Anencephaly News and Research

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Anencephaly is a condition in which a baby is born without most of a brain and skull. The brain may not be covered by bone or skin. Babies born with this condition do not survive more than a few hours or days. Anencephaly belongs to the group of disorders called neural tube defects.

Imbalances in folic acid and vitamin B12 can alter brain development in mice

Folate is a B vitamin and a necessary nutrient to prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, has been added to vitamins, breakfast cereals and other products in the U.S. and more than 80 other countries to ensure pregnant women get adequate amounts.

4 Jan 2024

Falling folate levels sound alarm for urgent UK food fortification

A study from the University of Cambridge used UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey data from 2008-2019 to examine folate levels, particularly in females of reproductive age. The study found a significant decline in both RBC and serum folate concentrations across all age groups, emphasizing the need for mandatory folic acid fortification in the UK.

16 Oct 2023

How the Texas trial changed the story of abortion rights in America

During the five decades that followed Roe v. Wade, lawsuit after lawsuit in states across the country chipped away at abortion rights. And again and again, the people who went to court to defend those rights were physicians who often spoke in clinical and abstract terms.

7 Aug 2023

In Wisconsin, women’s health care is constricted by an 1849 law. These doctors are aghast.

The three women sitting around a table at a busy lunch spot share a grim camaraderie. It's been more than a year since an 1849 law came back into force to criminalize abortion in Wisconsin.

28 Jul 2023

Hispanic births with neural tube defects not significantly reduced after voluntary folic acid fortification of corn masa flour

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated folic acid fortification of all enriched cereal grains in 1996, and this regulation resulted in a reduction of neural tube defect (NTD)–affected pregnancies for the population in the United States.

2 Jun 2023

Second patient receives landmark fetal surgery and stem cell procedure

At Michelle Johnson's 20-week ultrasound, she received the distressing news that her developing baby was diagnosed with myelomeningocele, also known as spina bifida.

11 Oct 2022

Mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid has potential to prevent neural tube defects

The UK Government's current proposal to fortify one type of flour with folic acid is inadequate as it suggests a low dose that would fail to prevent hundreds of cases of severe birth defects each year, according to a new paper by UCL's Professor Sir Nicholas Wald.

22 Aug 2022

East African newborns nearly five times more likely to have neural tube defects

Newborns, whose brains, spines or spinal cords do not properly develop in utero, can be born with neural tube defects (NTD), increasing their risk of physical disabilities, intellectual impairments and death.

30 Jun 2022

Doctors propose ways to reduce obstetrical complications in women with endometriosis

A team of doctors from RUDN University with their Italian colleagues had studied the data of existing studies on the effect of endometriosis on pregnancy and childbirth and suggested ways to reduce obstetrical complications in women with this condition.

15 Oct 2020

Experts highlight emerging trends in spina bifida care

In this collection of articles in the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine experts highlight the emerging trends in spina bifida care in response to challenges faced by spina bifida patients and their physicians due to demographic shifts in age and ethnicity and other societal factors.

16 Jan 2020

UK government to consider fortifying flour with folic acid to combat neural tube defects

A 12-week consultation has been launched to discuss whether folic acid should be added to flour in the UK.

13 Jun 2019

UK set to fortify flour with folic acid to prevent spine defects among newborns

Public Health Minister Steve Brine added that the move would be discussed with the ministers and is likely to raise folic acid consumption among pregnant mothers.

24 Oct 2018

New technology to deliver 3D images of embryo's neural tube as it closes

In those precious weeks before a woman even realizes she's pregnant, an embryo will have already developed a neural tube, a hollow structure made of cells which will eventually become the brain and spinal cord.

5 Sep 2018

No-carb diet for pregnant woman could harm fetus, study finds

A new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found that pregnant women and women wishing to get pregnant should avoid following diets that reduce or eradicate carbohydrates from their diet.

29 Jan 2018

Low carbohydrate intake linked to increased risk of having babies with neural tube defects

Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant may want to avoid diets that reduce or eliminate carbohydrates, as they could increase the risk of having babies with neural tube birth defects, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

25 Jan 2018

Study finds link between common household chemicals and birth defects in mice

A new study at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech has found a connection between common household chemicals and birth defects.

16 Jun 2017

Researchers pinpoint gene that plays crucial role in formation of neural tube defects

Researchers have identified a gene that plays a key role in the formation of neural tube defects, a problem commonly found in infants of pregnant women with diabetes.

5 May 2017

New study finds link between neural tube defects in infants and neurodegenerative diseases

A new study has found a link between neurological birth defects in infants commonly found in pregnant women with diabetes and several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

10 Apr 2017

Folic acid supplements can reduce risk of having pregnancy affected by neural tube defects

Despite the mandatory addition of folic acid to enriched grain products in the United States, many women still do not consume adequate amounts of this important vitamin, according to an editorial written by Laura E. Mitchell, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.

11 Jan 2017

New study may contribute to ongoing debate on fortification program

Fortifying the U.S. food supply with folic acid was not associated with a decline in certain birth defects that researchers expected to see in California, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

23 May 2016