Bacteria living in the intestines and colon may affect symptoms of autism by breaking down important message-carrying chemicals, researchers reported Monday. They found that children with autism have a very different make-up when it comes to gut germs, compared to children without autism. More importantly, chemicals produced by these bacteria may affect the brain, they told a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Its a small study and needs to be replicated, but the team at Arizona State University is seeking permission to try experimental fecal transplants to see if they might alter the symptoms of the children with autism. Researchers are beginning to discover that the bacteria, fungi and yeast living in an on our bodies, called the microbiome, are extremely important to health. They can affect the bodys susceptibility to infection, they can affect body weight and may even play a role in cancer. Theres also some evidence they play a role in mental health, and this study suggests perhaps they are important in developmental disorders. If left unchecked ... harmful bacteria can excrete dangerous metabolites or disturb a balance in metabolites that can affect the gut and the rest of the body, including the brain. Dae-Wook … Continue reading →

Bacteria living in the intestines and colon may affect symptoms of autism by breaking down important message-carrying chemicals, researchers reported Monday. They found that children with autism have a very different make-up when it comes to gut germs, compared to children without autism. More importantly, chemicals produced by these bacteria may affect the brain, they told a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Its a small study and needs to be replicated, but the team at Arizona State University is seeking permission to try experimental fecal transplants to see if they might alter the symptoms of the children with autism. Researchers are beginning to discover that the bacteria, fungi and yeast living in an on our bodies, called the microbiome, are extremely important to health. They can affect the bodys susceptibility to infection, they can affect body weight and may even play a role in cancer. Theres also some evidence they play a role in mental health, and this study suggests perhaps they are important in developmental disorders. If left unchecked ... harmful bacteria can excrete dangerous metabolites or disturb a balance in metabolites that can affect the gut and the rest of the body, including the brain. Dae-Wook … Continue reading →

Originally published May 19, 2014 at 5:02 AM | Page modified May 19, 2014 at 12:29 PM Premera Blue Cross and its subsidiary, LifeWise Health Plan of Washington, will remove restrictions on neurodevelopmental therapy for autism and set aside $3.5 million to reimburse policyholders who paid for therapy out of pocket. Under the settlement agreement, Premera and Lifewise will remove age limits and treatment limitations from any medically necessary speech, occupational and physical therapy. The change will apply to all insured plans issued by Premera and LifeWise in Washington. The settlement is the latest to emerge from a string of lawsuits brought against insurers, employers and state agencies that restrict or limit neurodevelopmental therapy such as applied behavior analysis. The final settlement agreement in the Premera case, reached in three class-action lawsuits in King County Superior Court and in U.S. District Court in Seattle, must be preliminarily approved by the three judges. The lawsuits were brought by five individuals diagnosed with autism and their parents, alleging the restrictions violated the Washington State Mental Health Parity Act, which requires equal coverage for mental and physical services. The settlement was agreed to after five days of negotiations with the aid of three … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-May-2014 Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine Johns Hopkins researchers say they have developed a technique that can predict with 95 percent accuracy which stroke victims will benefit from intravenous, clot-busting drugs and which will suffer dangerous and potentially lethal bleeding in the brain. Reporting online May 15 in the journal Stroke, the Johns Hopkins team says these predictions were made possible by applying a new method they developed that uses standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to measures damage to the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain from drug exposure. If further tests confirm their method's accuracy, it could form the basis of expanded and more precise use of intravenous tPA, a drug that is currently limited to patients who are within 4.5 hours of a stroke onset, in order to have the best chance of dissolving the blood clot causing the stroke without risking additional damage. If doctors had a safe, reliable tool to determine which patients could still be safely treated outside that window, more patients could be helped, the researchers say. "If we are able to replicate our findings in more patients, it will indicate we are able to identify which … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Johns Hopkins researchers say they have developed a technique that can predict with 95 percent accuracy which stroke victims will benefit from intravenous, clot-busting drugs and which will suffer dangerous and potentially lethal bleeding in the brain. Reporting online May 15 in the journal Stroke, the Johns Hopkins team says these predictions were made possible by applying a new method they developed that uses standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to measures damage to the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain from drug exposure. If further tests confirm their methods accuracy, it could form the basis of expanded and more precise use of intravenous tPA, a drug that is currently limited to patients who are within 4.5 hours of a stroke onset, in order to have the best chance of dissolving the blood clot causing the stroke without risking additional damage. If doctors had a safe, reliable tool to determine which patients could still be safely treated outside that window, more patients could be helped, the researchers say. If we are able to replicate our findings in more patients, it will indicate we are able to identify which people are likely to … Continue reading →

Published: Monday, 5/19/2014 - Updated: 17 seconds ago BY JOHN WHAPHAM SPECIAL TO THE BLADE This is one of a series of columns about health issues written by staff members of ProMedica, Mercy, Toledo Clinic, and the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio. Every second counts for a patient experiencing a stroke or sustaining a traumatic injury. More than 750,000 strokes occur each year in the United States with only 5 percent to 6 percent currently getting intervention and treatment. Early diagnosis and the start of treatment is essential. Telemedicine is the use of real-time medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic video communications and tele-presence to improve a patients clinical health status (americantelemed.org). It is the future of global health care and is a critical tool for stroke and other traumatic time-sensitive illnesses. Time is everything when a patient is having a stroke or has been seriously injured in an accident. The telemedical robot enables specialists at a medical center to have a live presence in a completely different location allowing specialists to assess the patient, view films and talk with care givers to determine the best course of treatment in … Continue reading →