Fatir Qureshi1,2, James Adams3, Devon Coleman3, David Quig4, Juergen Hahn1,2,5. 1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States. 2. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States. 3. School of Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States. 4. Doctor's Data, 3755 Illinois Avenue, St. Charles, IL United States. 5. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Even though the cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains unknown, the current understanding points towards complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors. One important environmental factor to consider is intake of toxic and essential elements, and their role in metabolism. Essential elements have received considerably less attention in the literature than the presence of toxins in urine. METHOD: The purpose of this investigation is to comprehensively assess the association between urinary element compositions of 28 mothers who had young children with ASD and 29 mothers who had young typically developing (TD) children, and in a subset of their children (21 with ASD and 26 TD). RESULTS: The results show that there are significant differences between the ASD and TD children cohorts' concentrations for four specific elements (sulfur, phosphorous, molybdenum, and tin). Utilizing multivariate statistical techniques (Fisher's discriminant analysis and support vector machines), it was possible to distinguish the ASD from the TD children groups with an 81% accuracy after cross-validation utilizing the four significantly different elements. However, among the mother cohorts assessed, there were no significant differences between those that had children with ASD and those with TD children. There was a significant correlation of levels of phosphorus and sulfur in the children with ASD (r = 0.63, p = 3.0E-3) and in the TD children (r = 0.47, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Notable differences were observed between the elemental concentration in urine of children with ASD and their TD peers. Analyzing cellular pathways related to these elements are promising areas of future research.
BACKGROUND: Even though the cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains unknown, the current understanding points towards complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors. One important environmental factor to consider is intake of toxic and essential elements, and their role in metabolism. Essential elements have received considerably less attention in the literature than the presence of toxins in urine. METHOD: The purpose of this investigation is to comprehensively assess the association between urinary element compositions of 28 mothers who had young children with ASD and 29 mothers who had young typically developing (TD) children, and in a subset of their children (21 with ASD and 26 TD). RESULTS: The results show that there are significant differences between the ASD and TD children cohorts' concentrations for four specific elements (sulfur, phosphorous, molybdenum, and tin). Utilizing multivariate statistical techniques (Fisher's discriminant analysis and support vector machines), it was possible to distinguish the ASD from the TD children groups with an 81% accuracy after cross-validation utilizing the four significantly different elements. However, among the mother cohorts assessed, there were no significant differences between those that had children with ASD and those with TD children. There was a significant correlation of levels of phosphorus and sulfur in the children with ASD (r = 0.63, p = 3.0E-3) and in the TD children (r = 0.47, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Notable differences were observed between the elemental concentration in urine of children with ASD and their TD peers. Analyzing cellular pathways related to these elements are promising areas of future research.
Authors: James B Adams; Tapan Audhya; Sharon McDonough-Means; Robert A Rubin; David Quig; Elizabeth Geis; Eva Gehn; Melissa Loresto; Jessica Mitchell; Sharon Atwood; Suzanne Barnhouse; Wondra Lee Journal: Nutr Metab (Lond) Date: 2011-06-08 Impact factor: 4.169
Authors: James B Adams; Tapan Audhya; Sharon McDonough-Means; Robert A Rubin; David Quig; Elizabeth Geis; Eva Gehn; Melissa Loresto; Jessica Mitchell; Sharon Atwood; Suzanne Barnhouse; Wondra Lee Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2011-12-12 Impact factor: 2.125