Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) can cause facial abnormalities, stunted growth, mental retardation and central nervous system damage in children who were exposed to alcohol while developing in their mother’s uterus. When a mother consumes alcohol during her pregnancy the effects on the foetus can be very devastating and severe. In recent years there have been studies done on the genetic and epigenetic involvement in relation to FAS. Epigenetics is the study of the function changes of a gene without affecting the order of the DNA such as DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling. The study of specific processes, which occur during embryonic development, such X inactivation and gene silencing, also fall under the term epigenetics. There is evidence to suggest that epigenetic mechanisms play a substantial role in a child being affected by FAS. During the developmental stages the foetus’ cells will undergo differentiation in order for organs to form. If during this phase alcohol is consumed it can affect biochemical reactions which will cause epigenetic changes to occur. It is important to understand the effects environmental factors, such as alcohol consumption, has on the epigenetics of the foetus, in order to determine the part epigenetics has in FAS. There is also evidence to back up the hypothesis that certain hereditary genes can cause the foetus to be predisposed to FAS. Due to the fact that South Africa has one of the highest rates of FAS in the world, which is still increasing and health care services are under a great deal of strain, it is important for research on the etiology of FAS to be done. Once the exact genetic and epigenetics mechanisms are understood, a way to move forward will become more possible.
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...on in it is relevant and up to date. This article does not come from South Africa which does affect its validity, however, the information and findings in this source are not just applicable to the U.S.A. There are no other studies to support this one, therefore making it invalid, but because it is a scientific breakthrough, the research is supported by NIAAA and the source is fairly reliable, it can be seen as valid.
The source is very useful. The focus of this research is of great relevance to my topic. Comparisons cannot be drawn as the research in this article is the first of its kind, but because it brings in a new aspect into this field of research it can be seen as useful.
The limitations of this source is that it is secondary research and therefore the information may have been selected and interpreted so that it is not as accurate as the primary source.
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.
Women who are pregnant, but drink moderate amounts of alcohol still pose many dangerous threats to their unborn child. A fetal alcohol effect is one of them, with slight deformities, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. Fetal alcohol effected children not only have physical differences from normal children, but also suffer with psychiatric problems and at more apt to get in trouble with the law. Pregnant women who drink not only run the risk of having a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome, but of having a child with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder occurs when children have prenatal exposure to alcohol. These babies have cognitive and behavioral problems that are alcohol-related, without the severe facial or growth deformities babies with fetal alcohol syndrome have. Pregnant women who drink expose their baby to teratogen ethanol- the active ingredient in alcohol. The fetus exposure is longer and more intense compared to the mother who is able to metabolize the teratogen ethanol.
In this day and age anyone can write anything and put it on the internet for everyone to read. You have to be diligent in separating fact from fiction. If you are skeptical you may have to do your own research to see where the information originated. Do not believe everything you read just because it states it was from a study as it may not be reliable or truthful. Both of these studies had interesting information, however since they both were lacking sufficient data it was hard to determine if the studies were completely honest and adequate or not.
With the use of sources related to my topic, one will be able to grasp the overall context
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.
The results of the study by Dale, Bakketeig, and Per Magnus (2016) regarding alcohol consumption among first-time mothers and its effects on preterm birth do not indicate a clear risk reduction for drinking during pregnancy. The surveys issued at gestational week 15 received a 94.9% response rate, with a sample size of 101,769 for the questionnaire and 108,327 from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRM). Collected data was narrowed to a total of 46,252 participants who met the criteria of primiparous women with singleton pregnancies who delivered between week 22 and 43 of gestation. In this study, the incidence of preterm birth was 5.9%, or 2,729 out of 46,252 births, with a median length of gestation of 40 weeks and mean of 39.47 weeks for both drinkers and nondrinkers during pregnancy (SD = 2.03). For prepregnacy drinkers, the mean pregnancy length was 39.48 weeks (SD = 2.02) (Dale et al., 2016).
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.
Is the information consistent with the information found in print sources, other Web sites, newsgroups, or mailing lists? Is the evidence contained within the source sufficient, reliable, and relevant to your topic? I have seen some of the same info from this site on other sites. It does match.
Children can be effected by their caregiver’s alcohol and substance abuse in numerous ways. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a pattern of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome tend to have physical abnormalities such as deformed facial characteristics. They are generally born with a variety of emotional and/or intellectual limitations. It is very common for these children to...
“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.
This article hasn’t provided an introduction; however a lengthy summary of the study which identifies the problem, purpose and rationale for the research study has been provided in the background. The introduction should give the reader a general sense of what the document is about, and preferably persuade the reader to continue reading. This prepares the reader for reading the rest of the document (Burns & Grove, 2001 p.636; Nieswiadomy, 2008 p.380; Stockhausen and Conrick, 2002).
A variety of academic sources have been referenced and reviewed to provide un-biased and correct information.
This source is valid because the source is very professional and has evidence to back up any claims.
In conclusion, while selecting articles to use for this research, these particular articles proved to be very useful. They both met the criterion for the purpose of research information, as well as having current information on the topics.