China's maternal and child health work is still facing many challenges, such as unbalanced development and inadequate services. Since the adjustment of the family planning policy, the proportion of older and more productive sub-parturient women have increased, the risk for birth defects has increased, the demand for newborn safety has further increased, and the work of maternal and child health is facing new challenges. The experts from the medicine, medical ethics, sociology, and other fields put forward the principle of ethical guidance for birth defect prevention after full discussion and continuous revision based on expert proposals, which include the principle of life dignity, love, scientific principle, fair principle, respect for autonomy principle, the principle of beneficence and the principle of good privacy protection. The guideline can serve the birth defect prevention clinical practice, be better to respect and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of people at childbearing age, eliminate ethics cognition pitfalls of birth defect prevention, and regulate the behavior of birth defect prevention-related ethics.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Congenital Abnormalities/prevention & control*

Congenital Abnormalities - epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities - prevention & ; control ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Papua New Guinea - epidemiology ; Primary Prevention - methods

Congenital Abnormalities ; diagnosis ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Deafness ; diagnosis ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Genetic Testing ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between the incidence of birth defects and the contents of soil elements so as to provide a scientific basis for screening the related pathogenic factors that inducing birth defects for the development of related preventive and control strategies.

METHODSMapInfo 7.0 software was used to draw the maps on spatial distribution regarding the incidence rates of birth defects and the contents of 11 chemical elements in soil in the 33 studied areas. Variables on the two maps were superposed for analyzing the spatial correlation. SAS 8.0 software was used to analyze single factor, multi-factors and principal components as well as to comprehensively evaluate the degrees of relevance.

RESULTSDifferent incidence rates of birth defects showed in the maps of spatial distribution presented certain degrees of negative correlation with anomalies of soil chemical elements, including copper, chrome, iodine, selenium, zinc while positively correlated with the levels of lead. Results from the principal component regression equation indicating that the contents of copper(0.002), arsenic(-0.07), cadmium(0.05), chrome (-0.001), zinc (0.001), iodine(-0.03), lead (0.08), fluorine(-0.002)might serve as important factors that related to the prevalence of birth defects.

CONCLUSIONThrough the study on spatial distribution, we noticed that the incidence rates of birth defects were related to the contents of copper, chrome, iodine, selenium, zinc, lead in soil while the contents of chrome, iodine and lead might lead to the occurrence of birth defects.

Child, Preschool ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Environmental Monitoring ; Geography ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Soil ; chemistry

Congenital Abnormalities ; economics ; prevention & control ; Cost Control ; Humans ; Public Health Practice ; economics

Knowledge of developmental biology is essential for clinicians who seek to develop a rational approach to the diagnostic evaluation of patients with birth defects. After an accurate diagnosis, a clinician can make predictions about prognosis, recommend management options, and provide an indication of recurrence risk for the parents and relatives. In this paper, we first review the basic mechanisms of embryological development and clinical dysmorphology. We then review cellular and molecular mechanisms in development and related congenital anomalies. Developmental anomalies have a major impact on public health. Genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis, with the option to continue or to terminate a pregnancy, are important for helping families faced with the risk of a serious congenital anomaly in their offspring. Moreover, primary prevention of birth defects, for example, supplementation of prenatal folic acid and prevention of consumption of alcohol which has teratogenic effects, can be accomplished using developmental biology knowledge.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Developmental Biology ; Folic Acid ; Genetic Counseling ; Humans ; Parents ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Primary Prevention ; Prognosis ; Public Health ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects of vitamin B(12), ginseng saponin, and folic acid on mouse embryos subjected to high heat.

METHODSMice were used for the experiment.

RESULTSAfter exposure of pregnant mice to high heat, the rates of teratism, stillbirth, and fetal absorption were markedly lower in mice treated with ginseng saponin and folic acid following heat exposure than in untreated mice. There were no significant differences in these rates when comparing mice treated with vitamin B(12) with the untreated mice.

CONCLUSIONSGinseng saponin and folic acid can lessen injuries to murine embryos caused by high heat, while vitamin B(12) has little protective effect against high temperature except for promoting overall embryonic growth.

Animals ; Congenital Abnormalities ; prevention & control ; Fetal Diseases ; Fever ; complications ; Folic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Ginsenosides ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Panax ; Saponins ; therapeutic use ; Vitamin B 12 ; therapeutic use

Child ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Kidney ; abnormalities ; physiopathology ; Kidney Diseases ; congenital ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Ureteral Obstruction ; etiology ; physiopathology ; therapy

The management of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) remains controversial. The goal of separating systematic and pulmonary circulation can be achieved by biventricular or uni-ventricular (Fontan or one and a half ventricle repair) strategies. Although outcomes have been improved, these surgical procedures are still associated with high mortality and morbidity. An optimal strategy for definitive repair has yet to be defined. We searched databases for genetically randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing biventricular with uni-ventricular repair for patient with PA/IVS. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed following the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. Primary outcome measures were overall survival, and secondary criteria included exercise function, arrhythmia-free survival and treatment-related mortality. A total number of 669 primary citations were screened for relevant studies. Detailed analysis revealed that no RCTs were found to adequately address the research question and no systematic meta-analysis would have been carried out. Nevertheless, several retrospective analyses and case series addressed the question of finding right balance between biventricular and uni-ventricular repair for patient with PA/IVS. In this review, we will discuss the currently available data.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Cardiac Valve Annuloplasty ; methods ; mortality ; Fontan Procedure ; methods ; mortality ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Heart Ventricles ; abnormalities ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Pulmonary Atresia ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

INTRODUCTIONWe aim to study and elucidate the safety profile of the antiepileptic doses of gabapentin during pregnancy, and to evaluate gabapentin-induced murine fetotoxicity at different dose levels.

METHODSA total of 60 pregnant mice, divided into 12 groups of five mice each, were exposed to gabapentin in four different doses of 0 (control), 113, 226, or 452 mg/kg body weight per day, at three different gestational stages including early gestation (1-6 days), mid-gestation (7-12 days), and late gestation (13-17 days). The pregnant mice were euthanized on day 18 of gestation, and foetuses were examined for teratogenic manifestations. Their brains were dissected and examined for gross changes, malformations, histological changes, and quantitative protein estimation.

RESULTSFoetal resorptions were observed in all treated groups with gabapentin administration at early gestation (1-6 days), and mid-gestation (7-12 days). On the other hand, growth retardation along with stunting in size of live foetuses were observed in all the mid-gestation (7-12 days), and late gestation (13-17 days) treated groups. Various gross malformations were observed with all the three doses (113, 226, and 452 mg/kg body weight per day) when gabapentin was administered at mid-gestation (7-12 days). The same trends were confirmed by gross and microscopic examination of brains along with quantitative protein estimation.

CONCLUSIONGabapentin should not be prescribed during pregnancy, as no therapeutic dose of gabapentin is safe during this period as far as the foetal well-being is concerned.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced ; Amines ; adverse effects ; Animals ; Anticonvulsants ; adverse effects ; Body Weight ; Congenital Abnormalities ; prevention & control ; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids ; adverse effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Models, Chemical ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Animal ; drug effects ; Teratogens ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; adverse effects