Impact of Diagnostic Practices on the Self-Reported Health of Mothers of Recently Diagnosed Children with ASD

Objectives: Obtaining a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for a child is a pivotal point in developing the treatment plan for the child but can also be regarded as highly stressful by parents. The current study examined the impact of different aspects of the diagnosis process on the self-reported mental health of mothers of children undergoing a diagnosis for ASD in a cross-sectional cohort design. Methods: One-hundred-fifty-eight mothers of consequently diagnosed children with ASD participated. The severity of the children’s ASD and their intellectual functioning was assessed within twelve months of the diagnosis, and the mothers completed a psychometric assessment battery including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, General Health Questionnaire, and Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. Results: The actual time from first reporting a problem to obtaining a diagnosis, and the speed of the diagnostic process from first to last appointment, were both negatively related to patenting stress. In contrast, mothers’ perceptions of the speed and helpfulness of the process were negatively related to levels of anxiety and depression. The number of professionals involved in the process and the perceived coherence of the diagnosis were also negatively related to aspects of mothers’ functioning. Conclusions: Care is needed to help mothers through the diagnostic process with regard to their own functioning. Providing information and help sources throughout the process, while keeping the number of professionals involved to a minimum, may improve the parent perception of the process and reduce the negative impacts of the diagnosis on the family as a whole

Why We Ventilate

It is widely accepted that ventilation is critical for providing good indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes. However, the definition of"good" IAQ, and the most effective, energy efficient methods for delivering it are still matters of research and debate. This paper presents the results of work done at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to identify the air pollutants that drive the need for ventilation as part of a larger effort to develop a health-based ventilation standard. First, we present results of a hazard analysis that identified the pollutants that most commonly reach concentrations in homes that exceed health-based standards or guidelines for chronic or acute exposures. Second, we present results of an impact assessment that identified the air pollutants that cause the most harm to the U.S. population from chronic inhalation in residences. Lastly, we describe the implications of our findings for developing effective ventilation standards

Crop Updates 2003 - Geraldton

This session covers twenty eight papers from different authors Seasonal Outlook: What is in store for 2003, David Stephens, Department of Agriculture Examining The Management Options For Wheat Crops In The Coming Season, James Fisher, Department of Agriculture GMO’s – what do they offer? Ian Edwards, Grain Bio Tech Australia Pty Ltd The Big Gamble – Wheat prices for 2003, Dennis Wise, Profarmer Market outlook for other grains, Andrew Young, General Manager Agricorp Stripe rust – where to now for the WA wheat industry? Robert Loughman, Ciara Beard and Greg Shea, Department of Agriculture Baudin and Hamlin – new generation of malting barley developed in Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Roslyn Jettner and Kevin Young, Department of Agriculture DBM in Canola, Kevin Walden, Department of Agriculture The latest on Lupin diseases, Geoff Thomas, Department of Agriculture Wheat variety performance in 2002 compared to the long term, Robin Wilson, Iain Barclay, Robyn McLean, Robert Loughman, Jenny Garlinge, Bill Lambe, Neil Venn and Peter Clarke, Department of Agriculture Do wide rows drought proof lupins on red loam? Martin Harries, Bob French, Wayne Parker and Murray Blyth, Department of Agriculture Do wide rows drought proof lupins on a sandy loam? Martin Harries, Bob French, Wayne Parker and Murray Blyth, Department of Agriculture Profit Proving Precision Agriculture, Peter Norris, Agronomy For Profit, Greg Lyle, CSIRO Land and Water, Yuna Farm Improvement Group Annual ryegrass seedbanks: the good, the bad, and the ugly, Kathryn Steadman, University of Western Australia, Amander Ellery, CSIRO Plant Industry, Sally C Peltzer, Department of Agriculture Wheat management packages for low rainfall areas, Kari-Lee Falconer, Department of Agriculture Ground water 1. Atrazine, Russell Speed, Department of Agriculture Groundwater 2. Current Trends, Russell Speed, Department of Agriculture Herbicide tolerance of wheat, lupins and pastures, Terry Piper and Harmohinder Dhammu, Department of Agriculture Farming with Tramlines, Bindi Webb, Paul Blackwell, Department of Agriculture, Phil Logue, Binnu, Nigel Moffat, Geraldton, Rohan Ford, Binnu, Miles Obst, Mingenew, The role of green manure crops in renovating poor performing paddocks: What’s it worth? Frances Hoyle, Leanne Schulz and Judith Devenish Department of Agriculture The looming threat of wild radish, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture Does one ‘size’ fit all? Grant Morrow, Syngenta Crop Protection Climate Forecasts on the Internet, Ian Foster and David Stephens, Department of Agriculture Moisture delving = more reliable lupin establishment, Paul Blackwell, and Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture Tramline Designs for better Weed control and Wheat value from non-spraying tramlines in a dry season, Paul Blackwell, Bindi Webb and Darshan Sharma, Department of Agriculture Biserrula Grazing Trial, Marnie Thomas, Department of Agriculture Performance of IT and TT canola varieties in the medium and high rainfall agzones of W.A., 2001-02, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer and Paul Carmody, Department of Agriculture Rapid Catchment Appraisal in Northern Agricultural Region, Mike Clarke, Paul Raper, Department of Agricultur

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Novel Alzheimer Disease Risk Loci and Pathways in African American Individuals Using the African Genome Resources Panel

Importance: Compared with non-Hispanic White individuals, African American individuals from the same community are approximately twice as likely to develop Alzheimer disease. Despite this disparity, the largest Alzheimer disease genome-wide association studies to date have been conducted in non-Hispanic White individuals. In the largest association analyses of Alzheimer disease in African American individuals, ABCA7, TREM2, and an intergenic locus at 5q35 were previously implicated. Objective: To identify additional risk loci in African American individuals by increasing the sample size and using the African Genome Resource panel. Design, setting, and participants: This genome-wide association meta-analysis used case-control and family-based data sets from the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. There were multiple recruitment sites throughout the United States that included individuals with Alzheimer disease and controls of African American ancestry. Analysis began October 2018 and ended September 2019. Main outcomes and measures: Diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. Results: A total of 2784 individuals with Alzheimer disease (1944 female [69.8%]) and 5222 controls (3743 female [71.7%]) were analyzed (mean [SD] age at last evaluation, 74.2 [13.6] years). Associations with 4 novel common loci centered near the intracellular glycoprotein trafficking gene EDEM1 (3p26; P = 8.9 × 10-7), near the immune response gene ALCAM (3q13; P = 9.3 × 10-7), within GPC6 (13q31; P = 4.1 × 10-7), a gene critical for recruitment of glutamatergic receptors to the neuronal membrane, and within VRK3 (19q13.33; P = 3.5 × 10-7), a gene involved in glutamate neurotoxicity, were identified. In addition, several loci associated with rare variants, including a genome-wide significant intergenic locus near IGF1R at 15q26 (P = 1.7 × 10-9) and 6 additional loci with suggestive significance (P ≤ 5 × 10-7) such as API5 at 11p12 (P = 8.8 × 10-8) and RBFOX1 at 16p13 (P = 5.4 × 10-7) were identified. Gene expression data from brain tissue demonstrate association of ALCAM, ARAP1, GPC6, and RBFOX1 with brain β-amyloid load. Of 25 known loci associated with Alzheimer disease in non-Hispanic White individuals, only APOE, ABCA7, TREM2, BIN1, CD2AP, FERMT2, and WWOX were implicated at a nominal significance level or stronger in African American individuals. Pathway analyses strongly support the notion that immunity, lipid processing, and intracellular trafficking pathways underlying Alzheimer disease in African American individuals overlap with those observed in non-Hispanic White individuals. A new pathway emerging from these analyses is the kidney system, suggesting a novel mechanism for Alzheimer disease that needs further exploration. Conclusions and relevance: While the major pathways involved in Alzheimer disease etiology in African American individuals are similar to those in non-Hispanic White individuals, the disease-associated loci within these pathways differ