Failure of neural tube closure in the early embryo causes neural tube defects including spina bifida. Spina bifida lesions predominate in the distal spine, particularly after exposure to the anticonvulsant valproic acid (VPA). How VPA specifically disturbs late stages of neural tube closure is unclear, as neurulation is usually viewed as a uniform 'zippering' process along the spine. We recentl...

The condition of ectopic pregnancy is presented from different points of view, bringing out physiological explanations for its occurrence in primates and the striking absence in other mammals. Ectopic pregnancies have been described in several animal species such as cats, sheep, cows, horses, gerenuks, pigs, hamsters, rats, rabbits, marmosets, baboons, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys and rhesus m...

Abstract Study question Is there an embryotoxic cumulative effect resulting from IVF plastic consumables (PC) when used sequentially under clinical routine practice? Summary answer Reduced blastulation rates and slow development were detected in some associations of PC evaluated by the Mouse Embryo Assay (MEA) suggesting possible embryotoxicity. What is known already Recommendations European (E...

The importance of developing in vitro tests for embryotoxicity is discussed, and ECVAM's work with its collaborators is summarised. Studies are in progress to find new endpoints for use in the scientifically validated embryonic stem (ES) cell test, so that the potential for chemical effects on endodermal, mesodermal and/or ectodermal differentiation can be identified. This involves, inter alia,...

Thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA) was the first evidence-based treatment approved for acute stroke. Ischemic stroke is relatively uncommon in fertile women but treatment is often delayed or not given. In randomized trials, pregnancy has been an exclusion criterion for thrombolysis. Physiologic TPA has been shown to have neuroendocrine effects namely in vasopressi...

Clinical studies have shown that in pathological conditions such as endometriosis and reproductive tract infection (male and female) there is an activation status of macrophages that produce large quantities of nitric oxide (NO) in addition to other effector molecules. Large amounts of NO may have embryotoxic roles and produce infertility. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of diffe...

Teriflunomide, a once-daily oral immunomodulator approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, demonstrated efficacy on clinical and magnetic resonance imaging measures of disease activity and a consistent and manageable safety profile in clinical trials.1–5 Teriflunomide is contraindicated in pregnancy because data from animal studies (observed in rats and rabbits) sugg...