Does Learning You Are Autistic at a Younger Age Lead to Better Adult Outcomes? A Participatory Exploration of the Perspectives of Autistic University Students

Many autistic people do not learn they are autistic until adulthood. Parents may wait to tell a child they are autistic until they feel the child is “ready.” In this study, a participatory team of autistic and non-autistic researchers examined if learning one is autistic at a younger age is associated with heightened well-being and Autism-Specific Quality of Life (ASQoL) among autistic university students. Autistic students (n = 78) completed an online survey. They shared when and how they learned they were autistic, how they felt about autism when first learning they are autistic and now, and when they would tell autistic children about their autism. Learning one is autistic earlier was associated with heightened Quality of Life and well-being in adulthood. However, learning one is autistic at an older age was associated with more positive emotions about autism when first learning one is autistic. Participants expressed both positive and negative emotions about autism and highlighted contextual factors to consider when telling a child about autism. Findings suggest that telling a child that they are autistic at a younger age empowers them by providing access to support and a foundation for self-understanding that helps them thrive in adulthood.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin

Nutritional Status in Pregnancy and Prediction of Low Birth Weight: Evaluation of a Table of Reference

Context: Maternal nutrition, before and during pregnancy is an important determinant of birth weight and the high rate of low birth weight (LBW) in developing countries has been attributed to poor maternal nutrition. Maternal nutrition is difficult to assess during pregnancy because of the physiological alterations, yet there is the need to identify women whose weight profile suggest the delivery of LBW babies. Objective: A reference standard of weight for height by week of pregnancy has been developed specifically for pregnant women in Ibadan. The validity of this table in predicting LBW is being evaluated. Study Design, Setting and Subjects: The data of 255 pregnant women who attended the University College Hospital, Ibadan for antenatal and delivery care between 1996 and 1999 were used to test the validity of a reference table in predicting LBW. The maternal weight at 26wks, 34wks and 39/40wks was compared with the predicted weight for specific height in the reference table. The maternal weights at those points in gestation were correlated with delivery of LBW infants. Results: The accuracy of this table of reference in predicting LBW is described by a sensitivity of 50% at 26 weeks and 33% at 39/40weeks; a specificity of 93% at 26weeks and 100% at 39/40weeks and an overall accuracy of 92% at 26wks and 96% at 39/40wks. Conclusion: The table of reference of weight for height by week of gestation, despite its limitations, comes useful in antenatal care settings in identifying women at risk of delivering LBW infants. Key Words: Nutrition, Pregnancy, Maternal Weight, Birthweight [Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2002, 19: 63-67

Limits of stimulation of proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow cells of mice treated with swainsonine

The limits of stimulation of the immunomodulatory alkaloid swainsonine (8αβ-indolizidine-1α,2α,8β-triol) were studied in inbred C57BL/6 mice for potential support of intense high dose cancer chemotherapy and/or radiation because of its attractive pharmacologic profile on the hematopoietic system. Specifically, the effects of swainsonine on bone marrow cellularity and on in vitro progenitor cell proliferation to total colony forming units (CFU) and differentiation to different lineages were studied as a function of number of days post drug administration. The lineages evaluated were colony forming units-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), erythroid-burst forming units (BFU-e) and CFU-granulocyte-erythrocyte-monocyte-megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM or CFU-Mix). Groups of mice were treated with swainsonine or plain vehicle, phosphate buffered saline for 10 consecutive days. The effects of these agents on the hematopoietic system were studied up to 60 days following their discontinuation. The magnitude of the effects of swainsonine on bone marrow system gradually declined with increasing duration of days following its discontinuation. Nevertheless, its residual stimulatory effects on bone marrow cellularity, total CFU, CFU-GM, BFU-e and CFU-Mix continued to be significant (P\u3c0.0001) up to 45, 50, 50, 55 and 50 days, respectively, compared to those of diluent buffer or untreated controls. Since cancer chemotherapeutic agents or radiation are normally given in schedules and/or cycles, these results strongly suggest that swainsonine effects are sustained long enough to potentially support and facilitate hematopoietic recovery during anti-cancer cytotoxic treatment. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Alterations in Monoclonal Antibody Affinity and Antigenic Receptor Site Expression on Mycoplasma-Infected Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

The affinity of MoAb CO 17–1A and expression of its antigenic target were studied on uninfected and mycoplasma-infected colorectal cancer cell lines SW 1116 and SW 948. Binding of 125I-labeled CO 17–1A to SW 1116 cells was quantified at 37°C by determination of the affinity constant (Ka) and the number of antigenic receptor sites (r) per cell using Scatchard plots. When mycoplasma-free SW 1116 cells were used as targets, Ka was 0.92 ± 0.06 × 108M -1 and r = 1.32 ± 0.14 × 106 at 37°C. One batch of unspeciated, mycoplasma-infected SW 1116 cells had reduced affinity and a decreased number of antigenic receptor sites per cell for 125I-labeled 17–1A, while another batch of infected SW 1116 cells had a 4- to 5-fold increase in r and diminished Ka for the antibody compared with uninfected cells. When unspeciated, mycoplasma-infected SW 948 cells were exposed to 125I-labeled 17–1A and the data subjected to Scatchard analysis, the affinity of the antibody deviated markedly from linearity and rendered analysis for Ka and r meaningless. These data indicate that mycoplasma infection can produce variable effects on the cellular expression of antigenic receptor sites and the affinity of antibody for its target, and emphasize the importance of using mycoplasma-free cell lines in studies of these parameters. © 1990, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved