How Sensory Experiences Affect Adolescents with an Autistic Spectrum Condition within the Classroom

Sensory processing difficulties are consistently reported amongst individuals with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC); these have a significant impact on daily functioning. Evidence in this area comes from observer reports and first-hand accounts; both have limitations. The current study used the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP; Brown and Dunn in The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile: self questionnaire. Pearson, 2002a), and a qualitative questionnaire to investigate sensory issues in school children with ASC. The AASP found that the participants’ mean scores were outside normal parameters. Participants reported difficulties in at least one sensory domain, with hearing affecting them the most. Content analysis revealed sensory sensitivity to affect the participant’s learning and that sensory experiences were largely negative. Results suggest that schools need to create sensory profiles for each individual with ASC

Shorter telomere length in schizophrenia: Evidence from a real-world population and meta-analysis of most recent literature

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder. Schizophrenia is visualized as an accelerated cellular aging syndrome characterized by early onset of cardiovascular disease causing premature mortality. In human aging involves alterations in telomere length (TL). To investigate the presence of TL shortening in schizophrenia and psychiatric syndromes associated, this condition was studied in leukocytes (LTL) of a sample of patients suffering from schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and compared with a group of non-psychiatric controls. We explored the relationship between LTL and age, gender, and smoking habit with the aim to control whether these potential confounding factors may influence the rate of telomeres shortening. We also performed a new comprehensive meta-analysis including studies on LTL in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy subjects published in the last two years and the results of the present study. Our results suggest that a diagnosis of schizophrenia, more than gender, age, cigarette smoking or alcohol drinking, is the most important condition responsible of the LTL shortening. A strong LTL shortening was observed in patients affected by schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, and Psychosis not otherwise specified when they were younger than 50 years, while in the group of older subjects no major differences were observed. Additional evidence supporting the causal link of schizophrenia with accelerated telomeres shortening came from the analysis of the updated meta-analysis. The availability of a personalized profile of mechanistic pathways, risk factors, and clinical features may pose the basis for a rehabilitative treatment addressing individual needs of the psychiatric patients

A Systems Medicine Clinical Platform for Understanding and Managing Non- Communicable Diseases

International audienceNon-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are among the most pressing global health problems of the twenty-first century. Their rising incidence and prevalence is linked to severe morbidity and mortality, and they are putting economic and managerial pressure on healthcare systems around the world. Moreover, NCDs are impeding healthy aging by negatively affecting the quality of life of a growing number of the global population. NCDs result from the interaction of various genetic, environmental and habitual factors, and cluster in complex ways, making the complex identification of resulting phenotypes not only difficult, but also a top research priority. The degree of complexity required to interpret large patient datasets generated by advanced high-throughput functional genomics assays has now increased to the point that novel computational biology approaches are essential to extract information that is relevant to the clinical decision-making process. Consequently, system-level models that interpret the interactions between extensive tissues, cellular and molecular measurements and clinical features are also being created to identify new disease phenotypes, so that disease definition and treatment are optimized, and novel therapeutic targets discovered. Likewise, Systems Medicine (SM) platforms applied to extensively-characterized patients provide a basis for more targeted clinical trials, and represent a promising tool to achieve better prevention and patient care, thereby promoting healthy aging globally. The present paper: (1) reviews the novel systems approaches to NCDs; (2) discusses how to move efficiently from Systems Biology to Systems Medicine; and (3) presents the scientific and clinical background of the San Raffaele Systems Medicine Platform