Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 20, 2013 Seven-year-old Torin Phillips and his 6-year-old sister, Kaia, are on a mission to overcome the limiting effects of autism. The two siblings, who live just outside of Boston in Forestdale, MA, receive intensive applied behavior therapy (ABA) from the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), considered one the worlds most effective treatment centers using evidence-based, state-of-the-art therapy. At 18 months, Torin was nonverbal, did not point or answer to his name, and had little interest in toys. At the age of 22 months, he was initially diagnosed with persuasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), according to the DSM-IV criteria, a diagnosis that is used for "severe and pervasive impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction or verbal and nonverbal communication skills or when stereotyped behavior, interests, and activities are present. As it became clear that Torin was profoundly affected by autism, and his diagnosis was changed to PDD by the time he was three years old. Torin is a medically complicated kid, just as many kids on the spectrum are," says Torrin's mother Kerri Phillips. "We now know he has Crohns and auto immune issues and that he appears asymptomatic many … Continue reading →

Patients' stroke support service is doing well 2:50pm Saturday 18th May 2013 in News By Tarik Al Rasheed A STROKE support service for patients in Worcestershire says it is switched on to the emotional needs of patients. We reported how the Stroke Association is calling for more support for survivors to help them recover from the emotional impact of their condition. The charity quizzed 285 survivors from the West Midlands as part of a national survey and found that 59 per cent felt depressed and 70 per cent suffered from a lack of confidence. However new research compiled by the Community Stroke Service, provided by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust to support patients after they leave hospital, paints a different picture. All patients who were seen on one or more occasion by the service completed a questionnaire, with 93 per cent saying they were very satisfied with the advice and support provided. The Community Stroke Service was set up in 2008, aiming to provide patients being discharged from hospital support, advice and relevant treatment when recovering from a stroke, as well helping to cope with emotional difficulties. Deputy manager Ruth Freeman said: As a specialist stroke service we are … Continue reading →

The reality is sobering. Ten to 15 years ago we thought that we would be using genetic tests to predict all sorts of diseases, said Prof Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist at Kings College London. It turns out to have been wishful thinking. We used to think there might be five to 10 genes involved in a disease, but we now know there may be thousands that only contribute a tiny amount and interact with each other. It was hoped that the 1.8 billion human genome project to decipher our DNA would herald a new age in medicine when it was completed 13 years ago. Instead, it revealed that our genetic make up is far more complicated than we had expected. None the less, scientists have now developed tests for about 2,500 diseases, but almost all are for rare conditions and only a fifth are treatable. Examples include Huntingdons Disease and Cystic Fibrosis. However, scientists who worked on the human genome project are now striving to unravel the web of genes that play a role in more widespread conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism. They are analysing the genomes of more than 10,000 people from around the UK who suffer … Continue reading →

Scientists say they have formed the most complete picture yet of how the body controls the production of proteins needed to stay healthy. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are tracking the complex interactions between genes that enable proteins to be produced for use in cells. They are studying tiny strands of genetic code - known as microRNAs - that switch larger genes on and off to regulate the production process. Four hundred of these strands have been observed in action for the first time using a new tracking technique developed at the university. Researchers say they have been able to identify which genes are controlled by each microRNA. Dr Grzegorz Kudla, of the university's Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, said the study had uncovered a wealth of information about the way microRNAs interact with other genetic material in the body. He said: "Imagine you are in a small town. You know everybody's name because you have access to a phonebook, but you also want to know who interacts with whom. "You can guess - perhaps people living on the same street interact, or you can spend time asking people about their friends. Our experiment amounts to screening footage … Continue reading →

New measure may aid treatment planning, future studies for broad range of tumors Newswise BOSTON A new measure of the heterogeneity the variety of genetic mutations of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue of the journal Cancer, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary describe how their measure was a better predictor of survival than most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. "Our findings will eventually allow better matching of treatments to individual patients, based on this characteristic of their tumors," says Edmund Mroz, PhD, of the MGH Center for Cancer Research, lead author of the Cancer report. "This method of measuring heterogeneity can be applied to most types of cancer, so our work should help researchers determine whether a similar relationship between heterogeneity and outcome occurs in other tumors." For decades investigators have hypothesized that tumors with a high degree of genetic heterogeneity the result of different subgroups of cells undergoing different mutations at different DNA sites would be more difficult to … Continue reading →