LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In an effort to explore biological influences on the varying appearance of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Pat Levitt, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, measured a blood chemical that indicates oxidative stress levels in autistic children with gastrointestinal disturbances (GID). This commonly co-occurring medical condition typically presents as diarrhea, constipation or reflux. The significantly elevated amount of oxidative stress in children co-affected with ASD and GID is indicative of metabolic dysfunction and may be an underlying cause of the more severe effects of autism seen in this population. This study is the first to examine the levels of oxidative stress in children co-affected with ASD and GID. In this study, Dr. Levitt has identified a possible biomarker for the severity of autism and medical symptoms in children a finding that could provide a mechanism to monitor effectiveness of treatment, says Brent Polk, MD, director of The Saban Research Institute and chief of pediatrics at the University of Southern California and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. With one in three families affected by neurodevelopmental or cognitive disorders, this finding could have a far-reaching impact. As a pediatric gastroenterologist, I am encouraged to see research … Continue reading →

By Amir Khan An autism breakthrough may be sitting in your gut, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE. The gut bacteria of autistic children is vastly different than that of typical children, and researchers say that bringing their gut bacteria into line with a typical child could help doctors better treat autistic kids. "One of the reasons we started addressing this topic is the fact that autistic children have a lot of GI problems that can last into adulthood," study author Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, PhD, a researcher with Arizona State University, said in a statement. "Studies have shown that when we manage these problems, their behavior improves dramatically." More from Everyday Health: Ulcerative Colitis Diet: Look for Nutrious, Low-Fiber Options Living With Crohn's Disease in College: One Student's Tips Foods That Can Trigger Your IBS Researchers compared the gut bacteria of 20 autistic and 20 healthy children, and found that autistic children not only had far less gut bacteria, but also had much lower diversity. Prevotella, a bacteria thought to play a role in regulating the gut microbiome, was found in conspicuously low levels in the stomachs of the autistic children, according to the study. Researchers … Continue reading →

LONDON (Reuters) - Couples who have certain types of fertility treatment have a higher chance of having a child with autism or learning difficulties - although the overall risk is still extremely small, scientists said on Tuesday. The experts said couples should not consider abandoning or avoiding in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) on the basis of their research findings. The study, conducted by Swedish researchers based in Britain, Sweden and the United States, found children born after IVF treatments for the most severe forms of male infertility were more likely to be diagnosed with autism or an intellectual disability. But the actual numbers were low - children born after one form of IVF treatment had a 0.136 percent risk of having autism - a developmental disorder characterized by poor communication skills - compared with a 0.029 percent risk for children conceived naturally, they said. "The main message ... is a positive one, suggesting that any risk of these disorders is very low, or absent, in comparison to children conceived naturally," said Allan Pacey, who was not involved in the research and is a fertility expert at Sheffield University and Chairman of the British Fertility Society. The study was the largest of its kind … Continue reading →

A Swedish study found an extra risk in babies born after ICSI treatment The technique involves a sperm being injected directly into the egg Risk may be down to men passing on a higher rate of genetic abnormalities By Jenny Hope PUBLISHED: 18:44 EST, 2 July 2013 | UPDATED: 09:42 EST, 3 July 2013 116 shares 20 View comments Fertility treatment used to help men with poor sperm carries a slightly greater risk of low IQ in children, say researchers. There may also be a link with a severe type of autism affecting twins and triplets conceived using the same type of treatment. The study found the extra risk in babies born after ICSI treatment, where a sperm is injected into the egg to compensate for low sperm count or poor quality sperm. Low IQ risk: Sperm being injected into egg using the ICSI technique Read more: Low IQ and autism risk from fertility treatment for men with poor sperm … Continue reading →

A rare in-vitro fertilization technique that addresses male infertility is associated with an increased risk of autism and mental disability in children, compared with standard methods, according to a study that may prompt parents and doctors to take steps to reduce the danger. The increased risk was among children born as a result of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection in which a sperm surgically extracted from the testes is injected directly into an egg before being transplanted to the womb. Using the injection method with ejaculated sperm also raised the risks, though not as much, the researchers found. Less than 2 percent of children with either disorder were conceived using IVF, they said. About 5 million children worldwide have been born by IVF since 1978, and 1.4 percent of total births in the U.S. annually and as many as 4.4 percent in western Europe result from the procedure, according to government and industry figures. Across all types of IVF procedures, compared with spontaneous pregnancies, the study found no increase in the risk of autism and a small increase for mental disability linked only to multiple births, such as twins and triplets. A perhaps more unexpected finding was an increased risk for both … Continue reading →

However, the number of men who undergo this are small so the numbers of actual cases are extremely low. Dr Avi Reichenberg, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, who led the study, said: "About 50 per cent of IVF treatments use ICSI in the UK. Our study shows that these treatments developed to manage male infertility are associated with an increased risk for developmental disorders in the offspring. Whilst intellectual disability or autism remain a rare outcome for IVF, being aware of the increased risk associated with certain types of IVF means offspring at risk can be identified and potentially monitored for developmental disorders. The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analysed data from more than 2.5 million births in Sweden, of which 30,959 were conceived using IVF treatment. They found that among those children who were conceived naturally, the risk of mental disability, defined by an IQ below 70 and an inability to perform every day skills such as learning, communication or social relationships, was just 62 out of every 100,000 births. Standard IVF increased the risk by around 18 per cent, but when children who had been born as … Continue reading →

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