Diplopodia, or duplicated foot, is a rare congenital anomaly. It differs from polydactyly in that supernumerary metatarsal and tarsal bones are present as well as extra digits [1]. Only a few cases of this anomaly have been reported in the literature. Karchinov [1] reported six cases with associated hypoplasia or aplasia of the tibia. Hamanishi and colleagues [2] reported a case of diplopodia w...

Gastrointestinal (GI) hormones play an important role in GI secretion, motility, and eating behaviors. It was recently suggested that GI hormones may have a trophic role in GI tract. Here we demonstrate that two principal GI hormones, anorexigenic peptide YY (PYY) and orexigenic ghrelin, affect neural tube development. Chronic administration into the pregnant mice or transgenic overexpression o...

This prospective cohort study compares the breastfeeding outcomes of women exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants at the time of delivery, those who discontinued use prior to delivery, and those not exposed. Participants include 466 pregnant women who enrolled in the California Teratogen Information Service Clinical Research Program (CTIS) over 10 years. In biv...

Approximately 390 literature references (through spring 1986) were reviewed for mammalian whole embryo culture procedures, with particular attention to the development of those cultures as systems for teratogenicity testing. The existing procedures could be conveniently divided into three groups, which are defined by the periods of embryogenesis that they embrace: preimplantation, peri-implanta...

The pathogenesis of eye anomalies induced by exposure to Ni2+ (as nickel chloride) during embryogenesis was studied in the frog, Xenopus laevis. Eyes of control and Ni(2+)-exposed tadpoles were examined without staining using a dissecting microscope, by light microscopy of histological sections, and by electron microscopy. The ocular abnormalities of Ni(2+)-exposed tadpoles included (a) microph...

This review has covered the pertinent literature concerning the teratogenic effects of hyperthermia in man and experimental animals. This is the first teratogen that was initially discovered in animals and then subsequently found to be a cause for concern in humans when similar patterns of defects were observed. Hyperthermia is a physical agent with a dose-response curve for abortions and malfo...

Cyclophosphamide, a model teratogen, has been used to produce hydrocephalus experimentally by various researchers [1–4]. Although the precise mechanism of cyclophosphamide induced hydrocephalus remains elusive, hypertrophy of choroid plexus was considered as the primary cause [1,4]. Singh et al [4] observed agenesis or stenosis of the aqueduct as an associated reason. The present work has been ...

Isolated congenital fetal hand malformation is a rare finding1. The prevalence of limb reduction deformities is about 3-8 per 20,000 births2. An isolated amputation of an extremity can be due to amniotic band syndrome, exposure to a teratogen or a vascular accident2. A comprehensive obstetric ultrasonographic assessment as well as genetic counselling are ideal when a fetal hand abnormality is d...

There are many factors which determine the drug combination a patient is prescribed when diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Some of these factors include the patient’s age, level of abnormal serum proteins, abnormal metaphase cytogenetics, and whether or not a patient is a candidate for autologous stem cell transplant (1). Thalidomide is a chemotherapeutic drug that acts by inhibiting angiogenesi...