Birth Defects News and Research

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Experimental Zika vaccine improves fetal outcomes in rhesus macaque model

An experimental Zika vaccine lowered levels of virus in pregnant monkeys and improved fetal outcomes in a rhesus macaque model of congenital Zika virus infection, according to a new study in Science Translational Medicine.

19 Dec 2019

Researchers make significant advances in developing novel Zika virus vaccine

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have made significant advances in developing a novel vaccine against Zika virus, which could potentially lead to global elimination of the disease.

14 Dec 2019

Single, higher dose of Zika vaccine to pregnant female mice protects both mom and fetus

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston showed, for the first time, that a single, higher dose of vaccination to a pregnant mouse safely protects both her and her fetus from the Zika virus.

12 Dec 2019

Review: Benefits, safety of fortifying wheat or maize flour with folic acid and health outcomes

Folate is an essential B-vitamin that is needed for DNA synthesis and cell division. Folate deficiency can lead to anemia, and deficiency early in pregnancy can lead to neural tube defects – birth defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord, including spina bifida.

27 Nov 2019

This story contains a warning that might cause alarm — or apathy

For more than a decade, Raymond Ho has answered calls for California's poison emergency hotline.

22 Nov 2019

Six ways physicians can help optimize reproductive health in women with epilepsy

Worldwide, more than 15 million women of childbearing age have epilepsy. Each year about 600,000 of them become pregnant.

20 Nov 2019

Zika virus causes altered immune responses and brain abnormalities in healthy pig offspring

Zika virus infection in the womb produces altered immune responses and sex-specific brain abnormalities in apparently healthy pig offspring, according to a study published November 14 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Uladzimir Karniychuk of the University of Saskatchewan, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 11 Nov 2019

The first locally transmitted cases of Zika have been confirmed in Europe

The first native cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in Europe. Experts are calling it a wake-up call as warming global temperatures could lead to more cases across the continent.

8 Nov 2019

Scientists discover cell protein crucial in preventing viral replication

A research team has discovered a protein without which cells infected by viruses cannot trigger an immune response, leading to 100% mortality with even non-disease-producing strains. The discovery of the new Z-DNA binding protein, or ZBP1, was reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. It could help develop new treatment methods for viruses that target the nervous system such as the Zika or West Nile Encephalitis virus.

6 Nov 2019

One-time exposure to cannabinoids during early pregnancy can impair fetal development

A new study published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research journal, shows how a one-time exposure during early pregnancy to cannabinoids (CBs) – both synthetic and natural – can cause growth issues in a developing embryo.

5 Nov 2019

Preterm birth has lasting consequences for children and their family

In the United States, 1 in 10 babies is born preterm, or at a gestational age of less than 37 weeks. The causes of preterm birth are complicated but the effects are clear: Preterm birth has lasting consequences for the child and their family.

4 Nov 2019

Rock icon receives replacement heart valve in New York City hospital

Mick Jagger owes some thanks for the fact he's alive and strutting to Ajit Yoganathan and his lab crew. In fact, millions of people do.

30 Oct 2019

Study links common chemical to rare birth defect in mice

A chemical commonly used in consumer and agricultural products to boost the effectiveness of insecticides has been linked to a rare birth defect in mice.

23 Oct 2019

Researchers uncover earlier origin of the neural crest in chick embryos

Neural crest cells -- embryonic cells in vertebrates that travel throughout the body and generate many cell types -- have been thought to originate in the ectoderm, the outermost of the three germ layers formed in the earliest stages of embryonic development.

22 Oct 2019

Hawaii STD epidemic driven by social media and dating apps

There is a sharp rise in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States say health officials. Remarkable rise has been noted in Hawaii and has been attributed to the popularity of online dating and sexual intercourse with multiple partners.

15 Oct 2019

Pregnant women with high lead levels are more likely have obese children

Children born to women who have high blood levels of lead are more likely be overweight or obese, compared to those whose mothers have low levels of lead in their blood, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and Health Resources and Services Administration.

3 Oct 2019