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Birth Defects Research. Part C, Embryo... Jun 2015Nearly 60 years ago thalidomide was prescribed to treat morning sickness in pregnant women. What followed was the biggest man-made medical disaster ever, where over... (Review)
Review
Nearly 60 years ago thalidomide was prescribed to treat morning sickness in pregnant women. What followed was the biggest man-made medical disaster ever, where over 10,000 children were born with a range of severe and debilitating malformations. Despite this, the drug is now used successfully to treat a range of adult conditions, including multiple myeloma and complications of leprosy. Tragically, a new generation of thalidomide damaged children has been identified in Brazil. Yet, how thalidomide caused its devastating effects in the forming embryo remains unclear. However, studies in the past few years have greatly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms the drug. This review will look at the history of the drug, and the range and type of damage the drug caused, and outline the mechanisms of action the drug uses including recent molecular advances and new findings. Some of the remaining challenges facing thalidomide biologists are also discussed.
Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Adult; Animals; Female; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Male; Pregnancy; Teratogenesis; Teratogens; Thalidomide
PubMed: 26043938
DOI: 10.1002/bdrc.21096 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2021Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can have immediate and long-lasting toxic and teratogenic effects on an individual's development and health. As a toxicant, alcohol can... (Review)
Review
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can have immediate and long-lasting toxic and teratogenic effects on an individual's development and health. As a toxicant, alcohol can lead to a variety of physical and neurological anomalies in the fetus that can lead to behavioral and other impairments which may last a lifetime. Recent studies have focused on identifying mechanisms that mediate the immediate teratogenic effects of alcohol on fetal development and mechanisms that facilitate the persistent toxic effects of alcohol on health and predisposition to disease later in life. This review focuses on the contribution of epigenetic modifications and intercellular transporters like extracellular vesicles to the toxicity of PAE and to immediate and long-term consequences on an individual's health and risk of disease.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Adult; Epigenesis, Genetic; Ethanol; Extracellular Vesicles; Female; Fetal Development; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Teratogenesis
PubMed: 34445488
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168785 -
Dentistry Journal Apr 2021Pregnancy is a unique moment in a woman's life, accompanied with several physiologic changes that have an impact on oral health. The purpose of the present study was... (Review)
Review
Pregnancy is a unique moment in a woman's life, accompanied with several physiologic changes that have an impact on oral health. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a critical review of published literature regarding pregnancy and dentistry, the most frequent oral diseases that are encountered during pregnancy, their correlation to adverse pregnancy events, and safe dental treatments that can be performed during pregnancy. A Medline/COCHRANE search was carried using specific keywords and MeSH terms, combined with the boolean operators "OR" and "AND". The search led to 146 publications including guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic and non-systematic reviews, published between 2000 and 2021. Due to the increased inflammatory and immune body response that characterizes pregnancy, periodontal conditions are often aggravated during pregnancy and periodontal disease encountered frequently in pregnant patients. There are conflicting study results in the literature regarding the association between periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Periodontal treatment did not show a significant reduction in the adverse outcomes. Many dentists, often due to lack of information, are reluctant to provide dental treatment to pregnant women. However, preventive and restorative dental treatment is safe during pregnancy. Diagnostic radiographs may be performed after the first trimester if absolutely necessary. Analgesics (such as paracetamol) and anesthetics (such as lidocaine) are also considered safe. In case of infection, antibacterial drugs such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, and some cephalosporines and macrolides can also be prescribed. Organogenesis takes place in the first trimester, the time during which the fetus is susceptible to severe malformations (teratogenesis). The ideal time to perform dental treatment is the second trimester (week 17 to 28). However, acute pain or infections make the intervention of the dentist absolutely necessary and emergency treatment can be performed during the whole pregnancy period.
PubMed: 33921608
DOI: 10.3390/dj9040046 -
Epileptic Disorders : International... Aug 2020Special considerations are required for women with epilepsy. These include issues such as catamenial exacerbation, concerns for contraception, teratogenesis (including...
Special considerations are required for women with epilepsy. These include issues such as catamenial exacerbation, concerns for contraception, teratogenesis (including both anatomical and neurodevelopmental effects), and other concerns for pregnancy complications such as increased seizures or adverse obstetric outcomes. In this manuscript, several cases are presented and discussed addressing some of the important issues in the management of women with epilepsy.
Topics: Adult; Anticonvulsants; Epilepsy; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Teratogens; Women; Young Adult
PubMed: 32723702
DOI: 10.1684/epd.2020.1173 -
Neurologic Clinics May 2016Epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs affect the menstrual cycle, aspects of contraception, reproductive health, pregnancy, and menopause through alteration of sex steroid... (Review)
Review
Epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs affect the menstrual cycle, aspects of contraception, reproductive health, pregnancy, and menopause through alteration of sex steroid hormone pathways. Sex steroid hormones often have an effect on seizure frequency and may alter the level of some antiepileptic drugs. Approximately one-third of women experience an increase in perimenstrual and/or periovulatory seizure frequency. Some women experience an increase in seizure frequency during pregnancy. Balancing maternal seizure control and the risk of congenital malformations associated with fetal antiepileptic drug exposure may be challenging. Some antiepileptic drugs are associated with cognitive and behavioral teratogenesis and should be avoided if possible during pregnancy.
Topics: Anticonvulsants; Epilepsy; Female; Humans; Menopause; Menstrual Cycle; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications
PubMed: 27086987
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2015.11.009 -
Frontiers in Genetics 2022
PubMed: 35615379
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.901400 -
Annual Review of Pharmacology and... Jan 2024I am deeply honored to be invited to write this scientific autobiography. As a physician-scientist, pediatrician, molecular biologist, and geneticist, I have... (Review)
Review
I am deeply honored to be invited to write this scientific autobiography. As a physician-scientist, pediatrician, molecular biologist, and geneticist, I have authored/coauthored more than 600 publications in the fields of clinical medicine, biochemistry, biophysics, pharmacology, drug metabolism, toxicology, molecular biology, cancer, standardized gene nomenclature, developmental toxicology and teratogenesis, mouse genetics, human genetics, and evolutionary genomics. Looking back, I think my career can be divided into four distinct research areas, which I summarize mostly chronologically in this article: () discovery and characterization of the AHR/CYP1 axis, () pharmacogenomics and genetic prediction of response to drugs and other environmental toxicants, () standardized drug-metabolizing gene nomenclature based on evolutionary divergence, and () discovery and characterization of the gene encoding the ZIP8 metal cation influx transporter. Collectively, all four topics embrace gene-environment interactions, hence the title of my autobiography.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Genomics; Membrane Transport Proteins; Pharmacogenetics; Physicians
PubMed: 37788491
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-022323-082311 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and the leading cause of disability globally. It tends to occur in middle age or due to an injury or obesity. OA... (Review)
Review
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and the leading cause of disability globally. It tends to occur in middle age or due to an injury or obesity. OA occurs with the onset of symptoms, including joint swelling, joint effusion, and limited movement at a late stage of the disease, which leads to teratogenesis and loss of joint function. During the pathogenesis of this degenerative joint lesion, several local inflammatory responses are activated, resulting in synovial proliferation and pannus formation that facilitates the destruction of the bone and the articular cartilage. The commonly used drugs for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of OA have limitations such as low bioavailability, short half-life, poor targeting, and high systemic toxicity. With the application of nanomaterials and intelligent nanomedicines, novel nanotherapeutic strategies have shown more specific targeting, prolonged half-life, refined bioavailability, and reduced systemic toxicity, compared to the existing medications. In this review, we summarized the recent advancements in new nanotherapeutic strategies for OA and provided suggestions for improving the treatment of OA.
PubMed: 35800449
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924387 -
Cureus Jan 2023The fetus is particularly susceptible to environmental contaminants as it is developing at the time of pregnancy and is, therefore, more susceptible to their effects.... (Review)
Review
The fetus is particularly susceptible to environmental contaminants as it is developing at the time of pregnancy and is, therefore, more susceptible to their effects. Pregnancy loss, which includes stillbirth and spontaneous abortion (miscarriage), preterm labor and delivery, and neonatal death, is the worst pregnancy outcome. Stunting and its related health and developmental effects are particularly common in populations living in underdeveloped countries or those exposed to high levels of particle pollution. Several environmental toxins can affect an embryo, fetus, or infant as they are developing. This study explores the following questions: What part do pesticides, heavy metals, dioxin derivatives, and polychlorinated diphenyl compounds play as macroenvironmental pollutants in mutagenesis and teratogenesis? What effects do substances that exposed persons have considerable control over, such as alcohol, narcotics, and tobacco smoke, have on the microenvironment? What consequences should practitioners be aware of these toxins in terms of ethics and the law? This study seeks to assess pertinent primary scientific studies on how pollution affects the health of the fetus and newborn during pregnancy.
PubMed: 36819435
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33906