JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers are pushing bills that would require insurance companies to offer coverage for autism screening, diagnosis and treatment on health plans sold in the state. Senate Bill 2581 passed the Senate on a split vote Tuesday, with 39 senators voting for the bill and six voting against it. Sen. Will Longwitz, R-Madison, said autism treatment can cost thousands of dollars a month, and many families cant afford services their children need. He said 38 states already require insurance companies to cover treatment for autism spectrum disorder, a group of developmental disorders that affect communication, behavior and social interaction. Opponents said Mississippi should not require insurance companies to cover specific services. They said if the free market creates a demand, companies will make their own decisions to offer autism coverage without a government mandate. What we are witnessing today is another extension of state authority, said Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville. Where does it end? This should concern people that value liberty that value contractual rights. We are telling a private insurance company what it must sell, what it must do. Longwitz responded: If were going to have an ideological battle, lets not do it at the … Continue reading →

Study will test whether game-based therapy can improve brain function and motor skills in people with autism NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 2, 2015) - Autism Speaks' not-for-profit affiliate Delivering Scientific Innovation for Autism (DELSIA) has announced new funding for clinical testing of a cognitive video game designed to improve executive function skills in children and adolescents with autism. Autism Speaks established DELSIA to support the translation of autism research into products and services that improve health and quality of life. DELSIA's newest grant invests in the clinical development of Project: EVO, a medical video game by Boston-based Akili Interactive Labs. Earlier research on EVO's prototype demonstrated that it engages brain pathways involved in executive brain functions, including attention, focus and problem solving. Many people with autism have impaired executive function, and these impairments often are associated with everyday behavioral challenges, other studies have shown. "Akili appeared on our radar at our inaugural Autism Investment Conference," says DELSIA President Dan Smith. "They stole the show in 2013, and in discussions that followed, it became clear that Akili was developing a high-quality, evidence-based product with the potential to improve real-world functioning for some people with autism." Dr. Smith also serves as Autism … Continue reading →

Since earlier diagnosis of autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may lead to earlier therapies and treatments which can improve functional outcomes, the search has been ongoing for a biological marker which defines the disorder. Without such a marker, medical professionals use their clinical acumen to evaluate behavioral patterns and social skills that may provide early clues to diagnose autism. Now, the approach might be shifting, with novel research examining salivary proteins which might provide earlier clues to suggest autismbefore behavioral patterns become apparent to parents, educators, and clinicians. Scientists at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York have discovered new proteins contained in saliva which may potentially serve as biomarkers of the condition, helping to diagnose patients earlier who may have autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The new approach was used to evaluate and compare six children (age range: 6-16) with ASD to six children who were undergoing normal or typical development. Researchers used a technique known as mass spectrometry to evaluate the salivary proteins. The study was published online January 27 in the Journal,Autism Research. The salivary proteins uncovered in this study are linked to a heightened immune response as well as inflammation in the gastrointestinal system, and is related … Continue reading →

JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) - Treatment bills can pile up quickly when you have a child with autism. There's a call for change at the State Capitol that could save those families some money. Mississippi currently does not require health insurance companies to cover autism services. Jessica Gregory's 4-year-old son Trey was diagnosed with autism in last July. Gregory knew he had communication issues from an early age. The diagnosis wasn't a surprise. But navigating through insurance questions of how to pay for his therapy was eye opening. "Finding out it's not covered is challenging because you want what's best for your child," explained Gregory. "You have to just say OK, if this is what he needs, this is what we're going to do. But how are we going to make it all work out?" The Gregory family originally got help with treatment through a state-run program called First Steps. It's an early intervention system for kids with developmental delays. One problem, it's only for children under the age of three. Families turn to spots like the Jackson Autism Center and Dr. Rebecca Mullican for help. "One to three times a week, they're still not getting what kids in … Continue reading →

Proof-of-principle method suggests much-earlier diagnoses could be done with clinic test In a study published in the current online issue of JAMA Psychiatry, an international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report finding a highly accurate blood-based measure that could lead to development of a clinical test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in males as young as one to two years old. The test could be done in community pediatric settings. The degree of accuracy, they said, out performs other behavioral and genetic screens for infants and toddlers with ASD described in literature. The causes of ASD are complex and diverse, making it difficult to conclusively diagnose the disease much before a child's fourth year of life. Indeed, the median age of diagnosis in the United States is 53 months. "A major challenge is the difficulty of accurately diagnosing ASD, which is very heterogeneous, at an early enough age to implement the most effective treatment," said principal investigator Eric Courchesne, PhD, professor of neurosciences and director of the Autism Center of Excellence at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. In the proof-of-principle study, Courchesne, first author Tiziano … Continue reading →

A growth hormone can significantly improve the social impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in patients with a related genetic syndrome, according to a pilot study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published yesterday on Pub Med, a public database of biomedical topics maintained by the National Institutes of Health (study originally published in the December 12 issue of the journal Molecular Autism). The study results focus specifically on the use of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to treat Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a disorder caused by a deletion or mutation of the SHANK3 gene on chromosome 22. Along with facing developmental and language delays and motor skill deficits, most people with PMS also have autism spectrum disorder. SHANK3 is a focus of research in the field because of its essential role in the function of synapses, the gaps between nerve cells that "decide" whether messages continue along nerve pathways as they regulate bodily processes. While Phelan-McDermid syndrome is a rare disorder, advanced genetic technology has revealed it to be a relatively common cause of ASD. "Ours is the first controlled trial of any treatment for Phelan-McDermid syndrome," says Alexander Kolevzon, MD, Clinical Director of the … Continue reading →

Mobile Stroke Unit Reduces Treatment Times Cleveland Clinics Dr. Peter Rasmussen and his team have created one of the first mobile stroke units in the United States. This unit brings stroke treatment ... By: Cleveland Clinic … Continue reading →

Ushering into A New Era of Stroke Treatment jg new 2015. By: tristin wertz … Continue reading →

Mobile Stroke Treatment Units - specialized emergency rooms on wheels - are saving critical minutes in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, according to two new studies presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2015. "Due to how critical time is in the treatment of stroke, using Mobile Stroke Treatment Units (MSTU) to provide pre-hospital evaluation and treatment of stroke should revolutionize the care of these patients," said Muhammad Shazam Hussain, M.D., lead researcher (abstract 54) and head of the Cleveland Clinic Stroke Program. MSTUs are specialized ambulances staffed with a nurse, paramedic, emergency personnel and CT technologist. The unit also contains lab testing equipment and a CT scanner, which is required to diagnose the type of stroke. A stroke physician at the main hospital evaluated each patient via telemedicine and a neuroradiologist remotely assessed CT images. Two-way video conferencing allowed communication with the patient, family and stroke experts. The CT image is an important diagnostic test distinguishing a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke from ischemic stroke (blood clot blocking vessels and blood flow). The treatment for these types of strokes is different, and cannot be started until the CT scan is complete. In this analysis, researchers report the … Continue reading →

Canadian researchers have completed an international randomized controlled trial showing that a clot retrieval procedure, known as endovascular treatment (ET), can dramatically improve patient outcomes after an acute ischemic stroke. The study, led by researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), shows a dramatic improvement in outcomes and a reduction in deaths from stroke. The results of this study were published in the Feb. 11 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Overall, positive outcomes for patients increased from 30 per cent to 55 per cent. In many cases, instead of suffering major neurological disability, patients went home to resume their lives. The overall mortality rate was reduced from two in 10 patients for standard treatment of care to one in 10 patients - a 50 per cent reduction with ET. "This is the most significant and fundamental change in acute ischemic stroke treatment in the last 20 years. These results will impact stroke care around the world," says Dr. Michael Hill, the senior author of the study, professor in the Cumming School of Medicine's departments of clinical neurosciences, and radiology and a neurologist with the Calgary Stroke Program of Alberta Health Services (AHS). … Continue reading →