The time is ripe for the renaissance of autism treatments: evidence from clinical practitioners

IntroductionRecent changes in diagnostics criteria have contributed to the broadening of the autism spectrum disorders and left clinicians ill-equipped to treat the highly heterogeneous spectrum that now includes toddlers and children with sensory and motor issues.MethodsTo uncover the clinicians’ critical needs in the autism space, we conducted surveys designed collaboratively with the clinicians themselves. Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs) and developmental model (DM) clinicians obtained permission from their accrediting boards and designed surveys to assess needs and preferences in their corresponding fields.Results92.6% of BCBAs are open to diversified treatment combining aspects of multiple disciplines; 82.7% of DMs also favor this diversification with 21.8% valuing BCBA-input and 40.6% neurologists-input; 85.9% of BCBAs and 85.3% of DMs advocate the use of wearables to objectively track nuanced behaviors in social exchange; 76.9% of BCBAs and 57.0% DMs feel they would benefit from augmenting their knowledge about the nervous systems of Autism (neuroscience research) to enhance treatment and planning programs; 50.0% of BCBAs feel they can benefit for more training to teach parents.DiscussionTwo complementary philosophies are converging to a more collaborative, integrative approach favoring scalable digital technologies and neuroscience. Autism practitioners seem ready to embrace the Digital-Neuroscience Revolutions under a new cooperative model

Update on neutrophil function in severe inflammation

Neutrophils are main players in the effector phase of the host defense against micro-organisms and have a major role in the innate immune response. Neutrophils show phenotypic heterogeneity and functional flexibility, which highlight their importance in regulation of immune function. However, neutrophils can play a dual role and besides their antimicrobial function, deregulation of neutrophils and their hyperactivity can lead to tissue damage in severe inflammation or trauma. Neutrophils also have an important role in the modulation of the immune system in response to severe injury and trauma. In this review we will provide an overview of the current understanding of neutrophil subpopulations and their function during and post-infection and discuss the possible mechanisms of immune modulation by neutrophils in severe inflammation

Deregulating Dual-Use Exports to Russia: Is U.S. National Security at Risk?

This Note examines whether the current initiatives to deregulate export controls on computer and telecommunications to Russia pose threats to U.S. national security. Part I reviews the development of unilateral and multilateral controls that prevented the exportation of dual-use commodities to the former Soviet Union. Part II describes the current political and economic situation in Russia. Part II then discusses recent deregulation and pending legislation in the U.S. Congress that would further reduce the controls on computer and telecommunications exports to Russia. Part II also sets forth the arguments for and against deregulation. Part III argues that the instability in Russia warrants the continued restriction of dual-use technology to Russia in order to protect U.S. surveillance efforts and prevent the Russian government from using the technology for military purposes. This Note concludes that the United States must devise an export policy toward Russia that balances the need to eliminate export controls that are hindering U.S. economic competitiveness with U.S. security interests

Mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns from fractures suppress pulmonary immune responses via formyl peptide receptors 1 and 2

BACKGROUND: No known biologic mechanisms link tissue injury with pneumonia (PNA). Neutrophils (PMNs) are innate immune cells that clear bacteria from the lung by migration toward chemoattractants and killing bacteria in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). We predicted that tissue injury would suppress PMN antimicrobial function in the lung. We have also shown that mitochondria-derived damage-associated molecular pattern molecules from the bone can alter PMN phenotype and so hypothesized that formyl peptides (FPs) from fractures predispose to PNA by suppressing PMN activity in the lung