Nature – Low to moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and neurodevelopment in a prospective cohort of early school aged children
Evidence is strong for adverse fetal effects of high level or chronic prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), but many pregnant women continue to drink at lower levels.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-57938-7

Pediatric Reports – The Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on the Autonomic Nervous System and Cardiovascular System in Rats in a Sex-Specific Manner
The study investigates the effect of PAE on the autonomic system, including sex differences that may aid in early FASD diagnosis, which is essential for effective interventions.
https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7503/16/2/24

International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Oxidative Effects in Early Stages of Embryo Development Due to Alcohol Consumption
This review focuses on its impact during fetal development, when it leads to a spectrum of disorders collectively termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/7/4100

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – Prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies in Europe: the FAR SEAS guidelines
The FAR SEAS guidelines are a tool to support policy-makers and service managers in implementing effective programmes to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure among general and at-risk population groups.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-024-06452-9

Plos one – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnostic clinic capacity in Canadian Provinces and territories
This study investigated the diagnostic capacity for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in multidisciplinary clinics across several provincial and one territorial jurisdictions of Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Northwest Territories.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301615

medRxiv – Genetic admixture predictors of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in the South African Cape Coloured population
Our findings indicate that the SACC population may be a valuable asset to identify novel disease-associated genetic loci for FASD and other diseases.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.31.24305130v2

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – A multi-year, multi-site study of the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa in a multi-year, multi-site study
As with previous studies, we found a concerningly high prevalence of FASD in South Africa. Given the scope of the problem it should be a high priority for health and welfare services to address.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15306

medRxiv – Establishing a national linked database for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in the UK: multi-method public and professional involvement to determine acceptability and feasibility
Multi-method and multidisciplinary public and professional involvement activities demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of establishing a national linked database for FASD in the UK.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.26.24304887v1

Digital Health – Larger-scale feasibility trial of the families moving forward (FMF) connect mobile health intervention for caregivers raising children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Recruitment strategies proved sufficient with 171 caregivers screened and 105 deemed eligible. Analyses identified a few predictive demographic and outcome variables related to attrition. Several study measures were sensitive to change.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20552076241242328

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience – Sex and age effects on gray matter volume trajectories in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) occurs in ~11% of North American pregnancies and is the most common known cause of neurodevelopmental disabilities such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD; ~2–5% prevalence).
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1379959/full

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – A dose–response analysis of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on cognitive development
These findings suggest that linear models based on total AA/day are appropriate for assessing whether PAE affects a given cognitive outcome. However, examination of alcohol dose/occasion and drinking frequency is needed to fully characterize the impact of different levels of alcohol intake on cognitive impairment.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15283

Plos one – Unmet need for alcohol use disorder treatment in reproductive-age females, with emphasis on pregnant and parenting populations in the United States: Findings from NSDUH 2015–2021
This study describes the most recent patterns in the past year AUD prevalence and treatment among reproductive-aged women, with a specific focus on pregnant and parenting women, and barriers to treatment among those affected.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301810

Applied Neuropsychology – A working memory intervention for children with prenatal alcohol exposure: Pilot study
Preliminary findings indicate that computerized interventions may positively impact WM and attention control and that these changes may be maintained after a delay period.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21622965.2024.2328672

bioRxiv – Sexually dimorphic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the murine skeleton
Evidence herein suggests for the first time that PAE exerts divergent sex effects on the skeleton, possibly influenced by underlying sex specific transcriptional mechanisms of osteoblasts.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.27.586945v1.abstract

Ophthalmic Epidemiology – Ophthalmic Findings in Aboriginal Children with High Rates of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: The Lililwan Project
Despite the small sample, some eye abnormalities were higher in children with PAE and/or FASD. Access to eye services or assessment of vision and structural eye anomalies is essential for Indigenous children, particularly those with PAE or FASD to allow early effective treatment.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09286586.2024.2331539

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Characteristics of sleep in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure
Despite similar 2-week average sleep outcomes, children with prenatal alcohol exposure showed greater intraindividual sleep variability and parents reported more sleep problems related to sleep behavior and snoring.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acer.15303

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – Reduced fetal cerebral blood flow predicts perinatal mortality in a mouse model of prenatal alcohol and cannabinoid exposure
Fetal cerebrovasculature is significantly impaired by exposure to alcohol or cannabinoids, and co-exposure confers additional risk for adverse birth outcomes.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-024-06436-9

Australian Midwifery News – Arranging support to achieve or maintain an alcohol-free pregnancy
This article is the last of a 5-part series about alcohol and pregnancy, the 5As Framework and its application to conversations on the topic.
https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.T2024033100001801501118033

Maternal and Child Health Journal – A Comparison of Two Statewide Datasets to Understand Population Prevalence of Substance Use in Pregnancy: Findings and Considerations for Policy & Research
Mental health conditions including substance use disorder are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. Unfortunately, fears of child protective services’ involvement interfere with maternal self-disclosure of substance use in pregnancy.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-024-03914-6

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – A multi-year, multi-site study of the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa in a multi-year, multi-site study
As with previous studies, we found a concerningly high prevalence of FASD in South Africa. Given the scope of the problem it should be a high priority for health and welfare services to address.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.15306?af=R