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Journal of Human Lactation launches Facebook Page!

By on 4 September 2012 in ILCA News, JHL News, Social Media

By Anne Merewood, PhD, MPH, IBCLC

The Journal of Human Lactation recently published two papers on our Online First page about use of telehealth equipment in lactation consulting. Those 2 papers will be printed in November, alongside a Round Table Discussion about computer technology in daily IBCLC practice, and an Insights in Practice paper, co-authored by Lactation Matters’ own Amber McCann and Jeanette McCulloch, about lactation consulting and social media. Their bottom line?

New mothers are using social media.

IBCLCs had better get with the program. (And don’t worry, they tell you how!). With this techno-heavy issue due in November, JHL’s editorial staff, egged on by those incorrigible, born again social media-ites on ILCA’s Marketing Committee, resolved to take our own messages to heart, and thus, a week ago, JHL “arrived” on Facebook.

According to Amber and Jeanette, I’m a “digital immigrant”, compared to New Young Things born into the computer era and thus, “digital natives.” As an immigrant learning the lingo (use of that dated word alone would presumably raise howls of derision from my teenage sons, who watch my efforts from a safe distance, with indulgent contempt), my plan was to take it slow and build the page, but of course there is no slow …within minutes “likes” materialized like magic; within days we had over 100 of them and the “thing” had developed a life of its own. As the “young mother” (young in the figurative sense, yes) of this site, I hover anxiously over its development, ever anxious of hitting the wrong button and sending very public errors into the etherspace. But I have a team of student caretakers, and so far, it’s been nothing but fun!

Come LIKE us and spread the word!

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Journal of Human Lactation Launches New Podcast Feature!

By on 12 June 2012 in Breastfeeding News, JHL article, JHL News, Research

Written by Karen Wambach

In the first of a new regular feature, The Journal of Human Lactation and Sage Publications has just launched its FIRST PODCAST entitled “On the TRAIL of cancer fighting cells in human milk: The latest research” . These podcasts will feature the author of a JHL paper in a 10-15 minute interview and will be available from the JHL website. The goal is to have at least 1 podcast per JHL issue.

In the current podcast, Editor-in-Chief Anne Merewood PhD, MPH, IBCLC, interviews Italian researchers Riccardo Davanzo MD PhD, and Giorgio Zauli MD PhD, about their paper “Human Colostrum and Breast Milk Contain High Levels of TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)”, published online in the Journal of Human Lactation. The researchers, in a first-time effort to measure TRAIL in human milk, took samples of colostrum and mature breast milk from new mothers. Researchers then obtained samples of blood from healthy women, and various ready-to-feed infant formulas. The colostrum, mature breast milk, blood and formula were then all tested to measure their level of TRAIL. The researchers found that colostrum and breast milk contained 400- and 100-fold, respectively, higher levels of TRAIL than blood. No TRAIL was detected in the formula.

In the podcast, the authors discuss the implications of their findings with regard to the cancer prevention properties of human milk, and areas of ongoing and future research. High levels of TRAIL protein in breast milk might contribute to anticancer activity.

For subscribers to the journal, read the full study here: “Human Colostrum and Breast Milk Contain High Levels of TNF-related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)” by Riccardo Davanzo, MD, PhD; Giorgio Zauli, MD, PhD;Lorenzo Monasta, MSc, DSc; Liza Vecchi Brumatti, MSc; Maria Valentina Abate, MD;Giovanna Ventura, MD; Erika Rimondi, MSc, PhD; Paola Secchiero, MSc, PhD; and Sergio Demarini, MD. Journal of Human Lactation

Karen Wambach is the Director of Research and Special Projects for ILCA. Karen received her nursing degrees from the University of Minnesota in 1982 (BSN), and her MS (1989) and PhD in Nursing (1993) from the University of Arizona. A nurse educator, researcher, and IBCLC, Karen is Associate Professor at the University of Kansas. She has been active in ILCA at the local, regional, and international levels as a presenter, regional conference planner, and member and chair of the ILCA Research Committee. She is a member of the Missouri and Kansas Breastfeeding Coalitions and involved in evaluation of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition’s Business Case for Breastfeeding project. A recipient of NIH funding for a randomized clinical trial; her program of research has evolved over the years and now focuses on promotion and support of breastfeeding in vulnerable populations including adolescent mothers and ethnic minorities.

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Journal of Human Lactation and the Future of Inside Track – May 2012 Edition

By on 19 April 2012 in ILCA News, JHL News

Written by Anne Merewood, PhD, MPH, IBCLC, Editor of JHL

The May Journal of Human Lactation (JHL) will soon hit the web and the postal service – and contains some very cool new papers, to put it scientifically. But first….wait….there is no Inside Track! What is going on? Fear not! Inside Track will be back!

As new Editor in Chief at JHL, in full cooperation and agreement with the ILCA Board and the Publications Committee, I decided to make Inside Track peer reviewed. This means from now on, Inside Tracks must be submitted directly to JHL via the regular submission site, and as with any other paper, will be sent out for review to expert reviewers who will not know who wrote it. It has taken us a while to set this up, which is why there is no Inside Track in May. The next Inside Track has already been reviewed and will appear in JHL in August.

• Why did JHL do this? Frankly, JHL’s editorial staff are not experts on everything. Some Inside Tracks are about specialized subjects beyond our experience, and as with all other papers, there is a need for true experts with in-depth knowledge in their field to review them. These may be patient handouts, but especially because they are in JHL, they have the weight of an evidence-based, academic journal behind them and they need to be watertight.

• Does this mean Inside Track will change? No – from the reader’s perspective, there will be little, if any, noticeable change to Inside Track. However, because we hope to draw from a wider pool of writers, we hope to have a broader cultural perspective than has been previously available.

• Will there be fewer Inside Tracks? Hopefully not – we are aiming for 1 per issue, but we depend on you, our ILCA membership, to write them.

• Who can write an Inside Track? YOU! At least 1 author must be an IBCLC, and the lead author must be an ILCA member (if the lead author is not an ILCA member on submission, they must join ILCA prior to its publication). Inside Track seeks to promote the IBCLC and to foster new writers among ILCA members.

• How do I get started? We have created some guidelines for writing an Inside Track. Email the office at jhleditorialoffice@gmail.com for the guidelines.

• How long will it take between submission and appearing in print? This depends on how many changes the reviewers want, but an average would be 4-6 months.

• I would love to have a go at this but what if I get rejected? Please – have a go. We will work with writers. Just be sure you are using current evidence and follow the guidelines.

• Where can I learn more about this? The JHL Special Interest Group at the ILCA conference will devote some time to writing Inside Tracks.

JHL’s New look

And as for the cool papers in the May issue of the JHL

Have you ever wondered what rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the hospital might look like if you really counted every single feed? Have you pondered whether the WIC data about breastfeeding, based on what food package women receive, accurately reflects breastfeeding status of WIC clients? How much weight do infants born by cesarean section lose, and are unsupplemented babies under 6 months at risk of severe vitamin D deficiency? The May issue of JHL has original research papers addressing all these questions, offering some answers, and raising plenty more questions!

In addition, May sees the introduction of a new section: Insights in Policy, so this issue has publications under Insights in Practice, and Insights in Policy, both on the theme of donor milk in the NICU.

RoundTable returns with a discussion on alternative feeding methods in many different nations, and we feature selected abstracts from the Nordic conference and workshop held last September in Uppsala. Check it out!

Please watch this space, the info will be in ILCA’s Lactation Matters!

Anne Merewood PhD, MPH, IBCLC, Editor of JHL
Director, The Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine
Division of General Pediatrics
Boston, MA 02118

 

Journal of Human Lactation

Journal of Human Lactation (JHL) is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal publishing original research, commentaries relating to human lactation and breastfeeding behavior, case reports relevant to the practicing lactation consultant and other health professionals who assist lactating mothers or their breastfeeding infants, debate on research methods for breastfeeding and lactation studies, and discussions of the business aspects of lactation consulting

Impact Factor: 1.329
Ranked: 54 out of 109 in Pediatrics, 50 out of 77 in Obstetrics & Gynecology and 21 out of 89 in Nursing

Source: 2010 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2011)

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IBCLCs Traveling the Globe: Uppsala, Sweden: Part 1

By on 4 October 2011 in IBCLCs traveling the globe

Baby-Friendly Neonatal Care Conference and Workshop Uppsala, Sweden, Sept 14-16, 2011

L to R is Yvette Sheehy, Anne Merewood, Annette Wright, Susanna Scurry

IBCLCs, hospital clinicians, researchers, and lactation professionals from around the world met at the Baby Friendly Neonatal Care Conference and Workshop in Uppsala, Sweden, for a groundbreaking meeting on a proposed expansion of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The conference was the brainchild of the Nordic expert group, in response to the document “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Revised, Updated and Expanded for Integrated Care”, UNICEF/WHO 2009.

On a packed first day in the beautiful and historic Uppsala University, 220 attendees from 27 nations listened to internationally representative presentations on the importance of breastfeeding in intensive care, and about innovatory programs and guidelines that are making NICUs more Baby-Friendly. Many speakers and participants were leaders of the Baby-Friendly initiative in their home countries.

On days 2 and 3, attendees met in workshops to discuss each of the Ten Steps, and their potential adaptation to the NICU. Participants also made suggestions for monitoring progress and standards. In the final session, group leaders summarized suggestions for all attendees.

Uppsala was an appropriate location for this conference, with its hospital NICU standing out as one of the world’s most family centered units. The working group will take conference suggestions and use them to create a final document to present to the World Health Organization for approval in the future.

Abstracts from oral, poster, and workshop presentations will be published online by the Journal of Human Lactation (JHL) in early 2012. JHL aims to publish the recommendations in full when they are finalized.

The conference was not all hard work. The Conference Dinner at Norrlands Student Nation included student singing and other musical entertainment, and the meeting opened with Swedish-style sing-alongs to “We are Family, Baby-Friendly Centered Family” and – but, of course – Abba’s Mama Mia…..

Anne Merewood PhD MPH IBCLC
Director, The Breastfeeding Center, Boston Medical Center
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine
Division of General Pediatrics
Boston, MA 02118

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