Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Birth Defects, Fertility
Published Spike in premature births caused by COVID, halted by vaccines, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source COVID-19 caused an alarming surge in premature births, but vaccines were key to returning the early birth rate to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new analysis of California birth records.
Published Researchers develop new method for prenatal genetic testing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a non-invasive genetic test that can screen the blood of pregnant individuals to survey all genes from the fetal genome.
Published Clinical trial results give new hope for children with rare gliomas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A collaboration of researchers has published successful results from a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of BRAF mutated low-grade paediatric gliomas.
Published Lab-grown 'small blood vessels' point to potential treatment for major cause of stroke and vascular dementia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have grown small blood vessel-like models in the lab and used them to show how damage to the scaffolding that supports these vessels can cause them to leak, leading to conditions such as vascular dementia and stroke.
Published High levels of maternal stress during pregnancy linked to children's behavior problems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Children whose mothers are highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy may be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues during their childhood and teen years, according to new research.
Published Exposure to air pollution in utero may affect reproductive system development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From invisible wafts of diesel exhaust to sun-choking plumes of orange smoke, air pollution is known to damage respiratory well-being. Now, research suggests another reason to hold our breath: Polluted air also may hurt reproductive health. In a study of air pollution data in relation to markers of reproductive development in infancy, Rutgers researchers found certain pollutants may negatively alter anogenital distance, a measure of prenatal exposure to hormones.
Published New study finds association between insecticide exposure and lower sperm concentration in adult men
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found in a new systematic review that there is a strong association between insecticide exposure and lower sperm concentration in adult men globally.
Published A thyroxine derivative enhances brain drug delivery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that the delivery of drugs into the brain, and especially into glial cells, can be enhanced with prodrugs that temporarily incorporate thyroxine or a thyroxine-like molecule.
Published Mobile phone use may affect semen quality, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Does electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones affect semen quality? While various environmental and lifestyle factors have been proposed to explain the decline in semen quality observed over the last fifty years, the role of mobile phones has yet to be demonstrated. A team has now published a major cross-sectional study on the subject. It shows that frequent use of mobile phones is associated with a lower sperm concentration and total sperm count.
Published Maternal microbiota can affect fetal development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Significant differences in the gene activity of the fetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother's body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring's development and health.
Published Sperm adjust their swimming style to adapt to fluctuating fluid conditions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sperm can modulate their energetics by regulating their flagellar waveform -- how the sperm oscillate their tails -- in order to adapt to varying fluid environments, potentially optimizing their motility and navigation within the reproductive tract, according to new research.
Published COVID vaccination in female, male partners does not increase risk of miscarriage, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study provides deeper insight into the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people planning to become pregnant. The study found no increased risk of early or late miscarriage as a result of male or female partners getting a COVID-19 vaccine prior to conceiving.
Published Lab unlocks keys to alcohol withdrawal headache
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered mechanisms by which specific cells are activated in alcohol withdrawal-induced headache. The research may benefit further studies of various substance use disorder mechanisms including withdrawal. It may be possible to develop a small-molecule drug therapy to inhibit interactions, resulting in fewer pain signals during alcohol withdrawal.
Published Possible cause of male infertility
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mature spermatozoa are characterized by an head, midpiece and a long tail for locomotion. Now, researchers have found that a loss of the structural protein ACTL7B blocks spermatogenesis in male mice. The cells can no longer develop their characteristic shape and remain in a rather round form. The animals are infertile.
Published Membrane transporter ensures mobility of sperm cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Special proteins -- known as membrane transporters -- are key to the mobility of sperm cells. A research team has, with the aid of cryo-electron microscopy, succeeded in decoding the structure of such a transporter and its mechanism. These findings will enable a better understanding of the molecular foundations of reproductive capacity and could, in the long term, contribute to developing new approaches to treating fertility disorders and new methods of specific contraception.
Published Zika infection in pregnant macaques slows fetal growth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study. The work has implications for both humans exposed to Zika virus and for other viruses that can cross the placenta, including SARS-CoV2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published Study suggests that having common ancestors can jeopardize fertility for generations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research provides rare direct evidence showing that increased homozygosity -- meaning two identical alleles in a genome -- leads to negative effects on fertility in a human population.
Published New clues to early development of schizophrenia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disease that remains poorly understood and treated. Schizophrenia onset is typically in adolescence or early adulthood, but its underlying causes are thought to involve neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Because human prenatal and postnatal brain tissue is exceedingly difficult to procure and therefore study, researchers have had limited opportunities to identify early disease mechanisms, especially during the critical prenatal period. Now, a pair of studies use new technology to study schizophrenia in models of early human brain development.
Published Bacteria can enhance host insect's fertility with implications for disease control
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research reveals how the bacteria strain Wolbachia pipientis enhances the fertility of the insects it infects, an insight that could help scientists increase the populations of mosquitoes that do not carry human disease.
Published Why do some men not produce sperm?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Millions of couples worldwide experience infertility with half of the cases originating in men. For 10 percent of infertile males, little or no sperm are produced. Now, new research is shedding light on what may be going wrong in the process of sperm formation, leading to potential theories on possible treatments.