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X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6700 Approved-By: FEAT News <featnews@FEAT.ORG> Message-ID: <MEELIKJNHCJHEGCEPBLAMENKNEAA.FEATNews@FEAT.ORG> Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 11:39:46 -0700 Reply-To: editor@LIST.FEAT.ORG Sender: FEAT Daily Newsletter - Families for Early Autism Treatment <FEATNEWS@LIST.FEAT.ORG> From: FEAT News <featnews@feat.org> Subject: Pediatrician Org's Spin on IOM Report on Thimerosal in Vax Blasted * Excess of Twins Among Affected Sibling Pairs with Autism * Open Trial Of Risperidone In 24 Young Children with PDD * Clozapine and Adult Autism * Autism in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex * M FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER
Sacramento, California http://www.feat.org "Healing
Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet" ______________________________________________________ October 12, 2001
News Morgue Search www.feat.org/search/news.asp PUBLIC HEALTH * Pediatrician Org’s
Spin on IOM Report on Thimerosal in Vax Blasted RESEARCH
(ABSTRACTS) * Excess of Twins
Among Affected Sibling Pairs with Autism * Open Trial Of
Risperidone In 24 Young Children with PDD * Clozapine and
Adult Autism * Autism in Tuberous
Sclerosis Complex * Medical Treatment
Of Pervasive Developmental Disorders * Reader’s Posts Pediatrician Org’s Spin on IOM Report on Thimerosal in
Vaccines Blasted “Shame on you AAP!” [This letter to
Louis Z. Cooper, MD, President - Elect American Academy of Pediatrics comes from Lyn Redwood of SAFE
MINDS. Redwood is credited for championing the movement to remove mercury from
vaccines.] The American Academy
of Pediatrics stance on the Institute of Medicine review of thimerosal containing vaccines and
neurodevelopmental outcomes (AAP press release of October 1, 2001) left me wondering if we
had read the same report. Pediatricians pay sizeable dues to be members of
the American Academy of Pediatrics and rely on your organization to keep
them up to date on research and policy that impact their practice. In my
opinion, the 55,000 members of AAP deserve a refund. I find the views
expressed in the AAP press release to be directly misleading to pediatricians, other physicians, and to the
American public. The highlights of the IOM report were (a) there is
insufficient evidence to support or refute the safety of thimerosal in vaccines; (b)
the association between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders is
biologically plausible; (c) thimerosal should be removed from medical
products; and (d) further research is necessary. Instead of relaying these
balanced set of facts, your press release focused on these misleading
statements: It quotes only
one line from the IOM report: “No evidence currently exists that proves a link between thimerosal-containing
vaccines and autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and speech and
language delay”; and then takes that quote out of the context in which it appeared
by concluding that: “’Parents should be reassured about the safety of
vaccines’, according to AAP President Elect Louis Z. Cooper, MD. ‘Children should
be immunized according to the recommended age-appropriate schedule.’” In actuality, the
IOM report states in the Executive Summary (page 3): “The committee concludes that although the hypothesis that
exposure to thimerosl containing vaccines could be associated with
neurodevelopmental disorders is not established, and rests on indirect or
incomplete information, primarily from analogies with methyl mercury and
levels of maximum mercury exposure from vaccines given in children, the
hypothesis is biologically plausible.”
As you well know, acknowledging biological plausibility is the first step necessary in establishing a
causal relationship. The report goes
on to state (page 4): “The evidence is inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship between exposure to
thimerosal from vaccines and the neurodevelopmental disorders of autism, ADHD,
and speech and language delay.”
It is not surprising that the large case controlled studies that are necessary, according to IOM standards, to
either prove or disprove causality have not yet been done. This issue surfaced two years ago at FDA and none of the logical funding agencies have
allocated the time or resources to complete the required investigations. The IOM
strongly recommended that such studies be undertaken. Toxicokinetic and
treatment studies were also recommended - details not touched on in your
media release. The comment made
by AAP that “children should be immunized according to the age-appropriate schedule” was not even an issue
addressed by the report. The question was if children should be receiving
mercury in their vaccines and the answer was a resounding no. “The committee recommends the use of thimerosal-free DTaP, Hib and Hepatitis B vaccines in
the United States, despite the fact that there might be remaining
supplies of thimerosal-containing vaccine available.” (page 7) The American
public, partially due to advances on the Internet, is now able to access documents like the IOM report and read the
findings themselves. They will
no longer tolerate “cherry picking” of reports to portray a false sense of security. The AAP may fear that if parents are given the truth about the safety of thimerosal, some may opt
to forgo vaccination. What AAP
does not seem to understand is that the real risk to long term immunization levels lies in misleading the public by
not correctly portraying the facts - it is the systematic distortion of the
truth by official, “prestigious” organizations which erodes the publics
trust in our vaccine program and puts our children’s health in jeopardy. The AAP portrayal
of the IOM findings is inconsistent with the widespread media coverage of the report. Your statement may thus create an even greater rift between parents and their physicians, since
parents are reading the news articles and pediatricians are relying on AAP
to keep them informed.
Additionally, you risk undermining your credibility among many of your own members, since physicians also read the newspapers
and they can read the IOM report themselves on the IOM website. A study conducted over a year ago and mentioned in the IOM report (Freed, 2000) found
that 24% of family physicians and 13% of pediatricians agreed that “I am
more concerned about vaccine safety as a result of thimerosal issues.” You
can now count on those numbers rising even higher as organizations such as
yours conduct spin campaigns to hide the facts. Thimerosal in
vaccines is a serious issue which must be addressed with good science and accurate reporting of the facts. With
estimates that 17% of children today under the age of 18 suffer with one or more
learning, developmental or behavioral disabilities, the last thing a
parent should feel is reassured - especially those parents whose children
received multiple thimerosal containing vaccines and now suffer with a
broad range of learning disabilities. Shame on you AAP! >>>
PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, TRAINERS <<< Autism
Continuing Education for
Students Now Available ADVISE
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FEAT Daily
Newsletter, NO FEE. * * * Excess of Twins Among Affected Sibling Pairs with Autism Implications for the Etiology of Autism http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui ds=11590546&dopt=Abstract <-- Address ends here. 1: Am J Hum Genet 2001 Nov;69(5):1062-7 Greenberg DA, Hodge SE, Sowinski J, Nicoll D. Division of Statistical Genetics, Department of Biostatistics,
Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New
York, NY, USA. dag@shallot.salad.mssm.edu It is widely
accepted that genes play a role in the etiology of autism. Evidence for this derives, in part, from twin data.
However, despite converging evidence from gene-mapping studies, aspects of the
genetic contribution remain obscure. In a sample of
families selected because each had exactly two affected sibs, we observed a remarkably high proportion of affected
twin pairs, both MZ and DZ. Of 166 affected sib pairs, 30 (12 MZ, 17 DZ, and 1
of unknown zygosity) were twin pairs. Deviation from expected values was
statistically significant (P<10-6 for all twins); in a similarly
ascertained sample of individuals with type I diabetes, there was no deviation from
expected values. We demonstrate that to ascribe the excess
of twins with autism solely to ascertainment bias would require very large ascertainment
factors; for example, affected twin pairs would need to be, on average,
approximately 10 times more likely to be ascertained than affected nontwin sib
pairs (or 7 times more likely if "stoppage" plays a role). Either risk
factors (related to twinning or to fetal development) or other factors (genetic or nongenetic) in the parents may contribute
to autism. * * * Open Trial Of Risperidone In 24 Young Children with PDD http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui ds=11589534&dopt=Abstract <-- Address ends here. 1: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001 Oct;40(10):1206-14 Masi G, Cosenza A, Mucci M, Brovedani P. Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pisa, and IRCCS Stella Maris,
Calambrone, Italy. masi@inpe.unipi.it OBJECTIVE: To
describe tolerability and efficacy of risperidone in very young children with pervasive developmental disorders. METHOD:
Twenty-four children aged 3.6 to 6.6 years (mean 4.6 years +/- 8 months) enrolled during 1999 and 2000 participated in a
16-week open-label trial with risperidone monotherapy. Outcome measures included
the Children's Psychiatric Rating Scale (CPRS), Childhood Autism Rating Scale
(CARS), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I), and Children's
Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS). RESULTS: Two
subjects did not complete the trial because of side effects. The optimal dose was 0.5 mg/day. After the treatment
a 21% improvement in CPRS and a 14% improvement in CARS total scores
was found. Items related to behavioral control (hyperactivity,
fidgetiness, rhythmic motions) and affect regulation (lability of affect, angry
affect) improved more than 25%. Based on improvement of at least 25% on the
CPRS and a score of 1 or 2 on the CGI-I, eight subjects were considered
responders. Functional impairment (C-GAS) improved more than 25%. Thirteen
subjects (54%) were free of any side effects; in the other participants
risperidone was well tolerated. Only three subjects had a weight gain
greater than 10%. CONCLUSIONS:
Low-dose risperidone may positively affect symptoms in young autistic children, improving disruptive/hyperactive
behavior and affective dysregulation. Further controlled studies in this
age group are warranted. PMID: 11589534 [PubMed
- in process] * * * Clozapine and Adult Autism Long-term treatment with clozapine in an adult with autistic
disorder accompanied by aggressive behaviour. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui ds=11590976&dopt=Abstract <-- Address ends here. 1 : J Psychiatry Neurosci 2001 Sep;26(4):340-1 Related
Articles, Books, LinkOut Gobbi G, Pulvirenti L. Publication Types: Letter PMID: 11590976 [PubMed - in process] * * * Autism in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Autism in tuberous sclerosis complex is related to both
cortical and subcortical dysfunction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui ds=11591847&dopt=Abstract <-- Address ends here. 1: Neurology 2001 Oct 9;57(7):1269-1277 Related Articles,
Books, LinkOut Asano E, Chugani DC, Muzik O, Behen M, Janisse J, Rothermel R,
Mangner TJ, Chakraborty PK, Chugani HT. Departments of Pediatrics (Drs.
Asano, D.C. Chugani, and H.T. Chugani), Neurology (Drs. Asano and H.T.
Chugani), Radiology (Drs. D.C. Chugani, Mangner, and H. T. Chugani),
Psychiatry (M. Behen and Dr. Rothermel), and the Center for Health
Effectiveness Research (J. Janisse), Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State
University, Detroit. OBJECTIVE: To
examine the relationship between autism and epilepsy in relation to structural and functional brain abnormalities in
children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). METHODS: Children
with TSC and intractable epilepsy underwent MRI as well as PET scans with 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)
and alpha-[(11)C]methyl-L-tryptophan (AMT). Based on the results
of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, and
overall adaptive behavioral composite (OABC) from Vineland Adaptive
Behavior Scale, subjects were divided into three groups: autistic (OABC <
70; n = 9), mentally-retarded nonautistic (OABC < 70; n = 9), and
relatively normal intelligence (OABC >/= 70; n = 8). RESULTS: PET
studies showed that the autistic group had decreased glucose metabolism in the lateral temporal gyri bilaterally,
increased glucose metabolism in the deep cerebellar nuclei bilaterally,
and increased AMT uptake in the caudate nuclei bilaterally, compared to the mentally-retarded nonautistic group. In addition, a history of
infantile spasms and glucose hypometabolism in the lateral temporal gyri
were both significantly associated with communication disturbance.
Glucose hypermetabolism in the deep cerebellar nuclei and increased
AMT uptake in the caudate nuclei were both related to stereotypical
behaviors and impaired social interaction, as well as communication disturbance. CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that generalized epilepsy in early life and functional deficits in the temporal neocortices may
be associated with communication delays, and that functional imbalance in
subcortical circuits may be associated with stereotypical behaviors and
impaired social interaction in children with TSC. PMID: 11591847
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher] * * * Medical Treatment Of Pervasive Developmental Disorders http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui ds=11588711&dopt=Abstract <-- Address ends here. 1: Rev Neurol 2001 Aug 1;33(3):208-10 [Article in Spanish] Fuentes J, Gallano I. Servicio de Psiquiatria Infanto-Juvenil; Policlinica
Guipuzcoa. GAUTENA, San Sebastian, 20011, Espana. jfuentes@servitel.es OBJECTIVE.
Pervasive developmental disorders, exemplified by autism, constitute clinical entities which require the attention of
child neurologists. DEVELOPMENT. The
increasing frequency with which these disorders are diagnosed supports the need to review and bring up to date the
available data, so as to achieve good practice. CONCLUSIONS.
There are many studies and initiatives to orient the child neurologist as to the steps to be taken regarding
aspects such as early identification, association with known syndromes, genetic
counselling and medical advice in general, neuroimaging techniques,
treatment of possible associated epilepsy and use of psychotropic drugs.
All these elements have to be incorporated into an overall
individualized program which, at the present time, has to be basically educational
and rehabilitation, so as to attain maximum self sufficiency and
social participation. PMID: 11588711
[PubMed - in process] * * * Reader’s Posts I need help finding the company Food Science Laboratories who
produces DMG (dimethylglycine) for autism. Would appreciate if anyone can
advise information of this company preferably URL address, e-mail or
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