7/10/2007: I'm not sure why but I've gotten at least 30 hits on this post in the last few days. A lot of people are being referred to this post via their email accounts. Anyone care to share what is so interesting about this post? As a survivor of preeclampsia, I'd love to hear what brings you here. Leave a comment please. :) Jen
More bad news for me as a two time severe preeclampsia survivor who developed hypertension after the birth of my 2nd daughter. Guess I'd better see what my internist thinks about this...
1: Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2007 Mar;5(2):283-94. Links
Preeclampsia and future cardiovascular risk.Newstead J, von Dadelszen P, Magee LA.
University of Saskatchewan, Department of Medicine, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. jill.newstead@shaw.ca
Pregnancy is a metabolic and vascular 'stress test' for women and those who 'fail' are at increased risk of long-term cardiovascular complications. Specifically, women who develop preeclampsia (and/or other manifestations of placental dysfunction) are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease in general. The risk is highest among women who develop both maternal (e.g., hypertension and proteinuria) and fetal (e.g., intrauterine growth restriction) manifestations of abnormal placentation, especially with preterm delivery. Most women who develop a maternal placental syndrome return to a normal clinical state in the weeks following pregnancy and their absolute risk of cardiovascular disease in the short term is very low. However, perhaps having a placentally complicated pregnancy affords women the opportunity to personalize risk and take action. Action is needed. The fact that we, as a population, are getting heavier and more sedentary is an urgent public health issue. The American Heart Association recommends that all women (even those at low cardiovascular risk) pursue dietary and lifestyle changes, in addition to smoking cessation. Engaging women of child-bearing age who may be motivated by a complicated pregnancy would be very valuable, from a public health perspective, given the prevalence and importance of cardiovascular disease in women, and the central role of the woman as caregiver to children, spouses and other family members.
PMID: 17338672 [PubMed - in process]
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Seeing is Believing
Cross posting my entry on Preeclampsia Survivors:
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/03/seeing-is-believing.html
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/03/seeing-is-believing.html
Saturday, March 24, 2007
"This Close"
It has been a hard week for some of my online friends. Amanda from Imagine Bright Futures informed all of us at Liver Families that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It just seems like cruel irony that Amanda has to endure cancer along with her niece's biliary atresia. I will be praying for her as she undergoes a mastectomy on the 29th.
Then, I began reading heartbreaking posts from my pal, Sheri, whose son Antonio was critically ill. He had a liver transplant, but then developed Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD), which is a form of cancer caused by exposure to the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). It can happen in children who are immunosuppressed due to organ transplantation. After reading about Sheri's elation that Antonio had been given his life-saving gift of life, it seemed nearly impossible that she would be again watching her son slowly fade, and actually come "this close" when he had to fight pnuemonia on top of the PTLD.
Thankfully, Antonio has made marked improvement. Sheri has been away from her other three children for nearly a month, and like a God send, Kim, another Liver Families mom flew up from Texas to comfort Sheri. I think Kim's positive energy played a pivotal role in lifting Sheri up out of the darkest places that our minds can go when faced with life or death situations.
Charlie, Meghan, and I went to visit Sheri last night. She is still quite fragile and now her emotions are begining to bubble up at random points as it appears she is realizing how "this close" brushed up against her precious Antonio.
Antonio, I hope you are making your bull frog noise soon. Your mommy really, really needs to hear it soon. I hope those good vibes that Kim brought with her can somehow make their way through space and time and land on Amanda.
Then, I began reading heartbreaking posts from my pal, Sheri, whose son Antonio was critically ill. He had a liver transplant, but then developed Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD), which is a form of cancer caused by exposure to the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). It can happen in children who are immunosuppressed due to organ transplantation. After reading about Sheri's elation that Antonio had been given his life-saving gift of life, it seemed nearly impossible that she would be again watching her son slowly fade, and actually come "this close" when he had to fight pnuemonia on top of the PTLD.
Thankfully, Antonio has made marked improvement. Sheri has been away from her other three children for nearly a month, and like a God send, Kim, another Liver Families mom flew up from Texas to comfort Sheri. I think Kim's positive energy played a pivotal role in lifting Sheri up out of the darkest places that our minds can go when faced with life or death situations.
Charlie, Meghan, and I went to visit Sheri last night. She is still quite fragile and now her emotions are begining to bubble up at random points as it appears she is realizing how "this close" brushed up against her precious Antonio.
Antonio, I hope you are making your bull frog noise soon. Your mommy really, really needs to hear it soon. I hope those good vibes that Kim brought with her can somehow make their way through space and time and land on Amanda.
Monday, March 19, 2007
88
Today, my grandma Eve turned 88 years old. I've tried to imagine myself at the age of 88, and wonder if I'll be as eloquent, calm, stubborn, and diplomatic as she. What will unfold in my life between now and then, if I make it to 88 in the year 2060?
Will I still live in my own home?
Will I still drive my car, just around town?
Will I still cook? (Ha ha, my husband is laughing at that one.)
Will I revel in my children's accomplishments?
Will I revel in my grand children's accomplishments?
Will I revel in my great grand children, especially how they grow up so fast?
Will I still remember the subtle details of my life as she does?
Will I know how truly loved I am?
Will I know that my loved ones are dreading the "call" that will eventually come?
Tonight, Gram was her true self. She wouldn't let me ask much about her day. She wanted to know about me, my husband, my girls. Gram wouldn't have it any other way.
I got one hint from her though. She was extremely pleased that Mary Buchanan had sent her a birthday card. What made this such a blessing was that she believed her friend had passed on already. I could hear the happiness in her speech as it became rapid. She couldn't wait to tell me. Her pure joy emanated through the telephone as she expressed her friend from Oxford was alive.
Upon hearing the name, I had a flashback to being in a tiny church near Oxford and watching my grandparents greet the Buchanans before mass started. I was craning my neck to see their faces at about hip level on my Gram. Grandpa said, "Well, hi-a honey!" Mary smiled at me, and said, "I see the girls are up for a visit."
As conversations do, the topic eventually drifted to Grandma being proud of her three sons and how their families have blossomed. I suppose since birthdays make a person reflect, Gram revealed that she had actually had 5 pregnancies. "I was always so pleased that I had three boys, but I might have liked a daughter. I always thought that my miscarriages were my girls. You know my doctor wouldn't tell me whether they were boys or girls. She said it was better to focus on having another baby. I think she was right."
Well, Gram, you had to wait until 1972 to get me as your first grandchild. As you've told me multiple times, I know I've made you proud and that you love me. I love you too.
Happy birthday Grandma! I'm so lucky to have you in my life.
Love,
Jen
Will I still live in my own home?
Will I still drive my car, just around town?
Will I still cook? (Ha ha, my husband is laughing at that one.)
Will I revel in my children's accomplishments?
Will I revel in my grand children's accomplishments?
Will I revel in my great grand children, especially how they grow up so fast?
Will I still remember the subtle details of my life as she does?
Will I know how truly loved I am?
Will I know that my loved ones are dreading the "call" that will eventually come?
Tonight, Gram was her true self. She wouldn't let me ask much about her day. She wanted to know about me, my husband, my girls. Gram wouldn't have it any other way.
I got one hint from her though. She was extremely pleased that Mary Buchanan had sent her a birthday card. What made this such a blessing was that she believed her friend had passed on already. I could hear the happiness in her speech as it became rapid. She couldn't wait to tell me. Her pure joy emanated through the telephone as she expressed her friend from Oxford was alive.
Upon hearing the name, I had a flashback to being in a tiny church near Oxford and watching my grandparents greet the Buchanans before mass started. I was craning my neck to see their faces at about hip level on my Gram. Grandpa said, "Well, hi-a honey!" Mary smiled at me, and said, "I see the girls are up for a visit."
As conversations do, the topic eventually drifted to Grandma being proud of her three sons and how their families have blossomed. I suppose since birthdays make a person reflect, Gram revealed that she had actually had 5 pregnancies. "I was always so pleased that I had three boys, but I might have liked a daughter. I always thought that my miscarriages were my girls. You know my doctor wouldn't tell me whether they were boys or girls. She said it was better to focus on having another baby. I think she was right."
Well, Gram, you had to wait until 1972 to get me as your first grandchild. As you've told me multiple times, I know I've made you proud and that you love me. I love you too.
Happy birthday Grandma! I'm so lucky to have you in my life.
Love,
Jen
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Pediatric Grand Rounds
Pediatric Grand Rounds is up at:
http://blogmd.samblackman.org/?p=307
Special thanks go to Blog MD for his compilation this round.
http://blogmd.samblackman.org/?p=307
Special thanks go to Blog MD for his compilation this round.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Promising Lung Research
Scientists develop new procedure to differentiate human embryonic stem cells
Molecular scientists at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) – which is part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – have developed a new procedure for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells, with which they have created the first transplantable source of lung epithelial cells.
The process, created in the laboratory of Rick A. Wetsel, Ph.D., a professor of molecular medicine at the IMM, is described in this week’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Research scientist Dachun Wang, M.D., is lead author of the article, “A pure population of lung alveolar epithelial type II cells derived from human embryonic stem cells.”
“We have developed a reliable molecular procedure which facilitates, via genetic selection, the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into an essentially pure population of lung epithelial cells,” said Wetsel, noting the procedure also can be used to create other types of highly-specialized cells.
Scientists at the IMM used the in vitro method to create lung epithelial cells known as alveolar epithelial type II. The cells were derived from a human embryonic stem cell line approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The method involves the use of protein markers under the control of cell-specific promoters to convert undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells into highly-specialized cells. The human embryonic stem cells were cultured on specially coated dishes and transfected with a lung epithelial gene regulator of a drug selection gene.
“It is a general technology for developing select cells from human embryonic stem cells,” said C. Thomas Caskey, M.D., the IMM’s chief operating officer, director and CEO-elect. “The technology has allowed us to develop a platform that could potentially be useful in the development of spinal cord cells, heart cells, nerve cells and others.”
James T. Willerson, M.D., president of the UT Health Science Center at Houston, said " I believe this is an important development by the Wetsel laboratory at the IMM. I look forward to seeing its transitional impact."
Alveolar epithelial type II cells are called “the stem cells of the lungs” because of their versatility and many important functions. They produce proteins including surfactant that inflates lungs. They also make other cells lining the inner lung. “They regulate lung fluids and oxygen levels,” Wetsel said.
The cells are part of the tiny air sacs lining the lower airways known as alveoli. Tissue thin, they transfer oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide. If the walls of the hundreds of millions of alveolus in a pair of lungs could be spread out and placed side by side, they would cover the floor of a classroom.
According to Wetsel, transplantable alveolar epithelial type II cells can be explored as treatments for pulmonary genetic diseases, acquired lung disease, as well as lung trauma caused by car accidents, gunshot wounds and sports injuries.
“These are the cells that can potentially be used for regenerative lung repair,” he said.
Hereditary lung disorders most likely to benefit from transplantation of alveolar epithelial type II cells include respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn, alpha-1 related emphysema and cystic fibrosis, Wetsel believes. “All three of these diseases are caused by single gene defects and therefore have been logical candidates for gene therapy,” Wetsel said.
Respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn, a condition affecting premature infants less than 37 weeks of age, may be caused by a genetic mutation triggering a surfactant shortage. Likewise, alpha-1 related emphysema, a condition affecting 100,000 Americans, results from an inherited deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin. Further, cystic fibrosis is the second most common childhood onset inherited disorder in the United States.
Transplantable alveolar epithelial type II cells may also one day be helpful in the treatment of other lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of 122,283 Americans in 2003, and asthma, Wetsel said.
Still years away from their use in regenerative medicine, Wetsel said the next step involves research trials with mice.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news91879247.html
Molecular scientists at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) – which is part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston – have developed a new procedure for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells, with which they have created the first transplantable source of lung epithelial cells.
The process, created in the laboratory of Rick A. Wetsel, Ph.D., a professor of molecular medicine at the IMM, is described in this week’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Research scientist Dachun Wang, M.D., is lead author of the article, “A pure population of lung alveolar epithelial type II cells derived from human embryonic stem cells.”
“We have developed a reliable molecular procedure which facilitates, via genetic selection, the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into an essentially pure population of lung epithelial cells,” said Wetsel, noting the procedure also can be used to create other types of highly-specialized cells.
Scientists at the IMM used the in vitro method to create lung epithelial cells known as alveolar epithelial type II. The cells were derived from a human embryonic stem cell line approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The method involves the use of protein markers under the control of cell-specific promoters to convert undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells into highly-specialized cells. The human embryonic stem cells were cultured on specially coated dishes and transfected with a lung epithelial gene regulator of a drug selection gene.
“It is a general technology for developing select cells from human embryonic stem cells,” said C. Thomas Caskey, M.D., the IMM’s chief operating officer, director and CEO-elect. “The technology has allowed us to develop a platform that could potentially be useful in the development of spinal cord cells, heart cells, nerve cells and others.”
James T. Willerson, M.D., president of the UT Health Science Center at Houston, said " I believe this is an important development by the Wetsel laboratory at the IMM. I look forward to seeing its transitional impact."
Alveolar epithelial type II cells are called “the stem cells of the lungs” because of their versatility and many important functions. They produce proteins including surfactant that inflates lungs. They also make other cells lining the inner lung. “They regulate lung fluids and oxygen levels,” Wetsel said.
The cells are part of the tiny air sacs lining the lower airways known as alveoli. Tissue thin, they transfer oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide. If the walls of the hundreds of millions of alveolus in a pair of lungs could be spread out and placed side by side, they would cover the floor of a classroom.
According to Wetsel, transplantable alveolar epithelial type II cells can be explored as treatments for pulmonary genetic diseases, acquired lung disease, as well as lung trauma caused by car accidents, gunshot wounds and sports injuries.
“These are the cells that can potentially be used for regenerative lung repair,” he said.
Hereditary lung disorders most likely to benefit from transplantation of alveolar epithelial type II cells include respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn, alpha-1 related emphysema and cystic fibrosis, Wetsel believes. “All three of these diseases are caused by single gene defects and therefore have been logical candidates for gene therapy,” Wetsel said.
Respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn, a condition affecting premature infants less than 37 weeks of age, may be caused by a genetic mutation triggering a surfactant shortage. Likewise, alpha-1 related emphysema, a condition affecting 100,000 Americans, results from an inherited deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin. Further, cystic fibrosis is the second most common childhood onset inherited disorder in the United States.
Transplantable alveolar epithelial type II cells may also one day be helpful in the treatment of other lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of 122,283 Americans in 2003, and asthma, Wetsel said.
Still years away from their use in regenerative medicine, Wetsel said the next step involves research trials with mice.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news91879247.html
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Powerful Denial
Sometimes, my overwhelming desire to believe that my children will be okay runs my life very effectively. I go through the normal day-to-day experiences of raising my girls without much thought for Alpha-1. Yes, I know that they have a life threatening gene. Yes, I know that right now, things are really great for them. Yes, I know I'm lucky to have my children with me to hug and hold. I guess what I'm trying to say is that most days, I have sort of a robotic response to thinking, feeling, or talking about Alpha-1. It is like I'm on autopilot.
I can rotely tell anyone about Alpha-1...what it is, why it affects my children, what we can and cannot do about it. I even devote volunteer time to Alpha-1 by serving on the board of directors of the Alpha-1 Association, Alpha-1 Kids, and the Alpha Pack, Wisconsin's support group. Monthly, I write a newsletter for Wisconsin Alphas, and daily, I monitor an online bulletin board for Alphas. I answer questions, provide support, and remind people in the Alpha-1 community that they are not alone.
Yet, here I am alone inside my own head tonight dealing with today's breakdown of powerful denial that protects this mother's heart.
In my last blog entry I described having interviewed an Alpha-1 researcher, Dr. Ronald Sokol. He is going to head up a groundbreaking research study of children with Alpha-1. All week, I've been thinking about how excited I am about this study, but here and there, a subtle realization kept creeping in my head. This study really is about my daughters and their genetic disorder. My babies have Alpha-1, and today, that is overwhelming the hell out of me.
This mom is about to order up a good dose of autopilot again.
I can rotely tell anyone about Alpha-1...what it is, why it affects my children, what we can and cannot do about it. I even devote volunteer time to Alpha-1 by serving on the board of directors of the Alpha-1 Association, Alpha-1 Kids, and the Alpha Pack, Wisconsin's support group. Monthly, I write a newsletter for Wisconsin Alphas, and daily, I monitor an online bulletin board for Alphas. I answer questions, provide support, and remind people in the Alpha-1 community that they are not alone.
Yet, here I am alone inside my own head tonight dealing with today's breakdown of powerful denial that protects this mother's heart.
In my last blog entry I described having interviewed an Alpha-1 researcher, Dr. Ronald Sokol. He is going to head up a groundbreaking research study of children with Alpha-1. All week, I've been thinking about how excited I am about this study, but here and there, a subtle realization kept creeping in my head. This study really is about my daughters and their genetic disorder. My babies have Alpha-1, and today, that is overwhelming the hell out of me.
This mom is about to order up a good dose of autopilot again.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Alpha-1 & the Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium (CLiC)
Today, I interviewed Dr. Sokol from Children's in Denver. He is the principal investigator of the Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium (CLiC), and in our conversation, he mentioned that a longitudinal study of Alpha-1 children is in the process of being approved. When it is approved, he will be able to share more details about the study. Can I just say YAY? :)
In any case, Dr. Sokol made it clear that he encourages the parents of children with Alpha-1 to sign up via the Contact Registry on the CLiC web site:
http://rarediseasesnetwork.org/clic
Oh and Dr. Sokol said both children pre- and post-transplant are encouraged to be participants. He said a goal is to answer that never-ending question of why some children with Alpha-1 have severe liver disease and why the majority of the others don't. Wouldn't it be great if they could answer that question?
One last thing, this study is international because there is a research center located in London. So, UK families, you are invited too.
WOW, I'm pretty psyched about the interview, can ya tell? You should have seen me before it though. I was a bundle of nerves. I'm not really sure why except that this means so incredibly much to me. Alpha-1 needs a cure now. My childrens' lives depend it as well as all of our Alpha friends. Long live the Alphas!
I signed Grace & Meghan up for the registry last year. Thank God for researchers like Dr. Sokol. I only hope more researchers are inspired by his great example.
Jen, the incredibly impressed parent of 2 Alphas
In any case, Dr. Sokol made it clear that he encourages the parents of children with Alpha-1 to sign up via the Contact Registry on the CLiC web site:
http://rarediseasesnetwork.org/clic
Oh and Dr. Sokol said both children pre- and post-transplant are encouraged to be participants. He said a goal is to answer that never-ending question of why some children with Alpha-1 have severe liver disease and why the majority of the others don't. Wouldn't it be great if they could answer that question?
One last thing, this study is international because there is a research center located in London. So, UK families, you are invited too.
WOW, I'm pretty psyched about the interview, can ya tell? You should have seen me before it though. I was a bundle of nerves. I'm not really sure why except that this means so incredibly much to me. Alpha-1 needs a cure now. My childrens' lives depend it as well as all of our Alpha friends. Long live the Alphas!
I signed Grace & Meghan up for the registry last year. Thank God for researchers like Dr. Sokol. I only hope more researchers are inspired by his great example.
Jen, the incredibly impressed parent of 2 Alphas
What a big girl!
Yesterday was Meghan's first entire day of wearing regular underwear. So, she is officially potty trained now. WOOHOO
Where has the time gone? To me, it seems like yesterday since she looked like this:
She is really quite proud of herself, and well, we are proud of her too. She has come a long, long way since being born 1 pound, 9.5 ounces. Way to grow up Meghan.
Where has the time gone? To me, it seems like yesterday since she looked like this:
She is really quite proud of herself, and well, we are proud of her too. She has come a long, long way since being born 1 pound, 9.5 ounces. Way to grow up Meghan.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Ginormous
I thought I'd share a little of the childhood logic that appears at random times in our household. Before I tell you, know that Grace and Meghan are at ages where they have noticed differences between people. They know that ladies have boobies, but men still have nipples too. Here is a little of our conversation today:
Meghan pulls her shirt away from her neck and peers down into her shirt, and says "I have boobies."
Grace: "Me too. I have boobies. Mommy has big boobies."
Me: "Thanks Gracie, but I don't have big boobies."
Meghan: "I have big boobies!"
Grace: "No, you don't! God has ginormous boobies!"
Me: "What? Oh! (Laughter as I realize that Grace thinks God is a huge entity.) "Gracie, is God a man or a lady?"
Grace: "A man!"
Meghan: "I have boobies!"
Me: "Yes, you both have boobies."
Meghan pulls her shirt away from her neck and peers down into her shirt, and says "I have boobies."
Grace: "Me too. I have boobies. Mommy has big boobies."
Me: "Thanks Gracie, but I don't have big boobies."
Meghan: "I have big boobies!"
Grace: "No, you don't! God has ginormous boobies!"
Me: "What? Oh! (Laughter as I realize that Grace thinks God is a huge entity.) "Gracie, is God a man or a lady?"
Grace: "A man!"
Meghan: "I have boobies!"
Me: "Yes, you both have boobies."
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Poster Child for Preeclampsia
Cross posting an entry that I wrote on the Preeclampisa Survivors blog:
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/02/ever-feel-like-poster-child-for.html
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/02/ever-feel-like-poster-child-for.html
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Neurodevelopmental Issues in Preemies
Hmmm...should I be glad about this post? Should I be sad?
Well, I'm just confused as of yet. I think I'll reread this one several times before I can completely digest it. In any case, having had 2 premature daughters, I want to know what I'm facing as they get older.
http://talesfromthewomb.blogspot.com/2007/02/neurodevelopmental-devastation-how-can.html
Well, I'm just confused as of yet. I think I'll reread this one several times before I can completely digest it. In any case, having had 2 premature daughters, I want to know what I'm facing as they get older.
http://talesfromthewomb.blogspot.com/2007/02/neurodevelopmental-devastation-how-can.html
Monday, February 05, 2007
Great, just great...
High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Boosts Lifetime Heart Risk
It's linked to hardening of the arteries in later life, study finds
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure during pregnancy is a warning sign of diabetes and heart disease later in life, a Dutch study indicates.
The study of 491 older, postmenopausal women found that those who had reported high blood pressure during a pregnancy had a 57 percent higher risk of developing calcium buildup in their arteries, compared with those whose blood pressure did not rise abnormally during pregnancy.
The findings were published online in the Feb. 5 issue of the journal Hypertension.
Calcification of the arteries is a marker of atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Our research and that of others may have important implications for the management of women who have high blood pressure in pregnancy," senior researcher Dr. Michiel L. Bots, associate professor of epidemiology at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in Utrecht, said in a statement.
The findings probably do not have implications for obstetric care, added Dr. Sharonne Hayes, director of the women's heart clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"We would still need to treat those women the same way as we now do during pregnancy," she said. "But now, those women have been marked as having an increased risk of heart disease. They have another marker of risk and need to be much more vigilant in looking for cardiovascular disease."
Previous studies have led to "a growing recognition that complications, and particularly cardiovascular complications, during pregnancy lead to an increased risk of heart disease later on," said Hayes, who is chair of the scientific advisory board of Women Heart: A National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease.
"As far as I know, this is the first to look at coronary calcification, which is a very good marker for the presence of cardiovascular disease," she said.
The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 6 percent to 8 percent of American women develop unusually high blood pressure during pregnancy. Some go on to develop a condition called preeclampsia, which can damage the placenta, kidney, liver and brain. A more serious condition, called eclampsia, is a leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality.
The increase in calcification in the Dutch study was seen not only in women who developed preeclampsia but also those with high blood pressure, Hayes noted.
"It is a sign that you need to be more careful about your risk of heart disease down the road," she said.
The women themselves and their physicians should be aware of their increased risk, said Dr. Daniel Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and president-elect of the American Heart Association.
"In women who have had hypertension during pregnancy, there needs to be careful monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors, to [help them] be prepared appropriately to manage those factors," Jones said. "These women should be doing what we all should be doing -- keeping their weight in a good range, exercising, not smoking, eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables."
The study, he said, "is a new way of looking at an issue that we have long suspected is a problem: that women who have hypertension in pregnancy are more likely to develop hypertension later in life, and hypertension is a known risk of vascular disease."
SOURCES: Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director, Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic, Rochester, Minn; Daniel Jones, M.D, dean, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, and president-elect, American Heart Association; Feb. 6, 2007, Hypertension
Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
It's linked to hardening of the arteries in later life, study finds
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure during pregnancy is a warning sign of diabetes and heart disease later in life, a Dutch study indicates.
The study of 491 older, postmenopausal women found that those who had reported high blood pressure during a pregnancy had a 57 percent higher risk of developing calcium buildup in their arteries, compared with those whose blood pressure did not rise abnormally during pregnancy.
The findings were published online in the Feb. 5 issue of the journal Hypertension.
Calcification of the arteries is a marker of atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Our research and that of others may have important implications for the management of women who have high blood pressure in pregnancy," senior researcher Dr. Michiel L. Bots, associate professor of epidemiology at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in Utrecht, said in a statement.
The findings probably do not have implications for obstetric care, added Dr. Sharonne Hayes, director of the women's heart clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"We would still need to treat those women the same way as we now do during pregnancy," she said. "But now, those women have been marked as having an increased risk of heart disease. They have another marker of risk and need to be much more vigilant in looking for cardiovascular disease."
Previous studies have led to "a growing recognition that complications, and particularly cardiovascular complications, during pregnancy lead to an increased risk of heart disease later on," said Hayes, who is chair of the scientific advisory board of Women Heart: A National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease.
"As far as I know, this is the first to look at coronary calcification, which is a very good marker for the presence of cardiovascular disease," she said.
The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 6 percent to 8 percent of American women develop unusually high blood pressure during pregnancy. Some go on to develop a condition called preeclampsia, which can damage the placenta, kidney, liver and brain. A more serious condition, called eclampsia, is a leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality.
The increase in calcification in the Dutch study was seen not only in women who developed preeclampsia but also those with high blood pressure, Hayes noted.
"It is a sign that you need to be more careful about your risk of heart disease down the road," she said.
The women themselves and their physicians should be aware of their increased risk, said Dr. Daniel Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and president-elect of the American Heart Association.
"In women who have had hypertension during pregnancy, there needs to be careful monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors, to [help them] be prepared appropriately to manage those factors," Jones said. "These women should be doing what we all should be doing -- keeping their weight in a good range, exercising, not smoking, eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables."
The study, he said, "is a new way of looking at an issue that we have long suspected is a problem: that women who have hypertension in pregnancy are more likely to develop hypertension later in life, and hypertension is a known risk of vascular disease."
SOURCES: Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director, Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic, Rochester, Minn; Daniel Jones, M.D, dean, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, and president-elect, American Heart Association; Feb. 6, 2007, Hypertension
Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Latest Developments
Quick update on me:
Last week, I came down with a nasty upper respiratory virus. This weekend, I felt like my nose was a faucet.
Now, it has settled into my left lung again. This is getting so old.
I think I’ll be making an appointment with my doctor again. I’m short of breath again, and frustrated with what feels like a repeat of my lung infection in December.
In other news:
I’m still investigating sensory processing disorder in how it relates to Gracie. I’ll post more soon, but wow, this seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel finally.
Darn preeclampsia! Darn premature birth! Darn my body and what it did to both of my Alpha Girls!
Terse Jen
Last week, I came down with a nasty upper respiratory virus. This weekend, I felt like my nose was a faucet.
Now, it has settled into my left lung again. This is getting so old.
I think I’ll be making an appointment with my doctor again. I’m short of breath again, and frustrated with what feels like a repeat of my lung infection in December.
In other news:
I’m still investigating sensory processing disorder in how it relates to Gracie. I’ll post more soon, but wow, this seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel finally.
Darn preeclampsia! Darn premature birth! Darn my body and what it did to both of my Alpha Girls!
Terse Jen
Monday, January 22, 2007
Donated to Locks of Love
On Saturday, I got my hair cut. And when I say hair cut, I mean huge amount of hair cut off. ha ha Here is the BEFORE shot, taken with Gracie's digital camera: 
I had 12 inches cut off to make 5 pony tails worth of hair to be donated to Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org). I guess you could say that I have a bit of hair shock, but I'm so happy I did it.
When Meghan was born and needed 3 transfusions, I wasn't able to donate blood to her because I had just given birth. I decided then that I would grow my hair out and donate it because it seemed to be all that I could do in those scary NICU days.
Well, the day finally arrived and a little over 2 1/2 years later, my hair is now gone. I need to mail it off to be made into a wig.
I had 12 inches cut off to make 5 pony tails worth of hair to be donated to Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org). I guess you could say that I have a bit of hair shock, but I'm so happy I did it.
When Meghan was born and needed 3 transfusions, I wasn't able to donate blood to her because I had just given birth. I decided then that I would grow my hair out and donate it because it seemed to be all that I could do in those scary NICU days.
Well, the day finally arrived and a little over 2 1/2 years later, my hair is now gone. I need to mail it off to be made into a wig.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Discharged from NICU Follow-Up Clinic
Today, Meghan had her 30 month adjusted check up at our NICU's follow-up clinic. I was so happy because Meghan's chief neonatologist, Dr. Ragatz, was on the follow-up clinic rotation today. It was nice to see him again, and he said it is so rewarding to see his former micros succeed.
We received the best news today. They feel that Meghan has come so far that they no longer are talking to us about cerebral palsy (CP) anymore. Her asymmetry (left-sided weakness) is virtually gone with just a tad in her left arm, which they feel should continue to fade to none with some more time and physical therapy.
WOOHOO!!!! This is such a relief. I can't tell you how many times I mulled over and cried about her possible CP over the last year. This is seriously the best news for Meghan. I'm so happy that I feel like I'm floating on air. Can ya tell I'm happy? :)
Today, Megs received an OT consultation using the Bailey scale. Her assessment came out to be a 34 month old. Another WOOHOO moment.
Finally, they gave us her height and weight. DRUM ROLL please!!!!!!!!!
25 pounds 1 ounce
33 inches
She is in the 29 1/2 percentile for height, and in the 25th percentile for weight. WOOHOO
I can barely believe this. Way to grow Meghan! Gotta love cyproheptadine.
They discharged Meghan from follow-up clinic, and asked us to submit our story to our hospital's Little Angels foundation for both Meghan and Grace. We've been visiting the Follow-Up clinic since Grace was born so they've gotten to know us pretty well.
Thanks for "listening" to my glowing report. I promise I'll be more humble next time.
Proud Mama Jen
We received the best news today. They feel that Meghan has come so far that they no longer are talking to us about cerebral palsy (CP) anymore. Her asymmetry (left-sided weakness) is virtually gone with just a tad in her left arm, which they feel should continue to fade to none with some more time and physical therapy.
WOOHOO!!!! This is such a relief. I can't tell you how many times I mulled over and cried about her possible CP over the last year. This is seriously the best news for Meghan. I'm so happy that I feel like I'm floating on air. Can ya tell I'm happy? :)
Today, Megs received an OT consultation using the Bailey scale. Her assessment came out to be a 34 month old. Another WOOHOO moment.
Finally, they gave us her height and weight. DRUM ROLL please!!!!!!!!!
25 pounds 1 ounce
33 inches
She is in the 29 1/2 percentile for height, and in the 25th percentile for weight. WOOHOO
I can barely believe this. Way to grow Meghan! Gotta love cyproheptadine.
They discharged Meghan from follow-up clinic, and asked us to submit our story to our hospital's Little Angels foundation for both Meghan and Grace. We've been visiting the Follow-Up clinic since Grace was born so they've gotten to know us pretty well.
Thanks for "listening" to my glowing report. I promise I'll be more humble next time.
Proud Mama Jen
Monday, January 15, 2007
Jen's Lense
For those of you who wonder about my experience with preeclampsia, please read this post from one of my Internet pals and heros:
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-lens.html
This account is so eloquently stated and elaborated on how most women who've had preeclampsia feel.
http://preeclampsiasurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-lens.html
This account is so eloquently stated and elaborated on how most women who've had preeclampsia feel.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Gene Chip Discovery
This is so cool! I wonder if Alpha-1 is one of the hereditary diseases for which the gene chip tests. WOOHOO for Cincinnati Children's. UPDATE: the chip does test for Alpha-1. This is so awesome! :)
December 22, 2006 - Gene Chip Discovery May Lead to Individualized Treatment for Five Hereditary Liver Diseases
Research Published in the Journal, Gastroenterology
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first gene chip to use in the early diagnosis of at least five hereditary liver diseases, to detect genetic causes of jaundice in children and adults, and potentially to lead to personalized treatment options.
The chip, termed the "jaundice chip," is nearly 100 percent effective in the detection of the most common mutations in children with inherited causes of jaundice, according to a new Cincinnati Children's study in the January issue of the journal Gastroenterology.
"Other chips have been developed to assess drug metabolism," said Jorge Bezerra, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead investigator. "This is the first chip in the world that has been customized to diagnose genetic mutations in patients with inherited types of liver diseases."
The chip uses a new technology that rapidly and accurately discloses the composition of several genes known to cause liver disease in children and adults. "The jaundice chip may also help us to discover whether subtle changes in these five genes that can cause devastating diseases in children may also modify the clinical course of other common liver diseases in adults," said Mitchell Cohen, MD, director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's.
Jaundice is a yellowing of the eyes and skin caused by impairment in bile flow from the liver to the intestine. Impaired bile flow, or cholestasis, commonly known as jaundice, can lead to severe liver disease. In children, jaundice and cirrhosis are responsible for more than half of the need for liver transplantation.
Previous research on humans identified five genes responsible for inherited forms of jaundice. Until now, the broad array of causes of cholestasis including genetic, metabolic, inflammatory and drug- or toxin-induced disorders, created a challenge for physicians to diagnose a specific disease. Therefore, the treatment of affected children was not disease-specific and aimed at optimizing care to help reduce liver transplantation. With the jaundice chip, however, diagnosis can be simplified by surveying the genetic code for mutations in specific diseases.
The jaundice chip was designed as a "five-in-one" gene chip to screen mutations (a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene) in five genes using only one milliliter, or less than a half of a teaspoon, of blood. Gene chips contain several thousand small fragments of DNA on a small piece of glass. Incubation of these chips with the patient's DNA sample produce chemical signals that "glow" and allow for the detection of the normal gene sequence, or of mutations if they are present in the patient.
"The jaundice chip is an extraordinary advance for our patients with liver diseases. It will improve diagnostic accuracy for perplexing diseases in infants and children, potentially decrease the need for invasive and costly studies, and allow us to develop specific treatment plans based on the correct genetic diagnosis," said Dr. Cohen.
"With further genetic testing of liver disease, there is the potential that medications can be tailored to meet the needs of individual patients taking into account the patient's genetic make-up," adds Dr. Bezerra. "For now, the use of the gene chip gives families piece of mind, knowing what their child is living with. The next focus of advances will be the development of medication that may block progression of their disease.
Today, detection of liver diseases with the jaundice chip is continuing, using samples from children worldwide through a research protocol in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Cincinnati Children's. Once approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the potential for wider use is limitless, according to Dr. Bezerra.
The discovery of the jaundice chip was made possible through a grant from the Research Foundation at Cincinnati Children's with additional support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the leading pediatric research institutions in the nation, is dedicated to changing the outcome for children throughout the world. Cincinnati Children's ranks second among all pediatric institutions in the United States in grants from the National Institutes of Health. It has an established tradition of research excellence, with discoveries including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, the surfactant preparation that saves the lives of thousands of premature infants each year, and a rotavirus vaccine that saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of infants around the world each year. Current research directions include the translation of basic laboratory research into the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of disease, and furthering the development of personalized and predictive medicine.
December 22, 2006 - Gene Chip Discovery May Lead to Individualized Treatment for Five Hereditary Liver Diseases
Research Published in the Journal, Gastroenterology
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first gene chip to use in the early diagnosis of at least five hereditary liver diseases, to detect genetic causes of jaundice in children and adults, and potentially to lead to personalized treatment options.
The chip, termed the "jaundice chip," is nearly 100 percent effective in the detection of the most common mutations in children with inherited causes of jaundice, according to a new Cincinnati Children's study in the January issue of the journal Gastroenterology.
"Other chips have been developed to assess drug metabolism," said Jorge Bezerra, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Cincinnati Children's and the study's lead investigator. "This is the first chip in the world that has been customized to diagnose genetic mutations in patients with inherited types of liver diseases."
The chip uses a new technology that rapidly and accurately discloses the composition of several genes known to cause liver disease in children and adults. "The jaundice chip may also help us to discover whether subtle changes in these five genes that can cause devastating diseases in children may also modify the clinical course of other common liver diseases in adults," said Mitchell Cohen, MD, director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's.
Jaundice is a yellowing of the eyes and skin caused by impairment in bile flow from the liver to the intestine. Impaired bile flow, or cholestasis, commonly known as jaundice, can lead to severe liver disease. In children, jaundice and cirrhosis are responsible for more than half of the need for liver transplantation.
Previous research on humans identified five genes responsible for inherited forms of jaundice. Until now, the broad array of causes of cholestasis including genetic, metabolic, inflammatory and drug- or toxin-induced disorders, created a challenge for physicians to diagnose a specific disease. Therefore, the treatment of affected children was not disease-specific and aimed at optimizing care to help reduce liver transplantation. With the jaundice chip, however, diagnosis can be simplified by surveying the genetic code for mutations in specific diseases.
The jaundice chip was designed as a "five-in-one" gene chip to screen mutations (a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene) in five genes using only one milliliter, or less than a half of a teaspoon, of blood. Gene chips contain several thousand small fragments of DNA on a small piece of glass. Incubation of these chips with the patient's DNA sample produce chemical signals that "glow" and allow for the detection of the normal gene sequence, or of mutations if they are present in the patient.
"The jaundice chip is an extraordinary advance for our patients with liver diseases. It will improve diagnostic accuracy for perplexing diseases in infants and children, potentially decrease the need for invasive and costly studies, and allow us to develop specific treatment plans based on the correct genetic diagnosis," said Dr. Cohen.
"With further genetic testing of liver disease, there is the potential that medications can be tailored to meet the needs of individual patients taking into account the patient's genetic make-up," adds Dr. Bezerra. "For now, the use of the gene chip gives families piece of mind, knowing what their child is living with. The next focus of advances will be the development of medication that may block progression of their disease.
Today, detection of liver diseases with the jaundice chip is continuing, using samples from children worldwide through a research protocol in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Cincinnati Children's. Once approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the potential for wider use is limitless, according to Dr. Bezerra.
The discovery of the jaundice chip was made possible through a grant from the Research Foundation at Cincinnati Children's with additional support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the leading pediatric research institutions in the nation, is dedicated to changing the outcome for children throughout the world. Cincinnati Children's ranks second among all pediatric institutions in the United States in grants from the National Institutes of Health. It has an established tradition of research excellence, with discoveries including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, the surfactant preparation that saves the lives of thousands of premature infants each year, and a rotavirus vaccine that saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of infants around the world each year. Current research directions include the translation of basic laboratory research into the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of disease, and furthering the development of personalized and predictive medicine.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Angiotensinogen and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Genes
I found this study abstract on PubMed. It is intensely interesting to me because I have a form of hypertension that falls into the angiotensinogen category, and I also carry the MZ Alpha-1 gene. People who have the angiotensinogen gene have increased risk for developing preeclampsia. I wonder how all of this works together. I suppose I'll never know since I'm not a doctor, but I'll always had reason to suspect I developed PE in relation to my Alpha-1 status. Scientists are always talking about modifier genes...thoughts that make me go...hmmmmm.
J Biol Chem. 1984 Jul 10;259(13):8063-5. Related Articles, Links
Common structural organization of the angiotensinogen and the alpha 1-antitrypsin genes.
Tanaka T, Ohkubo H, Nakanishi S.
A rat genomic DNA segment containing the angiotensinogen gene has been isolated from a gene library by hybridization with a restriction fragment derived from a previously cloned cDNA for rat angiotensinogen. Restriction mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned DNA fragments have indicated that the rat angiotensinogen gene is approximately 11.8 kilobase pairs long and consists of five exons separated by four introns. Because it has recently been reported that the sequence of angiotensinogen significantly resembles those of alpha 1-antitrypsin and ovalbumin and also that the exon-intron arrangements of the alpha 1-antitrypsin and ovalbumin genes are completely different, this study compares the structural organization of the angiotensinogen gene with those of the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene and the ovalbumin gene. The comparison has revealed that the four introns of the angiotensinogen gene are all located at the positions equivalent to or corresponding to those observed in the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene, suggesting that the angiotensinogen gene and the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene have diverged from a common ancestor gene. This finding raises interesting possibilities regarding the biological function of angiotensinogen and the evolution of the angiotensinogen gene.
Publication Types:
Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PMID: 6330095 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Biol Chem. 1984 Jul 10;259(13):8063-5. Related Articles, Links
Common structural organization of the angiotensinogen and the alpha 1-antitrypsin genes.
Tanaka T, Ohkubo H, Nakanishi S.
A rat genomic DNA segment containing the angiotensinogen gene has been isolated from a gene library by hybridization with a restriction fragment derived from a previously cloned cDNA for rat angiotensinogen. Restriction mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned DNA fragments have indicated that the rat angiotensinogen gene is approximately 11.8 kilobase pairs long and consists of five exons separated by four introns. Because it has recently been reported that the sequence of angiotensinogen significantly resembles those of alpha 1-antitrypsin and ovalbumin and also that the exon-intron arrangements of the alpha 1-antitrypsin and ovalbumin genes are completely different, this study compares the structural organization of the angiotensinogen gene with those of the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene and the ovalbumin gene. The comparison has revealed that the four introns of the angiotensinogen gene are all located at the positions equivalent to or corresponding to those observed in the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene, suggesting that the angiotensinogen gene and the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene have diverged from a common ancestor gene. This finding raises interesting possibilities regarding the biological function of angiotensinogen and the evolution of the angiotensinogen gene.
Publication Types:
Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PMID: 6330095 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
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