Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association of Autism Spectrum Disorder in visually or hearing impaired children.

PURPOSE: To determine whether there is an association with a congenital visual or hearing impairment (VI or HI) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using nine relevant databases limited to peer reviewed articles in English between 1994 and January 2016. The search identified 1248 articles after duplicates were removed with subsequent screening of the abstracts excluding a further 1199, resulting in 49 full-text articles that were then independently assessed by five of the authors with a final 15 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Bias assessment was determined through consensus of the first five authors. A meta-analysis of the included studies was performed to estimate the relative risk of ASD in the VI and HI groups compared to the general population based on reported prevalence rates in similar geographical regions. Overall prevalence rates for ASD were calculated from the combined studies in the VI and HI populations. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ASD in VI and HI populations was 19% (95% CI 13-25%) and 9% (95% CI 6-12%) respectively. The overall risk-ratio of ASD was greater in the VI 31.0 times (95% CI 18.62-51.56); z = 13.21, p < 0.001) and HI groups 14.1 times (95% CI 3.41-58.62; z = 3.65, p < 0.001) compared to reported ASD prevalence in the general population. CONCLUSION: There is a high association of ASD in VI or HI children and therefore these populations should be assessed for ASD in the presence of a visual or hearing disability.

Fatalities Involving Carfentanil and Furanyl Fentanyl: Two Case Reports.

Carfentanil is a fentanyl analog frequently used in large animal veterinary medicine. Recently, carfentanil has been discovered in postmortem and antemortem cases throughout the United States in the heroin supply either alone or mixed with heroin and/or other fentanyl analogs. The potency of carfentanil is ~10,000 times greater than morphine and 100 times greater than fentanyl. In two recent cases, carfentanil was identified and ruled to be the cause of death, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Case 1 involved a known heroin user. He was discovered slumped over in a running van blocking the bays of a carwash. Two syringes, a spoon with cotton and residue and a yellow baggie of powder were found in the van. Case 2 involved a man living in a tent in a park with his mother. He was last heard from by a sister via phone who stated he sounded very intoxicated and by his mother who noted him to be "itching all over" and upset over his girlfriend. When the mother returned from work, she discovered him unresponsive with a small baggie of brown powder next to him. Routine drug and volatile screening tests were performed on heart blood using headspace gas chromatography, immunoassay and gas chromatography mass spectrometry methods. Results from initial testing on both cases did not have any significant toxicological findings. However, due to the history, scene photos, toxicological findings in blood and urine and analysis of the drug paraphernalia on one of the cases which identified carfentanil and furanyl fentanyl, fentanyl analogues were suspected. Heart blood was sent to a reference laboratory for carfentanil and furanyl fentanyl analysis. Case 1 had a carfentanil concentration of 1.3 ng/mL and a furanyl fentanyl concentration of 0.34 ng/mL. Case 2 had a carfentanil concentration of 0.12 ng/mL.