Women over 40 are nearly twice as likely to give birth to an autistic child than a mother under 30, researchers said Monday in a study that found more evidence of links between autism and maternal age.
The father's age had nearly no impact on the child's risk of autism unless the father is older and the mother is younger than 30, according to the 10-year study, which examined 4.9 million births in the 1990s.
"This study challenges a current theory in autism epidemiology that identifies the father's age as a key factor in increasing the risk of having a child with autism," said study lead author Janie Shelton.
She and her fellow University of California, Davis researchers examined data from all births in their state for a decade.
The study, published in the February issue of the journal Autism Research, found that the incremental risk of having an autistic child increased by nearly a fifth -- 18 percent -- for every five-year increase in the mother's age.
The risk for a woman over 40 to have a child later diagnosed with autism was 50 percent greater than for a mother aged between 25 and 29.
For mothers over 30, an older father did not appear to further increase the risk of autism, a pervasive developmental disorder of deficient social and communication skills, as well as repetitive and restricted behavior.
When the father was older and the mother was under 30, the child also had a high risk of developing autism, according to the study. Children born to mothers under 25 and fathers over 40 were twice as likely to develop autism as those whose father was between 25 and 29.
But that risk dissipated among mothers over 30.
The incidence of autism in the United States is estimated at between one in 100 and one in 110 children in the United States. Onset of the disorder begins prior to age three.
The number of California women over 40 giving birth increased by more than 300 percent during the 1990s, but the number of autism cases increased by 600 percent. Yet the authors found that older mothers only accounted for about five percent of the increase.
Prior studies have also linked the parents' age to a child's risk for autism, but with contradictory results on whether the mother, the father or both played the biggest role.
They have also observed that advanced maternal age can contribute to a broad spectrum of other birth-related conditions, such as infertility, low birth weight, early fetal loss and chromosome problems.
"We still need to figure out what it is about older parents that puts their children at greater risk for autism and other adverse outcomes, so that we can begin to design interventions," explained senior author Irva Hertz-Picciotto.
A 2008 UC Davis study also found that some mothers who gave birth to autistic children had antibodies to fetal brain protein, unlike mothers of typical children.
The study authors suggested that some persistent environmental chemicals that accumulate in the body may be to blame in part.Women over 40 are nearly twice as likely to give birth to an autistic child than a... more
If books are changing, then what will they be like in the future? It’s difficult to know for sure, but looking at a few trends may provide insight. Read on to discover several trends that may herald the future of the book.
LINK : http://onlinedegreeprograms.org/blog/2010/the-future-of-the-book-top-12-trends/If books are changing, then what will they be like in the future? It’s difficult... more
From getting a degree they didn’t actually earn to changing grades to faking transcripts to cheating on exams, these cheating scandals caught plenty of attention.
The number of chemicals used in US is approximately 80,000, only five of them are banned and only a few have ever been tested.
This study like many others only keeps proving how dangerous our world is, how scary and powerful these giant corporations are, managing to control our politic and economy, from the food we eat, the water we drink and everything that surrounds us.
Spread the word, and let's put a stop to this greed that only kills.
These 100 films are worth a watch and won’t even require a trip to rent or borrow, and can help break up those study sessions for your college courses.
Insects comprise an estimated 90% of the planet’s fauna, and – unsurprisingly – those who elect to study them at the professional, amateur, and hobbyist levels are as diverse as the species themselves.
"A new study suggests that viewers worldwide turn to particular broadcasters to affirm — rather than inform — their opinions. It's a notion familiar to those dismayed by the paths blazed by cable news networks FOX and MSNBC — although the study finds one (perhaps unlikely) network may actually foster greater intellectual openness.
The study in the December issue of Media, War & Conflict by Shawn Powers, a fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and Mohammed el-Nawawy, an assistant professor in the department of communication at Queens University of Charlotte, found that the longer viewers had been watching Al Jazeera English, the less dogmatic they were in their opinions and therefore more open to considering alternative and clashing opinions.
Al Jazeera English is a global news network that "aims to give voice to untold stories, promote debate, and challenge established perceptions." Launched on Nov. 15, 2006, the network is accessible to more than 120 million households worldwide; it is currently available on only a handful of satellite networks in the United States.
The network is based in Doha, Qatar, and is funded by the Qatari government, a U.S. ally.
A 2006 study conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that many Westerners see Muslims as "fanatical, violent, and lacking tolerance," whereas Muslims in the Middle East and Asia see Westerners as "selfish, immoral, and greedy — as well as violent and fanatical."""A new study suggests that viewers worldwide turn to particular broadcasters to... more
According to a study by the Scottish NHS, Scotland consumes 46 bottles of vodka per person per year, 25% more than England and Wales. The figure is the equivalent to 130 bottles of wine or over 537 pints of beer and costing the tax payer £3.56bn per year.
Are you in a dillema, while designing your dorm room? Can't decide what to take or what to leave? Relax! This infographic has come up with solutions to resolve your qqueries.
With a little love and DIY-fueled attention, you can turn your boring, industrial dorm room into the perfect spot for studying, sleeping, and socializing. Here are 50 practically free ways to decorate your dorm room, even on your poor man’s budget.
Here’s a collection of titles that will instruct you on just about every aspect of writing, from the basics of grammar to marketing your completed novel, with some incredibly helpful tips from well-known writers themselves as well.
You can learn how things are made, explore the human body or that of a life-sized whale, and visit ball parks and theme parks. There is even a section of incredible virtual tours that Google Earth has compiled that shares the world in a whole new way.
Jschool students are being challenged to learn traditional concepts and practices while mastering the new media techniques. Here are 10 iconic journalists we think every Jstudent should study.
LINK : http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2010/01/04/10-iconic-journalists-every-jstudent-should-study/Jschool students are being challenged to learn traditional concepts and practices... more
Read below to find ten predictions for the future of the textbook, most of which include no printed texts. Until that future comes, you can spend your time figuring out what you will do with your old backpacks–and all the extra money you’ll save.
Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.
Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant - the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol - interact with the body's system that controls gut function.
Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, which affect about one in every 250 people in Northern Europe, are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The researchers believe that a genetic susceptibility coupled with other triggers, such as diet, stress or bacterial imbalance, leads to a defective immune response.
Dr Karen Wright, Peel Trust Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University, will be presenting her soon-to-be published work at The British Pharmacological Society's Winter Meeting in London today (Thursday).
She said: "The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn's Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response.
"If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions."
Dr Wright, working with colleagues at the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health in Derby, has shown that cells that react to cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal gut function as well as the immune system's inflammatory response.
"The body produces its own cannabinoid molecules, called endocannabinoids, which we have shown increase the permeability of the epithelium during inflammation, implying that overproduction may be detrimental," said Dr Wright.
"However, we were able to reverse this process using plant-derived cannabinoids, which appeared to allow the epithelial cells to form tighter bonds with each other and restore the membrane barrier."
The research was carried out using cell cultures in a dish but, interestingly, when the team attempted to mimic the conditions of the gut by reducing the amount of oxygen in the cells' environment, much lower concentrations of cannabinoid were needed to produce the same effect.
Dr Wright added: "What is also encouraging is that while THC has psychoactive properties and is responsible for the 'high' people experience when using cannabis, cannabidiol, which has also proved effective in restoring membrane integrity, does not possess such properties."
The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) - the primary UK learned society concerned with research into drugs and the way they work - is hosting its annual Winter Meeting in London, attracting experts from across the world.
The three-day conference, running from 15 to 17 December 2009, will hear presentations on the latest pharmacological developments to tackle a range of conditions and diseases.
The following 100 lifehacks offer advice on all aspects of the college experience, from studying to having a social life to helping you find your way and get the most out of your college years.
LINK : http://www.onlinecollege.org/2009/12/15/100-essential-lifehacks-every-student-should-know/The following 100 lifehacks offer advice on all aspects of the college experience,... more
Despite the ongoing political debate regarding the legality of medicinal marijuana, clinical investigations of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids are now more prevalent than at any time in history. A search of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed website quantifies this fact. A keyword search using the terms "cannabis, 1996" (the year California voters became the first of 13 states to allow for the drug’s medical use under state law) reveals just 258 scientific journal articles published on the subject during that year. Perform this same search for the year 2008, and one will find over 2,100 published scientific studies.
While much of the renewed interest in cannabinoid therapeutics is a result of the discovery of the endocannabinoid regulatory system, some of this increased attention is also due to the growing body of testimonials from medicinal cannabis patients and their physicians. Nevertheless, despite this influx of anecdotal reports, much of the modern investigation of medicinal cannabis remains limited to preclinical (animal) studies of individual cannabinoids (e.g. THC or cannabidiol) and/or synthetic cannabinoid agonists (e.g., dronabinol or WIN 55,212-2) rather than clinical trial investigations involving whole plant material. Predictably, because of the US government's strong public policy stance against any use of cannabis, the bulk of this modern cannabinoid research is taking place outside the United States.
As clinical research into the therapeutic value of cannabinoids has proliferated – there are now more than 17,000 published papers in the scientific literature analyzing marijuana and its constituents — so too has investigators' understanding of cannabis' remarkable capability to combat disease. Whereas researchers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s primarily assessed cannabis' ability to temporarily alleviate various disease symptoms — such as the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy — scientists today are exploring the potential role of cannabinoids to modify disease.
Of particular interest, scientists are investigating cannabinoids' capacity to moderate autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as their role in the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease.)
Investigators are also studying the anti-cancer activities of cannabis, as a growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago.
THE SAFETY PROFILE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
Cannabinoids have a remarkable safety record, particularly when compared to other therapeutically active substances. Most significantly, the consumption of marijuana – regardless of quantity or potency -- cannot induce a fatal overdose. According to a 1995 review prepared for the World Health Organization, “There are no recorded cases of overdose fatalities attributed to cannabis, and the estimated lethal dose for humans extrapolated from animal studies is so high that it cannot be achieved by … users.”
In 2008, investigators at McGill University Health Centre and McGill University in Montreal and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver reviewed 23 clinical investigations of medicinal cannabinoid drugs (typically oral THC or liquid cannabis extracts) and eight observational studies conducted between 1966 and 2007. Investigators "did not find a higher incidence rate of serious adverse events associated with medical cannabinoid use" compared to non-using controls over these three decades.
That said, cannabis should not necessarily be viewed as a ‘harmless’ substance. Its active constituents may produce a variety of physiological and euphoric effects. As a result, there may be some populations that are susceptible to increased risks from the use of cannabis, such as adolescents, pregnant or nursing mothers, and patients who have a family history of mental illness. Patients with Hepatitis C, decreased lung function (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or who have a history of heart disease or stroke may also be at a greater risk of experiencing adverse side effects from marijuana. As with any medication, patients should consult thoroughly with their physician before deciding whether the medicinal use of cannabis is safe and appropriate.
HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
As states continue to approve legislation enabling the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana, more patients with varying disease types are exploring the use of therapeutic cannabis. Many of these patients and their physicians are now discussing this issue for the first time, and are seeking guidance on whether the therapeutic use of cannabis may or may not be advisable. This report seeks to provide this guidance by summarizing the most recently published scientific research (2000-2009) on the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 19 clinical indications:
In some of these cases, modern science is now affirming longtime anecdotal reports of medicinal cannabis users (e.g., the use of cannabis to alleviate GI disorders). In other cases, this research is highlighting entirely new potential clinical utilities for cannabinoids (e.g., the use of cannabinoids to modify the progression of diabetes.)
The conditions profiled in this report were chosen because patients frequently inquire about the therapeutic use of cannabis to treat these disorders. In addition, many of the indications included in this report may be moderated by cannabis therapy. In several cases, preclinical data and clinical indicates that cannabinoids may halt the progression of these diseases in a more efficacious manner than available pharmaceuticals. In virtually all cases, this report is the most thorough and comprehensive review of the recent scientific literature regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids.
For patients and their physicians, let this report serve as a primer for those who are considering using or recommending medicinal cannabis. For others, let this report serve as an introduction to the broad range of emerging clinical applications for cannabis and its various compounds.
