Genetic defects give the immune system the green light to attack the pancreas
Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have found genetic regions that, when defective, allow the immune system to attack the pancreas ?the first in a series of mis-steps that lead to type 1 diabetes. Armed with these findings published March 22 in the journal Immunity, the researchers are now trying to hone in on the exact genes involved, in mice and in human patients. “The significance of...Cellular Defects in Premature Aging Disease are Reversible
Cells affected by Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) -- a disease associated with premature aging -- can be made healthy again, according to findings by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Using specially modified segments of DNA, NCI researchers Paola Scaffidi, PhD, and Tom Misteli, PhD, reversed the abnormalities seen in H...One hit of crystal meth causes birth defects
A single prenatal dose of methamphetamine ?commonly known as speed ?may be enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies, say University of Toronto researchers. In research published in the August issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, U of T pharmacy and pharmacology professor Peter Wells and his colleagues determined that exposing pregnant mice only once to methamp...Montreal researchers identify defects of immune cells
Researchers at Université de Montréal and the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) have successfully identified a defective immune cell population that determines susceptibility to candidiasis, a common and often debilitating infection in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These findings, revealed using a model of candidiasis in transgenic mice expres...Micro-molecule plays big role in birth defects
University of Florida researchers have learned how to selectively shut down a flyweight-sized genetic molecule that packs a heavyweight punch, a discovery that may help doctors better understand cancer, birth defects and other health problems. The finding, which will be reported this week in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, deals with tiny strands of genetic mate...CDC reveals relationship between prepregnant weight and heart defects in infants
Keeping fit and in to be in shape is not only good for the individuals themselves but also for their siblings. Over weight, which is of course the predisposer of majority of the illness such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension etc., is now being studied in depth, the reason is to attain the destination of disease free environment, that are preventable.// Researchers from the US Cent...Fortifying Foods Found To Reduce Birth Defects
Fortifying foods like flour, pasta and cornmeal with folic acid markedly reduces the number of infants born with neural tube defects like spina bifida, say researchers according to a new study. //Thus researchers advice pregnant women to take folic acid supplements in early pregnancy when the neural tube is forming. But women also need to maintain adequate levels of folic acid prior to pr...Addition Of Folic Acid In Flour Proposed To Arrest Birth Defects In The UK
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition in the UK has said that many babies could be spared the trauma of being born with birth defects if folic acid were to be incorporated in flour. //Folic acid plays a vital role in reducing commonly found neural tube defects like the spina bifida. The Committee also maintained that medical termination of pregnancy could be avoided if this simpl...IVF technique May Increase The Risk Of Birth Defects
The commonly used in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may increase the risk of babies being born with abnormalities such as ambiguous genitalia. Researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, say that men whose infertility is genetic are likely to have other, more serious genetic faults that can be passed on when spermatozoa are injecte...Epilepsy Drugs Can Enhance Risk of Birth Defects
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder in which misfiring electrical impulses in the brain lead to seizures. About 2.3 million Americans have epilepsy, and more than a million are female. //Pregnant women who take anti-epileptic medications face a significant risk that their children will have problems ranging from congenital defects to slow development. A new study adds to growin...