Gas-fired power in the UK: Bridging supply gaps and implications of domestic shale gas exploitation for UK climate change targets.

There is a projected shortcoming in the fourth carbon budget of 7.5%. This shortfall may be increased if the UK pursues a domestic shale gas industry to offset projected decreases in traditional gas supply.

Sensory Processing Difficulties in Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome: A Pilot Project of Presentation and Possible Prevalence.

Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome is a rare but serious neurological condition resulting in loss of control of eye movements, often accompanied by difficulties in posture and movement control with reports of sensory sensitivities potentially impacting on behavior. This pilot study characterizes the presence of atypical sensory behaviors in opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome through questionnaire survey of a cohort of families. The Short Sensory Profile, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and Developmental Behaviour Checklist were distributed to 30 families; 16 were returned anonymously.

Influence of Age, Gender, and Living Circumstances on Patterns of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Use in Children and Adolescents With or Without Intellectual Disabilities.

Aims And Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether there are differences in psychopharmacological practice for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents dependent on the presence or absence of associated intellectual disability; and if there are, whether the differences are influenced by factors such as age, gender, and living circumstances.

Methodology: A case-control cross-sectional design was used. Each arm of the study had a total of 107 children and adolescents aged 5-18 years.

The clinical implications of high levels of autism spectrum disorder features in anorexia nervosa: a pilot study.

Objective: This study examined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) features in relation to treatment completion and eating disorder psychopathology in anorexia nervosa (AN).

Method: Thirty-two adult women were recruited from specialist eating disorder services. Features of ASD and disordered eating were measured.

Autism spectrum disorders in eating disorder populations: a systematic review.

Objective: Empirical research addressing cognitive processing deficits in eating disorders has noted an overlap with autism spectrum disorders. We conducted a systematic review investigating the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in its entirety in eating disordered populations.

Methods: A comprehensive search for relevant studies was performed on five electronic databases.

Fragile X syndrome: lifespan developmental implications for those without as well as with intellectual disability.

Purpose Of Review: Advances in developmental neuropsychiatry and the mental health needs of people with intellectual disability are creating ever greater understanding of the critical associations between human genome variations and psychological functioning throughout lifespan and across the entire intellectual ability spectrum. This review highlights the recent developments and their clinical implications for people with fragile X syndrome.

Recent Findings: There is substantial evidence for individuals of all ages and intellectual abilities being prone to psychological profiles determined not only by having a fragile X gene full mutation, but also by having premutations and intermediate alleles.

Autism spectrum disorder in children with and without epilepsy: impact on social functioning and communication.

Aim: To compare developmental and psychological functioning in two groups of children with autism spectrum disorder (asd), one with epilepsy and one without.

Methods: Sixty 7-17-year-old children in each group were recruited through a range of services in order to screen as representative a sample as possible. Parents were interviewed using the diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders (DISCO-11), and children were clinically examined and their medical histories assessed.

Lifespan changes in working memory in fragile X premutation males.

Fragile X syndrome is the world's most common hereditary cause of developmental delay in males and is now well characterized at the biological, brain and cognitive levels. The disorder is caused by the silencing of a single gene on the X chromosome, the FMR1 gene. The premutation (carrier) status, however, is less well documented but has an emerging literature that highlights a more subtle profile of executive cognitive deficiencies that mirror those reported in fully affected males.

Age-dependent cognitive changes in carriers of the fragile X syndrome.

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by the silencing of a single gene on the X chromosome, the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. Affected individuals display a unique neurocognitive phenotype that includes significant impairment in inhibitory control, selective attention, working memory, and visual-spatial cognition. In contrast, little is known about the trajectory and specificity of any cognitive impairment associated with the fragile X premutation (i.

Fragile X syndrome associated with tic disorders.

Movement disorders other than late onset tremor-ataxia in association with fragile X syndrome, the most common identifiable cause of inherited mental retardation, seem to be rare. Here we describe five male patients from three unrelated families with fragile X syndrome that presented with motor and phonic tics. Clinically, 4 patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) while 1 patient would have been diagnosed with an adult onset tic disorder.

Impact of the Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene premutation on neuropsychiatric functioning in adult males without fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia syndrome: a controlled study.

Fragile X Syndrome is the most common heritable form of mental retardation caused by silencing of the FMR1 gene, which arises from intergenerational trinucleotide repeat expansion leading to full mutation. An intermediary carrier condition, known as the premutation, is characterized by expansion up to 200 repeats without concomitant gene silencing. This prevalent allelic variant was initially thought to be free of phenotypic effects.

The applicability of Webster-Stratton Parenting Programmes to deaf children with emotional and behavioural problems, and autism, and their families: annotation and case report of a child with autistic spectrum disorder.

This article describes a pilot project whose objective was to explore whether the Webster-Stratton Parenting Programme may be effective for hearing parents and their deaf children who present with conduct disorders and other emotional, behavioural and developmental problems. Outcome measures aimed at overall impact in decreasing behavioural problems and improving overall family function were used. Participants were hearing parents of deaf children referred to our specialist service whose assessment had recommended a parenting skills group as treatment of choice.

The management of ADHD and associated problems in a young person with cleidocranial dysostosis (CCD) and mild intellectual disability.

It is increasingly recognized that comorbidity is common in all fields of psychiatry, and furthermore, it is acknowledged that a large number of individuals with genetically determined conditions have associated behavioural phenotypes, and are more susceptible to particular psychiatric and psychological comorbidities than others. It is also recognized that the identification of such phenotypes enables clinicians to be more aware of the potential difficulties an individual may experience, and hence, facilitate early diagnosis, effective management and prevention, appropriate allocation of resources and psychoeducation for the individual and their family. We describe the case report of a girl with cleidocranial dysostosis (CCD), and comorbid intellectual disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and suggest the possible existence of a behavioural phenotype.

Illness Beliefs in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Study Involving Affected Adolescents and their Parents.

Background:   The aim of the study was too investigate the beliefs of young people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and their parents, about illness causes and management.

Method:   Twenty-one young people with CFS/ME and their parents participated in an open-ended interview.

Results:   Infective causes were identified by the majority of respondents, and psychological ones by a minority.

Neurofibromatosis and Attentional Deficits: An Illustrative Example of the Common Association of Medical Causes with Behavioural Syndromes, Implications for General Child Mental Health Services.

   Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant gene disorder. In addition to well described physical and cognitive features certain behavioural patterns have been reported. Clear association has been shown between NF1 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with up to half of children with NF1 fulfilling DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD.

Childhood onset neuropsychiatric disorders in adult eating disorder patients. A pilot study.

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been suggested to be overrepresented in anorexia nervosa. This study aimed to explore the comorbidity of ASD and other childhood onset neuropsychiatric disorders (COND) [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and tic disorders] in a group of severe eating disorder (ED) patients.

Method: Thirty female ED patients from a specialist hospital clinic were examined on measures tapping into COND and personality disorders.

Children and adolescents with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in non-specialist settings: beliefs, functional impairment and psychiatric disturbance.

Background: Adolescents with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) seen in specialist centres have substantial psychological and functional impairment. Beliefs about activity levels may be important in the development of CFS.

Method: The aim was to investigate psychological and functional impairment, and beliefs in children and adolescents with CFS recruited from non-specialist services.

Behavioural characteristics and autistic features in individuals with Cohen Syndrome.

Diagnostic criteria for Cohen Syndrome are based largely on physical characteristics, and systematic information about behaviour and social functioning is limited. Typically, individuals with this condition are described as being very sociable and as showing low rates of pathology. However, recent studies have indicated that behavioural difficulties may occur more frequently than previously suggested and that autistic features may be relatively common.

The use of clonidine for severe and intractable sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders--a case series.

This paper reports on the use of clonidine for the treatment of severe sleep problems associated with behavioural difficulties in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Data were obtained from reviewing the case notes of a series of six children with neurodevelopmental disorders of different nature and severity, presenting with problematic sleep. All children in this group showed maintained improvements in their sleep pattern following the use of clonidine with only mild side-effects reported.

The emerging fragile X premutation phenotype: evidence from the domain of social cognition.

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by large methylated expansions of a CGG repeat (>200) region upstream of the FMR1 gene that results in the lack of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Affected individuals display a neurobehavioral phenotype that includes a significant impairment in social cognition alongside deficits in attentional control, inhibition and working memory. In contrast, relatively little is known about the trajectory and specificity of any cognitive impairment associated with the fragile X premutation ("carrier-status") (approximately 55-200 repeats).

Autistic spectrum disorder associated with partial duplication of chromosome 15; three case reports.

Duplication of part or the entirety of chromosome 15 that involves the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome critical region (PWACR) is a genetic disorder which is associated with variable degrees of intellectual impairment, motor co-ordination problems and social and communication disorders. Published case reports indicate that phenotypic expression is dependent on parental origin of the duplication and implicate maternally derived duplications in the pathogenesis of autistic features. This article describes three individuals, two males and one female, aged between 5 and 8 years, all with partial duplication of chromosome 15.