Pesticides may increase the risk of birth defects, say researchers who found that the highest rates of birth defects in U.S. babies occur among those conceived in the spring and summer, the same time that there are increased levels of pesticides in surface water.

Researchers analyzed all 30.1 million births in the United States between 1996 and 2002. They found a strong association between higher rates of birth defects among women whose last menstrual period was in between April and July and elevated levels of nitrates and other pesticides in surface water during those same months.

The data showed a statistically significant correlation between the last menstrual period and higher rates of birth defects for half of 22 categories of birth defects, including spinal bifida, cleft lip and Down syndrome. The study is published in Health Day News.

A groundbreaking study published in the British Journal of Psychology found a link between high levels of testosterone in the womb of pregnant women and autistic traits in their children.

The study was prompted by statistics that autism is four times more common in boys than in girls. It is also linked with other traits found more often in boys, such as left-handedness.
The study observed and tested 235 children whose mothers had an amniocentesis during pregnancy over eight years.

Researchers plan to continue studying the children they have been following and will now look for a link between high levels of testosterone in the womb and children who have been diagnosed with autism by studying banks of amniotic fluid that have been collected since 1990 in Denmark.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion revealed a new type of pyramid on its interactive Web site, (MyPyramid.gov) for preschoolers that may help parents deal with picky eating problems, especially as they are introduced to new kinds of foods.
Among the MyPyramid for Preschoolers tips to help parents deal with finicky eaters are:

• Set limits for the start and end of a meal. When you see your child is no longer interested in the meal, excuse the child from the table.

• Encourage your child to try new foods, but don’t lecture or force your child to eat.

• Talk about fun and happy things as part of an overall effort to make mealtimes stress-free.

• Cook together. Encourage preschoolers to help you prepare meals and snacks.

Obese have aged neck arteries
The neck arteries of obese children and teens look more like those of 45-year-olds, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting.
“There’s a saying that ‘you’reries,’ meaning that the state of your arteries is more important than your actual age in the evolution of heart disease and stroke,” Dr. Geetha Raghuveer noted in a written statement. “We found that the state of the arteries in these children is more typical of a 45-year-old than of someone their own age.”
In 70 children ages 6 to 19, Raghuveer of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the inner walls of the neck (carotid) arteries that supply blood to the brain.
Increasing carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) indicates the fatty buildup of plaque within arteries feeding the heart muscle and the brain, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
The investigators found that the children’s “vascular age” — the age at which the level of thickening would be normal for their gender and race — was about 30 years older than their actual age.
Further studies are needed to determine whether artery build-up will decrease if children lose weight, exercise or are treated for abnormal lipids.

Fruit juice: Is it good or bad?
Recent studies at the Mayo Clinic have confirmed that drinking moderate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice does not have an effect on children’s weight. However, fruit juice is high in calories, and — just like any other high-calorie food or drink — too much fruit juice can contribute to weight gain.
If you do give your children fruit juice, choose 100 percent fruit juice instead of sweetened juice or fruit-juice cocktail drinks. While 100 percent juice and sweetened fruit drinks may have about the same number of calories, your children will get more vitamins and nutrients from 100 percent juice.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following:

• Not giving fruit juice to infants less than 6 months old while infants ages 6 to 12 months can have up to four ounces a day and should not be given in a bottle to avoid tooth decay.

• Children up to 6 years old can have up to 6 ounces a day, and children ages 6 to 12 can have up to 12 ounces a day.

• Four ounces of juice equals one serving of fruit, but keep in mind that juice lacks the fiber of whole fruit. Although a little fruit juice each day is fine for most children, whole fruit is preferred.

Fan in Baby’s Room May Lower SIDS Risk
Young infants who sleep in bedrooms with fans have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome than babies who sleep in less well-ventilated rooms, new research by the National Institute of Health shows.
Investigators concluded that sleeping with a fan lowers SIDS risk by more than 70 percent.
Sleeping in a room with an open window was also found to lower risk.
The intriguing findings must be confirmed, and researchers say fan use is no substitute for interventions known to lower SIDS risk, such as placing babies to sleep on their backs, avoiding soft bedding in cribs, and putting babies to sleep with pacifiers.
SIDS deaths have dropped by more than half in the United States since 1992, when parents were first told to put babies to sleep on their backs.
SIDS, is the leading cause of death in babies 1 month to 1 year old and is most likely to occur when babies are between 2 and 4 months old.

Lindsey Hawkins had never even heard of gastroschisis.
So when she was still five months away from delivering Bobby, her first child, she was understandably concerned when something odd showed up on what was supposed to be a routine ultrasound.
Her doctor said Bobby could have gastroschisis (pronounced gas-tro-skee-sis), a relatively rare herniation of the abdominal wall that allows the intestines to protrude outside the body. In the womb, fetal intestines develop outside of the abdomen for a brief time. Usually, they return to the abdominal cavity, and the opening closes. But sometimes the hole doesn’t close, creating a potentially life-threatening situation. Her son would have to have surgery immediately after being born.
Then she and Bobby’s father, Glen Thomas Camp, talked to a doctor with a French accent.
“I could tell he wasn’t from Springdale, but I could also tell that he was very confident. He calmed me down a lot,” Lindsey said of her conversation with Pediatric Surgeon Guy Rosenschein, who also specializes in minimal-access surgery and Pediatric Urology.
Dr. Rosenschein (a native of France, who moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2001), is a member of the active medical staff of Northwest Health System and is an integral member of Northwest Health’s Level IIIC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), now located at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Rosenschein’s reassurances now appear prophetic.
Six years later, Bobby is a boyish bundle of energy who bears few signs that he faced such a serious problem on the day of his birth, back in March 2003.
“The next time I saw Bobby after they took him for surgery, he just had four stitches, with a little scab in the middle of them in his belly button,” Lindsey recalls. “He looked like a normal baby boy.”
In the intervening years, the family has called on Dr. Rosenschein to intervene in a few unrelated matters requiring a surgeon’s touch.
Through it all, the little family has developed a close bond with the surgeon and marvel at the outcome they have witnessed.
“He barely has any scars,” Lindsey reports with a smile.
“You can hardly tell he had any surgery by looking at him or watching the way he plays.”
Dr. Rosenschein says the case is one he won’t soon forget.
“Only about two cases of gastroschisis occur in every 10,000 live births, and although I have taken care of dozens of children who suffer from this condition, it is not something we see every day,” he explained. “To think back to the drama of that day and to see him now is pure joy. Transformational cases like this are a large part of why I became a surgeon.”
The feeling is mutual. “We love Dr. Rosenschein,” Lindsey added. “I call him my ‘miracle doctor.’ Bobby calls him his ‘best friend.’ ”
Today, the kindergarten student who started life with such a big challenge loves learning and has unusually grown-up aspirations for a boy his age. “He wants to be an actor,” his mother reports. “And he’s a very active child. He plays golf and baseball and soccer and does gymnastics and swimming. He does flips off the diving board like it’s nothing. I just believe Bobby is here for a purpose. I thank God and Dr. Rosenschein that Bobby is here, and I can’t wait to see what he is going to become.”