Assessing maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy: comparison of confidential postnatal maternal interview and measurement of alcohol biomarkers in meconium.

Objective: Knowledge of alcohol consumption in pregnancy is important for early identification of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. We investigated whether alcohol biomarkers fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in meconium are predicted by maternal or newborn demographics and/or correlate with confidential early postnatal self-report of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Design: Anonymised, observational population-based study.

Calmin expression in embryos and the adult brain, and its regulation by all-trans retinoic acid.

The vitamin A metabolite, all-trans retinoic acid (atRA), is a regulator of nervous system development. Using a subtracted cDNA library constructed from neuroblastoma cells, the atRA-responsive gene calmin (Clmn) was identified (Merrill et al. [2004] Biol Chem 385:605-614).