Review of the prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHD) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). We conducted a search of the Medline and Pubmed databases to identify papers reporting the association. We then searched the reference lists of the papers and reference books for additional sources. We found 29 studies ...

RATIONALE/OBJECTIVES: Prior studies using a dual-choice conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure revealed that postpartum female rats (dams) strongly prefer chambers associated with pups over those associated with subcutaneously administered cocaine almost exclusively during early but not late postpartum (Mattson et al. 2001). The present study examines whether early postpartum dams ...

Perna viridis is an ideal animal for studying the impairment caused by the effects of heavy metals that are often detected in coastal areas. Preliminary bioassay tests revealed that the lethal (LC(100)), median lethal (LC(50)) and sublethal (LC(0)) concentration of silver and chromium to P. viridis were 6.5, 4.0, 2.0 ...

Protection from extinction of conditioned fear has been demonstrated when a conditioned inhibitor of fear is presented during extinction treatment. The present study assessed if similar results could be obtained during the analogous habituation of unconditioned fear. The neophobic response typically elicited by the presentation of a novel flavor was ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to quantify the rate of exposures to antidepressants during pregnancy in a large cohort of women. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of 105,335 pregnancies among women enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid from 1999-2003. Pregnancies were classified according to antidepressant exposures during ...

OBJECTIVE: This investigation examined the influence of parental substance use disorder (SUD) and mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy on neurobehavior disinhibition (ND) measured in 10- to 12-year-old children. The extent to which ND predicted SUD outcome 7 to 9 years later was also determined. METHODS: SUD was documented in each ...

BACKGROUND: The third trimester equivalent has been identified, both in rat and sheep models, as a period of cerebellar vulnerability to alcohol-mediated injury. We wished to determine whether alcohol exposure throughout gestation results in greater injury compared with exposure limited to the third trimester equivalent. While this question has previously ...

Despite the age old warnings against the use of alcohol during pregnancy, and the abundance of scientific research that links Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) with prenatal maternal alcohol ingestion, FAS/FAE remains one of the leading causes of birth defects and mental retardation. It is critical ...

It is well accepted that heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a risk factor for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, but research findings for exposure to low to moderate alcohol levels during pregnancy are equivocal, allowing a range of interpretations. The 2001 guideline from the National Health and Medical Research Council ...

This short communication represents a systematic review of the literature about beer drinking during gestation. A Medline search was undertaken of articles based on the criterion that beer and pregnancy were in the abstract and central to the article. Manuscripts were to be published in English in peer review medical ...

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of early and adverse experiences with sex and alcohol on adolescent drinking the year before and during pregnancy. Pregnant adolescents, recruited at an outpatient prenatal clinic, were interviewed about their substance use. A subsample was asked about their first sexual ...

High levels of estrogen during pregnancy have been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer in offspring. Some studies have reported a positive association of estrogen level during pregnancy with fetal size, which has been linked to the subsequent risk of breast cancer in offspring. We examined whether maternal ...

This study explores the effects of light maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy on the appearance of minor malformations in neonates as well as on the contractile properties of their umbilical cord arteries (UCAs). Clinical external findings of newborns of women declaring light ethanol consumption during any period of their pregnancies ...

Aniracetam is a nootropic compound and an allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) which mediate synaptic mechanisms of learning and memory. Here we analyzed impairments in AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission caused by moderate prenatal ethanol exposure and investigated the effects of postnatal aniracetam treatment on these abnormalities. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were ...

OBJECTIVES: American Indians (AI's) have the lowest rate of seatbelt use in the nation, putting them at significant risk for motor vehicle crash (MVC) morbidity and mortality. This study compares seatbelt use in victims of level one trauma crashes presenting from on and off AI reservations. Predictors of seatbelt use ...

BACKGROUND: We examined alcohol use disorders, psychiatric symptoms and personality traits in women reporting alcohol use during pregnancy. METHODS: In a pilot cohort (n=139), subjects were screened for alcohol use disorders, and assessed for psychopathology, personality traits, and alcohol use during the first trimester. Those reporting consumption exceeding a conservative ...

Exposure assessment studies for particulates have been conducted in several U.S. and European cities; however, exposure data remain sparse for Asian populations whose cultural practices and living styles are distinct from those in the developed world. This study assessed personal PM(10) exposure in urban residents and evaluated PM(10) indoor/outdoor levels ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the induction of reactive oxygen species in murine L929 fibrosarcoma cells exposed to radiofrequency (RF) radiation at 900 MHz, with or without co-exposure to 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX), a potent environmental carcinogen produced during chlorination of drinking water. Both continuous-wave and GSM mobile phone ...

The monitoring of alcoholic fermentation under enological conditions is currently poor due to the lack of sensors for online measurements. Such monitoring is currently limited to the measurement of CO(2) production or changes in density. In this study, we determined the potential value of measuring electrical conductivity. We showed that ...

BACKGROUND: Few studies in humans have related maternal undernutrition to the size of the adult offspring. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess whether reductions in food intake by pregnant women during the Dutch famine of 1944-1945 were related to offspring length, weight, and indexes of adiposity in middle age. DESIGN: ...

Cocaine use during pregnancy is difficult to ascertain, and maternal reports are likely to be inaccurate. Presently, the dose-response characteristics between maternal cocaine use and fetal exposure and adverse effects are unknown. Clinically, some babies are harmed, whereas others are not adversely affected. Taking advantage of the fact that cocaine ...

The pregnant patient presents a unique diagnostic challenge to the urologist because the well-being of both the mother and fetus must be considered. Radiation exposure to the fetus during gestation presents risks such as cell death and teratogenic effects, carcinogenesis, and genetic effects, which must be considered when selecting diagnostic ...

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), with the full phenotype, and fetal alcohol effect (FAE), with some but not all of the features, can be combined under the umbrella term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). STUDY DESIGN: We investigated the long-term sequelae of intrauterine alcohol exposure ...

BACKGROUND: High alcohol intake in pregnancy has been linked to abnormal fetal development. There are limited published data in Australia on standard drinks of alcohol consumed on a typical occasion during the periconceptional period or pregnancy. METHODS: During 1995 to 1997, a 10% random sample of all nonindigenous women giving ...

Although drinking and smoking during pregnancy can have hazardous effects to exposed children, a certain number of pregnant women continues to consume alcohol and nicotine. It was investigated whether physicians and midwives in Switzerland ask pregnant women about their drinking and smoking habits. A self-report questionnaire was used to assess ...

Infrasound (i.e., <20 Hz for humans; <100 Hz for chinchillas) is not audible, but exposure to high-levels of infrasound will produce large movements of cochlear fluids. We speculated that high-level infrasound might bias the basilar membrane and perhaps be able to minimize noise-induced hearing loss. Chinchillas were simultaneously exposed to ...

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) affects neurodevelopment in infants, although a critical exposure window has not yet been identified. OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to assess the prenatal DDE exposure window and its effect on the psychomotor development index (PDI) and mental development index (MDI) during the first year of ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review systematically the available evidence on studies in humans on the effects of low-moderate levels of prenatal alcohol consumption (up to 10.4 UK units or 83 g/week) compared with consumption of no alcohol on pregnancy outcome. DESIGN: Systematic review. POPULATION: Pregnant women ...

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) occurs in approximately 3 of 1,000 live births in the general population of the U.S. and is the leading known cause of mental retardation. The Midwest Regional Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Training Center (MRFASTC) surveyed 1,000 licensed occupational therapists (OT) of the American Occupational Therapists Association in ...

In Italy, little is known about the spectrum of adverse fetal effects related to maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. In this paper, we report on the phenotype of Italian children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). These data were gathered as part of a field study assessing the prevalence of ...

Metabolism of alcohol (i.e., ethanol) is regulated by genetic and environmental factors as well as physiologic state. For a given alcohol intake, the rate of alcohol clearance, which ultimately determines tissue ethanol concentrations, may be the most significant risk factor for many of the detrimental effects of alcohol. Faster ethanol ...

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a severe outcome of alcohol use during pregnancy, and the rates may be higher in countries with greater use of alcohol. To obtain information from Russian physicians (N = 23), women (N = 23), and male partners (N = 5), focus groups were conducted with 51 ...

Studies over the past two decades have indicated that protein modifications by acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, are generated in the circulation as a result of alcohol abuse and play a major role in the pathogenesis of ethanol-induced diseases. Acetaldehyde can react with nucleophilic groups forming both stable and ...

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most severe manifestation of the adverse effects of alcohol on foetal development, was first described in the French medical literature by Lemoine et al. in 1968 [Les Gfants des parents alcholiques: anomalies observes a propos de 127 cas (The children of alchoholic parents: anomalies observed ...

BACKGROUND: After maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, many neonates affected by less apparent forms of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment. There is thus a need for laboratory markers for early detection of alcohol-exposed neonates. The aim of our study was to assess the ...

BACKGROUND: A substance use screening instrument was used to determine factors predictive of drinking during pregnancy. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to negative birth outcomes. METHODS: The participants (n = 4,828) for the study were sampled from pregnant women attending prenatal clinics in Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota. ...

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women receive mixed messages about fish consumption in pregnancy because unsaturated fatty acids and protein in fish are thought to be beneficial, but contaminants such as methylmercury may pose a hazard. METHODS: In the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) study, women were enrolled in the 15th to ...

Alcohol abuse produces damaging effects on the CNS that leads to several types of disorders. When consumed during pregnancy, alcohol may cause craniofacial malformations, growth retardation and brain damage in offspring. These symptoms are grouped by the term fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the most common cause of non-genetic ...

BACKGROUND: Animal and limited human studies have raised concerns as to the safety of in utero exposure to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and sirolimus (SRL) in transplant recipients. This study examined the outcomes of pregnancies with exposure to MMF or SRL from 30 female transplant recipients (39 pregnancies) who have reported ...

In the framework of a cohort study of pregnant women conducted in Brittany (France), we assessed the exposure to trihalomethanes (THM) during pregnancy in a subset by evaluating (1) potential sources of variability in household THM levels; (2) the between- and within-subject variability in THM levels; (3) THM levels in ...

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to alcohol can adversely affect the fetus. We investigated the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and cryptorchidism (undescended testis) among newborn boys. METHODS: We examined 2,496 boys in a prospective Danish-Finnish birth cohort study for cryptorchidism at birth (cryptorchid/healthy: 128/2,368) and at 3 months of ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for fetal alcohol effects has declined during the past 10 years among hospitalized newborns in the United States. DESIGN: Trends in use of the ICD-9-CM code 760.71, "alcohol affecting the fetus," among newborns ...

When pregnant women abuse methamphetamine, the foremost concern is the potential adverse effect of this substance on fetal development. Clinical studies in humans have found that exposure to methamphetamine during brain development can cause neurobehavioral abnormalities, such as aggressive behavior, learning problems, and poor social adaptation. In the present study, ...

In humans, immune development begins early in embryonic life and continues throughout the early postnatal period. Although a number of pesticides have been observed to induce developmental immunotoxicity in mice, few human studies have examined the long term effects of in utero pesticide exposure on childhood morbidity. Empirical evidence suggests ...

AIM: To measure paediatricians' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and alcohol use during pregnancy. METHODS: Postal survey of paediatricians in Western Australia in 2004. Of 179 eligible paediatricians, 132 (73.7%) responded (90 consultant paediatricians and 42 paediatric trainees). RESULTS: Of the 132 respondents, 18.9% identified all ...

BACKGROUND: Industrial hygienists' assessments of prenatal occupational exposures based on parental job histories is a promising approach for population-based case-control studies of birth defects and other perinatal outcomes. However, evaluations of inter-rater agreement of such assessments have been limited. METHODS: We examined inter-rater agreement of occupational lead exposure assessments of ...

OBJECTIVES: Despite warnings to abstain from alcohol, American women who are or could become pregnant still drink. This study evaluates whether women who consume alcohol are at an increased risk of recognizing pregnancy later than women who do not, adjusting for confounding factors that have been associated with alcohol consumption ...

PURPOSE: To support efforts to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), population-based data are needed on the prevalence of alcohol use at any time during gestation, particularly among women who were recent and at-risk drinkers. METHODS: We used National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experiences in Youth (NLSY) files to estimate ...

BACKGROUND: We previously reported widespread insecticide exposure during pregnancy among inner-city women from New York City. Here we report on a pilot intervention using integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pest infestations and residential insecticide exposures among pregnant New York City African-American and Latina women (25 intervention and 27 control ...

This study evaluated stage of change as a predictor of alcohol use in a sample of 301 pregnant women who were either in the precontemplation (62%) or in the action (38%) stage of change in their first trimester. Stage of change distinguished between different patterns of alcohol consumption before and ...