News from around the region (Sourced from Google News)
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So, children who are breastfed grow up to be better behaved than those who are bottle-fed. Would you believe it?
How could all that bonding time during breastfeeds over the first four to six months not have any effect? It would be odd indeed if all those golden moments between mother and baby were for nothing.
In case you needed proof of the social and behavioural benefits of breastfeeding, a large research project carried out at the universities of Oxford, Essex, York and UCL (University College London) has clarified its long-term impact on a child’s behaviour.
The reason why we must take notice of this study is that it’s from the excellent, ongoing Millennium Cohort Study, which is a survey of babies born in the UK during a 12-month period between 2000 and 2001.
The researchers interviewed more than 10,000 mother and baby pairs from the time the baby was nine months old and at two yearly intervals after that.
Mums participating were asked to comment on emotional signs such as clinginess, hyperactivity, anxiety, restlessness and lying.
Researchers were quick to point out that all children misbehave and can be aggressive on the odd occasion. What they were concerned about was this kind of behaviour occurring repeatedly over time.
This is because it can have an unfortunate impact on a child’s development and interfere with the daily lives of the child and family.
So yes, this is yet another reason to breastfeed your baby.
Researchers also suggested possible reasons for the better behaviour of breastfed children.
The first is that breast milk contains lots of omega-3 essential fats, which are known to have an important role in the development and function of the brain, so much so that formula manufacturers have supplemented their products with essential fatty acids.
But the probable answer is that breastfeeding leads to more interaction with a mother and child.
As a result the infant is better at learning acceptable behaviour, which can result in fewer behavioural problems in the long run.
Of course, we ought to bear in mind also that some mums aren’t able to breastfeed for medical reasons.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t bond at all. Latest statistics have revealed that nearly four out of ten parents manage fewer than seven hours interaction a week, which is the equivalent to just fifteen days a year.
This would result in the children in 40% of families having far too little parental time and parental bonding.
In this respect, breastfeeding is a good way of giving your baby a flying start.
(Source: Mirror, June 7th, 2011)
Parents of special-needs children face a unique set of challenges, decisions, questions, and emotions. Here are some tips to help you cope.
Parents of special-needs children face different challenges than parents of “normal” kids. Daily routines may not be simple and predictable. Special tools and tactics are often needed to perform even basic tasks, like feeding a meal or engaging a child in play. Long-term planning and dreams may take a back seat to day-to-day survival.
In the beginning: coping with the diagnosis
Parents are rarely prepared to learn that their child has a birth defect, developmental disorder, or health condition. Facing such a diagnosis can spark feelings of grief, loss, guilt, fear, sadness, and denial. Parents may withdraw from friends and family and feel isolated and alone.
It’s important to work through these emotions early on. Talk to your partner and other family members about the diagnosis and what it means for the future. It may help to see a counselor on your own or with the rest of your family. Keeping a journal about your thoughts and feelings may be healing as well.
You will have to adjust your expectations and hopes to fit what may feel like a scary new path. Accepting this and shifting your mind-set to a more positive one will make it easier to help your child with his or her own challenges.
Connect with professionals
Often, early intervention and treatment can have a positive impact on special-needs children. Once you have a diagnosis, it’s important to move forward quickly and seek out programs that may help your child. Organizations for your child’s specific condition can be a valuable resource for information, news, and family support.
It may feel intimidating to meet with doctors and other specialists. But don’t be afraid to speak up to make sure you fully understand why certain treatments and therapies are advised. Doing your own research will help you become a better advocate for your child.
Prepare for the reactions of others
Friends, family, and even people you don’t know very well may have different reactions to your child and his or her condition. Some may ask questions. These may be well-meaning, but can come off as insensitive. Others may just avoid the issue. Being prepared for this kind of contact is important so you’re not caught off-guard and too emotional to respond properly.
Briefly explain your child’s diagnosis if you wish. That should be answer enough for most people. You could also use these conversations as a way to raise awareness about your child’s condition. To help bridge the gap, give a few examples of how your child is like other kids.
Celebrate milestones
Many children with disabilities don’t meet their milestones at the same rate as other kids do. This can be frustrating for parents who can’t help but compare their special-needs child to normally developing peers.
Try to focus on the things your child is able to do. Celebrate even simple triumphs with much fanfare. Acknowledge the positive impact your child can have on the world around him or her. The future can still hold hope and promise for your child, even if that future isn’t the one you had originally imagined.
Remember – You are not alone! There are several support groups and associations that you can join and where you can get support, share experience and tips with other parents.
Some Non-Profit Organization’s in Malaysia are:
Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children’s Association (http://www.handicapjb.org.my/)
Down Syndrome Fondation (http://www.kiwanis.org.my/)
Malaysia Care (http://www.malaysiancare.org/index.cfm?menuid=12)
Children’s cancer campaigners want a section of the personal child health record – or ‘little red book’ – rewritten to alert new parents to the dangers of an unusual form of eye cancer.
Retinoblastoma, which affects the retina of children aged under five, can result in the eye being removed if there is any delay in treating it.
Spotting the presence of a tumour is key – and sometimes all it takes is a photograph.
The most common sign of retinoblastoma is a white glow in the pupil of the eye, which can look like a ‘cat’s eye’ in a photograph, especially when there is a ‘red eye’ look in the other eye.
The ‘glow’ is caused by the light reflecting off the tumour at the back of the baby’s eye.
Saving sight
Ali Fryer, mother of Darcey, has the vigilance of a friend to thank for her daughter’s diagnosis in February when she was six months old.
“An ex piano pupil of mine saw a tiny glow in Darcey’s right eye and suggested I take her to the doctor. I took her there the next morning and our GP sent us straight to eye casualty. It was confirmed that afternoon.”
Later, in an effort to thank Ruthie for what she did, Ali asked her to be Darcey’s godmother.
Ali had never heard of the condition before and she and her husband had no idea what the future would hold for their daughter. It was a confusing and distressing time.
Chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital followed and Darcey has regular examinations under anaesthetic at the Royal London Hospital to check on her progress.
“Had the tumour been half a degree bigger at diagnosis, her eye would have been removed immediately. ”At the moment there’s a chance that six months of chemo might save it.”
One in 20,000
Darcey has around a 50% chance of keeping her right eye. The danger is that a tumour could develop in her other eye too – but this is very rare.
Meanwhile, the chemotherapy treatment is shrinking the tumour and Darcey is coping well with the few side-effects.
An illustration of how retinoblastoma could look in a young baby’s eye
“We are prescribed anti-sickness drugs, a lactulose solution to combat constipation, a lovely thick cream for drying skin and as for hair loss – well, she only had a few strands really,” Ali says.
The family have community nurses visiting twice a week, monitoring her chemotherapy and carrying out blood tests.
“They are brilliant,” says Ali. “They could not make it easier for us.”
Retinoblastoma affects one in every 20,000 babies born each year and represents 3% of childhood cancers in the UK.
The good news is that 98% of children treated will survive, but because most cases are not picked up early enough about 80% of children affected will have an eye removed.
Ashwin Reddy, children’s eye surgeon and retinoblastoma expert at The Royal London Hospital, says the tumour can kill.
“Spotting the white reflex or white glow in the eye can make a vital difference because the tumour won’t be so advanced and we might not have to remove the eye.
“We don’t want to panic parents but they can prevent the risk of death by getting their child seen earlier.”
No guarantee
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust are leading the push to make parents more aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease – and they are targeting the ‘little red book’ and Birth to Five book, both issued to new parents.
Julie Firth, from the cancer trust, says: “The information on childhood eye cancer provided by the NHS for parents is pretty sketchy and non-existent in some places.
“We feel the NHS has a duty to inform parents about the disease to avoid a delay in diagnosis.”
While chemotherapy is the standard treatment for retinoblastoma, laser therapy and radiotherapy can also be tried.
A relatively new type of chemotherapy in which the drugs are delivered directly to the eye through an artery in the leg avoids the normal complications of chemotherapy given via a central intravenous line.
But there is still no guarantee that it will be successful.
Children who are unfortunate to have their eye surgically removed can have an artificial eye fitted about six weeks after the operation.
Ali is adamant that anyone can spot the signs of retinoblastoma: “If you see something unusual about a baby or a young child’s eye, please take it to the doctor.
“It could well be nothing, and you gain peace of mind. Or it could be something which needs treatment – and if it’s retinoblastoma, you may save your child’s eyes, if not their life.”
(Source: BBC News, May 7th 2011)
Toddlers have disrupted sleep patterns if their parents are in an unhappy relationship, according to researchers.
Sleeping problems are thought to affect brain development and lead to other problems later in life.
The study, published in the journal Child Development, looked at 357 adopted children and their families in the US.
A UK expert said parents needed to be more aware of the stress in their lives and how it affected their children.
The parents were interviewed when the child was nine months old and again at age 18 months.
They each completed a questionnaire to tease out the state of their relationship – were they stressed at work, less engaged at home, thinking about divorce?
They were also asked if their child had difficulty falling or staying asleep.
The researchers found that the strength of the parents’ relationship at nine months affected sleep patterns at 18 months, but not the other way round.
Professor Gordon Harold, from the University of Leicester, and part of the international research group, said: “Regulated sleep is essential during infancy for healthy brain and physical development.
“Disrupted sleep can affect brain development and result in early temperament problems which then leads to a cascade of problems: social, behavioural, academic.”
The study looked at children who were adopted at birth. This eliminated any genetic effect which might affect both the child and the parent such as a predisposition towards being more anxious.
Professor Harold said that while genes did still play a part in a child’s development, this study showed that “the message is that a couple’s exchanges do have an effect on the child”.
Dr Jamie Houston, a consultant paediatrician at Lorn and Islands Hospital in Scotland, said: “Parents need to be aware of the stressors that affect them and minimise the effect on their children.
“There is an increasing body of research around the effect of early life and that the early brain becomes hard wired, forming the basis for the rest of life.
“Sleeping difficulties have been linked with difficulties with behaviour including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or ADHD).”
Emotional cues
Dr Jon Goldin, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital said: “This study supports clinical experience that even young infants are aware of, and sensitive to, the emotional climate at home.
“For lots of children, as with adults, night time is a period when anxieties can particularly surface.
“This study suggests that children who have increased anxiety levels, for example due to exposure to parental marital conflict, are more susceptible to sleep problems and that this difficulty can endure over time.
“Relationship problems and conflict between their parents can have a significant impact on a child’s well-being, sense of security and self-esteem.”
(Source: BBC News, May 11th, 2011)
(Reuters Health) – Women who are very obese may be able to safely lose some weight during pregnancy — and possibly reduce their risk of needing a cesarean section, a new study suggests.
The findings, reported in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, add to evidence that at least some obese women may be able to shed pounds during pregnancy without harming themselves or their baby.
But researchers still caution that women should not start a weight-loss diet during pregnancy, and should instead talk with their doctor about any healthy diet and lifestyle changes.
The general recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an advisory panel to the U.S. government, say that obese women should gain 11 to 20 pounds during pregnancy.
That’s less than the 25 to 35 pounds recommended for normal-weight women. But some researchers have criticized the IOM guidelines for not considering different levels of obesity.
A few studies have suggested that women who are severely obese can gain fewer pregnancy pounds, or even lose weight, without harming their baby or their own health.
In the new study, Dr. Marie Blomberg, of the University of Linkoping in Sweden, examined medical records for more than 46,000 obese pregnant women who gave birth between 1993 and 2008.
She separated the women into three categories of obesity: class 1 obesity, which means a body mass index (BMI) of between 30 and 35; class 2 (a BMI between 35 and 40); and class 3 (BMI of 40 or higher).
Blomberg found that of women in the latter two groups, those who gained less than the IOM recommends — or even lost weight — were less likely to deliver a large newborn or need a C-section than their counterparts who did gain the recommended amount.
Among women with class 2 obesity, for example, 17 percent of those who lost weight had a C-section, versus 24 percent of those who gained the IOM-recommended amount.
And babies born to very obese women who lost weight seemed to fare as well as infants whose mothers gained the recommended amount.
They were no more likely to go into fetal distress or have a low Apgar score — a measure of breathing, heart rate and other health indicators right after birth.
The findings suggest that it is “at least not harmful” for very obese pregnant women to gain less than the IOM recommends, or possibly lose pounds, Blomberg told Reuters Health by email.
However, exactly how much weight loss might be safe is unclear. Blomberg did not have information on the range of weight loss among women in this study. And she said she is not aware of other studies that have suggested a safe range.
There may also be a tradeoff when obese women lose weight during pregnancy: an increase in the risk of having a baby who is small for gestational age — smaller than the norm for a baby’s sex and the week of pregnancy during which she was born.
Blomberg found that of the most obese women (a BMI of 40 or more), those who lost weight were twice as likely to have a baby who was small for gestational age.
However, that bumped up their rate to what is seen among pregnant women generally. Overall, 3.7 percent had a small-for-gestational-age newborn — compared with a rate of 3.6 percent among all births in Sweden.
The bottom line, according to Blomberg, is that some weight loss may be “reasonably safe” for women who are severely obese.
However, she cautioned women against starting any kind of weight-loss diet during pregnancy. Instead, she said, they should aim to eat a balanced, healthy diet and get regular moderate exercise, like a half-hour of walking each day.
That is the general advice. But it’s of “great importance,” Blomberg said, for obese pregnant women to talk with their own doctor about any diet and lifestyle changes they might need to make.
(SOURCE: bit.ly/ioOlJ4 Obstetrics & Gynecology, May 2011)
1. Begin a prenatal care regimen with a trained maternity care provider as soon as you discover you are pregnant: There’s a lot to be done at the beginning of a pregnancy. If you haven’t already begun taking prenatal vitamins with plenty of folic acid, your maternity care provider will likely give you a recommendation on this. Also, a review of nutritional guidelines for pregnancy (what to eat and what to avoid) will likely be covered to help you make sure you and your baby remain as healthy as possible. Depending on your care provider, certain types of basic testing will be conducted, along with a complete physical exam and discussion of topics like smoking cessation (if applicable) and work-related issues. A schedule of sequential health check-ups will be set up or explained to you at that time.
2. Learn, commit, and stick to healthy eating & lifestyle habits throughout pregnancy (diet, vitamins, cessation of smoking, exercise…): Pregnancy constitutes a time of change in so many ways—many of which can feel overwhelming. But when thinking about dietary and lifestyle issues, making the change to “the essential basics,” is a good rule of thumb: commit to taking a prenatal vitamin every day, consume enough water to keep yourself and your baby well hydrated consume a variety of fruits and veggies, complex carbohydrates, low fat proteins and low sodium foods each day, stop tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use (if applicable) and limit caffeine intake to two servings per day. The American College of Gynecologists recommends pregnant women (without any medical contraindication) should exercise most, if not all, days of the week for at least 30 minutes of moderate-level activity. Listen to your body when the need for rest arises: ignoring the need for extra rest taxes the pregnant woman’s entire system.
3. Take a childbirth education class in/around your 7th month of pregnancy: Before signing up for a childbirth education class, spend some time thinking about what type of class would suit you best, based on the type of childbirth experience you hope to have. There are many types of childbirth education programs out there, such as Lamaze, Bradley, Birthing from Within, and Hypnobirthing. Classes may be taught by private educators (not associated with any hospital, doctor’s office or clinic) or by hospital educators or L&D nurses. It is best to sign up for a class with an end date approximately one month prior to your due date—ensuring the information gained will remain fresh in your recollection while avoiding the risk of not being able to complete the class, should your baby arrive early.
4. Participate in a prenatal yoga or other meditation-type class designed for pregnant women: The outdated idea that a woman should spend the duration of her pregnancy sitting around pampering herself for nine (ten) months is just that—outdated. At the same time, stress reduction is also an incredibly important element of remaining healthy during pregnancy. And so, along with meeting the American College of Gynecologist’s recommendation of exercising most, if not all days of the week for at least 30 minutes, many pregnant women find value in taking a prenatal yoga/mediation class. Benefits of prenatal yoga include maintaining all over body strength, conditioning, joint and tissue flexibility, reduction of common aches and pains associated with pregnancy, and practice utilizing the breath for maintaining a sense of focus and calm. Because yoga is an activity that incorporates both physical work and mental relaxation, it pairs perfectly with the pregnant process.
5. Hire a doula well before your due date (month): Studies have shown that having a professional labor support person present during a woman’s labor and birth not only improves that woman’s experience and retrospective perception of her baby’s birth, but it also reduces her likelihood of requesting pain medication during the birth process and her risk for ending up delivering her baby by c-section. Doulas are trained birth professionals (not medical personnel) whose primary job is to emotionally support a woman and her partner through labor and birth. A pregnant woman and her partner will tend to meet with their doula several times prior to the start of labor during which time labor and delivery preferences may be discussed as well as particular activities the expectant woman/couple hope to have the doula fulfill during baby’s birth.
(Source: HealthNews, May 11th, 2011)
WASHINGTON: US researchers have recreated the process by which ovarian cancer forms in the lab, providing solid evidence that the tumours start in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries, a study said on Monday.
The finding could provide clues on how to attack ovarian cancer, which often causes no early symptoms and by the time it is found has spread so much that the tumours are impossible to stop.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer among women, affecting 200,000 women worldwide annually and killing 115,000 women on average each year.
Several studies have theorised that the cancer may originate elsewhere, but the latest research by scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston shows how the cancer takes root first in fallopian tissue.
The fallopian tubes are the pathways by which a woman’s egg travels from the ovary to the uterus as part of her reproductive cycle.
Ronny Drapkin, senior author of the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said previous examinations of fallopian tissue taken from women genetically predisposed to ovarian cancer have shown “patches of cells that were predecessors of serious cancers.”
So they decided to try and replicate the process of cancer formation in the lab.
Researchers took fallopian cells and altered their genetic programming so they would divide much like cancer cells.
“Like true tumour cells, these ‘artificial’ cancer cells proliferated rapidly and were able to leave their home tissue and grow elsewhere,” said the study.
“When implanted in laboratory animals, they also gave rise to tumours that were structurally, behaviorally, and genomically similar to human HGSOC (high-grade serious ovarian cancer).”
Drapkin said the findings demonstrate that fallopian cells are the source of ovarian cancer, and offer clues for future treatment.
“Such studies will help us identify different types of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, as well as possibly discover biomarkers – proteins in the blood – that signal the presence of the disease,” said Drapkin, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
“Ultimately, the model will enable us to test potential therapies to determine which work best in each type of the disease.”
(Source: Channel New Asia, April 19th, 2011)
PARIS: Retrieving about 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle gives the best chance of having a baby through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), researchers reported on Wednesday.
Investigators led by Arri Coomarasamy of the University of Birmingham in central England looked at data from more than 400,000 IVF cycles in Britain between 1991 and 2008.
Harvesting around 15 eggs in one go gave the best statistical chance of a live birth, they found.
This finding is in line with middle-range doses of powerful hormones to stimulate egg production, they found.
The chances of a baby level off between 15 and 20 eggs and then steadily decline beyond 20 eggs.
The success rate for 15 eggs in 2006-2007 was 40 percent among women aged 18-34, 36 percent for those aged 35-37, 27 percent for those aged 38-39 and 16 percent for women aged 40 or more.
The findings should be a useful tool for fertility doctors who want to make IVF as efficient as possible, avoid wasting precious eggs and limit the risk of dangerously overstimulating the ovaries, say the authors.
Previous research has looked at the link between egg numbers and pregnancy rates, but this is the first to explore the outcome in terms of live births.
The study appears in a European journal, Human Reproduction.
“Live birth” was defined as an event in which at least one baby was born alive.
IVF treatments entail taking eggs and fertilising them in a lab dish with sperm. Several early-stage embryos are then implanted in the uterus in the hope that one will result in a live birth, although multiple births sometimes result.
Embryos that are not immediately implanted are usually frozen, so that they can be thawed for future IVF attempts.
The data used in the study did not distinguish between live births that resulted from fresh or thawed embryos.
(Source: Channel New Asia, May 11th, 2011)
WELLINGTON: An expectant mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter her baby’s DNA in the womb, increasing its risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in later life, an international study has found.
Researchers said the study provided the first scientific evidence linking pregnant women’s diet to childhood obesity, with major implications for public health.
“This a a major breakthrough because for the first time it gives us the potential to work out the optimal diet a mother should eat,” Professor Peter Gluckman from Auckland University’s Liggins Institute told AFP.
“That’s likely to vary slightly from mother to mother, but it could be a major tool in addressing the obesity epidemic.”
The study, conducted by scientists in Britain, New Zealand and Singapore, showed that what a mother ate during pregnancy could change the function of her child’s DNA through a process called epigenetic change.
Children with a high degree of epigenetic change were more likely to develop a metabolism that “lays down more fat” and become obese, researchers found.
Such children were around three kilograms (6.6 pounds) heavier than their peers by the time they were aged six to nine, Gluckman said.
“That’s a hell of a lot of extra weight at that age,” he said, adding that the extra fat was likely to be carried into adulthood, raising the chances of developing diabetes and heart disease.
The researchers used umbilical cord tissue to measure the rate of epigenetic change in 300 babies, then examined whether it was linked to the children’s weight when they were aged six to nine.
“The correlation was very strong, we didn’t believe it at first, so we replicated it again and again,” Gluckman said.
The study found the effect was not linked to either the mother or the baby’s weight at birth, meaning a slim woman could deliver a small baby which still went on to became obese because of changes triggered by diet in the womb.
Gluckman said the rate of epigenetic change was possibly linked to a low carbohydrate diet in the first three months of pregnancy but it was too early to draw a definitive conclusion and further studies were needed.
He said one theory was that an embryo fed a diet containing few carbohydrates – which provide the body with energy – assumed it would be born into a carbohydrate-poor environment and altered its metabolism accordingly.
This meant it stored more fat, which could be used as fuel when food was scarce.
Gluckman said the study, which will be published in the journal Diabetes next week, confirmed long-held suspicions that poor prenatal nutrition could have a major impact on adult heath.
This meant health officials battling soaring obesity rates should look at policies designed to improve the health of expectant mothers, rather than simply focusing on trying to help overweight adults, he said.
“It provides the most compelling argument yet to give greater weight to improving maternal and infant health as a means of reducing the burden of chronic disease.”
(Source: Channel New Asia, April 19th, 2011)
