Background: Problematic eating behaviors are often reported in children with Autism Spectrum Diso... more Background: Problematic eating behaviors are often reported in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Limited data exist regarding eating behaviors of children with ASD and even fewer findings characterizing caregiver feeding practices have been reported. Objectives: We report on a substudy of a multi-center study investigating the nutritional intake of children with ASD participating in the Autism Treatment Network (ATN). The aims of the substudy are to explore caregivers’ perceptions regarding eating behaviors of their children with ASD and relate them to feeding practices that caregivers use to facilitate eating for children with ASD. Methods: Children 2 - 11 y enrolled in the ATN within the past year were eligible for this study. Participants were diagnosed with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified, or Asperger Disorder per DSM IV criteria and supported by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Caregivers completed a demographics survey,...
In a previous study, a high dosage (2.0 micrograms) of arginine vasotocin (AVT), following 10 mic... more In a previous study, a high dosage (2.0 micrograms) of arginine vasotocin (AVT), following 10 micrograms of dichloroisoproterenol, induced oviposition in Anolis carolinensis at the end of the breeding season. The present study determined if a lower dosage of AVT (0.25 microgram), comparable to that effective in other lizard species, would induce oviposition in cycling A. carolinensis. Only a high dosage of AVT (2.0 micrograms), following 10 micrograms of dichloroisoproterenol 15 min beforehand, induced oviposition. These results suggest that uterine smooth muscle of A. carolinensis is relatively insensitive to AVT.
Embryos of the lizard Sceloporus undulatus were sampled throughout incubation, and the differenti... more Embryos of the lizard Sceloporus undulatus were sampled throughout incubation, and the differentiation and development of the reproductive system was documented histologically. The undifferentiated gonads possess both a cortex and medulla, both of which contain germ cells until embryonic stage 34. Beginning at stage 34, the cortex of the presumptive ovary thickens, and cortical germ cells are more abundant. By the time of hatching, the ovarian cortex is 6 to 10 cells thick and filled with oogonia and oocytes; primordial follicles, however, are not yet present. In males at embryonic stage 34, seminiferous tubules appear in the medulla of the testis, and Sertoli cells begin to differentiate. Seminiferous tubule formation is complete by hatching, and both Sertoli and Leydig cells are apparent. The mullerian ducts develop in both sexes but begin regressing in the male at embryonic stage 37. The wolffian ducts also develop in both sexes and are present in males and females at hatching.
Female hatchling alligators were castrated and implanted with a graft of either skeletal muscle t... more Female hatchling alligators were castrated and implanted with a graft of either skeletal muscle tissue or testicular tissue from male hatchlings. Following surgery, each female also received a sustained-release pellet (Innovative Research of America, Rockville, MD) implanted subcutaneously that delivered one of the following treatments: a control substance (0.1 mg), 17 beta-estradiol (0.01 mg), or testosterone propionate (0.1 mg). Treated and final control females were sacrificed 8 weeks after surgery, and the mullerian and wolffian ducts were removed and examined histologically. The testis graft induced regression of the mullerian ducts in both the testosterone- and control-treated females. In the estradiol-treated females, however, no mullerian-duct regression occurred, indicating that estradiol prevented testis-induced regression. In the females that received a muscle graft, the mullerian ducts of placebo-treated females were morphologically similar to those of the intact final control females, but they were smaller in size. On the other hand, estradiol-treated mullerian ducts exhibited significant hypertrophy, but differentiation of muscle tissue in the stroma was not induced. Some of the testosterone-treated ducts were also slightly stimulated, but none showed any signs of regression. This suggests that testosterone does not induce regression in this species. Finally, there was no effect of either graft treatment or steroid treatment on the wolffian ducts. The evolutionary significance of these results is discussed.
Background: During training, clinicians learn how best to review evaluation results, deliver an A... more Background: During training, clinicians learn how best to review evaluation results, deliver an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, and discuss recommendations with families. This part of the evaluation visit is often referred to as the “feedback session”. To date, materials in existence for teaching effective feedback practices have been in written format only. We hoped to enhance the learning experience by creating a video on this topic. Objectives: To develop a training video and accompanying materials that outline and review best practices for delivering feedback to families after an evaluation for an ASD. We intended these materials to be used in LEND programs at other UCEDDs for teaching fellows about how to deliver effective feedback after an evaluation. Methods: LEND faculty at University of Colorado School of Medicine collaborated to develop the feedback training materials. We discussed and outlined a list of the steps and activities integral to providing effective fe...
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by a need for routine and predictab... more Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by a need for routine and predictability. Individuals with autism often have great difficulty with transitions and novel situations. The resulting anxiety can cause significant stress and lead to maladaptive behavioral responses. In addition to teaching appropriate behaviors, Social Stories (Gray 1994, 2000) have been used to increase participation in new routines. Picture schedules have been similarly effective in helping ASD children adjust to changes in routine (McClannahan and Krantz, 1999; Dettmer et al., 2000) and to be prepared for novel events (Ivey et al., 2004). Objectives: We investigated the usefulness of a picture schedule to prepare children with autism for participation in a research study on intestinal permeability. Methods: Parents of children with autism (n=51; diagnoses confirmed by ADOS and SCQ) and parents of children with a history of typical development (n=26) participating in a study of intestinal ...
Although much is known about morphological changes in the apex of the mammalian ovarian follicle ... more Although much is known about morphological changes in the apex of the mammalian ovarian follicle prior to its rupture (ovulation), information about this process in nonmammalian vertebrates is limited to only a few species. We describe here the histological changes in the stigma of the lizard (Anolis carolinensis) ovarian follicle preceding FSH-induced ovulation. Females with a large vitellogenic follicle received two injections, separated by 7 hr, of either porcine FSH (25 micrograms) or saline, and then were sampled at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24 hr after the first injection. Thus, all but the 6-hr group received two injections. By 12 hr, about half of the FSH-treated females had ovulated, and most had ovulated by 15 hr. In contrast, only 1 of 40 control females ovulated. Large unovulated follicles were fixed and bisected through the circular stigma; one hemisphere was embedded in paraffin and stained with Mallory's trichrome, and the other was embedded in plastic and stained with toluidine blue. FSH treatment produced marked histological changes in the stigma region, as well as alterations in nonstigmal areas of the follicle. The membrana granulosa of control follicles consisted of a single layer of squamous, darkly staining granulosa cells. After FSH treatment, nonstigmal granulosa cells separated slightly, and their nuclei became more clear and assumed an oval shape; in the stigma, these cells became widely separated, with round, light-staining nuclei containing one or two prominent nucleoli. The nonstigmal theca of FSH-treated follicles was similar to that of control follicles except that collagen fibers were more dissociated. In the stigma, collagen fibers were widely dissociated, and the theca swelled, presumably due to accumulation of extracellular fluid. Abundant fluid accumulated in the stigma, especially between the granulosa cells and their basement membrane and between the tunica albuginea and the theca externa. These changes in the lizard stigma are similar to those reported in mammals except that no marked inflammatory response occurs in the lizard stigma. We hypothesize that the Anolis follicle undergoes preovulatory luteinization, and that the stigma exhibits ischemic necrosis before rupture.
We determined levels of monoamines and their metabolites in 2 hypothalami dissected from the righ... more We determined levels of monoamines and their metabolites in 2 hypothalami dissected from the right and left hemibrains of 15 females during the right-left alternating ovulatory cycle of Anolis carolinensis. Tissue contents of the following were measured using HPLC and electrochemical (coulometric) detection: dopamine (DA) and its metabolite 2,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), norepinephrine (NE) and its metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), and serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). An asymmetry ratio (AR) was determined by subtracting hypothalamic content (pM/mg) on the larger ovary (LO) side from that on the smaller ovary (SO) side, divided by the sum of the 2 sides (AR = SO - LO/SO+LO). The Ar of MHPG and DHPG both decreased as the largest follicle in the LO grew during the cycle, from greater than 0 (content higher on the SO side) at the beginning of the cycle to less than 0 (content higher ...
... J. Herpetol. 23(1):29-34. Accepted: 18 July 1991. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp.... more ... J. Herpetol. 23(1):29-34. Accepted: 18 July 1991. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 486-488, 1991 Copyright 1991 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Diet of the FrogEleutherodactylus johnstonei (Leptodactylidae) in Barbados, West Indies ...
Background: Problematic eating behaviors are often reported in children with Autism Spectrum Diso... more Background: Problematic eating behaviors are often reported in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Limited data exist regarding eating behaviors of children with ASD and even fewer findings characterizing caregiver feeding practices have been reported. Objectives: We report on a substudy of a multi-center study investigating the nutritional intake of children with ASD participating in the Autism Treatment Network (ATN). The aims of the substudy are to explore caregivers’ perceptions regarding eating behaviors of their children with ASD and relate them to feeding practices that caregivers use to facilitate eating for children with ASD. Methods: Children 2 - 11 y enrolled in the ATN within the past year were eligible for this study. Participants were diagnosed with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified, or Asperger Disorder per DSM IV criteria and supported by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Caregivers completed a demographics survey,...
In a previous study, a high dosage (2.0 micrograms) of arginine vasotocin (AVT), following 10 mic... more In a previous study, a high dosage (2.0 micrograms) of arginine vasotocin (AVT), following 10 micrograms of dichloroisoproterenol, induced oviposition in Anolis carolinensis at the end of the breeding season. The present study determined if a lower dosage of AVT (0.25 microgram), comparable to that effective in other lizard species, would induce oviposition in cycling A. carolinensis. Only a high dosage of AVT (2.0 micrograms), following 10 micrograms of dichloroisoproterenol 15 min beforehand, induced oviposition. These results suggest that uterine smooth muscle of A. carolinensis is relatively insensitive to AVT.
Embryos of the lizard Sceloporus undulatus were sampled throughout incubation, and the differenti... more Embryos of the lizard Sceloporus undulatus were sampled throughout incubation, and the differentiation and development of the reproductive system was documented histologically. The undifferentiated gonads possess both a cortex and medulla, both of which contain germ cells until embryonic stage 34. Beginning at stage 34, the cortex of the presumptive ovary thickens, and cortical germ cells are more abundant. By the time of hatching, the ovarian cortex is 6 to 10 cells thick and filled with oogonia and oocytes; primordial follicles, however, are not yet present. In males at embryonic stage 34, seminiferous tubules appear in the medulla of the testis, and Sertoli cells begin to differentiate. Seminiferous tubule formation is complete by hatching, and both Sertoli and Leydig cells are apparent. The mullerian ducts develop in both sexes but begin regressing in the male at embryonic stage 37. The wolffian ducts also develop in both sexes and are present in males and females at hatching.
Female hatchling alligators were castrated and implanted with a graft of either skeletal muscle t... more Female hatchling alligators were castrated and implanted with a graft of either skeletal muscle tissue or testicular tissue from male hatchlings. Following surgery, each female also received a sustained-release pellet (Innovative Research of America, Rockville, MD) implanted subcutaneously that delivered one of the following treatments: a control substance (0.1 mg), 17 beta-estradiol (0.01 mg), or testosterone propionate (0.1 mg). Treated and final control females were sacrificed 8 weeks after surgery, and the mullerian and wolffian ducts were removed and examined histologically. The testis graft induced regression of the mullerian ducts in both the testosterone- and control-treated females. In the estradiol-treated females, however, no mullerian-duct regression occurred, indicating that estradiol prevented testis-induced regression. In the females that received a muscle graft, the mullerian ducts of placebo-treated females were morphologically similar to those of the intact final control females, but they were smaller in size. On the other hand, estradiol-treated mullerian ducts exhibited significant hypertrophy, but differentiation of muscle tissue in the stroma was not induced. Some of the testosterone-treated ducts were also slightly stimulated, but none showed any signs of regression. This suggests that testosterone does not induce regression in this species. Finally, there was no effect of either graft treatment or steroid treatment on the wolffian ducts. The evolutionary significance of these results is discussed.
Background: During training, clinicians learn how best to review evaluation results, deliver an A... more Background: During training, clinicians learn how best to review evaluation results, deliver an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis, and discuss recommendations with families. This part of the evaluation visit is often referred to as the “feedback session”. To date, materials in existence for teaching effective feedback practices have been in written format only. We hoped to enhance the learning experience by creating a video on this topic. Objectives: To develop a training video and accompanying materials that outline and review best practices for delivering feedback to families after an evaluation for an ASD. We intended these materials to be used in LEND programs at other UCEDDs for teaching fellows about how to deliver effective feedback after an evaluation. Methods: LEND faculty at University of Colorado School of Medicine collaborated to develop the feedback training materials. We discussed and outlined a list of the steps and activities integral to providing effective fe...
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by a need for routine and predictab... more Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by a need for routine and predictability. Individuals with autism often have great difficulty with transitions and novel situations. The resulting anxiety can cause significant stress and lead to maladaptive behavioral responses. In addition to teaching appropriate behaviors, Social Stories (Gray 1994, 2000) have been used to increase participation in new routines. Picture schedules have been similarly effective in helping ASD children adjust to changes in routine (McClannahan and Krantz, 1999; Dettmer et al., 2000) and to be prepared for novel events (Ivey et al., 2004). Objectives: We investigated the usefulness of a picture schedule to prepare children with autism for participation in a research study on intestinal permeability. Methods: Parents of children with autism (n=51; diagnoses confirmed by ADOS and SCQ) and parents of children with a history of typical development (n=26) participating in a study of intestinal ...
Although much is known about morphological changes in the apex of the mammalian ovarian follicle ... more Although much is known about morphological changes in the apex of the mammalian ovarian follicle prior to its rupture (ovulation), information about this process in nonmammalian vertebrates is limited to only a few species. We describe here the histological changes in the stigma of the lizard (Anolis carolinensis) ovarian follicle preceding FSH-induced ovulation. Females with a large vitellogenic follicle received two injections, separated by 7 hr, of either porcine FSH (25 micrograms) or saline, and then were sampled at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24 hr after the first injection. Thus, all but the 6-hr group received two injections. By 12 hr, about half of the FSH-treated females had ovulated, and most had ovulated by 15 hr. In contrast, only 1 of 40 control females ovulated. Large unovulated follicles were fixed and bisected through the circular stigma; one hemisphere was embedded in paraffin and stained with Mallory's trichrome, and the other was embedded in plastic and stained with toluidine blue. FSH treatment produced marked histological changes in the stigma region, as well as alterations in nonstigmal areas of the follicle. The membrana granulosa of control follicles consisted of a single layer of squamous, darkly staining granulosa cells. After FSH treatment, nonstigmal granulosa cells separated slightly, and their nuclei became more clear and assumed an oval shape; in the stigma, these cells became widely separated, with round, light-staining nuclei containing one or two prominent nucleoli. The nonstigmal theca of FSH-treated follicles was similar to that of control follicles except that collagen fibers were more dissociated. In the stigma, collagen fibers were widely dissociated, and the theca swelled, presumably due to accumulation of extracellular fluid. Abundant fluid accumulated in the stigma, especially between the granulosa cells and their basement membrane and between the tunica albuginea and the theca externa. These changes in the lizard stigma are similar to those reported in mammals except that no marked inflammatory response occurs in the lizard stigma. We hypothesize that the Anolis follicle undergoes preovulatory luteinization, and that the stigma exhibits ischemic necrosis before rupture.
We determined levels of monoamines and their metabolites in 2 hypothalami dissected from the righ... more We determined levels of monoamines and their metabolites in 2 hypothalami dissected from the right and left hemibrains of 15 females during the right-left alternating ovulatory cycle of Anolis carolinensis. Tissue contents of the following were measured using HPLC and electrochemical (coulometric) detection: dopamine (DA) and its metabolite 2,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), norepinephrine (NE) and its metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), and serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). An asymmetry ratio (AR) was determined by subtracting hypothalamic content (pM/mg) on the larger ovary (LO) side from that on the smaller ovary (SO) side, divided by the sum of the 2 sides (AR = SO - LO/SO+LO). The Ar of MHPG and DHPG both decreased as the largest follicle in the LO grew during the cycle, from greater than 0 (content higher on the SO side) at the beginning of the cycle to less than 0 (content higher ...
... J. Herpetol. 23(1):29-34. Accepted: 18 July 1991. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp.... more ... J. Herpetol. 23(1):29-34. Accepted: 18 July 1991. Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 486-488, 1991 Copyright 1991 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Diet of the FrogEleutherodactylus johnstonei (Leptodactylidae) in Barbados, West Indies ...
Uploads
Papers by Harriet Austin