Fetal Alcohol Syndrome News and Research

Latest Fetal Alcohol Syndrome News and Research

Study urges women not to drink during full nine months of pregnancy

All things in moderation, the saying goes, but if you are a pregnant woman no amount of alcohol is known to be safe for the developing baby.

8 Sep 2014

UCLA creates new program that helps adoptive parents, children navigate through international adoption process

With thousands of internationally adopted children arriving in the United States each year, there is a growing demand for a specialized health-care support system that helps adoptive parents and children navigate through the international adoption process.

19 Mar 2014

Binge drinking during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome

Recent data shows that more than 500,000 women in the U.S. report drinking during pregnancy, with about 20 percent of this population admitting to binge drinking.

31 Dec 2013

Binge drinking during pregnancy linked to negative emotions

Researchers in Norway found that negative affectivity is linked to light alcohol use and binge drinking during pregnancy. Results published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, show 16% of women had light alcohol use in the first trimester and 10% in the second trimester.

15 Oct 2013

Beverage coaster campaign reminds pregnant women on dangerous effects of alcohol

Before taking a sip of alcohol at nearly a dozen local bars and restaurants, San Diegans will be reminded of the dangers of mixing alcohol and pregnancy thanks to a beverage coaster campaign led by the new Southern California chapter of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (SoCal NOFAS), in partnership with University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

10 Sep 2013

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb.

17 Mar 2013

Research finding aids efforts toward cytomegalovirus vaccine

A virus most people probably have never heard of, but that the majority of us carry, is the No. 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects in the U.S. today. Because of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during in utero development, 1 in 750 children are born with or develop permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage.

14 Mar 2013

Signaling pathway might determine genetic susceptibility for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading preventable cause of developmental disorders in developed countries. And fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a range of alcohol-related birth defects that includes fetal alcohol syndrome, is thought to affect as many as 1 in 100 children born in the United States.

21 Feb 2013

Alcohol exposure during fetal development alters brain structure and metabolism in children

Children exposed to alcohol during fetal development exhibit changes in brain structure and metabolism that are visible using various imaging techniques, according to a new study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

26 Nov 2012

Two Chicago students develop novel treatment method for fetal alcohol syndrome

Two Chicago high school students have developed a novel treatment method to reduce the negative effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and a new understanding of genetics behind the disease.

19 Oct 2012

Maternal choline intake could essentially change fetal genetic expression into adulthood

Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, new research suggests another very similar nutrient may one day deserve a spot on the obstetrician's list of recommendations.

24 Sep 2012

Brigham Young University scientists discover cellular cause of birth defects

The cellular cause of birth defects like cleft palates, missing teeth and problems with fingers and toes has been a tricky puzzle for scientists. Now Professor Emily Bates and her biochemistry students at Brigham Young University have placed an important piece of the developmental puzzle. They studied an ion channel that regulates the electrical charge of a cell. In a new study published by the journal Development, they show that blocking this channel disrupts the work of a protein that is supposed to carry marching orders to the nucleus.

13 Sep 2012

Alcohol can cause more than one pattern of birth defects

A collaborative research effort by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Duke University, and University College of London in the UK, sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects.

23 Aug 2012

Prenatal alcohol exposure effects last well into childhood

Women who heavily expose their unborn child to alcohol risk restricting their child’s growth until the age of 9 years, researchers say.

17 Aug 2012

Study tracks effects of heavy PAE on growth and body composition throughout childhood

Although studies of alcohol's effects on fetal growth have consistently demonstrated deficits that persist through infancy, the data on long-term postnatal growth from human studies have been inconsistent. A new study of the effects of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on growth and body composition throughout childhood has found growth restrictions that persist through to nine years of age, as well as a delay in weight gain during infancy, both of which were exacerbated by iron deficiency.

16 Aug 2012

Alcohol during pregnancy can be harmful for the developing baby

Experts at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine disagree with a series of new studies from Denmark that suggest consumption of up to 8 alcoholic drinks a week or occasional binge drinking during pregnancy is generally safe for the developing baby.

23 Jun 2012

Sanford Health CAO receives NOFAS Excellence Award for commitment to FAS

H. Eugene Hoyme, MD, chief academic officer for Sanford Health and president of Sanford , has received the 2012 Excellence Award from the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), joining the ranks of almost 40 past recipients that include Senator John McCain and the late Ted Kennedy.

22 Jun 2012

Children's academic achievement test scores not affected by intrauterine drug exposure

Researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health along with Boston Medical Center have found children's academic achievement test scores not affected by intrauterine exposure to cocaine, tobacco or marijuana.

6 Mar 2012

Timing of alcohol consumption during pregnancy linked with FAS characteristics

Researchers at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, a state-wide non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego, have found new links between the timing of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and certain characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

18 Jan 2012

Chronology of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome revealed

It is known from studies that exposure to alcohol during gestation can cause a range of birth defects. But now scientists have drawn up a chronology of when the damage occurs.

17 Jan 2012