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.

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

LSU expert highlights importance of protection against Zika during winter

Just because temperatures are cooling down as winter approaches, it's no time to let your guard down when it comes to mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus.

9 Dec 2016

Special article outlines recommended strategies to prevent Zika from blood transfusion

As the Zika epidemic spreads to the United States, the potential for contracting the disease via blood transfusion has emerged as a serious concern.

2 Dec 2016

Zika virus can cause glaucoma in infants, report reveals

A team of researchers in Brazil and at the Yale School of Public Health has published the first report demonstrating that the Zika virus can cause glaucoma in infants who were exposed to the virus during gestation.

30 Nov 2016

Scientists take one step forward by finding how antibody neutralizes Zika infection

As Zika spreads throughout the world, the call for rapid development of therapeutics to treat Zika rings loud and clear.

24 Nov 2016

New postnatal mouse model closely mimics fetal brain abnormalities caused by Zika infection

A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia has developed a new mouse model that closely mimics fetal brain abnormalities caused by the Zika virus in humans.

22 Nov 2016

Researchers create new Zika replicon system to find ways to combat virus

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, in collaboration with Southwest University in Chongqing, China and the University of Leuven in Belgium, have developed a way to replicate the basic structure of the Zika virus, stripping it of the genes that make the virus infectious.

18 Nov 2016

New mouse model by FDA's scientists provides platform for improving understanding of Zika virus pathology

A new mouse model developed by scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may help in exploring the potential activity of Zika virus vaccines and therapeutics.

17 Nov 2016

New research shows how synthetic DNA vaccine approach protects against Zika virus infection

As the global spread of the Zika virus continues, efforts are underway to halt the disease's transmission.

10 Nov 2016

Researchers discover antibody that can protect fetus from Zika virus in pregnant mice

The most devastating consequence of Zika virus infection is the development of microcephaly, or an abnormally small head, in babies who were infected in utero.

7 Nov 2016

Scientists develop new molecular method for detecting parasite in ham that causes toxoplasmosis

Scientists from the universities of Granada and Valencia have developed a new molecular method for determining the presence of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, in samples of ham.

7 Nov 2016

Researchers identify potential new treatment for brain cancer by targeting genes linked to microcephaly

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have identified a potential new treatment for brain cancer by learning from a rare condition that can cause microcephaly.

1 Nov 2016

Dengue vaccinations could increase incidence of Zika virus, research finds

Vaccinating against dengue fever could increase outbreaks of Zika, suggests new research out of York University and Xi'an Jiaotong University in China.

31 Oct 2016

Adult brain cells may be vulnerable to Zika infection, new study suggests

Concerns over the Zika virus have focused on pregnant women due to mounting evidence that it causes brain abnormalities in developing fetuses. However, new research in mice from scientists at The Rockefeller University and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology suggests that certain adult brain cells may be vulnerable to infection as well.

24 Oct 2016