Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25887094›Full record

Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2015

A cleanroom sleeping environment's impact on markers of oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, and behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Scott Faber, Gregory M Zinn, Andrew Boggess, Timothy Fahrenholz, John C Kern, H M Skip Kingston

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02195401 (The Effects of a Clean Room Sleeping Environment on Elemental and Chemical Concentrations in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 40% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02195401 completednot on this map

The Effects of a Clean Room Sleeping Environment on Elemental and Chemical Concentrations in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

TypeobservationalSponsorThe Children's InstituteRan2010 to 2010Enrolled10ConditionsAutismArmsCleanroom
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Scott FaberMedicine, The Children's Institute, 1405 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, USA. sfa@the-institute.org.
Gregory M ZinnChemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA. zinng@duq.edu.
Andrew BoggessChemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA. boggessa@duq.edu.
Timothy FahrenholzChemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA. fahrenholzt@yahoo.com.
John C KernMathematics and Computer Science, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA. kernj@duq.edu.
H M Skip KingstonChemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA. kingston@duq.edu.
Duquesne University · USChildren’s Institute · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAn emerging paradigm suggests children with autism display a unique pattern of environmental, genetic, and epigenetic triggers that make them susceptible to developing dysfunctional heavy metal and chemical detoxification systems. These abnormalities could be caused by alterations in the methylation, sulfation, and metalloprotein pathways. This study sought to evaluate the physiological and behavioral effects of children with autism sleeping in an International Organization for Standardization Class 5 cleanroom.

methodsTen children with autism, ages 3-12, slept in a cleanroom for two weeks to evaluate changes in toxin levels, oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, and behavior. Before and after the children slept in the cleanroom, samples of blood and hair and rating scale scores were obtained to assess these changes.

resultsFive children significantly lowered their concentration of oxidized glutathione, a biomarker of oxidative stress. The younger cohort, age 5 and under, showed significantly greater mean decreases in two markers of immune dysregulation, CD3% and CD4%, than the older cohort. Changes in serum magnesium, influencing neuronal regulation, correlated negatively while changes in serum iron, affecting oxygenation of tissues, correlated positively with age. Changes in serum benzene and PCB 28 concentrations showed significant negative correlations with age. The younger children demonstrated significant improvements on behavioral rating scales compared to the older children. In a younger pair of identical twins, one twin showed significantly greater improvements in 4 out of 5 markers of oxidative stress, which corresponded with better overall behavioral rating scale scores than the other twin.

conclusionsYounger children who slept in the cleanroom altered elemental levels, decreased immune dysregulation, and improved behavioral rating scales, suggesting that their detoxification metabolism was briefly enhanced. The older children displayed a worsening in behavioral rating scale performance, which may have been caused by the mobilization of toxins from their tissues. The interpretation of this exploratory study is limited by lack of a control group and small sample size. The changes in physiology and behavior noted suggest that performance of larger, prospective controlled studies of exposure to nighttime or 24 hour cleanroom conditions for longer time periods may be useful for understanding detoxification in children with autism.

trial registrationClinical Trial Registration Number NCT02195401 (Obtained July 18, 2014).

Indexed as

HousingOxidative StressSleepAutistic DisorderBenzeneBiomarkersCD3 ComplexCD4 AntigensChildChild BehaviorChild Behavior DisordersChild Development Disorders, PervasiveChild, PreschoolEnvironmental PollutantsHumansInactivation, MetabolicBenzeneBiomarkersCD3 ComplexCD4 AntigensEnvironmental PollutantsIronMagnesiumPolychlorinated Biphenyls

Identifiers

PMID25887094
PMCPMC4374395
OpenAlexW1975009721

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.