“Cocaine exposure during pregnancy leads to impulsivity in male, not ... - PhysOrg” plus 4 more

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• Cocaine exposure during pregnancy leads to impulsivity in male, not ... - PhysOrg
• Can H1N1 flu virus in pregnancy change genes in the brains of the ... - GroundReport
• Weight gain and loss a problem for obese pregnant women - kjrh.com
• WhatToExpect.com Launches Pregnancy Tracker Mobile App for iPhone - Earthtimes
• Obese Women Less Likely to Loss Weight Gained During Pregnancy - eMaxHealth.com

Cocaine exposure during pregnancy leads to impulsivity in male, not ... - PhysOrg Posted: 22 Oct 2009 05:44 PM PDT Cocaine exposure during pregnancy leads to impulsivity in male, not female, monkeys October 22nd, 2009 Adult male monkeys exposed to cocaine while in the womb have poor impulse control and may be more vulnerable to drug abuse than female monkeys, even a decade or more after the exposure, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The findings could lead to a better understanding of human drug abuse. The study was presented yesterday at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago. "This is the first time that so many different measures of impulsivity, which is considered a risk factor for drug abuse, have been looked at in the same group of animals," said Lindsey Hamilton, lead investigator and a graduate student working in the laboratory of Michael Nader, Ph.D., a professor of physiology and pharmacology. "We're looking for ways to predict which individuals are going to take drugs during their lives. It was very surprising to see that, even more than a decade after the prenatal cocaine exposure, the monkeys ended up being more impulsive and possibly more susceptible to drug use. It was particularly interesting, however, that this effect was only seen in the males. Something is either protecting the females from the effects of the cocaine exposure in the womb or making the males more susceptible to the lasting effects." For the study, researchers compared adult monkeys - both male and female - prenatally exposed to cocaine more than 15 years ago, to monkeys who were raised under similar conditions, but not exposed to cocaine during gestation. To determine if the animals differed in impulse control, they performed four tests. For one of the tests, the researchers gave the animals the choice between pushing a lever that delivered a single banana pellet reward immediately or a lever that delivered several banana pellets, but required the animals to wait up to five minutes before the reward was delivered. "That's where we saw very large differences between the groups," Hamilton said. "The males who were exposed to cocaine in-utero had no patience or impulse control whatsoever." Those monkeys were less willing to wait for a larger food reward and preferred the immediately available, though much smaller, reward, indicating they were more impulsive than the adult male monkeys who had never been exposed to cocaine. There was, however, no difference in the preference of female monkeys prenatally exposed to cocaine and those never exposed to the drug. After all of the impulsivity tests were administered, the researchers ranked each monkey from least to most impulsive and compared their average impulsivity score across the four tests. They found that the male, but not female, monkeys prenatally exposed to cocaine were more impulsive overall compared to control monkeys who weren't exposed. "A lot of the differences we saw were subtle," Hamilton said. "We've done several different kinds of impulsivity tests and, on their own, each task resulted in only slight differences. But together, they paint a really clear picture of the effects of this early cocaine exposure. The more challenging the test, the more obvious the difference between the groups was. "The fact that we are seeing differences at all is particularly striking because this is 15 years after the monkeys were exposed in the womb to cocaine," she added. "Fifteen years is the equivalent of middle age for monkeys. The fact that fairly large differences are still turning up is fascinating." Hamilton described the findings further, explaining that dopamine is a chemical in the brain that has been associated with drug abuse. When dopamine is released, it is broken down into homovanillic acid (HVA), which can be readily measured from a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The researchers found that the less HVA present in a monkey's CSF, the less impulse control that monkey demonstrated. This finding is the first time a relationship between this dopamine metabolite and impulsivity has been documented, and indicates that there is a biological correlation associated with the alterations in impulse control observed in the monkeys exposed to cocaine in the womb. Since decreased impulse control is a defining characteristic of cocaine addicts, Hamilton and her colleagues are currently working on an ongoing study to assess whether the monkeys that were prenatally exposed to cocaine will be more likely to self-administer drugs in adulthood. So far, Hamilton said, it appears that the male monkeys exposed to cocaine in utero are more likely to self-administer the drug, even in low doses, than controls. Again, the difference is not being observed in the female monkeys. "Our studies indicate that males may be more vulnerable to the long-lasting behavioral and neurobiological consequences of cocaine exposure during gestation than females, suggesting male children who were exposed to cocaine during their mothers' pregnancies may be predisposed to abuse drugs in adulthood," Hamilton said. It has been estimated that there are about 7.5 million children in the United States that were exposed to cocaine during gestation and between 30,000 and 160,000 infants born each year who have been prenatally exposed to cocaine, according to the National Pregnancy and Health Survey, the Department of Health and Human Services and previous research. The effects of cocaine use during pregnancy on children's development are not well established. "Whether or not these children who were exposed to cocaine in the womb may be more vulnerable to drug use is a timely question," Hamilton said, "both because these children are now young adults, a time when a lot of drug experimentation occurs, and because cocaine abuse among young women of childbearing age is a growing problem in this country." It is challenging to study children exposed to cocaine in utero because there are many other factors that could affect their behavior, such as less-than-optimal prenatal care, inadequate nutrition, and exposure to multiple types and doses of drugs during their mothers' pregnancies, Hamilton explained. By using a monkey model, researchers are able to control these variables and determine the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure. "We know that drug abusers are more impulsive than non drug users," Hamilton said. "But what is not as clear is whether people become drug abusers because they are impulsive or if people become impulsive because they're drug abusers. It's a bit of the chicken or the egg puzzle. We'll probably find that it's a little bit of both. The more we learn about the causes of drug abuse, the more likely that, one day, we'll be able to prevent it." Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (news : web) This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Can H1N1 flu virus in pregnancy change genes in the brains of the ... - GroundReport Posted: 22 Oct 2009 05:30 PM PDT Can H1N1 flu virus in pregnancy change genes in the brains of the unborn? View the article, "Swine Flu Can Change Genes of Unborn" published July 27, 2009 at Blisstree.com suggesting that swine flu in pregnant women may change the genes of unborn children resulting in damage to the hippocampus. According to the article, neuroscientists found that the H1N1 changes the genes that control brain growth and development in the unborn child. The scientists published their report in the medical journal, European Neuropsychopharmacology, listing more than a dozen genes that the swine flu virus adversely affected. Geneticists want to know how some of those genes are tied to the development of the hippocampus, a component of the brain involved in long term memory and spatial navigation. If the flu itself damages the hippocampus, the result could be linked to autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. Let's take a logical look at the original study, published in the medical journal, European Neuropsychopharmacology. The team of researchers and lead scientist, Hossein Fatemi as part of the experiement, injected pregnant female mice with the H1N1 and studied the brains of the newborn mice. Mice exposed to the H1N1 virus in the womb had a fifteen percent reduction in the size of their hippocampus. Scientists also found twelve other genes that the flu virus negatively affected. The study has been done on mice, not people. But does the study confirm the public health recommendation that pregnant women need to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus? If so, the question consumers need to ask is whether getting flu shots of the killed virus do anything to the brains of the infants yet unborn when the pregnant women get the recommended shots? On one hand, you don't want to get the flu when pregnant. Your immune system is compromised when you're pregnant. You want protection. On the other hand, the question is how is your unborn baby's brain going to be affected by the dead virus, the mercury in the shot, or any other factor? You don't want the flu, and vaccination is a priority for pregnant women. But what will the hippocampus of your baby's brain look like? You're not going to be given the live virus up the nose because you'll be shedding it for days after vaccination to other family members, people standing next to you in the stores you shop at, and co-workers. Read the article, "Scientist Says H1N1 Flu Virus Could Damage Brains of Unborn Children," published July 24, 2009 at Lifenews.com. The article reports, "A neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota medical school has published a paper saying the H1N1 swine flu virus could pose problems for unborn children." Hossein Fatemi has published a new paper saying the virus, which is causing the deaths of people across the globe, could damage the developing brains of babies before birth." Notice that the article is about the flu, not the vaccine. But consumers are wondering what happens to your unborn baby's brain when you get the vaccine, even if the virus is dead. And what happens when your other young children or those you come in contact with daily get the live virus flu mist vaccine up their nose? When children recently vaccinated start shedding the virus for up to 21 days, will you catch the flu while pregnant? Those are questions consumers ask. Could other recently vaccinated children infect the pregnant mother and her unborn baby with the flu? Did you get a receipt verifying that the adverse reaction to a vaccine had been reported to a government agency? Or did your doctor tell someone at your HMO your symptoms and you have no knowledge of how to track your response through the HMO system to the government agency and to the drug or vaccine manufacturer. Who keeps tabs on your adverse reactions to vaccines or other prescribed medications or even over the counter remedies? Who is in charge of taking note of adverse reactions to supplements or individual allergies? Is there a database of information where you can report your symptoms? If you're not getting the results you want, you are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs or vaccines to the FDA. First go to the FDA website called MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you're going to get vaccinated for any reason, talk to your health care professional about situations you may need to avoid. Some medications and vaccinations have interactions with other environmental or medicinal issues or even the foods you eat. For example, eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit might interrupt the way certain medications work or eating certain vegetables such as avocados or aged cheeses. It all depends on what you're taking. Talk to your doctor about what effects a vaccination or certain foods will have on you if you are taking specific medications. Find out whether you're allergic to any ingredients in a specific medication or vaccination serum such as eggs or neomycin, or any other item related to the specific type of vaccination.  Don't forget, if you have a negative reaction to any prescribed drug or vaccine given to you for your health, you can report the side effects to the FDA. One example might be that you had chickenpox as a baby. But when you're over age 60, you may not realize that the virus is till in your body and could give you shingles as you age. There's a vaccine to prevent shingles. You need to know whether you're allergic to any of its ingredients such as neomycin or gelatin. What if you have a weakened immune system? That's why it's important to ask questions before you take any type of vaccine. Know what's in the vaccine, and whether or not you have an allergy to any substance in it. For example, before you take a flu shot, you're usually asked whether you're allergic to eggs because the vaccine is grown in eggs. Same goes for prescribed medications. Nutritionists can research foods, but when it comes to looking at vaccines in a logical way by finding out how they're produced, you need to go beyond foods that help your health to find out whose watching the watchers. How do vaccines work? If the media isn't watching the watchers quickly enough, then it's up to the people, the consumers, even the citizen journalists to watch the credible, logical, and validated research. What did you always want to ask about vaccines? When it comes to vaccines, you need to know how they work. According to the October 21, 2009 Planet News article, "Vaccines: How do they work?"  there's an excellent report on how the flu vaccine is produced. For example, flu vaccines are made by introducing an inactivated strain of flu (hypodermic) or a weakened live virus (nasal spray), an immune system can be taught which particular type of invasive cells to be looking for and how to eradicate them, thereby building an immunity to that strain of flu. The technology has been in use for 60 years. Nasal sprays, sold under the name "FluMist," were approved for use in 2003. The article reports how the vaccine shot form is produced "by growing the virus in chicken eggs. New research is currently being explored that will use canine kidney cells, insect eggs, and retinas from aborted fetal tissues. In 2005, the Bush administration allocated more than $7 billion to pharmaceutical companies for the production of these 'cell line' factories. The virus is rendered inert by either the addition of formalin (an aqueous solution of formaldehyde) or by exposure to UV rays. The current swine flu vaccine used both methods to deactivate the virus." According to "Vaccines: How do they work?" the article reports that a "2009 study in Current Topics Microbiology Immunology reported that Center for Disease Control (CDC) officials conceded the ability of flu vaccines to generate sufficient antibodies and effectively reduce symptoms and prevent death is only about 30 to 50 percent. Other experts say most years the efficacy is 70 to 80 percent." Also see the article, "The American Flu Charade by Bill Sardi." According to this article, millions of doses of flu vaccine will go unused. The article reports, "With a Consumer Reports poll showing nearly 2/3rds of U.S. parents will hold off on having their children vaccinated with the H1N1 late-2009 season flu vaccine, health authorities are likely to resort to scare tactics as they have in past years to induce parents into having their children vaccinated. You can't cry wolf every year. The Consumer Reports telephone survey shows 50% of U.S. parents are delaying their decision to have their children vaccinated and another 14% will forego vaccination altogether." What happens to the vaccines not used in the USA? Are they shipped overseas to places that have a higher rate of illness for children? The big worry in this article notes that, "The first flu vaccines in use will be nasally-administered Flumist® which utilizes "live" viruses. Flumist®-vaccinated individuals will shed viruses for 5 days following inoculation and are likely to spread the virus to family members." What fears are spreading is that the children shedding the live viruses will spread the flu to older adults who come in contact with their grandchildren and from there it could sweep through nursing homes for the frail elderly. The article notes, " senior adults living in a home with others who have received Flumist® are at greater risk to become infected, though no warning is issued over this." The point made about any vaccine is to find out which facts actually can be validated and evaluated. View the interview with Barb Loe Fisher, Founder of the National Vaccine Information Center video at the HealthyAgain site. You also can compare this video with the 60 Minutes 1977 video also on that site about that swine flu issue. The Doctor Yourself site offers an article, "Why Flu Shots Don't Work." Another article takes a different view in, "How to be a swine flu vaccine zealot (satire) by Mike Adams." Another article states, "60 Percent of Doctors Don't Get a Flu Shot: Why Medical Experts, Parents and Others Avoid the Flu shot. The reason usually stated is, "I'm too busy." Most medical professionals are encouraged to promote vaccines. View the article by Victoria Anisman-Reiner written for Suite 101 August 5, 2009. The big push against vaccines, according to the article, may come from some of the holistic practitioners telling people that vaccines damage the immune system "by acting as an immunosuppressant which hinders the natural immune system response and contributes to immune system disorders," according to the article, "60 Percent of Doctors Don't Get a Flu Shot: Why Medical Experts, Parents and Others Avoid the Flu shot." The problem for the consumer is to debunk myths with facts. But where do you find reliable facts and resources? Read the article, "Flu Shots Work Best in Married Senior Citizens, Worst in Those Sad. This article notes, "Senior citizens who are happily married show stronger responses to flu shots that those who are unmarried, especially those who are widowed. And, flu shots do not work as well in older adults who have recently experienced the death of a family member or close friend, a new study shows." Also read the article, "Vaccinated Senior Citizens Less Likely to Die from Pneumonia." Another article states, "Don't Use Amantadine or Rimandatine to Treat Flu, Warns CDC," because "evidence indicates Influenza A viruses in US are resistant to these drugs." So who do you believe? It's not so much about belief, but about results and validations. Photo credits: Flickr.com. Tags: H1n1 , Swine Flu , Babies , Pregnant This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Weight gain and loss a problem for obese pregnant women - kjrh.com Posted: 22 Oct 2009 06:56 PM PDT A new study finds obese women find it harder to drop the weight they gain during pregnancy because they are more likely to gain too much. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente looked at the medical records of 1,656 obese women. All had a BMI of 30 or higher. They found nearly 75-percent gained more than the recommended 15-pounds during pregnancy for their weight class. A year after delivery, the women had only lost 60-percent of the weight they gained. So, if a woman gained 30 pounds during pregnancy, she still had 12 of those pounds one year later. Compared to women who gained less than 15 pounds during pregnancy, those who gained more were twice a likely to retain 10 extra pounds. In the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, experts say doctors need to do a better job of helping obese women control weight gain during pregnancy. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

WhatToExpect.com Launches Pregnancy Tracker Mobile App for iPhone - Earthtimes Posted: 22 Oct 2009 08:54 AM PDT BROOKLYN, N.Y. - (Business Wire) WhatToExpect.com, the exclusive home of Heidi Murkoff's What To Expect When You're Expecting, today announced the official launch of the What to Expect Pregnancy Tracker mobile app for the iPhone. The free app gives expectant moms (and dads) round-the-clock, at-their-fingertips access to America's best-loved and bestselling pregnancy brand, What to Expect, so that they can track their baby's amazing development – and their own fast changing and growing bodies – every day, no matter where they are. In its beta release, the Pregnancy Tracker became an instant hit and is already the most popular pregnancy app available for the iPhone. The app has also become an attractive new marketing channel to reach prospective new parents. What to Expect's Pregnancy Tracker iPhone app is loaded with invaluable (and fun) interactive features that let parents-to-be follow their pregnancies week by incredible week. Moms (and dads) can calculate and count down to that momentous due date, and keep up with their baby's astonishing rate of growth (as it works its way through the produce aisle -- from raspberry-size at week eight, to plum-size at week 12, to watermelon at term). They also get Heidi's weekly updates on what baby's up to development wise (week 18, twisting and rolling, week 26, opening his eyes), weekly illustrations of their growing fetus, and the opportunity to upload photos of their burgeoning bellies and turn the photos into slide shows to share with their families and friends. For additional information visit www.whattoexpect.com/iphone. "If you're expecting these days, you're probably busier than ever – between work, those doctor's appointments, that layette shopping, and more. Yet you still want to keep every possible pregnancy resource at your fingertips – and keep track of and share every moment of life's most incredible experience. Now you can!" explains Heidi Murkoff. "Heidi's What to Expect brand, which includes the bestselling series of pregnancy and parenting books and a phenomenally successful Web site, is the best-loved and most trusted resource for parents-to-be worldwide – providing the reassuring, empathetic, and accurate information that they crave," says Ben Wolin, CEO, co-founder of Waterfront Media, and new dad. "The What to Expect Pregnancy Tracker iPhone app gives expecting moms and dads the ability to access that invaluable information – along with a variety of innovative, interactive, and personalized tools – wherever they are. WhatToExpect.com has also launched the Baby Name Finder app for the iPhone. The application includes over 15,000 baby names which can be searched by gender, alphabetically and by origin. It also contains the top baby names for each year from 1950 – 2008 and the origin and meaning of the names included. What to Expect's Baby Name Finder application can be found along with the Pregnancy Tracker application at www.whattoexpect.com/iphone. About WhatToExpect.com, What To Expect® series of pregnancy and parenting books WhatToExpect.com, is the online companion to the bestselling series of What to Expect® books by Heidi Murkoff and one of the fastest growing parenting and pregnancy sites with 1.5 million unique users per month according to comScore Media Metrix. The site is published by Everyday Health, which is operated by Waterfront Media. For more information, please visit www.WhatToExpect.com. Heidi Murkoff's What To Expect® series of pregnancy and parenting books, published by Workman Publishing Company, has helped guide close to 40 million families from preconception through pregnancy to the toddler years and beyond. According to USA Today, her iconic pregnancy guide, What to Expect When You're Expecting -- known as the "Bible" to moms across the world -- is bought by 93 percent of all expecting mothers who buy a book. Media: Edelman Sam Johnston, 212-819-4863 Sam.Johnston@edelman.com This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Obese Women Less Likely to Loss Weight Gained During Pregnancy - eMaxHealth.com Posted: 22 Oct 2009 08:26 AM PDT In the largest U.S. study done to examine effects of weight gain during pregnancy in obese women researchers have found that those who gain more than the recommended amount during pregnancy are much less likely to loss the weight gained during the pregnancy within one year after they give birth. Kim Vesco, MD, MPH and colleagues published their findings in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The retrospective cohort study of 1,656 obese women found that most of them gained too much weight during pregnancy, then, on average, kept on 40 percent of the weight one year after they gave birth. For example, if a woman gained 20 pounds during pregnancy, she could be expected to retain 8 of those pounds at one year. The researchers looked at 1,656 singleton gestations resulting in live births among obese women between January 2000 and December 2005 in Kaiser Permanente Northwest. The study defined obesity as a body mass index (BMI) at or above 30 kg/m2. The amount of pregnancy weight change was measured as the difference between the last available pre-delivery weight minus weight at pregnancy onset. The weight gained during pregnancy was categorized as less than 0 lbs, 0-15 lbs, greater than 15 to 25 lbs, greater than 25 to 35 lbs, and greater than 35 lbs. Postpartum weight change was measured as the difference between the weight at 1 year postpartum minus weight at pregnancy onset. This weight-loss was defined as less than 0 lbs, 0-10 lbs, and greater than 10 lbs. The researchers found that the total gestational weight gain ranged from -33.2 (weight loss) to +98.0 pounds (weight gain). Nearly three fourths of the women gained greater than 15 pounds. Pregnancy-related weight change showed a significant relationship with postpartum weight change. For each pound gained during pregnancy, there was a 0.4-pound increase above baseline weight at 1 year postpartum. These obese women who gained the most weight during pregnancy were less likely to have lost the pregnancy-related weight a year later. The study defined excess weight as more than 15 pounds, which until recently was the minimum amount of weight gain recommended for obese pregnant women by the Institute of Medicine. In May 2009, the IOM set an upper limit for weight gain in obese pregnant women, suggesting they gain between 11 – 20 pounds. The study lead author Kim Vesco, MD states "This extra weight also increases the risk of pregnancy and delivery complications like diabetes, preeclampsia, bigger babies, C-sections, and birthing injuries." The goal is to prevent the weight gain in the first place. Both the moms and babies will be healthier in the long run. Tips for Controlling Excess Weight Gain During Pregnancy * Every day eat 8 – 12 fruit and vegetable servings, 3 servings of low-fat dairy, 5 – 9 ounces of protein-rich foods, 6 – 10 servings of whole grains, and 3 – 7 teaspoons of healthy fat (e.g., olive or canola oil, nuts). * Eat regular meals and small healthy snacks between meals. * Reduce fat to less than 30 percent of calories. * Reduce consumption of sweets and sweetened drinks. * Keep a food diary to check for nutritional adequacy and portion management. * Eat only 100 – 300 extra calories per day beyond what your calorie needs were before you became pregnant. * Exercise 30 minutes on most days. If you aren't exercising, talk to your provider about how to start an exercise program. Source Kaiser Permanente News Release Excessive Gestational Weight Gain and Postpartum Weight Retention Among Obese Women; Obstetrics & Gynecology. 114(5):1069-1075, November 2009; Vesco, Kimberly K.; Dietz, Patricia M.; Rizzo, Joanne; Stevens, Victor J.; Perrin, Nancy A.; Bachman, Donald J.; Callaghan, William M.; Bruce, F Carol; Hornbrook, Mark C.; doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181baeacf This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

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