Teratology
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Dysmorphogenesis in diabetic mothers occurs more frequently than in the general population. This phenomenon is believed to be caused by the teratogenic effects of metabolic fuel mixtures with associated membrane injury and aberrations in the biochemical constituents. The present experiment was designed to determine: 1) if hyperglycemia-induced membrane injury is associated with intracellular and/or extracellular lipid disturbances; 2) if supplemental myo-inositol therapy prevents hyperglycemia-induced embryopathy; 3) if a correlation exists between dietary myo-inositol, serum and tissue levels of myo-inositol, and conceptus development; and 4) the cellular content of arachidonic acid following myo-inositol supplementation. ⋯ The myo-inositol deficiency is not demonstrated at the serum level, but rather at the tissue level, suggesting a paracrine action. Dietary supplementation of myo-inositol is associated with an increase in tissue myo-inositol levels and a decrease in malformations. This therapy holds promise for use as a dietary prophylaxis against diabetic embryopathy.
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The authors conducted a case-control study of the relation of OC use after conception to the occurrence of congenital urinary tract anomalies (CUTAs). Singleton CUTA cases with no known chromosomal abnormality from seven counties in western Washington State born during the period January 1, 1990-December 31, 1991 were identified through the Washington State Birth Defect Registry. Controls without birth defects were randomly selected from singleton births that occurred in the same year as the cases in five large hospitals in King County. ⋯ Use of other contraceptive methods after conception was not related to the risk of CUTAs. OC use during the 3 or 6 months prior to the conception also was not associated with the risk of CUTAs. Further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, reproductive history, perinatal exposure to exogenous agents, and past OC use did not change the results, nor did restricting the analysis to residents of King County.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Biography Historical Article
A personal perspective on the thalidomide tragedy.