In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an autism alarm, estimating that one in 150 children may be affected by autism spectrum disorder. Autism has been treated mainly with technical approaches: principally applied behavior analysis and psychopharmacology. The findings in this book implicate oxidative stress as a common feature in autism, and support the claim that oxidative stress and intracellular redox imbalance can be induced or triggered in autism by exposure to certain environmental agents. Such findings could point the way to new treatment approaches in autism. Autism: Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Immune Abnormalities brings together a wealth of cutting-edge evidence that is already influencing how we treat this serious condition. It looks at the role of neuropathological abnormalities, genetics, and those factors common to oxidative stress such as inflammation, immune dysfunction, aberrant cellular signaling, and gene-environment interactions. Among dozens of research topics, this volume - Looks at interactions between genetic and environmental factors such as the maternal immune environment and prenatal/postnatal environmental stressors Summarizes evidence for oxidative damage and inflammation in autism Introduces a PDD behavior inventory as a tool for assessing autism Considers autism as an aberrant adaptive response to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress Examines the role of abnormal calcium signaling and the hypothesis that it may represent a target for novel therapeutics Presents a hypothesis that autism arises from the dysregulation of a unified gut/brain system rather than originating in the brain alone Proposes the utility of using a biopsychosocial method to treat autism This book shows us that autism is not only developmental but also a chronic condition based on active pathophysiology, and that it is not only behavioral but also presents somatic and systemic features. The findings in these chapters support the theory that oxidative stress plays an important role in autism. They also point to the value of conducting in-depth mechanistic studies as a way to uncover new targets for therapeutic intervention in autism.

This book provides deep insights into the wide-ranging issues linked to gender, law, and social transformation in India. It focuses on women-centered laws as well as the violence of unequal and discriminatory social order. It emphasizes violence and the neutrality of laws that sustain the status quo and perpetuate the stereotypical notions related to women's condition. Based on the first-hand experience of laws and their nuanced understanding, the essays highlight the rules associated with the private and the public domains. The chapters in the volume analyze various statutes and their enactment related to domestic violence, dowry crimes, sexual abuse at home as well as sexual harassment at the workplace, child marriages, education, property rights, trafficking, prostitution, 'honor' killings, and armed conflict. The book is essential to the academics and researchers in the disciplines of social sciences, gender studies, law, and the government and policy-makers for making meaningful interventions.