Levels of metals in the blood and specific porphyrins in the urine in children with autism spectrum disorders.

The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of metals in blood (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg)), as well as the specific porphyrin levels in the urine of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with patients with other neurological disorders. The study was performed in a group of children with ASD (N = 52, average age = 6.2 years) and a control group of children with other neurological disorders (N = 22, average age = 6.

Epilepsy treatment in Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder predominately affecting females. The majority of patients have epilepsy in the early stages of the disease. This study evaluates the clinical course of epilepsy and the effect of antiepileptic drug treatment in Rett syndrome using retrospective data analysis.