ATLANTA Autism cases are on the rise again, largely due to wider screening and better diagnosis, federal health officials said Thursday.

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Where’s the one place you should never kiss a baby — or anyone else? The ear, according to a professor of audiology at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

The rate of U.S. cases of autism and related disorders rose to about 1 in 88 children. The previous estimate was 1 in 110.

The new figure is from the latest in a series of studies that have been steadily increasing the government’s autism estimate. This new number means autism is nearly twice as common as officials said it was only five years ago, and likely affects roughly 1 million U.S. children and teens.

Health officials attribute the increase largely to better recognition of cases, through wide screening and better diagnosis. But the search for the cause of autism is really only beginning, and officials acknowledge that other factors may be helping to drive up the numbers.

“We’re not quite sure the reasons for the increase,” said Coleen Boyle of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Autism is diagnosed by making judgments about a child’s behavior; there are no blood or biologic tests. For decades, the diagnosis was given only to kids with severe language and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. The definition of autism has gradually expanded, and “autism” is now shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions, including Asperger’s syndrome. Meanwhile, there’s been an explosion in autism-related treatment and services for children.

As in the past, advocacy groups seized on the new numbers as further evidence that autism research and services should get greater emphasis. The new figures indicate “a public health emergency that demands immediate attention,” said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

The CDC study released Thursday is considered the most comprehensive U.S. investigation of autism prevalence to date. Researcher gathered data from areas in 14 states Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.

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27-03-2012 22:28 http://www.ctvvancouverisland.ca http UVIC — A popular professor at the University of Victoria is leaving his job and the country after his son’s medical condition lead to immigration problems. In 2010 Dr. Jeffrey Niehaus’ son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. His family was working to become Canadian citizens but the boy’s health condition proved to be a roadblock. In a letter from Immigration Canada, an officer told Dr. Niehaus his son was, “a person whose health condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services in Canada”. As a result, his application for permanent residency was denied. The University of Victoria hired a lawyer to appeal the decision but the effort fell short. In preparation of his work Visa expiring in November, Dr. Niehaus applied for jobs and accepted a position in Virginia. Despite wanting to keep the story from media, Dr. Niehaus says his family has made up its mind and is leaving. It’s why he is now content telling his story: “I’m much more comfortable with the idea that our story would be an example for people interested in how their own government works. People could use this as perhaps a way to have some positive influence going forward”. Dr. Niehaus says he’s not angry. In November he plans to take his family back to the United States where they will live permanently. Follow Joe Perkins on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com

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adriana barton Globe and Mail Blog Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 8:34PM EDT

A drink a day could keep the cardiologist away.

Thats the upshot of a new study looking at the drinking habits of male heart attack survivors.

Researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston followed 1,800 men for 20 years. They found that compared with teetotallers, men who drank about two alcoholic beverages a day had a 42 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes.

The effect was the same whether the men favoured beer, wine or whisky, ABC News reports. (Vodka and Red Bull? That might be a different story.) But too much booze is still a bad thing, researchers found. Heavy drinkers had a similar risk of death from any cause as abstainers.

The study is the first to look at mens alcohol consumption both before and after they survived a heart attack, said lead author Jennifer Pai, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Universitys medical school.

Our study indicates that for men already consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, continuing to consume moderate amounts after a heart attack may be beneficial for long-term survival, she told ABC News.

In their conclusion, Dr. Pai and colleagues said that alcohols protective effects may be strongest among men with less severe damage from heart attack, and added that further study was needed.

But the researchers didnt mention whether teetotallers in the study abstained from drinking because of other health problems, which might in part explain their higher mortality rates.

Experts caution non-drinkers against viewing the study as a reason to take up drinking after a hospital stay.

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Bottoms up for heart health?

You know that close friendships feel good - but did you know just how much of a health boost they can be?

According to a 10-year study of older people in Adelaide, Australia, satisfying friendships predict longevity better than even close family ties, and they can protect against obesity, depression, and heart disease, among other health problems.

When women get stressed, our instinct is often to find a friend and talk things through, says Joan Borysenko, author of Inner Peace for Busy Women. Both touch and talk release the hormone oxytocin, which has a profoundly calming effect on your mind and body.

You dont need 600 Facebook friends or a jam-packed social calendar to reap these impressive perks (in fact, both can backfire). Research shows the following types of relationships are especially potent for your health. Heres how to cherish these friendships and make sure you stay close for the long haul.

Quiz: Are Your Friendships Healthy?

1. A Childhood Friend She can still remember the boy-crazy, artistic girl you were at 16.

Longtime intimates are special for many reasons. They knew you and your family while you were growing up and likely have many memories and stories of you that no one else does. "These friends remind you that you are still the person you've always been," says Rebecca G. Adams, a leading friendship researcher and sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Nurture these ties by starting a members-only Web sitegroups on Yahoo, Google, or Facebook are free and make it easy. Use them to plan vacations or share links to digital photo albums. Or keep things low techjust stick a card in the mail now and then, and stay in touch with phone calls. Research from the University of Notre Dame shows that people who chat at least every 15 days have the best chance of staying close over time.

2. A New Friend Unlike members of your grade school crew, newly acquired pals have no preconceived notions about you.

"As we get older, we can fall into ruts," says Pamela McLean, a psychologist in Santa Barbara, Calif. "New friends ignite different kinds of thinking and fresh ways of being." What's more, they'll connect you to another network of people, says Rosemary Blieszner, a professor at Virginia Tech who has researched friendships among older women. That network can be helpful if youre looking to make a career change or find a new pool of potential dates.

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The number of autism cases in the United States has reached one in every 88 children, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports. This is a 78 percent rise from ten years ago.

Autism is a developmental disorder that manifests itself in many ways. It is typically diagnosed in children between the ages of one and eight. Symptoms often — but not always — include slow language development, persistent fixations and difficulties with social interactions.

In part, the sharp increase in autism cases is due to the fact that awareness has grown, leading to more correct diagnoses. But it may also reflect an actual increase in the number of people affected by the disorder. “We’re not quite sure the reasons for the increase,” Coleen Boyle of the CDC, said to the Associated Press.

More research will determine what’s really behind the data — in the meantime, autism awareness advocacy groups are taking this opportunity to call attention to the disorder’s prevalence in society.

“The CDC numbers are alarming, yet they don’t begin to tell the story of the real families, real individuals struggling every day,” said Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, in a statement on the organization’s website.

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Here are five facts about autism that shed light on the new research.

Diagnoses are not evenly spread across the board.

Autism is much more common in boys than in girls; a full five times as many males are affected by the disorder. In addition, certain states seem to have a preponderance of autism cases. The CDC study found that just one in 210 children in Alabama were affected, as opposed to 1 in 47 in Utah. And the biggest growth in diagnoses over the last few years was among black and Hispanic children. Of course, this may not suggest an actual difference between ethnicities or locations; it could be due instead to changes in medical practices in certain communities over the years.

The word ‘autism’ can mean many things.

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Next time you're on a bus or train, holding on to a pole to avoid a fall, cranky that another commuter has nabbed the last seat, consider the fact that standing up could boost your longevity.

Not only do we need to get more exercise but we also need to spend less of our time sitting down, Australian researchers say.

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Their study of more than 220,000 NSW residents found the longer you spend sitting down the greater your risk of dying early, even if you otherwise do regular exercise.

Professor David Dunstan, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said health workers usually focused on trying to increase people's participation in sports, and trying to get them to do at least half an hour of exercise every day.

"We need to think more about what we do with the 15 hours of non-exercise wake time," he said.

Sitting can be detrimental for our health because when we sit down there is an absence of muscle contractions, explains Professor Dunstan. These contractions are required for the body to clear blood glucose and blood fats from the blood stream.

Studies on animals have shown that when the body stops moving for long periods of time it slows down one of the key enzymes needed to break down blood fats.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found adults who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 40 per cent increased risk of dying within three years, compared with those who sat for fewer than four hours a day.

People who sat for eight to 11 hours a day increased their risk of dying by 15 per cent.

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Sitting can lead to an early death: study

Next time you're on a bus or train, holding on to a pole to avoid a fall, cranky that another commuter has nabbed the last seat, consider the fact that standing up could boost your longevity.

Not only do we need to get more exercise but we also need to spend less of our time sitting down, Australian researchers say.

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Their study of more than 220,000 NSW residents found the longer you spend sitting down the greater your risk of dying early, even if you otherwise do regular exercise.

Professor David Dunstan, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said health workers usually focused on trying to increase people's participation in sports, and trying to get them to do at least half an hour of exercise every day.

"We need to think more about what we do with the 15 hours of non-exercise wake time," he said.

Sitting can be detrimental for our health because when we sit down there is an absence of muscle contractions, explains Professor Dunstan. These contractions are required for the body to clear blood glucose and blood fats from the blood stream.

Studies on animals have shown that when the body stops moving for long periods of time it slows down one of the key enzymes needed to break down blood fats.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found adults who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 40 per cent increased risk of dying within three years, compared with those who sat for fewer than four hours a day.

People who sat for eight to 11 hours a day increased their risk of dying by 15 per cent.

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Why this could kill you

Study: 1 or 2 Alcoholic Drinks a Day Boosts Longevity Among Some Men After Heart Attack

By Denise Mann WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 27, 2012 -- After a heart attack, men who continue to drink one or two alcoholic beverages a day may live longer than heavy drinkers or non-drinkers.

Those findings appear in the European Heart Journal.

"For many men after experiencing a heart attack, major diet and lifestyle changes are recommended by their physicians, [but] our study indicates that for men already consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, continuing to consume moderate amounts may be beneficial for long-term survival after a heart attack," researcher Jennifer K. Pai, ScD, tells WebMD in an email. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Moderate amounts of alcohol may boost levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. It may also make blood less likely to clot and reduce levels of inflammation in the body, Pai says.

The study tracked nearly 2,000 male heart attack survivors for about 20 years. Every four years, they were asked about their alcohol use and diet.

Men who had two drinks a day (with a drink being 4 ounces of wine, a bottle or can of beer, or a shot of liquor) were classified as "moderate" drinkers.

During the study, 482 of the men died. Moderate drinkers were 14% less likely to die from any cause and 42% less likely to die from heart disease than non-drinkers.

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People Who Spend a Lot of Time Sitting May Be Up to 40% More Likely to Die From Any Cause, Study Finds

March 26, 2012 -- Don't take this sitting down, but spending too much time in a chair is bad for your health -- really, really bad.

New research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that people who spend a lot of time sitting may be up to 40% more likely to die from any cause, compared to people who don't sit as long.

The study tracked nearly 222,500 Australian adults for about three years. During that time, people's odds of dying dovetailed with how much time they spent sitting.

Compared to people who spent less than four hours per day sitting, the odds of dying were:

Our findings add to the mounting evidence that public health programs should focus not just on increasing population physical activity levels, but also on reducing sitting time, the researchers write.

Alpa V. Patel, PhD, has published studies on the health risks associated with too much sitting. She is an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. We are continuing to demonstrate time and time again in different populations that there is something real to the association between sitting time and reduced longevity.

What's so bad about sitting for long periods? That's not totally clear. But exercise and movement do have a positive effect on blood fats called triglycerides and other heart risks, and improves blood pressure, Patel says.

Her advice: Sit for five fewer minutes per hour. Small changes can have a big impact," she says.

Technology may fight that. It's given us fewer reasons to move, says David A. Friedman, MD. He is the chief of heart failure services at North Shore Plainview Hospital in Plainview, N.Y.

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SANTA FE, N.M., March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The overuse of antibiotics is "slowly killing us," said Shane Ellison, author of Over-the-Counter Natural Cures.

"My daughter was 3 years old when she had her first emergency room visit. Suffering from high fever and chest pain, every muscle in her fragile body tensed for air. Her lungs were being attacked by pneumonia. The antibiotic penicillin saved her life," said Ellison, who is known as "The People's Chemist."

"Today, antibiotics are a luxury that previous generations didn't have. But antibiotic overuse is slowly killing us. Igniting massive amounts of side effects, they're also training bacteria how to evade our most potent medicines," said Ellison, an award-winning chemist.

"If our current use of antibiotics continues at this rate, antibiotic resistance will soon yield all current medications useless according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that means, we have no more defenses against biological nasties - our longevity would go back to the Stone Age, where every infection was life threatening," Ellison said.

"Antibiotic medications should never be used as a first line of defense against common illness. When I wrote Over-The-Counter Natural Cures, I taught that the lucky run we've had with antibiotics is over and we need to start relying on our own immune system - innate and adaptive immunity. In addition to strengthening our natural defenses, we need to start using natural medicines like andrographis, which are proven to ward off harmful organisms, safely and quickly," he said.

Ellison said prescription antibiotics should not be used for:

"Using antibiotics as preventive medicine is totally ridiculous because you have no way knowing what strain of bacteria you are trying to prevent and therefore have no idea what medication to use, since all antibiotics target different strains," he said.

Most people don't know that antibiotics are being overused or that they have alternatives. And that's dangerous. Former drug representative and contributor to the above story John Fratti explains:

"Once upon a time I could run, jump and play many different sports. Those days are now long gone. They've been replaced by a life of constant physical and neurological pain caused by an antibiotic in a class of antibiotics called quinolones. They are one of the most commonly prescribed classes of antibiotics today - prescribed for urinary tract, sinus and respiratory infections, just to name a few. What differentiates this class from others is that they have the ability to cause severe and permanent disability - making the risks far greater than the rewards," he said.

Many of these side effects can occur weeks to months after taking the antibiotics, so many people never associate their health problems to the drug, which puts thousands of future patients at risk. "Ironically, I was a pharmaceutical sales rep for over eight years prior to taking this antibiotic," he said.

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For years, doctors have treated the Parkinson’s disease symptoms they could see: the shaking hands, the stumbling feet.

But one of the likely causes of Parkinson’s is almost invisible. It’s buried deep within brain cells, where tiny engines called mitochondria slowly are shutting down.

Now a team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a biotech company in Charlottesville, say they think they’ve found a way to rev up those engines once again, potentially reversing the disease.

Every cell in your brain is packed with mitochondria tiny engines that generate the energy cells need to function. But sometimes these brain cells do a curious thing. They turn off the signals to make mitochondria, depriving themselves of power. The tiny engines sputter and eventually cease to operate.

Essentially, “the brain is divorcing its mitochondria,” says Dr. James P. Bennett Jr., director of the university’s Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center. This, scientists recently discovered, appears to be a likely root cause of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other heretofore mysterious brain disorders.

In 2004 one of Bennett’s graduate students, Shaharyar Khan, developed a way to deliver healthy mitochondrial DNA directly into mitochondria via a protein carrier. In mice and cultured human cells, this method of gene therapy has been shown to revive the mitochondria, restoring the cell to normal function.

“It’s novel,” Bennett says. “No one else has it.”

In January the researchers asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval to begin human clinical trials. The approval process may take a while, but Bennett’s optimistic the team will be able to begin the trials this year.

One of Bennett’s colleagues, Dr. Patricia A. Trimmer, is pursuing another promising therapy for Parkinson’s patients: near-infrared laser light. The laser beam painlessly penetrates a person’s skull, stimulating brain cells and rousing their sluggish mitochondria.

Trimmer shows speeded-up video clips of two sets of mitochondria, which look like tiny white rods traversing a long, narrow nerve cell. In the first video, they creep like rush-hour traffic. In the second video, after being treated with the laser light, they’re zipping around like go-karts.

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Public release date: 20-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Layne Cameron layne.cameron@ur.msu.edu 517-353-8819 Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is proving effective at preventing clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson’s disease, says a Michigan State University researcher.

A team of researchers led by Basir Ahmad, an MSU postdoctoral researcher, demonstrated earlier this year that slow-wriggling alpha-synuclein proteins are the cause of clumping, or aggregation, which is the first step of diseases such as Parkinson’s. A new study led by Ahmad, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, shows that curcumin can help prevent clumping.

“Our research shows that curcumin can rescue proteins from aggregation, the first steps of many debilitating diseases,” said Lisa Lapidus, MSU associate professor of physics and astronomy who co-authored the paper with Ahmad. “More specifically, curcumin binds strongly to alpha-synuclein and prevents aggregation at body temperatures.”

Lapidus’ lab uses lasers to study protein folding. Proteins are chains of amino acids that do most of the work in cells. Scientists understand protein structure, but they don’t know how they are built a process known as folding. Lapidus’ team is shedding light on the process by correlating the speed at which protein folds with its tendency to clump or bind with other proteins.

When curcumin attaches to alpha-synuclein it not only stops clumping, but it also raises the protein’s folding or reconfiguration rate. By bumping up the speed, curcumin moves the protein out of a dangerous speed zone allowing it to avoid clumping with other proteins.

Finding a compound that can fix a protein when it first begins to misfold can lead scientists to identify drugs that can treat certain diseases. Doctors won’t be prescribing curcumin pills any time soon, though, Lapidus said.

“Curcumin’s usefulness as an actual drug may be pretty limited since it doesn’t go into the brain easily where this misfolding is taking place,” she said. “But this kind of study showcases the technique of measuring reconfiguration and opens the door for developing drug treatments.”

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CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The research group led by Dr. Koji Hasegawa, Director of the Translational Research Division at the National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center and Dr. Tatsuya Morimoto, Professor at the Molecular Medicine School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, announced today based on the recent human clinical trials, that Theracurmin has continuously shown positive impact on human diastolic functions. Theracurmin is a patented absorption-enhanced form of curcumin, developed by Theravalues Corporation, a Japanese bio-venture.

At the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Session held in November 2011, the research group unveiled the results of a 24-week long human clinical trial, which affirmed Theracurmins efficacy in improving the symptoms of the left ventricular diastolic failure.

After demonstrating the positive impact of Theracurmin at AHA 2011, we have completed clinical trials administering Theracurmin for 24 weeks to another 8 participants, said Dr. Morimoto. The analysis on the clinical trials for 38 participants conducted by the end of 2011 has been presented at the American College of Cardiology 2012. We are very excited to discover that the result of the clinical trials underscores the effectiveness of Theracurmin in the improvement of the diastolic function in hypertensive patients.

Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from turmeric (Curcuma Longa L), has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant therapeutic properties, which effectively treat chronic inflammatory diseases. However, its poor bioavailability due to low oral absorption has been an ongoing challenge. Theravalues innovative technology, which has been applied to Theracurmin, addresses this issue by creating surface controlled colloidal dispersion, which enhances body absorption by 27 times compared to that of conventional curcumin powder.

We are pleased to affirm that Theracurmin has positive effects in curbing left ventricular diastolic failure at a statistically significant level, said Dr. Hasegawa, the leader of the research group. We plan on starting a new clinical trial, increasing the dosage up to 180 mg of Theracurmin from 60 mg for patients with hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy patients.

The research group has been investigating curcumins exceptional properties to curb excessive activation of NF-kappaB, a widely-known agent that controls many genes that cause inflammation.

Tadashi Hashimoto, President of Theravalues, said, Chronic inflammation often leads to several forms of illness such as cancer, metabolic disease, neuro-cognitive diseases, and arthritis. We anticipate that Theracurmin will potentially alleviate these conditions.

Theracurmin is currently used for a broad spectrum of clinical trials both in Japan and the U.S., including impaired glucose tolerance at National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, advanced cancer at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Alzheimers prevention at the UCLA Longevity Center.

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With recent remarks made by Republican Presidential nominee Rick Santorum on his stance on Stem Cell Research, people suffering from Parkinsons disease and other afflictions which can benefit from Stem Cell research have opened up Pandoras Box in their search for non-traditional methods to reduce symptoms. Recent medical studies as well as an in-depth report posted at BeWellBuzz.com have confirmed that the ancient martial art of Tai chi can significantly reduce some of the worst physical problems of Parkinson’s disease.

Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWEB) March 20, 2012

Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder which commonly develops in humans of age 50 and above, however, many people, such as Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox have been diagnosed with this affliction much earlier in life. Parkinsons carries certain specific symptoms such as constant blinking, lack of facial expressions, shaking, loss of balance and coordination, and other irregular bodily reactions, and is caused primarily by the destruction of the nerve cells in the brain which makes dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for the transfer of pleasure and reward feelings in the center of the brain.

Medications may help control some things, like tremors, but many drugs are not as good at helping the so-called axial symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, which include problems with balance and walking. It is for this reason that a recent study was completed at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore which showed significant improvements to these symptoms which have plagued Parkinsons patients for decades.

According to the study, doctors assigned 195 people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease to one of three groups: Tai Chi classes, Exercise with Weights and a third group which completed a program of seated stretching exercises. After six months, people who had been taking tai chi were able to lean farther forward or backward without stumbling or falling compared to those who had been doing resistance training or stretching. They were also better able to smoothly direct their movements. And they were able to take longer strides than people in the other two groups.

“The results from this study are quite impressive,” says Ray Dorsey, MD, MBA, a neurologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. “It’s always difficult to compare results across studies, but the magnitude of the impact that they had is larger, in some cases, than what is seen with medications in Parkinson’s.”

“This is a very encouraging study,” says Chenchen Wang, MD, associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston who has studied the benefits of Tai Chi on Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia in the past. “Most of our previous studies have measured pain, depression, and anxiety, which are subjective measures. These results are very impressive because they used objective measurements,”

To learn more about the recent discovery and other ways that Tai Chi can improve other conditions, please visit the article posted at BeWellBuzz.com posted below.

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/wellness-buzz/tai-chi-and-parkinsons-disease

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ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2012) Patients with relapsing onset Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who consumed alcohol, wine, coffee and fish on a regular basis took four to seven years longer to reach the point where they needed a walking aid than people who never consumed them. However the study, published in the April issue of the European Journal of Neurology, did not observe the same patterns in patients with progressive onset MS.

The authors say that the findings suggest that different mechanisms might be involved in how disability progresses in relapsing and progressive onset MS.

Researchers asked patients registered with the Flemish MS Society to take part in a survey, which included questions on themselves, their MS and their current consumption of alcohol, wine, coffee, tea, fish and cigarettes.

The 1,372 patients who agreed to take part were also asked to indicate whether they had reached stage six on the zero to ten stage Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and, if so, when this had happened.

“MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system” explains lead author Dr Marie D’hooghe from the National MS Center at Melsbroek, Belgium. “The clinical symptoms, progression of disability and severity of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

“Two major MS onset types can be distinguished. Progressive onset MS is characterised by a gradual worsening of neurological function from the beginning, whereas patients with relapsing onset MS patients experience clearly defined attacks of worsening neurologic function with partial or full remission.

“EDSS 6 is an important milestone in the development of MS as it is the point at which patients need support to walk a reasonable distance.”

The patients who took part were aged between 17 and 89 years-of-age:

The researchers analysed how long it had taken people to reach EDSS 6 and compared those who reported moderate consumption of fish, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and cigarettes with those who reported occasional or no consumption. This showed that:

The time differences quoted above did not take into account gender, age at onset and treatment, which are known to affect disability progression in MS. But even after adjusting for these factors, the hazard risk analysis for time to sustained EDSS 6 (where 1.0 was the reference number for zero consumption) showed that:

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Lifestyle study highlights key differences in relapsing and progressive onset multiple sclerosis

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TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire -03/21/12)- Attention: Health and Lifestyle Editors

People with Parkinson’s disease have a new tool to help them identify the non-motor symptoms they are experiencing with their Parkinson’s disease.

A Guide to the Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, the first of its kind in Canada, is a user-friendly, educational booklet, designed to help people with Parkinson’s recognize non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, sleep problems and compulsive behaviours and learn about treatments and strategies to manage them.

The 50-page booklet, available in English and French, is the result of a partnership between Parkinson Society Canada and the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. The author, Dr. Ronald Postuma is a researcher in neurosciences at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal.

Citing a typical example, Dr. Postuma says a man with Parkinson’s may present with a urinary problem that is initially thought to be a prostate issue when, in fact, it may be related to Parkinson’s. “Many patients do not realize that urinary problems, constipation, insomnia and other symptoms are linked to Parkinson’s disease. As a result, they go untreated,” says Postuma who is also a neurologist at the MUHC and an Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. “The booklet is a simple, pragmatic tool that I hope will improve patient care,” he added.

Postuma says that the booklet is intended to help people with Parkinson’s identify their non-motor symptoms, record what they are experiencing using the Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire at the back of the booklet, and discuss these symptoms with their doctor. He cautions it is not intended to replace the advice or instruction of a professional healthcare practitioner, or to substitute medical care.

“This is an excellent example of the practical application of evidenced-based research that benefits clinical care,” says Joyce Gordon, President & CEO, Parkinson Society Canada.

A Guide to the Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease is available at http://www.parkinson.ca/NonMotorGuide.

Parkinson Society Canada’s national research program is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Canadians living with Parkinson’s. Its 10 regional partners and 240 chapters and support groups, have been providing education, support, and advocacy on behalf of over 100,000 Canadians living with Parkinson’s since 1965. To learn more visit http://www.parkinson.ca.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

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Arcadia police are searching for a convicted sex offender with dementia who went missing last week.

James Randall McCain, 58, was last seen at his home on Huntington Drive in Arcadia on March 12, police said. He was reported missing the next day.

After visiting the residence this weekend, police do not believe he has returned there since his disappearance.

McCain has been registered in Arcadia as a sex offender for a long time, said Sgt. Dan Crowther, and has never been a problem. Police said he usually gets around by foot and is not known to drive. He has a conviction for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, KTLA-TV reported.

Police are asking anyone with more information about his whereabouts to contact the Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-5156.

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–Anna Gorman

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Arcadia sex offender with dementia is reported missing

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By Dr. Mark Tullman stltoday.com | Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 5:45 am | (Loading) comments.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease that affects the brain, nerves that connect the eyes to the brain, and spinal cord. Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S. have MS, which typically begins between the ages of 20 and 40 and is the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults.

2011 was a remarkable year in MS. Here’s a glimpse at some of the latest discoveries:

Twenty-nine new genes that influence the risk of developing MS were identified.

New criteria were established that allow for an earlier MS diagnosis.

Researchers found that higher vitamin D levels in people with MS are associated with fewer new brain MRI lesions. * Another study concluded vitamin D supplementation in combination with interferon (an MS medication) may be more effective than interferon alone. Studies are ongoing to conclusively determine if vitamin D supplementation is beneficial in MS.

Research suggests individuals with MS who smoke may be more likely to develop disability. People with MS who smoke should definitely try to stop.

In 2008, a vascular surgeon, Dr. Paolo Zamboni, coined the phrase chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) to describe a state of impaired drainage of blood from the brain and spinal cord due to narrow veins in people with MS.

He has speculated CCSVI might contribute to the cause of MS and surgery to improve blood flow might be a treatment for MS. Numerous studies in the past year have yielded conflicting results regarding the frequency of CCSVI in MS.

Some revealed no evidence of CCSVI while others reported CCSVI in healthy individuals. Research is ongoing to determine if CCSVI is related to MS. If an association is confirmed, a study to determine if surgical treatment of blocked veins is safe and effective should begin later this year.

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HOUSE CALL: Raising hope: The future of Multiple Sclerosis

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March 20, 2012

By Warren Kagarise

Dan Stachelski, CEO, director and a speech-language pathologist at Lakeside Center for Autism, stands at a mosaic of jigsaw puzzle pieces made by some of the youngsters in art class who attend the school. By Greg Farrar

The hustle and bustle at Lakeside Center for Autism is intentional.

Tucked in rooms outfitted in technology both tried-and-true and cutting-edge, children and therapists spend hours each day to overcome the obstacles put in place by autism. The commotion and laughter emanating from behind the closed doors come as signs of success.

Lakeside Center for Autism uses the popular Microsoft Kinect system and other tools to treat the complicated neural development disorder.

Its all about participation, company CEO, president and founder Dan Stachelski said. Technology can do that.

Stachelski, a Snoqualmie resident, founded and developed Lakeside Center for Autism after forming a sprawling in-home speech therapy practice across the Eastside. Now, Lakeside Center for Autism serves 100 families and conducts 1,700 appointments each month.

The company has earned local and national attention for using Kinect to treat autism.

Issaquah Chamber of Commerce leaders spotlighted Lakeside Center for Autism as a business innovator in the Innovation in Issaquah contest late last month.

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Lakeside Center for Autism uses technology as treatment tool

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Amid high-caliber research output and citation impact, analysis reveals region has unfilled potential to accelerate dementia cure

Philadelphia, PA, London, UK, March 20, 2012 – The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters today announced findings that the quality of dementia research in the United Kingdom (UK) is second in the world only to the United States, despite the low number of scientists working in this field, and that finding a cure can be accelerated by increasing the number of dementia researchers and investment, according to work done using the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge(TM). The findings are featured in an Alzheimer`s UK Research Report “Defeating Dementia.”

The results from the analysis reveal the UK published more research on dementia than any other country except the United States and ranks second in the world after Sweden in citation impact, which is the number of times UK research is referenced in dementia studies around the globe. Despite its high performance and influence, dementia research capacity in the UK is low when compared to cancer, stroke and heart disease. For every dementia research scientist there are six who work on cancer.

“Research output and citation impact in scientific literature is an ideal way to measure the quality and capacity of dementia research,” said Karen Gurney, manager of bibliometric reporting at Thomson Reuters and analyst of this report. “This project illuminated an interesting dementia-research landscape in the UK, where this region is clearly playing an influential role despite its size.”

The research study was commissioned by the UK`s leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer`s Research UK, in an effort to raise awareness and increase investment for the underfunded field. The data measuring the quality and size of dementia research in the UK was compiled by Thomson Reuters. Issued by Alzheimer`s UK, the report, Defeating Dementia, also outlines 14 recommendations to the UK government based on feedback from scientists working in the field.

“The data provided by Thomson Reuters have been extremely valuable in allowing Alzheimer`s Research UK to uncover the facts about dementia research output and quality in the UK,” said Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer`s Research UK. “We wanted to dig deep into the issue of UK research capacity in this field. The work carried out by Thomson Reuters enabled us to do this and make a strong case for more investment in dementia research.”

Rebecca Wood, chief executive, Alzheimer`s Research UK, concurs. “Alzheimer`s Research UK relies on robust data to support its expertise. The data provided by Thomson Reuters allowed us to present an in-depth picture of UK dementia research in a global context over the last fifty years. It has been very well-received by a range of stakeholders, including government and other research funders.”

To view the Alzheimer`s Research UK report, Defeating Dementia, visit: http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org.

Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world`s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science, and media markets, powered by the world`s most trusted news organization.With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, go to http://www.thomsonreuters.com.

Alzheimer`s Research UK Alzheimer`s Research UK is the UK`s leading dementia research charity. As research experts, we fund world-class, pioneering scientists at leading universities to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia. Our findings improve the lives of everyone affected by dementia now and in the future. We forge partnerships with Government and other key organizations to make dementia research a national priority.

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Thomson Reuters Identifies United Kingdom as a Leader in Dementia Research

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