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Hey Gang!
Thanks to your support, we’ve been invited back to Sullivan’s to play for you all night on Saturday, March 28th (this weekend).
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TrueBone
http://www.truebone.info
The CDC has recently published an onslaught of ’studies’ that are being debunked one by one. One of which claims that after Denmark took thimerosal out of vaccines, Denmark’s autism rates continued to increase. In fact, the opposite is now know to be true. Denmark’s autism rates have declined after 1992.
Source article below:
Danish Thimerosal-Autism Study in Pediatrics: Misleading and Uninformative
on Autism-Mercury Link
Mark Blaxill, Director, Safe Minds
September 2, 2003
A report by Madsen et al. published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in their journal Pediatrics1
claims to provide evidence against a link between autism rates and the mercury in thimerosal, a
preservative used in childhood vaccines. Unfortunately, the study analysis is full of flaws and
inaccuracies, invalidating the conclusions regarding thimerosal. The study adds little of value to the
scientific literature on autism and mercury.
Thimerosal has been causally linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.2,3 Madsen et
al. claim to refute such a link by analyzing Danish psychiatric records to assess rates of autism. They
compare the number of newly recorded autism cases prior to 1992, when thimerosal-containing
vaccines were used, with those after 1992, when such vaccines were no longer produced in
Denmark. The authors claim to observe a rise in autism rates after removal of thimerosal, and thus
conclude that thimerosal plays no role in the etiology of autism. An in-depth analysis of the report
reveals three major problems with the analysis and methodology.
1. The report provides information on autism rates in Denmark that is distorted and misleading.
These distortions allow the authors to make assertions about a rising trend in autism “incidence”
in the 1990s that has no basis in fact. The report’s claims are based on the following distortions:
· Autism counts were first based on hospitalized, inpatient records and then changed in the
middle of the study period to add in outpatient records. This new outpatient registry was
introduced in 1995. Therefore, their purported increases after 1994 can be explained entirely
by the registration of an existing autism population that did not require hospitalization. The
authors minimize this discrepancy and do not adjust for it in their chart (Figure 1), yet in a
prior study using the same Danish data,4 outpatients exceeded the inpatients by a ratio of
13.5 times, and represented over 93% of total cases. This huge gap clearly invalidates their
inpatient data, the corresponding time period from 1970-94, and any evidence for a rising
trend of autism in Denmark. The authors claim that inpatient admissions were rising also, but
the “data [were] not shown”. They did not explain this omission, the only bit of credible data in
their possession, since it compared equivalent populations.
· Additional discrepancies in the autism case counts make the trend assessment unreliable.
After 1992, the registry added in patients from a large Copenhagen clinic, which accounted
for 20% of the case load in Denmark.5 The patients from this clinic were excluded prior to
1992. Their inclusion in subsequent years would drive apparent increases in rates from 1992-
1995 that was yet another form of registration effect.
· The diagnostic category used by the Danish psychiatric system changed after 1993 from
“psychosis proto-infantilis” of ICD-8 to “childhood autism” of ICD-10. Psychosis proto-infantilis
(code 299) is a category that has never been used in published autism surveys outside of
Denmark. ICD-8 contained another, clearly more suitable code, 295.8 for “infantile autism”,
which provided diagnostic criteria similar to current criteria used in ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The
Pediatrics report mentions the diagnostic change in passing but fails to quantify its effect. In
another paper using the same inpatient registry,6 two of the investigators in the Pediatrics
report note that the psychosis proto-infantilis category includes inpatient cases that do not
fulfill the criteria for autism (which would further reduce the value of this case finding tool),
while also noting the that ouptatient cases of autism in Denmark would not be captured.
· The autism trend data are described as an “incidence study”, a marker of quality in an
epidemiological analysis. But the report is in no way a proper incidence study. It relies instead
for its definition of the “incidence” of autism on the date when cases were entered into the
new registry of outpatients. Many of these children were between 7-9 years old, and most
were over 4 years old, when recorded as part of an increasing “incidence” trend. Yet the
onset of autism must occur, by definition in the diagnostic criteria, before three years of age.
Recording an “incidence” event at, say, seven years of age is clearly incorrect. Yet the
authors record many such events to report an increase in registrations (especially after 1994)
that they misleadingly describe as increasing incidence. The most widely used approach to
assessing autism trends is to use year of birth as the “incidence time.” This approach was
used, for example, in the California Autism Epidemiology Report by Byrd et al.7 Madsen et al.
clearly have this information as part of their data set but chose not to report it. Failure to
report the birth cohort incidence means that this study’s autism rates cannot be fairly
compared with incidence levels observed in other countries.
· A recent study3 from same group reported Danish autism rates for children born in the 1990s
of 6 per 10,000. This falls below the rates of autism reported in the U.S. (over 30 per 10,000)
by more than 80%.8,9 While emphasizing their illusory increase, the authors never mention
that their rates are actually quite low. Although our estimates confirm that these Danish rates
are very low in the 1990s compared to the U.S. or the U.K.,10 the authors fail to provide the
most basic statistics that might enable a full comparison with other reports. These crucial
omissions suggest a clear bias toward elevating the perception of Danish autism rates later in
their study period.
· The report also estimates inpatient rates for the pre-1993 “psychosis proto-infantilis” at well
below 1 per 10,000. If these were true rates for autism, these would be among the lowest
rates measured anywhere in the world at any time period. This low rate would also contradict
the single published survey of autism rates from Denmark, which indicated an autism rate of
over 4 per 10,000 as far back as the 1950s.11 Normally, authors cite relevant studies in their
introductory or discussion sections, but Madsen et al. fail to mention this study, as they fail to
comment on the unusually low autism rates for the earlier years of their study period.
There are only three proper conclusions that one can draw about the autism rates in Denmark
based on available data. 1) The rates in the 1990s are low compared to the U.S. and U.K. and
possibly stable with respect to trend. 2) The 1990s Danish autism rates are similar to rates in the
1950s. 3) There are still no published, usable data about Danish autism rates in persons born
between 1960-90.
2. The mercury exposure levels described in Madsen et al. are likely to be overstated. The authors
describe a level of mercury exposure to Danish infants of 125 micrograms (mcg) by 10 months of
age between 1970-92, a period in which they claim (without justification) that autism rates were
low. All exposures came from the monovalent pertussis vaccine manufactured by Statens Serum
Institut, which, according to the paper, provided the vaccine coverage rates reported therein.
· These mercury levels of 125 mcg are substantially lower and later than those scheduled in
the U.S. in the 1990s, 187.5 mcg by six months.12
· The exposure level of 125 mcg requires full compliance by Danish parents. The authors
assert coverage rates of over 90% for this schedule, yet a recent report using the same data
suggests that completion rates were well below 90%.5 The authors also fail to provide any
information regarding the timing of the actual exposures. Given widespread Scandinavian
concern over pertussis vaccine (Sweden banned pertussis vaccines in 1979) it would be
surprising if coverage rates were as high as 90% and if on-time schedule compliance was
common throughout the 1970-1992 period. Documentation of compliance rates by Statens
Serum Institut is needed.
· These ethyl mercury exposures –at 50 mcg per dose for the 9 week and 10 month injections–
are the highest amounts ever described in any single vaccine dose. The authors fail to
acknowledge this unusual mercury level and to provide an explanation for why this
formulation was so much higher than formulations used in all other countries and by all other
manufacturers, which were typically 25 mcg per dose.
3. The context for the early mercury exposures was completely different in Denmark when
compared to any other country, and particularly compared to the U.S. and U.K., where autism
rates are being watched most closely. The Danish report describes a different world of vaccine
exposures and ignores exposures that are present today that were not present in Denmark in the
1970s. Autism onset has been reliably associated with exposure to viruses.13 In the cases where
increasing thimerosal exposures have accompanied autism increases, numerous additional
confounders were present that were not present in Denmark.
· Between 1970-92, the only childhood vaccine given in Denmark until 5 months of age was the
monovalent pertussis vaccine.
· In the United States in the 1990s, children were exposed to multiple doses of diphtheria,
pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza B (Hib) vaccines before five
months of age.
· In the United Kingdom, injections before age 5 months included multiple doses of meningitis
C, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Hib, and pertussis vaccines. Increasing autism rates there were
accompanied by earlier thimerosal exposures due to schedule changes, new exposures to
MMR and Hib vaccines, and stringent on-time compliance procedures.
· Denmark did not administer thimerosal-containing Rho D immunoglobulin during pregnancy.
In summary, the report by Madsen et al. appears to be an attempt to present selectively chosen data
that provide support for policy choices in which the authors and their collaborators are involved. Once
again, rather than seriously evaluating the autism-mercury hypothesis and carrying out the research
agenda specified by the Institute of Medicine14 in 2001, public health authorities (now teamed with a
Danish vaccine manufacturer) have chosen to issue another piece of propaganda masquerading as
science, with the only possible outcome being that legitimate research and discussion might be
suppressed. We sincerely hope that well-informed scientists and public officials will note the flaws in
this report and be motivated to conduct the recommended investigations into the autism-mercury
connection, which still await completion.
REFERENCES
1. Madsen KM, Lauritsen, MB, Pedersen CB, Thorsen P, Plesner AM, Andersen PH and Mortensen
PB. Thimerosal and the Occurrence of Autism: Negative Ecological Evidence From Danish
Population-Based Data. Pediatrics. 2003;112(3):604-606
2. Bernard, S., A. Enayati, L. Redwood, H. Roger, and T. Binstock. Autism: a novel form of mercury
poisoning. Med. Hypotheses. 2001;56(4):462-71
3. US Congress,
4. Madsen KM, Hviid A, Vestergaard M, Schendel D, Wohlfahrt J, Thorsen P, Olsen J, Melbye M. A
population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism. N Engl J Med.
2002;347(19):1477-82.
5. Stehr-Green P, Tull P, Stellfeld M, Mortenson PB, Simpson D. Autism and thimerosal-containing
vaccines: lack of consistent evidence for an association. Am J Prev Med. 2003;25(2):101-106
6. Lauritsen MB, Mors O, Mortensen PB, Ewald H. Medical disorders among inpatients with autism
in Denmark according to ICD-8: a nationwide register-based study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2002
Apr;32(2):115-9
7. Byrd RS et al. Report to the Legislature on the Principal Findings from, The Epidemiology of
Autism in California. The MIND Institute. 2002 Oct 17
8. Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, Bove F, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle, P. Prevalence of Autism in a
United States Population: The Brick Township, New Jersey, Investigation. Pediatrics.
2001;108(5):1155-116
9. California Department of Developmental Services. Autistic spectrum disorders: changes in the
California caseload, an update: 1999 through 2002. Department of Developmental Services,
California Health and Human Services Agency, State of California, Sacramento. 2003
10. Baird G, Charman T, Baron-Cohen S, Cox A, Swettenham J, Wheelwright S, Drew A. A screening
instrument for autism at 18 months of age: a 6-year follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc
Psychiatry. 2000;39(6):694-702
11. Brask BH. A prevalence investigation of childhood psychoses. In Nordic Symposium on the
Comprehensive Care of the Psychotic Children, 1972:145-153, Oslo: Barnpsykiatrist Forening
12. Ball LK, Ball R, Pratt RD. An assessment of thimerosal use in childhood vaccines. Pediatrics.
2001;107(5):1147-54
13. Ref showing autism link to viruses, Carbone and Pletnikov.
14. Institute of Medicine. Immunization Safety Review: Thimerosal Containing Vaccines and
Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Stratton K, Gable A, and McCormick M, eds. Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press; 2001
The attached file contains gas stations that have recently been fined for overcharging their customers by manipulating their pumps.
“Anatomy of a Well Formed LART”
by Phillip B. Holmes
A derogatory email or publicly displayed post to groups, lists or forums on the Internet are often referred to as a flame or a LART (Loser Attitude Readjustment Tool). It is hyper-critical that said communications be correct in grammar, punctuation and spelling , as the reciprocating individual(s) may be given more ‘ammunition’ for future mockery and criticism. It is highly recommended by more experienced LARTers (which are often hackers / computer engineers) that less experienced LARTers employ a spell and grammar checker prior to replying to their intended audience AND that all facts used in said content are free of factual discrepancies. Typing in all caps (especially the subject lines) is an immediate flag for all to review and are often the most malformed LARTs on the Internet. If needed, many examples of well formed LARTs can be found all over the web. However, copying another LARTer’s LARTs is often looked down upon by senior LARTers.
Often LARTers are overcome by emotions at the moment of sending the LART or flame, giving hours of fun filled enjoyment for ‘lurkers’ in the public forum or group. Lurkers are readers or subscribers of public forums or groups that do not contribute to said forum, only follow it’s content. Lurker’s will often ’sit on the side lines’ with a buttery bowl of popcorn, ready to munch upon, whilst the engaging hours of remedial dialog between the said ‘open mouth heavy breather LARTers’ (individuals that seem to enjoy embarrassing themselves in front of the entire planet) continues.
As you can imagine, if you choose to participate in this type of mutual abuse, the ‘anatomy of a LART’ is an important topic to review. In conclusion, following correct LARTer form will save you hours of ‘red faced’ moments in the future.
Hope This Helps,
Phillip B. Holmes
http://myspace.com/phillipholmes
p.s.
I need gigs!
On May 23rd, the band Truebone was scheduled to play at Kristie’s Bar and Grill (Midway at Rosemeade, Dallas). At the end of the show, despite a good crowd, the general manager left early giving no instructions to the staff as to how the band was to be paid. Subsequent phone calls to the manager and the owner have resulted in no return calls. In short, the band got screwed. If you’re in the band business to make money, we’d suggest you find another venue.
–Update - As of June 30th–
After a month of empty promises to send a check, visits met by blank stares and excuses, Kristie’s has still not paid us the amount that they claimed we brought in the door.
The Holmes Blog
