The Age of Autism: Flu shot flashpoint
By Dan Olmsted
UPI Senior Editor
Nov. 19, 2005 at 1:46PM
It's flu shot season, and that simple fact is sharply focusing the debate over a possible link between vaccines and autism. The reason: Most flu shots contain thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative that some suspect caused a huge rise in autism cases beginning in the 1990s.
Federal health authorities say science has ruled that out. But to be on the safe side, the U.S. Public Health Service -- along with groups representing pediatricians and family doctors -- urged manufacturers in 1999 to phase thimerosal out of childhood vaccines as soon as possible.
Most such vaccines are now thimerosal-free or contain trace amounts. An exception is the flu shot, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for pregnant women and for infants 6 to 23 months old.
The counter-argument: Why take a risk when thimerosal-free shots are also available and cost just three or four dollars more? The CDC has declined to express a preference for those shots on the theory that there wouldn't be enough to meet demand.
On Monday, as this column reported, a New Mexico pediatrician appeared before the state Board of Pharmacy to urge it to immediately warn residents that most flu shots do have mercury. He also wants the state ultimately to ban it from vaccines for kids and pregnant women, something six states have already done -- with bans taking effect in future years. A dozen states are actively debating the issue.
The pediatrician, Dr. Ken Stoller, said the board decided to seek an advisory opinion from the New Mexico attorney general about its jurisdiction in the matter. It meets again in two months.
"The recent meeting was, I have to confess, a little disappointing from the standpoint of truth-in-labeling as set out in the New Mexico Drug Act," Stoller wrote the board in a follow-up letter.
"I presented clear, accurate and precise information on how a preservative that contains the known neurotoxin, ethylmercury, exists in the flu and other vaccines at a level that exceeds several safety limits as set forth by more than one Federal agency."
Perhaps because of the growing number of state bans -- which mean, self-evidently, that they don't want their children and pregnant women exposed to mercury in flu shots -- the issue is percolating this year in a way that it simply hasn't before.
In a Chicago Tribune piece titled, "A contradiction taints flu shots among infants," writer Julie Deardorff said that as a mom, she was concerned that health experts are now recommending a shot that in most cases contains an ingredient they suggested removing six years ago.
"It was eliminated from nearly all vaccines with one exception: the flu vaccine. Now the academy (American Academy of Pediatrics) wants us to immunize infants with a vaccine that contains an ingredient that it suggests should be removed," Deardorff wrote.
She quotes an Illinois AAP spokesman about the apparent contradiction:
"The amount (of thimerosal) in the multidose influenza vaccine (12.5 micrograms) is well below even the most conservative standards for mercury exposure. ... There's no evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is dangerous, and the benefits kids get from being protected against the flu are substantial."
Still, it needs to be noted that the immunization schedule calls for two 12.5 microgram shots a month apart for the 6-to-23-month olds. That total of is the same amount that was in vaccines some parents believe triggered their child's autism. And some of them believe in utero exposure to mercury via the pregnant mother might be the most dangerous exposure of all.
Directly to the north, a senior chemist at the University of Wisconsin has been trying to get the attention of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
"Unfortunately, in the 35 days that have passed since my original letter, thousands of Wisconsin's most vulnerable citizens have been exposedto this material (mercury in flu shots)," Michael Wagnitz wrote the department in a letter this week.
"As I explained in my original letter, liquid waste needs to go to a hazardous site if it contains more than 200 ppb mercury. Is it really safe to inject people with a level of mercury 250 times higher than hazardous waste?
"What exactly is the (department) working on that is more important than stopping the injection of mercury directly into the bloodstreams of its citizens? Could you give me some examples? Again, I ask that you issue an immediate mercury warning for pregnant women and infants who plan on getting the flu shot."
This looks to be an issue that won't go away.
--
E-mail: dolmsted@upi.com
November 22, 2005
November 18, 2005
Clinical Trials needs Autistic Kids with GI Problems
New Clinical Trial in Children With Autism Begins Enrollment
WPIC to Study the Effect of an Investigational Drug on Gastrointestinal Problems In Autistic Children
PITTSBURGH, November 18, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) is seeking participants for a research study to evaluate an investigational medication for treatment of persistent gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction in autistic children. WPIC is one of 12 sites nationwide participating in this study.
Up to 50 percent of children with autism experience persistent GI problems, ranging from mild to moderate degrees of inflammation in both the upper and lower intestinal tract. This study will attempt to determine the impact of GI function through treatment as well as assess the effect of GI symptoms on physical and emotional behavior.
"With autism growing at a rate of 10 to 17 percent per year, we recognize the need to address issues directly affecting these patients," said Benjamin L. Handen, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "With such a large percentage of children with autism experiencing regular GI problems, it is important to learn the cause of these problems and investigate the appropriate treatments."
To be considered for participation in the study, a child must be between 2 and 17 years of age, be diagnosed with autism and experience some of the following symptoms: chronic diarrhea or constipation, bloating, gas and abdominal pain. Research volunteers will receive study medication and medical care at no cost to the family.
Autism is estimated to affect one in 250 births or 1.5 million Americans according to the Autism Society of America.
To find out more about the study, please contact Gretchen Wolf at 412-235-5447.
#2500255.0
Pittsburgh School of Medicine
CONTACT: Jocelyn Uhl, or Lisa Rossi, +1-412-647-3555, Fax: +1-412-624-3184, , , both of University of PittsburghSchool of Medicine uhljh@upmc.edu rossil@upmc.edu
WPIC to Study the Effect of an Investigational Drug on Gastrointestinal Problems In Autistic Children
PITTSBURGH, November 18, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) is seeking participants for a research study to evaluate an investigational medication for treatment of persistent gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction in autistic children. WPIC is one of 12 sites nationwide participating in this study.
Up to 50 percent of children with autism experience persistent GI problems, ranging from mild to moderate degrees of inflammation in both the upper and lower intestinal tract. This study will attempt to determine the impact of GI function through treatment as well as assess the effect of GI symptoms on physical and emotional behavior.
"With autism growing at a rate of 10 to 17 percent per year, we recognize the need to address issues directly affecting these patients," said Benjamin L. Handen, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "With such a large percentage of children with autism experiencing regular GI problems, it is important to learn the cause of these problems and investigate the appropriate treatments."
To be considered for participation in the study, a child must be between 2 and 17 years of age, be diagnosed with autism and experience some of the following symptoms: chronic diarrhea or constipation, bloating, gas and abdominal pain. Research volunteers will receive study medication and medical care at no cost to the family.
Autism is estimated to affect one in 250 births or 1.5 million Americans according to the Autism Society of America.
To find out more about the study, please contact Gretchen Wolf at 412-235-5447.
#2500255.0
Pittsburgh School of Medicine
CONTACT: Jocelyn Uhl, or Lisa Rossi, +1-412-647-3555, Fax: +1-412-624-3184, , , both of University of PittsburghSchool of Medicine uhljh@upmc.edu rossil@upmc.edu
November 17, 2005
NIH: Adult Exposure-Assessment Fails To Predict Children's Risk
Perinatal Immunotoxicity: Why Adult Exposure-Assessment Fails To Predict
Risk?
Rodney R. Dietert and Michael S. Piepenbrink
ABSTRACT
Recent research has pointed to the developing immune system as a remarkably sensitive toxicological target for environmental chemicals and drugs. In fact, the perinatal period prior to and just after birth is replete with dynamic immune changes, many of which do not occur in adults. These include not only the basic maturation and distribution of immune cell types and selection against autoreactive lymphocytes but also changes designed specifically to protect the pregnancy against immune-mediated miscarriage. The newborn is then faced with critical immune maturational adjustments to achieve an immune balance necessary to combat the myriad of childhood and later life diseases.
All of these processes set the fetus and neonate completely apart from the adult when it comes to immunotoxicologic risk. Yet for decades, safety evaluation has relied almost exclusively upon exposure of the adult immune system to predict perinatal immune risk.
Recent workshops and forums have suggested a benefit in employing alternative exposures that include exposure throughout early life stages. However, issues remain as to when and where such applications might be required.
The present review details the reasons why immunotoxic assessment is important for current childhood diseases and why adult exposure assessment cannot predict the impact of xenobiotics on the developing immune system. It also provides examples of developmental immunotoxicants where age-based risk appears to differ. Finally, it stresses the need to replace adult exposure assessment for immune evaluation with protocols that can protect the developing immune system.
...
Table 2: Examples of Perinatal-Induced Immune Outcomes not Predicted by
Standard Adult-Exposure Assessment
....
Chemical/Drug: Mercury
Nature of Age-Based Difference: Dose sensitivity
Reference: Havarinasab et al. 2004; Hultman and Hansson-Georgiadis 1999; Silva et al. 2005"
The entire 47 page study:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/8566/8566.pdf
Risk?
Rodney R. Dietert and Michael S. Piepenbrink
ABSTRACT
Recent research has pointed to the developing immune system as a remarkably sensitive toxicological target for environmental chemicals and drugs. In fact, the perinatal period prior to and just after birth is replete with dynamic immune changes, many of which do not occur in adults. These include not only the basic maturation and distribution of immune cell types and selection against autoreactive lymphocytes but also changes designed specifically to protect the pregnancy against immune-mediated miscarriage. The newborn is then faced with critical immune maturational adjustments to achieve an immune balance necessary to combat the myriad of childhood and later life diseases.
All of these processes set the fetus and neonate completely apart from the adult when it comes to immunotoxicologic risk. Yet for decades, safety evaluation has relied almost exclusively upon exposure of the adult immune system to predict perinatal immune risk.
Recent workshops and forums have suggested a benefit in employing alternative exposures that include exposure throughout early life stages. However, issues remain as to when and where such applications might be required.
The present review details the reasons why immunotoxic assessment is important for current childhood diseases and why adult exposure assessment cannot predict the impact of xenobiotics on the developing immune system. It also provides examples of developmental immunotoxicants where age-based risk appears to differ. Finally, it stresses the need to replace adult exposure assessment for immune evaluation with protocols that can protect the developing immune system.
...
Table 2: Examples of Perinatal-Induced Immune Outcomes not Predicted by
Standard Adult-Exposure Assessment
....
Chemical/Drug: Mercury
Nature of Age-Based Difference: Dose sensitivity
Reference: Havarinasab et al. 2004; Hultman and Hansson-Georgiadis 1999; Silva et al. 2005"
The entire 47 page study:
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/8566/8566.pdf
November 16, 2005
Brett on the Communication Problems Between 'US' and 'THEM'
Brett at 29 Marbles has a good commentary on all the good and bad commentary going back and forth between Neurodiv v. Biomed.
He referred to my discussions on the matter as 'intelligent' so hell yeah I am gonna link to him! ;)
He referred to my discussions on the matter as 'intelligent' so hell yeah I am gonna link to him! ;)
Tim Burton an Aspie?
BURTON MAY BE AUTISTIC
TIM BURTON may have a form of autism, according to his longterm partner HELENA BONHAM CARTER
Bonham Carter recently filmed a TV movie in which she plays the real life mother of four autistic children and during her research she recognised character traits the director shares with kids with Asperger's Syndrome - of which the main symptom is an above average intelligence but less developed social and communication skills
She explains, "Tim will kill me, but while making this drama I realised he actually has a bit off Asperger's in him. You start recognising the signs.
"We were watching a documentary about autism and he said that's how he felt as a child.
"They (autistic people) have application and dedication. You can say something to Tim when he's working and he doesn't hear you.
"But that quality also makes him a fantastic father; he has an amazing sense of humour and imagination. He sees things other people don't see. Billy is enchanted by him."
TIM BURTON may have a form of autism, according to his longterm partner HELENA BONHAM CARTER
Bonham Carter recently filmed a TV movie in which she plays the real life mother of four autistic children and during her research she recognised character traits the director shares with kids with Asperger's Syndrome - of which the main symptom is an above average intelligence but less developed social and communication skills
She explains, "Tim will kill me, but while making this drama I realised he actually has a bit off Asperger's in him. You start recognising the signs.
"We were watching a documentary about autism and he said that's how he felt as a child.
"They (autistic people) have application and dedication. You can say something to Tim when he's working and he doesn't hear you.
"But that quality also makes him a fantastic father; he has an amazing sense of humour and imagination. He sees things other people don't see. Billy is enchanted by him."
Millions May Have Received Contaminated Polio Vaccine
Millions May Have Received Contaminated Polio Vaccine
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2005/1115/1
A polio vaccine produced by at least one eastern European manufacturer was contaminated with a potentially cancer-causing virus as late as 1978, according to a new study. Although most early batches of the vaccine contained this virus, modern manufacturing procedures were thought to have removed it by 1962. The findings indicate that millions more people were exposed to the risky virus than previously thought.
[foto] Contaminant. The SV40 virus has shown up in the polio vaccine stocks of an eastern European company.
CREDIT: CDC
Introduced in 1954, the polio vaccine was a public health breakthrough that brought the spread of the paralytic virus to a screeching halt. To produce enough poliovirus to make vaccine, manufacturers grew the virus in the kidney cells of rhesus monkeys. Unbeknownst to researchers at the time, rhesus monkeys are often infected with SV40, a virus that may cause cancer in humans. Poliovirus stocks made using monkey cells were soon nearly universally contaminated with SV40. Once the problem was discovered
in 1959, most manufacturers eliminated SV40 from their virus stocks with an anti-SV40 antiserum. One eastern European vaccine manufacturer (EEVM) and perhaps others, however, instead heated the virus mixture to inactivate SV40. To prevent future contamination, vaccine producers switched to growing poliovirus in SV40-resistant African green monkeys instead of rhesus monkeys.
Although these measures were widely believed to have been successful, no one had done a comprehensive analysis. So pathologist Michele Carbone of Loyola University in Chicago and colleagues tested stored samples from the EEVM and manufacturers in 12 other countries for SV40 contamination. As reported in the 15 November issue of Cancer Research, all stocks were negative for the virus except for several from the EEVM. The problems with the EEVM's vaccines likely persisted for more than a decade--an EEVM virus stock produced in 1966 and used through 1978 was positive for infectious SV40 virus. The researchers also demonstrated that the EEVM's heat inactivation technique does not adequately destroy SV40 and was the likely reason behind the continued contamination.
The effect of the contaminated vaccine on cancer rates is still largely unknown. While SV40 has been found in some human tumors, it is difficult to flag it as the cause of any particular cancer, says virologist Janet Butel of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. However, she says the Loyola study is well done and believes it will make scientists rethink the assumption that the polio vaccine was no longer contaminated with SV40 after 1962.
--KAREN ROSS
Update: More articles on this:
Chicago Tribune
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2005/1115/1
A polio vaccine produced by at least one eastern European manufacturer was contaminated with a potentially cancer-causing virus as late as 1978, according to a new study. Although most early batches of the vaccine contained this virus, modern manufacturing procedures were thought to have removed it by 1962. The findings indicate that millions more people were exposed to the risky virus than previously thought.
[foto] Contaminant. The SV40 virus has shown up in the polio vaccine stocks of an eastern European company.
CREDIT: CDC
Introduced in 1954, the polio vaccine was a public health breakthrough that brought the spread of the paralytic virus to a screeching halt. To produce enough poliovirus to make vaccine, manufacturers grew the virus in the kidney cells of rhesus monkeys. Unbeknownst to researchers at the time, rhesus monkeys are often infected with SV40, a virus that may cause cancer in humans. Poliovirus stocks made using monkey cells were soon nearly universally contaminated with SV40. Once the problem was discovered
in 1959, most manufacturers eliminated SV40 from their virus stocks with an anti-SV40 antiserum. One eastern European vaccine manufacturer (EEVM) and perhaps others, however, instead heated the virus mixture to inactivate SV40. To prevent future contamination, vaccine producers switched to growing poliovirus in SV40-resistant African green monkeys instead of rhesus monkeys.
Although these measures were widely believed to have been successful, no one had done a comprehensive analysis. So pathologist Michele Carbone of Loyola University in Chicago and colleagues tested stored samples from the EEVM and manufacturers in 12 other countries for SV40 contamination. As reported in the 15 November issue of Cancer Research, all stocks were negative for the virus except for several from the EEVM. The problems with the EEVM's vaccines likely persisted for more than a decade--an EEVM virus stock produced in 1966 and used through 1978 was positive for infectious SV40 virus. The researchers also demonstrated that the EEVM's heat inactivation technique does not adequately destroy SV40 and was the likely reason behind the continued contamination.
The effect of the contaminated vaccine on cancer rates is still largely unknown. While SV40 has been found in some human tumors, it is difficult to flag it as the cause of any particular cancer, says virologist Janet Butel of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. However, she says the Loyola study is well done and believes it will make scientists rethink the assumption that the polio vaccine was no longer contaminated with SV40 after 1962.
--KAREN ROSS
Update: More articles on this:
Chicago Tribune
NYT: EPA Rules on Mercury
Groups Propose Alternative to E.P.A. Rules on Mercury
From the NY Times
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 - Concerned that new federal standards on mercury emissions will not produce more immediate health benefits, two national groups of state and local air quality regulators have developed a plan to yield fewer emissions in less time.
The groups say at least 20 states have shown interest in the plan, which was conceived in response to complaints from environmentalists and some Democrats in Congress over federal rules to eliminate significant amounts of mercury from air and water.
Details of the plan are expected to be released Monday by the regulators' groups, the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials.
Coal-fired power plants in the United States emit about 48 tons of mercury a year, causing health risks that include developmental problems for fetuses and young children, largely through the consumption of fish. Currently, 45 states have fish advisories, warning their residents about mercury contamination in their waters.
In March, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first federal rules to control mercury emissions from power plants. Until then, the plants had been exempt from federal standards for sources of toxic emissions. The rules require a 21 percent reduction in mercury emissions within five years - a level that would not require new controls - and a reduction of 70 percent by 2018.
States are allowed to adopt their own emission reduction plans provided the plans exceed federal standards. The regulators' plan is designed to achieve reductions of at least 80 percent by 2008.
"Almost everybody agrees that the federal mercury control program is severely flawed," said Bill Becker, executive director of the two groups. "This is a very powerful tool, even if states don't adopt it in toto. It's a technologically feasible and cost effective alternative to the E.P.A. plan."
The regulators' concerns echo those raised by environmental groups and Democrats after the E.P.A. rules were adopted.
But the plan drew criticism from industry groups that have defended the E.P.A. rule, saying the costs for mercury controls would be passed on to consumers at a time when energy bills have risen with record prices for oil and natural gas.
Industry groups also say that control devices for mercury are not sufficient to produce the reductions promised by the regulators' plan and would result in a switch from coal to natural gas, which is cleaner but more costly.
One industry official, Scott Segal, said the current E.P.A. standard struck a balance between controlling emissions and controlling costs.
"If you play with that balance," said Mr. Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, "you're not going to get a lot more environmental bang for your buck, and you'll create severe consequences for people on fixed incomes."
Industry officials say that controls for other pollutants, like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, also reduce mercury emissions, which eases the need to install devices designed solely for mercury.
But the regulators contend that the cost issue is a scare tactic. They say the industry is unwilling to pay for plant upgrades for mercury after spending $150 million or more to meet federal standards for other pollutants.
David Foerter, executive director of the Institute of Clean Air Companies, a trade group representing the makers of pollution control devices, said mercury controls cost far less than those for other pollutants, about $1 million to install and about $2 million a year to maintain.
Mr. Becker, of the regulators' groups, said the alternative plan also rejected a crucial component of the new E.P.A. rules, a provision that allowed states that were below their mercury limits to sell credits to states that were over their limits.
"That only exacerbates existing problems and contributes to new hot spots," Mr. Becker said.
The plan being released Monday proposes two options. In one, power plants would be required to reduce mercury emissions by 80 percent by 2008 and by 90 percent to 95 percent by 2012.
The second option would require plants to achieve up to 95 percent reductions by 2008, but the plants could get four more years to comply by reducing the levels of other pollutants.
"What we've done," Mr. Becker said, "is help states find a middle ground that achieves more aggressive emission reductions, and there seems to be a lot of interest."
From the NY Times
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 - Concerned that new federal standards on mercury emissions will not produce more immediate health benefits, two national groups of state and local air quality regulators have developed a plan to yield fewer emissions in less time.
The groups say at least 20 states have shown interest in the plan, which was conceived in response to complaints from environmentalists and some Democrats in Congress over federal rules to eliminate significant amounts of mercury from air and water.
Details of the plan are expected to be released Monday by the regulators' groups, the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials.
Coal-fired power plants in the United States emit about 48 tons of mercury a year, causing health risks that include developmental problems for fetuses and young children, largely through the consumption of fish. Currently, 45 states have fish advisories, warning their residents about mercury contamination in their waters.
In March, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first federal rules to control mercury emissions from power plants. Until then, the plants had been exempt from federal standards for sources of toxic emissions. The rules require a 21 percent reduction in mercury emissions within five years - a level that would not require new controls - and a reduction of 70 percent by 2018.
States are allowed to adopt their own emission reduction plans provided the plans exceed federal standards. The regulators' plan is designed to achieve reductions of at least 80 percent by 2008.
"Almost everybody agrees that the federal mercury control program is severely flawed," said Bill Becker, executive director of the two groups. "This is a very powerful tool, even if states don't adopt it in toto. It's a technologically feasible and cost effective alternative to the E.P.A. plan."
The regulators' concerns echo those raised by environmental groups and Democrats after the E.P.A. rules were adopted.
But the plan drew criticism from industry groups that have defended the E.P.A. rule, saying the costs for mercury controls would be passed on to consumers at a time when energy bills have risen with record prices for oil and natural gas.
Industry groups also say that control devices for mercury are not sufficient to produce the reductions promised by the regulators' plan and would result in a switch from coal to natural gas, which is cleaner but more costly.
One industry official, Scott Segal, said the current E.P.A. standard struck a balance between controlling emissions and controlling costs.
"If you play with that balance," said Mr. Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, "you're not going to get a lot more environmental bang for your buck, and you'll create severe consequences for people on fixed incomes."
Industry officials say that controls for other pollutants, like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, also reduce mercury emissions, which eases the need to install devices designed solely for mercury.
But the regulators contend that the cost issue is a scare tactic. They say the industry is unwilling to pay for plant upgrades for mercury after spending $150 million or more to meet federal standards for other pollutants.
David Foerter, executive director of the Institute of Clean Air Companies, a trade group representing the makers of pollution control devices, said mercury controls cost far less than those for other pollutants, about $1 million to install and about $2 million a year to maintain.
Mr. Becker, of the regulators' groups, said the alternative plan also rejected a crucial component of the new E.P.A. rules, a provision that allowed states that were below their mercury limits to sell credits to states that were over their limits.
"That only exacerbates existing problems and contributes to new hot spots," Mr. Becker said.
The plan being released Monday proposes two options. In one, power plants would be required to reduce mercury emissions by 80 percent by 2008 and by 90 percent to 95 percent by 2012.
The second option would require plants to achieve up to 95 percent reductions by 2008, but the plants could get four more years to comply by reducing the levels of other pollutants.
"What we've done," Mr. Becker said, "is help states find a middle ground that achieves more aggressive emission reductions, and there seems to be a lot of interest."
European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance
European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance
The EFVV (European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance) are holding a press
conference in Brussels on the 21st November 2005. This conference is open
to all interested parties.
The EFVV has completed a 6 year study and collected over 1000 cases of
vaccine reaction. A report is available in FIVE languages, as paper copy or
CD. This report has been sent to various MEPs in October and have been
invited to the conference.
JABS calls on anyone interested in this subject to contact their own MEP and
ask them to attend this conference on their behalf.
The press conference will take place at:
Place: Restaurant " Le Vieux Saint-Martin",
38, place du Grand Sablon,
1000 Bruxelles (Belgique).
Time: 2.30pm
Date: Monday 21 November 2005
Press Conference with Mr Paul Lannoye, previous deputy of the
European Parliament; Mr Giorgio Tremante, author of the book " Majeur et
vacciné ou.le droit de vivre ? ", members of the EFVV; several victims of
vaccination and/or their parents.
www.efvv.org
A Letter From Le secrétariat du EFVV
Dear Sir or Madam,
The EFVV (European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance) has pleasure in inviting
you to a press conference on the theme of:
" Are we sufficiently aware of adverse reactions to vaccinations? ".
The EFVV is a European group comprised of parents' associations, doctors and
other practitioners who are concerned about undesirable secondary effects of
vaccinations.
The EFVV will present the results of our six-year study of adverse reactions
to vaccinations (collected from Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland and
the UK). The EFVV is presenting their report, in five languages, to the
President of the European Parliament and also to a number of MEPs.
Invited : - Mr Paul LANNOYE (Belgium), physicist and honorary European
deputy,
- Mr Giorgio TREMANTE (Italy), father of three children
damaged by vaccination. The death of two children, and the serious
disablement of the third, is remembered in Italy as a result of compulsory
vaccination.
- Several victims of vaccine-reaction.
Date : Monday 21st November 2005 at 2.30pm
Venue : "Le Vieux Saint-Martin",
38, place du Grand Sablon,
1000 Brussels
We would like to gain substantial media coverage because of the seriousness
of this subject, until now too often ignored. We would therefore greatly
appreciate your presence and participation in this debate. We sincerely hope
you will accept our invitation.
With our best wishes,
Le secrétariat du EFVV
Association Liberté Information Santé 19 rue de l'Argentière, F63200 Riom.
Tél +33 4 73 63 02 21
Liga para la Libertad de Vacunacion, Apartado de Correos 100 E17080 Girona
Fax +34 9 35 91 27 57
*************
Document for journalists
Who we are
The EFVV is a European group comprised of the following parents'
associations, doctors and other practitioners who are concerned about the
undesirable secondary effects of vaccines, and - in countries where
vaccination is compulsory - lack of freedom to choose:
· Association Liberté Information Santé (ALIS) (France)
· Liga para la Libertad de Vacunaciones (Spain)
· The Informed Parent (United Kingdom)
· Society of Homeopaths (United Kingdom)
· The Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (United Kingdom)
· Nederlandse Vereniging Kritisch Prikken (Holland)
· Stichting Vaccinatieschade (Holland)
· Groupe Médical de Réflexion sur les Vaccins (Switzerland)
· COMILVA (Italy)
· Associazione vittime dei vaccini (Italy)
· AEGIS (Luxembourg)
· LiSa (Germany)
§ Preventie vaccinatieschade (Belgium)
· Claude BERNARD (France), doctor of Sciences,
· Nelleke BRUCH (Pays-Bas), homeopath,
· Dr Kris GAUBLOMME (Belgique), GP, author of several books on
vaccination, president of Preventie Vaccinatieschade,
· Françoise JOET (France), teacher, president of ALIS, author of
several books on vaccination, editor in chief of the periodical " Le
Courrier d'ALIS ",
· Dr Danièle JOULIN (France), GP,
· Helen KIMBALL-BROOKE (United Kingdom), homeopath, member of the
Alliance of Registered Homeopaths,
· Lesley KING (United Kingdom), homeopath, member of the Society of
Homeopaths,
· Colette LEICK-WELTER (Germany), diploma in Natural Hygiene,
author,
· Dr Walter PANSINI (Italy), herbalist, president of COMILVA,
· Dr Jean PILETTE (Belgium), MD, author of books on vaccination,
· Dr Xavier URIARTE (Spain), ND, author of books on vaccination and
Natural Hygiene, advisor of the publication: " Vacunacion Libre ",
Our work on a European Level
Over six years the EFVV conducted a study of the secondary effects of
vaccinations, using a questionnaire translated into five languages, which
was made available to health practitioners and members of the public.
The analysis of the collected data is published in a REPORT, available in
five languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch), and also on a CD
which contains our complete work in all five langauages.
These documents show that, contrary to official information, secondary
effects of vaccinations are:
Much more frequent,
Much more serious,
More numerous with successive vaccinations,
Responsible for the onset of new and more complex degenerative
pathologies
(fibromyalgia, diabetes, autism, many different auto immune
illnesses .),
Usually dismissed by medical staff, remaining unreported.
Our suggestions
· Exhaustive information on the secondary effects of vaccination
should be made available to everyone,
· The setting up of a strict, independent vaccinovigilance that
collects all side effects from vaccination,
· Victims of vaccination-damage should automatically receive
compensation, irrespective of who they are,
· Laws that guarantee fundamental rights should be respected,
· Absence of discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated
people (school, work,
services.)
· Abolition of compulsory vaccination.
Our actions
· Contact with the European Parliament
We have sent copies of our REPORT and CDs to the President of the European
Parliament, to the committees, to the President and to the Vice-Presidents
of three commissions of the European Parliament as well as to certain
members of the following:
Commission for Civil Rights, Justice and Interior Affairs;
Commission for the Environment, Public Health and Food Security;
Commission for the Interior Market and Consumer Protection.
The EFVV (European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance) are holding a press
conference in Brussels on the 21st November 2005. This conference is open
to all interested parties.
The EFVV has completed a 6 year study and collected over 1000 cases of
vaccine reaction. A report is available in FIVE languages, as paper copy or
CD. This report has been sent to various MEPs in October and have been
invited to the conference.
JABS calls on anyone interested in this subject to contact their own MEP and
ask them to attend this conference on their behalf.
The press conference will take place at:
Place: Restaurant " Le Vieux Saint-Martin",
38, place du Grand Sablon,
1000 Bruxelles (Belgique).
Time: 2.30pm
Date: Monday 21 November 2005
Press Conference with Mr Paul Lannoye, previous deputy of the
European Parliament; Mr Giorgio Tremante, author of the book " Majeur et
vacciné ou.le droit de vivre ? ", members of the EFVV; several victims of
vaccination and/or their parents.
www.efvv.org
A Letter From Le secrétariat du EFVV
Dear Sir or Madam,
The EFVV (European Forum for Vaccine Vigilance) has pleasure in inviting
you to a press conference on the theme of:
" Are we sufficiently aware of adverse reactions to vaccinations? ".
The EFVV is a European group comprised of parents' associations, doctors and
other practitioners who are concerned about undesirable secondary effects of
vaccinations.
The EFVV will present the results of our six-year study of adverse reactions
to vaccinations (collected from Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland and
the UK). The EFVV is presenting their report, in five languages, to the
President of the European Parliament and also to a number of MEPs.
Invited : - Mr Paul LANNOYE (Belgium), physicist and honorary European
deputy,
- Mr Giorgio TREMANTE (Italy), father of three children
damaged by vaccination. The death of two children, and the serious
disablement of the third, is remembered in Italy as a result of compulsory
vaccination.
- Several victims of vaccine-reaction.
Date : Monday 21st November 2005 at 2.30pm
Venue : "Le Vieux Saint-Martin",
38, place du Grand Sablon,
1000 Brussels
We would like to gain substantial media coverage because of the seriousness
of this subject, until now too often ignored. We would therefore greatly
appreciate your presence and participation in this debate. We sincerely hope
you will accept our invitation.
With our best wishes,
Le secrétariat du EFVV
Association Liberté Information Santé 19 rue de l'Argentière, F63200 Riom.
Tél +33 4 73 63 02 21
Liga para la Libertad de Vacunacion, Apartado de Correos 100 E17080 Girona
Fax +34 9 35 91 27 57
*************
Document for journalists
Who we are
The EFVV is a European group comprised of the following parents'
associations, doctors and other practitioners who are concerned about the
undesirable secondary effects of vaccines, and - in countries where
vaccination is compulsory - lack of freedom to choose:
· Association Liberté Information Santé (ALIS) (France)
· Liga para la Libertad de Vacunaciones (Spain)
· The Informed Parent (United Kingdom)
· Society of Homeopaths (United Kingdom)
· The Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (United Kingdom)
· Nederlandse Vereniging Kritisch Prikken (Holland)
· Stichting Vaccinatieschade (Holland)
· Groupe Médical de Réflexion sur les Vaccins (Switzerland)
· COMILVA (Italy)
· Associazione vittime dei vaccini (Italy)
· AEGIS (Luxembourg)
· LiSa (Germany)
§ Preventie vaccinatieschade (Belgium)
· Claude BERNARD (France), doctor of Sciences,
· Nelleke BRUCH (Pays-Bas), homeopath,
· Dr Kris GAUBLOMME (Belgique), GP, author of several books on
vaccination, president of Preventie Vaccinatieschade,
· Françoise JOET (France), teacher, president of ALIS, author of
several books on vaccination, editor in chief of the periodical " Le
Courrier d'ALIS ",
· Dr Danièle JOULIN (France), GP,
· Helen KIMBALL-BROOKE (United Kingdom), homeopath, member of the
Alliance of Registered Homeopaths,
· Lesley KING (United Kingdom), homeopath, member of the Society of
Homeopaths,
· Colette LEICK-WELTER (Germany), diploma in Natural Hygiene,
author,
· Dr Walter PANSINI (Italy), herbalist, president of COMILVA,
· Dr Jean PILETTE (Belgium), MD, author of books on vaccination,
· Dr Xavier URIARTE (Spain), ND, author of books on vaccination and
Natural Hygiene, advisor of the publication: " Vacunacion Libre ",
Our work on a European Level
Over six years the EFVV conducted a study of the secondary effects of
vaccinations, using a questionnaire translated into five languages, which
was made available to health practitioners and members of the public.
The analysis of the collected data is published in a REPORT, available in
five languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch), and also on a CD
which contains our complete work in all five langauages.
These documents show that, contrary to official information, secondary
effects of vaccinations are:
Much more frequent,
Much more serious,
More numerous with successive vaccinations,
Responsible for the onset of new and more complex degenerative
pathologies
(fibromyalgia, diabetes, autism, many different auto immune
illnesses .),
Usually dismissed by medical staff, remaining unreported.
Our suggestions
· Exhaustive information on the secondary effects of vaccination
should be made available to everyone,
· The setting up of a strict, independent vaccinovigilance that
collects all side effects from vaccination,
· Victims of vaccination-damage should automatically receive
compensation, irrespective of who they are,
· Laws that guarantee fundamental rights should be respected,
· Absence of discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated
people (school, work,
services.)
· Abolition of compulsory vaccination.
Our actions
· Contact with the European Parliament
We have sent copies of our REPORT and CDs to the President of the European
Parliament, to the committees, to the President and to the Vice-Presidents
of three commissions of the European Parliament as well as to certain
members of the following:
Commission for Civil Rights, Justice and Interior Affairs;
Commission for the Environment, Public Health and Food Security;
Commission for the Interior Market and Consumer Protection.
November 15, 2005
Alert: Protect Vaccine-Injured Children's Rights
From the National Autism Association:
EMERGENCY ALERT!
POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN
WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN SWARM WASHINGTON WITH PHONES CALLS TO PROTECT VACCINE-INJURED CHILDREN’S RIGHTS!!!
Ø Pharmaceutical Liability Protection Language is now EVERYWHERE in pending legislation on Capitol Hill, and it’s getting worse by the minute.
Ø We need to get on the phones today, tomorrow, and Thursday to fight the most sweeping threat so far to our children’s rights.
Ø THIS IS WORSE THAN THE FRIST LEGISLATION. OUR CHILDREN WILL GET NOTHING.
Ø Our sources in Washington tell us that Pharma-protection language will be inserted into as much legislation as possible between now and Thursday. There are already ten different bills on Capitol Hill -- S3, S975, S1437, S1828, S1873, S1880, HR650, HR3154, HR3970, HR4245 -- that contain provisions which will let drug companies off the hook for injuries resulting from vaccines and other products.
Ø Other appropriations bills are being considered for similar provisions. If the provisions are attached to an appropriations bill WE CANNOT STOP IT!!!
HERE’S WHAT WE DO:
THE POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN.
Ø Get on the phone ASAP!!!
Ø Our ONLY defense is to prevent anything from being attached!
Ø Tell the legislators listed below plus your own senator and representative that they must not support any of the bills that take away your child’s rights and that you demand that drug companies not be rewarded for their disregard for safety.
Ø Remind them that their constituents are watching them very closely and will remember who supports the children, and who supports Big Pharma. They cannot have it both ways—they are either for our injured children, or they are against them.
Time is of the essence and it ties up their phone lines.
The results are immediate.
If you have time for faxing, below is a sample letter you can change to fit your situation, or just write your own brief note.
We need everyone possible to get involved—in-laws, neighbors, friends, and anyone else you can think of. Send this action alert to everyone in your address book. This is their best chance. WE MUST STOP THEM!
We will send out updates on the situation on Capitol Hill as we receive them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Senator _________:
VOTE YES to helping vaccine-injured children and NO to pharmaceutical companies.
I am aware of at least ten bills that already contain language that will severely limit the rights of my injured child and understand that even more bills are being targeted for similar provisions and will be slipped in like the Homeland Security Provisions. If any one of these bills is allowed to pass, my child’s right to have his day in court will forever vanish, all in the name of corporate greed.
As a citizen, voter and parent of a vaccine-injured child, I am appalled at the overwhelming amount of legislation currently on the table that will allow complete immunity to the very industry that has caused tremendous pain to my entire family.
I urge you to place the interests of injured children above those of the pharmaceutical industry. Along with hundreds of thousands of voters across the country, I realize that an industry already known for placing profit over safety will no longer have any incentive whatsoever to be concerned about injuries from their products should any of these various bills pass.
All of us parents of vaccine-injured children will be watching the actions of our legislators very carefully regarding all the relevant bills. Either you support the interests of injured children, or you support those of the drug industry. Those in the latter category will be pointed out to the media as an enemy of our injured children, and a protector and promoter of corporate greed.
I urge you to do all in your power to see that none of the bills that take away my child’s rights are passed. I am also contacting the local and national media today.
Sincerely,
_____________
CALL ALL of these Senators (and one House Member) ASAP!!!
Senator Thad Cochran (MS) (Chairman) Phone: (202) 224-5054 Fax: (202) 224-9450
Senator Ted Stevens (AK) Phone: (202) 224-3004 Fax:(202) 224-2354
Senator Arlen Specter (PA) Phone: 202-224-4254 Fax: 202-228-1229
Senator Pete Domenici (NM) Phone: (202) 224-6621 Fax: (202) 228-3261
Senator Christopher Bond (MO) Phone: (202) 224-5721 Fax: (202) 224-8149
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) Phone: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499
Senator Richard Shelby (AL) Phone: (202) 224-5744 Fax: (202) 224-3416
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) Phone: (202) 224 – 3324 Fax: (202) 224 - 4952
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) Phone: 202-224-5922 Fax: 202-224-0776
Senator Conrad Burns (MT) Phone: 202-224-2644 Fax: 202-224-8594
Sen. Daniel Inouye (Ranking Member) (HI) Phone: 202-224-3934 Fax: 202-224-6747
Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV) Phone: 202-224-3954 Fax: 202-228-0002
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) Phone: 202-224-4242 Fax: 202-224-3479
Senator Tom Harkin (IA) Phone: (202) 224-3254 Fax: (202) 224-9369
Senator Byron Dorgan (ND) Phone: 202-224-2551 Fax: 202-224-1193
Senator Richard Durbin (IL) Phone: (202) 224-2152 Fax: (202) 228-0400
Senator Harry Reid (NV) Phone: 202-224-3542 Fax: 202-224-7327
Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) Phone: (202) 224-3841 Fax: (202) 228-3954
Senator Barbara Milkulski (MD) Phone: 202-224-4654 Fax: 202-224-8858
Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA) Phone: 202-224-4543 Fax: 202-224-2417
Sen. Olympia Snowe (ME) DC Phone: 202-224-5344 Fax: 202-224-1946
Sen. Susan Collins (ME) Phone: 202-224-2523 Fax: 202-224-2693
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) Phone: 202-224-4822 Fax: 202-228-0325
Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (RI) Phone: 202-224-2921 Fax: 202-228-2853
Sen. John McCain (AZ) Phone: 202-224-2235 Fax: 202-228-2862
Sen. Lindsay Graham DC Phone: 202-224-5972 Fax: 202-224-3808
Congressman Jerry Lewis (Chair, House Appropriations) Phone: 202-225-3801 Fax: 202-225-0351
EMERGENCY ALERT!
POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN
WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN SWARM WASHINGTON WITH PHONES CALLS TO PROTECT VACCINE-INJURED CHILDREN’S RIGHTS!!!
Ø Pharmaceutical Liability Protection Language is now EVERYWHERE in pending legislation on Capitol Hill, and it’s getting worse by the minute.
Ø We need to get on the phones today, tomorrow, and Thursday to fight the most sweeping threat so far to our children’s rights.
Ø THIS IS WORSE THAN THE FRIST LEGISLATION. OUR CHILDREN WILL GET NOTHING.
Ø Our sources in Washington tell us that Pharma-protection language will be inserted into as much legislation as possible between now and Thursday. There are already ten different bills on Capitol Hill -- S3, S975, S1437, S1828, S1873, S1880, HR650, HR3154, HR3970, HR4245 -- that contain provisions which will let drug companies off the hook for injuries resulting from vaccines and other products.
Ø Other appropriations bills are being considered for similar provisions. If the provisions are attached to an appropriations bill WE CANNOT STOP IT!!!
HERE’S WHAT WE DO:
THE POWER OF PARENTS CALL-IN CAMPAIGN.
Ø Get on the phone ASAP!!!
Ø Our ONLY defense is to prevent anything from being attached!
Ø Tell the legislators listed below plus your own senator and representative that they must not support any of the bills that take away your child’s rights and that you demand that drug companies not be rewarded for their disregard for safety.
Ø Remind them that their constituents are watching them very closely and will remember who supports the children, and who supports Big Pharma. They cannot have it both ways—they are either for our injured children, or they are against them.
Time is of the essence and it ties up their phone lines.
The results are immediate.
If you have time for faxing, below is a sample letter you can change to fit your situation, or just write your own brief note.
We need everyone possible to get involved—in-laws, neighbors, friends, and anyone else you can think of. Send this action alert to everyone in your address book. This is their best chance. WE MUST STOP THEM!
We will send out updates on the situation on Capitol Hill as we receive them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Senator _________:
VOTE YES to helping vaccine-injured children and NO to pharmaceutical companies.
I am aware of at least ten bills that already contain language that will severely limit the rights of my injured child and understand that even more bills are being targeted for similar provisions and will be slipped in like the Homeland Security Provisions. If any one of these bills is allowed to pass, my child’s right to have his day in court will forever vanish, all in the name of corporate greed.
As a citizen, voter and parent of a vaccine-injured child, I am appalled at the overwhelming amount of legislation currently on the table that will allow complete immunity to the very industry that has caused tremendous pain to my entire family.
I urge you to place the interests of injured children above those of the pharmaceutical industry. Along with hundreds of thousands of voters across the country, I realize that an industry already known for placing profit over safety will no longer have any incentive whatsoever to be concerned about injuries from their products should any of these various bills pass.
All of us parents of vaccine-injured children will be watching the actions of our legislators very carefully regarding all the relevant bills. Either you support the interests of injured children, or you support those of the drug industry. Those in the latter category will be pointed out to the media as an enemy of our injured children, and a protector and promoter of corporate greed.
I urge you to do all in your power to see that none of the bills that take away my child’s rights are passed. I am also contacting the local and national media today.
Sincerely,
_____________
CALL ALL of these Senators (and one House Member) ASAP!!!
Senator Thad Cochran (MS) (Chairman) Phone: (202) 224-5054 Fax: (202) 224-9450
Senator Ted Stevens (AK) Phone: (202) 224-3004 Fax:(202) 224-2354
Senator Arlen Specter (PA) Phone: 202-224-4254 Fax: 202-228-1229
Senator Pete Domenici (NM) Phone: (202) 224-6621 Fax: (202) 228-3261
Senator Christopher Bond (MO) Phone: (202) 224-5721 Fax: (202) 224-8149
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) Phone: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499
Senator Richard Shelby (AL) Phone: (202) 224-5744 Fax: (202) 224-3416
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) Phone: (202) 224 – 3324 Fax: (202) 224 - 4952
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) Phone: 202-224-5922 Fax: 202-224-0776
Senator Conrad Burns (MT) Phone: 202-224-2644 Fax: 202-224-8594
Sen. Daniel Inouye (Ranking Member) (HI) Phone: 202-224-3934 Fax: 202-224-6747
Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV) Phone: 202-224-3954 Fax: 202-228-0002
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) Phone: 202-224-4242 Fax: 202-224-3479
Senator Tom Harkin (IA) Phone: (202) 224-3254 Fax: (202) 224-9369
Senator Byron Dorgan (ND) Phone: 202-224-2551 Fax: 202-224-1193
Senator Richard Durbin (IL) Phone: (202) 224-2152 Fax: (202) 228-0400
Senator Harry Reid (NV) Phone: 202-224-3542 Fax: 202-224-7327
Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) Phone: (202) 224-3841 Fax: (202) 228-3954
Senator Barbara Milkulski (MD) Phone: 202-224-4654 Fax: 202-224-8858
Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA) Phone: 202-224-4543 Fax: 202-224-2417
Sen. Olympia Snowe (ME) DC Phone: 202-224-5344 Fax: 202-224-1946
Sen. Susan Collins (ME) Phone: 202-224-2523 Fax: 202-224-2693
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) Phone: 202-224-4822 Fax: 202-228-0325
Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (RI) Phone: 202-224-2921 Fax: 202-228-2853
Sen. John McCain (AZ) Phone: 202-224-2235 Fax: 202-228-2862
Sen. Lindsay Graham DC Phone: 202-224-5972 Fax: 202-224-3808
Congressman Jerry Lewis (Chair, House Appropriations) Phone: 202-225-3801 Fax: 202-225-0351
Myelin. Gotta Have it.
Breakdown of myelin insulation in brain's wiring implicated in childhood developmental disorders
Evidence of myelination as neural Achilles’ heel grows
New evidence points to production of myelin, a fatty insulation coating the brain's internal wiring, as a neural Achilles' heel early in life.
An upcoming application of a novel model of human brain development and degeneration pioneered by a UCLA neuroscientist identifies disruption of myelination as a key neurobiological component behind childhood developmental disorders and addictive behaviors.
Detailed in an article in press with the upcoming annual peer-reviewed publication Adolescent Psychiatry (Hillsdale, N.J.; The Analytic Press Inc.; 2005) the analysis suggests that many factors can disrupt myelination and contribute to or worsen disorders such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia.
In addition, the analysis suggests that alcohol and other drugs of abuse have toxic effects on the myelination process in some adolescents, contributing to poor treatment outcomes and exacerbating co-existing psychiatric disorders.
Author Dr. George Bartzokis, a professor of neurology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, concludes that the high incidence of impulsive behaviors that characterize the teen years as well as many psychiatric disorders that occur in the teens and 20s are related to incomplete myelination of inhibitory "stop" brain circuits, while the "go" circuits become fully functional earlier in development. These inhibitory circuits are not on line to quickly interrupt high-risk behaviors that are so prevalent in teens and young adults.
"Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the most important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature and age," said Bartzokis, who directs the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
"Environmental toxins, genetic predispositions and even diet appear to influence and sometimes disrupt this process," he added. "By shifting our research focus to medications that act on brain metabolism and development, as opposed to brain neurotransmitter chemistry, neuroscientists will likely find a wealth of novel opportunities for addressing the cause of brain disease rather than simply the symptoms."
Myelin is a sheet of lipid, or fat, with very high cholesterol content -- the highest of any brain tissue. The high cholesterol content allows myelin to wrap tightly around axons, speeding messages through the brain by insulating these neural "wire" connections.
Bartzokis' analysis of magnetic resonance images and post-mortem tissue data suggests that the production of myelin is a key component of brain development through childhood and well into middle age, when development peaks and deterioration begins (Neurobiology of Aging, January 2004). He also identifies the midlife breakdown of myelin as a key to onset of Alzheimer's disease later in life (Archives of Neurology, March 2003; Neurobiology of Aging, August 2004).
"This model of a lifelong trajectory of brain development and degeneration embraces the human brain as a high-speed Internet rather than a computer," Bartzokis said. "The speed, quality, and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain's ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the insulation that coats the brain's connecting wires."
###
Funders for the research include the National Institute of Mental Health, the Research and Psychiatry Services of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Aging Alzheimer's Disease Center, and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of California.
The UCLA Department of Neurology encompasses more than a dozen research, clinical and teaching programs. These programs cover brain mapping and neuroimaging, movement disorders, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurogenetics, nerve and muscle disorders, epilepsy, neuro-oncology, neurotology, neuropsychology, headaches and migraines, neurorehabilitation, and neurovascular disorders. The department ranks No. 2 among its peers nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding.
The Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) at UCLA, directed by Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings, was established in 1991 by a grant from the National Institute on Aging. Together with grants from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of California grant and the Sidell Kagan Foundation, the center provides a mechanism for integrating, coordinating and supporting new and on-going research by established investigators in Alzheimer's disease and aging. The Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic of the ADRC is an evaluation clinic for individuals over the age of 45 who are experiencing mild but gradually progressing cognitive or memory declines that are not related to other brain diseases such as strokes, tumors, infection, metabolic abnormalities, psychiatric disease or trauma.
Additional online resources:
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: http://www.medsch.ucla.edu/
UCLA Department of Neurology: http://neurology.medsch.ucla.edu/
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA: http://www.adc.ucla.edu/
Evidence of myelination as neural Achilles’ heel grows
New evidence points to production of myelin, a fatty insulation coating the brain's internal wiring, as a neural Achilles' heel early in life.
An upcoming application of a novel model of human brain development and degeneration pioneered by a UCLA neuroscientist identifies disruption of myelination as a key neurobiological component behind childhood developmental disorders and addictive behaviors.
Detailed in an article in press with the upcoming annual peer-reviewed publication Adolescent Psychiatry (Hillsdale, N.J.; The Analytic Press Inc.; 2005) the analysis suggests that many factors can disrupt myelination and contribute to or worsen disorders such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia.
In addition, the analysis suggests that alcohol and other drugs of abuse have toxic effects on the myelination process in some adolescents, contributing to poor treatment outcomes and exacerbating co-existing psychiatric disorders.
Author Dr. George Bartzokis, a professor of neurology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, concludes that the high incidence of impulsive behaviors that characterize the teen years as well as many psychiatric disorders that occur in the teens and 20s are related to incomplete myelination of inhibitory "stop" brain circuits, while the "go" circuits become fully functional earlier in development. These inhibitory circuits are not on line to quickly interrupt high-risk behaviors that are so prevalent in teens and young adults.
"Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in humans, arguably is the most important and most vulnerable process of brain development as we mature and age," said Bartzokis, who directs the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic and the Clinical Core of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
"Environmental toxins, genetic predispositions and even diet appear to influence and sometimes disrupt this process," he added. "By shifting our research focus to medications that act on brain metabolism and development, as opposed to brain neurotransmitter chemistry, neuroscientists will likely find a wealth of novel opportunities for addressing the cause of brain disease rather than simply the symptoms."
Myelin is a sheet of lipid, or fat, with very high cholesterol content -- the highest of any brain tissue. The high cholesterol content allows myelin to wrap tightly around axons, speeding messages through the brain by insulating these neural "wire" connections.
Bartzokis' analysis of magnetic resonance images and post-mortem tissue data suggests that the production of myelin is a key component of brain development through childhood and well into middle age, when development peaks and deterioration begins (Neurobiology of Aging, January 2004). He also identifies the midlife breakdown of myelin as a key to onset of Alzheimer's disease later in life (Archives of Neurology, March 2003; Neurobiology of Aging, August 2004).
"This model of a lifelong trajectory of brain development and degeneration embraces the human brain as a high-speed Internet rather than a computer," Bartzokis said. "The speed, quality, and bandwidth of the connections determine the brain's ability to process information, and all these depend in large part on the insulation that coats the brain's connecting wires."
###
Funders for the research include the National Institute of Mental Health, the Research and Psychiatry Services of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Aging Alzheimer's Disease Center, and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of California.
The UCLA Department of Neurology encompasses more than a dozen research, clinical and teaching programs. These programs cover brain mapping and neuroimaging, movement disorders, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurogenetics, nerve and muscle disorders, epilepsy, neuro-oncology, neurotology, neuropsychology, headaches and migraines, neurorehabilitation, and neurovascular disorders. The department ranks No. 2 among its peers nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding.
The Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) at UCLA, directed by Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings, was established in 1991 by a grant from the National Institute on Aging. Together with grants from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of California grant and the Sidell Kagan Foundation, the center provides a mechanism for integrating, coordinating and supporting new and on-going research by established investigators in Alzheimer's disease and aging. The Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic of the ADRC is an evaluation clinic for individuals over the age of 45 who are experiencing mild but gradually progressing cognitive or memory declines that are not related to other brain diseases such as strokes, tumors, infection, metabolic abnormalities, psychiatric disease or trauma.
Additional online resources:
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA: http://www.medsch.ucla.edu/
UCLA Department of Neurology: http://neurology.medsch.ucla.edu/
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA: http://www.adc.ucla.edu/
Price Gouging for Hg Free Flu Shots
Mercury-free flu shots more than double the price of a regular shot
BY KIMBERLY NICOLETTI
summit daily news
November 14, 2005
Comment Comments (0) Print Friendly Print Email Email
SUMMIT COUNTY - Mercury-free flu shots are hard to find in the High Country, and the closest clinic is charging more than double the price of a regular flu shot.
None of the Summit County clinics offer mercury-free shots this season, but High Country Health Care will offer them next season, said CEO Dennis Flint.
Colorado Mountain Medical in Edwards does offer the preservative-free flu shots this season. It charges $52 for a single-dose mercury-free shot, as opposed to $21 for the regular flu shot. Shots for infants age 6 to 35 months old cost $104 because they initially receive a half dose, then get the other half a month later, said April Heredia, human resources personnel for Colorado Mountain Medical.
The clinic buys the flu shots from Sanofi Pasteur, who charges about $3 more per dose for its mercury-free shot than it does its regular flu shot. A single-dose regular flu shot costs clinics $9.95, and a single-dose mercury-free shot costs clinics $13.25, said Len Lavenda, spokesperson for Sanofi Pasteur.
"What it boils down to is our administration fee," Heredia said, explaining why patients pay so much more for mercury-free flu shots than regular flu shots.
She declined to comment on why the mercury-free adult shot costs more in fees than the regular adult flu shot when it takes the same time to administer. She pointed out that the shot for infants required two visits. However, the clinic charges double the adult fee for the two half-dose shots.
Demand has increased for mercury-free flu shots, which are made without a preservative called thimerosal that contains mercury. This season, about 6 million to 8 million doses of mercury-free vaccines are available nationwide. Last season, manufacturers released 3.2 million doses.
"We didn't realize there was such a demand, but now we've got a lot of pregnant women upset with (clinics) charging so much," Flint said.
Some parents worry about mercury levels in vaccinations. A 0.5 ml dose of a vaccine such as Fluvirin, Flushield and Fluzone contains 25 micrograms of mercury, far beyond the FDA's limit of 1 microgram per gram allowed in food, according to Justin Pollack, a Frisco naturopath, and Medscape.com., a website geared toward physicians.
Mercury in vaccines is mainly a "potential concern" for infants and young children, said Lola Scott Russell, senior press officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC conducted a study using computerized data from three HMOs to see if there was an association between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders. It published results in 2003, saying it found no consistent significant associations across the HMOs. It is funding a follow-up study and expects results by next year, according to the CDC website.
In July, 1999, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine manufacturers agreed thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure, according to the website. Other vaccines for children do not contain thimerosal.
High Country Health Care charges $25 for its regular flu shots, and Flint said the mercury-free flu shots it will offer next season will cost patients the same, as long as manufacturers' prices remain constant.
Kimberly Nicoletti can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13624, or at knicoletti@summitdaily.com.
BY KIMBERLY NICOLETTI
summit daily news
November 14, 2005
Comment Comments (0) Print Friendly Print Email Email
SUMMIT COUNTY - Mercury-free flu shots are hard to find in the High Country, and the closest clinic is charging more than double the price of a regular flu shot.
None of the Summit County clinics offer mercury-free shots this season, but High Country Health Care will offer them next season, said CEO Dennis Flint.
Colorado Mountain Medical in Edwards does offer the preservative-free flu shots this season. It charges $52 for a single-dose mercury-free shot, as opposed to $21 for the regular flu shot. Shots for infants age 6 to 35 months old cost $104 because they initially receive a half dose, then get the other half a month later, said April Heredia, human resources personnel for Colorado Mountain Medical.
The clinic buys the flu shots from Sanofi Pasteur, who charges about $3 more per dose for its mercury-free shot than it does its regular flu shot. A single-dose regular flu shot costs clinics $9.95, and a single-dose mercury-free shot costs clinics $13.25, said Len Lavenda, spokesperson for Sanofi Pasteur.
"What it boils down to is our administration fee," Heredia said, explaining why patients pay so much more for mercury-free flu shots than regular flu shots.
She declined to comment on why the mercury-free adult shot costs more in fees than the regular adult flu shot when it takes the same time to administer. She pointed out that the shot for infants required two visits. However, the clinic charges double the adult fee for the two half-dose shots.
Demand has increased for mercury-free flu shots, which are made without a preservative called thimerosal that contains mercury. This season, about 6 million to 8 million doses of mercury-free vaccines are available nationwide. Last season, manufacturers released 3.2 million doses.
"We didn't realize there was such a demand, but now we've got a lot of pregnant women upset with (clinics) charging so much," Flint said.
Some parents worry about mercury levels in vaccinations. A 0.5 ml dose of a vaccine such as Fluvirin, Flushield and Fluzone contains 25 micrograms of mercury, far beyond the FDA's limit of 1 microgram per gram allowed in food, according to Justin Pollack, a Frisco naturopath, and Medscape.com., a website geared toward physicians.
Mercury in vaccines is mainly a "potential concern" for infants and young children, said Lola Scott Russell, senior press officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC conducted a study using computerized data from three HMOs to see if there was an association between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders. It published results in 2003, saying it found no consistent significant associations across the HMOs. It is funding a follow-up study and expects results by next year, according to the CDC website.
In July, 1999, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine manufacturers agreed thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure, according to the website. Other vaccines for children do not contain thimerosal.
High Country Health Care charges $25 for its regular flu shots, and Flint said the mercury-free flu shots it will offer next season will cost patients the same, as long as manufacturers' prices remain constant.
Kimberly Nicoletti can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13624, or at knicoletti@summitdaily.com.
Weldon Weighs In
Compensation and safety essential to immunization
By Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.)
The Hill
The year: 1976. The last time our nation faced the serious threat of a nationwide flu epidemic.
The administration mobilized the vaccine industry, Congress provided liability protection, and more than 150 million doses of swine-flu vaccine were produced to inoculate all Americans.
Only three weeks into that vaccination campaign, the city of Pittsburgh suspended all vaccinations because of public fears that the deaths of three elderly vaccine recipients were linked to the vaccine. As nationwide reports of other adverse reactions surfaced, the nation’s vaccination campaign came to a screeching halt after only a fraction of Americans had been immunized.
Fortunately, the deadly swine-flu epidemic in 1976 never materialized. Though most Americans did not receive a swine-flu vaccination, only one death was attributed to swine flu.
For today, the question is: What lessons have we learned from history should an avian flu pandemic hit our nation in the next few years? Will we escape as easily?
The administration’s influenza-pandemic preparedness plan involves expanding vaccine manufacturing capacity and stockpiling essential medical supplies, including anti-viral drugs. As was the case in 1976, an essential component of this preparedness plan involves liability protection for vaccine manufacturers.
However, we in Congress must recognize that by indemnifying manufacturers we are assuming responsibility for problems that will undoubtedly emerge in the course of seeking to protect Americans under such extraordinary circumstances. We must accept this responsibility with integrity by (1) ensuring that the safety of pandemic countermeasures is independently researched and reviewed and (2) by providing fair compensation for individuals who experience adverse reactions to the vaccines or drugs they receive.
Liability protection for industry must be accompanied by an independent, robust vaccine-safety research program and a fair compensation program prior to an outbreak of pandemic influenza. This will help give both the manufacturers and the public the confidence they need to participate fully in our nation’s preparedness plans. Had all of these elements been in place before undertaking the swine-flu vaccination program in 1976, that program might not have been terminated.
Research later demonstrated that the 1976 deaths of the three elderly vaccine recipients from Pittsburgh were unrelated to the vaccine, but the data emerged far too late to salvage the vaccine campaign. Investing now in a robust and independent vaccine-safety infrastructure, like that contained in H.R. 4245, will provide the tools necessary for answering future public concerns more thoroughly and efficiently.
The swine-flu vaccination campaign was also undermined by nationwide reports of a rare neurological condition known as Gullian-Barré syndrome (GBS) in vaccine recipients. A scientifically credible research enterprise dedicated to understanding the varied responses to vaccines and other countermeasures may allow us to better discern genuine adverse reactions. Developing screening tools to identify those most at risk for adverse reactions will further assure the public that the federal government is taking these safety issues seriously.
Furthermore, considering the growing concerns that some Americans have about routine vaccinations, we must recognize that building public confidence requires that the countermeasure-safety research program be completely independent of those recommending and administering the countermeasures and free from conflicts of interest.
With these components in place — liability protection, fair compensation and a robust, independent safety research program — we will be appropriately recognizing the risk both industry and individuals will be taking to protect our nation from the threat of a deadly pandemic.
It would be a mistake to implement plans to combat pandemic influenza without also building public confidence. One hundred million doses of swine-flu vaccine went to waste in 1976 because public confidence disappeared. In a true pandemic, we cannot afford to have our carefully planned and coordinated response similarly stopped dead in its tracks because we took public confidence for granted.
Weldon, a doctor, is a member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and the Science, State, Justice and Commerce subcommittees on Appropriations.
By Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.)
The Hill
The year: 1976. The last time our nation faced the serious threat of a nationwide flu epidemic.
The administration mobilized the vaccine industry, Congress provided liability protection, and more than 150 million doses of swine-flu vaccine were produced to inoculate all Americans.
Only three weeks into that vaccination campaign, the city of Pittsburgh suspended all vaccinations because of public fears that the deaths of three elderly vaccine recipients were linked to the vaccine. As nationwide reports of other adverse reactions surfaced, the nation’s vaccination campaign came to a screeching halt after only a fraction of Americans had been immunized.
Fortunately, the deadly swine-flu epidemic in 1976 never materialized. Though most Americans did not receive a swine-flu vaccination, only one death was attributed to swine flu.
For today, the question is: What lessons have we learned from history should an avian flu pandemic hit our nation in the next few years? Will we escape as easily?
The administration’s influenza-pandemic preparedness plan involves expanding vaccine manufacturing capacity and stockpiling essential medical supplies, including anti-viral drugs. As was the case in 1976, an essential component of this preparedness plan involves liability protection for vaccine manufacturers.
However, we in Congress must recognize that by indemnifying manufacturers we are assuming responsibility for problems that will undoubtedly emerge in the course of seeking to protect Americans under such extraordinary circumstances. We must accept this responsibility with integrity by (1) ensuring that the safety of pandemic countermeasures is independently researched and reviewed and (2) by providing fair compensation for individuals who experience adverse reactions to the vaccines or drugs they receive.
Liability protection for industry must be accompanied by an independent, robust vaccine-safety research program and a fair compensation program prior to an outbreak of pandemic influenza. This will help give both the manufacturers and the public the confidence they need to participate fully in our nation’s preparedness plans. Had all of these elements been in place before undertaking the swine-flu vaccination program in 1976, that program might not have been terminated.
Research later demonstrated that the 1976 deaths of the three elderly vaccine recipients from Pittsburgh were unrelated to the vaccine, but the data emerged far too late to salvage the vaccine campaign. Investing now in a robust and independent vaccine-safety infrastructure, like that contained in H.R. 4245, will provide the tools necessary for answering future public concerns more thoroughly and efficiently.
The swine-flu vaccination campaign was also undermined by nationwide reports of a rare neurological condition known as Gullian-Barré syndrome (GBS) in vaccine recipients. A scientifically credible research enterprise dedicated to understanding the varied responses to vaccines and other countermeasures may allow us to better discern genuine adverse reactions. Developing screening tools to identify those most at risk for adverse reactions will further assure the public that the federal government is taking these safety issues seriously.
Furthermore, considering the growing concerns that some Americans have about routine vaccinations, we must recognize that building public confidence requires that the countermeasure-safety research program be completely independent of those recommending and administering the countermeasures and free from conflicts of interest.
With these components in place — liability protection, fair compensation and a robust, independent safety research program — we will be appropriately recognizing the risk both industry and individuals will be taking to protect our nation from the threat of a deadly pandemic.
It would be a mistake to implement plans to combat pandemic influenza without also building public confidence. One hundred million doses of swine-flu vaccine went to waste in 1976 because public confidence disappeared. In a true pandemic, we cannot afford to have our carefully planned and coordinated response similarly stopped dead in its tracks because we took public confidence for granted.
Weldon, a doctor, is a member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and the Science, State, Justice and Commerce subcommittees on Appropriations.
Mad Posting
So I am way behind on all the articles that have come out in the last month, and all of the sudden there has been a flurry of relevant info coming out in the media, so I am just gonna keep posting the good stuff until I run outa good stuff to post.
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