Autism finding could lead to simple urine AS test

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I just read this interesting news article:

Here's the link to the article:
ScienceDaily - Autism finding could lead to simple urine test for the condition

Curious. Interesting. Annoying that the study isn't viewable.

The finding can be used in both 'good' and 'bad' ways, lets just hope the right choice is made. Im not truly confident in humanities ability to do so, but maybe things can change, I dunno. My worry is that it can be used to root out those with autism who are looking for work among other things and be used to assist in discriminatory practices.

Let's hope that those tests go in the right hands, instead of the hands of our enemies.

Great... and I HATE the freakin' pee test

Interesting and scary that they can identify non-autistics with autistic siblings.

if anyone wants the article i can email it to you. i didn't read the whole thing but looked at the figures and the taurine level that they say differs has a huge variation i.e. their error bars are bigger than their signal so i am not convinced.

As with most science.

I'm not sure I buy their conclusions, as they seem to require that all autistics must of necessity have intestinal issues - a point whose validity I am not yet satisfied with.

That is indeed true, and as I have stated before, I have a very hard time trusting humanity with such knowledge, trusting that they would do the right thing with it. Yeah, I know I am probably way to cynical/negative in my view, but that is the thing, I'm still working on finding my 'balance' with it. Recently though I think Ive been a bit overboard with it because I have just been getting annoyed with the various scientific fields in general to the point of just feeling very vindictive at times. It gets especially so when I read stuff about science messes around with nature via genetic engineering or when neuroscience has to treat the Autistic spectrum like a truly despicable thing.

I know my main thing with nature is that sometimes I think we should just 'let nature take its course, we shouldnt be meddling in that realm' sort of thoughts. Yeah, maybe we wont has as much progress with stuff like medicine, finding new ways to create 'resources' (ex: the whole Goats that produce spider silk proteins in their milk), to solving hunger issues. I can easily state other reasons why I am against genetic manipulations. A good example would be with food sources. Sometimes an Anomaly may occur, IE Corn with a bacteria genetic sequence put in that is supposed to make it a hardier crop triggers production of toxins. My worry with that would then be somehow the modified genetic code would then actually spread before it is caught. This in turn can create many serious problems.

As for what I meant about the spectrum stuff. Neuroscience has far too much in the way of an NT view on things, meaning if it doesn't fit the mold of conformity with the majority of society it HAS to be FIXED. I can easily compare it to just simply one culture subjugating another. I do know that some people on the spectrum truly indeed suffer from their problems, but my main point being is that the scientists and simply society in general should start asking those of us on the spectrum as to how we ourselves 'conceptualize/visualize' our thinking. It could then perhaps actually help make true progress in UNDERSTANDING those of us on the spectrum.

Interesting comment I saw on Slashdot about this article:

"Maybe these kids just aren't eating what other kids are eating.

Sadly even my university access doesnt extend to the Journal of Proteome Research without me stumping up $30 for two days of access, so I can't check the statistics. They had a sample of 39 (35M + 4F) autistic children, their 28 siblings (14M+14F), and 34 age-matched controls (17F+17M). Don't know why they didnt age- and sex-match the controls.

Pretty small sample, and if you look for enough different proteins in urine you might well find something different."

I say, the different gender ratio alone makes this a really unscientific study, not to mention the small sample size.

I didn't read the article but I wonder that because the sample size is so low, if it's one of those preliminary tests. Perhaps tests with large sample sizes will go over that and also test other things. I read articles from journals all the time with small sample sizes that are doing "revolutionary" research. Revolutionary being that no one had asked the question yet, then went all the way with the funding and the statistics and stuff. Thanks for the article, though. I'll bookmark it and read it later!

Small sample sizes to help get an idea, Large sample size to prove it IMO. It could be that maybe their urine is different because maybe all subjects were somehow on a gluten/casein free diet perhaps? What if the person was on a meat or veg heavy diet, or just on a "normal" diet. These are all factors that SHOULD be considered.

I have already been diagnosed twice with AS. They had better not make the "pee" test mandatory. Those tests are not always reliable, in terms of testing other conditions. Unless they make me take it, and find out what I have already felt all along - that I am not human and don't belong on this planet.