Birth Defects News and Research

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Prenatal cannabis exposure increases risk of adverse birth outcomes, study finds

Infants prenatally exposed to cannabis are more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and require neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care than infants without prenatal cannabis exposure, according to a study published today in the scientific journal Addiction.

16 Nov 2023

Using TNF inhibitors during pregnancy not associated with worse fetal or obstetric outcomes

According to new research at ACR Convergence 2023, the American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) annual meeting, continuing tumor necrosis factor inhibitors during pregnancy is not associated with worse fetal or obstetric outcomes and may reduce the risk of severe maternal infections during pregnancy (Abstract #0477).

7 Nov 2023

Stanford chemists uncover new pathway for protein degradation, opening door to new therapeutics

When targeting problem proteins involved in causing or spreading disease, a drug will often clog up a protein's active site so it can't function and wreak havoc.

25 Oct 2023

Study finds increased risk of birth defects for offspring of young women with cancer

The offspring of adolescent and young adult women with a history of cancer face a higher risk of birth defects, according to new research from UTHealth Houston.

6 Oct 2023

Pre-existing CMV immunity protects mothers and babies from transmission and birth defects

Researchers at Tulane University have shown for the first time that mothers are much less likely to transmit a common virus known to cause miscarriages and birth defects if they are exposed to the virus prior to becoming pregnant.

6 Oct 2023

Researchers discover how Zika virus persists in the placenta

Before SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the Zika virus epidemic, lasting from 2015 to 2016. The Zika virus can cause serious birth defects and abnormalities.

26 Sep 2023

Human post-implantation embryo models show promise in unraveling early development

Researchers evaluate post-implantation development in humans using embryo-like models based on genetically unmodified human naïve embryonic stem cells.

12 Sep 2023

Using ChatGPT to address vaccine hesitancy: a promising tool for guiding users to scientific information?

Researchers assessed ChatGPT's ability to address the 50 most common misconceptions about vaccine safety.

6 Sep 2023

Maternal obesity linked to childhood weight issues through DNA changes

Boston Birth Cohort study finds that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity alters newborn DNA methylation, potentially increasing the risk of obesity in the child. The research targets high-risk U.S. demographics and could guide future interventions for childhood obesity.

27 Aug 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

Prenatal diagnosis is linked to earlier surgery for babies with congenital heart defects

A study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago has shown that prenatal diagnosis, or diagnosis before a baby is born, is associated with earlier surgery for babies with congenital heart defects, the most common birth defects affecting nearly 1% of all live births.

4 Aug 2023

Survey highlights substantial gaps in knowledge about maternal health

Most people know it isn't safe to smoke or drink alcohol while pregnant, and most know that how well a pregnant person takes care of their health affects the health of their baby.

1 Aug 2023

Study establishes new link between genomic instability and bacterial protein in the urogenital tract

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland's (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Center of Excellence of the Global Virus Network (GVN), published new findings that emphasize the crucial role of the urinary and genital tract microbiota in adverse pregnancy outcomes and genomic instability that originate in the womb during fetal development.

17 Jul 2023

AI model accurately predicts which drugs may cause birth defects

Data scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and colleagues have created an artificial intelligence model that may more accurately predict which existing medicines, not currently classified as harmful, may in fact lead to congenital disabilities.

17 Jul 2023

Proposed PFAS rule would cost companies estimated $1B; lacks limits and cleanup requirement

A proposed federal rule calls for forcing companies to disclose whether their products contain toxic "forever" chemicals, the government's first attempt at cataloging the pervasiveness of PFAS across the United States.

10 Jul 2023

RNA plays a role in regulating cell fate in the early mouse embryo

The early stages of embryonic development contain many of life's mysteries. Unlocking these mysteries can help us better understand early development and birth defects, and help develop new regenerative medicine treatments.

30 May 2023

Scientists recommend eliminating unnecessary use of quaternary ammonium compounds

The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the unnecessary use of antimicrobial chemicals linked to health problems, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental harm, warn more than two dozen scientists in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology.

9 May 2023

Rice University lab receives $1.9 million grant to model human ectodermal development

Many birth defects and spontaneous abortions occur during the embryonic development stage known as neurulation, yet we have very little insight into how this critical developmental process unfolds in humans.

8 May 2023

New zebrafish model provides insight into how the brain acquires essential omega-3 fatty acids

Researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UCLA and the National Institutes of Health have developed a zebrafish model that provides new insight into how the brain acquires essential omega-3 fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and linolenic acid (ALA).