First Evidence that Dendritic Cells Show Unprecedented Sensititvity to Thimerosal

[Davros]

Not that I have read it myself or understood it!
\link{http://www.news-medical.net/?id=16816\here}

yes saw this, and almost posted something the other day, but couldn't find a sensible link (the one I had was even heavier going). It's good its still on the agenda.

Huh! I thought you were going to tell me what it says! That is my role with DH, I go to meetings, read reports etc and tell him what they say, he doesn't read them himself! He comes when its important. Fair division of labour I suppose as he keeps me in sumptious meals!

God no- I think it says that thimerosal can screw up the immune system in a mouse lab strain and therefore potentially some children (but not all autistic children- 1 subtype). Interestingly I think dendritic cells are found in the gut ining (as well as elsewhere). This stuff looks as though it fits very neatly with Andy Wakefield's latest stuff that he presented \link{http://www.autismone.org/abstracts.cfm\here} (you can download from that link)

Actually read it again (your link) and its interesting because the mice they used aren't particularly susceptible to immune dysfunction. Alo interesting that immature dendritic cells are particularly suscpetible, Extrapolating hugely but its always interested me that the big rise in autism conincided with the change in timing of the DTP so infants started getting thimerosal at a younger age.

The next stage of the work (on autistic children) will be very interesting.

Yes, it sounds really interesting. I've often wondered about envirnmental factor, nanoparticles in traffic polution to be precise. There are so many things that we interact with or breathe in everyday that we have no idea how interact with other chemicals in our systems.

Immature DC are just those that haven't yet been exposed to an antigen though, JJ. It's got nothing to do with the age of a child, we've all got loads of both mature and immature DC. They are in the gut, but you'd be hard put to it to find anywhere they weren't found!