Peds/OB/GYN

Prenatal vitamin A deficiency tied to postnatal asthma
A team of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) investigators led by Wellington V. Cardoso, MD, PhD, has found the first direct evidence of a link between prenatal vitamin A deficiency and postnatal airway hyperresponsiveness, a hallmark of asthma. The study, conducted in mice, shows that short-term deficit of this essential vitamin while the lung is forming can cause profound changes in the smooth muscle that surrounds the airways, causing the adult lungs to respond to environmental or pharmacological stimuli with excessive narrowing of airways. The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. MedicalXpress

Featured in NEJM Journal Watch: Watch for Clots During the "Fourth Trimester"
Risk for thrombosis remains elevated for 12 weeks postpartum, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz says that based on this study, she will "now consider offering thrombotic prophylaxis to high-risk women throughout the first 12 weeks after delivery," and she will encourage "postpartum patients to wait 12 weeks before using estrogen-containing contraception." Journal Watch

New research reinforces danger of drinking alcohol while pregnant
Women who drink alcohol at moderate or heavy levels in the early stages of their pregnancy might damage the growth and function of their placenta – the organ responsible for supplying everything that a developing infant needs until birth - research at The University of Manchester shows. Placentas studied in a laboratory environment showed that drinking alcohol at moderate (2/3 standard drinks) to high (4-6 standard drinks) rates reduced the cell growth in a woman's placenta.  Eurekalert!

Passive smoking impairs children's responses to asthma treatment
Researchers at Imperial College London found that children with severe asthma with a parent who smokes at home have lower levels of the enzyme HDAC2 compared with those whose parents don’t smoke. HDAC2 is required for steroids to exert their beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in asthma. The findings are reported in the journal Chest.  Imperial College London

In-hospital formula use deters breastfeeding
When mothers feed their newborns formula in the hospital, they are less likely to fully breastfeed their babies in the second month of life and more likely to quit breastfeeding early, even if they had hoped to breastfeed longer, UC Davis researchers have found. "In-Hospital Formula Use Shortens Breastfeeding Duration" was published online in The Journal of Pediatrics today. The study only included women who intended to exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least a week, meaning they did not plan to use formula in the hospital. Eurekalert!

Many US women prescribed narcotic pain meds during pregnancy
More than 14 percent of American women take powerful narcotic pain medications during pregnancy, according to a large new study.

The study was published online Feb. 12 in the journal Anesthesiology. It looked at the use of medications, including narcotics such as Vicodin and Oxycontin—also known as opioids—in more than 530,000 pregnant women who gave birth between 2005 and 2011 in the United States. MedicalXpress