http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Every year, thousands of babies are born with severely malformed hearts, disorders known collectively as congenital heart disease. Many of these defects can be repaired though surgery, but researchers don't understand what causes them or how to prevent them. New research shows that about 10 percent of these defects are caused by genetic mutations that are absent in the parents of affected children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-important-congenital-heart-disease.html Cardiology Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:08 EST news287574219 (HealthDay)—Stress in mothers before and during pregnancy may boost the risk of congenital heart defects in their children, more new evidence suggests. But the findings aren't conclusive, and the effect—if it exists—appears to be small. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-stress-pregnancy-heart-defect-baby.html Pediatrics Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:00:01 EST news283430147 (HealthDay)—A drug commonly used to treat severe cases of morning sickness does not appear to be linked to birth defects or other risks to the baby, a large new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-pregnancy-morning-sickness-drug.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:20:30 EST news281208023 (Medical Xpress)—According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 3 of every 100 babies in the U.S. are born with a birth defect. Among boys, one of the most common defects is the displacement of the urethral opening in the penis, a condition called hypospadias. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-mouse-mutant-path-birth-defect.html Medical research Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:42:23 EST news277551737 (AP)—Mosquito control officials in the Florida Keys think genetically modified mosquitoes might help reduce the risk of dengue fever in Key West. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-gene-altered-mosquitoes-dengue.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 06 Dec 2012 05:43:31 EST news273994992 Boys whose testes have not descended at birth—a condition known as cryptorchidism—are almost three times as likely to develop testicular cancer in later life, finds an analysis of the available evidence published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-testicular-cancer-tripled-boys-descend.html Cancer Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:30:01 EST news273344575 A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas institutions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-exposure-herbicide-rare-disorder.html Pediatrics Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:24:38 EST news268057473 (Medical Xpress) -- New research by medics at Trinity College Dublin suggests that folic acid plays a vital role in preventing a major birth defect. This is in addition to the established protection against neural birth defect such as spina bifida The findings published in the July 2012 edition of the leading primary care journal, the British Journal of General Practice show that the risk of having Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP) was more than four times higher if mothers had not taken folic acid in the first trimester. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-links-mothers-lack-folic-acid.html Health Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:12:51 EST news260687519 Health officials in South Africa's Eastern Cape region Monday voiced concern at the increased number of children born with rare deformities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-rare-birth-defects-africa-health.html Pediatrics Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:30:01 EST news259858873 The latest advance in prenatal genetic testing purports to offer parents more detailed information than ever about the child they are expecting. But for some, the new answers could lead to another round of questions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-prenatal-genetic.html Genetics Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:40:04 EST news259404918 Patients with wider cleft palates appear more likely to postoperatively develop velopharyngeal insufficiency, a condition characterized by hypernasal speech and nasal air escape when speaking, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-wider-cleft-width-hypernasal-speech.html Surgery Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:02:39 EST news253810938 A USC research team has pinpointed the source of a genetic disorder that causes life-threatening birth defects, which may allow doctors to quickly diagnose and better treat the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-tracks-birth-defect.html Medical research Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:50:04 EST news248366981 (Medical Xpress) -- Pregnant women with diabetes are almost four times more likely to have a baby with a birth defect than women without the condition and the likelihood is linked to the mother's glucose level, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-diabetes-linked-higher-birth-defects.html Diabetes Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:09:23 EST news247824551 Researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), The Jackson Laboratory and other institutes have uncovered 27 new candidate genes for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a common and often deadly birth defect. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-clues-common-birth-defect-gene.html Genetics Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:12 EST news247755783 Doctors in Brazil said Thursday they have decided for now not to attempt to surgically separate a set of conjoined twins who have two heads but share one body and various vital organs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-rare-two-headed-baby-born-brazil.html Other Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:32:43 EST news243786753 Kyle Figuray eyed the reflection of his ear with intense fascination. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-ohio-ears.html Medical research Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:53:08 EST news236598777 Babies and toddlers with congenital heart disease are at an increased risk of having harmful toxins in their blood, particularly following surgery, according to research by a team at Imperial College London. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-children-congenital-heart-disease-toxins.html Cardiology Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:38:55 EST news233573921 About 1 in every 120 babies are born with congenital heart disease (CHD), of which about 25 percent is critical, requiring special care early in life. CHD is responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defect, but often outcomes can be improved with early detection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-screen-newborns-heart-problems.html Cardiology Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:12:32 EST news233205109 (AP) -- After an emotional debate, German lawmakers voted Thursday to allow a procedure that looks for genetic disorders in embryos before they are implanted in the womb. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-german-parliament-oks-genetic-embryo.html Genetics Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:37:00 EST news229257406 A pediatric urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center who pioneered a surgical technique for repairing a common birth defect in boys reports the procedure is singularly effective in correcting the problem with few complications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-surgeons-hypospadias-efficacy-patients-differing.html Other Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:50:01 EST news227330643 Use of newer-generation antiepileptic drugs, which are also prescribed for bipolar mood disorders and migraine headaches, during the first trimester of pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of major birth defects in the first year of life among infants in Denmark, according to a study in the May 18 issue of JAMA. Older-generation antiepileptic drugs are associated with an increased risk of birth defects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-prenatal-antiepileptic-drugs-major-birth.html Health Tue, 17 May 2011 16:58:24 EST news224870293