Items 1 through 7 have been deleted, since they are primarily for families
living in Virginia and Maryland, and I did not want to send useless
information to the folks in the rest of the country. However, please let me
know if you live in Virginia, Maryland or DC; so that I can add you to my
private email distribution list for events in those states.


8. ASA Seeking Input from Crime Victims and Crime Victim-Serving
Professionals Surveys to Assist in Data Collection. Research indicates that
individuals with disabilities experience crime at higher rates than
individuals without disabilities, yet virtually no data exist on the
experiences of individuals with autism. The Autism Society of America, its
Howard County (Maryland) Chapter and L.E.A.N. on Us, Inc., are currently
developing a training curriculum and materials for crime victim-serving
professionals, individuals with autism spectrum disorders, and families and
caregivers. To ensure that the final products meet the needs of these
target audiences, we are seeking your input. The following two surveys --
one for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their caregivers, and
one for crime victim-serving professionals (police, paramedics, counselors,
etc.) -- have been designed to gather information about crime and
individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Please fill out the appropriate
survey below and forward this message to others.

Survey for Individuals with Autism and Families & Caregivers:
<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=581552000509>
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=581552000509

Survey for Crime Victim Serving Professionals:
<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=249952000624>
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=249952000624

9. "Chiron Recalls, Withdraws Morupar Vaccine- Chiron Recalls, Withdraws
Common Childhood Vaccine Sold in Italy, Several Other Foreign Nations "
dated 16 March 2006 by Michael Liedtke from the Associated Press at
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060316/chiron_vaccine_recall.html?.v=9
<http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060316/chiron_vaccine_recall.html?.v=9> .

"Chiron Corp. on Thursday recalled and withdrew a common childhood vaccine
sold in Italy and several other foreign countries, compounding the biotech
company's headaches as it recovers from production problems that caused a
recent shortage of flu shots. The Emeryville, Calif.-based company's latest
slip potentially affects about 5 million doses of Chiron's measles, mumps
and rubella vaccine, called Morupar. The vaccine is used in Italy, Syria,
Jordan and a variety of smaller countries that receive the drug through the
United Nation's Children's Fund and Pan American Health Organization.
Chiron sells Morupar exclusively in overseas markets closer to the plants
that make the vaccine, said company spokeswoman Alison Marquiss. Other drug
makers supply the United States with the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR,
vaccine, which is usually first administered when children are 12 to 15
months old. Italy determined five patients immunized with Morupar suffered
adverse reactions, including fever and swelling of the glands, commonly
associated with the vaccine, Marquiss said. The same pattern hasn't been
cropping up with MMR vaccines made by two other manufacturers, prompting the
Italian Medicine Agency to order a withdrawal of Chiron's product from the
market to protect the public's health. Chiron said it provided Italy with
about 450,000 doses of the MMR vaccine last year, with roughly 4.5 million
other doses going to other countries. In a statement, Chiron described the
recall and withdrawal as precautionary and emphasized there's no reason to
believe patients already immunized with Morupar face any long-term health
risks. The company intends to consult with the World Health Organization to
determine if a limited supply of its existing MMR vaccine should be allowed
back on the market. ..."

10. "Skeptics warn bird flu fears are overblown- Chicken Little alert?
Hysteria could sap money from worse health threats" dated 20 April 2006 by
Rebecca Cook Dube from MSNBC.com at
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12358223/wid/11915773/>
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12358223/wid/11915773/.

"Doomsday predictions about bird flu seem to be spreading faster than the
virus itself. But a small group of skeptics say the bird flu hype is
overblown and ultimately harmful to the public's health. There's no
guarantee bird flu will become a pandemic, and if it does there's no
guarantee it will kill millions of people. The real trouble, these skeptics
say, is that bird flu hysteria is sapping money and attention away from more
important health threats. "I have a bunch of patients coming in here who
are more worried about bird flu than they are about heart disease," said Dr.
Marc Siegel, an internist and associate professor of medicine at the New
York University School of Medicine. "The fear is out of proportion to the
current risk." Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's
infectious disease chief, recently cautioned against overreacting if the
virus surfaces in North American birds, as it is expected to do later this
year. "One migratory bird does not a pandemic make," Fauci told The
Associated Press. ..."

11. "Learning on Their Own Terms- Md. School With No Curriculum Challenges
Conventions of Modern Education" dated 24 April 2005 by
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/nick+anderson/> Nick
Anderson from The Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR200604230
0926.html>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042300
926.html.

"Between Rollerblade aerials and rail slides, Justin Reed described how he
landed at a school that lets him do whatever he wants all day long. He
burned out on high-powered Eleanor Roosevelt High School in his home town of
Greenbelt. Lost interest in the college track. Despised cafeteria food. By
11th grade, he was ready to drop out. "I just really hated school, and
Roosevelt brought that out of me," the 19-year-old said one spring afternoon
next to an iron handrail that doubled as a launching slope. "Being told what
to do and what to learn. Having to do homework. Grades. Grade levels.
Everything that this school stands against." Justin will graduate in June
from the highly unconventional Fairhaven School with a diploma that may
require explanation to a college or future boss. He took no tests in his
three years at the private school, received no grades and had no course
requirements. But he played electric guitar, read and wrote poetry, made
friends and got the last laugh on lunch. "No more tater tots!" he said.
Fairhaven, in a wooded nook of Prince George's County near the Patuxent
River, challenges the assumptions of every public and private school that
measures success with test scores and prizes academic rigor. It is an
educational anomaly in the super-competitive Washington area: The school day
here is unscripted. Seventy-two students ages 5 to 20 run the school with a
staff of eight adults. Students follow no curriculum other than curiosity
and whim. Sometimes they seek out a class or workshop, but they are not
compelled to take English, geometry or any other subject. Often they just
hang. For this, their parents pay $6,680 a year per student, less for
siblings. ..."

12. "National Center for Learning Disabilities Launches Online Parent
Center- New Center Features Unique Interactive Guide and Real Stories" dated
25 April 2005 in a press release from the National Center for Learning
Disabilities at <http://www.ncld.org/content/view/978>
http://www.ncld.org/content/view/978 and
<http://www.ncld.org/content/view/900/456084/>
http://www.ncld.org/content/view/900/456084/.

"Parents of children who struggle to learn and may be at risk for learning
disabilities face a bewildering labyrinth of federal laws, school and state
policies, and personal choices. The National Center for Learning
Disabilities (NCLD) has just launched a new, online
<http://www.ncld.org/content/view/827/527/> Parent Center to help parents
navigate the special education system and successfully advocate for their
children. The Center was created to serve a wide range of needs - from
parents who are just beginning to suspect that their child may have learning
issues to parents who already have children receiving special education
services. ""Knowledge is power," says NCLD Executive Director James H.
Wendorf. "Parents who understand the system and the laws that govern it will
best be able to navigate through the maze of choices and challenges and get
their children the help they need. Our new Center is designed to help
parents gain that understanding and know what steps they can take to help
their children succeed." "Having the right information is absolutely
critical in making the best choices for your child," says Candace Cortiella,
a parent of an adult child with a learning disability, member of NCLD's
Professional Advisory Board, and author of the Parent Center's new IDEA
Guide. "Discovering that your child has learning issues can be isolating and
upsetting for parents, too. Part of what we wanted to do was create a sense
of community, so parents can feel empowered to be effective advocates for
their children." The Parent Center features a first-of-its-kind interactive
guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. The
guide uses accessible language to help parents recognize their rights and
opportunities in the special education process. One of the guide's unique
features is a series of audio clips that feature parents who share their
experiences on a specific topic and provide advice and support. The guide's
11 chapters cover how to request an evaluation, determine eligibility, and
develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP), among other topics. ..."

13. "Is There a 'Regressive Phenotype' of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Associated with the Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine? A CPEA Study" by Richler
J, Luyster R, Risi S, Hsu WL,
Dawson G, Bernier R, Dunn M, Hepburn S, Hyman SL, McMahon WM, Goudie-Nice J,
Minshew N, Rogers S, Sigman M, Spence MA, Goldberg WA, Tager-Flusberg H,
Volkmar FR, Lord C from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the 28
April 2006 edition of J Autism Dev Disord. at
http://sar.c.topica.com/maaeK2eabqesJa4Jiqhb/
<http://sar.c.topica.com/maaeK2eabqesJa4Jiqhb/> .

"A multi-site study of 351 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and
31 typically developing children used caregiver interviews to describe the
children's early acquisition and loss of social-communication milestones.
For the majority of children with ASD who had experienced a regression,
pre-loss development was clearly atypical. Children who had lost skills also
showed slightly poorer outcomes in verbal IQ and social reciprocity, a later
mean age of onset of autistic symptoms, and more gastrointestinal symptoms
than children with ASD and no regression. There was no evidence that onset
of autistic symptoms or of regression was related to measles-mumps-rubella
vaccination. The implications of these findings for the existence of a
'regressive phenotype' of ASD are discussed."

14. "50 years on, echoes of tragic past haunt Japan's Minamata city" dated
30 April 2006 from Terra Daily at
http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html
<http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html> .

"First cats began to die. Then dead fish floated to the surface of the sea
and crows fell lifeless to the ground. But still the people of Minamata had
no idea what was about to happen to them. Long before health problems were
officially reported 50 years ago -- and much later found as being caused by
massive mercury poisoning -- residents of this small Japanese fishing town
in southwestern Kyushu island had seen eery portents. As rats ran amok,
people began to notice inexplicable problems with their bodies -- shivering
arms and legs, <http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html#>
seizures, and difficulty in walking and talking. Some adults died and infant
mortality rocketed. Even after the problems were officially reported by a
local hospital on May 1, 1956, no one knew what was behind the outbreak of
what would come to be named Minamata disease, but it was certain that
something was drastically wrong. Chemical giant Chisso Corp, whose
factories had been dumping mercury
<http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html#> pollution into
the Yatsushiro Sea since 1932, was immediately suspected but continually
rejected any link with the health problems. As years went by,
<http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html#> babies began to
be born with serious damage to their nervous systems, suffering mental and
physical deformities poignantly recorded by US photojournalist W. Eugene
Smith. It wasn't until 1968 that the Tokyo central government finally
declared that Minamata disease was a form of
<http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html#> mercury
poisoning caused by polluted water. The delay and the suffering it caused
remain a national scandal as Japan holds 50th anniversary commemorations
here on Monday. "I'm keenly aware of the government's responsibility for
not being able to take appropriate measures for a long time and failing to
prevent the damages from spreading," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said
last week. "I apologize with no reservations." In all, Chisso dumped up to
150 tons, or even more, of mercury into the tiny cove of Minamata until May
1968, according to a city document. The company was not ruled responsible
for the health problems until 1973. While thousands of people suffered from
Minamata disease, not all were recognized officially as
<http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060430021602.860hg3q0.html#> patients and
half a century on nearly 4,000 people are still seeking state compensation
for their sickness. ..."

15. "Flu Spray Better Than Shots for Toddlers" dated 1 May 2006 by LAURAN
NEERGAARD from the Associated Press at
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/ap_on_he_me/flu_spray>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/ap_on_he_me/flu_spray.

"Flu shots don't protect babies and preschoolers quite as well as they do
older children, but a new study suggests spraying flu vaccine into a small
tot's nose may work better. The study, presented Monday at a child-health
meeting, found spray vaccine was 55 percent more effective than traditional
flu shots when given to nearly 8,000 children under age 5. The nasal spray
FluMist, the only flu vaccine made of live but weakened influenza virus, now
is sold only for children 5 and older. Manufacturer MedImmune Inc., which
funded the new research, plans to seek government approval to sell FluMist
for younger children as well. Flu experts say the findings have important
public health implications. Each winter, flu kills 36,000 Americans, most of
them elderly - and children are influenza's prime spreaders, fueling
infections in those older people. "Our current thinking is that to control
influenza, we really have to vaccinate all children," said Dr. Robert
Belshe, a prominent vaccine specialist at St. Louis University who led the
new study. "Anything that makes it easier and more effective (to vaccinate)
children is going to contribute a lot to the protection against influenza."
The study did find a safety concern: A few of the very youngest patients,
those ages 6 months to 2 years, had an episode of asthma-like wheezing in
the weeks after the first FluMist dose. The increased risk was slight - 1
percent more children wheezed after FluMist than after flu shots - and the
reaction was temporary. But Belshe still is analyzing whether the risk would
offset the increased flu protection, and regulators undoubtedly will ask
whether it means FluMist should be used only after age 2. In one of the
largest comparisons of flu vaccine ever performed, Belshe and colleagues in
16 countries studied youngsters ages 6 months to 5 years during the 2004 flu
season. Every participant got both a nasal spray and a shot, but only one
was the real vaccine instead of salt water, to allow unbiased comparison.
By winter's end, just 3.9 percent of nasal-spray recipients also got sick
with influenza, compared with 8.6 percent of shot recipients. ..."

16. "Long-term care aims to be safer- Criminal background checks improve"
dated 1 May 2006 by Kim Kozlowski from The Detroit News at
<http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/LIFESTYLE03/6050
10336/1040>
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/LIFESTYLE03/60501
0336/1040.

"In an effort to better protect its most vulnerable citizens, the state has
begun requiring new employees in nursing homes, group homes and other
long-term care settings to undergo criminal background checks. Applauded by
supporters who say the requirement will make residents safer, others fear
the laws could make recruiting employees more difficult in what already is a
low-paying field with a shortage of workers. Under the new laws, which went
into effect last month, prospective workers with criminal convictions face a
one- to 15-year moratorium against working in long-term care facilities,
depending on their crime. Those with convictions for Medicaid fraud or drug
dealing cannot be hired at the facilities. Current employees could face
scrutiny if they commit a crime. They will be fingerprinted over the next
two years, and technology will be developed to alert law enforcement if they
are charged. The laws follow a $5 million federal grant awarded to Michigan
and six other states to overhaul their system for protecting vulnerable
residents. Previous state laws required a background check of some employees
who worked with the elderly and disabled, but the probe was limited in scope
and criticized as inaccurate. Titia Redmond has worked in nursing homes for
more than eight years but, after leaving the field to have twin daughters,
she had to be fingerprinted to work at her new job in Westland. She said she
didn't mind because she understands the rationale. "A lot of people are
forced to leave their loved ones in the hands of someone else," said
Redmond, 28, of Detroit. "It's good they are addressing it before they hire
someone." Supporters say the need for more scrutiny became evident in the
first four weeks of background checks, in which 70 prospective employees had
criminal pasts, 10 of which had convictions barring them from working in the
field. ..."

17. "Adult anti-psychotics can worsen troubles" dated 2 May 2006 by Marilyn
Elias from USA TODAY at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-adult-antipsychotics-kids_x.h
tm?csp=34
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-adult-antipsychotics-kids_x.
htm?csp=34> .

"Evan Kitchens, a cheerful fourth-grader who loves basketball and idolizes
his 16-year-old brother, had been hospitalized for mental illness by the
time he was 8. The boy from Bandera, Texas, was aggressive and hyperactive
and had been diagnosed with a variety of other ailments, including
obsessive-compulsive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder. A couple of
years ago, Evan was taking five psychiatric drugs, says his mother, Mary
Kitchens. Two were so-called atypical anti-psychotics, a group of relatively
new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating adults
with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. "Evan was a walking zombie on all
those drugs," Kitchens says. At the harrowing nadir two years ago, she
wondered whether her son would survive, let alone live a normal life. Evan
shook with severe body tremors and hardly talked. He had crossed eyes, a
dangerously low white blood cell count and a thyroid disorder, all symptoms
that emerged after he started the atypical anti-psychotic drugs, Kitchens
says. Now, he has been weaned from the drugs and takes medicine only for
attention-deficit disorder, she says. And he is mentally healthier than he
has ever been. These six new anti-psychotic drugs - Clozaril, Risperdal,
Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify and Geodon - are not approved for children, but
doctors can prescribe them to kids "off label." And prescribing atypical
anti-psychotics for aggressive children such as Evan is leading the field in
a growing pediatric business, according to a new analysis of a federal
survey by Vanderbilt Medical School researchers. Outpatient prescriptions
for children ages 2 to 18 jumped about fivefold - from just under half a
million to about 2.5 million - from 1995 to 2002, the survey shows. At the
same time, reports of deaths and dangerous side effects potentially linked
to the drugs are increasing. A USA TODAY analysis of Food and Drug
Administration data shows at least 45 deaths of children from 2000 to 2004
where an atypical was considered the "primary suspect." More than 1,300
cases reported bad side effects, including some that can be life
threatening, such as convulsions and a low white blood cell count. ..."

18. "MS patient sues FDA over mercury fillings" dated 2 May 2006 by Jim
Ritter form the Chicago Sun-Times at
<http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-mercury02.html>
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-mercury02.html.

"Convinced her multiple sclerosis was caused by the mercury in 16
silver-colored fillings, Linda Brocato asked her dentist to remove them.
Although she still is unable to walk, Brocato said her symptoms improved
dramatically after she got a new set of mercury-free fillings. Now the
Prospect Heights resident is a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit demanding that
the Food and Drug Administration either ban mercury fillings or show they
are safe. "The FDA is supposed to protect us, and they have not done so in
this instance," Brocato said. FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said the agency
does not comment on lawsuits. However, she noted the FDA is holding a
two-day meeting in September to review scientific evidence on mercury
fillings. In the meantime, Cruzan said, "We currently believe that they are
safe." More than 100 million Americans have received metal fillings.
Mercury, which composes about half the weight of these fillings, is used to
bind powders of silver, copper, tin and other metals. ..."

19. "For Science's Gatekeepers, a Credibility Gap" dated 2 May 2006 by
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/lawrence_k_alt
man/index.html?inline=nyt-per> LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D. from The New York
Times at
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/health/02docs.html?ei=5088&en=989fce7c62c
8e849&ex=1304222400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/health/02docs.html?ei=5088&en=989fce7c62c8
e849&ex=1304222400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all.

"Recent disclosures of fraudulent or flawed studies in medical and
scientific journals have called into question as never before the merits of
their peer-review system. The system is based on journals inviting
independent experts to critique submitted manuscripts. The stated aim is to
weed out sloppy and bad research, ensuring the integrity of the what it has
published. Because findings published in peer-reviewed journals affect
patient care, public policy and the authors' academic promotions, journal
editors contend that new scientific information should be published in a
peer-reviewed journal before it is presented to doctors and the public.
That message, however, has created a widespread misimpression that passing
peer review is the scientific equivalent of the Good Housekeeping seal of
approval. Virtually every major scientific and medical journal has been
humbled recently by publishing findings that are later discredited. The
flurry of episodes has led many people to ask why authors, editors and
independent expert reviewers all failed to detect the problems before
publication. The publication process is complex. Many factors can allow
error, even fraud, to slip through. They include economic pressures for
journals to avoid investigating suspected errors; the desire to avoid
displeasing the authors and the experts who review manuscripts; and the fear
that angry scientists will withhold the manuscripts that are the lifeline of
the journals, putting them out of business.By promoting the sanctity of peer
review and using it to justify a number of their actions in recent years,
journals have added to their enormous power. The release of news about
scientific and medical findings is among the most tightly managed in
country. Journals control when the public learns about findings from
taxpayer-supported research by setting dates when the research can be
published. They also impose severe restrictions on what authors can say
publicly, even before they submit a manuscript, and they have penalized
authors for infractions by refusing to publish their papers. Exceptions are
made for scientific meetings and health emergencies. But many authors have
still withheld information for fear that journals would pull their papers
for an infraction. Increasingly, journals and authors' institutions also
send out news releases ahead of time about a peer-reviewed discovery so that
reports from news organizations coincide with a journal's date of issue. A
barrage of news reports can follow. But often the news release is sent
without the full paper, so reports may be based only on the spin created by
a journal or an institution. ..."

20. "New antipsychotic drugs carry risks for children" dated 2 May 2006 by
Marilyn Elias from USA TODAY at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-atypical-drugs_x.htm
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-atypical-drugs_x.htm> .

"Nancy Thomas remembers the bad old days when she had to wear long-sleeve
clothes to church to cover bite marks all over her arms from her daughter
Alexa's rages. At age 8, Alexa was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She was
a violent child with sharp mood swings and meltdowns that drove her to tear
up the house. Antidepressants and drugs for attention-deficit disorder had
only made Alexa more aggressive, Thomas says. A mix of medicines including
so-called atypical antipsychotics - drugs approved only for adults - finally
stabilized Alexa's moods. Now at 15, she is able to live a more normal life
- as long as she takes the medication. Even so, the Russellville, Mo., teen
is paying a price: On one of the atypical antipsychotics, Alexa gained about
100 pounds in a year, putting her at risk for a host of health problems,
including diabetes. It has taken her three years to lose a third of that
extra weight; she is still struggling with the rest. Atypicals are a new
generation of antipsychotic drugs approved by the Food and Drug
Administration for adult schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic
depression). None of the six drugs - Clozaril, Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel,
Abilify and Geodon - is approved for kids, but doctors can prescribe them as
"off-label" medications. Psychiatrists say the drugs can be helpful for
children with serious mental illnesses and have been known to save young
lives. But diagnosis often is difficult, making appropriate prescribing
tricky. And many experts, including behavioral pediatrician Lawrence Diller,
author of Should I Medicate My Child?, say there is growing overuse of these
powerful antipsychotics. ..."

21. "Free flu vaccine fails to reduce cases- study: 'Rates haven't
decreased and there's been lots of money spent" dated 2 May 2006 by Tom
Blackwell from the Canadian National Post at
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a3febc68-8863-4a2c-802
f-f414d0876e86
<http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a3febc68-8863-4a2c-80
2f-f414d0876e86&k=20268> &k=20268.

"Canada's first experiment in universal, free flu vaccine has cost Ontario
taxpayers more than $200-million, but appears to have done nothing to cut
the spread of influenza, a new study suggests. Per-capita flu rates in the
province have not fallen at all since the program was introduced in 2000,
concluded the University of Ottawa research, published in the journal
Vaccine. In fact, the average monthly incidence of the virus jumped over
the first five years of the program, though researchers say it is too early
to say that numbers are really on the rise. "All we do know is rates
haven't decreased, and there has been a lot of money spent," said Dianne
Groll, the University of Ottawa professor who led the study. "The program
was designed to reduce the incidence of flu, and this hasn't yet happened."
The heavily publicized offer of free flu shots to all 12 million Ontarians
was launched in 2000 to try to ease pressure on emergency wards from flu
patients, and cut the incidence and severity of the illness. Dr. Groll said
it might be wise to focus on better targeting the vaccine at high-risk
groups -- the very young, the elderly and the chronically ill -- perhaps by
giving shots to anyone who comes into an emergency ward. She also said the
province failed to collect detailed "baseline" information on vaccination
patterns before the plan started or similar data since then to compare,
making it difficult to thoroughly evaluate the program. Some infectious
disease specialists warned yesterday the study is seriously limited, partly
because it compares the rates of laboratory-diagnosed flu before and after
the program started. Cases that are confirmed by a lab test represent a
small fraction of the total amount of flu and may not give a true picture of
the situation, said Dr. Allison McGeer, one of the country's leading
influenza experts. The Ottawa research correctly and interestingly analyzed
the data available but is "irrelevant," concluded Dr. McGeer,
infection-control officer at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and a strong
proponent of universal immunization. She acknowledged there is simply very
little evidence with which to evaluate the program. "That we would publish
this study is a marker of desperation." ..."

22. "New findings help pinpoint autism's genetic roots" dated 3 May 2006 by
Dr. Craig Powell, Jing Zhou, Dr. Luis Parada and Dr. Chang-Hyuk Kwon in a
press release from the UT Southwestern Medical Center at
<http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail
&ID=12526>
http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&
ID=12526.

"By deleting a gene in certain parts of the brain, researchers at UT
Southwestern Medical Center have created mice that show deficits in social
interaction that are reminiscent of humans with autism spectrum disorders.
The investigators also found physical abnormalities in the brains that mimic
some cases of autism, showing that the research animals can be useful in
studying the mysterious condition. The finding - to be published in the
May 4 issue of the journal Neuron - confirms recent indications that a
mutation in this particular gene could cause at least some forms of autism,
said Dr. Luis F. Parada, director of the Center for Developmental Biology
and the study's senior author. Dr. Parada also directs the Kent Waldrep
Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration. The exciting
thing about this mouse is it helps us to zero in on at least one anatomic
location of abnormality, because we targeted the gene to very circumscribed
regions of the brain," he said. "In diseases where virtually nothing is
known, any inroad that gets into at least the right cell or the right
biochemical pathway is very important." ..."

23. "Mutant mice show key autism traits" dated 3 May 2006 in another press
release by Heidi Hardman from EurekAlert at
<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/cp-mms042706.php>
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/cp-mms042706.php.

"While the causes of autism remain complex and mysterious, researchers are
steadily adding pieces to its intricate puzzle. In what they believe to be a
significant new approach to understanding "autism spectrum disorders" (ASD),
researchers have developed a mouse that shows abnormal social interactions
and brain hypertrophy characteristic of the disease. In an article in the
May 4, 2006, Neuron, Luis Parada and his colleagues report the results of
removing (knocking out) a single gene associated with brain disorders in
mice. The gene, called Pten, had been associated with a broad array of such
disorders when knocked out throughout the animals' bodies. However, Parada
and colleagues engineered mice to knock out the gene only in mature, or
"postmitotic," neurons of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in the brain.
These regions are associated with higher brain function such as learning and
memory. The mutant mice showed major abnormalities in a variety of social
interactions normally undertaken in mice, found the researchers. For
example, they were far less likely to approach and sniff new mice introduced
into their cage, compared to normal mice. And while normal mice show
markedly less interest when such new mice are later reintroduced, the mutant
mice did not show such a reduction in interest. This abnormality indicated
"impaired social learning or inability to identify the juvenile due to the
low level of initial interaction," wrote the researchers. In other tests of
social behavior, the researchers found that--when given the choice of
investigating a cage holding another mouse or an empty cage--the mutant mice
showed similar preference for the two. Normal mice by far prefer
investigating the caged mouse. The researchers also found the mutant mice
to be deficient in nest-forming and sexual and maternal behavior. In tests
of their reaction to such sensory stimuli as bright environments, the mutant
mice showed hyperactivity and increased anxiety. They also showed sporadic
seizures. The researchers concluded that "the mutant mice exhibited
deficits in all social paradigms tested and also showed exaggerated reaction
to sensory stimuli, anxiety-like behaviors, seizures, and decreased
learning, which are features associated with ASD." Finally, the researchers
found that the mutant mice showed the same kind of abnormal overgrowth of
neurons and their interconnections seen in some people with ASD that also
show increased brain volume and enlarged heads. ..."

24. "Sugary Drinks To Be Pulled From Schools- Industry Agrees to Further
Limit Availability to Children" dated 3 May 2006 by
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/caroline+e.+mayer/> Caroline
E. Mayer from The Washington Post at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR200605030
0053.html>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050300
053.html.

"The beverage industry is scheduled to announce today that it is voluntarily
removing high-calorie soft drinks from all schools. In an agreement to be
announced by former president Bill Clinton, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R)
and the head of the American Heart Association, the industry also will limit
the amount of other sugary beverages, such as fruit drinks, in school
vending machines. But diet soft drinks will continue to be sold in high
schools that allow such products. The agreement sets different rules for
elementary schools, middle schools and high schools and comes at a time when
the beverage industry is under increasing pressure to limit sales of its
least healthful products in schools. Many local jurisdictions, including the
District and Montgomery and Fairfax counties, have limited the sale of soda
in school. Some state legislatures are also pressing for restrictions; last
year, California passed a law banning soft drinks in school, effective next
year. The agreement calls for eliminating sales of sodas, diet sodas,
sports drinks, juice drinks, apple juice or grape juice in elementary
schools. Water and more healthful juices such as orange juice could continue
to be sold, but in only eight-ounce or smaller containers, according to
sources who were briefed yesterday. They spoke on condition of anonymity
because the plan had not yet been announced. In middle schools, the same
drinks will be offered but in containers as large as 10 ounces. In high
schools, the drink size will be limited to 12 ounces. No sugary sodas will
be sold, and half the drinks offered will be water or a low-calorie
beverage, such as diet soda, diet lemonade or diet iced tea. Sports drinks
will be allowed, as will juice drinks as long as they have fewer than 100
calories per serving. ..."

25. "Bill would make federal research public" dated 3 May 2006 from United
Press International at
<http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20060503-051437-7367r.htm>
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20060503-051437-7367r.htm.

"Legislation has been unveiled in the senate requiring recipients of federal
research grants to post their information online. The Federal Research
Public Access Act, co-sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Tex., and Joseph
Lieberman, D-Conn., would require public access within six months to
research sponsored by 11 federal agencies that provide at least $100 million
in outside funding per year including the departments of Agriculture,
Commerce and Homeland Security as well as the Environmental Protection
Agency, NASA and the National Science Foundation, the Washington Post
reports. The proposed law comes out of an extended debate over whether the
results of federally funded research should be free to the public.
Proponents say the availability of the information will help other
researchers build on scientific advances. Opponents say that the peer
review process used by scholarly journals is essential, difficult, and
expensive and could not be supported by a business model where articles are
given away for free. Last year, the National Institutes of Health launched
a program encouraging research grant recipients to make their findings
public within a year of publication, but only percent of researchers
actually did so. ..."

26. "Easter Seals Announces Pioneering Autism Effort" by Peter Gorner from
the Chicago Tribune at http://sar.c.topica.com/maaeK2eabqesIa4Jiqhb/
<http://sar.c.topica.com/maaeK2eabqesIa4Jiqhb/> .

"With the stated dream of someday curing autism--a disease being diagnosed
in rapidly increasing numbers--Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago on Thursday
announced plans to build a $24 million school and research center on 3.4
acres of land donated by the city. Organizers say the 86,000-square-foot
facility at Damen Avenue and 13th Street will be the first of its kind in
the U.S. to integrate education, academic research, early intervention
programs and training to prepare patients for work and independent living.
Officials see the Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research as a way
to foster interaction between scientists who work on autism and service
providers who can apply their findings to clinical practice and education.
The facility will be run in collaboration with researchers at the College of
Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush University
Medical Center. "No one has attempted to do something of this scale
before. But it's timely, it's needed, and it's altogether unique," said
Stephen W. Porges,
director of the Brain-Body Center at UIC and a leading researcher into the
causes and treatment of autism. ..."

27. "No Evidence That Silver Fillings Lower IQ In Kids" from the Canadian
Press at http://tinyurl.com/euwcz <http://tinyurl.com/euwcz> .

"Two highly anticipated studies have found no evidence that "silver
fillings" cause neurological problems in children because of their mercury
content. The studies -- one conducted in the United States and the other in
Portugal -- both concluded that children whose cavities were filled with
mercury amalgam showed no detectable lowering of IQ or impairment of memory,
co-ordination, concentration, nerve conduction or kidney function over time.
Researchers followed the children for five to seven years to regularly
assess whether there were measurable indications of brain or kidney damage.
Pevious studies in adults had suggested that these organs might be
particularly sensitive to the toxic metal. "What we found over the course
of the study is the amalgam fillings had no adverse effects on the IQ of
these children as well as on a range of other neuropsychological measures
and kidney function," said Dr. Sonja McKinlay, a scientist at the New
England Research Institute in Watertown, Mass., who headed the U.S. study.
"We took great pains to design our study in a way that our tests would be
sensitive enough to detect as little as a three-point drop in IQ," McKinlay
said in a release. "Given the rigorous nature of the study designs and that
both clinical trials confirmed the other's results, I think these findings
should be reassuring for parents, children and dental professionals." Dr.
Jack Cottrell, president of the Canadian Dental Association, said results
from the studies reinforce the organization's long-held position that
mercury amalgam fillings are safe. "Dental amalgam has been a much studied
restorative material and one that has been subjected to a lot of questions,"
Cottrell said Tuesday from his dental office in Port Perry, Ont. "But really
the bottom line, and what we've been telling patients and the public, is
it's a substance that's safe, we've been using it for 150 years, it is
durable, and it is a cost-effective way of filling teeth." But the
U.S.-based International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology denounced
the studies, calling their designs flawed and their use of vulnerable young
children to study the safety of mercury fillings "appalling." ..."

28. "Boy and Dog Have Their Day In Court" by Katherine Lewis from Naple
News at http://tinyurl.com/s2edh <http://tinyurl.com/s2edh> .

"The way Stephanie Langer sees it, the Collier County School District has
abandoned 11-year-old Derek Hughes. "They put his life in danger solely
because the district did not want Derek to have a service animal," she said.
The assertion by Langer, the attorney for the Hughes family, opened up an
administrative hearing Monday to determine if the Collier County School
Board violated Derek's rights by refusing to let him bring his service dog,
Bo, to school. The hearing, which is going on this week at the Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Administration Center and is being conducted under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, will determine if the School
District was negligent by not amending the Pine Ridge Middle School
sixth-grader's individual education program (IEP) to allow him to bring Bo
to school. Derek's parents, Bill and Brenda Hughes, claim the district was
negligent for not providing a full-time school nurse at the middle school to
administer Derek's epilepsy medication. In his opening statement to the
court, School Board attorney Richard Withers said the district was doing
everything to provide Derek with a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE),
but its solutions were balked at by Bill Hughes. "At the IEP meeting to
determine if the district was providing FAPE, Mr. Hughes arrived with a huge
chip on his shoulder and said if he did not get what he wanted, he would
take us to a due process hearing," he said. "Our relationship has been
adversarial since that meeting." The Hughes family made attempts to meet
with school officials about Derek's educational needs after he had two
seizures, including one at school, and had been diagnosed with epilepsy. The
Hughes family scheduled an emergency IEP meeting with Derek's team for Jan.
17. ..."

29. "For Autistic Students, Social Skills From A Handheld Device" by Peter
Schworm from the Boston Globe at http://tinyurl.com/my8kn
<http://tinyurl.com/my8kn> .

"Toggling quickly from screen to screen on his PDA, Jonathan Libby, 18,
scrolled through a checklist of conversational tips reminding him to smile,
make eye contact, and address people by name. Most of all, he emphasized to
a visitor with a tap of his digital pen recently, don't interrupt or rattle
on without letting others get a word in edgewise. "Those are the ones I
tend to forget," he acknowledged. For most people, such social conventions
are second nature. But for Libby, who attends a Walpole school for autistic
students, they are a constant struggle. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome,
a type of high-functioning autism, Libby is bright and chatty, but often
rambles aimlessly from topic to topic. What's helping him is having the
unwritten rules of social interaction written down. Using a personal digital
assistant, or PDA, an electronic diary customized with social and
organizational reminders, Libby is slowly breaking some hard-wired habits.
As part of an innovative research project being conducted at the League
School of Greater Boston by a team of neurological experts, eight teenagers
with Asperger's have used the hand-held computers the past few months to
rehearse social situations, track their progress, and chronicle their moods
and behavior. The project is in its early stages, but researchers are
confident that the reminders will serve as a kind of script to guide
students through anxious situations and reinforce social skills over time
until they are ingrained. Similar software has also been used to help
patients with depression or who are recovering from strokes or brain
injuries, and researchers believe the program could have a far-reaching
impact in helping people with autism lead more productive and independent
lives. In Massachusetts, more than 5,000 children are diagnosed with autism,
a lifelong disability with no known cure. Ron Calvanio, a Harvard Medical
School neurologist who created the software and is helping to conduct the
research, likens the software to quarterbacks who write summaries of plays
on their wristband to help them make quick decisions in a fast-paced,
confusing environment. "It's a reminder that helps them read the defense,"
he said. ..."

30. "US survey shows autism very common" dated 4 May 2006 by Maggie Fox
from ABC News at <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1923924>
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1923924.

"The first national surveys of autism show the condition is very common
among U.S. children - with up to one in every 175 with the disorder, the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. This adds
up to at least 300,000 U.S. schoolchildren with autism, a condition that
causes trouble with learning, socializing and behavior, the CDC said. The
CDC analyzed data on 24,673 children whose parents took part in two separate
government surveys on health in the United States to generate its first
national estimate of the prevalence of autism. "Together, these two
national surveys of parents indicate that at least 300,000 children aged 4
to 17 years old had autism in 2003-04," the CDC said in the report. The
surveys came up with similar results - that autism has been diagnosed in
anywhere between 5.5 per 1,000 and 5.7 per 1,000 children aged 4 to 17. This
translates to between one in every 175 to one in every 181 children. "(The
surveys) affirm that autism is a condition of major public health concern
that affects many families," Dr. Jose Cordero, director of CDC's National
Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, told reporters in a
telephone briefing. ..."

31. "Vaccine stockpile mostly unused in mumps drive- Health officials
aren't sure why so few college-age Iowans took advantage of clinics" dated 4
May 2006 by Tony Leys from the Des Moines Register at
<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/NEWS08
/605040391/1001/RSS01>
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/NEWS08/
605040391/1001/RSS01.

"Thousands of doses of mumps vaccine remain in health-clinic refrigerators
across the state, because relatively few college-age students showed up for
shots last week. Several counties still have 90 percent or more of the
vaccine they were given to help stem the state's befuddling mumps epidemic.
Overall, fewer than 20 percent of the shots were administered last week, a
Des Moines Register survey found. "I don't know why. Maybe people aren't
taking it seriously," said Barbara Baker, director of Des Moines County's
Public Health Department. Baker's southeast Iowa county held three shot
clinics last week, during the main push to vaccinate 18- through
22-year-olds. Her agency gave out just 38 of the 400 doses it received from
a federal stockpile. "I expected far more than that," Baker said.
Public-health officials are trying to rein in an epidemic that has caused
1,273 illnesses in Iowa so far this year. The mumps outbreak, which has
spread to other states, is the largest the country has seen in decades. The
Iowa vaccination effort was expanded this week to all 99 counties, and state
officials increased the potential pool of participants by raising the
maximum age from 22 to 25. County health officials said a few more people
are coming in for shots, but the agencies still are sitting on large
supplies. The vaccine is recommended for people who either haven't had two
doses or aren't sure if they have. Doctors say a third shot won't hurt
people, but probably won't help stave off the disease. Many Iowa colleges
require students to have two doses before they start classes, which helps
explain why relatively few young people showed up for shot clinics last
week. ..."

32. "300,000 Children in U.S. Found to Have Autism" dated 5 May 2006 by
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/shankar+vedantam/> Shankar
Vedantam from The Washington Post at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050401
724.html
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR200605040
1724.html> .

"About 300,000 American children have been diagnosed as having autism,
according to the first comprehensive national surveys of the developmental
disorder. Boys were four times more likely than girls to have the disorder,
which is characterized by verbal, social and emotional problems. White
families with higher incomes were also more likely to report having children
with the disorder, a fact that federal experts said probably reflected
unequal access to medical services. The new data came in two surveys
released yesterday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, who said the numbers matched the range found by earlier studies
that looked at smaller groups of people. Autism has been dogged by
controversy for more than a decade after what appeared to be a sharp
increase in diagnoses in the 1990s. Many experts believe the increase
reflects changes in diagnostic criteria adopted in 1994, increased public
awareness of the problem, and the difficulties in telling apart a number of
overlapping conditions that fall under an umbrella known as autism spectrum
disorders. Some advocates have blamed a mercury-based preservative in
children's vaccines, even though repeated analyses have failed to confirm a
link. The new surveys show that Hispanics have a much lower autism rate
than whites, but experts said that this probably reflected differences in
access to care. ..."


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