Maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy is a risky lifestyle.

Alcohol is a well known teratogen. Its role in causing fetal alcohol syndrome/fetal alcohol effects is well documented. A vast amount of study over the past several decades has finally provided insight into many aspects of its effect. The only effective treatment is complete abstinence from the drug during pregnancy.

Protecting women and children from physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.

Domestic violence is a serious public health problem. The "epidemic" is becoming too obvious to hide, too widespread to deny, and too much of a health hazard to ignore. The victims are children, women, the elderly, and the society as a whole. Family members, government, educational and penal agencies, civic and medical societies, physicians, and citizens at large are all involved in domestic violence prevention. By having a high index of suspicion, physicians are in an ideal position to prevent, assess, identify, and treat victims of domestic violence and its associated problems.

Neonatal poisoning: causes, manifestations, prevention, and management.

Neonates are exposed to a growing list of potentially toxic environmental and therapeutic agents. Such exposure may be through mishap, misjudgment in both drug dosage and route of administration, inadvertent misuse of medications, or improper baby care. In addition, the newborn infant may show signs of adverse reactions to a variety of drugs that are given to the mother and cross the placenta, thereby affecting the fetus before or during both labor and delivery. Because of the immaturity of the neonate's liver, lungs, kidneys, and central nervous system, the process of metabolizing and eliminating drugs and poisons is delayed. Moreover, the clinical signs and symptoms of poisoning are not always immediately recognized. Through reviewing various drugs and environmental pollutants, this article places emphasis on prevention rather than treatment.

The umbilical cord: care, anomalies, and diseases.

The umbilical cord is the lifeline of the fetus and of the neonate in the first few minutes after birth. Care of the cord and stump in the immediate neonatal period varies according to social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors. Measures taken to insure sterility in cutting, tying, and painting the umbilical cord may prevent serious diseases such as tetanus neonatorum. Care of the umbilical cord may be less than optimal in babies born at home in unsupervised "home delivery." Minor congenital anomalies of the umbilical cord, such as umbilical hernia, and major anomalies, such as gastroschisis and omphalocele, are reviewed in this article. Survival in babies with major anomalies of the cord has been improving steadily because of early diagnosis (including prenatal diagnosis), better operative procedures, and better understanding of the fluid and nutritional requirements of the neonate postoperatively. Diseases of the cord include omphalitis and, rarely, tumors.