Jan
22
 
Reported by: Sherry Christian
Email: sherrychristian@cbs21.com
Last Update: 5/24 8:47 am
A part time job at Royer’s flower shop on Queen street in Lancaster has helped 22-year old Laura Pavlovic improve her social skills.
Difficulty picking up on social cues is one of the challenges people with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism, have.
And as a result, “Aspie’s” as they are affectionately called can often be isolated.
But, as a child, Laura had her mother’s help taking her to doctor’s appointments and activities that are paid for by the state.
Once Laura turned 21, funding for education, therapies and other support that exist for children, ceased for the adult Laura.
But in the state of Pennsylvania
, there are programs geared specifically for adults — which don’t exist in other states.
One of the programs is ACAP — or Adult Community Autism Program.
Read in Full:Â http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/UPDATE-Adult-Autism-Program/Qegcl9hrqk2vUZijPFPSZA.cspx
By Ashley Boyd Staff writer
Last Modified: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 10:25 a.m.
At a first glance, 19-year-old Taylor Kerekes looked no different from his classmates at Paul W. Bryant High School. Kerekes, a theater enthusiast who has performed in school and community plays, struggles with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder characterized by abnormalities of social interaction and communication often manifested in restricted and repetitive interests and behavior. The disorder proved to be something of a boon in school, because while it affected Kerekes’ level of social awareness, it also provided him with a phenomenal memory and ability to memorize scripts of plays with relative ease.
Read in Full:Â http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100523/NEWS/100529859/0/APN
By Ashley Boyd Staff writer
Last Modified: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 10:25 a.m.
At a first glance, 19-year-old Taylor Kerekes looked no different from his classmates at Paul W. Bryant High School. Kerekes, a theater enthusiast who has performed in school and community plays, struggles with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder characterized by abnormalities of social interaction and communication often manifested in restricted and repetitive interests and behavior. The disorder proved to be something of a boon in school, because while it affected Kerekes’ level of social awareness, it also provided him with a phenomenal memory and ability to memorize scripts of plays with relative ease.
Read in Full:Â http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100523/NEWS/100529859/0/APN
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6:18 p.m. ET May 23, 2010
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. – A Tybee Island teen with autism and a heart condition claims police used a Taser on him, and said he’s not sure what he did wrong.
Clifford Grevemberg said police twice used a Taser on him and threw him to the ground on Friday night, breaking one of his front teeth and scraping his face and knee. The 18-year-old was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge.
“I just wanted to go to sleep,” the 6-foot-9-inch tall, 170-pound teenager told The Savannah Morning News in a story Sunday. “I sat down on the curb and put my head in my arms, and they stopped me.”
Read in Full:Â http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37302522/
Â
6:18 p.m. ET May 23, 2010
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. – A Tybee Island teen with autism and a heart condition claims police used a Taser on him, and said he’s not sure what he did wrong.
Clifford Grevemberg said police twice used a Taser on him and threw him to the ground on Friday night, breaking one of his front teeth and scraping his face and knee. The 18-year-old was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge.
“I just wanted to go to sleep,” the 6-foot-9-inch tall, 170-pound teenager told The Savannah Morning News in a story Sunday. “I sat down on the curb and put my head in my arms, and they stopped me.”
Read in Full:Â http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37302522/
 
ScienceDaily (May 24, 2010) — Though it has been prescribed for over 50 years to treat bipolar disorder, there are still many questions regarding exactly how lithium works. However, in a study appearing in this month’s Journal of Lipid Research, researchers have provided solid evidence that lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting the metabolism of the health-protective omega-3-fatty acid called DHA.
Inflammation in the brain, like other parts of the body, is an important process to help the brain combat infection or injury. However, excess or unwanted inflammation can damage sensitive brain cells, which can contribute to psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder or degenerative diseases like Alzheimers.
It’s believed that lithium helps treat bipolar disorder by reducing brain inflammation during the manic phase, thus alleviating some of the symptoms. Exactly how lithium operates, though, has been debated.
Mireille Basselin and colleagues at the National Institute of Aging and University of Colorado, Denver, took a detailed approach to this question by using mass spectrometry analysis to analyze the chemical composition of brain samples of both control and lithium-treated rats stressed by brain inflammation.
They found that in agreement with some other studies, rats given a six-week lithium treatment had reduced levels of arachidonic acid and its products, which can contribute to inflammation.
In addition, they also demonstrated, for the first time, that lithium treatment increased levels of a metabolite called 17-OH-DHA in response to inflammation. 17-OH-DHA is formed from the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and is the precursor to a wide range of anti-inflammatory compounds known as docosanoids. Other anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin, are known to also enhance docosanoids in their mode of action.
Basselin and colleagues noted that the concentration of DHA did not increase, which suggests that lithium may increase 17-OH-DHA levels by affecting the enzyme that converts DHA to 17-OH-DHA.
By reducing both pro-inflammatory AA products, and increasing anti-inflammatory DHA products, lithium exerts a double-protective effect which may explain why it works well in bipolar treatment. Now that its mechanism is a little better understood, it may lead to additional uses for this chemical.
Journal Reference:
- Basselin et al. Lithium modifies brain arachidonic and docosahexaenoic metabolism in rat lipopolysaccharide model of neuroinflammation. The Journal of Lipid Research, 2010; 51 (5): 1049 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M002469
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100521191440.htm
Â
ScienceDaily (May 24, 2010) — Though it has been prescribed for over 50 years to treat bipolar disorder, there are still many questions regarding exactly how lithium works. However, in a study appearing in this month’s Journal of Lipid Research, researchers have provided solid evidence that lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting the metabolism of the health-protective omega-3-fatty acid called DHA.
Inflammation in the brain, like other parts of the body, is an important process to help the brain combat infection or injury. However, excess or unwanted inflammation can damage sensitive brain cells, which can contribute to psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder or degenerative diseases like Alzheimers.
It’s believed that lithium helps treat bipolar disorder by reducing brain inflammation during the manic phase, thus alleviating some of the symptoms. Exactly how lithium operates, though, has been debated.
Mireille Basselin and colleagues at the National Institute of Aging and University of Colorado, Denver, took a detailed approach to this question by using mass spectrometry analysis to analyze the chemical composition of brain samples of both control and lithium-treated rats stressed by brain inflammation.
They found that in agreement with some other studies, rats given a six-week lithium treatment had reduced levels of arachidonic acid and its products, which can contribute to inflammation.
In addition, they also demonstrated, for the first time, that lithium treatment increased levels of a metabolite called 17-OH-DHA in response to inflammation. 17-OH-DHA is formed from the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and is the precursor to a wide range of anti-inflammatory compounds known as docosanoids. Other anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin, are known to also enhance docosanoids in their mode of action.
Basselin and colleagues noted that the concentration of DHA did not increase, which suggests that lithium may increase 17-OH-DHA levels by affecting the enzyme that converts DHA to 17-OH-DHA.
By reducing both pro-inflammatory AA products, and increasing anti-inflammatory DHA products, lithium exerts a double-protective effect which may explain why it works well in bipolar treatment. Now that its mechanism is a little better understood, it may lead to additional uses for this chemical.
Journal Reference:
- Basselin et al. Lithium modifies brain arachidonic and docosahexaenoic metabolism in rat lipopolysaccharide model of neuroinflammation. The Journal of Lipid Research, 2010; 51 (5): 1049 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M002469
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100521191440.htm
 
MMR row doctor struck off
The doctor at the centre of the MMR row has been struck off the medical register.Â
Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC) at a hearing in central London.
He acted in a way that was “dishonest”, “misleading” and “irresponsible” while carrying out research into a possible link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, bowel disease and autism, the GMC said.
Furthermore, he “abused his position of trust” and “brought the medical profession into disrepute” in studies he carried out on children.
The GMC said there had been “multiple separate instances of serious professional misconduct”.
Source:Â http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100524/tuk-mmr-row-doctor-struck-off-dba1618.html
 Related Articles
“MMR Doctor Struck From Register”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8695267.stm
“Banned doctor who linked MMR vaccine with autism”:http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18954-banned-doctor-who-linked-mmr-vaccine-with-autism.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
The psychological barriers facing MMR promotion campaigns
A focus group study of parents’ attitudes towards interventions promoting uptake of the MMR vaccine suggests it is better for health advice to be seen as independent from government.
The findings come after the General Medical Council ruled yesterday that Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, was guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The MMR vaccine protects children against measles, mumps and rubella. Unfortunately the number of UK parents vaccinating their children plummeted in the wake of Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet study, since discredited and un-replicated, which purported to show a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Today vaccination rates remain at around 85 per cent, compared with the desired rate of 90 to 95 per cent required for herd immunity (whereby even the unvaccinated are safe).
Â
MMR row doctor struck off
The doctor at the centre of the MMR row has been struck off the medical register.Â
Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council (GMC) at a hearing in central London.
He acted in a way that was “dishonest”, “misleading” and “irresponsible” while carrying out research into a possible link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, bowel disease and autism, the GMC said.
Furthermore, he “abused his position of trust” and “brought the medical profession into disrepute” in studies he carried out on children.
The GMC said there had been “multiple separate instances of serious professional misconduct”.
Source:Â http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100524/tuk-mmr-row-doctor-struck-off-dba1618.html
 Related Articles
“MMR Doctor Struck From Register”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8695267.stm
“Banned doctor who linked MMR vaccine with autism”:http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18954-banned-doctor-who-linked-mmr-vaccine-with-autism.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
The psychological barriers facing MMR promotion campaigns
A focus group study of parents’ attitudes towards interventions promoting uptake of the MMR vaccine suggests it is better for health advice to be seen as independent from government.
The findings come after the General Medical Council ruled yesterday that Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, was guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The MMR vaccine protects children against measles, mumps and rubella. Unfortunately the number of UK parents vaccinating their children plummeted in the wake of Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet study, since discredited and un-replicated, which purported to show a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Today vaccination rates remain at around 85 per cent, compared with the desired rate of 90 to 95 per cent required for herd immunity (whereby even the unvaccinated are safe).
 
Article Date: 20 May 2010 – 1:00 PDT
Researchers at the University of Malaga (UMA) have analysed the presence of voice disorders in male and female teachers, in order to obtain a representative statistic: 62.7% of the Early Childhood and Primary Education teaching body suffer from these complaints on a daily or weekly basis.
Professions such as teaching require a high resistance to voice fatigue to be able to deal with vocal overload. “Our aim was to analyse the vocal problems of Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers, and the psychosocial dimensions associated with said disorders in Spain”, Rosa Bermúdez, main author of the study and researcher at UMA, explains to SINC.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/189342.php