Considerable advances have occurred in recent years in the scientific knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding, the mechanisms underlying these benefits, and in the clinical management of breastfeeding. This policy statement on breastfeeding replaces the 1997 policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and reflects this newer knowledge and the supporting publications. The benefits of breastfeeding for the infant, the mother, and the community are summarized, and recommendations to guide the pediatrician and other health care professionals in assisting mothers in the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding for healthy term infants and high-risk infants are presented. The policy statement delineates various ways in which pediatricians can promote, protect, and support breastfeeding not only in their individual practices but also in the hospital, medical school, community, and nation.

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Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

For decades, studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have challenged traditional concepts in toxicology, in particular the dogma of “the dose makes the poison,” because EDCs can have effects at low doses that are not predicted by effects at higher doses. Here, we review two major concepts in EDC studies: low dose and nonmonotonicity. Low-dose effects were defined by the National Toxicology Program as those that occur in the range of human exposures or effects observed at doses below those used for traditional toxicological studies. We review the mechanistic data for low-dose effects and use a weight-of-evidence approach to analyze five examples from the EDC literature. Additionally, we explore nonmonotonic dose-response curves, defined as a nonlinear relationship between dose and effect where the slope of the curve changes sign somewhere within the range of doses examined. We provide a detailed discussion of the mechanisms responsible for generating these phenomena, plus hundreds of examples from...

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Hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: Low-dose effects and nonmonotonic dose responses

Context Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been reported in some, but not all, studies to be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Objective To estimate the risk of PTB, LBW, and IUGR associated with antenatal depression. Data Sources and Study Selection We searched for English-language and non–English-language articles via the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Work Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts International databases (January 1980 through December 2009). We aimed to include prospective studies reporting data on antenatal depression and at least 1 adverse birth outcome: PTB ( Data Extraction Information was extracted on study characteristics, antenatal depression measurement, and other biopsychosocial risk factors and was reviewed twice to minimize error. Data Synthesis Pooled relative risks (RRs) for the effect of antenatal depression on each birth outcome were calculated using random-effects methods. In studies of PTB, LBW, and IUGR that used a categorical depression measure, pooled effect sizes were significantly larger (pooled RR [95% confidence interval] = 1.39 [1.19-1.61], 1.49 [1.25-1.77], and 1.45 [1.05-2.02], respectively) compared with studies that used a continuous depression measure (1.03 [1.00-1.06], 1.04 [0.99-1.09], and 1.02 [1.00-1.04], respectively). The estimates of risk for categorically defined antenatal depression and PTB and LBW remained significant when the trim-and-fill procedure was used to correct for publication bias. The risk of LBW associated with antenatal depression was significantly larger in developing countries (RR = 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-2.93) compared with the United States (RR = 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.21) or European social democracies (RR = 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.92-1.47). Categorically defined antenatal depression tended to be associated with an increased risk of PTB among women of lower socioeconomic status in the United States. Conclusions Women with depression during pregnancy are at increased risk for PTB and LBW, although the magnitude of the effect varies as a function of depression measurement, country location, and US socioeconomic status. An important implication of these findings is that antenatal depression should be identified through universal screening and treated.

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A Meta-analysis of Depression During Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Birth, Low Birth Weight, and Intrauterine Growth Restriction

https://www.healthandenvironment.org/docs/RochesterBPAstudy2013.pdf

Bisphenol A and human health: a review of the literature.

Pathogenesis and genetics of pre-eclampsia.

Objective To evaluate whether prenatal use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with increased risk of miscarriage. Design Population based cohort study. Prenatal use of NSAIDs, aspirin, and paracetamol (acetaminophen) ascertained by in-person interview. Setting Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, a healthcare delivery system, in the San Francisco area of the United States. Participants 1055 pregnant women recruited and interviewed immediately after their positive pregnancy test. Median gestational age at entry to the study was 40 days. Main outcome measures Pregnancy outcomes up to 20 weeks of gestation. Results 53 women (5%) reported prenatal NSAID use around conception or during pregnancy. After adjustment for potential confounders, prenatal NSAID use was associated with an 80% increased risk of miscarriage (adjusted hazard ratio 1.8 (95% confidence interval 1.0 to 3.2)). The association was stronger if the initial NSAID use was around the time of conception or if NSAID use lasted more than a week. Prenatal aspirin use was similarly associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. However, prenatal use of paracetamol, pharmacologically different from NSAIDs and aspirin, was not associated with increased risk of miscarriage regardless of timing and duration of use. Conclusion Prenatal use of NSAIDs and aspirin increased the risk of miscarriage. These findings need confirmation in studies designed specifically to examine the apparent association.

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/327/7411/368.full.pdf

Exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy and risk of miscarriage: population based cohort study

BackgroundRecent evidence suggests that transient neurologic symptoms commonly follow lidocaine spinal anesthesia. However, information concerning factors that affect their occurrence is limited. Accordingly, to evaluate many potential risk factors, the authors undertook a prospective, multicenter,

Transient Neurologic Symptoms after Spinal Anesthesia: An Epidemiologic Study of 1,863 Patients

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(10)02587-2/pdf

Urine bisphenol-A (BPA) level in relation to semen quality

results: Among the 791 participants who answered CESD questions and delivered a live birth, after controlling for potential confounders using the Cox proportional hazard regression, women with CESD scores � 16 had almost twice the risk of preterm delivery compared with women without depressive symptoms: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) ¼ 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0 -3.7. The risk of preterm delivery increased with increasing severity of depression: aHR ¼ 1.6 (CI 0.7 -3.6) for CESD 16- 21 and aHR ¼ 2.2 (CI 1.1- 4.7) for CESD � 22. The risk of preterm delivery associated with prenatal depression appears to be exacerbated by low educational level, a history of fertility problems and the presence of obesity and stressful events. The observed associations were not confounded by the use of antidepressants, although some of the associations did not reach statistical significance. conclusions: Our findings show that pregnant women with depressive symptoms are at increased risk of preterm delivery and, in addition, provide preliminary evidence that social and reproductive risk factors as well as obesity and stressful events may exacerbate the

Presence of depressive symptoms during early pregnancy and the risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Animal studies have suggested that bisphenol-A (BPA) is a potential human endocrine disrupter; but evidence from human studies is needed. METHODS: We conducted an occupational cohort study to examine the effect of occupational exposure to BPA on the risk of male sexual dysfunction. Current workers from BPA-exposed and control factories were recruited. The exposed workers were exposed to very high BPA levels in their workplace. Male sexual function was ascertained through in-person interviews using a standard male sexual function inventory. RESULTS: BPA-exposed workers had consistently higher risk of male sexual dysfunction across all domains of male sexual function than the unexposed workers. After controlling for matching variables and potential confounders, exposed workers had a significantly increased risk of reduced sexual desire [odds ratios (OR) = 3.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.8-8.6), erectile difficulty (OR = 4.5, 95% CI 2.1-9.8), ejaculation difficulty (OR = 7.1, 95% CI 2.9-17.6), and reduced satisfaction with sex life (OR = 3.9, 95% CI 2.3-6.6). A dose-response relationship was observed with an increasing level of cumulative BPA exposure associated with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, compared with the unexposed workers, BPA-exposed workers reported significantly higher frequencies of reduced sexual function within 1 year of employment in the BPA-exposed factories. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence that exposure to BPA in the workplace could have an adverse effect on male sexual dysfunction.

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De-Kun Li

Papers

Exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy and risk of miscarriage: population based cohort study

Transient Neurologic Symptoms after Spinal Anesthesia: An Epidemiologic Study of 1,863 Patients

Urine bisphenol-A (BPA) level in relation to semen quality

Presence of depressive symptoms during early pregnancy and the risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study

Occupational exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) and the risk of Self-Reported Male Sexual Dysfunction