Birth Defects News and Research

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Time of conception linked to birth defects in U.S.

A study published in the April 2009 issue of the medical journal Acta Paediatrica is the first to report that birth defect rates in the United States were highest for women conceiving in the spring and summer. The researchers also found that this period of increase risk correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water across the United States.

30 Mar 2009

Fetal alcohol syndrome testing expands

Improved technology, partnerships and collaboration across two provinces have allowed Queen's University scientists to dramatically expand the use of eye-movement tests that help identify and assess children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

20 Mar 2009

Molecule tracking reveals mechanism of chromosome separation in dividing cells

University of Washington (UW) researchers are helping to write the operating manual for the nano-scale machine that separates chromosomes before cell division.

8 Mar 2009

Better physician education would improve hospital prescription of emergency birth control to teens

Many doctors don't offer emergency contraception pills to adolescents who may benefit from them during emergency department visits because of misinformation about how the medicine works, according to a study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

5 Mar 2009

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 have increased risk for neural tube defects

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.

2 Mar 2009

Why do teeth form in a single row?

A system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several, according to a study published in the journal Science.

26 Feb 2009

Obesity during pregnancy associated with increased risk of birth defects

For women who are obese during pregnancy there is an associated increased risk of certain birth defects, such as spina bifida and neural tube defects, although the absolute increase in risk is likely to be small, according to an analysis of previous studies, reported in the February 11 issue of JAMA.

10 Feb 2009

Zinc supplements during pregnancy may counteract damage from early alcohol exposure

Animal research has shown that binge drinking - even just once - during early pregnancy can cause numerous problems for the fetus, including early postnatal death.

2 Feb 2009

Domain duplication, divergence, and loss events in vertebrate Msx paralogs reveal phylogenomically informed disease markers

The work of Forsyth scientist Peter Jezewski, DDS, Ph.D., has revealed that duplication and diversification of protein regions ('modules') within ancient master control genes is key to the understanding of certain birth disorders.

15 Jan 2009

Fortification of corn masa flour products could increase folic acid intake among Mexican-Americans

Fortification of corn masa flour products could increase folic acid intake by nearly 20 percent for Mexican-Americans, who are at a 30-40 percent higher risk for a number of severe brain and spinal birth defects, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

5 Jan 2009

Scientists reverse brain birth defects using stem cell therapy

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells.

29 Dec 2008

Smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy linked to oral clefts

Smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy is clearly linked with an increased risk of cleft lip in newborns.

18 Dec 2008

American surgeons carry out first U.S. face transplant

Surgeons in the United States have carried out America's first face transplant at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio where a woman has had 80% of her face replaced with that of a deceased female donor.

17 Dec 2008

New insight into birth defect synpolydactyly

Birth defects characterized by malformation of the limbs are relatively common.

15 Dec 2008

Controlling the building blocks of life

A simple and reliable method for converting one of the simplest chemical entities into one of the most difficult-to-make molecular building blocks of life, with complete control over its shape, is reported by scientists at the University of Bristol in this week's Nature.

10 Dec 2008