Microcephaly News and Research

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Measuring head circumference (also known as occipito-frontal circumference) is a significant part of the proper evaluation of a child’s growth and development, as it represents a direct indication of head growth. Therefore deviations from normal head growth may reveal certain congenital or acquired problem.

Natural immune molecule shows protective effect against Zika virus in mouse, monkey models

A molecule naturally produced by the immune system protects mice and monkeys against Zika virus infection, an international team of researchers has found.

14 Mar 2017

Zika virus may also cause serious cardiovascular complications, research shows

Zika also may have serious effects on the heart, new research shows in the first study to report cardiovascular complications related to this virus, according to data being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

10 Mar 2017

New portable device may hold key to accurately detecting Zika virus

About the size of a tablet, a portable device that could be used in a host of environments like a busy airport or even a remote location in South America, may hold the key to detecting the dreaded Zika virus accurately, rapidly and inexpensively using just a saliva sample.

22 Feb 2017

NIH workshop: Zika-affected infants may face complex health and developmental problems

Children exposed to Zika virus in the womb may face complex health and developmental problems as they grow older, according to discussions at a National Institutes of Health workshop.

21 Feb 2017

UTMB researchers unravel mystery of how Zika virus causes birth defects

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered the mechanisms that the Zika virus uses to alter brain development. These findings are detailed in Stem Cell Reports.

17 Feb 2017

Study shows how errors in specific gene can cause growth defects linked to dwarfism

A new study shows how errors in a specific gene can cause growth defects associated with a rare type of dwarfism.

13 Feb 2017

Scientists use brain organoids to identify root causes of Miller-Dieker syndrome

Research led by scientists at UC San Francisco and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has used brain "organoids" — tiny 3D models of human organs that scientists grow in a dish to study disease — to identify root causes of Miller-Dieker Syndrome (MDS), a rare genetic disorder that causes fatal brain malformations.

7 Feb 2017

TSRI researchers uncover details behind Zika virus's unique ability to cause birth defects

The most frightening aspect of Zika virus has been its ability to produce severe fetal birth defects during pregnancy, especially microcephaly—a small head.

7 Feb 2017

Researchers discover earliest-acting protein in C-elegans that plays key role in cell division

Researchers from three U.S. universities have identified, using roundworms, the earliest-acting protein known to duplicate the centriole, a tiny cylinder-shaped structure that is a key component of the machinery that organizes cell division in animals.

31 Jan 2017

Study provides insights into molecular mechanisms of ZIKV infection

Zika virus (ZIKV) interferes with the cellular machinery controlling cell division and alters the expression of hundreds of genes guiding the formation and development of neurons and astrocytes, according to findings released on January 23rd 2017 at Scientific Reports.

24 Jan 2017

Researchers find brain abnormalities in Zika virus infected fetuses

In a study to be presented Friday, Jan. 27, in the oral concurrent session at 1:15 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, researchers with the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Houston, Texas partnered with the Maternal-Fetal Unit, CEDIFETAL, Centro de Diagnostico de Ultrasonido e Imagenes, CEDIUL, Barranquilla, Columbia and the Unidad De Fertildad Y Genetica De Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Columbia, to create the study, Characterization of brain malformations and volume assessment in fetuses with Zika Virus infection using MRI.

24 Jan 2017

UC San Diego researchers receive CIRM grants to advance studies on Zika virus and cancer

The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has approved a pair of $2 million awards to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers to advance studies of new treatments for Zika virus infections and the use of stem cell-derived natural killer (NK) cells to target ovarian cancer and other malignancies.

20 Jan 2017

Penn State researchers develop novel compound to combat cytomegalovirus

A Retro94-based compound may prevent a common and sometimes fatal virus -- human cytomegalovirus (CMV) -- from reproducing and help to protect immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV, on chemotherapy, with transplants, and infants from the effects of the disease, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

10 Jan 2017

Researchers find high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus

Researchers at Purdue University have determined the high-resolution structure of immature Zika virus, a step toward better understanding how the virus infects host cells and spreads.

10 Jan 2017

UM SOM study identifies key Zika proteins as likely suspects for damage

Until it burst onto the scene earlier this year, Zika was an obscure, little-known virus. As a result, scientists know little about how it works.

3 Jan 2017

Genetic mutation may increase susceptibility to cytomegalovirus infection

Experimenting with human cells and mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have found that a genetic mutation that alters a protein called NOD1 may increase susceptibility to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

20 Dec 2016

Zika-linked abnormalities in fetuses more extensive and severe than previously thought

New UCLA-led research finds that Zika-linked abnormalities that occur in human fetuses are more extensive — and severe — than previously thought, with 46 percent of 125 pregnancies among Zika-infected women resulting in birth defects in newborns or ending in fetal death.

16 Dec 2016

Microcephaly News and Research

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