International Charter on
Prevention of FASD
The First International Conference on Prevention of FASD was held in
Edmonton, Canada from September 23 to 25, 2013. The following Charter
was endorsed and adopted by the delegates at the meeting, who
included about 700 people from 35 countries around the world; senior
government officials, scholars and policy makers, parents and
families, and indigenous people. It is presented to all concerned in
the international community, as a call for urgent actions to prevent
FASD.
GlobalPost (Canada) - Panel says
Criminal Code should allow conditional sentences for people with FASD
A panel on legal
issues facing people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is
recommending conditional sentences would be better for those
convicted of offences.
The Chronicle of
Social Change (USA) - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in America – A
Silent Crisis
FASD is the
leading known cause of mental retardation in America today. The
annual cost to the U.S. of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome alone in direct and
indirect cost is approximately $5.4 billion dollars, according to the
Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS).
GlobalPost
(Canada) - Alberta Premier Redford urges renewed effort on root
causes of FASD
Alberta Premier
Alison Redford says it's critical to address the root causes of fetal
alcohol spectrum disorder and not just the symptoms.
The Argus.ca
(Canada) - “Protecting the unprotected”: think before you
drink
Lakehead is the
first university in Canada to have a pregnancy-test dispenser
installed on campus. A single pregnancy test can be purchased for $3
from the dispenser in the women’s washroom in The Outpost. The goal
of the dispenser is to raise awareness about fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder (FASD) and the effects of alcohol on an unborn fetus.
Independent Online
(South Africa) - SA moms-to-be unware of alcohol dangers
Many South African
mothers-to-be remain unaware of the danger of drinking alcohol while
pregnant, a social worker from the Saartjie Baartman Centre said on
Monday.
DigitalJournal.com
(USA) - 18% Pregnant Women Endangering Infants By Drinking During
Pregnancy
According to an
article on 9/11 by Medical News Today titled, Nearly 18 percent of
pregnant women drink alcohol in early stages of pregnancy, during
their first trimester of pregnancy, approximately 18 percent of women
consumed alcohol within the past month according to a new report by
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA).
Express.co.uk (UK)
- Pregnant woman refused wine because barman didn't want it 'on
his conscience'
A MOTHER-TO-BE has
told how she was left "humiliated" by bar staff after being
refused a small glass of wine because she is pregnant.
NEWS.com.au
(Australia) - Alcohol industry lags on mandatory pregnancy warning
labels
ALCOHOL companies
are flouting government guidelines to warn mothers of the dangers of
drinking while pregnant.
Healio - Alcohol
consumption before first pregnancy increased breast neoplasia risk
Women who consumed
alcohol between menarche and first pregnancy carried a 10% increased
risk for breast cancer, according to study results.
East Coast Radio
(South Africa) - Pregnant mums unaware of alcohol risk
The Saartjie
Baartman Centre says many South African mothers-to-be remain unaware
of the danger of drinking alcohol while pregnant. "There is
still a lot of awareness that needs to be done. Mothers don't know
that if they are pregnant they should not be drinking," said
social worker Dorothea Gertse.
TheParliament.com
(EU) - MEP calls for stricter EU measures to protect unborn babies
More needs to be
done to ensure that unborn babies are not exposed to alcohol during
pregnancy, explains Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene.
ABC Online -
Should fetal alcohol disorder be classed a disability?
Every day,
somewhere in Australia, a baby is born who will endure a lifetime of
hardship because of an entirely preventable condition.
Edmonton Journal
(Canada) - Graham Thomson: Alberta deserves praise as leader in
FASD strategy
You might have
heard of the two back-to-back conferences in Edmonton dealing with
the problem of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
NC Research Campus
- Less Birth Defects in the World: FASD Prevention and
Intervention
Philip May, PhD, a
research professor with the UNC Chapel Hill Nutrition Research
Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, makes
that statement with authority because he is one of the world’s
leading experts in the field of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
(FASD). FASD children have a number of disabilities that range from
abnormal facial features, to learning and behavioral deficiencies to
problems with hearing, vision, the heart, kidneys and bones.
MATERIALS AND
VIDEOS
Being dad starts when she gets
pregnant
We’re
challenging 500 Australians to ‘take a Pause’ from alcohol
consumption during the pregnancy of a loved one – wife, partner,
daughter, sister, friend or work colleague.
Alcohol and Pregnancy Pocket Guide
WCT Spotlight - Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder
Turning the
spotlight on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, an important element in
our production of Dreary and Izzy. Joining the discussion are Faye
Burles, School Psycologist for SD 73, and Lia Vivian, Key Worker for
Insight Support Services.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Frontiers -
Experimental models of early exposure to alcohol: a way to unravel
the neurobiology of mental retardation
Excessive alcohol
drinking represents a major social and public health problem for
several countries. Alcohol abuse during pregnancy leads to a complex
clinical disorder referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
(FASD), chiefly characterized by mental retardation (MR).
RESEARCH
Pediatrics -
Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Child Care
Settings: A Meta-analysis
The results
confirm that children and youth housed in or under the guardianship
of the wide range of child-care systems constitute a population that
is high-risk for FASD. It is imperative that screening be implemented
in these at-risk populations.
CLINICAL CORRELATES OF FETAL ALCOHOL
SPECTRUM DISORDER AMONG DIAGNOSED INDIVIDUALS IN A RURAL DIAGNOSTIC
CLINIC
Diagnosis of fetal
alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is relevant for the reduction of
long term adverse sequalae. However, the diagnostic guidelines
require a multidisciplinary approach which may hinder access to
diagnostic and management services. Most diagnostic clinics are
located in urban areas. There is less emphasis on the operations,
capacities, and outcomes from rural diagnostic clinics.
PLOSone - Fate
Analysis of Adult Hippocampal Progenitors in a Murine Model of Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Prenatal alcohol
exposure can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and
associated behavioral impairments that may be linked to disruptions
in adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
Academia.edu -
Neurodevelopmental epigenetic etiologies: insightsrom studies
on mouse models o etal alcoholspectrum disorders
The development of
an organism from a singlecell (ontogeny) is an intricate and
enigmaticprocess. It is initiated by maternal and paternalnuclear
contributions that are complementary but not identical.
BMC Pediatrics -
Recommendations from a consensus development workshop on the
diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia
These consensus
recommendations provide a foundation for the development of
guidelines and other resources to promote consistency in the
diagnosis of FASD in Australia. Guidelines for diagnosis will require
review and evaluation in the Australian context prior to national
implementation as well as periodic review to incorporate new
knowledge.
Nutrition Research
- Choline supplementation in children with fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders has high feasibility and tolerability
There are no
biological treatments for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs),
lifelong conditions associated with physical anomalies, brain damage,
and neurocognitive abnormalities. In preclinical studies, choline
partially ameliorates memory and learning deficits from prenatal
alcohol exposure.
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Neue Nordhäuser
Zeitung (Germany) - DIE "ERSTE" IN SÜLZHAYN
"Sie sind
lieb, sie sind süß, aber auch distanzlos, zerstörerisch,
aggressiv, nicht zu bändigen, locken in uns Mutterinstinkte hervor,
was soll bloß aus ihnen werden... “, mit diesem einleitenden Satz
beginnt Praktikantin Frau Friedrich ihre Bachelorarbeit...
Helsingin Sanomat
(Finland) - Päihdeäitien kuntoutukseen ei herunut rahaa
hallitukselta
Hallitus haluaa
päihdeäidit pakkohoitoon, mutta jätti taas budjetista pois 1,5
miljoonan euron määrärahan vapaaehtoiseen hoitoon. Se on auttanut
satoja perheitä.
Helsingin Sanomat
(Finland) - Asiantuntijat huolissaan äitien alkoholinkäytöstä
– lasillinenkin voi olla liikaa
Vähäinenkin
alkoholinkäyttö raskauden aikana huolestuttaa alan tutkijoita. He
vetoavat nollatoleranssin puolesta. Asiantuntijat ovat huolissaan
raskaana olevien suomalaisten alkoholinkäytöstä.