DR SONG BENG KAH: CAUSES OF AUTISM

 爱心餐导致自闭症，伊党议员说错了吗

Title: Does Rahmah Menu Cause Autism? Did the PAS MP say something wrong?"

Quote: 薄利多销的爱心餐单，对B40家庭来说，是很好的援助策略，前提是食材素质不成问题。但因政治因素而胡乱瞎说，就必须受到谴责。

Quote: "The Rahmah menu with small profits and high sales is a good aid strategy for B40 families, provided that the quality of the ingredients is not a problem. But if it is arbitrarily said due to political factors, it must be condemned."

爱心餐单（Menu Rahmah）的菜色品质会不会导致自闭症？这是这几天朋友们在群组的热门话题。

Can the quality of the dishes on the "Menu Rahmah" (Compassion Menu) cause autism? This has been a hot topic among my friends in our group chat in the past few days.

事缘伊斯兰党议员哈丽玛医生在国会下议院，对爱心餐单的质量问题“可能”让B40人口暴露于癌症、自身免疫疾病和自闭症潜在风险表示担忧，因而饱受民众和其他议员的批评。在人们的嘲笑、批判声中，连国会下议院副议长也说她的言论不可取，会对社会上特殊群体造成二度伤害。

"Recently, Dr. Halimah, a member of the Islamic Party, expressed concerns about the quality of the "Menu Rahmah" in the lower house of Parliament, suggesting that it may expose the B40 population to potential risks of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and autism. Her comments were criticized by the public and other members of Parliament. Even the deputy speaker of the lower house of Parliament said that her remarks were inappropriate and could cause secondary harm to vulnerable groups in society amid the ridicule and criticism."

爱心套餐的质量有保障，据说是毋庸置疑的，但哈丽玛说错了吗？

The quality of the Rahmah Menu is guaranteed and is said to be beyond doubt. However, is Halimah wrong?

一般互联网搜索引擎和ChatGPT，对这些科学讯息的搜寻会有所不足，甚至产生误导。

The general internet search engines and ChatGPT may be inadequate in searching for this scientific information and may even lead to misinformation.

但对读者而言，尤其是大学毕业生，使用PubMed和Google Scholar等学术文献库平台来核实公众人物的声明，应不是件难事；这不但可以取得较可靠信息，更能清楚理解诸如自闭症的复杂科学议题。

"However, for readers, especially college graduates, it should not be difficult to use academic literature databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar to verify public figures' statements. This can not only obtain more reliable information but also provide a clearer understanding of complex scientific issues such as autism.

既然民众对哈丽玛的批评多聚焦于自闭症，这里简单梳理一些研究文献，来协助大家釐清“自闭症和饮食之间”的关系，并分为三个组别来讨论。

Since the public's criticism of Halimah largely focuses on autism, here is a brief summary of some research literature to help clarify the relationship between autism and diet, divided into three groups for discussion.

（A）关于孕妇和新生儿的研究

(A) Studies on pregnant women and newborns

1。 美国University of California使用241个幼童数据的研究发现，已有自闭症孩子的孕妇在孕期服用各类维生素，可能降低第二次生下自闭症孩子的风险（引2019年2月《JAMA Psychiatry》论文）。

1. A study by the University of California in the United States, using data from 241 young children, found that pregnant women who had children with autism and who took various types of vitamins during pregnancy may reduce the risk of having another child with autism (citing a paper published in JAMA Psychiatry in February 2019).

2。 根据中国江苏师范大学（Jiangsu Normal University）评估310名自闭症患儿和1240个对照组的研究，维生素D水平较低的婴儿患自闭症的风险增加260%（引2017年11月《Journal of Bone and Mineral Research》论文）。

2. According to a study by Jiangsu Normal University in China, which evaluated 310 children with autism and 1,240 control groups, infants with lower levels of vitamin D have a 260% increased risk of developing autism (citing a paper published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research in November 2017).

3。 美国Drexel University School of Public Health发表的研究结果和过往研究一致，即新生儿维生素D低水平，可能与自闭症风险增加有关；新生儿样本包括1399个自闭症病例和1607个对照样本（引2021年5月《Molecular Psychiatry》论文）。

3. The research results published by Drexel University School of Public Health in the United States are consistent with previous studies, that low levels of vitamin D in newborns may be associated with an increased risk of autism; the newborn samples included 1,399 autism cases and 1,607 control samples (citing a paper published in Molecular Psychiatry in May 2021).

4。 以色列University of Haifa研究人员指出，在怀孕前和怀孕期间“服用叶酸和多种维生素补充剂”的孕妇，其孩子患自闭症风险比“没服用补充剂”的孕妇低。此研究共使用4万5300名儿童的数据，在出生后到8至12岁这段时间里，评估他们患自闭症的风险（引2019年2月《JAMA Psychiatry》论文）。

4. Researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel pointed out that pregnant women who took folic acid and multiple vitamin supplements before and during pregnancy had a lower risk of having children with autism than pregnant women who did not take supplements. This study used data from 45,300 children and evaluated their risk of developing autism between the ages of 8 and 12 after birth (citing a paper published in JAMA Psychiatry in February 2019).

5。 美国California Department of Public Health团队涉及563名新生儿的研究，并不支持“新生儿低维生素D水平与自闭症风险增加”之间存在关联的说法（引2019年3月《Autism Research》论文）。

5. A study by the California Department of Public Health team involving 563 newborns did not support the claim that there is a link between low vitamin D levels in newborns and an increased risk of autism (citing a paper published in Autism Research in March 2019).

（B）涉及儿童的研究

(B) Studies involving children

埃及Assiut University研究人员对109名自闭儿童进行双盲随机对照试验（double-blinded randomized controlled trial），显示补充维生素D可能有助于改善症状（引2016年11月《Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry》论文）。必须注意的是，该论文已被撤回，此研究的可靠性存疑；目前仍没有研究证明儿童营养不良会导致自闭症。

Researchers from Assiut University in Egypt conducted a double-blinded randomized controlled trial on 109 children with autism, and found that supplementing with vitamin D may help improve symptoms (cited in a November 2016 article in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry). However, it is important to note that this paper has been retracted and the reliability of this study is questionable. Currently, there is still no research to prove that malnutrition in children can lead to autism.

（C）综述和元分析

(C) Review and Meta-Analysis.

1。 中国北京大学团队对已发表的10项研究进行元分析（meta-analysis），发现缺乏维生素D的儿童患自闭症的可能性，比维生素D水平充足的儿童高出5.2倍（引2021年1月《Nutrients》文章）。然而，这些研究之间存在很大异质性，对“维生素D缺乏”的定义也不一致。

1. A team from Peking University in China conducted a meta-analysis on 10 published studies and found that children who lack vitamin D are 5.2 times more likely to develop autism than those with sufficient levels of vitamin D (according to an article published in Nutrients in January 2021). However, there is significant heterogeneity among these studies, and the definition of "vitamin D deficiency" is also inconsistent.

2。 美国Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai研究人员分析自闭症环境风险因素后，显示维生素D与儿童自闭症之间存在因果关系，而缺乏叶酸和omega 3脂肪酸引起自闭症的影响则尚未确定（引2017年3月《Molecular Autism》文章）。

2. Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States analyzed environmental risk factors for autism and found a causal relationship between vitamin D and autism in children. However, the impact of folate and omega-3 fatty acid deficiency on autism is yet to be determined (according to an article published in Molecular Autism in March 2017).

根据以上研究，我们可作出以下推论：

Based on the above studies, we can draw the following conclusions: 

（a）如果哈丽玛的“B40群体”指的是孕妇，那其论点其实有一些科学依据；但目前仍没有足够科学证据，能证明营养不良是自闭症的直接原因。

(a) If Halimah's "B40 group" refers to pregnant women, her argument actually has some scientific basis; however, there is still not enough scientific evidence to prove that malnutrition is a direct cause of autism.

（b）如果她指的是“B40儿童”，就更没有确凿的科学证据，来支持“饮食和自闭症的关联”论点。

(b) If she is referring to "B40 children", there is even less conclusive scientific evidence to support the argument that there is a link between diet and autism.

可惜，哈丽玛并没有上PubMed搜寻研究报告，也不懂得以研究数据为自己辩护，更在被希盟议员和民众轰炸后，自乱阵脚辩说“言论被歪曲原意”。

Unfortunately, Halimah did not search PubMed for research reports and did not know how to defend herself with research data. After being bombarded by Pakatan Harapan MPs and the public, she became disoriented and argued that her statement was misinterpreted.

自闭症是一种复杂的神经疾病，可能受各种遗传、环境和发育因素的相互影响。虽然产前营养素缺乏是可能风险因素，但它并不是自闭症的唯一原因，也需要进一步研究来确认其和自闭症的关联。值得注意的是，以上研究的自闭症儿童群体，可能因长期偏食等饮食因素，导致某些营养素（例：维生素B1、B6、B12、A、C、D、钙和锌）的缺乏，而不是营养缺乏引发自闭症。

Autism is a complex neurological disorder that may be influenced by various genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. While prenatal nutrient deficiencies may be a possible risk factor, they are not the sole cause of autism and further research is needed to confirm their association. It is worth noting that the autism children in the above studies may have lacked certain nutrients (such as vitamins B1, B6, B12, A, C, D, calcium, and zinc) due to long-term dietary factors such as picky eating, rather than a general lack of nutrition causing autism.

薄利多销的爱心餐单，对B40家庭来说，是很好的援助策略，前提是食材素质不成问题。但因政治因素而胡乱瞎说，就必须受到谴责。

A low-profit and high-turnover Rahmah Menu is a good assistance strategy for B40 families, provided that the quality of the ingredients is not an issue. However, making reckless and baseless statements due to political factors must be condemned.

https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/song-beng-kah

LINK BETWEEN DIET, NUTRITION AND CANCER

 Two Papers on Diet, nutrition and Cancer 

PAPER I

Diet, nutrition and the prevention of cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Timothy J Key et al

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the epidemiological evidence on diet and cancer and make public health recommendations.

Design:

Review of published studies, concentrating on recent systematic reviews, meta-analyses and large prospective studies.

Conclusions and recommendations:

Overweight/obesity increases the risk for cancers of the oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), colorectum, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium and kidney; 

Body weight should be maintained in the body mass index range of 18.5–25?kg/m2, and weight gain in adulthood avoided. 

Alcohol causes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and liver, and a small increase in the risk for breast cancer; if consumed, alcohol intake should not exceed 2?units/d. 

Aflatoxin in foods causes liver cancer, although its importance in the absence of hepatitis virus infections is not clear; exposure to aflatoxin in foods should be minimised. 

Chinese-style salted fish increases the risk for nasopharyngeal cancer, particularly if eaten during childhood, and should be eaten only in moderation. 

Fruits and vegetables probably reduce the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach and colorectum, and diets should include at least 400g/d of total fruits and vegetables.

 Preserved meat and red meat probably increase the risk for colorectal cancer; if eaten, consumption of these foods should be moderate. 

Salt preserved foods and high salt intake probably increase the risk for stomach cancer;

 Overall consumption of salt preserved foods and salt should be moderate. 

Very hot drinks and foods probably increase the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus; drinks and foods should not be consumed when they are scalding hot. 

Physical activity, the main determinant of energy expenditure, reduces the risk for colorectal cancer and probably reduces the risk for breast cancer; regular physical activity should be taken.

PAPER II

Nutrition and cancer: the current epidemiological evidence

Carlos A Gonzalez. 

Br J Nutr. 2006 Aug.

Abstract

We have examined the current scientific evidence on the relationship between nutrition and the most frequent tumours in the Spanish population: lung, colorectal, prostate, breast and stomach. 

Consumption of fruit is negatively associated with cancer of the lung and stomach, possibly with colorectal cancer, but probably not with prostate cancer and breast cancer. 

Consumption of vegetables probably reduces the risk of colorectal and stomach cancer, but probably is not associated with cancer of the lung, prostate and breast.

 Consumption of red and processed meat is positively associated with colorectal cancer and probably with stomach cancer. 

Animal fat is possibly associated with colorectal cancer and probably with prostate and breast cancer. 

High alcohol intake increases the risk of colorectal and breast cancer, while dairy products and calcium seem to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. 

Obesity is a recognised risk factor of colorectal cancer and breast cancer in postmenopausal women, while foods with a high glycaemic index and glycaemic load possibly increase the risk of colorectal and prostate cancer. 

The relevance of nutrition on the cancer process is evident. Nevertheless important issues remain to be solved and further studies are needed. This accumulative knowledge should be used by public health authorities to develop recommendations and activities to reduce overweight and obesity and to promote healthy dietary intak

Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 1a , February 2004 , . 187 - 

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CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH: AUTISM

 

CAUSES OF AUTISM : AN OVERVIEW

Examining the Causes of Autism

David G. Amaral, Ph.D.

Introduction 

Autism is a broad, complex, and increasingly important brain disorder. New data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that one in sixty-eight children is born with some degree of autism. Autism is also more common in males by a four to one ratio. 

Making it especially difficult to discuss in finite, conclusive terms is the fact that there is no biological test for autism; diagnosis is based on behavior, and the only verified treatment is intensive behavior therapy. Our author, one of the nation’s foremost researchers on autism, examines the prenatal factors that contribute to the disorder.

As an autism researcher, I often try to put myself in the shoes of parents who have just been told that their child has autism. More and more families in the United States and around the world are facing this difficult news. The families that I’ve seen go through this often respond emotionally at first. Some go through denial; others are sad or furious. But emotions soon give way to questions. What caused my child’s autism? Was I to blame? Which treatments will help? And what does the future hold?

Autism research has made tremendous progress over the last 20 years, but yet we still can’t provide definitive answers to most of these questions. I find the autism community to be proactive, combative, and opinionated. The complexity and ambiguity of autism has spawned myriad speculations about causes—many of which have little supportive evidence. It seems clear at this point, however, that when all is said and done, we will find that autism has multiple causes that occur in diverse combinations.

To begin with, many people struggle to understand the nature of a condition so wide ranging in its severity. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or autism is a behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by 1) persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts, and 2) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. 

Few would dispute that the causes of ASD include both genetic and environmental factors. Indeed, more than 100 genes are known to confer risk1,2 and 1,000 or more may ultimately be identified.3 A wide range of potential environmental challenges have also been associated with autism, although studies in this area lag behind genomics research. A short overview of data supports genetic and environmental contributions to ASD etiology. A focus on prenatal events will hopefully clarify that the cause of autism, in the vast majority of cases, occurs prenatally, even if behavioral signs first appear several years after birth.

Twin Studies

Strong evidence against the unfounded view that autism results from neglectful parenting came in 1977 from Folstein and Rutter and the first systematic, detailed study of twin pairs containing at least one child with autism.4 In this study, 11 of the twin pairs were monozygotic (nearly identical genetics) and 10 were dizygotic (shared approximately half of their genome with each other). The major finding was that four of the monozygotic twin pairs were concordant (both had autism), whereas none of the dyzygotic twins were. Beyond autism, nine of the eleven monozygotic pairs were concordant for some form of cognitive impairment, compared to one of ten of the dyzygotic pairs.

The researchers concluded that autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have a strong genetic component. But environmental factors must also contribute to autism etiology, they pointed out. For the 17 twin pairs that were discordant for autism—one child had a diagnosis and the other did not—the authors speculated that direct damage to the brain might have affected the diagnosed twin. They identified five features known to be associated with brain damage, such as severe hemolytic disease, a delay in breathing of at least five minutes after birth, and neonatal convulsions. In six of the pairs, one twin—always the autistic one—experienced one or more of these insults. Looking further, they found that one of an expanded list of “biological hazards” (e.g., discrepancies in birth weight, a pathologically narrow umbilical cord) occurred in the autistic twin in 6 of the 11 remaining discordant pairs and never in the non-autistic twin. The authors concluded that “some form of biological impairment, usually in the perinatal period, strongly predisposed to the development of autism.”

Since the Folstein and Rutter paper cited above, there have been a total of 13 twin studies focused on autism. All find genetic and environmental contributions to autism, although conclusions about the proportions of the two factors and interpretations have varied substantially. One research team,5 for example, concluded that a large proportion of the variance in liability (55 percent for strictly defined autism and 58 percent under a broader definition) can be explained by shared environmental factors, whereas genetic heritability accounts for 37 percent. This somewhat surprising finding—that environmental factors contribute more substantially than genetics—has been challenged by a more recent, large-scale twin study,6 which found that the largest contribution to autism liability comes from additive genetic effects. And, a recent meta-analysis7 concludes that the causes of autism are due to strong genetic effects, and that shared environmental influences are seen only if autism is very narrowly defined. A brief synopsis of the history of autism twin studies8 finds that concordance for monozygotic twins is roughly 45 percent, versus 16 percent for dizygotic twins.

The reason for this short review of autism twin studies is to emphasize that even the best evidence for both genetic and environmental etiologies of autism leads to inconsistent conclusions about their proportional contributions. Moreover, twin studies do not typically consider that the cause of autism may involve genetic and environmental factors working together (the so-called gene by environment effect); i.e., certain environmental exposures only cause autism in individuals with a particular genetic composition. The second point is that if autism had a completely genetic etiology, we would expect a much higher concordance rate in monozygotic twins; the actual rate may reflect, in part, that even monozygotic twins do not share an identical environment prenatally.9,10 Therefore, one must seriously search for environmental factors that either alone, or in combination with genetic predisposition, can increase autism risk. What are these factors?

Maternal Infection

If twin studies provide the best evidence for a genetic basis of autism, then naturally occurring pathogen exposures offer the strongest evidence of environmental etiology. The best example is maternal rubella (German measles) infection during pregnancy.

 Before development and widespread dissemination of effective vaccines, major pandemics occurred every 10 to 30 years.11 The last of these was from 1963 to 1965 and infected an estimated 10 percent of pregnant women, resulting in more than 13,000 fetal or early infant deaths; 20,000 infants born with major birth defects and 10,000 to 30,000 infants born with moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disorders. Stella Chess, a child psychiatrist at New York University, studied 243 children exposed to rubella during pregnancy12,13 and found that the largest category of neurodevelopmental disorder was intellectual disability, which affected 37 percent of the sample. Nine of these children were also diagnosed with autism; another, without intellectual disability, had a possible diagnosis; and eight a partial syndrome of autism. These numbers would translate to an autism prevalence of 741 per 10,000 rubella-exposed children, just over seven percent. This is striking in comparison to published prevalence rates, at the time of the study, of two to three per 10,000 in the general population. Fortunately, rubella epidemics have ended due to widespread dissemination of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and the association of autism with other viral or bacterial infections is weaker than with rubella.14

Collier et al15 have pointed out that nearly 64 percent of women surveyed in the US have experienced an infection during their pregnancies. This obviously does not lead to autism or any other neurodevelopmental disorder in most cases.

Examining prenatal environmental factors is best conducted in very large cohorts of subjects that have excellent health care records. This can be done in Scandinavian countries with their nationalized health care systems, and in large health care providers in the US.

One such study, conducted in Denmark, found no association between maternal bacterial or viral infection during pregnancy and diagnosis of ASD in the offspring,16 although viral infection during the first trimester, or admission to the hospital due to infection during the second trimester were associated with the diagnosis. 

In a more recent study17 Atladottir and colleagues found little evidence, overall, that common infectious diseases or fevers (lasting more than seven days) during pregnancy increased the risk of autism—noting, however, that influenza increased the risk of having an autistic child twofold. Use of antibiotics also increased risk. The link between influenza exposure during fetal life and increased risk for autism is in line with a series of animal studies18, 19 suggesting that the influenza virus activates the maternal immune system, which may be harmful to fetal brain development. But the Danish researchers seem to downplay even their statistically significant findings, suggesting that their results do not indicate that either mild infection or the use of antibiotics represent strong risk factors for autism.

A parallel set of studies has been carried out by Zerbo and colleagues in California. The first,20 based on 1,122 children, found no association between maternal influenza and ASD but (in contrast to Atladottir et al), the occurrence of maternal fever did increase risk. A second study21 of 2,482 children (407 with ASD) found that mothers of children with ASD were diagnosed with viral infections during pregnancy no more often than mothers of non-autistic children. Maternal bacterial infections during the second trimester and the third trimester, however, were associated with a twofold increase in ASD risk, and two or more infections diagnosed in the third trimester with even higher risk, again suggesting a link with more severe infection during pregnancy. The most recent study,22 based on a large cohort of children (196,929) born between 2000 and 2010, found that neither maternal influenza infection during pregnancy nor influenza vaccination were associated with increased risk for ASD.

In conclusion: Some infections during pregnancy, such as German measles, clearly increase the risk of ASD. However, there seems relatively little evidence that today’s widely experienced infectious illnesses, such as influenza, during pregnancy substantially increase the risk of ASD. Perhaps the signal is weak because of gene by environment effects [as seems to be the case for different strains of mice23, 24]. If so, evidence will need to come from studies that combine large scale epidemiology with sophisticated genomic analyses.

Maternal Antibodies

Autoimmune diseases (in which immune cells erroneously identify cells in the body as foreign and attack them) mediated by circulating antibodies currently affect as much as nine percent of the world’s population,25 and the notion that autoimmunity may be associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders goes back to the 1930s. 

Reviewing this contentious area of research, Goldsmith and Rogers26 conclude that the literature, though conflicting, “contains a large amount of circumstantial, but not conclusive, evidence for immune dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia.” Interestingly, an auto-immune disorder with antibodies directed at the NMDA receptor causes an encephalopathy, which in its early stages can be indistinguishable from schizophrenia.27

Precedents for antibody-related CNS disorders include Rasmussen encephalitis, stiff-person syndrome, neuromyelitis optica, post streptococcal movement disorders (Sydenham’s chorea and PANDAS), and systemic lupus erythematosus.28 Judy Van de Water, of UC Davis, the main proponent of the idea that circulating antibodies may cause some forms of autism, first reported in 2008 that 12 percent of mothers of children with ASD have unusual antibodies directed at fetal brain proteins.29 Based on more specific assays for these antibodies, she has since proposed that Maternal Antibody-Related (MAR) causes may be associated with as many as 22 percent of autism cases, suggesting that this may be a preventable form of ASD.30 This area of research is exciting because it suggests potential therapeutic targets. Although many questions remain (e.g., how antibodies would enter the fetal brain, what neurodevelopmental processes they may alter), it is entirely possible that circulating antibodies represent prenatal environmental risk factors for ASD.

Drugs

Efforts to understand the increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder have led some to wonder whether the use of various drugs during pregnancy might be partly responsible. 

Historically, a strong case could be made for an association between autism and thalidomide, a potent sedative that was used (for several years around 1960) during pregnancy for the relief of nausea. A study of 100 adult Swedish patients whose mothers had taken thalidomide while pregnant31 found that at least four had clear autistic characteristics. This was the first evidence that a drug ingested during pregnancy could substantially increase autism risk. More recently, concerns have been raised about valproic acid and serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Valproic acid, an approved drug since the early 1960s, is primarily prescribed for epilepsy and seizure control, but also used for ailments ranging from migraine headaches to bipolar disorder. Both animal and human epidemiological studies have raised concerns that valproic acid is a teratogen. The largest epidemiological study to date32 tracked 415 children, 201 of whom were born to mothers who took antiepileptic medication during their pregnancies. Nearly 7.5 percent of the children of the treated women had a neurodevelopmental disorder, primarily some form of autism, versus 1.9 percent in the non-epileptic women.

A recent concern has been the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of depression during pregnancy. Serotonin is an important brain neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in functions ranging from sleep to mood to appetite, and whose dysregulation during early fetal life can have serious negative consequences for brain development.33 As the name implies, SSRIs, which have been in use since the late 1980s, delay the reuptake of serotonin from the synaptic cleft into the presynaptic terminal and thus enhances its effect on the postsynaptic receptors. A recent review and meta-analysis of six case-control studies and four cohort studies concluded that SSRI use during pregnancy34 was significantly associated with increased risk of ASD in offspring.

The effect was most prominent with use of the drugs during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Interestingly, the researchers found that preconceptual exposure to SSRIs was also associated with increased ASD risk—as was the use of non-SSRI antidepressants. They note that a large cohort study found that, while ASD rates in the SSRI-exposed group were significantly higher than in the unexposed group, the rates in the SSRI-exposed group did not significantly differ from those among mothers with unmedicated psychiatric disorder and those who had discontinued SSRIs. It currently appears impossible to disentangle the deleterious effect of SSRIs from the fact of a maternal condition that necessitates the drug. Many authors also comment on the potentially worse effect on pregnancies of untreated maternal depression.

In sum, a brief review of the literature indicates that ingesting some drugs during pregnancy increases the risk of ASD, suggesting the need for more careful evaluation of drug safety during fetal development prior to widespread medical use.

Environmental Toxicants

Beyond viral and bacterial pathogens and medically prescribed drugs, researchers have begun investigating environmental toxicants. These range from automobile-produced air pollution to cigarette smoke to heavy metals and pesticides.35,36 Small increases in autism risk have been reported if, for example, a family lives closer to a freeway or to an agricultural area during pregnancy. The field of autism environmental epidemiology is still in its infancy and techniques to comprehensively establish a prenatal “exposome” (i.e., all environmental factors affecting a fetus during pregnancy) are still under development. That said, given the unlikelihood that all autism will be explained by genetic factors, the determination of environmental causes, some of which might be avoided or minimized, may have far greater translational impact than the much better funded genetic studies. Strategies for exploring gene-by-environment interactions need to be enhanced with haste.

Postnatal Factors

Since autism is a neurological disorder that undoubtedly reflects altered brain function, it is possible that the insult to the brain occurs after birth. There is currently very little evidence for this. One historical concern was that vaccines, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, administered initially when the child is about one-year old, might transform a healthy child into one with autism. This fear was fueled by regressive onset in some cases—a child seems fine for the first year or so, then loses social and language function and regresses into a classical autistic syndrome. But we have found that even in children who demonstrate this regressive form of autism, brain changes begin by four to six months, long before behavior changes.37 Moreover, many large-scale epidemiologic studies have unequivocally demonstrated no link between MMR administration and the risk of ASD (summarized in 38), the same conclusion that the US National Academy of Sciences reached in a thorough review carried out in 2011.39

The only other postnatal experience that has been linked to the onset of ASD is profound social isolation in institution-reared children, such as those in the Romanian orphanage system.40 Rutter and colleagues41 found that nearly 10 percent of children raised in Romanian orphanages and adopted by British families showed some features of autism. These children were very poorly treated in the orphanage (most were underweight and had intellectual disability and various medical problems). While fully qualifying for an autism diagnosis at age 4, they showed substantial improvement and less severe autism symptoms by age 6. Is this truly autism? The authors conclude: “The characteristics of these children with autistic features, although phenomenologically similar in some respects to those found in “ordinary” autism, differed sharply in the marked improvement evident between 4 and 6 years of age and in the degree of social interest... The quasi-autistic pattern seemed to be associated with a prolonged experience of perceptual and experiential privation, with a lack of opportunity to develop attachment relationships, and with cognitive impairment.”

This sad epoch demonstrates both the potential for severely abnormal rearing practices to influence brain regions that are affected by typical causes of autism, and the resilience of the brain in compensating and restoring once the individual is placed in a more normal environment. But it does not provide evidence for the postnatal genesis of autism.

The research picture regarding the causes for Autism Spectrum Disorder remains complex, although there is certainly a very strong genetic component. While there are some genes, such as CHD8, the mutation of which almost always cause autism in a very low percentage of cases42 most mutations seem to confer small increases in risk. 

Similarly, while some environmental factors, such as rubella infection or fetal exposure to valproic acid, have been highly associated with autism risk, the increase in risk associated with others, such as living close to a highway, is small. It is very likely that the answer to what causes autism will not reside solely in genetics or in environment but in a combination of the two. Whatever factors go into the mix, they most likely have their effect during fetal life: a person with autism is born with autism.

Biography

• 

David G. Amaral, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis. He is also the Beneto Foundation Chair and Research Director of the MIND Institute, which is dedicated to studying autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. As research director, he coordinates a multidisciplinary analysis of children with autism called the Autism Phenome Project to define clinically significant subtypes of autism. More recently, Amaral has become Director of Autism BrainNet, a collaborative effort to solicit postmortem brain tissue to facilitate autism research. In April of 2015, Amaral became editor-in-chief of Autism Research, the journal of the International Society for Autism Research. In 2016, he was appointed to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Amaral received a joint Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Rochester and conducted postdoctoral research at the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University. He also conducted research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego.

David G. Amaral, Ph.D.

Copyright 2017 The Dana Foundation All Rights Reserved

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MENU RAHMAH HITTING HARD AT SMALL TRADERS

 Small traders hard hit by Rahmah Menu

By New Straits Times

February 8, 2023 @ 7:45am

KUALA LUMPUR: The Rahmah Menu initiative could be a double-edged sword for small time food operators, said the Bumiputera Petty Traders Association.

Its president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman said some even lost profits operating in the same food court as stalls supplying the menu.

Some small-scale food operators reported considerable losses in the first week of the launch of the menu.

He said the prices of food are going through the roof, and prices of some vegetables have gone up 100 per cent.

Rosli wanted the government to provide subsidies for food operators.

He also urged the government to maintain the RM 1,000 one-off grant to registered Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise companies mentioned in the 2023 Budget.

He hoped that local government agencies could reduce rentals for small businesses so they could weather the rising cost of foodstuff.

"The price of chicken now is RM9.30 per kg. If you want to implement the Rahmah Menu and your side dish is chicken, you'd have to cut it into 12 parts and that would cost you RM4 per part.

"If you add rice, that is RM2 and a beverage is RM1. That is already RM7. They would lose RM2," Rosli told the New Straits Times.

He said it was impractical for small food operators to join in the initiative and did not recommend it to small restaurants with a profit margin of less than RM150 per day.

A mixed rice stall operator in Bangsar, Kasira Mohd Zain, 52, said she has been operating at a loss now that she is 'competing' with the Rahmah Menu.

As the cost of food has increased, she said she had to charge RM8 for the same menu.

Kasira said she even had to charge her patrons for the sambal belacan as the cost of one kilogramme (kg) of chilli could go up to RM15. 

Her predicament is shared by other small restaurant operators.

"If we were to implement the menu, it would be rice with kembong fish, vegetables and gravy, which would cost RM8.

"If their (Rahmah Menu operators) supplier can charge a low price, it's up to them because we really can't do it," Kasira said, adding that pricing the same menu at RM5 would result in no returns on her capital.

Kasira said the price of one kembong fish could go up to RM14.

"We cannot compete with large companies. I understand that due to inflation, people can't spend much so families would opt for the Rahmah Menu as it is cheaper. If you have five children, the menu would cost you only RM25."

Last week, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry launched the Rahmah Menu, which consists of a plate of rice, chicken or fish and vegetables priced at no more than RM5.

Though some 15,000 food operators have took up in the initiative, it is not compulsory for other restaurant operators to also provide the Rahmah Menu.

On Feb 1, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said prices of several vegetables had gone up by more than 160 per cent last month.

CAP said the price of lady's fingers had gone up by 166 per cent from RM6 per kg to RM16 per kg.

Long beans had doubled in price from RM6 per kg to RM12 per kg, tomatoes from RM4.50 per kg to RM10 per kg, and eggplants from RM7 per kg to RM12 per kg. 

The New Straits Times previously reported that poor weather and reduced production had led to an increase in vegetable prices, and should these factors persist, prices are expected to soar even higher during the Chinese New Year period.

Vegetables which are expected to see a price hike of between 20 per cent and 30 per cent are tomatoes, cucumbers, chilies, beans and capsicum.

Last month, it was reported that rough seas and weather due to the northeast monsoon had affected the number of fish landings and led to price increases.

https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2023/02/877502/small-traders-hard-hit-rahmah-menu

AMENDMENT TO FEDERAL CONSTITUTION REGARDING CITIZENSHIP OF CHILD BORN OVERSEAS TO MALAYSIAN MOTHERS

Cabinet agrees to constitutional change on citizenship

The amendment is expected to be tabled in the current Dewan Rakyat sitting after fulfilling legal requirements

FMT Reporters - 18 Feb 2023, 9:27am

PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet has agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to enable automatic Malaysian citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers.

The amendment is expected to be tabled in the current Dewan Rakyat sitting after fulfilling legal requirements.

This was revealed in a joint statement by home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.. 

As it stands, children born overseas to Malaysian women are not entitled to automatic citizenship as the Federal Constitution only provides for citizenship through fathers.

“The effect of the decision is that children born overseas before or after Malaysia Day (Sept 16, 1963) where at least one of their parents are Malaysians have the right to be citizens by operation of law according to Article 14(1) of the Federal Constitution,” they said.

Last month, Azalina said that a Cabinet memo proposing an amendment to the Federal Constitution to allow mothers to pass on their citizenship to their overseas-born children would be submitted soon.

In their statement, Saifuddin and Azalina said the proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution is to replace the word “whose father” in Part I and Part II of the Second Schedule with the words “at least one of the parents”.

“… (this will) enable Malaysian mothers to receive their just rights according to the Federal Constitution,” they said.

They said other amendments to citizenship laws will undergo a more detailed study by a committee established by the home ministry.

Other proposed amendments will be presented to the Cabinet after taking into account engagement with relevant stakeholders, the ministers said.

“This is in line with the unity government’s commitment to recognising equality for women and men, and to remove discrimination against women in Malaysia,” they said.

They added that the amendments are aimed at overcoming weaknesses in citizenship provisions and solving the high backlog of cases involving Malaysian women who have to apply for their children’s citizenship through lengthy registration processes.

They also hoped the amendments will provide a clear definition of the law and avoid providing differing definitions in the courts.

Last August, an appellate court ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian women were not entitled to automatic citizenship as the Federal Constitution only provided for citizenship through fathers.

In a 2-1 judgment in favour of the government, the appellate court ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers can be denied citizenship as the word “father” in Article 14(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution and its related provisions in the Second Schedule is “clear and unambiguous” and cannot be construed to include mothers.

The ruling overturned a September 2021 decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the government must grant citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers as the word “father” in the Second Schedule of the constitution must mean and include mothers.

In allowing several declaratory reliefs sought by an NGO and six mothers that certain provisions on citizenship in the constitution were discriminatory, judge Akhtar Tahir held that mothers were entitled to confer citizenship by operation of law in all processes, just like fathers.

SLEEP DEPRIVATION IN HUMAN

Sleep deprivation: 6 side effects of getting less than 6 hours of sleep

By Parmita Uniyal @ Hindu Times 

Do you get less than 6 hours of sleep every day? 

You may be at risk of several neurological issues and chronic diseases.

A good night's sleep is one of the healthiest habit you can inculcate for a disease-free and happy life. Sleeping for 7-8 hours every night can keep many health problems at bay, particularly chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, depression, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis. Not only it helps you focus better during the day, make lesser mistakes and improve your moods, but it can also strengthen your immunity. Many people have sleep disorders like insomnia due to which they are not able to get optimum sleep but most of the sleep issues are due to improper sleep hygiene. Not sleeping at the same time every day, having a heavy dinner, staying glued to the screen for long hours and leading a sedentary lifestyle can all contribute to diminished sleep quality. 

"They say if you get up before 12 pm and you can again go back to sleep this means you are sleep deprived or if you get up in the morning and cannot function without having your dose of coffee or tea, it means you require more sleep," says Dr. Shirish M Hastak, Regional Director, Neurology, Stroke & Neurocritical Care, Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai in a telephonic conversation with HT Digital.

Can you survive without your morning cuppa?

Dr Hastak notes that considering so many people need multiple cups of tea and coffee before 12 pm in order to get ahead with their day, it is very much possible that many of us are chronically sleep deprived. "If you can go without your cup of tea till 12 pm probably you are not sleep deprived," says the neurologist. He warns that sleep deprivation is a major issue now and we aren't recognising it.

"We just push ourselves to have one cup and the next," he says.

Do you need an alarm to wake up in the morning or your are alert and awake at a fixed time every day?

 Dr Hastak says if you need an alarm to wake up, then probably you are sleep deprived.

He goes on to explain what happens to our body and mind when we are not sleeping enough:

It can make it hard for you to focus. 

Do you struggle to concentrate on the task at hand and take hours for even a ten-minute job? 

You probably are sleep deprived and not realising it yet. "When you are not able to sleep you get fatigued, irritabile and find it difficult to concentrate," says Dr Hastak.

Lack of sleep can be fatal

If you aren't sleeping enough you are at risk of many chronic health issues and also death. As per some animal studies, prolonged or total sleep deprivation can lead to death

Your motor activity goes down

Motor activity is related to eye movements, reaching, jumping, avoiding of obstacles, etc. When you do not sleep your motor activity goes down and affects your daily functioning. It can also bring down your motivation to work.

Micro sleep episodes can put you at risk of accidents

Sleeping briefly for 15 seconds or less is a micro-sleeping episode and many people who haven't slept for days or are not able to sleep well can report it.

"It is common among cab drivers who haven't slept for days at stretch to get micro sleep episodes because of which there can be major car accidents," says Dr Hastak.

Hallucination

According to WebMD, when the absence of sleep disconnects you from reality, it can present as hallucinations or delusional thinking. It happens due to severe or prolonged sleep deprivation.

"From neuro pont of view you can hallucinate if you are sleep deprived. The hallucination can be visual (seeing things or people that aren't there) or tactile (feeling someone's touch on the body etc)," says Dr Hastak.

Seizures

Lack of sleep can be a trigger of seizures in people who already have had tumours or seizures in the brain.

Apart from that most of the psychiatric issues have some link with sleep deprivation. People with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues are not able to sleep well and this could further deteriorate their mental health, says Dr Hastak.

But do all people need 7-8 hours of sleep?

Dr Hastak says not all people need same amount of sleep. While some people need 5 hours of sleep and they can operate well, for some people even 8 hours is not enough.

"There is a varability in sleep of people. Some people need 4-5 hours of sleep while others can require 8 hours or more. It's like satiety where some people will be happy with 2 chapatis while others need 5," says the neurologist.