| New Guidelines Proposed for Preschoolers on Antidepressants
With the number of preschool-age children being prescribed stimulants, antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs on the rise, a group of researchers has suggested a standardized approach to treatment. Child mental health professionals from Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center in Rhode Island and 11 other institutions have developed recommendations for specific disorders to help clinicians who are considering medications for children ages 3 to 6. The guidelines are published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Click here for the full study (subscription required) "These guidelines emphasize the importance of a family-focused assessment by clinicians with experience working with young children, the use of psychotherapy as the first line treatment for young children with severe psychiatric disorders, and the value of careful monitoring of symptoms and side effects when treating young children," said lead author Dr.
Former circuit clerk removed from office, given probation
To counter the argument, state's attorney Brandon Ogburn called President of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, Darryl Grennell to testify. Grennell said in his testimony that on May 21, 2007, Vines was called before the Adams County Board of Supervisors and told that the auditing firm needed his records to complete the Adams County audit. Vines at that time, Grennell said, told the board he would comply with their request. However Vines' records were not received until Nov. 9. And the board, Grennell said, has still never seen any of Vines' records. Webster said his original order that said Vines must comply with all requests of the state auditor's office did not leave much room for error. Webster said he was surprised by Vines' reluctance to cooperate with auditor's office when he said he thought Vines would have “jumped through hoops to get this done." On Sept.
Chemistry rescues 'The Bucket List' from a terminal script
Though Cole is a cruel, egomaniacal billionaire, he nevertheless agrees to share a room with Carter because his snappy assistant, Thomas (Sean Hayes), has a mind for PR and doesn't believe Edward should face the media ramifications of breaking his golden rule — two beds to one room, always. Whether you buy into that or not, this contrivance nevertheless allows the two men to become friends. In the film's early scenes, it also allows for some genuine moments of kindness, reflection and manly bonding before — shazam! — the men are heroically well enough to jump out of airplanes, journey to the south of France for dinner, visit the Taj Majal, the Great Wall of China and the pyramids, and even climb the Himalayas, among other things, in spite of still sporting catheters. While there is a kind of fizzy, dreamlike joy to be had in watching these men live out their final days with the unlikely energy they have found to do so, anyone on intimate terms with cancer might be left lifting an eyebrow or two at the ease with which the director and writer overlook the realities of the disease.
Wild Card -- Weekend
He loved Christmas and he still loved being Santa after all of us kids were grown. He even bought his very own Santa suit which he kept with the beard and hat and wig in its own special suitcase. He became Santa Claus when donning the suit at shopping malls, church and community Christmas parties and for several years on Christmas Eve when we'd surprise the winner of the newspaper's Letters to Santa contest with a personal visit. For the rest of the column by Kerri Thoreson/Coeur d'Alene Press about Santa Claus (aka, the late Ron Rankin), click here. .
Zoombak's A-GPS technology offers real-time peace of mind
Over the past year, GPS units have done wonders to prevent drivers from becoming lost. But thanks to a new derivative of the technology, things that become lost or go missing - such as cars and pets - can be recovered with real-time location finders. Unveiled last week at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, Zoombak puts the power of location finding in the hands of consumers via Assisted-GPS (A-GPS technology) - a combination of GPS and mobile phone networks. With a simple text message, e-mail or call to customer support, Zoombak device users can find the exact location of their pets or prized possession in a flash. For pet owners, the water-resistant Zoombak Dog Locator attaches to a dog's collar inside a secure pouch. .
Research paves way for predicting autism
Two independent research teams have pinpointed the genetic glitch behind certain cases of autism, paving the way for the first DNA test to reliably predict who will develop the disorder. Researchers with the Boston-based Autism Consortium have found that children who carry a missing or duplicated stretch of chromosome 16 have a 100-fold increased risk of developing autism. The mutation, confirmed through genetic scans of more than 1,400 people with autism in three separate study groups, appears most often to be the result of a random quirk not seen in either parent. Published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, the Boston paper estimates the mutation is linked to about 1 per cent of all autism cases. In a separate study of 400 Canadian families, scientists at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children have also identified this region of chromosome 16 as the culprit in 1 per cent of autism cases - and they plan to offer testing to patients as soon as possible, a breakthrough of great value to parents who have one child with autism and fear they face a higher risk of having another.
New Genetic Link To Autism Discovered By Studying Speech
ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2008) UCLA scientists have used language onset -- the age when a child speaks his first word -- as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The team also discovered that the gene is most active in brain regions involved with language and thought. Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls. .
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