Dietary changes help some children with ADHD

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2012) — Together with child and adolescent psychiatrists, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have just completed an extensive report which reviews the studies which have been done so far on the significance of diet for children and young people with ADHD. The report shows that there are potential benefits in changing the diets of children with ADHD, but that key knowledge in the area is still lacking.

See Also:Health & MedicineAttention Deficit DisorderChildren's HealthNutritionMind & BrainADD and ADHDChild PsychologyChild DevelopmentReferenceAdult attention-deficit disorderGluten-free, casein-free dietAutistic spectrumAlpha wave

The comprehensive report covers the scientific literature on the significance of diet for children with ADHD: "Our conclusion is that more research is required in the area. There is a lot to suggest that by changing their diet, it is possible to improve the condition for some ADHD children," says professor in paediatric nutrition Kim Fleischer Michaelsen from the Department of Human Nutrition at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, who is heading the study.

Professor Kim Fleischer stresses that more research is needed: "Several of the studies show, for example, that fatty acids from fatty fish moderate the symptoms. Other studies detect no effect. Elimination diets are also promising. These look at whether there is anything in the diet which the children cannot consume without adverse side effects. However, we still lack knowledge about which children with ADHD benefit from dietary changes, how positive the effect is in the long term and what the changes mean for children's health."

Dietary changes not beneficial for everyone

The report shows that not all ADHD children benefit from changes to their diet, and that there are still many unknown factors. Tine Houmann, a consultant at the Centre for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, says:

"There are different types of ADHD, and the disturbance is probably due to both genetic and environmental factors. We know that children with ADHD react very differently to both medication and dietary changes. We therefore need to study which children benefit from dietary changes, and whether we can identify genetic or environmental factors that can predict this."

Bigger studies needed

The experts hope that, by acquiring more knowledge on the subject, it is possible to reduce the use of medication and instead develop special dietary advice for the children: "It is promising that many research results indicate that dietary changes can help some ADHD children. However, it is crucial that bigger studies on dietary changes are conducted on children with ADHD to see how effective this is and how long the benefits last," says Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, while stressing that parents should always seek professional advice before changing their children's diet.

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Chinese researchers eye anti-AIDS gel

Chinese researchers eye anti-AIDS …

Chinese researchers said Monday they have discovered an HIV-blocking agent that could be developed into a gel to limit the sexual transmission of AIDS.

Scientists from Hong Kong University said joint research with Shanghai Targetdrug Co., Nanjing University and City University of Hong Kong had discovered a molecule that blocks HIV from entering human cells.

Zhiwei Chen, director of the AIDS Institute of the University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, said the potency of the TD-0680 molecule against sexually transmitted HIV was "encouraging".

The new molecule could be developed into a microbicide gel to "prevent HIV sexual transmission" by killing off the virus as it tries to enter the body.

This would give people, especially women, an "alternative method to protect themselves from the virus, in addition to condoms", Chen said.

"The ideal solution is to develop an effective vaccine. Since such a vaccine remains elusive, we must explore other strategies such as topical microbicide," he said.

The TD-0680 molecule is several times more potent than Maraviroc, a Pfizer-developed equivalent which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for clinical treatment, the Chinese scientists said.

Unprotected sex accounts for more than 90 percent of AIDS infections in China, the researchers said in a statement.

Their work was published recently in the peer-reviewed Journal of Biological Chemistry.

smc/slb

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HIV-positive man fights charge that saliva was deadly

Reuters – 6 hrs ago ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - A gay-rights group is urging New York state's high court to overturn the conviction of an HIV-positive man whose saliva was found to be a "dangerous instrument" in a biting case.

David Plunkett was sentenced in 2007 to 10 years in prison for aggravated assault, a felony that requires the use of a "dangerous instrument."

Plunkett argued unsuccessfully the charge could not be sustained because HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva. The Court of Appeals, New York's top court, will hear Plunkett's case on Thursday.

Lambda Legal, a national group that advocates for gays and lesbians and people with HIV, argued in a court brief filed this week that upholding Plunkett's conviction would further stigmatize people living with HIV and AIDS.

"Clearly, the trial court here erroneously believed that HIV could be transmitted by saliva," the Lambda Legal brief reads.

In 2006, the staff at a medical clinic in Ilion, about 70 miles east of Syracuse, called police to complain that Plunkett was causing a disturbance. Police said he punched and bit one of the responding officers, according to court documents.

Herkimer County Court Judge Patrick Kirk in 2007 denied Plunkett's motion to dismiss the aggravated assault charge, ruling that while Plunkett's teeth could not be considered a dangerous instrument, his saliva could.

Plunkett pleaded guilty and was given a 10-year prison sentence. In 2010, an appeals court found that by pleading guilty, Plunkett had forfeited his right to challenge any trial court error.

Plunkett and Lambda Legal argue that under New York law, only substances that are "readily capable of causing death or other serious physical injury" can be considered dangerous instruments.

A number of studies have found saliva does not contain sufficient concentrations of HIV to transmit the virus to other people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "contact with saliva alone has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV."

Plunkett's attorney, Audrey Baron Dunning, argued in an appellate brief that upholding Plunkett's conviction could "open the door for enhanced prosecution of persons with many forms of illness, contagious disease or condition."

The Herkimer County District Attorney's office did not return a call seeking comment.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

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Health care debate: high stakes for those with HIV

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Life Transitions May Trigger Eating Disorders

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- A lack of support following traumatic life events such as relationship problems, the loss of a loved one, abuse and sexual assault can trigger eating disorders, a small new study finds.

People with eating disorders said even changing schools or jobs could trigger eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, according to the University of Minnesota researchers.

The study included 26 women and one man aged 17 to 64 (the median age was 27) who had suffered from eating disorders for an average of 20 years and were receiving treatment from a specialist outpatient clinic.

Nine of the patients had anorexia, three had bulimia, one had both, and the other 14 had eating disorders that did not meet the diagnostic criteria for any one specific condition.

The researchers identified six main factors that triggered eating disorders in these patients. They included:

School transition, such as starting junior high school or college. "Nobody knew who I was," one study participant said. "I was incredibly lonely with no support and I just stopped eating."Relationship changes, such as breaking up with a romantic partner or having parents split up. "I was so mad at my dad for choosing her over us.... I think that is when my eating disorder really began," one woman wrote about her father's new girlfriend.Death of a family member or close friend. One woman said her eating disorder began after the death of her sister in childhood. "I started to eat to compensate for feelings of anxiety," she said. Abuse, sexual assault or incest. "I thought if I gained weight that he would leave me alone or I could fight him back," one abuse survivor said.Changing homes or jobs.Illness or hospitalization.

The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

"The aim of our study was to find out if there was any link between transitional events in family life and the onset of eating disorders," lead author Jerica Berge, an assistant professor in the department of family medicine and community health, said in a journal news release.

"Eating disorders are an important public health issue and knowing what causes them can help us to develop more effective treatment and support," she said.

The study findings confirm that eating disorders can be caused by major life changes and lack of support in dealing with those events.

"We hope that our findings will be of interest to parents as well as health professionals as they underline the need for greater awareness and support at times of change and stress," Berge said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about eating disorders.

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Stopping Blood Thinners Raises Stroke Risk for Patients With Irregular Heartbeat

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New Techniques May Improve Infant Heart Surgery

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Two new monitoring techniques may provide early warnings about possible brain damage in children as they undergo surgery for heart defects, researchers report.

Autoregulation monitoring is a noninvasive technique that can determine when blood flow to the brain may be low. The other method, a blood test, uses a small sample of blood to detect brain-tissue injury during surgery.

Doctors previously had no way to detect brain injuries as they occurred during heart surgery.

Details of the research are to be presented Wednesday during an American Heart Association press briefing.

Brain injury occurs in 30 percent to 70 percent of infants and children who have surgery to repair congenital heart defects, which are heart abnormalities present at birth. For each 1,000 live births in the United States, about eight babies will have some type of heart defect, according to a heart association news release.

This was a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of new ways to monitor for brain damage while children have surgery to repair heart defects. The researchers plan to conduct another study to assess the effectiveness of these brain monitoring techniques 18 months after surgery.

Researchers' data and conclusions should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The March of Dimes has more about congenital heart defects.

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Health Tip: When Seniors Are Malnourished

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- Older people are particularly prone to malnutrition because of chronic disease, having to live on a fixed income, or the unmet need to provide their aging bodies with the proper vitamins and nutrients.

Some 3.7 million American seniors are malnourished, the American Academy of Family Physicians estimates. The academy mentions some of the potential side effects:

Feeling fatigued.Losing weight without trying.Losing muscle strength.Feeling depressed.Having memory loss.Getting sick frequently.Developing anemia.

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Health Tip: Stress Fracture of the Foot

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- The bones of your feet are designed to absorb the weight and energy of the rest of your moving body. But when nearby muscles are overused and can no longer absorb the shock of running, jogging or playing sports, for example, your foot may develop a stress fracture.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says possible warning signs of stress fracture of the foot include:

Pain that gradually worsens over time, increasing during weight-bearing activities and improving during rest.Swelling at the top of the foot and outside the ankle.Tenderness or soreness.Bruising.

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Health Highlights: April 25, 2012

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Case of Mad Cow Disease Discovered in California

A fourth case of mad cow disease has been diagnosed in the United States, this time in California, but it poses no danger to human health, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said Tuesday.

"There is really no cause for alarm here with regard to this animal

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Air Quality Improving in Many U.S. Cities: Report

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Air quality in America's most polluted cities has improved significantly over the past decade, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.

Even Los Angeles, famous for its morning smog, is the cleanest it's been in 13 years, the association noted. Santa Fe, N.M. leads the pack, having been ranked as the cleanest city in the nation.

Despite progress in reducing the level of smog and soot in the air, the "State of the Air" report warned that unhealthy levels of air pollution still persist around the country.

"'State of the Air' shows that we're making real and steady progress in cutting dangerous pollution from the air we breathe," Charles Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in an association news release. "We owe this to the ongoing protection of the Clean Air Act. But despite these improvements, America's air quality standards are woefully outdated, and unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist across the nation, putting the health of millions of Americans at stake."

In rating the air quality in cities and counties around the country, the lung association takes into account the color-coded Air Quality Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which alerts the public about unhealthy air conditions. The report, released Wednesday, also used data collected by the EPA from 2008 to 2010 on ozone and particle pollution.

The report found drastic improvements in 18 of the 25 cities most polluted by ozone. Nine out of the top 10 cities most polluted by ozone were in California. Topping the list was Los Angeles, although it showed the lowest smog levels since the report was first published back in 2000.

Particle pollution also dropped significantly in 17 of the 25 most polluted cities, including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. This mix of microscopic bits of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols can lead to early death, heart attacks and strokes.

Four cities -- Pittsburgh, San Diego, Philadelphia and Visalia, Calif. -- dropped to their lowest levels of short-term particle pollution on record, the report noted. Birmingham, Ala., Detroit and York, Pa., dropped off the list of the 25 most polluted cities entirely -- a first for all three.

The lung association cautioned that much work remains to be done to improve air quality in the United States. Forty percent of Americans, or 127 million people, live in areas where air pollution poses a threat to their health. These people are at greater risk for wheezing and coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death, the report noted.

Infants, children, seniors and anyone with lung diseases, heart disease or diabetes are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. Those with low incomes or jobs that require them to work outside are also at greater risk.

The report revealed that 38.5 percent of Americans live in counties that received an "F" for air quality because of unhealthy levels of ozone air pollution, which can cause chronic health problems. Meanwhile, almost 50 million people in the United States live in counties with unhealthy surges in particle pollution levels. Year-round particle pollution threatens another 6 million Americans.

The standards set under the Clean Air Act are a driving force behind the improvement in air quality in the United States, according to the lung association. The legislation aims to clean up major sources of air pollution such as coal-fired power plants and diesel engines to reduce the amount of ozone and particle pollution in the air. The EPA estimated that cutting air pollution through this measure would prevent at least 230,000 deaths and save $2 trillion annually by 2020.

The report warned, however, that the positive trend in U.S. air quality will not continue if opponents of the Clean Air Act gain the upper hand on Capitol Hill.

"We still need to fulfill the promise of clean, healthy air for everyone, and that can only become a reality through the full implementation of the Clean Air Act. The American Lung Association strongly opposes any efforts to weaken, delay, or undermine the protective standards the law provides," said Connor. "The American Lung Association has been leading the fight for clean air for decades, and we are as determined as ever to give every American the clean air they deserve to breathe every day."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on air pollution.

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Experimental Drug Eases Autistic Behaviors in Mice

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug reduced two signature characteristics of autism -- repetitive behavior and abnormal social interactions -- in laboratory mice, new research finds.

The drug, GRN-529, targets glutamate, a major neurotransmitter found throughout the brain that's involved with activating neurons, or brain cells. Researchers believe the compound works through a specific glutamate receptor (mGluR5) and decreases glutamate activity.

Researchers bred mice to have the hallmarks of autism -- including unusual social interactions, impaired communication and repetitive self-grooming -- and injected them with GRN-529.

Almost immediately, the mice showed fewer repetitive behaviors and more normal social interactions, although their communication was still not typical.

"These findings offer encouragement that research focused on developing medicines for core symptoms of autism are gaining momentum," said study co-author Robert Ring, vice president for translational research for Autism Speaks, an autism research and advocacy organization.

Experts caution, however, that although studies in animals can be useful, the results of animal studies often don't hold up in humans.

The study is in the April 25 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by problems with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted interests and behaviors. An estimated one in 88 U.S. children has autism, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Until recently, experts believed that the core symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that shares many of the same symptoms as autism, couldn't be treated well with medications, because the underlying abnormalities were "hardwired" into the brain during fetal development, according to background information in the study.

But now that dogma is being challenged, said study co-author Daniel Smith, a senior research scientist at Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development.

Studies have suggested that some genes involved with autism play a role in the formation of brain synapses throughout childhood, and even into adulthood. That has led researchers to hunt for compounds that could alter how those genes function.

In Fragile X, for example, research suggests that excessive glutamate signaling may underlie the condition, and clinical trials are already underway by Novartis, Seaside Therapeutics and Roche to test other compounds that inhibit glutamate activity, Ring said.

"Because Fragile X symptoms overlap with autism symptoms, we hypothesized this same mechanism might affect autism patients from populations other than Fragile X," Smith said.

In an accompanying journal editorial, Baltazar Gomez-Mancilla, executive director of translational medicine neuroscience at Novartis, wrote that GRN-529 reduced repetitive behavior and partially reversed lack of sociability in a mouse model of autism.

And yet this is only "early stage, preclinical research" that will help advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms involving the mGluR5 receptor and generate more avenues for research, Gomez-Mancilla said.

"It is too early to speculate as to whether or not autism spectrum disorders can be reversed by small molecules," Gomez-Mancilla said.

Gomez-Mancilla wrote that this trial and previous work onmGluR5 inhibitors support further clinical trials. If the trials show the drugs are effective, a major question would be whether children should receive the drugs when diagnosed or if adults would also benefit.

Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, an assistant professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., said other considerations exist. Mice don't have to learn much throughout their lifetimes to engage in normal mouse activities, whereas "humans need to learn a ton in order to function typically in a social setting," he said. "We don't know how well interventions that normalize social interest at a defined point in time will impact actual social function."

Still, he added, this line of research is very promising.

"There are now multiple clinical trials underway of mGluR5 antagonists inindividuals with Fragile X syndrome," Veenstra-VanderWeele said. "Many of us hope that these medications will help not only those who have autism spectrum disorder due to Fragile X syndrome but some people within the larger group of those with

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