From 2003 to 2017, there was a decrease in infant mortality attributable to birth defects (IMBD) overall, although considerable differences were seen in the decreases by maternal and infant characteristics, according to research published in the Jan. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Lynn M. […]
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Malnutrition linked with increased risk of Zika birth defects
Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) refers to a collection of developmental malformations associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) congenital infection. This syndrome includes devastating conditions that have a huge impact on the rest of the life of the individual and their family, such as smaller (microcephaly) and unfolded (lissencephalic) brains, retinal abnormalities, enlarged ventricles of the heart, […]
Defective cilia linked to heart valve birth defects
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common heart valve birth defect and one of the most common birth defects of any type, affecting around 70 million people worldwide. A healthy aortic valve has three leaflets; in BAV disease, two of the leaflets are fused together, impairing the function of the valve. In many individuals […]
Study finds brain defects in people with a genetic risk for schizophrenia
An international study led by researchers from the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA has found that people who are born with a genetic disease that greatly increases the risk of developing schizophrenia have distinctive defects and deficiencies in the white matter of their brains. Researchers compared the brains […]
Despite risk of birth defects, HIV drug should be considered for women in South Africa
Although a woman’s use of the HIV drug dolutegravir at conception may increase the risk of often-fatal neural tube defects in her child, a new study suggests that the risk may be offset by the drug’s ability to decrease deaths among women and prevent HIV transmission to their children and sexual partners. The report, led […]
Interferon regulatory factor six mutations implicated in neural tube defects, including spina bifida
Mutations in a gene known as interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) that cause cleft lip and palate also are implicated in neural tube defects such as spina bifida, suggests research by an international study team published online Jan. 25, 2019, in Human Molecular Genetics. In the first weeks of fetal development the neural plate curves, […]