Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

markers (e.g., lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation) and glutathione S-
transferase activity coupled with a decrease in glutathione and glutathione
peroxidase activity. Neurohistological examinations of hippocampus and adjacent
white matter (external capsule) of PPA treated rats revealed increased reactive
astrogliosis (GFAP immunoreactivity) and activated microglia (CD68
immunoreactivity) suggestive of a neuroinflammatory process. This was coupled
with a lack of cytotoxicity (cell counts, cleaved caspase 3' immunoreactivity), and
an increase in phosphorylated CREB immunoreactivity. We propose that some
types of autism may be partial forms of genetically inherited or acquired
disorders involving altered PPA metabolism. Thus, intraventricular administration
of PPA in rats may provide a means to model some aspects of human ASD in
rats.
McGinnis, W. R. (2001). "Mercury and autistic gut disease." Environ Health Perspect
109(7): A303-4.
Molloy, C. A. and P. Manning-Courtney (2003). "Prevalence of chronic gastrointestinal
symptoms in children with autism and autistic spectrum disorders." Autism 7(2): 165-
71.
The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic
gastrointestinal symptoms in a general population of children with autism or
autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The study site was a clinic specializing in ASD
in a large pediatric medical center serving a 10 county area in the midwestern
USA. In a sample of 137 children, age 24-96 months, classified as having autism
or ASD by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic, 24 percent had
a history of at least one chronic gastrointestinal symptom. The most common
symptom was diarrhea, which occurred in 17 percent. There was no association
between chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and a history of developmental
regression. The potential phenotypic association between autism and
gastrointestinal symptoms is discussed.
O'Brien, S. J., I. G. Jones, et al. (1998). "Autism, inflammatory bowel disease, and MMR
vaccine." Lancet 351(9106): 906-7; author reply 908-9.
Parracho, H. M., M. O. Bingham, et al. (2005). "Differences between the gut microflora
of children with autistic spectrum disorders and that of healthy children." J Med
Microbiol 54(Pt 10): 987-91.
Children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) tend to suffer from severe
gastrointestinal problems. Such symptoms may be due to a disruption of the
indigenous gut flora promoting the overgrowth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms.
The faecal flora of patients with ASDs was studied and compared
with those of two control groups (healthy siblings and unrelated healthy
children). Faecal bacterial populations were assessed through the use of a
culture-independent technique, fluorescence in situ hybridization, using
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