Topiramate increases the risk of oral clefts

The anti-epileptic drug topiramate has been increasingly prescribed over the last decade not only to prevent seizures, but also to treat bipolar disorder and migraine headaches. In addition, topiramate is a component of a recently FDA-approved drug for weight loss. Past studies have found that women taking topiramate during early pregnancy to prevent epileptic seizures had greater chance of giving birth to a baby with an oral cleft, but such studies did not focus on women taking the drug at a lower dose for non-seizure related conditions.

 A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggest that using topiramate in early pregnancy, particularly at the high doses used for epilepsy, increases the risk of oral clefts. The new work leverages nationwide Medicaid data on more than 1 million live births from between 2000 and 2010.

The team examined the risk of oral clefts -- including cleft palate or cleft lip -- among three groups: infants born to women who had taken topiramate in their first trimester; infants born to women who had taken the drug lamotrigine (an unrelated drug used to treat bipolar disorder and epilepsy); and infants who had not been exposed to anti-epileptic medications in utero.

They found that the risk of oral clefts was approximately three times higher for the topiramate group than for either the lamotrigine or the unexposed group. Approximately one out of every 1,000 infants are born with an oral cleft, but among infants exposed to low doses of topiramate (median 100-mg daily dose) in the first trimester, that risk was 2.1 out of every 1,000 live births.

Among women taking higher dose topiramate (median 200-mg daily dose), the risk was much higher -- 12.3 for every 1,000 live births. Women with epilepsy on topiramate have the highest relative risk of giving birth to a baby with cleft lip or cleft palate, likely due to the higher doses of topiramate when used for controlling seizures.
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Why babies should not face the bed while sleeping

According to the latest research, the abnormality in the brain's control of head and neck movement, breathing, heartbeat and the body's responses to deprivation of oxygen supplied, could be the reason why some babies sleeping on their front are more at risk of sudden infants death syndrome SIDS.

SIDS is so devastating because it occurs with no warning and no obvious signs of illness, the exact cause of death in SIDS has not been identified, multiple studies have pointed to a subset of SIDS babies that are not entirely 'normal' before death. These infants all seem to have some form of underlying vulnerability, exposing them to increased risk.

Abnormality within key regions of the brainstem in SIDS babies, specifically in parts of the brainstem that control breathing and movements of the head and neck. This abnormality is directly linked to SIDS cases.
The abnormality is in the transmission in the brain of a neuro-peptide, known as "substance P", and its binding with an associated neuroreceptor, "neurokinin-1" (NK1R).

Substance P and the NK1R neuroreceptor play a critical role in the brain's control of the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, and in how the body responds to hypoxia- deprivation of oxygen at the cell level. An infant with this abnormality is likely to have impaired respiratory and motor responses to life-threatening challenges during sleep.
Abnormality is a key reason why it is more dangerous for babies to sleep on their front.

If a child has this underlying vulnerability in its brain chemistry, and its breathing becomes compromised by sleeping on its front, that child is at greater risk of death because its body cannot respond in the normal way. The baby can't lift its head, and its breathing and heartbeat will be compromised.

The study has shown that the abnormality in substance P is significantly influenced by prematurity and male sex, which may explain the increased risk of SIDS in premature and male infants.
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Less than six months breastfeeding can raise risk of liver disease

Not breast feeding or stopping before six months raises a baby's  risk of having nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) later on in life.

Human breast milk contain various biologically-active constituents with a protective effect upon obesity.

It was also found that being obese at the early stage of pregnancy increased a baby's risk of the disease, which can lead to serious liver damage.

Smoking in the early days of pregnancy also increased the risk of NAFLD later in life.

 Infants should be fed breast milk exclusively for the first six months of life. Researchers performed liver ultrasound on more than 1,100 adolescents aged 17 years, who have been followed from birth.

Then they examined their medical records to see if there was a link between how long they were breastfed, their mothers' weight and smoking habit in pregnancy.

NAFLD was diagnosed in about 15 per cent of the adolescents examined.
It was found 94 per cent had been breastfed as infants.

The duration of breastfeeding before starting supplementary milk was four months in 55 per cent and six months in 40 per cent.

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Zika may trigger epilepsy in infants

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC,  Zika virus may trigger cases of epilepsy in infants.

Among 48 babies from Brazil with probable congenital Zika infection, 24 had clinical seizures.

CDC said apart from 48 babies with clinical seizures in Brazil. 7 out of 13 Zika infected babies have epilepsy.

The brain abnormalities caused by Zika is associated with epilepsy and seizures, parents are encouraged to report seizures and epilepsy in infants and young children in the hospital for the right treatment.

Insufficient sleep can affect bone formation

Insufficient sleep can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, bone loss and have negative impact on your health.

According to national sleep foundation, the appropriate sleep duration for newborns is between 14 and 17 hours, between 12 and15 hours for infants, 11 and 14 hours for toddlers, 10 and 13 hours  for preschoolers, 9 and 11 hours for school-aged, 8 and 10 hours for teenagers, 7 and 9 hours for young adults and 7 and 8 hours for older adults.

Three weeks of insufficient sleep can reduce levels of marker of bone formation in the blood, because lack of sleep alter bone balance and create a potential bone loss that can cause bone fracture and osteoporosis.

Inadequate sleep is very dangerous for bone formation in children because bone formation at tender age is very important for bone growth and long-term skeletal health in future.