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Drug tests on mothers’ hair links recreational drug use to birth defects

By Guest PostNovember 10, 2014Healthbambang suharnoko sjahrir, birmingham, birth defects, bristol, cocaine, data collection, gerrit gonschorek, guenter Schulze, london, mdma, mother, nicholas patzke, nick morris, oeffentliche gelder, risk factor, ucl, wahlkampfinstrument

Drug tests on 517 mothers in English inner city hospitals found that nearly 15% had taken recreational drugs during pregnancy and that mothers of babies with birth defects of the brain were significantly more likely to have taken drugs than mothers with normal babies. The study found no significant links between recreational drug use and any other type of birth defect.

The study was led by a team of UCL researchers co-ordinating data collection from hospitals across London, Bristol and Birmingham and the results are published in the journal PLOS ONE. The study included 213 women whose baby had a type of birth defect with potential links to recreational drug use, 143 women whose baby had a birth defect with no previously reported links to drug use and 161 women whose baby was normally formed. (more…)

MU Research of Zebrafish Neurons May Lead to Better Understanding of Birth Defects like Spina Bifida

By Guest PostFebruary 22, 2014Scienceanand chandrasekhar, basic function, birth defects, cilia function, facial branchiomotor, gene, internal process, jaw muscles, mammal, mu research, neuron migration, protein vangl2, spina bifida, vertebrate, zebrafish neurons

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The zebrafish, a tropical freshwater fish similar to a minnow and native to the southeastern Himalayan region, is well established as a key tool for researchers studying human diseases, including brain disorders. Using zebrafish, scientists can determine how individual neurons develop, mature and support basic functions like breathing, swallowing and jaw movement. Researchers at the University of Missouri say that learning about neuronal development and maturation in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of birth defects such as spina bifida in humans.

“We are studying how neurons move to their final destinations,” said Anand Chandrasekhar, professor of biological sciences and a researcher in the Bond Life Sciences Center at MU. “It’s especially critical in the nervous system because these neurons are generating circuits similar to what you might see in computers. If those circuits don’t form properly, and if different types of neurons don’t end up in the right locations, the behavior and survival of the animal will be compromised.” (more…)

Lack of Key Enzyme in the Metabolism of Folic Acid Leads to Birth Defects

By Guest PostJanuary 23, 2013Healthanencephaly, austin, birth defects, dean appling, developing embryos, folic acid, folic acid enzyme, formate, gene, human gene, jessica momb, jordan lewandowski, joshua bryant, key enzyme, lack, metabolic pathway, metabolism, mthfd1l, mutation, neural tube defects, point mutation, pregnancy, rebecca fitch, researcher deborah surman, spina bifida, steven vokes, university of texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that the lack of a critical enzyme in the folic acid metabolic pathway leads to neural tube birth defects in developing embryos.

It has been known for several decades that folic acid supplementation dramatically reduces the incidence of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, which are among the most common birth defects. In some populations, folic acid supplementation has decreased neural tube defects by as much as 70 percent. (more…)

Tag Archives: birth defects

Drug tests on mothers’ hair links recreational drug use to birth defects

MU Research of Zebrafish Neurons May Lead to Better Understanding of Birth Defects like Spina Bifida

Lack of Key Enzyme in the Metabolism of Folic Acid Leads to Birth Defects