http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/BirthDefect-Genetic-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 25 May 2012 04:34:58 GMT http://www.medindia.net/news/chances-of-birth-defects-with-assisted-reproductive-technologies-101460-1.htm Michael Davis and his colleagues from Adelaide University's Robinson Institute conducted a comprehensive study to determine the risk of bbirth defects/b related to assisted reproductive technology (ART). The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented in Barcelona, Spain at the World Congress on Building Consensus in Gynecology, Infertility and Perinatology. Spina bifida, cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal conditions ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/chances-of-birth-defects-with-assisted-reproductive-technologies-101460-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/hike-in-birth-defects-due-to-assisted-reproduction-101035-1.htm There is a risk of major birth defects tied to various types of assisted reproductive technology. This has been identified by researchers. In the most comprehensive study of its kind in the world, researchers from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute have compared the risk of major birth defects for each of the reproductive therapies commonly available internationally, such as: IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and ovulation induction. They ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/hike-in-birth-defects-due-to-assisted-reproduction-101035-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-discover-reason-behind-chromosome-number-of-sperm-and-egg-100169-1.htm In what could prove to be a major breakthrough in treating fertility related disorders, a new study conducted by researchers from University of California has found out why a sperm and an egg develop exactly 23 chromosomes each. The work, which could lead to insights into fertility, spontaneous miscarriages, cancer and developmental disorders, is published April 13 in the journal ICell/I. Healthy humans have 46 chromosomes, 23 from the sperm and 23 from the egg. An embryo with the wrong ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-discover-reason-behind-chromosome-number-of-sperm-and-egg-100169-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-unveil-cause-the-behind-birth-defects-99819-1.htm Scientists have for the first time proved that both nature and nurture interact could play a role in causing birth defects. Genes or environmental factors have long been suspected to be behind these abnormalities. The findings, by scientists from Sydney's Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI), could explain the reasons behind a host of unexplained congenital birth defects and help minimize the risk of babies born with the abnormalities, the Daily Telegraph reported. Researchers ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-unveil-cause-the-behind-birth-defects-99819-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/study-says-pregnant-diabetics-more-prone-to-birth-defects-99729-1.htm Pregnant women with diabetes likelier to have defective births, suggests study. "The study led by Newcastle University and funded by Diabetes UK, for the first time has evidence that quantifies the effect of glucose levels. The blood glucose level around the time of conception is the key factor predicting the risk of congenial anomaly," a statement from Newcastle University that has published the study said. The study carried out in mainly white women in England suggested that as many ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-says-pregnant-diabetics-more-prone-to-birth-defects-99729-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/genetic-cause-of-spinal-birth-defect-bypassed-by-fasudil-98573-1.htm Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease caused by an inheritable defect in the gene SMN1 that is incurable and progressive. Depending on the severity of the mutation it can result in the loss of spinal cord motor neurons, muscle wasting (atrophy) and even death of an affected child. A new study published in Biomed Central's open access journal IBMC Medicine/I shows that Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, can improve both the size of muscle fibers and their connection to motor neurons. Fasudil also ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/genetic-cause-of-spinal-birth-defect-bypassed-by-fasudil-98573-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-findings-on-the-y-chromosome-97902-1.htm A gene study has rubbished theories that men will eventually become extinct because the Y chromosome which determines maleness is shrinking. The men-are-doomed scenario leapt to prominence nearly a decade ago when scientists found that the male chromosome had dramatically shrivelled. It had plummeted from a super-Y of more than 1,400 genes, several hundred million years ago, to a nubby little stump with just several dozen. That discovery triggered opinion that the Y was on the skids....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-findings-on-the-y-chromosome-97902-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/cause-of-birth-defect-tracked-97566-1.htm The source of a genetic disorder that causes life-threatening birth defects has been identified by researchers. Babies born with the disorder, known as Loeys-Dietz syndrome or Marfan syndrome type II, have cleft palates and other facial characteristics similar to babies born with other diseases - but also happen to suffer potentially fatal heart defects, making it critical for them to receive an accurate diagnosis right away. Researchers from USC found an abnormally high amount of a ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/cause-of-birth-defect-tracked-97566-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/fathers-pass-on-heart-disease-risk-to-sons-via-genetic-variation-on-the-y-chromosome-97290-1.htm A new study published in the journal The Lancet suggests that men may inherit the risk of heart disease from their fathers if they have a common genetic variation on the Y chromosome. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Leicester's Department of Cardiovascular Sciences who analyzed data from three different studies; the British Heart Foundation Family Heart Study, the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study and the Cardiogenics Study, which involved more than 3,000 men....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/fathers-pass-on-heart-disease-risk-to-sons-via-genetic-variation-on-the-y-chromosome-97290-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/association-between-genetic-defect-and-heart-malformation-97274-1.htm Mutations in SHP-2 gene disrupts the shape of cardiac muscle cells and thereby result in heart malformation, shows research. The study also shows that treatment with a drug that regulates cell shape rescues the cardiac defect, pointing to therapeutic avenues that could one day benefit Noonan syndrome patients. The results, which were produced in a frog model of the disease, appeared online January 25, 2012, in the journal IDevelopment/I. Genetic studies have shown that SHP-2 plays a critical role in human physiology and disease....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/association-between-genetic-defect-and-heart-malformation-97274-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/traces-to-common-birth-defect-in-gene-expression-data-noticed-by-massgeneral-jackson-researchers-97237-1.htm The 27 new candidate genes for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a usual and often deadly birth defect were revealed by researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), The Jackson Laboratory and other institutes. Their sophisticated data-filtering strategy, which uses gene expression during normal development as a starting point, offers a new, efficient and potentially game-changing approach to gene discovery. Babies born with CDH-representing one in every 3,000 live births-have ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/traces-to-common-birth-defect-in-gene-expression-data-noticed-by-massgeneral-jackson-researchers-97237-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetic-moms-four-times-more-likely-to-have-babies-with-birth-defects-97131-1.htm The risk of birth defects like spina bifida; digestive, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular defects and urinary disease increases four-fold if the pregnant mother has diabetes, say researchers from Newcastle University. Diabetic women had a 7% risk of having a baby with a major birth defect, compared with about 2% in women without diabetes.After having analysed data from 401,149 pregnancies between 1996 and 2008, the researchers found that 1,677 women had diabetes and the risk of birth defects ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetic-moms-four-times-more-likely-to-have-babies-with-birth-defects-97131-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Abnormal-Chromosome-Has-Prognostic-Value-in-Rare-Brain-Tumor-96492-1.htm A chromosomal abnormality has definitive prognostic and predictive value for managing the treatment of adult patients with a a rare type of brain tumor, a recent analysis of clinical trial results performed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) has demonstrated. The presence of the chromosomal abnormality was associated with a substantially better prognosis and near-doubling of median survival time when treatment with combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy was compared to treatment with radiation therapy alone....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Abnormal-Chromosome-Has-Prognostic-Value-in-Rare-Brain-Tumor-96492-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Infant-Survival-Enhanced-Via-In-utero-Procedure-for-Birth-Defect-of-the-Diaphragm-94972-1.htm The journal iUltrasound in Obstetrics (and) Gynaecology /i publishes that the survival rate in severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is improved by foetal tracheal occlusion (FETO). CDH is a birth defect where there exists a severe malformation (hole) of the diaphragm and is a major cause of death in infants due to pulmonary hypoplasia, an incomplete development of the lungs. Researchers led by Rodrigo Ruano, MD, PhD, of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Infant-Survival-Enhanced-Via-In-utero-Procedure-for-Birth-Defect-of-the-Diaphragm-94972-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Report-Finds-1-in-50-Babies-Has-Birth-Defect-and-Highlights-Worrying-Gaps-in-Regional-Monitoring-94857-1.htm The latest annual report by the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR) has said that more than one baby in every 50 is born with a birth defect. This number is significantly more common than previously reported estimates of around one in 80. The study* - led by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) - is the most up-to-date and comprehensive of its kind, bringing together existing data in England and Wales from 2005 to 2009....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Report-Finds-1-in-50-Babies-Has-Birth-Defect-and-Highlights-Worrying-Gaps-in-Regional-Monitoring-94857-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-Not-Increased-by-Childhood-Cancer-94818-1.htm A new study has said that kids of childhood cancer survivors are not at an increased risk for birth defects stemming from their parents' exposure to chemotherapy or radiation. Childhood cancer survivors' exposure to chemotherapy, radiation does not increase risk of birth defects in their children The findings provide reassurance that increased risks of birth defects are unlikely for cancer survivors who are concerned about the potential effects of their treatment on their children, and can help guide family planning choices....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-Not-Increased-by-Childhood-Cancer-94818-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Pollutants-Linked-to-a-450-Percent-Increase-in-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-China-92228-1.htm According to scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and Peking University, pesticides and pollutants are related to an alarming 450 percent increase in the risk of spina bifida and anencephaly in rural China. Two of the pesticides found in high concentrations in the placentas of affected newborns and stillborn fetuses were endosulfan and lindane. Endosulfan is only now being phased out in the United States for treatment of cotton, potatoes, tomatoes and apples. Lindane was only recently ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Pollutants-Linked-to-a-450-Percent-Increase-in-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-China-92228-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Causing-Birth-Defects-in-Babies-Born-to-Diabetic-Mothers-Identified-92203-1.htm A key enzyme that significantly increases the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and some heart defects among babies born to women with diabetes has been identified. A team at Joslin Diabetes Center, headed by Mary R. Loeken, PhD, say that the enzyme AMP kinase (AMPK) could lead to strategies to interfere with the mechanism and reduce the chances of such birth defects occurring. Even if women with diabetes-either type 1 or type 2 -- work vigilantly to control their blood ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Causing-Birth-Defects-in-Babies-Born-to-Diabetic-Mothers-Identified-92203-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Hypertension-Increases-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Babies-92196-1.htm Expectant mothers with hypertension must be aware that the condition can cause birth defects such as congenital heart disease in their children. Researchers also found that the risk of malformation and birth defects in children looms large even if expectant women took anti-hypertension medication. The risk is present because of the underlying condition of hypertension, researchers said. Earlier studies had indicated the risk of birth defects with some of the anti-hypertension drugs employed to regulate blood pressure in expectant mothers....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Hypertension-Increases-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Babies-92196-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Pure-Maple-Syrup-Keeps-Liver-Healthy-90552-1.htm University of Tokyo scientists have fresh findings from an animal study that suggest pure maple syrup may promote a healthy liver. The pilot study, conducted by Dr. Keiko Abe of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, showed that healthy laboratory rats fed a diet in which some of the carbohydrate was replaced with pure maple syrup from Canada yielded significantly better results in liver function tests than the control groups fed a diet with a syrup mix containing a similar sugar content as maple syrup....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Pure-Maple-Syrup-Keeps-Liver-Healthy-90552-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Identify-Mutant-Gene-That-Causes-Abnormal-Chromosome-Number-Leading-to-Cancer-89450-1.htm A gene that is commonly mutated in human cancers and have demonstrated its direct role in causing aneuploidy, an abnormal number of chromosomes, has been identified by researchers. The researchers at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Centre, a part of Georgetown University Medical Centre, found that 20 percent of the brain cancer, skin cancer and bone cancer samples they examined made no STAG2 protein, often due to a missing or mutated STAG2 gene. The STAG2 gene encodes a component ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Identify-Mutant-Gene-That-Causes-Abnormal-Chromosome-Number-Leading-to-Cancer-89450-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Smoking-During-Pregnancy-Increases-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-87626-1.htm A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from the University College London has once again warned the ill effects of smoking during pregnancy and said that the habit increases the risk of the baby suffering from a number of birth defects. The researchers led by Professor Allan Hackshaw used data from more than 170 research papers published on the subject over the last five decades and looked into over 174,000 cases of malformation and found that smoking during pregnancy increased the risk ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Smoking-During-Pregnancy-Increases-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-87626-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Infertility-Birth-Defects-May-be-Prevented-by-Limiting-Calorie-Intake-87489-1.htm Many animal studies have shown that restriction of caloric intake helps to reduce age-related health problems and new research shows it can prevent infertility and birth defects too. Investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have suggested that from a mice study that this strategy may combat a major cause of age-associated infertility and birth defects. They have shown that restricting the caloric intake of adult female mice prevents a spectrum of abnormalities, such as extra ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Infertility-Birth-Defects-May-be-Prevented-by-Limiting-Calorie-Intake-87489-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defect-Risk-High-For-Surviving-Baby-When-Twin-Dies-Early-In-Womb-87407-1.htm The risk of birth defects increases for the surviving baby when its twin dies early in the mother's womb, Associate Professor Michael Davies of the University of Adelaide has said. He is the co-director of the Research Centre for the Early Origins of Health and Disease at the university.The "vanishing twin" phenomenon could perhaps be linked to a nearly two-fold increased risk of congenital malformation in the surviving baby, and a threefold increase in multiple birth defects. The phenomenon occurs ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defect-Risk-High-For-Surviving-Baby-When-Twin-Dies-Early-In-Womb-87407-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/UTHealth-Researchers-Link-Chromosome-Region-to-Thoracic-Aortic-Disease-86665-1.htm Patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms that lead to acute aortic dissections are 12 times more likely to have duplications in the DNA in a region of chromosome 16 (16p13.1) than those without the disease, according to a study led by genetic researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The results of the innovative study, which included researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, are published in the June 16 issue of the open-access journal iPLoS Genetics/i....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/UTHealth-Researchers-Link-Chromosome-Region-to-Thoracic-Aortic-Disease-86665-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Fortifying-Food-With-Folic-Acid-Could-Prevent-Birth-Defects-86529-1.htm Fortification of enriched cereal grains such as bread and pasta with folic acid was mandated by the Food (and) Drug Administration (FDA) beginning in 1998. Since then, the rate of birth defects of the brain and spine known as neural tube defects (NTDs), which include spina bifida and anencephaly, has decreased by nearly one-third. However, despite this success, about 3,000 pregnancies in the United States still are affected by NTDs annually and Hispanics have the highest rate when compared to other race or ethnic groups....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Fortifying-Food-With-Folic-Acid-Could-Prevent-Birth-Defects-86529-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Using-Epilepsy-Drugs-in-Pregnancy-Linked-to-High-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-86028-1.htm A new study published in the journal Lancet Neurology has warned that pregnant women who are given high doses of epilepsy drugs are at a greater risk of delivering babies who have birth defects. Nearly 4,000 women were involved in the study conducted by researchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the University of Pavia in Italy who found that 230 of more than 4,000 pregnancies of women with epilepsy resulted in birth defects. The researchers looked into the effect of taking four different ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Using-Epilepsy-Drugs-in-Pregnancy-Linked-to-High-Risk-of-Birth-Defects-in-Offspring-86028-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Geneticists-Birth-Defects-Comment-Sparks-Outrage-85721-1.htm A leading geneticist has sparked outrage in the Muslim community in Britain after he claimed that the practice of "inbreeding" or allowing cousins to marry each other in Islamic communities leads to an increased risk of birth defects. The Daily Mail quoted Professor Steve Jones, from University College London, as saying that "there may be some evidence that cousins marrying one another can be harmful." "We should be concerned about that as there can be a lot of hidden genetic damage. Children ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Geneticists-Birth-Defects-Comment-Sparks-Outrage-85721-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Linked-To-Common-Birth-Defects-Identified-84962-1.htm A gene responsible for Adams-Oliver syndrome, a condition which can cause birth defects of the heart, limbs or blood vessels has been, for the first time, discovered by the scientists at King's College London. The team of researchers, led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', said that these findings could lead to better ways of treating children with these defects and may, in the ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Linked-To-Common-Birth-Defects-Identified-84962-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cell-Division-Problem-Linked-With-Miscarriage-and-Birth-Defects-83779-1.htm A recent study indicates that chromosomal defects that cause miscarriage and birth defects like Down's syndrome can be attributed to a certain feature in the egg cell division process. The findings are more specific in case of women over 40-years of age since they are at a higher risk of miscarriage than younger women. By the time a woman reaches 40, half f the eggs she ovulates are chromosomally abnormal unlike women in their 20s whose only 10% eggs are chromosomally abnormal. Researchers ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cell-Division-Problem-Linked-With-Miscarriage-and-Birth-Defects-83779-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Research-Confirms-Key-Factor-to-Age-Related-Miscarriages-and-Birth-Defects-83747-1.htm A critical step in cell division that results in age-related miscarriages and birth defects, including Down syndrome has been confirmed in a new study. Washington State University researchers said they recreated the conditions in which an egg cell will continue to undergo cell division without properly arranging its chromosomes, creating offspring with aneuploidy, or an abnormal number of chromosomes. Sperm cells and those from elsewhere in the body will stop dividing until chromosomes are properly lined up....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Research-Confirms-Key-Factor-to-Age-Related-Miscarriages-and-Birth-Defects-83747-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/A-Rare-Chromosome-Disorder-83550-1.htm Alfie Clamp, a British toddler has an extra strand of DNA that has baffled doctors who have been confronted with this extremely rare genetic disorder for the first time. /FONT/H2 P style="MARGIN: 10pt 0in 0pt"FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"Alfie has gone through a long chain of problems in his brief life. He was born blind, with severe disabilities, including learning difficulties. He continues to suffer from stomach problems, and is on several drugs to help his body to absorb nutrients....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/A-Rare-Chromosome-Disorder-83550-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/European-wide-Study-Confirms-Benefits-of-D-penicillamine-and-Trientine-for-Wilson-Disease-83174-1.htm Results from the first ever European-wide retrospective analysis presented today at the International Liver CongressTM have shown both D-penicillamine and trientine continue to be effective treatments, providing positive survival rates in patients with Wilson disease free from a liver transplant. Wilson disease is a rare genetic storage disorder in which copper is not excreted by the body effectively, leading to excess copper build up, liver failure and damage to the brain (neurological problems)....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/European-wide-Study-Confirms-Benefits-of-D-penicillamine-and-Trientine-for-Wilson-Disease-83174-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/54-Beneficial-Compounds-in-Pure-Maple-Syrup-Discovered-83031-1.htm University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram has discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup and confirmed that 20 compounds discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health. Today at the 241st American Chemical Society's National Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. the URI assistant pharmacy professor is telling scientists from around the world that his URI team has now isolated and identified 54 beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup from Quebec, five of which have never been seen in nature....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/54-Beneficial-Compounds-in-Pure-Maple-Syrup-Discovered-83031-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defect-in-Spine-Best-Repaired-by-Surgery-in-the-Womb-80672-1.htm Results of an eight-year US trial released Wednesday suggest surgery to repair a birth defect known as spina bifida is best done in the womb rather than after the baby is born. The method was so successful in boosting babies' health and mobility that the trial was halted early, said the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Spina bifida is a disorder of the central nervous system that occurs when the spinal cord is partially exposed, protruding on the baby's back. Children ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defect-in-Spine-Best-Repaired-by-Surgery-in-the-Womb-80672-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Defective-Chromosome-Behind-Sleepwalking-80609-1.htm Sleepwalkers' behavior is controlled by their DNA, claim scientists. Sufferers share a faulty chromosome, which is responsible for their behavior while asleep. Following a study of four generations of the same family, researchers have narrowed down the variation to a section of chromosome 20. According to their report, one copy of the defective chromosome is enough to cause sleepwalking. Having isolated the defective section of genetic code, they hope to find new treatments for the condition....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Defective-Chromosome-Behind-Sleepwalking-80609-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Model-To-Predict-Likelihood-of-Drug-Birth-Defect-In-Pregnancy-79099-1.htm Researchers have created a preclinical model for predicting a drug's tendency to cause fetal malformations during pregnancy based on characterizing the genes that it targets. The Children's Hospital Boston Informatics Program (CHIP) used bioinformatics and public databases to profile 619 drugs already assigned to a pregnancy risk class, and whose target genes or proteins are known. The researchers found that drugs targeting a large proportion of genes associated with fetal development tended to be in the higher risk classes....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Model-To-Predict-Likelihood-of-Drug-Birth-Defect-In-Pregnancy-79099-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Registry-of-India-A-Saving-Babies-Project-78389-1.htm bBirth Defects Registry of India aims to measure baseline prevalence of birth defects, reduce the incidence of birth defects and enable families to establish Support Groups for congenital disorders. /b Babies come into the world heralding the good news that the human species with all its diversities and complexities is still going good and hasn't come to a grinding halt. Though a newborn brings in its wake untold happiness to those around, there are some unfortunate babies whose birth is clouded ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Registry-of-India-A-Saving-Babies-Project-78389-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Boffins-Identify-Gene-Linked-to-Common-Birth-Defect-Hypospadias-in-Male-Genitalia-77451-1.htm A research team has discovered a new gene associated with Hypospadias, the congenital malformation of the male genitalia. The study, conducted by King's College London, in collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands, shows for the first time that a gene inherited from the mother is likely to be important in development of the condition. Hypospadias is a common congenital condition, which affects around 1 in 375 boys. In these infants the urethral opening ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Boffins-Identify-Gene-Linked-to-Common-Birth-Defect-Hypospadias-in-Male-Genitalia-77451-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Heavy-Drinkers-Babies-More-Likely-to-Have-Birth-Defects-75498-1.htm Babies born to women who drink heavily during their first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to have birth defects, compared to the babies of mothers who abstained from alcohol, says a new study. However, kids born to moms who drink occasionally during pregnancy don't have a higher risk of birth defects than children whose moms abstain, according to the study. These results fall in line with another recent study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which found ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Heavy-Drinkers-Babies-More-Likely-to-Have-Birth-Defects-75498-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/WHO-Iraq-Studying-Growing-Birth-Defects-74975-1.htm The World Health Organisation and Iraqi authorities are carrying out a survey of birth defects in Iraq following media reports of abnormal patterns in Fallujah, a WHO spokeswoman said on Tuesday. "An investigation has begun in six governorates (administrative region) of Iraq into these reports of congenital defects," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told journalists. The BBC reported in March that large and growing numbers of birth defects were observed by doctors in Fallujah, a former insurgent ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/WHO-Iraq-Studying-Growing-Birth-Defects-74975-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Not-Caused-by-Some-Antiviral-Drugs-73140-1.htm A higher risk of birth defects is not caused by using certain antiviral drugs, concludes a new study. An analysis of data from Denmark found no associated increased risk of major birth defects for mothers who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy to the antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, often used to treat herpes simplex and herpes zoster infections. The prevalence of herpes simplex is high, and more than 1 percent of susceptible ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Not-Caused-by-Some-Antiviral-Drugs-73140-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Preclinical-Inquiry-Uncovers-Secret-Behind-Addiction-and-a-Birth-Defect-72742-1.htm Symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome arise, causing a gradual loss of brain function during early development, when one protein goes missing or is mutated. This fact led Duke University Medical Center researchers to test a theory that the protein might also contribute to nerve-cell connection (synapse) changes in a fully formed adult mouse brain when exposed to psychostimulant use. In two experiments with mice, Anne West, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurobiology, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Preclinical-Inquiry-Uncovers-Secret-Behind-Addiction-and-a-Birth-Defect-72742-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Marfan-Syndrome-Debated-72367-1.htm Reliable lists of tell-tale physical signs to help doctors recognize children with Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes have been compiled by Johns Hopkins researchers. Timely and early diagnosis of both genetic disorders can mean the difference between life and death, but some of the most common physical features are also found in people with neither of the syndromes, which can cause confusion. Published as two separate studies in the August issue of the IJournal of Bone and Joint Surgery/I, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Marfan-Syndrome-Debated-72367-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Abnormal-Chromosome-Causes-Clubfoot-70811-1.htm The most common cause of inherited clubfoot has been revealed, believe scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. By performing a routine genetic screening on 66 patients with an inherited form of clubfoot, Dr. Christina Gurnett, and her colleagues found abnormalities in a region of chromosome 17 in four patients. Three of the patients had small recurrent DNA duplications, and one had a small recurrent DNA deletion on chromosome 17. "What we're learning about ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Abnormal-Chromosome-Causes-Clubfoot-70811-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Caused-by-Psychotropic-Drugs-70549-1.htm A pregnant woman on psychotropic medications faces the risk of having a baby with birth defects. Between 1998 and 2007, psychotropic medications were associated with 429 adverse drug reactions in Danish children under the age of 17. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have published an article in the open access journal BMC Research Notes concluding that more than half of the 429 cases were serious and several involved birth defects, such as birth deformities and severe withdrawal syndromes....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Caused-by-Psychotropic-Drugs-70549-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Genetic-Link-to-Birth-Defects-Uncovered-69551-1.htm The genetic cause behind an inherited condition that causes severe fetal abnormalities has been discovered by an international group of scientists and researchers. The work, co-led by geneticists at the University of Leeds, together with colleagues from institutes and universities in Paris, Rome and San Diego, should allow couples at risk of conceiving babies with the profoundly disabling Meckel-Gruber and Joubert syndromes to be identified beforehand through genetic screening. Their findings, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Genetic-Link-to-Birth-Defects-Uncovered-69551-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Network-Tied-With-Vitamin-A-Deficiency-and-Lung-Birth-Defects-Found-69099-1.htm Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have discovered the mechanism responsible for the failure of the lungs to form as a result of vitamin A/retinoic acid (RA) deficiency. The study, which appears in the June issue of the IJournal of Clinical Investigation,/I also shows that corrections to this network make it possible to prevent the lung defect in retinoic acid-deficient animals. Congenital abnormalities of the respiratory system are often part of multi-organ ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Gene-Network-Tied-With-Vitamin-A-Deficiency-and-Lung-Birth-Defects-Found-69099-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Anti-Oxidants-in-Pure-Maple-Syrup-Prevents-Cancer-Diabetes-Study-66716-1.htm University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, who specializes in medicinal plant research, has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, and 13 of these compounds are newly discovered. In addition, eight of the compounds have been found in the Acer (maple) family for the first time. Several of these anti-oxidant compounds newly identified in maple syrup are also reported to have anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Anti-Oxidants-in-Pure-Maple-Syrup-Prevents-Cancer-Diabetes-Study-66716-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Chromosome-11-Gene-Cluster-Linked-to-Alcohol-Dependence-65819-1.htm An association between alcohol dependence (AD) and a cluster of genes on chromosome 11, has been found in a genome-wide association study. "Previous studies have looked at one or a few genes at a time, choosing the genes based upon hypotheses about possible mechanisms underlying differences in risk for alcoholism," said Howard J. Edenberg, Distinguished Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine and corresponding author for the study. "We chose ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Chromosome-11-Gene-Cluster-Linked-to-Alcohol-Dependence-65819-1.htm