NEWS and ARTICLES
The West Australian (Australia) - Booze and pregnancy warnings 'misleading'
The alcohol industry has had to review its health warnings for pregnant women only days after they were unveiled after a Perth expert on foetal-alcohol syndrome complained about the warnings.
7thSpace Interactive - Attitudes and behaviour predict women's intention to drink alcohol during pregnancy: the challenge for health professionals
To explore women's alcohol consumption in pregnancy, and potential predictors of alcohol consumption in pregnancy including: demographic characteristics; and women's knowledge and attitudes regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy and its effects on the fetus.
MedPage Today (USA) - Screen All Women for Alcohol Use, ACOG Says
Pregnant or not, all women seeing their ob/gyn should be screened for alcohol use to identify at-risk drinking and alcohol dependence, according to the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG).
The Virtual Medical Centre - Heavy drinking in pregnancy can increase risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and size for age
Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and small size for gestational age, confirms a study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Abilene Reporter-News (Australia) - Light drinking OK for moms-to-be, study says, but Abilene docs doubtful
From the land Down Under comes a report that pregnant women may want to toast, literally. But some local medical professionals say moms-to-be should hold off on raising that glass.
Mirror.co.uk (UK) - Booze destroyed Kiera's life before she was born - then killed her mum
Kiera Roebuck is seven, but alcohol has already destroyed her life. In fact, it ruined almost every chance she had of a normal life before she was even born.
PennLive.com - Children's Health: Making poor choices during pregnancy can negatively impact baby
Smoking. Drinking alcohol. Abusing drugs. Failing to get appropriate prenatal care. All these poor choices on the part of moms can negatively impact their children.
7thSpace Interactive - Fetal alcohol exposure leads to abnormal olfactory bulb development and impaired odor discrimination in adult mice
Children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy exhibit widespread brain abnormalities and a complex array of behavioral disturbances. Here, we used a mouse model of fetal alcohol exposure to investigate relationships between brain abnormalities and specific behavioral alterations during adulthood.
Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) - Cop turns candidate over FASD
Const. Gerard Allard, a 24-year veteran of the Winnipeg Police Service who has spent most of his career in the downtown and North End, said fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is clogging the court and correctional systems and the current approach is not working. That's why he's decided to run for the Liberals in St. James, a riding now held by the NDP.
COMING UP and RESOURCES
Eurocare - Protecting the unborn baby from alcohol, 7 September 2011, European Parliament, Brussels
This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day.
Second SAF France international FASD Colloquium (December 2011)
Here both French and FASD experts from around the world will meet to share common interests and goals related to the early recognition and treatment of FASD children and adolescents. Deadline for the Abstract Submission: September 9, 2011.
Fifth National Biennial Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder „It's a Matter of Justice“
Social Justice – Moving Forward is now accepting abstracts. This magnificent conference will be held on April 18 – 21, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, British Columbia.
New website of Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - http://www.mofas.org/
The 12th FACE Research Roundtable will be held on September 13, 2011 at the Stanhope Beach Resort & Conference Centre, York, PEI
Speakers at the 12th Annual FACE Research Roundtable will describe new research into how to capitalize on the brain’s plasticity to improve cognitive capacity, impulse control, emotional processing and social understanding. Winners of the 2011 Canadian Foundation on Fetal Alcohol Research (CFFAR) grants will be announced.
July 29, 2011 - 2011 12th Annual FACE Poster Competition - Call for Abstracts
The 12th FACE Research Roundtable will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the Stanhope Resort and Conference Centre in York, PEI (20 minutes from Charlottetown), and as in the past, it will feature the annual FACE Poster Competition. We invite poster submissions on all topics of medical and social science research related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
RESEARCH
Prevalence of Children with Severe Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Communities Near Rome, Italy: New Estimated Rates Are Higher than Previous Estimates
These rates are substantially higher than previous estimates of FAS and overall FASD for the general populations of Western Europe and the U. S., and raise questions as to the total impact of FASD on mental deficit in mainstream populations of Western Europe and the United States where the majority are middle class and are not believed to be characterized by heavy episodic drinking.
BMC Pediatrics (Canada) - The epidemiology of alcohol utilization during pregnancy: an analysis of the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES)
A number of important factors associated with maternal alcohol utilization during pregnancy have been identified, indicating areas where increased focus may serve to reduce maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality.
Canadian Journal of Sociology – The Shift From Victim To Deviant Identity For Those Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
This work is theoretically grounded in Rose’s work on psy-identities and Hacking’s concept of a looping effect, which suggests that the way an individual and their associates make sense of an identity manipulates the identity itself.
Nuclear Clusterin Is Associated with Neuronal Apoptosis in the Developing Rat Brain upon Ethanol Exposure
This study shows that nClu plays a pro-apoptotic role in ethanol-induced cell death in the developing brain, providing new insights for development of FASD.
Alcohol Exposure In Utero Leads to Enhanced Prepubertal Mammary Development and Alterations in Mammary IGF and Estradiol Systems
Exposure to alcohol during fetal development increases susceptibility to mammary cancer in adult rats. This study determined if early changes in mammary morphology and the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)/estradiol axis are involved in the mechanisms that underlie this increased susceptibility.
Pregnancy, Alcohol Intake, and Intimate Partner Violence among Men and Women Attending Drinking Establishments in a Cape Town, South Africa Township
The highest rates of fetal alcohol syndrome worldwide can be found in South Africa. Particularly in impoverished townships in the Western Cape, pregnant women live in environments where alcohol intake during pregnancy has become normalized and interpersonal violence (IPV) is reported at high rates. For the current study we sought to examine how pregnancy, for both men and women, is related to alcohol use behaviors and IPV.
Women's Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies in Russia
Alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEP) are the direct cause of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This study examines drinking patterns among pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age in Russia, a country with one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world.
Dose–response relationship between alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy and the risks of low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA)—a systematic review and meta-analyses
Dose–response relationship indicates that heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risks of all three outcomes whereas light to moderate alcohol consumption shows no effect. Preventive measures during antenatal consultations should be initiated.
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Gazeta.pl (Poland) - "Ma FAS, ludzie nie rozumieją". 200 tysięcy osób wspiera chłopca na Facebooku
Ponad 200 tys. osób zapisało się do Facebookowej grupy wspierającej rodziców ośmioletniego Kamila chorego na FAS - płodowy zespół alkoholowy. Jej popularność jest szansą na zmianę sytuacji chorych dzieci i ich rodzin.
