PLT Test Blog

Sulfarlem has been used to treat dry mouths for half a century By www.scientificanimations.com - http://www.scientificanimations.com/wiki-images/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77499374 Sulfarlem is a drug containing a chemical called Anethole trithione . Anethole is an organic compound used as a flavouring, i t contributes a large component of the odour and flavour of anise and fennel. Anise seed, or aniseed, contains a large amount of Anethole. The popular Greek drink Ouzo turns cloudy when diluted with water because of the Anethole. For the French it is called Pastis.                                                                  ...

There are certain Critical Periods in the development of the human brain and these are the most vulnerable times to any genetic or environmental insult.   Critical Periods (CPs) will be the subject of post appearing shortly. Another power outage waiting to happen   Have you wondered why autism secondary to mitochondrial disease (regressive autism) almost always seem to occur before five years of age, and usually much earlier?   Why does it not happen later? Why is it's onset often preceded by a viral infection? I think you can consider much of this in terms of the brain running out of energy. Humans have evolved to require a huge amount of energy to power their developing brains, a massive 40% of the body’s energy is required by the brain in early childhood.   If your overload a power grid it will end in a blackout. We know many people with autism have a tendency towards mitochondrial dysfunction, they lack some key enzyme complexes. This means that the process of OX...

Today’s post is about CDD (Childhood Disintegrative Disorder) also known as Heller’s Syndrome, which sounds rather nicer. It was first identified in 1908 by an Austrian, Theodore Heller . Later on came Hans Asperger, another Austrian and Leo Kanner who was born in what was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Why were Austrians so interested in Autism? I started this post expecting that I would naturally be a supporter of the continued use of CDD as a diagnosis, I do firmly support calling an Aspie an Aspie after all.  CDD is a diagnosis used for late onset severe regressive autism, which has fast onset, making it scary for all concerned. Unlike many syndromes, Rett for example, Heller’s syndrome is not a defined genetic condition, it is just another observational diagnosis. This probably explains why it has been folded into the ASD diagnosis in the current DSM5, which sadly was also the case with Asperger’s. Since it is not really a syndrome I will call it by its other name CDD (Childhood...