Postnatal Acetaminophen and Potential Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder among Males

Some evidence from the literature suggests that postnatal acetaminophen exposure may be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a data set obtained from a previous study that was derived from an Internet-based survey among parents on 1515 children from the US, an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and gender-specific aORs for doses of postnatal acetaminophen provided before age two were calculated against the outcome of ASD. Separately, parental uncertainty on the number of doses of acetaminophen provided was analyzed. A population attributable fraction (PAF) associated with postnatal acetaminophen exposure before age two for ASD among males was also estimated. Postnatal acetaminophen exposure, measured in doses before age two, was found to be associated with ASD among male children (aOR 1.023, CI 1.005–1.043, p = 0.020*), and parental uncertainty on the number of doses of acetaminophen provided before age two was also found to be associated with ASD. Using this data set, the PAF associated with postnatal acetaminophen was estimated to be about 40% of the risk of ASD among male children in the US. These results suggest the possibility that postnatal acetaminophen may be a significant contributor to the risk of ASD among males in the US.

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Endocannabinoid System Dysregulation from Acetaminophen Use May Lead to Autism Spectrum Disorder: Could Cannabinoid Treatment Be Efficacious?

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26071845 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 1845

Author(s):

Stephen Schultz ◽

Georgianna G. Gould ◽

Nicola Antonucci ◽

Anna Lisa Brigida ◽

Dario Siniscalco

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cannabinoid Receptors ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Endocannabinoid System ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Blood Levels ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Patterns Of Behavior ◽

Arachidonoyl Glycerol

Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities, are the core items characterizing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Strong inflammation states have been reported to be associated with ASD. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) may be involved in ASD pathophysiology. This complex network of lipid signaling pathways comprises arachidonic acid and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol-derived compounds, their G-protein-coupled receptors (cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2) and the associated enzymes. Alterations of the ECS have been reported in both the brain and the immune system of ASD subjects. ASD children show low EC tone as indicated by low blood levels of endocannabinoids. Acetaminophen use has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of ASD. This drug can act through the ECS to produce analgesia. It may be that acetaminophen use in children increases the risk for ASD by interfering with the ECS.This mini-review article summarizes the current knowledge on this topic.

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Mental health difficulties among trans and gender diverse young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD): findings from Trans Pathways

Journal of Psychiatric Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Penelope Strauss ◽

Angus Cook ◽

Vanessa Watson ◽

Sam Winter ◽

Andrew Whitehouse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young People ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Gender Diverse ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

And Gender

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In Silico Exploration of the Potential Role of Acetaminophen and Pesticides in the Etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Toxics ◽

10.3390/toxics9050097 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Tristan Furnary ◽

Rolando Garcia-Milian ◽

Zeyan Liew ◽

Shannon Whirledge ◽

Vasilis Vasiliou

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Prenatal Exposure ◽

Pesticide Exposure ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Biomedical Literature ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Genetic Associations ◽

Increased Risk

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (APAP) is associated with increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 59 children in the US. Maternal and prenatal exposure to pesticides from food and environmental sources have also been implicated to affect fetal neurodevelopment. However, the underlying mechanisms for ASD are so far unknown, likely with complex and multifactorial etiology. The aim of this study was to explore the potential effects of APAP and pesticide exposure on development with regards to the etiology of ASD by highlighting common genes and biological pathways. Genes associated with APAP, pesticides, and ASD through human research were retrieved from molecular and biomedical literature databases. The interaction network of overlapping genetic associations was subjected to network topology analysis and functional annotation of the resulting clusters. These genes were over-represented in pathways and biological processes (FDR p < 0.05) related to apoptosis, metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and carbohydrate metabolism. Since these three biological processes are frequently implicated in ASD, our findings support the hypothesis that cell death processes and specific metabolic pathways, both of which appear to be targeted by APAP and pesticide exposure, may be involved in the etiology of ASD. This novel exposures-gene-disease database mining might inspire future work on understanding the biological underpinnings of various ASD risk factors.

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Cellular Bioenergetic and Metabolic Changes in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1568026621666210521142131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Gevezova ◽

Danail Minchev ◽

Iliana Pacheva ◽

Yordan Sbirkov ◽

Ralitsa Yordanova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Cell Metabolism ◽

Strong Dependence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Metabolic Changes ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Control Group ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

And Gender

Background: Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is considered a heterogeneous neurological disease in childhood, a growing body of evidence associates it with mitochondrial dysfunction explaining the observed comorbidities. Introduction: The aim of this study is to identify variations in cellular bioenergetics and metabolism dependent on mitochondrial function in ASD patients and healthy controls using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We hypothesized that PBMCs may reveal the cellular pathology and provide evidence of bioenergetic and metabolic changes accompanying the disease. Method: PBMC from children with ASD and a control group of the same age and gender were isolated. All patients underwent an in-depth clinical evaluation. A well-characterized cohort of Bulgarian children was selected. Bioenergetic and metabolic studies of isolated PBMCs were performed with a Seahorse XFp analyzer. Result: Our data show that PBMCs from patients with ASD have increased respiratory reserve capacity (by 27.5%), increased maximal respiration (by 67%) and altered adaptive response to oxidative stress induced by DMNQ. In addition, we demonstrate а strong dependence on fatty acids and impaired ability to reprogram cell metabolism. The listed characteristics are not observed in the control group. These results can contribute to a better understanding of the underlying causes of ASD, which is crucial for selecting a successful treatment. Conclusion: The current study, for the first time, provides a functional analysis of cell bioenergetics and metabolic changes in a group of Bulgarian patients with ASD. It reveals physiological abnormalities that do not allow mitochondria to adapt and meet the increased energetic requirements of the cell. The link between mitochondria and ASD is not yet fully understood, but this may lead to the discovery of new approaches for nutrition and therapy.

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“If He Has it, We Know What to Do”: Parent Perspectives on Familial Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Pediatric Psychology ◽

10.1093/jpepsy/jsz076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 121-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katherine E MacDuffie ◽

Lauren Turner-Brown ◽

Annette M Estes ◽

Benjamin S Wilfond ◽

Stephen R Dager ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Predictive Testing ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Brain And Behavior ◽

Familial Disorders

Abstract Objective Predictive testing for familial disorders can guide healthcare and reproductive decisions. Familial disorders with onset in childhood (e.g., autism spectrum disorder [ASD]) are promising targets for presymptomatic prediction; however, little is known about parent perceptions of risk to their children in the presymptomatic period. The current study examined risk perceptions in parents of infants at high familial risk for ASD enrolled in a longitudinal study of brain and behavior development. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with 37 parents of high-risk infants during the presymptomatic window (3–15 months) that precedes an ASD diagnosis. Infants were identified as high familial risk due to having an older sibling with ASD. Parent interview responses were coded and interpreted to distill emerging themes. Results The majority of parents were aware of the increased risk of ASD for their infants, and risk perceptions were influenced by comparisons to their older child with ASD. Parents reported a variety of negative emotions in response to perceived risk, including worry, fear, and sadness, and described impacts of perceived risk on their behavior: increased vigilance to emerging symptoms, altered reproductive and healthcare decisions, and seeking ongoing assessment through research. Conclusions Parents of children at high familial risk for childhood-onset disorders like ASD face a period of challenging uncertainty during early development. In anticipation of a future in which presymptomatic testing for ASD is made available, it is important to understand how parents react to and cope with the elevated—but still highly uncertain—risk conveyed by family history.

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Deep-Learning-Based Detection of Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Auto-Encoder Feature Representation

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20236762 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (23) ◽

pp. 6762

Author(s):

Jung Hyuk Lee ◽

Geon Woo Lee ◽

Guiyoung Bong ◽

Hee Jeong Yoo ◽

Hong Kook Kim

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Feature Extraction ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Feature Representation ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Joint Optimization ◽

Data Set ◽

Children With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder with a life-span disability. While diagnostic instruments have been developed and qualified based on the accuracy of the discrimination of children with ASD from typical development (TD) children, the stability of such procedures can be disrupted by limitations pertaining to time expenses and the subjectivity of clinicians. Consequently, automated diagnostic methods have been developed for acquiring objective measures of autism, and in various fields of research, vocal characteristics have not only been reported as distinctive characteristics by clinicians, but have also shown promising performance in several studies utilizing deep learning models based on the automated discrimination of children with ASD from children with TD. However, difficulties still exist in terms of the characteristics of the data, the complexity of the analysis, and the lack of arranged data caused by the low accessibility for diagnosis and the need to secure anonymity. In order to address these issues, we introduce a pre-trained feature extraction auto-encoder model and a joint optimization scheme, which can achieve robustness for widely distributed and unrefined data using a deep-learning-based method for the detection of autism that utilizes various models. By adopting this auto-encoder-based feature extraction and joint optimization in the extended version of the Geneva minimalistic acoustic parameter set (eGeMAPS) speech feature data set, we acquire improved performance in the detection of ASD in infants compared to the raw data set.

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Obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder compared with typically developing peers

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361319861579 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 387-399 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Stephanie M McCoy ◽

Kristen Morgan

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Health Concern ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Adolescents With Autism ◽

Unhealthy Weight

Decreased engagement in beneficial physical activity and increased levels of sedentary behavior and unhealthy weight are a continued public health concern in adolescents. Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder may be at an increased risk compared with their typically developing peers. Weekly physical activity, sedentary behavior, and body mass index classification were compared among adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder. Analyses included 33,865 adolescents (autism spectrum disorder, n = 1036) from the 2016–2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (United States). After adjustment for covariates, adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were found to engage in less physical activity and were more likely to be overweight and obese compared with their typically developing peers ( p’s < 0.05). As parent-reported autism spectrum disorder severity increased, the adjusted odds of being overweight and obese significantly increased and physical activity participation decreased ( p-for-trends < 0.001). The findings suggest there is a need for targeted programs to decrease unhealthy weight status and support physical activity opportunities for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder across the severity spectrum.

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