J P Russo | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Autism and environmental genomics.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are defined by behavior and diagnosed by clinical history and observation but have no biomarkers and are presumably, etiologically and biologically heterogeneous. Given brain abnormalities and high monozygotic concordance, ASDs have been framed as neurobiologically based and highly genetic, which has shaped the research agenda and in particular criteria for choosing candidate ASD genes. Genetic studies to date have not uncovered genes of strong effect, but a move toward "genetic complexity" at the neurobiological level may not suffice, as evidence of systemic abnormalities (e.g. gastrointestinal and immune), increasing rates and less than 100% monozygotic concordance support a more inclusive reframing of autism as a multisystem disorder with genetic influence and environmental contributors. We review this evidence and also use a bioinformatic approach to explore the possibility that "environmentally responsive genes" not specifically associated with the nervous system, but potentially associated with systemic changes in autism, have not hitherto received sufficient attention in autism genetics investigations. We overlapped genes from NIEHS Environmental Genome Project, the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, and the SeattleSNPs database of genes relevant to the human immune and inflammatory response with linkage regions identified in published autism genome scans. We identified 135 genes in overlap regions, of which 56 had never previously been studied in relation to autism and 47 had functional SNPs (in coding regions). Both our review and the bioinformatics exercise support the expansion of criteria for evaluating the relevance of genes to autism risk to include genes related to systemic impact and environmental responsiveness. This review also suggests the utility of environmental genomic resources in highlighting the potential relevance of particular genes within linkage regions. Environmental responsiveness and systems impacts consistent with system-wide findings in autism are thus supported as important considerations in identifying the numerous and complex modes of gene-environment interaction in autism.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Drug treatment staff attitudes toward AIDS and workplace transmission of HIV: a survey and follow-up--Spectrum House, Inc.

A growing number of cases of HIV infection and AIDS in the U.S. have been reported among intravenous drug users and their sexual partners. This increase in cases has begun to have a significant impact on substance abuse treatment programs; in addition to the complexities of HIV education and counseling, the staff of such programs must deal with their own fears regarding HIV infection, since many experientially trained staff are, themselves, former IV drug users. Other staff members may experience irrational anxiety about working HIV-infected clients, due to the fear of workplace exposure to the virus. In order to assess the extent and nature of such anxieties among its staff, Spectrum House, Inc., a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program, administered a Staff AIDS Survey in 1986 and again in 1987. Responses reflected a marked decrease in staff anxieties relating to workplace transmission of HIV during the 14-month period between surveys, seemingly related to both the implementation of AIDS education and an increase in contact with HIV positive clients. Those staff members whose contact with HIV positive clients remained infrequent between surveys, however, continued to show higher levels of fear about casual contact and workplace exposure to HIV. These results indicate that increased staff-client interaction may be an effective addition to other forms of staff AIDS education in substance abuse treatment programs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗