Published in Applied Biological Chemistry
Etridiazole (EDZ), a thiadiazole-containing toxic chemical, is widely used as a fungicide. Regular usage of EDZ may reach and contaminate water bodies, but its adverse effects on aquatic vertebrates have not been well studied. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the harmful effects of EDZ using zebrafish (ZF) (Danio rerio) embryos. ZF em...
Published in MethodsX
Several pharmaceutical and chemical companies are using the zebrafish embryo as an alternative to animal testing for early detection of developmental toxicants. Unfortunately, the protocol of this zebrafish embryo assay varies between labs, resulting in discordant data for identical compounds. The assay also has some limitations, such as low biotra...
Published in Clinical rheumatology
Leflunomide, an inhibitor of pyrimidine synthesis, is used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, which are prevalent in women of childbearing age. Due to the very long half-life of the active metabolite, its mechanism of action and the teratogenicity observed in animal studies at doses similar to or lower than human therapeutic doses on a weight...
Published in Handbook of clinical neurology
Substance use during pregnancy and the short- and long-term impacts of different substances on maternal, fetal, and longer-term health outcomes of individuals prenatally exposed have been the subject of much investigation. Alcohol has been recognized as harmful during pregnancy and has been clearly recognized as a neurobehavioral teratogen, and the...
Published in Archives of toxicology
Reliable in vitro models to assess developmental toxicity of drugs and chemicals would lead to improvement in fetal safety and a reduced cost of drug development. The validated embryonic stem cell test (EST) uses cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to predict in vivo developmental toxicity, but does not take into account t...
Published in Biomaterials
During early post-implantation human embryogenesis, the epiblast (EPI) within the blastocyst polarizes to generate a cyst with a central lumen. Cells at the uterine pole of the EPI cyst then undergo differentiation to form the amniotic ectoderm (AM), a tissue essential for further embryonic development. While the causes of early pregnancy failure a...
Published in Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
Morphological abnormalities in amphibians may be attributed to contaminants, ultraviolet radiation and trematode parasites, or a synergistic effect between them. In the present study, morphological abnormalities in Rhinella arenarum adults from natural and artificial fluoride-rich environments were identified and evaluated. Three sites were sampled...
Published in Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases
BackgroundA pattern of major and minor congenital anomalies, facial dysmorphic features, and neurodevelopmental difficulties, including cognitive and social impairments has been reported in some children exposed to sodium valproate (VPA) during pregnancy. Recognition of the increased risks of in utero exposure to VPA for congenital malformations, a...
Published in Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine
Increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), including among women of reproductive age, is attributed to its perceived safety compared to conventional tobacco. However, there is a major knowledge gap surrounding the effects of e-cig aerosols on pregnancy and fetal development. We aimed to evaluate the effects of vaping e-cigs during ges...
Published in Vaccine
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with microcephaly and other birth defects, collectively termed Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). During the epidemic in 2015-16, ZIKV spread through the Americas and quickly joined the list of other known teratogenic pathogens, TORCH. Multiple ZIKV vaccines have been developed for protection ...
