet .' nt

[hedgehog]

51. Excellent!

[SheilaT]

27. As the mother of an autistic child

(Asperger's) I tend to sigh at these kinds of things.

That same child has an auto-immune disorder, alopecia areata, which causes hair loss. He went completely bald at age four. So I'm also well tuned in to the alopecia community.

A few years ago I got into an argument with the mother of another child with alopecia who was totally convinced that "leaky gut syndrome" was the absolute cause of alopecia.

Sometimes shit just happens. My kid is bald and autistic. My other kid is also bald, but not autistic.

And as if this matters, neither son would want to grow hair, even if the magic cure for alopecia were to happen.

[Archae]

28. Autism is a mental aberration, period.

Tying a "leaky gut" to the problem is like what you describe, it's an auto-immune disorder.

I happen to have mild bipolarism.

It's under control, and not from some stupid "probiotic" fad food.

It used to be that psychologists blamed the mother for autism, the so-called "frozen Mother" syndrome.

Fortunately most actual autism research has thrown that old theory where it belongs, in the garbage.

Andrew Wakefield should have been tossed into a dumpster, for his fake "research" he did just to make money.

[SheilaT]

31. Oh! oh! oh!

Do not get me started with the frozen mother thing.

I may not be the best mother in the world, but I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT the cause of my son's autism. I cannot express it more strongly.

I also must add that he was different from the day he was born, different in ways that only years later could be connected to the Asperger's.

All of our children (as every parent out there knows) is unique and wonderful. Some of them are unique in very different ways.

All of those years he was growing up I knew that my son was in some, mysterious way, different from his peers. I could never put my finger on it. A diving instructor, when he was about five, noticed some specific differences. His first grade teacher noticed that he had a mid-line problem, that anything crossing the midline of his body gave him problems. She suggested that in the future I make sure that his desk in school was always faced directly towards the blackboard.

I have no idea to what extent these things were his Asperger's or something else, but I can absolutely tell you they have nothing whatsoever to do with vaccinations, or leaky gut, or internal flora or fauna. They are totally to so with his Asperger's.

I will say that sometimes I pull out a grade school picture of him to explain to people why we were so slow to figure out that he was autistic. He looked different from the time he was four years old, because he was totally bald starting then. So if he was treated differently because he looked different, it made it a whole lot harder to figure out that he was different in a much more profound way.

The up side of all of this is that the older he gets (and he'll be 31 in about three more weeks) the less important the baldness is, in that as he gets older more and more of his peers are also losing their hair, so it doesn't matter in the same way.

But the autism is still there.

[proverbialwisdom]

47. #1, autism is medical, not mental. #2, you must've missed this along with our MSM. Stay posted.

FYI, Professor John Walker-Smith is widely regarded as the co-founder of pediatric gastroenterology as an independent field with Dr. Allan Walker of Harvard Medical School.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/10131156

MMR doctor wins High Court appeal

Press Association, Tuesday March 6 2012

Professor John Walker-Smith appealed against the General Medical Council's (GMC) determination that he was guilty of serious professional misconduct. His fight for his reputation was supported by the parents of many children with autism and bowel disease seen by him at the Royal Free Hospital, north London, up to his retirement in 2001.

Mr Justice Mitting, sitting at London's High Court, ruled the GMC decision "cannot stand". He quashed the finding of professional misconduct and the striking-off.

Calling for changes in the way GMC fitness to practise panel hearings are conducted in the future, the judge said of the flawed handling of Prof Walker-Smith's case: "It would be a misfortune if this were to happen again."

<...>

In a written ruling, the judge made it clear the judgment was the end of the case, and the GMC did not intend to appeal.

http://www.canaryparty.org/index.php/the-news/82-senior-author-of-mmr-paper-john-walker-smith-wins-appeal

Senior Author of MMR Paper, John Walker-Smith, Wins Appeal

Written by The Canary Party
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 16:13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s co-author on controversial Lancet “MMR paper” completely exonerated of all charges of professional misconduct

World renowned pediatric gastroenterologist Prof. John Walker-Smith won his appeal today against the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council regulatory board that had ruled against both him and Andrew Wakefield for their roles in the 1998 Lancet MMR paper, which raised questions about a link to autism. The complete victory means that Walker-Smith has been returned to the status of a fully licensed physician in the UK, although he had already retired in 2001 — six years before the GMC trial even began.

Justice John Mitting ruled on the appeal by Walker-Smith, saying that the GMC “panel’s determination cannot stand. I therefore quash it.” He said that its conclusions were based on “inadequate and superficial reasoning and, in a number of instances, a wrong conclusion.” The verdict restores Walker-Smith’s name to the medical register and his reputation to the medical community. This conclusion is not surprising, as the GMC trial had no actual complainants, no harm came to the children who were studied, and parents supported Walker-Smith and Wakefield through the trial, reporting that their children had medically benefited from the treatment they received at the Royal Free Hospital.

While John Walker-Smith received funding to appeal the GMC decision from his insurance carrier, his co-author Andrew Wakefield did not — and was therefore unable to mount an appeal in the high court.

<...>

Today, almost 14 years after the paper was published, the high court determined that John Walker-Smith was innocent of the wrongdoing alleged by the GMC. Judge Mitting reported that the GMC, “on the basis of sensible instructions, does not invite me to remit it to a fresh Fitness to Practice panel for redetermination. The end result is that the finding of serious professional misconduct and the sanction of erasure are both quashed.”

More at link.

http://www.jabs.org.uk/

(Scroll down)

CryShame press release - 9 March 2013

Important new research ( http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0058058 ) reports similar findings to the work of Dr Andrew Wakefield in the 1998 Lancet and in subsequent paper in the early 2000s

Groundbreaking new research examines the molecular structure of inflammatory material taken from the bowels of autistic children. It compares the structure of diseased biopsies in the autistic children with biopsies from three groups of non-autistic children with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and histologically normal (the controls).

Previous research confirmed the pathological and immunological make-up of biopsies of autistic children, but had not to date identified its specific molecular structure. Children with the four different conditions have been found to have similar findings of inflammation. But it was not clear if this was the same condition shared by all four groups; or if a distinct condition was specific to autistic children alone; or if indeed there was no disease in the autistic group. A molecular analysis of the genetic structure found in the inflamed bowel tissue of children in each group would provide initial answers to these questions.

To date government and medical scientists continue to deny an association between autism and bowel disease. In the UK there is currently no research into the association between autism and chronic bowel disease. This has been the predicament since the government and medical profession waged a campaign to discredit research from the Royal Free Hospital led by Dr Andrew Wakefield in 1998 and the early 2000s that first identified the presence of bowel disease in autistic children.

Following years of denial from government and the medical profession, new research published in the leading online journal PLOS ONE confirms the presence of intestinal disease in autistic children and supports reports from many parents of ongoing painful gastric problems in their autistic children.

The research studied bowel samples from 25 autistic, 8 Crohn's, 5 ulcerative colitis and 15 normal control children and found that inflammatory material obtained from the biopsies of autistic children had a distinct molecular structure that was different from the other three groups.

This is an important finding of the distinct genetic expression that has now been identified in autistic children as distinct from non-autistic children with Crohns, ulcerative colitis and normal bowels. It paves the way for future research into the specific molecular structure of the inflammation affecting autistic children and hopefully will lead to new interventions and treatment.

Background Notes

1. The first paper to bring to public attention the presence of bowel disease in autistic children was Wakefield AJ, (1998) 'Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children'.The Lancet published this paper in 1998 but subsequently retracted it in 2010 after the GMC found Dr Wakefield and Professor Walker-Smith guilty of serious professional misconduct.

2. Several former colleagues went on in the early 2000s to study the nature of the bowel disease in autistic children, focusing on the pathology of gut tissue and the presence of autoimmune features in the bowel (eg Furlano et al (2001) 'Colonic CD8 and γδ T-cell infiltration with epithelial damage in children with autism', Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 138, 3).

3. The senior research leader of the Lancet and subsequent papers was Professor John Walker-Smith who in March 2012 had all the charges of professional misconduct made by the GMC quashed on appeal by Justice Mitting in the High Court.

4. Government Minister admits more needs to be done to research autism and bowel disease. Read letter here.

[freshwest]

29. This looks like something that a professional will have to do for someone. The Bacteroides fragilis

in OP makes sense with the slant on probiotics. When I looked it up in Wikipedia, I got this. Wbich except for one paragraph, seemed to call it a disease and not a help... The paragraph here:

Bacteroides fragilis

...Further research into B. fragilis PSA has shown it intermediates in several markers of a healthy mammalian immune system: the levels of CD4 T cells, the balance of T-helper cytokines, the presence of well-defined follicular structures in the spleen, and in the inflammatory gut response to pathogens.[14][15][16] It is also used for separating carbohydrate groups that classify the group type of the blood cells. The enzyme GalNAC-ase cleaves the A blood cells into O type blood cells, which gives opportunity to produce universal blood units.[17]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteroides_fragilis

The ecology of the gut is very imporant; the digestive system appears to be looked upon by many people as if it has no more importance than the exhaust system of an automobile. It is much more, as is the liver and the blood stream.

The human body is so incredibly complex especially to a medical person, with all the chemistry and microbiology aspects, which I studied along with botany, and entomology in college to get a BS in Horticulture, which revealed a lot on the cellular level in humans, animal and plants, down to the atomic level, which was fascinating. Now I have no real interest in itm as it didn't end up being a career.

The body can heal many things. It is fear that causes a great deal of the hatred back and forth on these discussions. When I read a post that begins with a curse and perhaps a link, with no reason given for the abusive or emotional language, either anecdotally or is thought out, they are very upset and afraid. The hostility appears unwarranted to the person new to another's posting style or history.

This is interesting, but I don't see how it's going to be applied unless a person has consistent access to expensive medical care. I know many people among the spectrum, anything that would improve their state and help them fulfill their lives should not be rejected out of hand unless found dangerous. So while the primary agent of cure or help in the thread can be dangerous, but doctors administer things that can be dangerous to the layman, I'm not saying it won't work.

In the future, perhaps there will be a great change in diets or organisms to help the balance in the human body and solve mental and other issues. Probiotics are very big right now as well as detoxing by eating foods that are digested well and go through the alimentary canal the way they should go.

Good luck with this discussion, but I personally do not see it will help the people I know, as those that care for them do not have the resources nor the professional support.

In case you were about to tell me to read the journal, article, tlinks, etc. I read every one and downloaded the pdfs. and read all of them. See you around.

[marble falls]

30. It is interesting to hear of a simple solution for a complex problem that isn't expensive or ....

complex in application with so few and mild possible side effects.

[Sienna86]

32. I think we need to be open to the possibility

That there are multiple causes of autism.

[BelgianMadCow]

33. I'd like to see a study on autism and diet - as in non-GMO and low on additives

I suspect there are factors in our "environment", including food, that are helping cause the rise in autism and ADD/ADHD.

Bookmarked for later reading.

[proverbialwisdom]

45. I gather that to speak about gmos as a physician is to court unproductive controversy.

It's simpler to advocate buying organic (or kosher), indirectly, by stressing the importance of reducing pesticide exposure.

http://nfccertification.info/nfc-apple-kosher/nfc-announces-no-gmo-kosher-policy/
http://nfccertification.info/category/nfc-apple-kosher/

Additionally, minimizing exposure to other toxic environmental agents is critical, as expressed in these recent, superficially benign recommendations:

http://www.asrm.org/Environmental_Chemicals_Harm_Reproductive_Health/

September 24 , 2013
by: ASRM Office of Public Affairs
Published in ASRM Press Release

Ob-Gyns Advocate for Policy Changes to Protect Health

Washington, DC—Toxic chemicals in the environment harm our ability to reproduce, negatively affect pregnancies, and are associated with numerous other long-term health problems, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). In a joint Committee Opinion, The College and ASRM urge ob-gyns to advocate for government policy changes to identify and reduce exposure to toxic environmental agents.

“Lawmakers should require the US Environmental Protection Agency and industry to define and estimate the dangers that aggregate exposure to harmful chemicals pose to pregnant women, infants, and children and act to protect these vulnerable populations,” said Jeanne A. Conry, MD, PhD, president of The College.

“Every pregnant woman in America is exposed to many different chemicals in the environment,” said Dr. Conry. “Prenatal exposure to certain chemicals is linked to miscarriages, stillbirths, and birth defects.” Many chemicals that pregnant women absorb or ingest from the environment can cross the placenta to the fetus. Exposure to mercury during pregnancy, for instance, is known to harm cognitive development in children.

The scientific evidence over the last 15 years shows that exposure to toxic environmental agents before conception and during pregnancy can have significant and long-lasting effects on reproductive health. “For example, pesticide exposure in men is associated with poor semen quality, sterility, and prostate cancer,” said Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD, president of ASRM. “We also know that exposure to pesticides may interfere with puberty, menstruation and ovulation, fertility, and menopause in women.”

<>

http://najms.net/wp-content/uploads/v06i03.pdf#page=34

North American Journal of Medicine and Science

Vol. 6, Issue 3
July 2013

ADVANCES IN AUTISM 2013
A Special Issue of NAJMS

Preface to the special issue of autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the fastest-growing complex neurodevelopment disorder, continues to rise in its prevalence, now affecting up to 1 in 50 children in the USA, and averaging 1% globally, according to the latest CDC report. More children will be diagnosed with ASD this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined in the USA. ASD costs the nation $137 billion a year and this debt is expected to increase in the next decade. Hence, ASD has become a huge healthcare burden and global threat, categorized by the CDC as a national public health crisis.

ASD is characterized by social-communication impairment, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, which cause significant disability for those affected. With its etiology still largely unknown, and its pathophysiology poorly understood, ASD currently has no universally accepted therapy. ASD is affecting more and more families; unmet services and limited resources need to be addressed urgently. Researchers, clinicians, healthcare providers, social agencies and government need to coordinate efforts to develop more effective treatments and a satisfactory continuum of care, across the lifespan. Ultimately, a cure needs to be sought for the various subtypes of ASD that exist.

The current issue of North American Journal of Medicine and Science (NAJMS) represents a continuation of our previous two special issues on autism (NAJMS Vol. 5 Issue 3 and Vol. 4 Issue 3) published in July 2012 and July 2011, respectively. In this issue, we are honored to have another panel of expert researchers and clinicians on the frontlines of ASD research and treatment to present their newest research findings and views from different perspectives.

This issue of NAJMS consists of five original research articles, two comprehensive reviews, one case report and two commentary articles, covering topics in genetics, pathogenesis, metabolic disorder biomarkers of ASD, and a clinical study, that bring into focus our newest understanding and treatment strategies.

<>

The data presented in Dr. Mumper’s review of the medical literature, suggests that ASD may be impacted by environmental toxicants, duration of breastfeeding, gut flora composition, nutritional status, acetaminophen use, vaccine practices and use of antibiotics and/or frequency of infections. In her current general pediatric practice (Advocates for Children), she has noted a modest trend toward a lower prevalence of ASD than in her previous pediatric practice or recent prevalence estimates from the CDC.

<>

The final commentary was written by Dr. Herbert, who presents her paper entitled “Everyday Epigenetics from Molecular Intervention to Public Health and Lifestyle Medicine.” She asserts that it may well take a grass roots epigenetic/lifestyle medicine revolution to avert the worsening health trends we are facing in the setting of a progressively more toxic and endangered planet. She posits that everyday epigenetics can inform science of what is possible so that society can respond on an appropriate scale to the magnitude of the crisis we are facing.

<>

Xuejun Kong, MD
Editor-in-Chief, NAJMS
Department of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School

Christopher J. McDougle, MD
Guest Editor, NAJMS
Lurie Center for Autism Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School

[madrchsod]

38. right now my wife is working with autistic adults

most if not all have gi issues , as far as i know, there is no probities protocol . any changes that would lesson problems associated with gi issues would certainly make my wifes job easier and her clients happier. but then again having enough funding to buy quality foods would also go a long way in solving some of the problems of gi.

this is not a cure. it is another tool to help autistic people live a quality life and give their caretakers more time to interact with their "clients".

[RainDog]

48. My son is hf autistic

and, yes, he has had GI problems all his life.

I've read about some of the work with probiotics, just following along to see if anything comes of it - but help with basic GI issues would be a good thing for people.

To check it out for myself, just a bit, I got some probiotic pills with a massive bacterial load from the health foodie place nearby, followed the directions, and got really sick from taking them and had to take an antibiotic b/c I got a painful bacterial infection. lol.

so, probiotics are not benign for everyone, in every form. After I got sick, I read others who had reported the same reaction and had questions about the same. In response, others said to half the recommended dose, etc., but I'll just stick to yogurt from now on.

yogurt, sauerkraut, foods, etc. seem to be okay.

but, with people with autism, you also often have the issue of "mouth feel" and taste and what they won't eat because of their particular reactions to foods, too. my son will eat yogurt, tho, so I suggested he eat a yogurt a day for a couple of weeks to see if he had a positive response to his GI issues.

[madrchsod]

52. thanks for the reply.

[Igel]

40. Considering how they produced their mouse model, it's not far-fetched.

Note they also don't say "cure."

The question is whether the mouse model is going to accurately reflect actual ASD in humans--does it mimic the metabolic and behavioral differences between normal and ASD or just the behavioral differences (whatever that would look like in mice)? There are specific kinds of structural changes in the brain that presumably are irreversible and are taken to be responsible for ASD. (Perhaps they're not responsible, just accompanying?)

Or perhaps there'll turn out to be multiple ways for ASD to be caused and the diagnosis will split into numerous different illnesses.


If you're into anecdotes, a couple of ASD kids I know have siblings with GI issues, one with Crohn's.

[mainer]

41. There's really no downside to probiotics. Just eat sauerkraut.

No need for expensive pharma-produced pills. A two-week trial of home-made sauerkraut (NOT pasteurized; you want the bugs intact) will only cost a few dollars, and it just might help.

[phylny]

54. I'm open to anything and everything that researchers find that can help.

Most of the kids I work with who have autism have GI problems, sleep problems, and many have feeding disorders as well. If there's a possible link between Alzheimer's and gut issues, why not autism? Something (many things, most likely) is causing the brain differences found in individuals with autism.

I know some families who have seen massive improvements with a gluten-free, casein-free diet; others who have seen no difference. But I applaud research in all forms, as long as it's scientifically sound.

[wrenken]

55. I am autistic

I have autism, and I have taken probiotics. Guess what I am still autistic. They do not help.

[Dash87]

56. Yeah right

[img][/img]

[Trailrider1951]

57. Maybe some clues may be found in this paper:

http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/Entropy/entropy-15-01416.pdf

Quote from the abstract:

Abstract: Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup®, is the most popular herbicide
used worldwide. The industry asserts it is minimally toxic to humans, but here we argue
otherwise. Residues are found in the main foods of the Western diet, comprised primarily
of sugar, corn, soy and wheat. Glyphosate's inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes
is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals. CYP enzymes play crucial roles in
biology, one of which is to detoxify xenobiotics. Thus, glyphosate enhances the damaging
effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins. Negative impact
on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular
systems throughout the body. Here, we show how interference with CYP enzymes acts
synergistically with disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria,
as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases
and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders,
obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s
disease. We explain the documented effects of glyphosate and its ability to induce disease,
and we show that glyphosate is the “textbook example” of exogenous semiotic entropy: the
disruption of homeostasis by environmental toxins.


Maybe GMO crops aren't the problem. Maybe what they spray on them is the problem.

Oh, and last I checked, MIT was not a purveyor of "Woo".

[Trailrider1951]

61. You're very welcome. This is an extremely important topic. I had not realized

until recently that many children who had symptoms of autism also had GI issues. They may be symptoms of a common cause, to which this paper points. I wonder also about the glyphosate in our ground water. I need to research that topic....

[proverbialwisdom]

78. Samsel/Seneff were theorizing, not proving, plausible mechanisms resulting in harm from glyphosate.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/25/roundup-health-study-idUSL2N0DC22F20130425

Heavy use of herbicide Roundup linked to health dangers-U.S. study
Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:49pm EDT

...The EPA is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if glyphosate use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.

<>

Please see Butterbean's post #65, below. Additionally, ENTROPY has a very low impact index of 1.347, and is described as 'Note: Entropy is an Open Access journal that is willing to publish novel hypotheses regarding biochemical and biophysical phenomena, which can help the community break out of its current straitjacketed research paradigm.'

SORRY, NOT SOLID SCIENCE. I wouldn't use the citation, personally, and have learned to stick to studies vetted by AOA and GMWATCH experts, as exemplified by the study in the OP.

[Butterbean]

58. Hmm, I'm inclined to see correlation, but not causation.

Gastrointestinal issues linked to autism, in other words. Both of my autistic kids have g.i. issues, the more severe one has the more severe issues. All of the autistic kids I know personally (many) have g.i. issues. In fact, I don't think there's an autistic kid I personally know that doesn't have g.i. issues. However, not all people with g.i. issues have autism.

Sort of like sensory dysfunction. When my oldest and most severe autistic child was a toddler, his OT said to me, "all autistic people have sensory issues, but not all people with sensory issues have autism." I think this is also true for the gut issue. I dunno, just my personal experience. *shrug*

There's a new "cause" every other day for autism. I personally believe it's genetic. Meh.

[Butterbean]

64. Uh huh, yes, I read that.

Roundup is evil, check. Sorry, 9 years into autism land, and I have learned to be extremely wary of studies that point to one environmental "cause" of autism. People believed Wakefield's data was gospel also for a long time. He certainly made it look awfully convincing.

My point of view is this: autistic people have gut issues, but autism is not caused by gut issues (or roundup, or vaccines, or low oxytocin levels, or c-sections, or whatever the latest canary-in-the-coal-mine theory du jour is). I believe the autism in my children is part of their genetic makeup, and not something that can be "cured."

Roundup is toxic stuff, no doubt, but I don't think it's the cause of autism (or my dad's Parkinson's disease, or my depression, etc., etc.).

ETA: I see you linked to AoA in your OP (missed that the first time). I can tell you right now that I immediately discredit anything AoA has to say, with extreme prejudice. Just putting my cards on the table. I forgot that you're an AoA supporter, and I'll just say right now that you and I are very much polar opposites on our autism beliefs. I respect your rights to believe what you wish. Peace.

[proverbialwisdom]

67. I think it would be dishonest of me to post information without citing the source.

If you'll be so kind as to read two posts down from the OP to #5, you may forgive the AOA link. Cell is the source of this study, not AOA. Would you have known about it without AOA? Would you really prefer not knowing?

http://www.cell.com/cellpress/impact

IMPACT FACTOR
New 2012 JCR journal metrics now published
CELL - 31.957

Cell continues to lead in its field with an impact factor of 31.957, and remains the number one research journal in the Cell Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology categories.

I fully recognize that AOA is regarded negatively by some members of DU, but it's possible to use AOA as a site which aggregates news published about autism while ignoring other functions, eg. advocacy, personal accounts, community, if you wish. Of course, I respect your rights to disagree. Peace.

[Butterbean]

69. One of the lead scientists does not cite Cell as a posting source on his web page.

http://www.sarkis.caltech.edu/Publications.html

I looked, but couldn't find it. However, I did find this:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22802640

Which leads me to ask this question: how can you tell a mouse is autistic, or displays "symptoms of autism?" Diagnosing autism in humans is a long, drawn out process that, in my vast experience requires teams of many psychologists and many hours of observation. A major factor in diagnosing autism is verbal communication skills, or lack thereof. Which leads me to ask this question: who, exactly, is determining what is "autism" in a mouse, and how many autistic humans have they diagnosed?

At any rate, as I stated before, I don't disagree that roundup is toxic. It doesn't take rocket science to figure that one out. I do, however disagree that roundup causes autism and the other host of ills that plague our society. Again, this is where you and I differ when it comes to our basic belief systems when it comes to autism, so I feel we have probably reached an impasse here.

When I talk to students about the biomed versus genetic wars in the autism community, I often describe it as being akin to the abortion wars. The beliefs are just as passionate and deeply held, and it is just as difficult to change someone's mind on the "other side." I always tell them the same thing, and try to live by that credo, which is to live and let live where this is concerned, because it is an emotional minefield on which I do not wish to tread.

I do appreciate the information and respectful exchange.

[proverbialwisdom]

70. The site looks like it hasn't been updated awhile. Hey, he's a 2012 MacArthur “Genius” Grant honoree

http://www.sarkis.caltech.edu/Press.html

IN THE PRESS

Awards
MacArthur “Genius” Grant

Burroughs Wellcome Fund
http://www.bwfund.org/pages/572//
Scholar in Ulcerative Colitis
http://www.ccfa.org/printview?pageUrl=/about/press/pressreleases/Scholaraward
Damon Runyon Innovative Researcher
http://www.damonrunyon.org/news_events/more/december_17_2010_/
Searle Scholar
http://www.searlescholars.net/person/25
Excellence in Teaching Award from the Associated Students of Caltech


Published Press Articles

2012 MacArthur Fellows
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-macarthur-genius-grant-sarkis-mazmanian-caltech-20121001,0,7503117.story?track=rss
http://www.macfound.org/fellows/class/2012/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/arts/macarthur-fellows-named-for-2012.html?_r=0

20 Best Brains Under 40
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/20-best-brains-under-40

August 2012, PNAS PodCast, Bugging the Immune System, an interview with Sarkis Mazmanian.
http://www.pnas.org/site/misc/sarkisMazmanianPodcast.mp3

June 2012, How Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health, Scientific American featured work by Sarkis Mazmanian
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health

Nov, 2011, Gut Reaction, Nature published a spotlight on microbes being used to combat allergies and featured work by Sarkis Mazmanian
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v479/n7374_supp/full/479S5a.html

Feb, 2011, Nature Medicine ran a report on Bacteriotherapy treatment for various diseases and featured work by Sarkis Mazmanian.
http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v17/n2/pdf/nm0211-150.pdf

Dec, 2010, Science published a special issue, Insights of the Decade, and featured work by Sarkis Mazmanian.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6011/1619.full.pdf

How does the immune system influence autism?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-disorders-and-autism.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120717141010.htm
http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/new-evidence-links-immune-irregularities-autism
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112658848/immune-irregularities-linked-to-autism/

<>

[proverbialwisdom]

71. More.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/02/science/la-sci-sn-macarthur-genius-grant-sarkis-mazmanian-caltech-20121001

'Genius grant' winner finds humans' closest allies in their guts
October 02, 2012|By Amina Khan

Officials of the MacArthur Foundation must have had a gut feeling when they awarded Caltech microbiologist Sarkis Mazmanian one of 23 "genius grants," a half-million dollars over five years to recipients of all stripes, from physicists to novelists.

Mazmanian explores the complex relationship between the immune system and the diverse community of microbes that inhabit the digestive tract. His work could lead to new drugs inspired by beneficial bacteria in the human body, and it has implications for the way in which we see the causes of autism, multiple sclerosis and a host of other conditions and diseases.

"We're interested in how gut bacteria shape the immune system in a beneficial way," Mazmanian explained in a recent interview at his office on campus in Pasadena. "This is a growing field, but clearly a departure from mainstream microbiology."

While other researchers have focused on isolating and analyzing harmful bacteria and viruses that cause disease and death in humans, Mazmanian has spent about a decade looking for the "good guys" -- microbes that live on and within humans and actually render useful services to their hosts, such as digesting tough foodstuffs or reducing inflammation.

"Ten years ago, I realized that most of the organisms we come into contact with in our environment are not bad -- they don’t cause disease," Mazmanian said. "The great majority of them are quite innocuous. And some of them are actually beneficial. Some of them promote health. And no one was studying these organisms."

Mazmanian's work has shown that the immune system's response to microscopic invaders doesn't mature fully if the animal doesn’t have any gut microbiota -- making them a key player in the human immune system. His research has linked strains of bacteria to multiple sclerosis, and connected autism to certain types of inflammation (a bodily response triggered by infection).

Mazmanian doesn't have to continue this particular line of work if he doesn't want to, though. The 'genius grant' doesn't come with instructions to perform specific research. The MacArthur Foundation looks to support what it refers to as "exceptional merit and promise of continued creative work."

http://www.sarkis.caltech.edu/Welcome.html

[Butterbean]

65. Also, just in case you didn't see these....

http://scholarlyoa.com/2013/05/16/more-controversy-over-open-access-publisher-mdpi/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tamar-haspel/condemning-monsanto-with-_b_3162694.html

[proverbialwisdom]

73. Thank you, promoting the Entropy paper was a misstep.

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2013, 08:56 AM - Edit history (1)

http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/

Not my type of source, despite author's affiliation with MIT since '64.

[Butterbean]

74. Huh? I didn't mean to chastise.....n/t

[Trailrider1951]

63. Kick for important health research into the possible causes of autism

And other maladies. I was born in late 1951. When I was a child in the 50's and 60's, obese adults were rare and overweight children were almost non-existant. I remember exactly ONE child who was overweight at my elementary school, and he had "health problems", probably juv diabetes. Autism was unknown. Those other now common GI illnesses were unheard of. Now why is that? Why can some of these diseases be ameliorated by a change in diet?

Also, back then, I learned in school about diet-related diseases. Do they not teach about scurvy, beri-beri or pellegra today? Or is that just more "Woo"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellegra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi

Edited to add links

[OrwellwasRight]

68. To those who write this off without even reading the study

Do you understand how your blatant disregard of a CalTech study plays into the hands of big Pharma? As if eating healthier can't help a medical condition. Only expensive, patented drugs can. What a crock. CalTech is not know for woo, and unless you have done a study that proves the contrary, you are not really in a position to say probiotics absolutely cannot help.

[NoOneMan]

76. CBC showed a documentary piece on this a few years ago

It was pretty convincing, but it did go on to say that simply feeding probiotics wasn't going to cut it. One doctor (in US) employed a mega dose of a certain antibiotic to target one specific type of flora, but also noted that when under attack some of it would create spores (?) that would germinate after the course. Beyond a full intestinal flora transplant, it might not be so simple. This could also be about 1 specifically caused type of autism, and the doctor noted there was more research to be done

The docu started off talking about a specific child who was normal up until he took an antibiotic for a sickness and everything imploded. The kid started eating cardboard and drywall and all sorts of crazy stuff. The mother kept researching every avenue and finally reached out to a notable doctor in US who was studying a link to intenstinal problems. The kid did make a huge recovery during treatment if I recall.

The problem with trying to treat someone who was an adult in this manner is that their brain formed while being under the influence of these floral toxins for years. Imagine trying to fix an adult that went through development being "drunk".

I remember very little from doc btw

[MatthewStLouis]

79. Bring on the research, but hold the snake oil.

I think when it comes to Autism, people tend to conflate causes and effects. Many GI issues autistics have are due to their rigidities in diet. Fix the diet and all the GI symptoms (and some related effects) go away. Maybe there are links between a mother's diet and the incidence of autism, but it is highly doubtful one's diet can cause or cure autism.

That said, it is important to remain open minded and keep looking for answers. In my opinion, I think prenatal parental exposure to pollution is one of the most likely factors contributing to autism.

[proverbialwisdom]

80. This is very much in the weeds for me but may help to counter some of the ridiculous smears upthread

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174969/

Published online 2011 September 16. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024585
PMCID: PMC3174969.

Impaired Carbohydrate Digestion and Transport and Mucosal Dysbiosis in the Intestines of Children with Autism and Gastrointestinal Disturbances

Brent L. Williams,1 Mady Hornig,1 Timothy Buie,2 Margaret L. Bauman,3 Myunghee Cho Paik,4 Ivan Wick,1 Ashlee Bennett,1 Omar Jabado,1 David L. Hirschberg,1 and W. Ian Lipkin1,*

1Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America

2Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

3Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics and Learning and Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

4Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States of America

FOOTNOTES:
3. Wakefield AJ, Anthony A, Murch SH, Thomson M, Montgomery SM, et al. Enterocolitis in children with developmental disorders. Am J Gastroenterol. 2000;95:2285–2295.[PubMed]
4. Wakefield AJ, Ashwood P, Limb K, Anthony A. The significance of ileo-colonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia in children with autistic spectrum disorder. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005;17:827–836.[PubMed]
9. Ashwood P, Anthony A, Torrente F, Wakefield AJ. Spontaneous mucosal lymphocyte cytokine profiles in children with autism and gastrointestinal symptoms: mucosal immune activation and reduced counter regulatory interleukin-10. J Clin Immunol. 2004;24:664–673.[PubMed]

PERSPECTIVE: This 2011 peer-reviewed publication by prestigious medical researchers cited 3 papers co-authored by Dr. AJ Wakefield (out of 95 total references) from among Wakefield's "over 140 original scientific articles, book chapters, and invited scientific commentaries."

RELATED AOA COMMENTARY:

http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/10/the-wakefield-rehabilitation.html

The Wakefield Rehabilitation?

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
October 11, 2011

No responsible historian quotes Unabomber Ted Kaczynski for a proper understanding of the Industrial Revolution and the struggles of a technological age.

So why is uber-scientist Dr. W. Ian Lipkin of Columbia University quoting with approval the work of Dr. Andrew Wakefield? Isn't Wakefield supposed to the author of our common mass delusion that vaccines are linked to autism?

<...>

Can somebody please explain all of this to me?

Isn't Dr. Wakefield supposed to be some super-villain, leading all of us gullible parents to believe that vaccines aren't quite as safe as sugar water? Didn't he make up fake diseases? So, after being stripped of his license to practice medicine in the U. K., it turns out there really is something called autistic entercolitis and ileo-colonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia in children with autism. At least Dr. W. Ian Lipkin seems to think so.

Has anybody told Trine Tsouderous of the Chicago Tribune about this? I'm sure she'll want to get right to work getting Dr. W. Ian Lipkin fired from Columbia University.

<...>

Translation for those of you who are not Columbia University Professors - There's a lot that's wrong in the digestive system of kids with autism! Maybe it's affecting their brain and behavior! Let's investigate!

After more than ten years of loose stools from my daughter, I don't need to be a Columbia University professor to know that.

But if a big shot scientist like Dr. W. Ian Lipkin is quoting Dr. Andrew Wakefield as a reliable source, maybe the rest of the world will soon be doing the same thing.

And that would be righting one of our new century's greatest injustices.

Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism

Here's the case that the Lancet paper should be reinstated following the successful appeal by Professor John Walker-Smith in March.

http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/04/the-lancet-should-reinstate-the-andrew-wakefield-paper.html

The Lancet should Reinstate the Andrew Wakefield Paper

By Martin Hewitt
Posted by Age of Autism at April 23, 2012

In the wake of the High Court judgment on Professor John Walker-Smith’s appeal against the decision of the General Medical Council (the UK regulatory body for doctors) to delicense him, what should now happen to the retracted paper he co-authored with Dr Andrew Wakefield? The decision lies with The Lancet editor, Dr Richard Horton. But what are the grounds for reinstating the paper as a properly conducted clinical investigation into 12 children with autism and bowel disease admitted to the paediatric gastroenterology department at the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) London in the mid-1990s? The paper was the focus of the GMC’s trial of the three senior authors on charges of serious professional misconduct which led to the delicensing of Walker-Smith and Wakefield.

Background

Few academic articles have been dogged by the controversy attending the now retracted Lancet Paper ‘Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children’ since its publication in February 1998. (Another link to retracted paper here: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2897%2911096-0/fulltext#article_upsell .) In seeking to avert controversy The Lancet published an editorial accompanying the paper to warn against drawing the wrong conclusions that the paper had established that the MMR caused autism and bowel disease. The paper, which went through several cautious redrafts, said it "did not prove an association between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described”, adding that “Virological studies are underway that may help to resolve this issue”.

On publication the RFH took the exceptional step of holding a press conference to launch the paper in the hope of preventing the media and public from concluding that the MMR was unsafe and to avert a collapse in MMR take-up. When Dr Andrew Wakefield the lead writer was asked by the press if he would personally support the three-in-one MMR vaccine, he responded by advising parents to choose the single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines spaced out at intervals. Whilst his comments were seized on by the press as evidence that the MMR was unsafe and by the medical establishment as highly irresponsible, his answer accorded with official government policy. At the time the government vaccination schedule offered the choice between MMR and the three separate vaccines, in accord with the Department of Health's express policy when the MMR was launched in 1988.

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http://www.vaccinesafetyfirst.com/pdf/LANCET%20pdf.pdf
‘Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children’ published in the Lancet, February 1998.

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The Mitting Judgment and the Lancet paper

Having digested much of the hearing's 149 days of submissions and evidence and many other related papers, and heard Queens Counsels for Walker-Smith and the GMC, on 7 March J Mitting quashed all charges against the Professor.

Inevitably the thorough and irrevocable negation of the charges against Walker-Smith and of the GMC’s legal case, based on its deep misunderstanding of The Lancet paper, raises an important question of the status of the Wakefield et al paper, which is still listed as retracted, to which we now turn.

There is no doubt that the Mitting judgment goes to the heart of the way the GMC exercised its regulatory powers in this case. He outrightly criticises the "universal inadequacies" and "inadequate and superficial reasoning" of the disciplinary panel's approach, and recognised the personal suffering the GMC had inflicted on Walker-Smith. "It would be a misfortune if this were to happen again" he concluded on delivering his judgment.

More specifically, the Mitting judgment rejects the two fundamental grounds the GMC gave for finding the three doctors guilty of serious professional misconduct and so undermines The Lancet‘s argument for retraction based on these grounds; out go the claims that the patients were not consecutively referred to the department of paediatric gastroenterology and that the investigations did not have ethics committee approval.

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http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/04/jon-edwards-video-trailer-a-story-of-hope-and-autism-.html

Jon Edwards Video Trailer: A Story of Hope and Autism

Posted April 30, 2012
By John Stone, UK Editor for Age of Autism

Following the exoneration of John Walker-Smith in the High Court in March I wrote to the Lancet’s editor, Richard Horton, pleading with him to re-instate the Wakefield 1998 paper in the interests of children in the UK being denied medical investigation and treatment following the witch-hunt against Wakefield and colleagues both in the Sunday Times, and latterly British Medical Journal. Horton replied lamely:

“Dear Mr Stone - I would be horrified if doctors did not take the symptoms of any child seriously. So I sincerely hope that a child with symptoms of autism would be examined and investigated with care and sensitivity.

“My Best, Richard Horton”

(Email, 15 March 2012, 10.07pm)

To which I fired back:

“That is why you should re-instate the paper. It has become ideologically taboo in this country to accept that there is a real problem. The GMC tried to make out that the cases were fabricated and that gastro symptoms were only superficial, and the judge decided that they only selected the evidence which suited them. But for years members of the medical profession have been terrified to follow in their footsteps, and really based on the words of Mr Deer, Evan Harris, Tony Blair and Liam Donaldson. Two of these people may have been doctors of a sort but none of them had the knowledge, the ethical probity or the kindness of John Walker-Smith.”

And answer came there none: Dr Horton may or may not be “horrified”, but so far he is not prepared to do anything about it. As Martin Hewitt pointed out here last week there is not now the faintest scientific or legal reason not to re-instate the paper. But unfortunately this not only a matter of historical fairness. As the case of Jon Edwards – highlighted in a new film from Autism Team – makes abundantly clear, until our political class and medical establishment address their bad consciences nothing for these children is going to happen in the United Kingdom.

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http://www.ageofautism.com/john-stone-uk/

[proverbialwisdom]

81. Simple C+P of previously posted material for completeness and context. nt