Leapfrog - Should Pregnant Women Take Antidepressants?

This is what I tried to get leapfrogged on Helium to take the place of my earlier article on this subject. You can find the original posted down below. This new one was rejected. If you have comments or suggestions about the two articles and can help me figure out why it failed, please leave them here.

Thanks, Piper


Is it safe to take antidepressants through pregnancy?

It is a simple decision for a pregnant woman to forgo things like cold medicine, caffeine or alcohol in order to protect her baby from potentially harmful substances. The effects of those decisions are short term and not harmful to either mother or child. However, almost 20% of pregnant women experience clinical depression. Left untreated clinical depression can be deadly. Fortunately, there are several options available to treat depression, including psychotherapy, medications, bright light therapy and combinations of these. *[See note]

A study published in the April issue of Pharmacotherapy analyzes the choices available to patients and their doctors. This particular study evaluated the results of several other studies that focused on newer antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephiren reuptake inhibitors. While "information is available on the safety of antidepressant use during pregnancy, it is limited by the small size of most trials and by trial designs that often did not use mothers with depression as control subjects and could not, for ethical reasons, be randomized and double blinded." That paucity makes the decision whether or not to use medication to treat depression during pregnancy that much more difficult. Pregnant women "are subject to the same adverse consequences of depression as are non-pregnant women, including social withdrawal and even suicide."

Pregnant women frequently receive unsolicited and unwelcome advice; even from complete strangers. In addition, pregnant mothers often find themselves on the receiving end of harsh criticism for decisions that they make during their pregnancy. Some decisions can be debatable. For example, is it a good idea for her to take a vacation in the wilderness? In the case of major depression, however, the mother needs to be able to take care of herself and her child without suffering society's condemnation.

Untreated clinical depression during pregnancy has been associated with preeclampsia, miscarriages, and premature labor. "In addition, pregnant women with depression are less likely to attend regular obstetric visits and may have lower than normal weight gain, may lack compliance with prenatal care, and may be more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, or use cocaine."

While data about the gestational pharmacotherapy is sparse, most of the data is encouraging. For example, "preliminary evidence suggests that SSRI exposure in utero does not have significant long-term effects on cognition or behavior." In the end, society needs to realize that a clinically depressed mother-to-be is just like any mother who would do whatever it takes to save her child's life. It is for this reason that doctors and women should weigh all the factors to decide on an appropriate treatment plan. This includes acknowledging the fact that the life of both mother and child may depend on her decision.

http://www.pharmacotherapy.org

*Electoconvulsive therapy is another option, however, it is only used when other therapies have failed to provide relief.

Picture of Some Air Traffic stuff

Memorable Superbowl 2007 Commercials

There are many people who tune in to the Superbowl every year, not to watch the game, but to watch the commercials. In addition to paying advertising agencies and production costs to produce their commercials, companies pay millions of dollars for 30-second slots simply to air the commercials. Superbowl commercials are to the advertising world as the Christmas shopping season is to retail markets.

Especially when one takes into account the time and effort that is invested in each commercial, it is essential that companies find a way, preferably objective, to analyze the success or failure of each commercial. Objective evidence is hard to come by if the only measurement available comes from polling consumers. An emerging industry, neuromarketing, "the study of the brain's responses to ads" (1), is beginning to change that.

The first neuromarketing research study was published in the October 2004 issue of "Neuron." Scientists use fMRIs to study the brain activity of people during an activity, as in people watching Super Bowl commercials, and comparing that data with subjective information provided by the participants.

Three years later, "FKF Applied Research, with the help of UCLA's Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, said that Coca-Cola's "Video Game" ad-a 60-second animated spot that promotes random acts of kindness-scored this year because it elicited the most positive emotions in subjects' brains." (2)

The most successful ads for Superbowl 2007, were:
Coca-Cola: "Video Game"Doritos: "Live the Flavor"Bud Light: "Hitchhiker"

The least successful ads for Superbowl 2007, were:
Emerald Nuts: "Robert Goulet"Honda: "CRV Crave"Sprint: "Connectile Dysfunction"

(1) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persua ders/etc/neuro.html
(2) http://news.com.com/Who+really+won+during+the+Super+ Bowl/2100-1008_3-6156330.html

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Piper

Camera Cell Phones, Weight Loss and Jules Verne

Jules Verne invented science fiction. The first novel he wrote, "Paris in the 20th Century," contained skyscrapers of glass and steel, high-speed trains, gas-powered automobiles, calculators, and, a worldwide communications network. In spite of his incredible imagination, he would never have seen this one coming.

mDiet - Mobile Diet Intervention through Electronic Technology

mDiet is a service rather than a device. According to the National Cancer Institute, "The mDiet system will include a web-application that shares data and communicates via a server with the cell phone."

In other words, the purpose of mDiet is to use people's cell phones as an avenue to create a support system for people trying to lose weight. On going support systems for dieters are not new; well-known examples include Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. Under the mDiet program, the provider will send text or picture messages to the patient. The messages will contain "specific suggestions or tips regarding diet and improving lifestyle habits." Providers will be able to support a large number of people with a relatively small amount of effort.

Since mDiet's approach is such a novel one,the Patient-centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise and Nutrition project (PACE) at the University of California, San Diego is conducting a research study that is evaluating the mDiet program.

PACE is evaluating whether patients receiving mDiet messages will lower their Body Mass Index (BMI) more than a control group of patients without mDiet's support. Primarily, researchers will gauge the success or failure of mDiet based on objective measurements of the BMI between the two groups.
The mDiet program is designed to be simple and easy to follow. Therefore, researchers will also be judging the patients' satisfaction with mDiet by measuring "subjective ratings of intervention components and ease of use, and objective measures of frequency of use."

PACE project principal investigator Kevin Patrick, M.D., M.S., professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, says, "We are trying to make this as pain free as possible. People won't stick to something that's too difficult and they're all multi-tasking anyway. Using the cell phone may be the perfect way to get a message to busy people on the go."
Pierre-Jules Hetzel, Verne's publisher, rejected "Paris in the 20th Century" because he believed it would not be successful. Hetzel advised, "Wait twenty years to write this book. If you were a prophet, no one would believe your prophecies."
Jules Verne would be surprised by what we do with a worldwide communications network. Welcome to the 21st Century, Mr. Verne.

"Paris in the 20th Century" was finally published in 1989.

Kimberly Edwards, Public Information Officer for USCD expects that the results of this study will be published, at the earliest, around April 2009.

"Ecological Momentary Intervention of Diet Via Mobile Technology" is funded by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Detailed information is available at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00415870;jsessi onid=424CBDFE211CECD07610B9180BE443EC?order=17.

National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov - http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/grants/abstract.asp? ApplID=7283961

Press Release from USCD - http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/health/08-07CellPho neDropPoundsKE-.asp