Birth Defects News and Research

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Study sheds light on the rise in childhood asthma in developed countries

A University of Adelaide study may have shed light on the rise in childhood asthma in developed countries like Australia in recent decades.

4 Nov 2009

Study links urogenital birth defects with DDT

Women who lived in villages sprayed with DDT to reduce malaria gave birth to 33 per cent more baby boys with urogenital birth defects (UGBD) between 2004 and 2006 than women in unsprayed villages, according to research published online by the UK-based urology journal BJUI.

24 Oct 2009

DDT exposure is associated with urogenital birth defects in newborn boys

23 Oct 2009

New guidelines from American Academy of Dermatology for treatment of psoriasis with ultraviolet light therapy

Based on an extensive review of the highest quality scientific literature on psoriasis and the opinion of recognized psoriasis experts, the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) has released new guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with ultraviolet (UV) light therapy, also known as phototherapy. Recommendations for the use of the most common forms of UV light therapy, as stand-alone treatments or in conjunction with other therapies, were outlined, including patient considerations.

23 Oct 2009

Exposure to stress hormones and chemicals while in the womb can affect male fertility

Exposure to a combination of excess stress hormones and chemicals while in the womb could affect a man's fertility in later life, a study suggests.

22 Oct 2009

Substantial price reduction for 24 Chromosome Aneuploidy Screening

Gene Security Network, Inc. (GSN) today announced a substantial price reduction for its 24 Chromosome Aneuploidy Screening with Parental SupportTM. Effective immediately, pricing has been restructured to a single flat fee for testing of up to 24 embryos in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.

20 Oct 2009

Blocking folic acid action during early pregnancy leads to increased risk of abnormalities in growing baby

Using medication that reduces or blocks the actions of folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy (weeks 1-12), increases the risk that the growing baby will develop abnormalities. This conclusion was reached by a team of Epidemiologists, Paediatricians, Clinical Pharmacologists, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists who examined birth and abortion data collected in Israel between 1998 and 2007.

15 Oct 2009

Medications to reduce folic acid during pregnancy increase the risk of abnormalities in fetus

Pregnant women are advised to take vitamin supplements containing folic acid as part of their routine pre-natal care. Now, a new study warns that taking medications that reduce or block the actions of folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy increase the risk that the growing baby will develop abnormalities.

14 Oct 2009

CDC chooses NAVTEQ map data for its Geospatial Research, Analysis, & Services Program

NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, today announced that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected the NAVTEQ® map data for use within its geospatial program, GRASP (Geospatial Research, Analysis, & Services Program).

14 Oct 2009

Study discusses possible genetic effects of radiation and cancer drug exposures on future generations

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center are helping to lead a massive international study on the possible genetic effects of radiation and cancer drug exposures on future generations.

8 Oct 2009

Researchers succeed in engineering human tissue patches from stem cells

University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts.

8 Oct 2009

NIDCR announces research and technology grants to support new Facebase Consortium

The integration process just got a lot easier. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today it has issued the first 11 research and technology grants of its new FaceBase Consortium.

7 Oct 2009

Preterm birth rate continues to rise

More than one million infants die each year because they are born too early, according to the just released White Paper, The Global and Regional Toll of Preterm Birth.

5 Oct 2009

Few risks to babies born to parents who underwent cancer treatment in childhood: Study

Whether they can have children is one of the major concerns for adult survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer because fertility can be compromised by cancer treatment. For cancer survivors who can have children, two new studies led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center may help alleviate fears that their childhood disease will adversely impact their newborns.

3 Oct 2009

Latest optical and laser technology in medicine displayed at FiO meeting

From scopes that help premature babies breathe to techniques for imaging live neurons and beating hearts as they develop, the latest optical and laser technology being deployed in medicine and the biosciences will be on display at the Optical Society's (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), which takes place Oct. 11-15 at the Fairmont San Jose Hotel and the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, Calif.

1 Oct 2009

Symposium on ways to lower preterm birth rate

Journalists are invited to attend a gathering of the nation's leading maternal-child and quality assurance health care experts who will review and develop programs that may help lower the nation's costly preterm birth rate.

26 Sep 2009

Exposure to PCE may cause congenital birth defects: Study

Exposure to tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchlorethylene, PCE) may cause congenital birth defects. A study of expectant women exposed to PCE in drinking water, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health, found an increased risk of oral clefts and neural tube defects in their children.

24 Sep 2009

UBC acquires Gigamoto Technology Partners to implement risk management programs

United BioSource Corporation (UBC) today announced the acquisition of Gigamoto Technology Partners, Inc. (Gigamoto), a Pennsylvania-based software development company providing leading-edge technology solutions in support of drug safety and risk management programs for the life sciences industry.

23 Sep 2009

March of Dimes to re-launch Healthy Baby program for military families

Military moms whose babies were born too soon or too sick were treated to a very special baby shower today at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) courtesy of the March of Dimes and Operation Shower.

21 Sep 2009

Glaxo conceals risks: Antidepressant drug Paxil causes birth defects

Antidepressant drug Paxil, which generated about 2.1% of GlaxoSmithKline's total revenue last year, has been known to cause birth defects, but the world's second-biggest drugmaker hid its risks to pump up profits, a Philadelphia court has heard.

17 Sep 2009