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Autism Carers: Lee Scott MP Calls For Action, UK
Lee Scott MP for Ilford North who has been campaigning in the House of Commons for parents, carers, children and adults with Asperger"s Syndrome is calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Government to increase the carer"s allowance for possibly over a million carers who are looking after children and adults with autism and Asperger"s Syndrome in the United Kingdom.

Individuals Genetically At Risk Of Developing Psychological Disorders Also Benefit The Most From Positive Environments
Certain individuals have long been regarded as particularly susceptible to developing behavioural and emotional problems when they experience negative environmental conditions, due to the fact that they carry so-called "vulnerability genes". Existing research suggests, for instance, that such "genetically vulnerable" individuals are most likely to become impulsive and hyperactive if their mothers smoked while pregnant, to behave anti-socially if subjected to child abuse, and to become depressed if exposed to many negative life events (e.g., divorce, unemployment). But a new evaluation of existing gene-by-environment interaction (GXE) research highlighting such genetic vulnerability to adversity challenges this traditional interpretation of existing evidence. Research published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests that those carrying "vulnerability genes" are not only more likely than others to be adversely affected by negative experiences but to also benefit more than others from positive environments, making them more malleable or plastic, not just vulnerable. This novel interpretation of old and new findings suggests that "vulnerability genes" might be better conceptualised as "plasticity or malleability genes" because carriers are more affected, for better and for worse, by positive and negative environmental conditions.
News of the day
CNN Poll Finds Americans' Opinons Are Divided Regarding The President's Health Reform Push
Americans appear split over the president"s push for health care reform, a new CNN poll has found. "Fifty percent of those questioned in CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday morning say they support the president"s plans, with 45 percent opposed. The results indicate a generational divide. ""Obama"s plan is most popular among younger Americans and least popular among senior citizens," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "A majority of Americans over the age of 50 oppose Obama"s plan; a majority of those under 50 support it.""
Oncology

Indian Government Delays Implementation Of Ruling For Graphic Images To Appear On Tobacco Products

Despite a recent ruling by India"s Supreme Court that all tobacco products must have pictorial warnings by May 31, one week after the ruling was to go into effect, the warning labels have yet to appear on packaging, the National reports. The main reason "the government is not serious about [the] implementation" of the Supreme Court ruling is a fear of backlash from the estimated 45 million people living in India with ties to the tobacco industry, according to anti-tobacco advocate Mahesh Chaturvedi. The National writes, "According to a recent health ministry report, more than 300 [million] people above the age of nine in India use tobacco products, with new smokers increasing by between five per cent to seven per cent a year." While India"s tobacco industry generates more "than 95 billion rupees [about $20 billion] annually in taxes, 80 percent of which comes from cigarette sales," a study found "tobacco use drains around 350bn rupees [$73.9 billion] from the Indian economy in the form of healthcare costs and productivity losses." The article examines the resistance from India"s beedi manufacturers to display the graphic warnings on their products. "The highly labour-intensive- based industry, which provides large-scale employment, gives it a powerful voice and that is one of the reasons why the government has been silent," on implementing the Supreme Court ruling, Chaturvedi said (Andrabi, the National, 6/8). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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