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Effects of alcohol on developing fetus
Alcohol fetal syndrome affects development
Alcohol fetal syndrome affects development
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Recommended: Effects of alcohol on developing fetus
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Many studies have established that a developing organism is susceptible to exogenous and endogenous factors during certain stage of the organism’s development. The effects of ethyl alcohol or ethanol on the developing fetus, which manifest a variety of characteristic abnormalities, are collectively called Fetal alcohol Syndrome. Ethanol exposure to the fetus causes various malformation ranging from the cellular to the organismic levels with the eventual results frequently being different levels of mental retardation (3).
Chick embryo studies provide a relatively good model for defining the effects of ethanol at many organizational levels of neurogenesis, cell death, neuronal migration and differentiation, cell to cell connectivity, and synaptic function When ethanol is administered to embryos on days one to three of development, the cholinergic neuronal phenotypes were markedly decreased possibly in the sparing of catecholaminergic phenotypes which were increased. This differential sensitivity of these two early neuroblast populations to ethanol may also reflect the difference in their ontogenesis: cholinergic elements are reported to be expressed as early as the primitive streak, whereas catecholaminergic elements appear later (3).
Embryos on embryonic day one are most susceptible to the effects of ethanol. Embryonic day one in the chick is marked by an active process of neurogenesis and neuro-organization. The neural tube elements are made during this early embryonic period. Brodie and Vernadakis inspected the effect of ethanol on cholinergic spinal cord neurons during this embryonic period. The neuroblast during this period shows plasticity with respect to neurotransmitter phenotypes, when ex...
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...s in these target organs at critical developmental periods would result in defects of these organs (5).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Abel, E. and Sokol, R. A Revised Conservative Estimate of the Incidence of FAS and Its Economic Impact. Alcoholism, 0145-6008:514-524 (1991).
Bonthius, D. and West, J. Permanent Neuronal Deficits in Rats Exposed to Alcohol During the Brain Growth Spurt. Teratology, 44:147-163 (1991).
Brodie, C. and Vernadakis, R. Critical Periods to Ethanol Exposure During Early Neuroembryogenesis in the Chick Embryo: Cholinergic Neurons. Developmental Brain Research, 56:223-228 (1990).
Burd, L. and Martsolf, J. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis and Syndromal Variability. Physiology and Behavior, 46:39-43 (1989).
Keir, W. Inhibition of Retinoic Acid Synthesis and its Implications in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Alcoholism. 15/3:560-564 (1991).
...sends Rat off into the helicopter with comic books in order to give him something to do. While these two scenes do show a newfound humanity in Azar, the scene where Azar and Tim decide to get back at Jorgenson do take him two steps back in the other direction. However, it is still obvious that experiences during Azar’s time in the Vietnam War had a great impact on him.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy
When alcohol is consumed, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase metabolizes the alcohol to acetaldehyde at a rate of one standard drink per hour (Schuckit, 2009). After repeat exposures, tolerance may develop as a result of adaptational changes in the cells of the central nervous system (Merck, 1999). The increased tolerance may cause the patient to consume alcohol in greater quantities than before to achieve the same intoxicating effects. Alcoholics suffer dramatic long-term health damage. The most common forms of specific organ damage in alcoholics are cirrhosis, peripheral neuropathy, brain damage, a...
lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an
a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS.
Alcohol and marijuana use are common in adolescents. Studies have shown that 1 to 2 years of chronic marijuana use and 20 drinks per month show abnormal brain structure (Squeglia, Jacobs, & Tapert). Drugs or alcohol will make can c...
...ll. “Thus, AUDs [Alcohol Use Disorders] account for 18.4 million years of life lost to disability (YLDs), or 3.5 percent of all YLDs, in low- and middle-income countries and for 3.9 million YLDs, or 5.7 percent of all YLDs, in high- income countries” (Rehm 136).
Most alcoholics proceed to a stage where their brains or their bodies have been so harmed by alcohol that the effects persist even when they are not drinking. This stage may be reached...
The consumption of alcohol during any gestation of pregnancy equates into alcohol fetal consumption, which can cause detrimental physical and neurological defects. Infants born with the varying degrees of detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol ingestion can have an array of disorders which are described as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders [FASD] (May & Gossage, 2011a). The most profound effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are on the fetus’s brain development, which includes cognitive and behavioral effects that follow (Riley, Infante, & Warren, 2011). The incidence of FASD is believed to range from 0.2 to 2 per 1000 live births (Douzgou et al., 2012). Alcohol yields teratogentic effects in all the gestations, with peculiar features in relationship to the trimester of pregnancy in which the alcohol is consumed (Paoletti et al., 2013). Due to the fact that there is no exact dose-response relationship between the amount of alcohol ingested during the prenatal period and the extent of damage caused by alcohol in the fetus, abstinence from alcohol at conception and during pregnancy is strongly recommended (Paoletti et al., 2013).
When it comes to pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have a lot of questions and concerns. One such concern is alcohol consumption. Some people feel that it is okay while others are against the consumption. However those who drink take a huge risk that can result in what is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This umbrella term is used to describe the range of damage from alcohol exposure to a fetus. The characteristics, diagnosis, and the mother are all important factors to look at when trying to understand these birth defects.
A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.
Merrick J, Merrick E, Morad M, Kandel I. (2006). Fetal alcohol syndrome and its long-term effects. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Faculty of Health Sciences Jun;58(3):211-8.
Seaver, Laurie Heron. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders. Ed. Brigham Narins. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 461-464. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.
Latham, P.K., & Napier, T.L. (1992). Psychosocial consequences of alcohol misuse in the family of origin. The International Journal of the Addictions, 27, 1137-1158.