Birth Defects News and Research

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New genetic test can predict cleft lip or palate

Researchers have developed a new genetic test that can help predict whether parents who have one child with the "isolated" form of cleft lip or palate are likely to have a second child with the same birth defect. Isolated clefts account for 70 percent of all cleft lip and palate cases.

10 Sep 2004

Researchers work to defeat acne by understanding it better on a molecular level

To defeat an enemy, you must first understand it, or so the saying goes. And for nearly every teenager and young adult, acne is a formidable foe, causing damage to their skin and their self-image that can leave long-lasting physical and emotional scars.

2 Sep 2004

FDA approves revised labeling for anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray

AstraZeneca has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved revised labeling for its anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray RHINOCORT AQUA® (budesonide).

26 Aug 2004

The next generation of single-enantiomer catalysts

Many molecules are enantiomers: they have mirror- image versions that may have identical parts but are just as different as your left hand is from your right.

23 Aug 2004

Research sheds shed light on a common cause of miscarriage in humans

Top poker players know that the face mirrors the brain. Specialists in embryonic development wouldn’t disagree. In fact, because the same clumps of primordial cells mold the final features of both, a close look at a child’s face can often yield clues about less visible problems within the skull

20 Aug 2004

Stable home can lower the risk for problems arising from prenatal exposure to alcohol

A stable home and an early diagnosis can lower the risk for problems arising from prenatal exposure to alcohol, a new study says.

20 Aug 2004

Gene variant that is a major contributor to cleft lip

An international team of researchers has identified a gene variant that is a major contributor to oral clefts and triples the risk of recurrence in affected families, it was reported today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Aug 2004

Agreement on terminology for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

"There is so much confusion around what to call the broader effects of prenatal alcohol exposure when a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome cannot be made"

17 Aug 2004

Research provides new hope for people with fetal alcohol syndrome

New research by Professor Ann Streissguth of the University of Washington shows that people diagnosed with either fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol effect (FAE) are more likely to escape social and relationship problems if they are diagnosed early in life and raised in a stable and nurturing environment.

12 Aug 2004

Drug to fight virus from the herpes family in transplant patients moves forward in trials

A drug once considered for cancer chemotherapy is advancing in clinical trials to test its effectiveness in fighting a virus from the herpes family that threatens transplant patients.

29 Jul 2004

New method for detecting premature birth

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a method for detecting intra-amniotic infections in pregnant women using state-of-the-art methods.

29 Jul 2004

Women with epilepsy should not let their condition stop them from planning a family

Generally speaking, women with epilepsy should not let their condition stop them from planning a family, according to doctors and epilepsy researchers.

27 Jul 2004

Gene responsible for infertility

A paper describing discoveries about the role of a gene that is important in all animals, plants, and fungi is published in the 20 July 2004 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

23 Jul 2004

Women with epilepsy may wonder what their chances are of having a healthy baby

Women with epilepsy may wonder what their chances are of having a healthy baby. They can relax with the knowledge that their chances of having a normal, healthy child are greater than 90 percent.

23 Jul 2004

Gene responsible for the onset of aging

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a gene responsible for the onset of aging, including age-related disorders such as infertility, reproductive problems and cataracts.

7 Jul 2004

A Center for Human Genetics/Genomics has been established at the University of California

Established in UCSD Health Sciences, which includes the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Center brings together UCSD faculty from multiple campus departments and schools including medicine, pharmacy, biology, biostatistics and mathematics.

30 Jun 2004

Zebrafish research may help determine what causes certain birth defects

Description of dozens of mutations that will help determine the earliest steps in vertebrate development, which take the spherical embryo to a complex creature

24 Jun 2004

Xenobiotic gets patent approval for toxin detection

XDS consultant (and former XDS laboratory director) Michael Chu and President George Clark combined their research skills to develop a rapid and relatively inexpensive methodology to quantify TEQs (Toxic Equivalence -- measures of toxicity adopted by the World Health Organization) for individual toxic chemical groups.

17 Jun 2004

Researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize

For the first time, UCLA researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize, forming evenly spaced patterns in a test tube. Published in the June 22, 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings may help improve methods for regenerating tissue, controlling birth defects and developing new treatments for specific diseases.

14 Jun 2004

Virginia Health urges women of childbearing age to take folic acid

According to data from a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2004, only 35 percent of Virginia women of childbearing age take a vitamin pill that contains folic acid.

11 Jun 2004