Cleft Palate News and Research

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Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth. They happen when the tissue that forms the roof of the mouth and upper lip don't join before birth. The problem can range from a small notch in the lip to a groove that runs into the roof of the mouth and nose. This can affect the way the child's face looks. It can also lead to problems with eating, talking and ear infections.

Children can benefit from surgery for sleep apnea

Times have changed. Within the last ten years, the primary reason that children have had surgery to remove their tonsils and adenoids is not because of infection. Instead, up to 90 percent of the adenotonsillectomy surgeries are to correct obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

1 Mar 2005

Physical traits, genetic test help with early diagnosis of aneurysm syndrome

A research team led by Johns Hopkins doctors has defined the physical traits and genetic basis of a new aortic aneurysm syndrome that is extremely aggressive and can cause death in early childhood. Early diagnosis of the syndrome and rapid surgical repair of the swollen aorta can save lives, the researchers report in the Jan. 30 advance online section of Nature Genetics.

30 Jan 2005

Distraction osteogenesis procedure may be a feasible and effective method to repair cleft palate in the future

Results from a Mayo Clinic laboratory study in animals suggest that using distraction osteogenesis, a procedure that uses the mechanical force of an appliance to lengthen soft tissue and bone, may be a feasible and effective method to repair cleft palate in the future.

24 Jan 2005

Exposure to methamphetamine in the womb causes adverse developmental effects

International studies suggest that children exposed to methamphetamine in the womb are likely to suffer adverse developmental effects – either because of the drug, or the environment in which they are subsequently raised.

29 Nov 2004

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

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

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

Fewer pregnant women in Washington are smoking

Fewer pregnant women in Washington are smoking. The percentage of women in our state who smoke during the last three months of pregnancy has dropped to 10 percent, according to new survey data released today by the Washington State Department of Health. That is the lowest rate since the department began surveying in 1998. At that time, 13 percent of pregnant women were smoking, but since then the number has steadily dropped.

12 May 2004

Children's Surgery International to help peruvian children with facial deformities

Approximately 100 Arequipa, Peru area children with facial deformities will be eligible to have those deformities surgically repaired free of charge by an elite medical team of American doctors and nurses who will be in Peru from May 5th to May 14th, 2004.

30 Apr 2004

Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice

By watching mice “dance” and comparing the DNA of the dancers to their flat-footed siblings, scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice, a finding that is already being used to search for a similar genetic defect in humans.

29 Apr 2004

The April 2004 issue of Otolaryngology focuses on head and neck surgery

The efficacy of a new cancer-fighting virus is tested in the study, “Treatment of Solid Sarcomas in Immunocompetent Mice with Novel Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses.” A team of multi-disciplinary Japanese researchers found that a weakened version of herpes simplex virus (HSV) effectively eradicated neck and flank tumors in mice.

23 Apr 2004