Our society's expectations of perfect babies, coupled with a belief that someone should be held responsible for birth defects, makes legal action on behalf of congenitally malformed infants common. In some instances the alleged cause of the malformation is exposure to drugs, industrial chemicals, radiation, or infectious agents. A convenient source of pertinent information on the etiology, path...

Azathioprine (AZA) and its active metabolite, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), are purine analogues that interfere with the synthesis of adenine and guanine ribonucleosides. These ribonucleosides are important precursors of DNA and RNA. Because AZA and 6-MP act predominantly on rapidly dividing cells such as the T lymphocytes, these drugs are not only cytotoxic but also immunosuppressive and anti-infla...

verbascoside (acteoside), a phenyl propanoid glycoside, comprises 0.5 to 3.5% dry weight of lippia citriodora leaves. a wide range of biological activities are attributed to verbascoside including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, anti-fungal, photoprotective as well as chelating effects. the objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of verbascoside on pregnanc...

enamel matrix derivative emdogain (emd) is widely used in periodontal treatment in spite of the fact that its effect on the developing embryo has not been elucidated. the aim of this study was to investigate the teratogenic effect of emd on the rat embryo neural crest cells. the neural crest is a unique population of cells that migrates from the dorsal neural tube along defined pathways and pro...

QUESTION One of my patients, whom I had treated with a 2-week course of zopiclone for insomnia, conceived while using the medication. She is concerned. How should I advise her? ANSWER Based on available, albeit limited, evidence, zopiclone does not appear to be a major human teratogen.