Study finds varying rates of c-section births in U.S.

From United Press International (5/8), The Denver Post (5/8):

Study finds varying rates of c-section births in U.S.

A Consumer Reports analysis of data on more than 1,500 hospitals across 22 states found that rates of cesarean births for low-risk deliveries ranged from as low as 4% to as high as 57%.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/05/08/US-doctors-may-be-performing-too-many-Cesarean-sections/4121399572328/

Thimerosal-containing vaccine administration and the risk for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis

Article:

Geier et al.: A two-phase study evaluating the relationship between Thimerosal-containing vaccine administration and the risk for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Translational Neurodegeneration 2013 2:25.

The researchers looked at the risk of autism among children who received mercury-containing DTaP (acellular diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis) and hepatitis b shots. They found a significantly increased risk for the incidence of ASD reported following the mercury-containing DTaP vaccine in comparison to the mercury-free DTaP vaccine. In addition, they found children diagnosed with an ASD were significantly more likely than controls to have received a mercury-containing hepatitis B vaccine administered within the first, second, and sixth month of life.

Read the whole study here:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/2047-9158-2-25.pdf

From HealthDay News (4/28):

Gastro Woes More Common in Kids With Autism: Review

A review published in the journal Pediatrics showed that children with autism had a more than fourfold increased risk of gastrointestinal problems compared with those without the condition. Children with autism were four times as likely to have diarrhea and constipation and two times as likely to have abdominal pain compared with typically developing peers.

http://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/autism-news-51/digestive-problems-common-in-kids-with-autism-687209.html

PANS in the news...

PANS in the news...

From the Hartford Courant (4/23):

http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-mct-bc-med-pans-20140423,0,2376674,full.story

How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues

MISSING MICROBES
How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues
by Martin J. Blaser

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/martin-j-blaser/missing-microbes/

CDC estimates 1 in 68 U.S. children has autism

From Los Angeles Daily News/Agence France-Presse (3/27), USA Today (3/27), Reuters (3/27):

CDC officials reported Thursday that autism rates in the U.S. jumped almost 30% between 2008 and 2010, with as many as 1 in 68 8-year-olds now affected by the condition. The incidence of autism spectrum disorder was higher among white children than black or Hispanic children. The report showed geographic disparities as well, ranging from 1 in 175 children in Alabama to 1 in 45 children in New Jersey.

http://dfm.dailynews.com/article/autism-prevalence-among-us-children-on-the-rise/bd2ce374c034c85118958c59e928447c

Rotavirus vaccines linked to slightly raised intussusception risk in infants

From WebMD/HealthDay News (1/14), DailyRx.com (1/14):

Researchers noted there were about 1.5 cases of intussusception for every 100,000 infants who were given the RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine. In another study, researchers found no increased likelihood of the bowel obstruction with RotaTeq, but did find 5.3 cases of the complication per 100,000 babies who received two doses of the Rotarix vaccine. Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20140114/common-infant-vaccine-tied-to-slight-rise-in-risk-for-bowel-complication