"Peter Moran" <pmoran@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>As has been pointed out here before, this is a ridiculously small mercury
>exposure.
What has been pointed out is that NO amount of mercury exposure is safe.
Low levels with adverse effects have been posted numberous times.
Vaccines and many other medical products containing
> much more thiomerosal have STILL never been shown to have any adverse
> effects of humans.
Blatant lie.
Even the FDA has FINALLY admitted the harmful effect after covering it up
for years.
http://www.thecre.com/quality/2005/20050825f_quality.html
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Why Won't the CDC Allow Access to the Vaccine Safety Datalink?
Memo to CDC: We're not getting our money's worth
David Kirby
May 23, 2005
Can mercury in vaccines cause autism in children? This hotly disputed
question will only burn brighter as more biological evidence surfaces to
suggest a link. But a definitive answer might take years. Meanwhile, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sitting on a
multi-million-dollar database - paid for by you and me - that could
probably
resolve this contretemps within weeks.
They have the data. We paid for the data. Yet we cannot see the data. The
information is kept under lock and key within the massive health agency --
as jealously guarded as nuclear secrets.
The CDC tells us that they have looked at the data exhaustively and found
"no evidence of harm." They implied that their own scientists are
perfectly
capable of analyzing the data, thank you very much, and outside
researchers
cannot be trusted to independently verify their analyses, nor to protect
the
confidentiality of patients whose numbers they would be crunching.
But, as any high school student can tell you, the replication of a study
is
the hallmark of all good science. Without access to the raw data
originally
used by the CDC researchers, it is impossible to verify their work. All we
can do is trust that they got it right.
The CDC, which has budgeted nearly $200 million to operate the Vaccine
Safety Datalink, spent four years analyzing data from children who
received
varying amounts of thimerosal in their vaccines. The study went through
five
different permutations before being published in November, 2003. Early
study
"generations," which were never meant to see the light of day, showed
highly
elevated, statistically significant increased risks for autism and other
disorders among the kids receiving the most mercury.
But by the time the study was published, most of these associations had
somehow disappeared entirely.
Only two outside researchers, Mark and David Geier, have managed to gain
access to the raw CDC data. They faced daunting hurdles to get into the
CDC
computer center, and nearly crippling software malfunctions once they were
inside. But among the data they did manage to mine, they re****tedly found
highly elevated risks for autism among children in the highest mercury
exposure group.
So we now have two extremely different interpretations of the same data.
It
is way past time that the CDC allow a third team - outside researchers
completely acceptable to all parties involved in this dispute - into the
database to conduct any analyses they see fit. (Patients names are removed
from the data, making it exceedingly hard for researchers to identify
anyone, even if they desired, which is extremely unlikely in itself).
It sounds reasonable, it sounds nice. But don't hold your breath. The CDC
is
hardly issuing engraved invitations to come trawl its mainframes, despite
a
harshly written re****t earlier this year from the Institute of Medicine.
The
IOM complained of CDC foot dragging, and even insolence, on this matter,
and
suggested that vaccine officials at the health agency seek "legal
counsel."
Why? Because the original datasets of children used by the government
have,
as they say, gone missing. (Actually, the official explanation was that
they
"were not archived in a standard fa****on.") The intentional loss or
destruction of taxpayer funded data or datasets is a violation of the
Federal Data Quality Act. It is a felony, and someone could go to jail for
it.
Meanwhile, the data just sit there. Our data, not theirs. CDC officials
insist they have an "open mind" on this issue, and that thimerosal has not
been ruled out as a possible cause of autism and other disorders. But they
also insist that the vaccine safety database yielded no evidence of harm.
If that is true, then why are they so reluctant to let someone else in to
verify this claim? I cannot answer that question, because the CDC is not
talking to me. But I do know that people with nothing to hide are
unen***bered by doubts of what others will find if they rifle through
their
closet.
If the data can prove that injecting a known neurotoxin into infants at
levels up to 125 times over federal safety limits was a safe and sane
thing
to do, then why isn't the CDC having an open house for all researchers
worth
their salt to come on down and have a look-see for themselves?
Without access to the raw data, parents who sup****t the thimerosal theory
-
and their allies in Congress, academia and law - are falling back on other
recent studies that show a possible link between mercury and autism. They
may not have the epidemiology on their side, yet, but the mounting
evidence
emerging from the fields of biology and toxicology is becoming too urgent
to
ignore. Recent published studies have shown:
+ Autistic children retain mercury at much higher rates than non-autistic
kids.
+ Autistic children lack certain sulfur-based proteins that bind to heavy
metals and remove them from the body.
+ Autistic children have a dysfunctional immune profile generally
consistent
with mercury toxicity.
+ The rate of increase in re****ted autism cases peaked between 1987 and
1992, the same years that new mercury-containing vaccines were added to
the
U.S. schedule.
+ Mice with autoimmune disorders react horrifically to mercury exposure
from
vaccines, whereas typical mice of the same species do not.
+ In primates, mercury from vaccines was more likely to become trapped in
the brain than mercury from fish.
+ Children who live near mercury spewing power plants have an elevated
risk
of developing autism.
These are all intriguing, to be sure. But what we really need is to get
our
hands on the raw CDC data - our data.
David Kirby is author of "Evidence of Harm"
By Tara Parker-Pope
The Wall Street Journal
Just a few months after the nation's top medical adviser rejected a link
between vaccines and autism, a mouse study has reignited the debate and
raised new fears among parents considering vaccinations and flu shots for
their kids.
For years, a cadre of parents and physicians have contended that
thimerosal,
an ethyl-mercury compound that has been one of the most widely used
vaccine
preservatives, is partly responsible for an apparent rise in autism in
recent decades. But broad population studies haven't sup****ted the claim.
In
May, a major re****t from the Institute of Medicine's Immunization Safety
Review Committee rejected a link between autism and vaccines.
But today, a congressional committee will review a June study from
Columbia
University, which found that a preservative used in vaccines can cause
autism-like symptoms in a specific strain of mice. The research raises
questions about whether some people might be genetically vulnerable to the
effects of thimerosal.
The study also raises questions about a new push by the Centers for
Disease
Control and Prevention to add flu shots to the immunization schedule for
school-age kids. The vast majority of flu shots given still contain the
preservative.
In the study, researchers administered thimerosal to four strains of young
mice. Three of the mice strains were unaffected by thimerosal, but the
fourth developed problems consistent with autism such as delayed growth,
social withdrawal and brain abnormalities. The mice were known to have a
genetic susceptibility to mercury.
Thimerosal, found in childhood vaccines, can increase the risk of
autism-like damage in mice
A new study indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury
preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to
the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible
mice. This animal model, the first to show that the administration of
low-dose ethylmercury can lead to behavioral and neurological changes in
the
developing brain, reinforces previous studies showing that a genetic
predisposition affects risk in combination with certain environmental
triggers. The study was conducted by researchers at the Jerome L. and Dawn
Greene
Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University. Over the past 20 years, there has been a striking
increase--at least ten-fold since 1985--in the number of children
diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorders. Genetic factors alone cannot account for
this rise in prevalence. Researchers at the Mailman School, led by Dr.
Mady
Hornig, created an animal model to explore the relation****p between
thimerosal (ethylmercury) and autism, hypothesizing that the combination
of
genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure to mercury in childhood
vaccines may cause neurotoxicity.
***ulative mercury burden through other sources, including in utero
exposures to mercury in fish or vaccines, may also lead to damage in
susceptible hosts. Timing and quantity of thimerosal dosing for the mouse
model were developed using the U.S. immunization schedule for children,
with
doses calculated for mice based on 10th percentile weight of U.S. boys at
age two, four, six, and twelve months.
The researchers found the subset of autoimmune disease susceptible mice
with
thimerosal exposure to express many im****tant aspects of the behavioral
and
neuropathologic features of autism spectrum disorders, including:
Abnormal response to novel environments;
Behavioral impoverishment (limited range of behaviors and decreased
exploration of environment); Significant abnormalities in brain
architecture, affecting areas subserving emotion and cognition; Increased
brain size.
These findings have relevance for identification of autism cases relating
to
environmental factors; design of treatment strategies; and development of
rational immunization programs. The use of thimerosal in vaccines has been
reduced over the past few years, although it is still present in some
influenza vaccines. Identifying the connection between genetic
susceptibility and an environmental trigger for autism--in this case
thimerosal exposure--is im****tant because it may promote discovery of
effective interventions for and limit exposure in a specific population,
stated the lead author Dr. Mady Hornig. Because the developing brain can
be
exposed to toxins that are long gone by the time symptoms appear, clues
gathered in these animal models can then be evaluated through prospective
human birth cohorts--providing a powerful to tool to dissect the
interaction
between genes and the environment over time.
Citation source: Molecular Psychiatry 2004 Volume 9, advance on line
publication doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001529
For further information on this work, please contact Mady Hornig, MD,
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Greene Infectious
Disease Laboratory, 722 W 168th St, New York, New York 10032, United
States
of America, phone: 212-342-9036; FAX: 949-824-1229; e-mail:
mh2092@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse
strain-dependent"
M Hornig, D Chian, W. I. Lipkin
Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory, Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, New York 10032
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15527868
1: Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8. Related Articles, Links
Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion:
protection with glutathione precursors.
James SJ, Slikker W 3rd, Melnyk S, New E, Pogribna M, Jernigan S.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and
Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, AR 72202,
USA.
jamesjill@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
is an antiseptic containing 49.5% ethyl mercury that has been
used for years as a preservative in many infant vaccines and in flu
vaccines. Environmental methyl mercury has been shown to be highly
neurotoxic, especially to the developing brain. Because mercury has a high
affinity for thiol (sulfhydryl (-SH)) groups, the thiol-containing
antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), provides the major intracellular defense
against mercury-induced neurotoxicity. Cultured neuroblastoma cells were
found to have lower levels of GSH and increased sensitivity to thimerosol
toxicity compared to glioblastoma cells that have higher basal levels of
intracellular GSH. Thimerosal-induced cytotoxicity was associated with
depletion of intracellular GSH in both cell lines. Pretreatment with 100
microM glutathione ethyl ester or N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but not
methionine, resulted in a significant increase in intracellular GSH in
both
cell types. Further, pretreatment of the cells with glutathione ethyl
ester
or NAC prevented cytotoxicity with exposure to 15 microM Thimerosal.
Although Thimerosal has been recently removed from most children's
vaccines,
it is still present in flu vaccines given to pregnant women, the elderly,
and to children in developing countries. The potential protective effect
of
GSH or NAC against mercury toxicity warrants further research as possible
adjunct therapy to individuals still receiving Thimerosal-containing
vaccinations.
PMID: 15527868 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15184908
Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;9(9):833-45. Related Articles, Links
Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent.
Hornig M, Chian D, Lipkin WI.
Jerome L and Dawn Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory, Department of
Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New
York, NY 10032, USA. mady.hornig@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
developing brain is uniquely susceptible to the neurotoxic hazard
posed
by mercurials. Host differences in maturation, metabolism, nutrition, ***,
and autoimmunity influence outcomes. How population-based variability
affects the safety of the ethylmercury-containing vaccine preservative,
thimerosal, is unknown. Re****ted increases in the prevalence of autism, a
highly heritable neuropsychiatric condition, are intensifying public focus
on environmental exposures such as thimerosal. Immune profiles and family
history in autism are frequently consistent with autoimmunity. We
hypothesized that autoimmune propensity influences outcomes in mice
following thimerosal challenges that mimic routine childhood
immunizations.
Autoimmune disease-sensitive SJL/J mice showed growth delay; reduced
locomotion; exaggerated response to novelty; and densely packed,
hyperchromic hippocampal neurons with altered glutamate receptors and
trans****ters. Strains resistant to autoimmunity, C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ,
were
not susceptible. These findings implicate genetic influences and provide a
model for investigating thimerosal-related neurotoxicity.
PMID: 15184908 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://poisonevercure.150m.com/autism.htm
Autistic children are shown to retain abnormally high concentrations of
mercury from environmental sources such as vaccines.
********* (Until recently, the FDA administration concealed their
knowledge
that thimerosal has been known to cross through the blood-brain barrier
and
concentrate in the brain).***********
In a recent communication with Congressman Dr. Weldon, CDC conceded that
some of the routinely recommended vaccines contained the full amount of
thimerosal (25 mcg) as late as 2003. Those are not to expire until
towards
the end of 2005. There is no existing reason to believe that manufactures
have it in mind to completely remove thimerosal from childhood vaccines in
the near future. Much to my alarm, do***ents recently obtained from the
World Health Organization (WHO)state that their policy is to lobby
strongly
for maintaining thimerosal in vaccines as they see it necessary to use
childhood vaccines in third world countries. The mentality is that if
thimerosal is taken out of American childhood vaccines, the third world
countries will not accept thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines. This
seems to be a clear disturbing indication that, for whatever reason, WHO
desires to inoculate third world country populations with thimerosal
containing vaccines. This is an agency that claims to have an interest in
making sure that children in developing countries have the best
op****tunities at life. How is that possible when they are being
deliberately poisoned with high concentrations of a neurotoxins?
There exists many decades worth of peer-reviewed literature (literally
hundreds) on the dangers of thimerosal which include case-re****ts, animal
studies, tissues culture studies, genetic studies, toxicology studies, and
biochemical studies. According to the above article, CDC, HHS and AAP
warns
that 1/166 children have autistic spectrum disorders and even more
alarming,
1/6 children have developmental and or behavioral disorders.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) Expert Committee on Biological
Standardization acknowledges that thimerosal is essential during vaccine
production to inactivate certain pathogenic organisms and toxins and
prevent
microbial growth during vaccine storage and use. (click here to view
do***ent). Read the Eli Lilly's, manufacturer of thimerosal, safety data
sheet on thimerosal. According to this do***ent, thimerosal will react
with
strong oxidizing agents and one listed is peroxides. Another vaccine
component. Also listed are the effects, including signs and symptoms of
exposure such as topical allergic dermatitis, topical hypersensitivity
reactions. Early signs of mercury poisoning are noted as nervous system
effects which include narrowing of the visual field and numbness in the
extremities. "Exposure to mercury in utero and in children can cause mild
to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination's
impairment". Primary routes of entry are listed as inhalation and skin
contact. For ****pping information, there's no question of the label:
POISONS accompanied by the skull and bones picture label.
Mercury over stimulates the brain's immune system. Over stimulation of
the
brain results in activation of the microglia widely dispersed in the
brain.
When the microglia are activated, they release toxins killing surrounding
brains cells. Prolonged stimulation of the microglia by too many vaccines
kills far too many brain cells.
Though, some may find the reasoning of this imitation form of immunization
to make sense and logic, studying the peer review, lab work and studies
conducting the safety of such the practice will encourage you to think
twice. The dangers of inoculating children and adults with vile
microorganisms is potentially fatal. World Health Organization is privy
to
this information. Other material indicate they know that more children
would die and or die quicker without the thimerosal. Sounds insane, but a
fact worth keeping in mind and or researching on your own. So, in order
to
inactivate these microorganisms something even more toxic is needed to do
just that. That's where the thimerosal comes in. These facts alone
should
raise a few eyebrows. Remember, in the records of mercury toxicology, it
only takes 35 mcg to kill a rabbit. Now, think about how much is in each
vaccine. There's 25mcg in Hib, Pneumococcal (except for Prevnar), DTaP,
all
Tetanus brands. Then there's 12.5 in the Hep b. How much thimerosal is
needed should be your other indicator of the dangers of vaccines. The
next
indicator is how many doses children receive by school registration.
It's one Russian roulette game after another to keep the big bucks packing
into the pockets of the big dogs.
Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;9(9):833-45.Related Articles, Links
Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent.
Hornig M, Chian D, Lipkin WI.
Jerome L and Dawn Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory, Department of
Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New
York, NY 10032, USA. mady.hornig@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
developing brain is uniquely susceptible to the neurotoxic hazard
posed
by mercurials. Host differences in maturation, metabolism, nutrition, ***,
and autoimmunity influence outcomes. How population-based variability
affects the safety of the ethylmercury-containing vaccine preservative,
thimerosal, is unknown. Re****ted increases in the prevalence of autism, a
highly heritable neuropsychiatric condition, are intensifying public focus
on environmental exposures such as thimerosal. Immune profiles and family
history in autism are frequently consistent with autoimmunity. We
hypothesized that autoimmune propensity influences outcomes in mice
following thimerosal challenges that mimic routine childhood
immunizations.
Autoimmune disease-sensitive SJL/J mice showed growth delay; reduced
locomotion; exaggerated response to novelty; and densely packed,
hyperchromic hippocampal neurons with altered glutamate receptors and
trans****ters. Strains resistant to autoimmunity, C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ,
were
not susceptible. These findings implicate genetic influences and provide a
model for investigating thimerosal-related neurotoxicity.
PMID: 15184908 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
1: Neurotoxicology. 1989 Winter;10(4):699-706.Related Articles, Links
Effect of organic and inorganic mercuric salts on Na+K+ATPase in different
cerebral fractions in control and intrauterine growth-retarded rats:
alterations induced by s*****onin.
Chanez C, Flexor MA, Bourre JM.
Unite 26, INSERM, Hopital Fernand WIDAL, Paris, France.
An intrauterine growth-retarded (IUGR) model based on restriction of blood
supply to the rat fetus at the 17th day of pregnancy was studied. We
investigated in vitro the effects of thimerosal and mercuric chloride on
Na+K+ATPase activity in total brain homogenate, synaptosomes and myelin at
weaning. In addition, we evaluated the reversal effect of s*****onin on
mercury-inhibited Na+K+ATPase activity. The toxicity, in terms of
inhibition
of Na+K+ATPase activity was greater with mercuric chloride than with
thimerosal. Synaptosomes and principally myelin were more sensitive to the
metal salts than total homogenate. S*****onin stimulated the Na+K+ATPase
activity in total brain homogenate and synaptosomes but inhibited the
enzyme
in the myelin fraction. This effect was more marked in the IUGR group than
in the control group. S*****onin (1 mM) added to total homogenate
pretreated
with the mercury salts produced variable reversal effects. In the
synaptosomal fraction reverse effect was noted with s*****onin. In myelin
fraction, added s*****onin increased inhibition caused by thimerosal.
PMID: 2562765 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
1: Int J Biochem. 1983;15(1):5-7.Related Articles, Links
Rat brain (Na+-K+)ATPase: modulation of its ouabain-sensitive K+-PNPPase
activity by thimerosal.
Lewis RN, Bowler K.
1. The (Na+ + K+) ATPase activity of a rat brain synaptic membrane
preparation was inhibited by 10(-5) M thimerosal. 2. The ouabain
inhibitable
K+-PNPPase activity of thimerosal treated membranes was compared with that
of untreated membranes with respect to sensitivity to temperature,
ouabain,
K+ and ATP. 3. All those kinetic characteristics were substantially
altered
by treatment with thimerosal.
PMID: 6298022 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
pharmacist friend maintains multiple dose vials of flu vaccine all
contain mercury as a preservative/antibacterial. the single dose vials
do not have mercury as a preservative, but have had mercury added
during the initial processing of the vaccine. the resultant single
dose vials have a minute amount of mercury, esp in comparison to the
multiple dose vials. one can request one's physician order single
dose vial flu vaccine. It is more expensive.
(2-5-04) BOSTON, Mass. - According to new research from Northeastern
University pharmacy professor Richard Deth and colleagues from the
University of Nebraska, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University, there is
an apparent link between exposure to certain neurodevelopmental toxins
and an increased possibility of developing neurological disorders
including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The
research - the first to offer an explanation for possible causes of
two increasingly common childhood neurological disorders - is
published today in the April 2004 issue of the journal Molecular
Psychiatry.
Though some speculation exists regarding this link, Deth and his
colleagues found that exposure to toxins, such as ethanol and heavy
metals (including lead, aluminum and the ethylmercury-containing
preservative thimerosal) potently interrupt growth factor signaling,
causing adverse effects on methylation reactions (i.e. the transfer of
carbon atoms). Methylation, in turn, plays a significant role in
regulating normal DNA function and gene expression, and is critical to
proper neurological development in infants and children. Scientists and
practitioners have identified an increase in diagnoses of autism and
ADHD in particular, though the reasons why are largely unknown.
In their work, the scientists found that insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1) and the neurotransmitter dopamine both stimulated
folate-dependent methylation pathways in neuronal cells. At the same
time they noted that compounds like thimerosal, ethanol and metals
(like lead and mercury) effectively inhibited these same biochemical
pathways at concentrations that are typically found following
vaccination or other sources of exposure. By better understanding what
happens when infants and children are exposed to these materials, the
work of Deth and his colleagues helps to explain how environmental
contact with metals and administration of certain vaccines may lead to
serious disorders that manifest themselves during childhood, including
autism and ADHD.
"Scientists certainly acknowledge that exposure to neurotoxins like
ethanol and heavy metals can cause developmental disorders, but until
now, the precise mechanisms underlying their toxicity have not been
known," said Deth. "The recent increase in the incidence of autism
led us to speculate that environmental exposures, including vaccine
additives might contribute to the triggering of this disorder."
Thimerosal, which was largely phased out in the U.S. and in Europe
starting in 2000,was often used for its preservative abilities in
multi-dose units of vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, whooping
cough, tetanus and diptheria. Today, most vaccines carry only trace
amounts of it, according to the CDC. But in larger, multi-dose vials of
these vaccines, often ****pped to and used in third world countries,
thimerosal is still very common. Multi-dose flu vaccines still contain
thimerosal.
Additionally, the scientists recently obtained more insight into the
mechanism by which thimerosal interferes with folate-dependent
methylation. It acts by inhibiting the biosynthesis of the active form
of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin), which is of particular interest
because doctors treating autistic kids are having good success with the
administration of methycobalamin.
Northeastern University, a private research institution located in
Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented
education. Building on its flag****p cooperative education program,
Northeastern links classroom learning with workplace experience and
integrates professional preparation with study in the liberal arts and
sciences. U.S. News & World Re****t, in its annual guide America's
Best Colleges, 2003, ranked Northeastern University number one in the
country among programs that "require or encourage students to apply
what they're learning in the classroom out in the real world." In
addition, Northeastern's career services was top ranked by Kaplan
Newsweek's "Unofficial Insiders Guide to the 320 Most Interesting
Colleges and Universities," 2003 edition. For more information, please
visit http://www.northeastern.edu.
Paper in full at this link:
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/2-04/deth_article.pdf
Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70. Related Articles, Links
Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and
dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal.
Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S,
****m S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston,
MA 02115, USA.
Methylation events play a critical role in the ability of growth
factors to promote normal development. Neurodevelopmental toxins, such
as ethanol and heavy metals, interrupt growth factor signaling, raising
the possibility that they might exert adverse effects on methylation.
We found that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)- and
dopamine-stimulated methionine synthase (MS) activity and
folate-dependent methylation of phospholipids in SH-SY5Y human
neuroblastoma cells, via a PI3-kinase- and MAP-kinase-dependent
mechanism. The stimulation of this pathway increased DNA methylation,
while its inhibition increased methylation-sensitive gene expression.
Ethanol potently interfered with IGF-1 activation of MS and blocked its
effect on DNA methylation, whereas it did not inhibit the effects of
dopamine. Metal ions potently affected IGF-1 and dopamine-stimulated MS
activity, as well as folate-dependent phospholipid methylation: Cu(2+)
promoted enzyme activity and methylation, while Cu(+), Pb(2+), Hg(2+)
and Al(3+) were inhibitory. The ethylmercury-containing preservative
thimerosal inhibited both IGF-1- and dopamine-stimulated methylation
with an IC(50) of 1 nM and eliminated MS activity. Our findings outline
a novel growth factor signaling pathway that regulates MS activity and
thereby modulates methylation reactions, including DNA methylation. The
potent inhibition of this pathway by ethanol, lead, mercury, aluminum
and thimerosal suggests that it may be an im****tant target of
neurodevelopmental toxins.
PMID: 14745455 [PubMed - in process]
Medical News Today
Thimerosal, found in childhood vaccines, can increase the risk of
autism-like damage in mice
09 Jun 2004
A new study indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury
preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to
the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible
mice. This animal model, the first to show that the administration of
low-dose ethylmercury can lead to behavioral and neurological changes in
the developing brain, reinforces previous studies showing that a genetic
predisposition affects risk in combination with certain environmental
triggers. The study was conducted by researchers at the Jerome L. and Dawn
Greene
Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University. Over the past 20 years, there has been a striking
increase--at least ten-fold since 1985--in the number of children
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Genetic factors alone cannot
account for this rise in prevalence. Researchers at the Mailman School,
led by Dr. Mady Hornig, created an animal model to explore the
relation****p between thimerosal (ethylmercury) and autism, hypothesizing
that the combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure
to mercury in childhood vaccines may cause neurotoxicity.
***ulative mercury burden through other sources, including in utero
exposures to mercury in fish or vaccines, may also lead to damage in
susceptible hosts. Timing and quantity of thimerosal dosing for the mouse
model were developed using the U.S. immunization schedule for children,
with doses calculated for mice based on 10th percentile weight of U.S.
boys at age two, four, six, and twelve months.
The researchers found the subset of autoimmune disease susceptible mice
with thimerosal exposure to express many im****tant aspects of the
behavioral and neuropathologic features of autism spectrum disorders,
including:
Abnormal response to novel environments;
Behavioral impoverishment (limited range of behaviors and decreased
exploration of environment); Significant abnormalities in brain
architecture, affecting areas subserving emotion and cognition; Increased
brain size.
These findings have relevance for identification of autism cases relating
to environmental factors; design of treatment strategies; and development
of rational immunization programs. The use of thimerosal in vaccines has
been reduced over the past few years, although it is still present in some
influenza vaccines. Identifying the connection between genetic
susceptibility and an environmental trigger for autism--in this case
thimerosal exposure--is im****tant because it may promote discovery of
effective interventions for and limit exposure in a specific population,
stated the lead author Dr. Mady Hornig. Because the developing brain can
be exposed to toxins that are long gone by the time symptoms appear, clues
gathered in these animal models can then be evaluated through prospective
human birth cohorts--providing a powerful to tool to dissect the
interaction between genes and the environment over time.
Citation source: Molecular Psychiatry 2004 Volume 9, advance on line
publication doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001529
For further information on this work, please contact Mady Hornig, MD,
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Greene Infectious
Disease Laboratory, 722 W 168th St, New York, New York 10032, United
States of America, phone: 212-342-9036; FAX: 949-824-1229; e-mail:
mh2092@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70. Related Articles, Links
Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and
dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal.
Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S,
****m S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston,
MA 02115, USA.
Methylation events play a critical role in the ability of growth
factors to promote normal development. Neurodevelopmental toxins, such
as ethanol and heavy metals, interrupt growth factor signaling, raising
the possibility that they might exert adverse effects on methylation.
We found that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)- and
dopamine-stimulated methionine synthase (MS) activity and
folate-dependent methylation of phospholipids in SH-SY5Y human
neuroblastoma cells, via a PI3-kinase- and MAP-kinase-dependent
mechanism. The stimulation of this pathway increased DNA methylation,
while its inhibition increased methylation-sensitive gene expression.
Ethanol potently interfered with IGF-1 activation of MS and blocked its
effect on DNA methylation, whereas it did not inhibit the effects of
dopamine. Metal ions potently affected IGF-1 and dopamine-stimulated MS
activity, as well as folate-dependent phospholipid methylation: Cu(2+)
promoted enzyme activity and methylation, while Cu(+), Pb(2+), Hg(2+)
and Al(3+) were inhibitory. The ethylmercury-containing preservative
thimerosal inhibited both IGF-1- and dopamine-stimulated methylation
with an IC(50) of 1 nM and eliminated MS activity. Our findings outline
a novel growth factor signaling pathway that regulates MS activity and
thereby modulates methylation reactions, including DNA methylation. The
potent inhibition of this pathway by ethanol, lead, mercury, aluminum
and thimerosal suggests that it may be an im****tant target of
neurodevelopmental toxins.
Thimerosal neurotoxicity and protection with
N-Acetylcysteine supplementation", Health Sentinel, January 3, 2005,
In the 1930s, Eli Lily developed Thimerosal as a preservative and it
was widely used in vaccines. Until the removal of Thimerosal, which
contains 49.9% ethyl mercury by weight, from most pediatric vaccines in
2001, the source of the largest human exposure to mercury in the US was
in children under 18 months of age undergoing routine childhood
immunization schedules. Before 2001, a child may have received a
***ulative dose of over 200 µg/kg (micrograms per kilogram) in the
first 18 months of life.
Although Thimerosal has been removed from most childhood vaccines, it
is still present in the flu vaccine, which is given to pregnant women,
the elderly, and children. Also, many vaccines given to children in
developing countries still contain Thimerosal.
In the 2005 issue of NeuroToxicology, the authors of a study examine
the toxicity of Thimerosal within the body including neurons. They
examine the neurotoxic mechanisms, how the body detoxifies mercury, and
the use of N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC for short, in facilitating the
detoxification pathway within the body.
Glutathione, a tripeptide composed of cysteine, glutamate, and glycine,
is manufactured in the liver and also in the brain. Normally, the
concentrations of glutathione in the cells are quite high providing for
detoxification of a variety of heavy metals including mercury. However,
when this essential antioxidant is depleted the excess mercury can bind
to internal cellular proteins leading to toxic damage. Studies have
shown that, "low micromolar concentrations of Thimerosal induced DNA
strand breaks, caspase-3 activation, membrane damage and cell death."
Although the brain can produce glutathione, it can only manufacture
this from its immediate precursor cysteine. The liver, on the other
hand, is able through a long series of biochemical steps to create
glutathione from methionine. Methionine is an essential amino acid that
supplies the body with sulfur and methyl groups. The liver uses a
number of enzyme systems along with various B vitamins to produce
glutathione. The liver then ex****ts the glutathione to the blood that
then is broken down to cystine. Cystine crosses the blood-brain barrier
to be used by the brain to make glutathione. Thus, the brain is reliant
on the liver to manufacture chemicals to keep it free from toxins.
The brain contains neurons and other cells called astrocytes.
Astrocytes use the cystine that crosses the blood-brain barrier to make
glutathione. The astrocytes then ex****t the glutathione to the space
between the cells where it is broken down to cysteine. The neurons take
up the cysteine and manufacture glutathione. This complex series of
biochemical events is what is necessary to keep the brain free from
heavy metal damage.
The authors first examined the level of Thimerosal that would cause
toxic damage to cells. They found that the higher the concentration of
Thimerosal the greater the number of cells that were killed although
the nerve cell response occurred with only a 3 hour exposure, whereas
the other cell line required a 48 hour exposure demonstrating that
nerve cells are more sensitive to Thimerosal toxicity. "In both cell
lines, a progressive increase in cytotoxicity (decrease in viability)
was observed when Thimerosal dose was progressively doubled from 2.5
µmol/L [micromoles per liter] to 5, 10, and 20 µmol/L. Viability was
reduced more than 50% in both cell lines with exposure to 10 µmol/L
Thimerosal and less than 10% of cells survived a dose of 20 µmol/L."
The authors then pretreated cells with NAC before adding a dose of 15
µmol/L Thimerosal. They found that, "Thimerosal alone induced more
than a 6-fold decrease in viability", and that NAC, "provided
significant protection against cell death". The authors note,
"Thimerosal induces oxidative stress and apoptosis by activating
mitochondrial cell death pathways. A subsequent study using cultured
human neuron and fibroblast cell lines similarly showed that low
micromolar concentrations of Thimerosal induced DNA strand breaks,
caspase-3 activation, membrane damage and cell death."
The authors conclude that, "numerous clinical studies have
demonstrated the efficacy of NAC in increasing intracellular
glutathione levels and reducing oxidative stress in humans. Since
cytotoxicity with both ethyl- and methyl- mercury have been shown to be
mediated by glutathione depletion, dietary supplements that increase
intracellular glutathione could be envisioned as an effective
intervention to reduce previous or anticipated exposure to mercury.
This approach would be especially valuable in the elderly and in
pregnant women receiving Rho D immunoglobulin shots, and individuals
who regularly consume mercury-containing fish."
SOURCE: NeuroToxicology, Vol. 26, 2005, pp. 1-8
http://www.childproofing.org/vaccine&autism.html
New Research Suggests Link Between Vaccine Ingredients and Autism, ADHD
[Source: Northeastern University.]
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/503041/NewsWise
Newswise - According to new research from Northeastern University pharmacy
professor Richard Deth and colleagues from the University of Nebraska,
Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University, there is an apparent link between
exposure to certain neurodevelopmental toxins and an increased possibility
of developing neurological disorders including autism and
attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder. The research - the first to offer an explanation
for
possible causes of two increasingly common childhood neurological
disorders - is published today in the April 2004 issue of the journal
Molecular Psychiatry.
Though some speculation exists regarding this link, Deth and his
colleagues
found that exposure to toxins, such as ethanol and heavy metals (including
lead, aluminum and the ethylmercury-containing preservative thimerosal)
potently interrupt growth factor signaling, causing adverse effects on
methylation reactions (i.e. the transfer of carbon atoms). Methylation, in
turn, plays a significant role in regulating normal DNA function and gene
expression, and is critical to proper neurological development in infants
and children. Scientists and practitioners have identified an increase in
diagnoses of autism and ADHD in particular, though the reasons why are
largely unknown.
In their work, the scientists found that insulin-like growth
factor-1(IGF-1)
and the neurotransmitter dopamine both stimulated folate-dependent
methylation pathways in neuronal cells. At the same time they noted that
compounds like thimerosal, ethanol and metals (like lead and mercury)
effectively inhibited these same biochemical pathways at concentrations
that
are typically found following vaccination or other sources of exposure.
By better understanding what happens when infants and children are exposed
to these materials, the work of Deth and his colleagues helps to explain
how
environmental contact with metals and administration of certain vaccines
may
lead to serious disorders that manifest themselves during childhood,
including autism and ADHD.
"Scientists certainly acknowledge that exposure to neurotoxins like
ethanol
and heavy metals can cause developmental disorders, but until now, the
precise mechanisms underlying their toxicity have not been known," said
Deth. "The recent increase in the incidence of autism led us to speculate
that environmental exposures, including vaccine additives might contribute
to the triggering of this disorder."
Thimerosal, which was largely phased out in the U.S. and in Europe
starting
in 2000, was often used for its preservative abilities in multi-dose units
of vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, whooping cough, tetanus and
diptheria.
Today, most vaccines carry only trace amounts of it, according to the CDC.
But in larger, multi-dose vials of these vaccines, often ****pped to and
used
in third world countries, thimerosal is still very common. Multi-dose flu
vaccines still contain thimerosal.
Additionally, the scientists recently obtained more insight into the
mechanism by which thimerosal interferes with folate-dependent
methylation.
It acts by inhibiting the biosynthesis of the active form of vitamin B12
(methylcobalamin), which is of particular interest because doctors
treating
autistic kids are having good success with the administration of
methycobalamin.
http://www.altcorp.com/DentalInformation/thimerosal.htm
Medical News Today
Thimerosal, found in childhood vaccines, can increase the risk of
autism-like damage in mice
09 Jun 2004
A new study indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury
preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to
the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible
mice. This animal model, the first to show that the administration of
low-dose ethylmercury can lead to behavioral and neurological changes in
the developing brain, reinforces previous studies showing that a genetic
predisposition affects risk in combination with certain environmental
triggers. The study was conducted by researchers at the Jerome L. and Dawn
Greene
Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University. Over the past 20 years, there has been a striking
increase--at least ten-fold since 1985--in the number of children
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Genetic factors alone cannot
account for this rise in prevalence. Researchers at the Mailman School,
led by Dr. Mady Hornig, created an animal model to explore the
relation****p between thimerosal (ethylmercury) and autism, hypothesizing
that the combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure
to mercury in childhood vaccines may cause neurotoxicity.
***ulative mercury burden through other sources, including in utero
exposures to mercury in fish or vaccines, may also lead to damage in
susceptible hosts. Timing and quantity of thimerosal dosing for the mouse
model were developed using the U.S. immunization schedule for children,
with doses calculated for mice based on 10th percentile weight of U.S.
boys at age two, four, six, and twelve months.
The researchers found the subset of autoimmune disease susceptible mice
with thimerosal exposure to express many im****tant aspects of the
behavioral and neuropathologic features of autism spectrum disorders,
including:
Abnormal response to novel environments;
Behavioral impoverishment (limited range of behaviors and decreased
exploration of environment); Significant abnormalities in brain
architecture, affecting areas subserving emotion and cognition; Increased
brain size.
These findings have relevance for identification of autism cases relating
to environmental factors; design of treatment strategies; and development
of rational immunization programs. The use of thimerosal in vaccines has
been reduced over the past few years, although it is still present in some
influenza vaccines. Identifying the connection between genetic
susceptibility and an environmental trigger for autism--in this case
thimerosal exposure--is im****tant because it may promote discovery of
effective interventions for and limit exposure in a specific population,
stated the lead author Dr. Mady Hornig. Because the developing brain can
be exposed to toxins that are long gone by the time symptoms appear, clues
gathered in these animal models can then be evaluated through prospective
human birth cohorts--providing a powerful to tool to dissect the
interaction between genes and the environment over time.
Citation source: Molecular Psychiatry 2004 Volume 9, advance on line
publication doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001529
For further information on this work, please contact Mady Hornig, MD,
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Greene Infectious
Disease Laboratory, 722 W 168th St, New York, New York 10032, United
States of America, phone: 212-342-9036; FAX: 949-824-1229; e-mail:
mh2092@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> A meal of fish would contain more. The above complains about
vaccines
> containing 2000 parts per billion. What about fish, such as tuna,
that
> can contain over 1000 parts per billion (see
> http://www.fda.gov/fdac/reprints/mercury.html
) as highly toxic methyl
> mercury, and are consumed in much larger volumes and much more
> frequently?
>
> PM
>
|
