> From: Nick Arnett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > I think I'm speaking up now because a bad thing happened. As some of you > know, many years ago, I was, from time to time, "Robert X. Cringely," > writing the gossip column in the back of InfoWorld. I covered for my buddy > Mark Stephens, who has leveraged the pseudonym into a small empire with the > help of PBS. In January, Mark sent me photos of his newborn twins, with a > note that said something like, "49 years of f***ing around finally paid > off." Take a look at his column this week for a little perspective: > http://www.pbs.org/cringely The short summary is that one of his boys died. > In his lap, as he read e-mail. From SIDS. And now he wants us to help him > prevent SIDS deaths. >
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_543544.htm Studies shed light on crib death Tuesday, 30 April 2002 Two studies which have been released could shed more light on why infants who lie on their stomachs are more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome. One shows that lying prone can twist a baby's neck so far that the arteries leading to the head become blocked and another showed that nerve cells near brain arteries may not work properly. Both support the recommendation that babies be put to sleep on their backs. SIDS, also known as cot death or crib death, is a catch-all term used to describe inexplicable infant deaths. In the United States more than 2,000 babies die of SIDS every year. This number used to be much higher. Following findings in 1992 that babies who slept on their bellies were at greater risk for SIDS, the American Academy of Paediatrics launched a campaign to promote back sleeping. Experts have credited it with a 40 per cent drop in SIDS deaths. A similar campaign had similar effects in Europe. SIDS is also more likely in the babies of mothers who smoke, babies put down in overheated rooms and babies who are wrapped in blankets. A defect in liver enzymes is blamed in about 5 per cent of cases and some research also points to a defect in the brain stem, where breathing is controlled. A second study, done at Yale University in the US, found that neurons thought to be important in SIDS are found near some of the largest arteries supplying the brain. Dr George Richerson and colleagues said the neurons produce serotonin, an important message-carrying chemical. Earlier research has shown that brain cells that hold serotonin are strongly stimulated by carbon dioxide - suggesting that serotonin helps signal the brain that the gas is present. "When someone falls asleep with their face in a pillow, carbon dioxide levels rise," Dr Richerson said. "The normal response is to wake up slightly, turn the head and breathe harder. There is evidence that some infants that die of SIDS lack this normal protective response." If the neurons meant to detect dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide do not work, perhaps the baby suffocates instead of waking up and moving, he said. Last week Australian doctors reported that babies who died of SIDS had high levels in their blood of a toxin associated with E coli bacteria Other researchers recently reported that babies who are exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of crib death.
