Women Exposed To Herbicide Atrazine 80% More Likely Of Having Children With Rare Nasal Disorder, Choanal Atresia

Choanal Atrasia is a rare congenital disorder where the back of the infant's nasal passage is blocked. This area of the nasal system is called the choana.

Although rare, with 1 out of 7,000 births having this disorder, choanal atrasia is the most popular of nasal disorders among infants.

Choanal atrasia may affect only one nostril or both. Babies with both nostrils blocked tend to cry a lot because it is only when they cry that they are able to breath through their mouths. During delivery, these babies have difficulty breathing and immediately needs assistance and even resuscitation.

For some babies who have learned to mouth-breathe, the disorder becomes a problem when they sleep as they revert to nose breathing in that stage.

Choanal atrasia may be detected by physical examination and medical imaging techniques such as CAT scans, endoscopy, and x-rays. Once it is verified that the patient is suffering from the disorder, surgery is the recommended medical treatment.

Study: Exposure to herbicide may increase risk of rare disorder

A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas institutions.

The study by Dr. Philip Lupo, assistant professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at BCM and Texas Children's Cancer Center, is scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Findings Show Breastfeeding Beneficial to Infant's Immune System, Intestinal Stability, and Healthy Gut

Alveoli are cells inside the breast that makes milk. When a woman's breast becomes full and tender during pregnancy, it is a sign that the alveoli are getting ready to work.

These changes in the breast are sometimes not felt by the woman until the baby is born.

The alveoli make milk in response to the hormone prolactin. The levels of prolactin rises when the baby suckles.

Aside from this, oxytocin (another hormone), causes small muscles around the cells to contract. This allows the milk to move through a series of small tubes called milk ducts. This moving of the milk is called let-down reflex.

Oxytocin also causes the muscles of the uterus to contract during and after birth which lets the uterus go back to its original size. Oxytocin also lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth. The release of both prolactin and oxytocin may be responsible in part for a mother’s intense feeling of needing to be with her baby.

Breastfeeding is associated with a healthy infant gut

Early colonization of the gut by microbes in infants is critical for development of their intestinal tract and in immune development. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, shows that differences in bacterial colonization of formula-fed and breast-fed babies leads to changes in the infant's expression of genes involved in the immune system, and in defense against pathogens.

The health of individuals can be influenced by the diversity of microbes colonizing the gut, and microbial colonization can be especially important in regulating both intestinal and immune development in infants. However, little is known about the potential interactions between the host's health at a molecular level, their gut microbes, and diet.