http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/Multifactorial-Birth-Defects-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 25 May 2012 06:36:58 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-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/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/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/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/Mouse-Model-Gets-Genetically-Corrected-Cleft-Lip-94078-1.htm Genetic methods successfully employed to repair cleft lips in mice embryos specially engineered for the study of cleft lip and cleft palate by the Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College. The research breakthrough may show the way to prevent or treat the conditions in humans. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects, with treatment requiring multiple cycles of surgery, speech therapy and orthodontics. To date, there have been very few pre-clinical methods that allow ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Mouse-Model-Gets-Genetically-Corrected-Cleft-Lip-94078-1.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/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/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/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/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/Scientists-Understand-Gene-Mutation-Behind-Cleft-Palate-Development-74089-1.htm Scientists have found a novel mechanism that explains why a certain gene mutation results in craniofrontonasal syndrome (CFNS), which causes cleft palate and other malformations on the face. Previous studies have revealed that a mutation in a gene called ephrin-B1 caused abnormalities in facial development, but researchers were uncertain of how. Philipe M. Soriano, Professor, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, and Jeffrey O. Bush, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Understand-Gene-Mutation-Behind-Cleft-Palate-Development-74089-1.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/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/Environmental-Factor-may-Play-Key-Role-in-Development-of-MS-68340-1.htm Compelling evidence that some powerful non-heritable, environmental factor likely plays a key role in the development of multiple sclerosis is being reported by scientists. Their finding, the cover article in the April 29, 2010 issue of INature/I, results from the most advanced genomic analysis ever conducted on identical, or "monozygote," twins where one sibling has multiple sclerosis and the other does not. "Even with the very high resolution at which we sequenced the genomes of our ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Environmental-Factor-may-Play-Key-Role-in-Development-of-MS-68340-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Find-Link-Between-Birth-Defect-Gastroschisis-and-the-Agricultural-Chemical-Atrazine-64707-1.htm A link between the birth defect gastroschisis and the agricultural chemical atrazine has been found in a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in Chicago. Gastroschisis is a type of inherited congenital abdominal wall defect in which the intestines, and sometimes other organs, develop outside the fetal abdomen through an opening in the abdominal wall. The incidence of gastroschisis is on the rise, increasing two to four times in the last 30 years....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Find-Link-Between-Birth-Defect-Gastroschisis-and-the-Agricultural-Chemical-Atrazine-64707-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-and-Spinal-Cord-Birth-Defects-Highlighted-by-New-Research-63943-1.htm An intriguing insight into how the nervous system forms during very early embryonic development is provided by new research, published by Cell Press in the January 19th issue of the journal IDevelopmental Cell,/I. The study sheds light on a process called neural tube closure which, when disrupted, causes congenital birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, including anencephaly and spina bifida. During normal embryonic development, a flat sheet of cells that is destined to give rise ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-and-Spinal-Cord-Birth-Defects-Highlighted-by-New-Research-63943-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Female-Janitors-Scientists-More-Likely-to-Produce-Birth-Defect-Babies-62674-1.htm A new American study suggests that women working as biological and chemical scientists and pharmacists are more likely to give birth to babies with physical defects than other women. According to the research, these children could suffer from gastrointestinal, spinal and heart malformations. "Given those job titles, one would expect those women to work with different chemicals or something that could possibly be an exposure," the Globe and Mail quoted study' lead author Michele Herdt-Losavio ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Female-Janitors-Scientists-More-Likely-to-Produce-Birth-Defect-Babies-62674-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-of-Testicular-Germ-Cell-Cancer-Not-Increased-in-Relatives-of-Boys-With-Sexual-Birth-Defects-62630-1.htm A new study published online December 21 in the iJournal of the National Cancer Institute/i says that boys with the sexual birth defects known as hypospadias and cryptorchidism are at risk for developing testicular germ cell cancer, but their relatives are not. Although hypospadias, the birth defect that involves an abnormally-placed urinary opening, and cryptorchidism, the lack of descension of one or both testes in the scrotal sac, are associated with a risk of developing testicular germ ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-of-Testicular-Germ-Cell-Cancer-Not-Increased-in-Relatives-of-Boys-With-Sexual-Birth-Defects-62630-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Discovery-may-Reverse-Cleft-Palate-in-Womb-61773-1.htm One of the most common congenital birth defects in humans, a cleft palate, till date has only complex surgical treatments. But now there may be a way to cure it in the womb itself. According to Yang Chai, the study's principal investigator, close regulation of important signalling molecules during palate formation may help reverse the onset of cleft palate. Chai said protein Shh must remain within a certain level in a developing fetus in order for a proper palate to form....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Discovery-may-Reverse-Cleft-Palate-in-Womb-61773-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/More-About-Gastroschisis-Birth-Defect-60621-1.htm Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 - April 2008, results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the IArchives of Pediatrics (and) Adolescent Medicine,/I indicate. Subsequent review of medical records since the study's conclusion indicates that while the rate is still elevated, the cluster appears to have subsided. Gastroschisis ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/More-About-Gastroschisis-Birth-Defect-60621-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Kissing-You-Partner-Saves-Unborn-Child-From-Birth-Defects-60312-1.htm Scientists now have reason to believe that kissing was created to spread germs which build up immunity to illness. The loved-up gesture allows a bug, which is dangerous in pregnancy, to be passed from man to woman to give her time to build up protection against it, reports The Telegraph. The bug, Cytomegalovirus, is found in saliva and generally causes no problems. However, it can turn nasty if caught while pregnant and can kill unborn babies or cause birth defects. Researcher Dr Colin ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Kissing-You-Partner-Saves-Unborn-Child-From-Birth-Defects-60312-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Rural-Women-Exposed-to-DDT-Likely-to-Have-Boys-With-Urogenital-Birth-Defects-59940-1.htm Rural women exposed to DDT - sprayed to reduce malaria - are likely to give birth to boys with urogenital birth defects (UGBD), say researchers. The research led by the University of Pretoria in South Africa showed that women who stayed at home in sprayed villages, rather than being a student or working, had 41 per cent more baby boys with UGBDs, such as missing testicles or problems with their urethra or penis. The authors suggest this is because they spent more time in homes where domestic ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Rural-Women-Exposed-to-DDT-Likely-to-Have-Boys-With-Urogenital-Birth-Defects-59940-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Medications-That-Block-Folic-Acid-During-Pregnancy-Increase-Risk-Of-Birth-Defects-59487-1.htm 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. The study was conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. For the study, the researchers obtained medication data from pregnant mothers registered at Clalit HMO, Southern District, and drew information from 84,832 babies born at Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel. "After studying ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Medications-That-Block-Folic-Acid-During-Pregnancy-Increase-Risk-Of-Birth-Defects-59487-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Meghalaya-Hospital-Treats-Cleft-Lip-Patients-Free-of-Cost-58757-1.htm Taking a cue from 'Smile Pinki', an Oscar winning documentary, a hospital in Meghalaya provides free treatment to cleft patients. Woodland hospital in Shillong has been providing a ray of hope to impoverished cleft patients by treating them for free. "It is one of the commonest congenital deformity and it is mainly hereditary lack nutrition and vitamins in mothers which are main causes for incident," said Werlok Kharshiing, plastic surgeon at woodland hospital. Asma, from Baitbari village ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Meghalaya-Hospital-Treats-Cleft-Lip-Patients-Free-of-Cost-58757-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Exposure-To-Perchlorethylene-Could-Lead-To-Birth-Defects-58514-1.htm Studies say that 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. Ann Aschengrau, from Boston University School of Public Health, USA, worked with a team of researchers to study the prevalence of birth defects in the children ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Exposure-To-Perchlorethylene-Could-Lead-To-Birth-Defects-58514-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Absence-of-a-Gene-Causes-Chromosomal-Birth-Defects-58297-1.htm A cell biologist at The Florida State University has found that the absence of a gene called Pds5, could lead to a number of chromosomal birth defects like Down syndrome. For the study, Hong-Guo Yu used yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis. He found that when a Pds5 goes missing, chromosomes fail to segregate and pair up properly, and birth defects such as Down syndrome can result. The ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Absence-of-a-Gene-Causes-Chromosomal-Birth-Defects-58297-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Among-Newborns-on-Rise-in-China-58097-1.htm The number of newborns with birth defects in many parts of China is rising rapidly as women have children later in life and environmental pollution takes its toll, state media reported. In Beijing, the rate of physical abnormalities, such as congenital heart defects or cleft lips, last year was 170 per 10,000 births, nearly twice the rate recorded in 1997, the China Daily newspaper reported. Quoting the Beijing municipal health bureau, the report said the higher rate was the result of better ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Birth-Defects-Among-Newborns-on-Rise-in-China-58097-1.htm