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.

Zika virus affecting teenage mothers in Brazil

Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes is affecting scores of teenage girls in the latest Brazilian Zika outbreak. The consequences of this could be serious say experts

14 Jul 2017

Potential vaccines could protect developing fetus from Zika virus, UTMB study shows

Immunizing female mice with a Zika vaccine can protect their developing fetus from infection and birth defects during pregnancy, according to new research from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

13 Jul 2017

Malaria drug effectively blocks Zika virus transmission to the fetus

Devastating consequences of Zika virus infection are suffered in the womb, where the virus can cause brain damage and sometimes death.

10 Jul 2017

Novel vaccine approach appears to protect fetus from CMV infection, animal study shows

Long before the Zika virus became a global fear, cytomegalovirus, or CMV, was commonly infecting developing fetuses and causing many of the same brain and developmental impairments.

6 Jul 2017

Zika: costs of prevention and control

They undertook a modelling study based on six states in the US in areas that are at risk of Zika emergence. The main finding of this study was that the total cost of Zika in these sates had a range that went from approximately 183.4 million dollars to 1.2 billion dollars.

6 Jul 2017

Dmrta2 gene mutation can lead to abnormal brain development in unborn babies

Researchers from Cardiff University and Université Libre de Bruxelles have identified how the function of a key gene significantly impacts nerve stem cell growth, and how it can lead to abnormal brain development in unborn babies if the system goes awry.

6 Jul 2017

A clinic mix-up leaves pregnant woman in dark about Zika risk

Hospital officials in Washington state have apologized after failing for months to inform a pregnant woman she was likely infected with the Zika virus that can cause devastating birth defects.

21 Jun 2017

New method combines organoid technology with bioengineering to build better brains

A few years ago, Jürgen Knoblich and his team at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) have pioneered brain organoid technology. They developed a method for cultivating three-dimensional brain-like structures, so called cerebral organoids, in a dish.

1 Jun 2017

Zika entry into India – cause for concern

The Zika virus has finally wormed its way into one of the largest and most densely populated countries in the world, India. The World Health Organization reported that surveillance efforts should be strengthened here in order to curb the menace and prevent its spread.

30 May 2017

A new Zika threat hovers as summer’s mosquitoes get bzzzzy

Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that triggered public health alarm bells last summer, has receded from the spotlight. But, experts say, expect the virus to pose a renewed threat this year.

30 May 2017

Study suggests Zika virus poses wider threat in human pregnancies

Zika virus infection passes efficiently from a pregnant monkey to its fetus, spreading inflammatory damage throughout the tissues that support the fetus and the fetus's developing nervous system, and suggesting a wider threat in human pregnancies than generally appreciated.

25 May 2017

Genetic sequencing reveals how Zika virus spread in the Americas

Genetic analysis of samples collected as the Zika virus (ZIKV) spread throughout the Americas after its introduction in 2013 or 2014 has shown that the virus circulated undetected for up to a year in some regions before it came to the attention of public health authorities.

24 May 2017

Chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses: three viruses in one mosquito

The study published in Nature Communications on May 19 found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries the Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite.

22 May 2017

Study findings shed new light on coinfection with chikungunya, dengue or Zika viruses

A new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite.

19 May 2017

Brisbane researchers synthetically re-create Zika virus to better understand birth defects

Brisbane researchers have synthetically re-created Zika virus in the laboratory - a breakthrough which will help to understand the virus and the fetal brain defects it causes.

17 May 2017

New research could be first step toward drug to treat Zika infections

New research led by Alexey Terskikh, Ph.D., associate professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), and Alex Strongin, Ph.D., professor at SBP, could be a first step toward a drug to treat Zika infections. Publishing in Antiviral Research, the scientific team discovered a compound that prevents the virus from spreading.

16 May 2017

Preclinical results of translational research show favorable outcomes in developing Zika virus vaccine

Preclinical results of research by City College of New York scientists and TechnoVax, Inc. in animal models demonstrate favorable outcomes in developing a vaccine against the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

11 May 2017

Computational analysis highlights potential economic burden of Zika outbreak in the U.S.

Even a relatively mild Zika outbreak in the United States could cost more than $183 million in medical costs and productivity losses, suggests a computational analysis led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers, while a more severe one could result in $1.2 billion or more in medical costs and productivity losses.

3 May 2017

Researchers find persistence of Zika virus in cerebrospinal fluid, lymph nodes of rhesus monkeys

Zika virus can persist in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), lymph nodes and colorectal tissue of infected rhesus monkeys for weeks after the virus has been cleared from blood, urine and mucosal secretions, according to a study published online in Cell.

28 Apr 2017

Zika-related birth defects reported by 1 in 10 US based pregnant women infected by the virus in 2016

The new Vital Signs report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has reported that of 250 pregnant women confirmed with Zika infection in 2016, approximately 1 in 10 of them had a fetus or infant with virus-related birth defects. Thisreport is the first of its kind, to present an analysis from a sample of US women with a definite case of Zika infection during pregnancy.

5 Apr 2017

Microcephaly News and Research

Further Reading

Zika virus affecting teenage mothers in Brazil

Potential vaccines could protect developing fetus from Zika virus, UTMB study shows

Malaria drug effectively blocks Zika virus transmission to the fetus

Novel vaccine approach appears to protect fetus from CMV infection, animal study shows

Zika: costs of prevention and control

Dmrta2 gene mutation can lead to abnormal brain development in unborn babies

A clinic mix-up leaves pregnant woman in dark about Zika risk

New method combines organoid technology with bioengineering to build better brains

Zika entry into India – cause for concern

A new Zika threat hovers as summer’s mosquitoes get bzzzzy

Study suggests Zika virus poses wider threat in human pregnancies

Genetic sequencing reveals how Zika virus spread in the Americas

Chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses: three viruses in one mosquito

Study findings shed new light on coinfection with chikungunya, dengue or Zika viruses

Brisbane researchers synthetically re-create Zika virus to better understand birth defects

New research could be first step toward drug to treat Zika infections

Preclinical results of translational research show favorable outcomes in developing Zika virus vaccine

Computational analysis highlights potential economic burden of Zika outbreak in the U.S.

Researchers find persistence of Zika virus in cerebrospinal fluid, lymph nodes of rhesus monkeys

Zika-related birth defects reported by 1 in 10 US based pregnant women infected by the virus in 2016

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