Birth Defects News

September 6, 2016

Autism: Common Cell Signaling Pathway Awry?

How Obesity May Pass from Mom to Child

Zika: Multiple Brain Effects Beyond Microcephaly

Zika Infection May Affect Adult Brain Cells

Latest Headlines

updated 12:51am EDT

Gene Defect as a Potential Gateway for Targeted Prostate Cancer Therapy

Sep. 5, 2016 — The loss of CHD1, one of the most frequently mutated genes in prostate tumors, sensitizes human prostate cancer cells to different drugs, including PARP inhibitors. This suggests CHD1 as a potential ... read more

Bacterial Membrane Vesicles Can Cause Preterm Birth

Sep. 1, 2016 — A new study reports that GBS produces membrane-bound vesicles containing bacterial factors that can attack the host tissue. In mice, the study shows, these vesicles can move ... read more

PTSD Increases Risk for Metabolic Syndrome, Reduced Cortical Thickness

Aug. 31, 2016 — Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of cardiometabolic conditions, may be a biological mechanism linking posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to structural brain abnormalities, according to a new study. ... read more

Newer Epilepsy Drugs Taken While Pregnant Not Linked to Lower IQs in Children

Aug. 31, 2016 — Two newer epilepsy drugs may not harm the thinking skills or IQs of school-aged children whose mothers took them while pregnant -- but an older drug ... read more

New Research Uncovers the First Steps of How Human Organs and Tissues Develop

Aug. 31, 2016 — For the first time, the precise way individual human organs and tissue develop has been mapped, providing new insight into how genetic disorders can ... read more

Folic Acid Fortified Food Linked to Decline in Congenital Heart Defects

Aug. 29, 2016 — Food fortified with folic acid helped lower overall rates of congenital heart defects in Canada. The effect was evident in some types of congenital heart defects but not ... read more

Sertraline, Brand Named Zoloft, Improves Functioning in Young Children With Fragile X

Aug. 26, 2016 — Treatment with sertraline may provide nominal but important improvements in cognition and social participation in very young children with fragile X ... read more

Team Discovers How Zika Virus Causes Fetal Brain Damage

Aug. 24, 2016 — Infection by the Zika virus diverts a key protein necessary for neural cell division in the developing human fetus, thereby causing the birth defect microcephaly, a team of scientists ... read more

Non-Travel Zika Cases in Florida Could Approach 400 by Summer’s End

Aug. 24, 2016 — Nearly 400 non travel-related Zika infections will occur in Florida before the end of the summer, according to new projections by ... read more

Chemicals Banned Decades Ago Linked to Increased Autism Risk Today

Aug. 23, 2016 — A group of human-made chemicals used in some pesticides and insulating materials banned in the 1970s continues to linger in the United States, and new research found that high levels of exposure to ... read more

Portable Device Enables Pregnant Women to Monitor Baby's Health

Baby With Zika-Linked Defect Born in New Jersey

Nearly Half Of Heart Attack Victims Might Not Know They Had One

Trouble Sleeping? Chest Pain? Could Be Symptoms Of Adult Asthma

Genetic Intersection of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Shared Medical Conditions

Sep. 1, 2016 — Researchers have analyzed current gene-disease findings to understand why people with neurodevelopmental and mental illness often have physical ... read more

How PSD Forms and Why Defects Can Cause Autism

Aug. 25, 2016 — Scientists have discovered that SynGAP and PSD-95, two abundance proteins in PSD that are known to cause autism when mutated, can form an autonomously assembled network structure both in test-tube ... read more

Concussions and Brain Injury: Can Omega-3 Intake Aid in Brain Health Recovery?

Aug. 24, 2016 — The treatment of concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a clinical challenge. Clinical studies thus far have failed to identify an effective treatment strategy when a combination of targets ... read more

In Some Genetic Cases of Microcephaly, Stem Cells Fail to Launch

Aug. 24, 2016 — In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new study that may provide important clues to understanding how the Zika virus affects the ... read more

New Report Details Pre And Postnatal Brain Defects from Zika Virus

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers from the epicenter of the current Zika virus outbreak have released a report on imaging findings in babies and fetuses infected with the Zika virus. Zika virus is most dangerous when ... read more

Study Identifies How Zika Virus Infects the Placenta

Aug. 18, 2016 — In a new study, researchers demonstrate Zika virus infection of cells derived from human placentas. The research provides insight into how Zika virus may be transmitted from expectant mother to ... read more

Unhealthy Diet During Pregnancy Could Be Linked to ADHD

Aug. 18, 2016 — A high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be linked to symptoms of ADHD in children who show conduct problems early in life, new research ... read more

Study Quantifies Risk Factors for Preterm Birth

Aug. 17, 2016 — A significant portion of preterm births might be avoided by reducing or eliminating three major risk factors: abnormalities in the interval between pregnancies, the mother's body mass index ... read more

Antipsychotic Medication Poses Little Risk to Developing Fetus

Aug. 17, 2016 — Researchers found that the use of APMs in pregnancy does not meaningfully increase the risk of congenital malformations or cardiac malformations, with the possible exception of ... read more

Potential Therapeutic Target for Huntington's Disease

Aug. 16, 2016 — There is new hope in the fight against Huntington's disease. Scientists have discovered that changing a specific part of the huntingtin protein prevented the loss of critical brain cells and ... read more

Prenatal BPA Exposure Linked to Anxiety and Depression in Boys

Aug. 16, 2016 — Boys exposed prenatally to a common chemical used in plastics may be more likely to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression at age 10-12. The new study examined early life exposure to the chemical ... read more

CRISPR Gene Editing Reveals New Therapeutic Approach for Blood Disorders

Aug. 15, 2016 — An international team of scientists has found a way to use CRISPR gene editing to help fix sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia in blood cells isolated from ... read more

Brain Study Confirms Gene Mutation Link to Psychiatric Disorders

Aug. 15, 2016 — Brain scans have revealed how a genetic mutation linked to major psychiatric disorders affects the structure, function and chemistry of the brain. The study offers further clues about how the ... read more

Two Zika Proteins Responsible for Microcephaly Identified

Aug. 11, 2016 — Researchers have tracked down two Zika proteins potentially responsible for thousands of microcephaly cases in Brazil and elsewhere -- taking one small step toward preventing Zika-infected mothers ... read more

New Treatment Option for Alzheimer's Disease Possible, Say Researchers

Aug. 11, 2016 — A research project has shown that an experimental model of Alzheimer's disease can be successfully treated with a commonly used anti-inflammatory ... read more

Cancer Drug for Mums-to-Be May Curb Baby Girls' Future Fertility

Aug. 10, 2016 — Chemotherapy treatment during pregnancy may affect the future fertility of unborn baby girls, a study suggests. Researchers have found that a drug called etoposide can damage the development of mouse ... read more

New, Improved Guidelines for Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Aug. 10, 2016 — A group of experts on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders has produced proposed clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD, which can result when a mother drinks during pregnancy. The proposed guidelines ... read more

New PET Scan Tracer Allows First Imaging of the Epigenetics of the Human Brain

Aug. 10, 2016 — A novel PET radiotracer is able for the first time to reveal epigenetic activity -- the process that determines whether or not genes are expressed -- within the human ... read more

New Disease Gene Linked to Telomerase Abnormalities in Some Cases of Pulmonary Fibrosis, Emphysema

Aug. 10, 2016 — Researchers say they have identified a new disease gene that, when mutated, appears to increase the risk in a small number of people of developing emphysema and a lung-scarring condition known as ... read more

Frozen Embryos More Effective Than Fresh in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Aug. 10, 2016 — Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who receive frozen embryos during in vitro fertilization have safer and more successful pregnancies than those who get fresh embryos, according to the ... read more

Thursday, September 1, 2016