Based on what I have learned about this MIND Inst. study it is clear
that the researchers cannot be saying what was reported, about an
"autism" test for newborns. The quoted passage is malicious public
relations hyperbole, designed to fit this immune system finding into
the "genetic" "prenatal" "inborn defect" paradigm.

That's why I sent the original email out, quoted below by Jim, in the
first place.

On a somewhat related note (the topic being genetics propaganda
pervading our lives), today I learned that my daughter's public
elementary school, where she is in Fifth Grade, is sponsoring a NAAR
fundraiser. They are selling NAAR "footprints" to elementary schoolers
and then plan on pasting the footprints all around the school. This
will be humiliating to my daughter because she knows all too well why
in our household we do not support NAAR (in part because NAAR is an
obstacle to my son's recovery, and that of all our kids). I thought
there was separation of NAAR and state in this country. Judging by the
recent trend it looks like NAAR and genetics is becoming a state
religion.

What the school is doing in sponsoring NAAR is patently illegal. Not to
mention putting my family in a bad position, because even though my
daughter understands why we do not participate in the NAAR Walk
fundraiser, it places her in a position that is adverse to her school.
She is a leader among the students but she is having a hard enough time
coming to grips with the fact that her brother is sick and in special
education. I refrain from making public statements criticizing other
organizations, but this time NAAR has gone too far.

Any ideas how to respond without ruining my daughter's school life? I
already contacted the principal, who we like very much, and she had no
idea about the controversy and "split" in the autism community. I
recently gave a presentation on the THimerosal issue to the Sp Ed. PTA,
of which I am an officer. The principal, however, thought there was no
problem because mercury is now "out of the shots." Propaganda works.
I will give the principal a copy of Evidence of Harm.

NAAR is tantamount to an autism mafia here on Long Island in NY. That
is true, even though most parents, even those who walk for NAAR,
believe Thimerosal in vaccines caused problems for their kids.

Bob Krakow


On May 5, 2005, at 3:39 PM, Jim Donnelly wrote:

>
>   "Investigators at the Institute believe the discovery, announced
> today
>   at the 4th International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in
>   Boston, could be a major step toward developing a routine blood test
>   that would allow autism to be detected in newborns and treatment or
>   even prevention to be initiated early in life."
>
> Are the researchers really saying this?  This suggests that there is
> an
> innate or "genetic" defect.  We need to see the study to determine if
> this is more media spin
>
>
>
> Contact: Preeti Singh or Ellen Wilson
>   301-652-1558
>   Coimbra Sirica
>   631-757-4027
>   631-220-8775 (mobile)
>
>   Karen Finney
>   916-734-9064
>   916-505-2601 (mobile)
>
>   UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute
>
>   Scientists report strong evidence of immune and protein alterations
>   in blood samples of children with autism, raising hope for an early
>   diagnostic blood test
>
>   BOSTON, Mass. (May 5, 2005) - Offering a new and exciting direction
>   in the effort to develop a diagnostic test for autism in infancy,
>   scientists from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute presented new
>   evidence today indicating that components of the immune system and
>   proteins and metabolites found in the blood of children with autism
>   differ substantially from those found in typically developing
>   children.
>   Investigators at the Institute believe the discovery, announced
> today
>   at the 4th International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in
>   Boston, could be a major step toward developing a routine blood test
>   that would allow autism to be detected in newborns and treatment or
>   even prevention to be initiated early in life.
>
>   Over the last two decades parents, educators, scientists and
>   pediatricians have been alarmed by a dramatic and baffling rise in
>   the prevalence of autism, which now affects as many as 1 in every
> 166
>   children. But diagnosing autism, a brain disorder that leaves
>   children in apparent isolation from their families and communities,
>   is currently accomplished through a series of behavioral
> observations
>   that are not reliable until a child is between 2 and 3-years-old.
>
>   "Finding a sensitive and accurate biological marker for autism that
>   can be revealed by a simple blood test would have enormous
>   implications for diagnosing, treating and understanding more about
>   the underlying causes of autism," said David G. Amaral, research
>   director at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and one of the
> co-authors
>   of the paper presented at IMFAR. "Not being able to detect autism
>   until a child is close to 3-years-old eliminates a valuable window
> of
>   treatment opportunity during the first few years of life when the
>   brain is undergoing tremendous development."
>
>   Amaral along with pediatric neuropsychologist Blythe Corbett and
>   other M.I.N.D. Institute colleagues took blood samples from 70
>   children with autism who were between 4 and 6 years old and from 35
>   children of the same age who didn't have the disorder. The samples
>   were then analyzed by a biotech company, SurroMed, LLC, Menlo Park,
>   Calif., which has developed technology that can identify differences
>   in the number and types of immune cells, proteins, peptides and
>   metabolites in small amounts of blood.
>
>   The study has generated an enormous amount of data and M.I.N.D.
>   Institute researchers say it will take months before all of the
>   information has been fully evaluated. But initial findings clearly
>   demonstrate differences in the immune system, as well as proteins
> and
>   other metabolites in children with autism:
>
>
>   The antibody producing B cells are increased by 20 percent in the
>   autism group
>   Natural killer cells are increased by 40 percent
>   More than 100 proteins demonstrated significant differential
>   expression between the autism and typically developing groups
>   Other small molecules (metabolites) also show many differences
>   "This is an important pilot experiment, a proof of principle," said
>   Amaral. "From these results we think it is highly likely that there
>   are differences we can detect in blood samples that will be
>   predictive of the disorder, though we are still some years away from
>   having an actual diagnostic blood test for autism. Scientists have
>   long suspected there were distinct biological components to autism
>   but the technology needed to reveal them has only recently become
>   available."
>
>   Future research studies need to be done to confirm the findings in a
>   larger group and with younger children. For example, researchers
>   might take blood samples from newborns and then see if the results
>   predicting autism are later confirmed by a behavioral diagnosis.
>   Other studies would also use bioinformatics approaches to narrow
> down
>   the number of proteins or metabolites that would need to be assayed
>   to show the strongest link to autism.
>
>   "Discovering an early diagnostic test is an important focus of
>   research," said Amaral. "There is a growing view among experts that
>   not all children with autism are 'doomed to autism' at birth. It may
>   be that some children have a vulnerability-such as a genetic
>   abnormality-and that something they encounter after being born,
>   perhaps in their environment, triggers the disorder. Studying the
>   biological signs of autism could lead to new ways to prevent the
>   disorder from ever occurring. And even if it can't be prevented,
>   intervening early in life-ideally shortly after birth-could greatly
>   improve the lifetime outlook for children with autism, particularly
>   those who now respond poorly to therapy initiated when they are
> three
>   or older."
>
>   The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental
>   Disorders) Institute is a unique collaborative center for research
>   into the causes and treatments of autism, bringing together parents,
>   scientists, clinicians and educators. For further information, go to
> http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute
>
>
>   ###
>
>
>
> Thank you all for the comments on aluminum. As I have said for many
> years, there are plenty of bad actors in that vile!
>
>   I hope you find the latest M.I.N.D. Institute findings on autism and
> the immune system interesting and important. Although we all know as
> parents and advocates that autism is an immune mediated disease, it is
> important to get that well established in mainstream science and
> medicine. Moving the paradigm away from chasing the illusive autism
> gene and silly psychological studies, i.e., scientific masturbation,
> is of paramount importance.
>
>   I have no doubt that this latest study from M.I.N.D. will ignite
> more
> interest and research into autism and the immune system. Lots more on
> this and other related issues to come from M.I.N.D. soon. rick
>
>
>
>
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