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    • THE IMD RULE & ADMIN. ENFORCEMENT OF DISABILITY CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS
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    • CMS' FAILURE TO COVER HOUSING FOR LTC & THE IMD RULE: WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON IS DISCRIMINATION
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    • Immunology & Mental Health >
      • Alcoholism & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Brain Injury, the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Celiac Disease & Sensitivities, the Immune System & Mental Illness
      • Mental Illness & The Immune System
      • Racial Discrimination & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Trauma & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • ***Physical Health Issues, the Immune System & Mental Health Index
    • University of Chicago: Institute of Translational Medicine
  • Hot Topics
    • What We Want --- SAMHSA Grant Opportunities Due Jan. 22, 2019
    • Anti-Social Personality Disorder >
      • DECONSTRUCTING ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER AND PSYCHOPATHY: A GUIDELINES-BASED APPROACH TO PREJUDICIAL PSYCHIATRIC LABELS [Hofstra Law Review 2013]
      • Personality Disorders -- Unscientific & Vague -- Must Be Reformed
    • Executive Functioning & "Prison Brain" >
      • Job Accommodation Network on Executive Functioning Deficits
    • Medicaid & Medicare Network Adequacy >
      • OIG: STATE STANDARDS FOR ACCESS TO CARE IN MEDICAID MANAGED CARE (Sept. 2014)
      • OIG: ACCESS TO CARE: PROVIDER AVAILABILITY IN MEDICAID MANAGED CARE (Dec. 2014)
      • GAO 15-710: MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Actions Needed to Enhance CMS Oversight of Provider Network Adequacy (Aug. 2015)
      • CMS: Promoting Access in Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care: A Toolkit for Ensuring Provider Network Adequacy and Service Availability (April 2017)
    • Medicaid Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Parity >
      • CMS Parity Compliance Toolkit Applying Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Requirements to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs [Jan. 17, 2017]
      • Frequently Asked Questions: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Final Rule for Medicaid and CHIP [CMS October 11, 2017]
    • Olmstead Disability Rights >
      • Statement of the Department of Justice on Enforcement of the Integration Mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.C. (2011)
      • Comprehensive Olmstead Planning
      • the Logical Long Term Consequences of our failure to provide Intensive Community MH Treatment
      • Olmstead Nation ---State Pages: How Far to Comply with Olmstead?
  • Take A Walk Around Orchid's Resource Block
  • Colorado Abuse & Neglect Scandals Involving People with Disabilities
  • Mental Health By The Numbers
  • New Science Is Amazing AND It Has HUGE Moral Implications for Our Society: NOW
  • Olmstead & Homelessness
  • Double V
  • " 'Defund the Police" Means 'Invest in the Resources Our Communities Need' " or Don't Cost Shift to the Police
  • VAGUE OLMSTEAD PLANS, EXPENSIVE LITIGATION
  • Updating & Reforming our Understanding & Treatment of "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" Blog
  • Reform of " Anti-Social Personality Disorder" in Criminal Justice
  • CO HB22-1278
  • New Understandings Matter
  • Mental Health, Ethics & Law
  • CO Olmstead Disability Homeless Law & Policy Project
  • Inflammation, the Immune System, Neuro-Developmental Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, Substance Use Issues & Chronic Disease
  • Microglia and the Brain's Immune System
  • Substance Issues & the Immune System



Translational Medicine Friday

Inflammation, Positive "EMODIVERSITY" and CAUSE & EFFECT

9/24/2021

 
​
  • Cause & Effect are complicated in Psychiatric Disorders
  • Major Psychiatric Disorders are being linked to MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION and DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION
  • "Positive Emodiversity" is interesting but is it a CAUSE or an EFFECT of LOWER INFLAMMATION​
​
  • Understanding CAUSE & EFFECT is a PROBLEM in our discussions of psychiatric disorders and it is definitely a problem in the Criminal Justice System.
  • Now one of the reasons CAUSE and EFFECT are such a problem is because PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS are not just GENETICS but the interplay of GENETICS, MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION, EPIGENETICS and ENVIRONMENT.
​
  • I would submit that people who were born with greater DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION probably are going to have a significantly harder time achieving the LOWER INFLAMMATION associated with "POSITIVE EMODIVERSITY."
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Affiliations
​

1Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
2Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University.
3Department of Psychology, Arizona State University.
Epigenetics in Critical Illness:
A New Frontier
 (2013)
Emodiversity and biomarkers of inflammation (2018)
​Abstract

There is growing evidence that inflammatory responses may help to explain how emotions get “under the skin” to influence disease susceptibility.

Moving beyond examination of individuals’ average level of emotion, this study examined how the breadth and relative abundance of emotions that individuals experience— emodiversity—is related to systemic inflammation.

Using diary data from 175 adults aged 40 to 65 who provided end-of-day reports of their positive and negative emotions over 30 days, we found that greater diversity in day-to-day positive emotions was associated with lower circulating levels of inflammation (indicated by IL-6, CRP, fibrinogen), independent of mean levels of positive and negative emotions, body mass index, anti-inflammatory medications, medical conditions, personality, and demographics.

No significant associations were observed between global or negative emodiversity and inflammation.

These findings highlight the unique role daily positive emotions play in biological health.
IL-6 -- Interleukin-6 (CUSABIO)

Cytokine (Oxford Languages):  
  1. any of a number of substances, such as interferon, interleukin, and growth factors, which are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells.

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​Interleukin-6, also known as IL-6, is a cytokine that belongs to the class of interleukins.

​
It is produced by fibroblasts, monocytes/macrophages, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, epithelial cells, keratinocytes, and various tumor cells.

The production of interleukin-6 can be induced in normal cells by various factors, involving IL-1, TNF-a, PDGF, viral infection, double-stranded RNA and so on.

For this reason, IL-6 plays a critical role in acute inflammatory response.
​
​Mayo Clinic

The level of C-reactive protein (CRP) increases when there's inflammation in your body.

​ A simple blood test can be done to check your C-reactive protein level.
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​Fibrinogen (Fg) is a biomarker of inflammation (1-5) which, when elevated, indicates the presence of inflammation and identifies individuals with a high risk for cardiovascular disorders.

Inflammatory Markers: Serum Amyloid A, Fibrinogen and C ...

More on Inflammation, Fetal brain Development & Psychiatric Disorders

9/20/2021

 
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3 Related Insights from the Research:
  • The Blurring of Traditional Psychiatric Categories, AND
  • The Relationship of MATERNAL IMMUNE INFLAMMATION to those CATEGORIES
  • ADHD and AUTISM  (Traditional Developmental Differences a part of those BLURRED CATEGORIES and part of what we're traditionally thinking of as NEURO-DIVERSITY ​
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​Central South University, Hunan, China
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​SUNY Upstate Medical Center
​Inflammation-related biomarkers in major psychiatric disorders: a cross-disorder assessment of reproducibility and specificity in 43 meta-analyses
​Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital; Mental health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital; National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders; National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, Hunan Provincial Brain Hospital; Clinical Research Center for Mental Behavioral Disorder in Hunan Province, Clinical Medical School of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.
  • 3Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
  • 5Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. 
  • 6Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA. [email protected].
  • 7School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Prevalence and correlates of low-grade systemic inflammation in adult psychiatric inpatients (2018)
​"A notable proportion of acutely unwell psychiatric patients from all ICD-10 major diagnostic groups show evidence of low-grade inflammation, suggesting inflammation may be relevant for all psychiatric disorders."
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​Cambridge Biomedical Campus -- UK
​aDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
bCambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England, UK
*Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus

Study shows DHA supplement may offset impact of maternal stress on unborn males​

9/13/2021

 
IS THIS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE OR JUSTICE?
To me, what is so INTERESTING about this is that it points to how INTER-CONNECTED we all are.

If we're really interested in addressing MALE DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES and some associated bad behavior in our society---- FEMALES maybe want to take this DHA Supplement during PREGNANCY.

So we see the importance of going beyond the FIRST CHAIN or LINK of CAUSALITY.

BUT we are so FOCUSED ON PUNISHMENT.    Do we now want to PUNISH the WOMAN if she FAILS to take the DHA Supplement?

BUT why did she FAIL to take the Supplement -- what's going on there?

This is about BIG PICTURE THINKING but it is also about DETAIL-ORIENTED THINKING and trying to INTEGRATE THOSE:
  • So we don't make the HUGE REASONING MISTAKES that are most dramatically playing out in the Criminal Justice System

Mental Health Professionals surprisingly often don't have a BIG PICTURE VIEW of their ROLE in some of this:
  • Why is that?
  • They are focused on complying with STATUTES
    • ​That's not a bad thing, BUT
    • The Society is also relying on these professionals to tell us what STATUTES we should have --- at least in some measure
      • ​How is it that Colorado has an INSANITY Statute that looks like it was written in the Middle Ages --- surely mental health professionals have been clamoring to get that changed  
        • ​Well, not exactly

From my perspective, part of the BIG PICTURE is Mental Health Professionals have not been getting:
  • The STATUS or 
  • MONEY that other Medical Professionals get 
  • BUT they are behind on the RESEARCH
    • ​How are these mental health professionals viewing PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS -- there are a lot of gaps, especially if one isn't getting the research in a timely manner​
      • ​AND a lot of those GAPS are being filled in with PRO SOCIAL COMPETENCE
        • ​BUT does PRO SOCIAL COMPETENCE get you to a DHA Supplement?
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Click Picture to go to Article on Eureka Alert! ---- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Dr. David Beversdorf, lead Author and Professor at the University of Missouri
Making Our Peace with the State of Nature

Covid exposing anomalies in our current understanding of psychiatric Disorders

9/5/2021

 
​New research shows people with psychiatric disorders more at risk for severe COVID-19

----Aug. 2021

Channel 6 News --- Minnesota


 As the county and state monitor the pandemic, scientists and medical researchers continue to learn more about COVID-19. Mayo Clinic released a new study that says younger people with psychiatric disorders are at a higher risk for severe disease or even death from the virus. . . .

This research was a partnership between Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, Olmsted County Public Health, and Zumbro Valley Health Center. 

"Things like effective disorders, severe psychiatric conditions, severe developmental disorders - we would never really expect that those would put people at an especially high risk of a more severe outcome," Sauver said (Sauver is Jennifer St. Sauver, professor of Epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic) 

"But according to this new research they do."

Val's Take:   Under current clinical mental health paradigms --- it would be a surprise that people with psychiatric conditions would be more at risk of COVID.

BUT under the NEW PARADIGMS emerging from the RESEARCH --- IT IS NOT SURPRISING that people with psychiatric disorders would be more at risk of COVID.

WHY IS THAT?


The NEW RESEARCH of the last 10 years is revealing that psychiatric disorders (and for that matter developmental disorders) are intimately tied to the IMMUNE SYSTEM.
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Thomas Kuhn, author of "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" (1962)
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​ ​"Psychiatric conditions and cancer predicted a threefold greater risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 among younger people who tested positive for the illness, according to a recent study by the Rochester Epidemiology Project of Mayo Clinic."
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On Page 14 of the study --- "PERSONALITY DISORDERS" are included in the list of   disorders that make COVID worse.

Hmmm . . .

​Human Beings and Human Societies --- often when we don't have good understandings of illness or behavior:
  • the person is CURSED BY GOD
  • the person is POSSESSED BY A DEMON, and
  • In Modern Times
    • ​Eugenics, or
    • ​a BLIND FAITH in FREE WILL and NEUROPLASTICITY

A lot of the information collected on "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" is of VALUE --- it is just that it is SO PARTIAL.

Understanding "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" as some researchers in the US,  Finland and Japan are ---- as a DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER associated with "ADHD" and DEVELOPMENTAL NEURO-INFLAMMATION starts painting a DIFFERENT PICTURE even if we're not rejecting observed associations with the disorder.  


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Inflammatory "INSULTS"

9/3/2021

 
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The Impact of Systemic Inflammation on Neurodevelopment --- Trends in Molecular Medicine (2018) --- click image to go to article.
​For many people with PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS ---- from the Research it appears Maternal Immune Activation is a SIGNIFICANT FACTOR.
​

One of the things that is happening is that the Medical Profession's call to INTEGRATE Physical and Mental Health is PAYING OFF in NEW DISCOVERIES in a BIG WAY.

A lot of our CHRONIC DISEASE & MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES are being linked to the IMMUNE SYSTEM and INFLAMMATION.

Certainly with PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS including blurred Traditional Mental Illnesses such as " Bipolar Disorder", "Depression" and "Schizophrenia" as well as Traditional Developmental Disabilities such as ADHD and AUTISM ---- those all often involve MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION.

We're talking about something outside of one generation BUT the last time we talked about that our solution was EUGENICS --- that is NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER ---- and the fact of the matter is that these "DISORDERS" are well represented at top of this SOCIETY.

So what happened --- we found out that NOT ALL of "MENTAL ILLNESS" was GENETIC --- just 80%.
  • We came up with some problematic medications that work on the brain globally that actually are a big step up from LOBOTOMY (Progress, NOT PERFECTION);
  • We got rid of our ASYLUMS, and
  • We didn't invest in HIGH-END COMMUNITY TREATMENT largely because we didn't think we needed it --- if those RECALCITRANT MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS would just take the MEDICATION --- it would be fine.

WELL IT WASN"T FINE.

In 2021, the largest institutions for people with PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS are JAILS & PRISON and BRAIN INJURY is even more prevalent according to the current DATA --- although there is often a lot of overlap --- and I suspect when we start including ADHD in the calculation --- it will look a little different  than our current estimations.

What's that other 20%?  Just PURE FREE WILL, right?  Not exactly.  A big part of that looks like MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION and EPIGENETICS.


It may be that we have reached A CRITICAL MASS of people with psychiatric disorders, auto-immune diseases and chronic health issues that we're willing to invest in the RESEARCH, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH and COMMUNITY SUPPORTS that are necessary until better treatments are made available. 
​
How Neuro-Immune Interactions Burn Deep Fat
*** The Immune System, Physical Health Issues & Mental Health

    Translational Medicine Friday

    We're riffing off NPR's Science Friday to create Translational Medicine Friday.

    We'll be collecting Research Article recommendations for Clinicians with regard to Cognitive Disability.

    ​There is much in the RESEARCH JOURNALS and we'll just be SKIMMING THE SURFACE.

    The POINT is to INCREASE FUNDING for TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH at the Federal Level for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Nation's Research & Teaching Hospitals and possible collaborations with Medicare and Medicaid providers.

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  • Home
    • About Orchid >
      • Why Orchid?
      • ORCHID'S SYSTEMIC FOCUS & "ROOT CAUSE" ANALYSIS APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING WITH A COMMITMENT TO CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
      • Disclaimers, Limitations and An Invitation
      • Orchid Board
      • Orchid Book Club
      • Conjecture, Science & Translational Research & Medicine
      • Orchid Themes & Symbols
      • The Tipping Point
      • Orchid's Website Advertising Policy
      • Statement for Potential Website Contributors
      • Contact
  • Blogs
    • Val's Blog
    • Val's Blog 2
    • ​TRANSLATIONAL/ ​TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE MONDAY
    • NEURO-DIVERSITY Wednesday
    • Olmstead Law & Order Thursday
    • Translational Medicine Friday
    • Translational Love, Relationships & Neuro-Diversity Saturday
  • Orchid's A-Z Index
    • Crisis Services in CO, the US & Around the World
    • Assertive Community Treatment & Flexible ACT Index
    • Housing & Homelessness Index
    • Criminal Justice
    • Innovation Index
    • For More: See the Main Orchid Index Page
  • US Federal
    • THE IMD RULE & ADMIN. ENFORCEMENT OF DISABILITY CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS
    • Medicaid & Supportive Housing & Housing-Related Services
    • CMS' FAILURE TO COVER HOUSING FOR LTC & THE IMD RULE: WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON IS DISCRIMINATION
    • National Take
  • Research & Translational Medicine
    • Immunology & Mental Health >
      • Alcoholism & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Brain Injury, the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Celiac Disease & Sensitivities, the Immune System & Mental Illness
      • Mental Illness & The Immune System
      • Racial Discrimination & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • Trauma & the Immune System & Mental Health
      • ***Physical Health Issues, the Immune System & Mental Health Index
    • University of Chicago: Institute of Translational Medicine
  • Hot Topics
    • What We Want --- SAMHSA Grant Opportunities Due Jan. 22, 2019
    • Anti-Social Personality Disorder >
      • DECONSTRUCTING ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER AND PSYCHOPATHY: A GUIDELINES-BASED APPROACH TO PREJUDICIAL PSYCHIATRIC LABELS [Hofstra Law Review 2013]
      • Personality Disorders -- Unscientific & Vague -- Must Be Reformed
    • Executive Functioning & "Prison Brain" >
      • Job Accommodation Network on Executive Functioning Deficits
    • Medicaid & Medicare Network Adequacy >
      • OIG: STATE STANDARDS FOR ACCESS TO CARE IN MEDICAID MANAGED CARE (Sept. 2014)
      • OIG: ACCESS TO CARE: PROVIDER AVAILABILITY IN MEDICAID MANAGED CARE (Dec. 2014)
      • GAO 15-710: MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Actions Needed to Enhance CMS Oversight of Provider Network Adequacy (Aug. 2015)
      • CMS: Promoting Access in Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care: A Toolkit for Ensuring Provider Network Adequacy and Service Availability (April 2017)
    • Medicaid Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Parity >
      • CMS Parity Compliance Toolkit Applying Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Requirements to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs [Jan. 17, 2017]
      • Frequently Asked Questions: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Final Rule for Medicaid and CHIP [CMS October 11, 2017]
    • Olmstead Disability Rights >
      • Statement of the Department of Justice on Enforcement of the Integration Mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.C. (2011)
      • Comprehensive Olmstead Planning
      • the Logical Long Term Consequences of our failure to provide Intensive Community MH Treatment
      • Olmstead Nation ---State Pages: How Far to Comply with Olmstead?
  • Take A Walk Around Orchid's Resource Block
  • Colorado Abuse & Neglect Scandals Involving People with Disabilities
  • Mental Health By The Numbers
  • New Science Is Amazing AND It Has HUGE Moral Implications for Our Society: NOW
  • Olmstead & Homelessness
  • Double V
  • " 'Defund the Police" Means 'Invest in the Resources Our Communities Need' " or Don't Cost Shift to the Police
  • VAGUE OLMSTEAD PLANS, EXPENSIVE LITIGATION
  • Updating & Reforming our Understanding & Treatment of "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" Blog
  • Reform of " Anti-Social Personality Disorder" in Criminal Justice
  • CO HB22-1278
  • New Understandings Matter
  • Mental Health, Ethics & Law
  • CO Olmstead Disability Homeless Law & Policy Project
  • Inflammation, the Immune System, Neuro-Developmental Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, Substance Use Issues & Chronic Disease
  • Microglia and the Brain's Immune System
  • Substance Issues & the Immune System