China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Cocaine and the Fetus: Methodological Issues and Neurological Correlates
Published in Richard J. Konkol, George D. Olsen, Prenatal Cocaine Exposure, 2020
Marijuana-induced teratogenicity is unproven. Although Hingson et al. described a fivefold increased rate of fetal alcohol syndrome-like features among marijuana-exposed offspring,51 this was not corroborated by a later study that used computerized morphometric assessments to determine such features.55 Other studies have also described no association between prenatal marijuana and minor physical anomalies.56–57
The Prenatal Environment and Birth Complications
Published in Gail S. Anderson, Biological Influences on Criminal Behavior, 2019
Some children are born with what are termed minor physical anomalies, or MPAs. These are very small defects that can occur during pregnancy, and several studies have shown that they can relate to later criminal behavior.5,62 MPAs are thought to result from some form of fetal maldevelopment that occurs in about the third month of pregnancy, a period when the brain and many neurological structures are being formed. MPAs are minor physical defects, such as low-seated ears, ear lobes that attach to the skull, a slightly curved fifth finger, a single crease in the palm instead of the two that most people have (incidentally, that is also seen in children with Down syndrome), gaps between the first and second toes, and so on.63 Early research identified only 18, but today, over 50 are studied.64 These defects are physically minor and do not affect the attractiveness of the child.
Epilepsy and pregnancy
Published in Timothy Betts, Lyn Greenhill, Managing Epilepsy with Women in Mind, 2005
Genetic traits associated with epilepsy may contribute to malformations, developmental defects or dysfunction independent of drug exposure. Eight prospective studies have looked at minor physical anomalies in children born to mothers with epilepsy. All studies show an increase in minor anomalies in children whose mothers have epilepsy compared with control children. An excess of dysmorphic features, especially epicanthal folds, was noted not only in children but also in the mothers with epilepsy. Only distal digital hypoplasia and, possibly, hypertelorism appear to be related with prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs (Betts and Crawford 1998).
Multifaceted case management during pregnancy is associated with better child outcomes and less fetal alcohol syndrome
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2023
Philip A. May, Anna-Susan Marais, Wendy O. Kalberg, Marlene M. de Vries, David Buckley, Julie M. Hasken, Cudore L. Snell, Ronel Barnard Röhrs, Dixie M. Hedrick, Heidre Bezuidenhout, Lise Anthonissen, Erine Bröcker, Luther K. Robinson, Melanie A. Manning, H. Eugene Hoyme, Soraya Seedat, Charles D. H. Parry
The prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in some communities in the Western Cape Province (WCP) of South Africa (ZA) is the highest documented in the published literature anywhere to date [1]. FASD is the umbrella term for a continuum of adverse effects due to prenatal alcohol exposure. Individuals who fall within the FASD continuum present with physical, neurocognitive, and behavioral impairments including, but not limited to, growth deficiencies, minor physical anomalies, and deficiencies in at least one cognitive or behavioral domain. The adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are persistent across the lifespan [2,3]. In the WCP, FASD affected 17–31% of first grade students in the general populations of five communities [4–7]. The prevalence of FASD in general populations has been conservatively estimated to be 1–5% in the United States, 2–3% in Ontario, Canada, 2–4% in Italy, 1.8% in Manchester, United Kingdom, and 4–6% in Croatia [8–14]. FASD prevalence has also been reported as high elsewhere in ZA and to vary by ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and community of residence [15–17].
Focus on eye care in schizophrenia
Published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2019
Oculomotor and alignment abnormalities can be associated with schizophrenia, as seen with Patient 1 who was noted to have a constant exotropia. A recent study has found a significant association between schizophrenia and congenital constant exotropia, with possible genetic ties to polymorphisms in the PMX2B/PHOX2b gene location.2011 Compared to the relatively low incidence of strabismus in the general population, studies have found up to 13 per cent of patients with schizophrenia exhibited exotropia.2017 In fact, childhood exotropia confers a 3.1 times greater likelihood of developing a psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia.2008 In general, patients with schizophrenia are known to have a higher prevalence of minor physical anomalies, for example performance task, span of apprehension, verbal declarative memory, total brain volume, neurological soft signs, and schizotypy,2013 which can be traced to abnormal fetal development of the neuroectodermal chain.2004 Despite an incomplete understanding of schizophrenia pathogenesis, this developmental disruption is thought to initiate the neurobiological changes that result in schizophrenia.
Neurobiology of depression: A neurodevelopmental approach
Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 2018
Juan M. Lima-Ojeda, Rainer Rupprecht, Thomas C. Baghai
In addition, the presence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) (Tenyi et al. 2009) and prodromal symptoms (Fava et al. 1990; Judd et al. 1997; Jackson et al. 2003; Skjelstad et al. 2010) in depressed patients supports the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of depression. The gap between the toes, anomalies of the palate and furrowed tongue have been seen in the case of MPAs in depression (Tenyi et al. 2009). Irritable mood and anxiety have been noted as two of the most common prodromal symptoms of depression (Fava et al. 1990; Jackson et al. 2003; Skjelstad et al. 2010). Also, these symptoms may occur months (Fava et al. 1990; Jackson et al. 2003) or years (Jackson et al. 2003; Skjelstad et al. 2010) before the full depressive syndrome is present. Interestingly, a prodromal phase has been observed in some patients early in life (Skjelstad et al. 2010). However, the most important limitation to establish both clear MPAs and a prodromal phase in the depressive syndrome is the heterogeneity of patients in the different published studies.