Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Birth Defects, Women's Health - General
Published Spike in premature births caused by COVID, halted by vaccines, study finds



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



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 Novel molecular mechanisms in the early development of diabetes mellitus



Researchers conducted a gene expression analysis at the single-cell level on pancreatic islets from prediabetic and diabetic mouse models. Analysis results revealed upregulation of Anxa10 expression in pancreatic beta cells during the early phases of diabetes, attributed to elevated blood glucose levels. This elevated Anxa10 expression was found to influence intracellular calcium homeostasis, leading to a reduction in insulin secretory capacity.
Published Clinical trial results give new hope for children with rare gliomas



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 Urban environmental exposures drive increased breast cancer incidence



An analysis of breast cancer showed that the state’s urban counties had higher overall incidences of disease than rural counties, especially at early stages upon diagnosis.
Published Lab-grown 'small blood vessels' point to potential treatment for major cause of stroke and vascular dementia



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



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



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 compound outperforms pain drug by indirectly targeting calcium channels



A compound -- one of 27 million screened in a library of potential new drugs -- reversed four types of chronic pain in animal studies, according to new research. The small molecule, which binds to an inner region of a calcium channel to indirectly regulate it, outperformed gabapentin without troublesome side effects, providing a promising candidate for treating pain.
Published Side-effect avoiding treatment shows early promise against breast cancer in mice



New experimental evidence suggests that substances known as narrow-spectrum Wnt signaling inhibitors -- which could have fewer side effects than other related substances -- are capable of suppressing the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice.
Published A thyroxine derivative enhances brain drug delivery



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 Higher risk of breast cancer in women with false positive mammography result



Women who receive a false positive mammography result are more likely to develop breast cancer over the subsequent 20 years, report researchers. The risk is highest for women aged between 60 and 75 and who have low breast density.
Published Maternal microbiota can affect fetal development



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 COVID vaccination in female, male partners does not increase risk of miscarriage, study finds



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



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 Cutting-edge imaging sheds new light on cells that break down bone



Imaging technology shows that bone-resorbing osteoclasts gather in distinct pockets, leading to new insights for osteoporosis and cancer treatment.
Published Zika infection in pregnant macaques slows fetal growth



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 New clues to early development of schizophrenia



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 Researchers uncover mechanism that links NAD+ to fertility problems



A woman's fertility normally decreases by her late 30s with reproductive function eventually ceasing at menopause. It is known that a small molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) plays a critical role in this decline, and scientists have revealed how this happens and have identified potential new approaches to enhance reproductive longevity.
Published How brain inflammation in children may cause neurological disorders



Severe inflammation in early childhood is a clinically known risk factor for developing autism and schizophrenia. Now, scientists have discovered that inflammation alters the development of vulnerable brain cells, and this could have mechanistic links to neurodevelopmental disorders.