Results We describe a rare case of labial fusion diagnosed in 20th week of pregnancy. A 32 year-old healthy Gravida 2 was referred to our department for her routine 20-22nd week scan. The ultrasonographic examination showed single viable pregnancy with appropriate biometric assessment. Detailed anatomical scan revealed presence of thin-wall cystic anechogenic structure related to external genit...

Ochratoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that may contaminate a broad variety of foodstuffs, such as grains, vegetables, coffee, dried fruits, beer, wine and meats. Ochratoxins are nephrotoxins, carcinogens, teratogens and immunotoxins in rats and are also likely to be in humans. In 2009/2010, a survey of the presence of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in regularly hunted wild boars in the Calabria regi...

A major correlation has been found between the incidence of glucocorticoid-induced cleft palate and the chromosome 8 segment identified by N-acetyl transferase in mice. The resistant strain became fully susceptible while the susceptible strain became resistant when this chromosomal region, representing less than 0.7% of the genome, was transferred from one strain to the other by the constructio...

The article "Experimental Studies on Congenital Malformations" was published in the Journal of Chronic Diseases in 1959. The author, James G. Wilson, studied embryos and birth defects [3] at the University of Florida Medical School in Gainesville, Florida. In his article, Wilson reviewed experiments on birds [4] and mammals from the previous forty years to provide general principles and guideli...

The toxicology of synthetic chemicals is compared to that of natural chemicals, which represent the vast bulk of the chemicals to which humans are exposed. It is argued that animals have a broad array of inducible general defenses to combat the changing array of toxic chemicals in plant food (nature's pesticides) and that these defenses are effective against both natural and synthetic toxins. S...

Glucocorticoids (triamcinolone) and dioxins (TCDD) are highly specific teratogens in the mouse, in that cleft palate is the major malformation observed. Glucocorticoids and TCDD both readily cross the yolk sac and placenta and appear in the developing secondary palate. Structure-activity relationships for glucocorticoid- and TCDD-induced cleft palate suggest a receptor involvement. Receptors fo...

A recent study in Xenopus laevis embryos showed that the very early brain has important functions long before behavior. While the nascent brain is being constructed, it is required for normal patterning of the muscle and peripheral nerve networks, including those far away from the head. In addition to providing important developmental signals to remote tissues in normal embryogenesis, its prese...

Genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes are well recognized. This review presents molecular mechanisms, ontogeny and clinical implications of genetically determined intersubject variation in some of these enzymes. Included are the polymorphic enzymes N-acetyl transferase, cytochromes P4502D6 and 2C, which have been well described in humans. Information regarding other Phase I and Pha...

Congenital anomalies are a major cause of fetal and neonatal death and of childhood morbidity. Chromosomal and other genetic abnormalities, environmental teratogens and some nutritional deficiencies account for some congenital anomalies but the majority are of unknown etiology. The hypothesis is here proposed that a significant proportion of congenital anomalies and cerebral palsy of unknown et...

According to The Pesticide Manual, more than 700 pesticides are currently approved for use around the world [1]. About 600 more were used in the past, but are either banned or no longer marketed. In spite of their discontinuance, some of these still persist in the environment where they may bioaccumulate in the flora and fauna. Many pesticides or their degradation products can be found at trace...