“Researchers discover genes that seem to be involved with autism - Atlantic City Press” plus 3 more |
- Researchers discover genes that seem to be involved with autism - Atlantic City Press
- Caitlin Hartsell, guest columnist: Well-intentioned mandate carries consequences - Joplin Globe
- Genome Canada Funded Research Uncovers Key Changes In DNA In Individuals With Autism - Medical News Today
- Senate bill requires autism insurance coverage - Press & Sun-Bulletin
| Researchers discover genes that seem to be involved with autism - Atlantic City Press Posted: 14 Jun 2010 09:09 AM PDT A large international consortium of authors (including some at UCLA) have identified new genes that appear to be involved in autism somehow. The findings appear in the journal Nature. The researchers in this big effort examined the DNA of 996 children with autism spectrum disorder plus their parents, and compared what they found with the DNA of 1,287 matched controls (who didn't have autism but were of similar ancestry, etc). They looked for differences between the two groups in places in the genome where chunks of DNA are repeated or deleted. Such repeats or deletions were found 20 percent more often in the autism group - some of them situated at genes that, therefore, may be involved in the condition. The implicated genes appear to be involved in functions such as nerve connections and nerve growth, and others had been implicated in learning disabilities. In some cases, the parents also had these little duplications or deletions, implying inheritance. In other cases, the kids had them but the parents did not, implying, perhaps, they had developed in sperm or eggs that gave rise to the children. That genes are involved in autism is not a surprise: The condition is known to run in families, and twin studies indicate inheritance. And previous studies have identified some genes. But this was the biggest autism-DNA study yet, and it adds to the list of genes that could be involved in autism. The study doesn't produce any kind of diagnostic test, since the genes identified don't definitively predict autism, but just indicate heightened risk (some of the researchers are now working on a project to see whether the genes can help in diagnosis of new cases of autism). And they also don't explain more than a fraction of autism cases. Nature paper link: www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature09146.html Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Caitlin Hartsell, guest columnist: Well-intentioned mandate carries consequences - Joplin Globe Posted: 14 Jun 2010 09:45 AM PDT June 14, 2010 Caitlin Hartsell, guest columnist: Well-intentioned mandate carries consequencesST. LOUIS — Gov. Jay Nixon's desk no doubt holds many bills with supporters eager to see them passed. One of those, which now is law since he signed it last week, raised the cost of health insurance in Missouri. The Autism Spectrum Disorder Coverage bill, H.B. 1311, requires state-regulated private health insurance companies — those that cover small- and medium-sized businesses — to cover up to $40,000 annually for screenings and therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders. Although well-intentioned, this mandate will necessarily raise the cost of premiums for Missourians, making it more difficult for individuals and small businesses to keep their health insurance plans. Autism is a problem in Missouri, and it is easy to be swept up by the heart-wrenching stories of families with autistic children. But there are many disorders and diseases that afflict people — children and adults alike — and mandated coverage of all or even most of these problems would make insurance prohibitively expensive for everyone, especially for those who have diseases that are not given state protection. A mandate of any amount increases health insurance costs, and this bill's substantial commitment would assuredly have a noticeable effect. Small businesses are particularly cost-sensitive, and the autism bill will increase the cost of doing business in Missouri — although estimates of how much costs would increase vary, depending on who is doing the calculation. This bill would exempt small businesses if the provisions demonstrably raised their premiums by more than 2.5 percent, but any increase would likely price some marginal number of businesses out of the insurance market, forcing them either to cut coverage or reduce hiring. At the same time, these costs bring only a relatively small gain for Missouri families; an independent report estimated that the bill would only help up to 350 families. The bill also raises the cost of autism therapy by increasing licensing requirements. It establishes a board to certify applied behavior analysts, the professionals who administer the type of expensive therapy that the bill covers. This type of regulation will add an extra barrier to entry in becoming an analyst, reducing competition in the field. For families not covered under the mandate, this will raise their therapy costs. State mandates raise health insurance costs across the board, and decrease people's access to affordable coverage. In the long run, the most effective solution for families with autistic children — or any other disorder — is for officials to open the insurance market to further competition, giving providers a practical economic incentive to cater to niche health care markets. Despite the good intentions of those aiming to help some families with autistic children by supporting this insurance mandate, it will simultaneously hurt other Missourians who could face significant cost increases or even the potential loss of their own health insurance coverage. Caitlin Hartsell is a research assistant with the Show-Me Institute and a graduate student in public health at Washington University. Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 14 Jun 2010 03:54 AM PDT Main Category: Autism Also Included In: Genetics; Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 14 Jun 2010 - 4:00 PDT The Autism Genome Project, a new international study published in the June 9th edition of the journal Nature, demonstrates that people with autism may have differences in their genes that are unique to each person. This Canadian led study is funded by public and private partners including major awards and support from Genome Canada, thru the Ontario Genomics Institute. Genome Canada receives its support from the Government of Canada. The research team is co-led by Dr. Stephen Scherer, a molecular genetics researcher at the University of Toronto, Director of the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine and Director of the Hospital for Sick Children's Centre for Applied Genomics as well as Dr. Peter Szatmari, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University and Director of Hamilton's Offord Centre for Child Studies. "International collaborations that bring together the best scientists in the world to focus on important health issues such as Autism have the highest likelihood of success" said Dr. C. Thomas Caskey, Chairman of the Board of Genome Canada. "Genome Canada is proud to support the research of these two scientists who have played a leadership role since the beginning of this important study", stated Dr. Caskey. The Autism Genome Project - the largest of its kind - consists of 120 scientists from more than 50 institutions representing 12 countries who formed a first-of-its-kind autism genetics consortium. The Project began in 2002, when researchers from around the world came together to share their samples, data and expertise to facilitate the identification of autism susceptibility genes. Researchers compared the DNA of 1,000 people with autism spectrum disorder with that of 1,300 people without it. Thanks to the more than 100 autism-related genes identified, it could explain why different people show different symptoms. The results of the study also revealed that people who have autism spectrum disorder either lack or have extra copies of multiple genes vital in the development and function of the brain. The results of the study will be of assistance to health care workers who currently treat autism with behavioral and educational interventions but would welcome better treatment and diagnostic tools. Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Senate bill requires autism insurance coverage - Press & Sun-Bulletin Posted: 10 Jun 2010 08:05 PM PDT ALBANY -- A bill that would require health insurance providers to cover autism screenings, diagnosis and treatment was passed by the state Senate on Wednesday and is expected to hit the Assembly floor for a vote next week. If the bill is successful in the Assembly and signed by Gov. David Paterson, autism coverage would be mandatory for insurance plans in New York, regardless of the cost of treatment or the age of the patient. Not all plans currently cover autism screenings and treatment, leaving some families to foot the bill for expensive health care bills. "I think we have arrived at a wonderful bill that I think will have tremendous support throughout both houses," said Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Albany, who sponsored the legislation. The Senate approved the bill unanimously, 61-0. Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, Rockland County, was absent as he battles leukemia. Judith Ursitti, a state advocacy representative for Autism Speaks and the mother of an autistic child, said she is "thrilled" that the bill is progressing. It would cover clinically proven, non-experimental treatments. "This truly does make a difference," Ursitti said. "These evidence-based treatments that we are advocating for can change a person's life." Autism is a brain disorder that affects social interaction and communication. An estimated one in 110 children in the nation has autism spectrum disorder, up from one in 150, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recent studies have shown that nearly one in 90 New York children is affected by autism, the bill sponsors said. The bill could lead to an increase in insurance premiums across the board, which is cause for concern, some health insurance providers said. Breslin said the state Insurance Department estimated the new coverage would result in premium hikes of 1 percent to 2 percent. Moran said she thinks the Insurance Department's estimate is on the low side. "In a state where our health care costs are already higher than the national average and where we have an insane system where we pay $4 billion in taxes on the cost of health care, adding to the list of benefits that must be covered adds even more to the overall cost of health care," said Leslie Moran, senior vice president of the New York Health Plan Association, which represents managed-care plans. Moran said she thought the Insurance Department's estimate was on the low side. Both the Health Plan Association and the state Conference of Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans issued statements opposing the legislation. "The bill itself is a complex mandate, and it is going to have significant costs associated with it," said Deborah Fasser, a Blue Cross Blue Shield spokesperson. Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, said he expects the legislation to hit the Assembly floor "in the next several days. This is a very important, very significant step in the direction of providing families and children with quality services that they need." Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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