Developmental disorders

Deletions in the elastin gene (located at 7qll.23) have been found in approximately 90% of subjects with Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder affecting connective tissue and the central nervous system. The mutations, by affecting synthesis of elastin, probably play a causative role in the supravalvular aortic stenosis often found in this condition. A number of skin diseases (eg, scleroderma) are associated with accumulation of elastin. Fragmentation or, alternatively, a decrease of elastin is found in conditions such as pulmonary emphysema, cutis laxa, and aging of the skin. 

Pervasive developmental disorder If there is a history of autistic disorder or another pervasive developmental disorder, the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present for at least a month (or less if successfully treated). 

OA is often divided into primary (idiopathic) and secondary disease (Table 55-1). Primary OA is the predominant form and occurs in the absence of a precipitating event. It may assume a localized, generalized, or erosive pattern. Localized OA is distinguished from generalized disease by the number of sites involved, whereas erosive disease is characterized by an erosive pattern of bone destruction and marked proliferation of interphalangeal joints of the hands. Secondary OA occurs when the disease is caused by congenital or developmental disorders or inflammatory, metabolic, or endocrine diseases. 

Osano, 0., Admiraal, W., and Otieno, D. Developmental disorders in embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis induced by chloroacetanilide herbicides and their degradation products. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 21(2) 375-379, 2002. 

Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Children with autism or one of the other pervasive developmental disorders can be impulsive and inattentive much like those with ADHD. However, the severe social disability and language problems of children with an autistic disorder usually far exceed that of ADHD. These differences are usually sufficient to clarify the diagnosis. When one is unsure, neuropsychological testing can help clarify matters. 

The website continues, "The use of animal models to study neuro-developmental disorders has also been expanding, particularly here at UC Davis, which has schools of medicine and veterinary medieine, as well as a primate research center. Monkeys and other nonhuman primates have brains organized comparable to humans, making them ideal research models for the study of neuro-developmental disorders."... 

Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, et al. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet 1998 351 637-A1. 

Wakefield AJ, Anthony A, Murch SH, etal. Enterocolitis in children with developmental disorders. Am J Gastroenterol 2000 95 2285-95. 

Katsui, T. et al. (19S6). Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders 16, 69-76. 

W.L. Strauss, A.S. Unis, C. Cowan, G. Dawson, S.R. Dager, Fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement of brain fluvoxamine and fluoxetine in pediatric patients treated for pervasive developmental disorders. Am. J. Psychiatry 159 (2002) 755-760. 

Robinson JF et al (2010) Integrating genetic and toxicogenomic information for determining underlying susceptibility to developmental disorders. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol 88 920-930. doi 10.1002/ bdra.20708... 

Roizen, N.J., Blondis, T.A. and Irwin, M. (1996) Psychiatric and developmental disorders in families of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine 150, 203-208. 

Unlabeled Uses Treatment of bulimia nervosa, cataplexy associated with narcolepsy, depression, neurogenic pain, panic disorder, ejaculatory disorders, pervasive developmental disorder... 

Children with a range of developmental disorders appear to be at increased risk for tic disorders. Kurlan and colleagues (1994) reported a fourfold increase in the prevalence of tic disorders among children in special educational settings in a single school district in upstate New York. These children were not mentally retarded but did have significant learning disabilities or other physical impairments. 

Children with pervasive developmental disorders are also at higher risk for developing TS. In a recent survey of 447 pupils from nine schools for children and adolescents with autism, 19 children were found to have definite TS, yielding a prevalence rate of 4.3% (Baron-Cohen et ah, 1999). However, caution is warranted, as complex motor tics can be difficult to distinguish from motor stereotypies, and differentiation among these behaviors may be especially problematic among retarded individuals with limited verbal skills. 

Although childhood cases are rare (McKenna et ah, 1994), schizophrenia has been identified in children since its earliest descriptions. Despite this, the nosological status of schizophrenia in children was controversial for many years, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2nd ed. (DSM-II) category childhood schizophrenia included other psychotic disorders in children as well as autistic disorder, limiting the usefulness of early studies. The landmark studies by Kolvin (1971), however, clearly differentiated schizophrenia with onset in childhood from pervasive developmental disorders. 

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