Birth Defects News and Research

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New weight loss pill - combination of two existing drugs

According to the latest research on obesity treatments there is now a new weapon in the battle for weight loss. It combines two existing drugs that have resulted in twice as much weight loss as the only approved long-term anti-obesity medication.

10 Apr 2011

First-of-its-kind map of recombination hotspots in a multi-celled organism

Researchers have zoomed in on mouse chromosomes to map hotspots of genetic recombination - sites where DNA breaks and reforms to shuffle genes. The findings of the scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU) have the potential to improve the detection of genes linked to disease and to help understand the root causes of genetic abnormalities.

6 Apr 2011

Asymmetrical flattening of the skull increasing in infants and young children

The prevalence of plagiocephaly, a condition marked by an asymmetrical, flattening of the skull, appears to be increasing in infants and young children, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Apr 2011

Stem Cell Action Coalition issues urgent appeal to Minnesota Governor for SCNT research

The Stem Cell Action Coalition issued an urgent appeal to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to veto any legislation that contains any impediment to lawful embryonic stem cell research in the state.

2 Apr 2011

Prenatal alcohol exposure another risk for conduct disorder

Alcohol use during pregnancy is common and is associated with significant threats to the health and development of exposed offspring. Despite warnings from the Surgeon General to limit alcohol use if pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, a recent survey by the National Birth Defects Prevention Study(1) found that nearly one-third of women drank alcohol at some time during their pregnancy, with one-fourth of the women surveyed having drunk during the first trimester.

21 Mar 2011

TESE offers fertility to male cancer survivors

An intricate procedure that finds and carefully removes individual sperm from testicular tissue has made fathers of men who were once considered sterile due to prior cancer treatment, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center who pioneered the technique.

16 Mar 2011

On The Issues Magazine examines how environmental health affects women's lives

The Spring 2011 edition of On The Issues Magazine – "The Ecology of Women" – examines how environmental health affects women's lives, particularly the toxins and chemicals that enter our bodies from the air, water, food and consumer products. These toxins are implicated as possible causes of conditions like cancer, early puberty, infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects.

16 Mar 2011

Seattle Children's Hospital inaugurates new dialysis unit

Today, timed with World Kidney Day, Seattle Children's Hospital announced the opening of its newly renovated dialysis unit. The unit will significantly improve patient comfort and safety compared to its predecessor facility, and includes an additional 630 square feet of space for a total of nearly 2,400 square feet.

11 Mar 2011

Study finds passive smoking increases risk of still birth by 23%

Pregnant non-smokers who breathe in the second-hand smoke of other people are at an increased risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects, a study led by researchers at The University of Nottingham has found.

9 Mar 2011

New report highlights wide range of hazardous air pollutants emitted from power plants

The American Lung Association today released Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants, a new report that documents the range of hazardous air pollutants emitted from power plants and the urgent need to clean them up to protect public health.

8 Mar 2011

New advance in tissue engineering

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues reported today on a new advance in tissue engineering.

8 Mar 2011

Monthly liver enzyme tests not required for PAH patients taking Letairis tablets: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that monthly liver enzyme tests are no longer required for those taking Letairis tablets (ambrisentan), used to treat high blood pressure in the vessels that carry blood to the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH).

5 Mar 2011

Topamax medication during pregnancy can lead to increased risk of oral birth defects in babies

New data suggest that the drug Topamax and its generic versions increase the risk for the birth defects cleft lip and cleft palate in babies born to women who use the medication during pregnancy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today.

5 Mar 2011

Research findings likely to improve understanding of gene regulation in humans

Many multi-cellular animals use sex chromosomes to determine sex. In fruit flies and in humans, this produces XX for females and XY for males. Cellular mechanisms then kick into gear to compensate the two-to-one imbalance of X-linked genes in females and males.

4 Mar 2011

Heterotaxin useful for studying intestinal birth defects may also inhibit cancerous tumor growth

In an interesting bit of scientific serendipity, researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a chemical compound useful for studying the origins of intestinal birth defects may also inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumors.

1 Mar 2011

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,888,112 covering DNA vaccines for cytomegalovirus containing specific gene sequences and formulated with Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant.

16 Feb 2011

Genetic tests find skeletons like incest in the family: Study

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have developed sophisticated DNA analyses that can detect disabilities as birth defects, epilepsy or developmental delays. They note that about 25 percent of genetic material inherited from their mother was the same as material inherited from their father. This denoted incest. This has triggered ethical debates over how these inadvertent findings should be handled.

13 Feb 2011

More research needed to determine link between folic acid and breast cancer

New study: Fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly improves child's mobility

Performing delicate surgery in the womb, months before birth, can substantially improve outcomes for children with a common, disabling birth defect of the spine. Experts at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia co-led a new landmark study showing that fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, improves mobility and improves the chances that a child will be able to walk independently.

9 Feb 2011

ADHD kids often suffer from other mental ailments: Study

As many as two thirds of American children suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, also suffer other mental health and developmental conditions, such as learning disabilities and anxiety says a new study.

8 Feb 2011