Autism Spectrum Disorders and Maternal Serum alpha-Fetoprotein Levels during Pregnancy

Abdallah, Morsi; Grove, Jakob; Hougaard, David M.; Nørgaard‐Pedersen, Bent; Ibrahimov, Fuad; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

doi:10.1177/070674371105601204

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…AFP has a direct relationship with ASD in that it is elevated in the maternal serum of mothers giving birth to children later diagnosed with ASD [89]. Mothers with ASD children exhibited maternal serum AFP levels that were significantly elevated compared with control subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Newborn Screening for Autism: in Search of Candidate Biomarkers

Mizejewski

Lindau-Shepard

Pass³

2013

Biomarkers Med.

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Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction, language, communication and range of interests. Autism is usually diagnosed in children 3–5 years of age using behavioral characteristics; thus, diagnosis shortly after birth would be beneficial for early initiation of treatment. Aim This retrospective study sought to identify newborns at risk for ASD utilizing bloodspot specimens in an immunoassay. Materials & methods The present study utilized stored frozen specimens from ASD children already diagnosed at 15–36 months of age. The newborn specimens and controls were analyzed by immunoassay in a multiplex system that included 90 serum biomarkers and subjected to statisical analysis. Results Three sets of five biomarkers associated with ASD were found that differed from control groups. The 15 candidate biomarkers were then discussed regarding their association with ASD. Conclusion This study determined that a statistically selected panel of 15 biomarkers successfully discriminated presumptive newborns at risk for ASD from those of nonaffected controls.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Newborn Screening for Autism: in Search of Candidate Biomarkers

Mizejewski

Lindau-Shepard

Pass³

2013

Biomarkers Med.

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“…Distribution of ABO blood types in fathers/mothers of children with ASD and the control population showed no statistically significant differences (χ 2 = 7.01, df = 6, P = 0.28) ( Table 1). Numerous studies have been trying to disentangle the complex pathophysiology of ASDs [9]. In this study, we postulated that specific blood type of parents may contribute to the risk of autism with some unknown genetic mechanism which subsequently disrupts fetal neurodevelopment.…”

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confidence: 98%

Lack of Association between Parental ABO Blood Type and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Zhang

Zhang³

et al. 2012

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics

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The first two authors contributed equally to this work.Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including autism as well as pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger's disorder, are characterized by impairments of reciprocal social interactions, problems in communication, and a restricted range of behaviors and interests [1]. Although specific causes of ASDs have yet to be found, many risk factors have been identified that may contribute to the development of ASDs. These risk factors include genetics, environmental factors, prenatal and perinatal factors, and neuroanatomical abnormalities [2].There is ample evidence suggesting that genetic factors play a role in the etiology of ASDs [3]. With the accomplishment of several systematic family studies, it is found that the consistent sibling recurrence rate is substantially higher than the population prevalence [4,5]. The results of twin studies suggest a dramatically higher concordance rate in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins [6]. In addition, by means of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays and karyotyping, structural variation of chromosomes has been identified in some individuals with ASD, including 9p24.1 as a recurrent and overlapping locus in ASDs [1].The ABO blood type is controlled by the ABO gene encoding a glycosyltransferase, an enzyme that modifies the carbohydrate content of the red blood cell antigens. The gene consists of seven exons, and is located on chromosome 9q34 [7]. A series of single nucleotide polymorphisms across the seven exons form three different alleles of the ABO gene, referring to the A, B and O alleles [8].As the ABO gene is located on the ninth chromosome, of which structural variation is also observed in some individuals with ASD, it seemed reasonable to surmise that ABO blood type was functionally related to ASDs. Blood types are inherited from both parents. We hypothesized that if parental ABO blood type was associated with the development of filial ASDs, there would be a higher probability of filial ASDs in parents with a specific ABO blood type. If so, medical workers can utilize the parental ABO blood type as an easy way to roughly predict the morbidity of filial ASDs.To determine whether there is a specific ABO blood type in parents of children with ASD, we surveyed families of children with ASD ascertained through Shanghai Mental Health Center. To ensure an unbiased study population for our investigation, the program was designed to obviate ascertainment biases with the same inclusion criteria including diagnosis and treatment. individuals. To compare possible differences between distributions of blood types in parents of children with ASD and in the control population, the Chi-square test was carried out. Distribution of ABO blood types in fathers/mothers of children with ASD and the control population showed no statistically significant differences (χ 2 = 7.01, df = 6, P = 0.28) ( Table 1). Numerous studies have been trying to disentangle the complex pathophysiology of AS...

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