Mothers Who Eat Peanuts During Pregnancy Lowers Risk of Peanut Allergy in Children

A new study by doctors in Boston Children's Hospital show that increased consumption of peanuts by pregnant mothers lower risk of peanut allergy in their babies. The study is based on mothers who are not allergic to peanuts.

Peanut allergies are a type of allergy where a person gets an allergic reaction from consuming peanuts and its derivatives. Peanut allergies are common in children. The reactions range from minor skin irritations to anaphylaxis (a life threatening reaction). For some people who has this allergy, even a tiny amount of peanut can cause a serious reaction.

Peanut allergies and other type of food allergies are caused when the proteins from the food is mistakenly considered a threat to the body by the immune system. The immune system releases chemicals to combat the presumed threat and causes the allergic reaction.

The latest study is still in its early stages to strongly prove that peanut consumption will lower peanut allergies. But what it does show is that eating peanuts even when pregnant does not cause the allergy to manifest in the mother's offspring.

Omega-3 In Fish Could Reduce Risk of Postpartum Depression

Studies suggest that low levels of Omega-3 may be the cause for postpartum depression. Eating fish rich in omega-3 may reduce risk of acquiring this disorder.

Postpartum depression is a type of clinical depression affecting women who have just given birth. It is a mood disorder in which the mother experiences feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration usually directed at her newly born baby.

Postpartum depression usually occurs within the first four weeks of delivery or even up to one year later.

This behavior may affect how the mother cares for her child. Those with postpartum depression have a difficulty in coping and interacting with the child. Care is inconsistent and may post a health risk to the baby. The potential long-term complications are the same as in major depression. Untreated, postpartum depression may put the patient at risk of harming herself or the baby.

Using Fluvastatin As Treatment For Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS)

Research show that fluvastatin, a cholesterol lowering statin, can be used as treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). APS is a disorder that can cause pregnancy loss, stroke, myocardial infarction, and arterial/deep vein thrombosis.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that causes or provokes blood clots and miscarriages. APS increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the veins) and arterial thrombosis (blood clot in an artery). A thrombus or a blood clot in a blood vessel can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

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.

Vitamin C Supplementation In Smoking Pregnant Women Improves Pulmonary Function in Newborns

Vitamin C is needed by the body for the growth and repair of tissues. It is a water soluble vitamin needed for growth and development.

Since vitamin C is water-soluble, they dissolve in water and excess amounts leave the body through the urine.

Vitamin C cannot be naturally produced by the body nor can the body store vitamin c. Because of this, it is important to include it in a person's daily diet.

Vitamin C also is used by the body in other ways such as:

• Part of the formation of a protein used to make skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels
• Heal wounds and form scar tissue
• Repair and maintain cartilage, bones, and teeth

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants are nutrients that block some of the damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals are what causes the aging process, some cancers (according to studies), cardiovascular diseases, and athritis.

Vitamin C improves pulmonary function in newborns of pregnant smoking women

Vitamin C supplementation in pregnant women who are unable to quit smoking significantly improves pulmonary function in their newborns, according to a new study.

"Smoking during pregnancy is known to adversely affect the lung development of the developing baby," said Cindy McEvoy, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital. "We found that daily use of vitamin C (500 mg/day) by smoking pregnant woman significantly improved pulmonary function tests administered to their offspring at about 48 hours postpartum."

The results will be presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco.

Study Identifies Risks Involved With Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) refers to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. The 1992 Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act defines ART as "...all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are handled."

The treatment primarily targets infertile persons and sometimes for genetic reasons.

The general procedure for ART involves surgically removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, combining them with sperm in the laboratory, and returning them to the woman’s body or donating them to another woman.

Assisted Reproductive Technology should not be confused with artifical insemination where only sperm are handled or other treatements that only involves the woman taking medication to stimulate egg production without the intention of having eggs retrieved.

Assisted reproduction is usually invasive, expensive, and deals with matters of intense emotional content. More than 3.7 million babies are born annually as a result of ART.

There are some health concerns with regards to ART. Some of these concers are:

• Risks associated with multiple embryo transfer
• Risks to the health of the offspring as a result of treatment
• Patient mental health as a result of treatment
• Long-term social functioning of the offspring born as a result of assisted reproduction.

Higher risk of birth defects from assisted reproduction

In the most comprehensive study of its kind in the world, researchers from the University's Robinson Institute have compared the risk of major birth defects for each of the reproductive therapies commonly available internationally, such as: IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and ovulation induction. They also compared the risk of birth defects after fresh and frozen embryo transfer.

The results are being published today in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, and presented in Barcelona, Spain at the World Congress on Building Consensus in Gynecology, Infertility and Perinatology.

"While assisted reproductive technologies are associated with an increased risk of major birth defects overall, we found significant differences in risk between available treatments," says the lead author of the study, Associate Professor Michael Davies from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute and School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health.

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.

Maternal Stress Puts Newborns At Risk For Iron Deficiency Anemia

When red blood cells fail to bring sufficient amounts of oxygen to the tissues in the body, the person becomes anemic. There are different factors that can cause anemia but iron deficiency is the most common cause.

The body requires iron to make hemoglobin. This is the oxygen carrying red pigment in blood. If there isn't enough iron in the body, the production of hemoglobin becomes limited. This in turn affects the production of red blood cells (RBC). A decreased amount of hemoglobin and RBCs in the bloodstream resulting in less oxygen available to cells and tissues is known as anemia. Without the right amount of oxygen, these cells and tissues does not function well.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is primarily caused by insufficient iron intake. This is the major factor of childhood anemia. It has become much less common in the United States over the past 30 years, primarily due to iron-fortified infant formulas and cereals but is a concern in third world and developing countries.

Iron-deficiency anemia doesn't develop immediately. Instead, a person progresses through stages of iron deficiency, beginning with iron depletion, in which the amount of iron in the body is reduced while the iron in RBCs remains constant. If iron depletion isn't corrected, it progresses to iron deficiency, eventually leading to IDA.

Mom's stress during pregnancy can affect baby's iron status

Newborns whose mothers are under stress during the first trimester of pregnancy may be at risk for low iron status, which could lead to physical and mental delays down the road, according to a study to be presented Sunday, April 29, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston.

Iron plays an important role in the development of organ systems, especially the brain. Well-known risk factors for poor iron status in infants are maternal iron deficiency, maternal diabetes, smoking during pregnancy, preterm birth, low birthweight and multiple pregnancy.

This study, conducted by researchers from Ashkelon Academic College and Barzilai Medical Center in Israel and the University of Michigan, is the first in humans to suggest that maternal stress early in pregnancy is another risk factor for low iron status in newborns.

New Study on the Development of Gestational Diabetes

Pregnancy hormones can block insulin from performing its function. When this happens, sugar or glucose levels may increase in a pregnant woman's blood and high blood sugar occurs. This condition is called Gestational Diabetes. The woman does not have to be previously diagnosed with diabetes to exhibit high blood glucose levels.

Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are typically at increased risk of problems such as being large for gestational age (which may lead to delivery complications), low blood sugar, and jaundice. Gestational diabetes is a treatable condition and women who have adequate control of glucose levels can effectively decrease these risks.

Treatment of pregnant women with gestational diabetes focuses on keeping blood sugar at normal levels through diet and exercise and to make sure that the growing baby is healthy. In most cases, there will be no need for diabetes medicine or insulin.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a cell-signaling pathway that plays a key role in increasing insulin secretion during pregnancy and, when blocked, leads to the development of gestational diabetes. Their findings are available online today in Diabetes, one of the journals of the American Diabetes Association.

During pregnancy, pancreatic beta cells should expand and produce more insulin to adapt to the needs of the growing baby, explained senior investigator Adolfo Garcia-Ocana, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Pitt School of Medicine. Newborns can suffer complications if the mother's blood glucose is abnormally high during pregnancy.

Anti-Diabetic Medicine Beneficial in Prevention of Long Term Maternal Obesity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that maternal obesity affects approximately 1 out of 5 pregnant women. Research reveals that gestational weight gain is associated with an increased use of health care services which includes:

• Greater use of inpatient and outpatient health care services.
• Increased length of hospital stays for delivery.
• Greater use of physician services.
• Less use of services by nurse practitioners and physician assistants during prenatal visits.

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication Pioglitazone can prevent the long term effects of maternal obesity on offspring.

This study, Pioglitazone Therapy in Offspring Exposed to Maternal Obesity, is the first step in the long term goal of preventing metabolic syndrome and obesity in children secondary to maternal obesity. The data proposes a potential role for drugs that activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the prevention of metabolic syndrome in adult offspring of obese mothers.

"Obesity in children, which is on the rise, predisposes them to lifelong diseases such as diabetes, high lipid levels, hypertension and cardiac diseases," said Egle Bytautiene, MD, PhD, with The University of Texas Medical Branch, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Galveston, Texas, and one of the study's authors. "A large part of obesity in children is programmed during pregnancy and our study shows that a drug used to treat diabetes in adults can prevent the long term effects of maternal obesity on the offspring, even when used for a short period of time after birth."