Vitamin A and pregnancy: review of the literature and risk assessment

TeratologíaVitamin A plays a key role in many essential biological processes, such as the embryonic development, regulation of proliferation and diferentiation of many cell types. The present article reviews the biochemistry, metabolism and mode of action of retinoides (including vitamin A), as well as their role in the embryo development and their teratogenic effect on animal and human beings.N

Resultados de la actividad de los Servicios SITTE y SITE durante el año 2005 y análisis de las llamadas por etnia materna

Resultados de otras actividades del ECEMCWe present a summary of the activity of the two Teratology Information Services: SITTE (for health professionals) and SITE (for the general population) during 2005. The total number of calls received in both services was 5,385 (953 of them by the SITTE and 4,432 by the SITE). As in the last years, the most frequent enquiry in both services was the drugs exposure during pregnancy. We also analyzed the evolution by years of number of calls to the SITE according to maternal ethnic groupN

La lectura literaria para el desarrollo del hábito lector

The literary reading is understood as a social, cultural and interactive process that he/she prepares the student so that, consent to positive experiences of reading that drive him to discover, to appreciate, to value and to socialize the literary text starting from the development of the aesthetic enjoyment of the literary reading. On the base of these considerations, the present work constitutes the result of an investigation project and he has as objective to show theoretical considerations in relation to the process of literary reading and that they have rebounded in the development of the behavior reader in the students of the career Degree in Education. Español-literatureLa lectura literaria es entendida como un proceso social, cultural e interactivo que prepara al estudiante para que, acceda a experiencias positivas de lectura que lo conducen a descubrir, apreciar, valorar y socializar el texto literario a partir del fomento del goce estético de la lectura literaria. Sobre la base de estas consideraciones, el presente trabajo constituye el resultado de un proyecto de investigación y tiene como objetivo mostrar consideraciones teóricas en relación al proceso de lectura literaria y que han repercutido en el desarrollo del hábito lector en los estudiantes del Centro Mixto Emilio Lastre, de la Ciudad de Manzanillo.&nbsp

La vacuna de la rubéola y el embarazo

TeratologíaRubella is a viral infection that when it occurs during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, could cause congenital rubella embryophaty (CRE) with devastating consequences for the developing embryo and fetus. CRE includes serious birth defects such as: cataracts, deafness and heart disease, among others. However the frequency of CRE has decreased dramatically since the general use of rubella vaccine. The immigrant population in Spain constitutes a group of concern for rubella infection among other infectious diseases due to the lack of previous vaccination in many individuals. Thus, a vaccination programme towards immigrants, specially all young women should be considered. Pregnant women should not be vaccinated, and women who are not pregnant should avoid conceiving for at least 28 days following vaccination. However if a vaccination occurs during pregnancy, the potential risk is only theoretical and a tranquilizer counseling should be performed together with a high resolution ecography.N

Resultados de la actividad de los Servicios de Información Telefónica sobre Teratógenos (SITTE y SITE) durante el año 2004 y análisis del nivel cultural de la población usuaria

Resultados de otras actividades del ECEMCWe present a summary of the activity of the two teratology information services: SITTE (for health professional) and SITE (for the general population), during 2004. A total of 6.407 calls were received, 1.456 of them were made by health professional and the remaining 4.951 by the general population. Drugs were, one more year, the most common question in either services, specially drugs affecting CNS. We also analyzed the cultural level of the women that used the SITE during the last ten years. The results show that most of the users of the service belong to the higher cultural levels, measured by the level of their educational studies. We conclude that is necessary to consider new strategies particularly aimed to reach to those women with low level of education (or low cultural level).N

Analysis of the use of drugs and other demographic data in the immigrant population (period 2000-2004)

TeratologíaObjective: To detect significant variations in variables related to the care of gestation between the immigrant and autochthonous pregnant women in Spain. Material and Methods: Data come from the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECEMC), an ongoing hospitalbased case-control study and surveillance system. Collaborating physicians, identify the cases and control infants, and collect the same information in both groups of children (about 312 data) on reproductive and family history, and prenatal exposures. We have analysed the mothers of the control infants of the ECEMC during the period 2000 to 2004. Results: Of the total of 5,443 control's mothers, 715 were immigrants (13.14%). These immigrant women compared to the Spanish ones, are younger, plan less their pregnancies and realize fewer visits to the gynaecologist during gestation. Regarding to the use of 36 groups of drugs during pregnancy, immigrants consume less vitamins and antianemic preparations (including iron and folic acid) and drugs for thyroid therapy (both thyroid and antithyroid preparations), and more drugs for gynaecological infections and for cardiac therapy. Conclusions: The results strongly suggest that immigrant women have less medical health control during their pregnancies than autochthonous population. Thus, it is necessary to promote campaigns to inform preventive measures to this population.N

Servicio de Información Telefónica sobre Teratógenos Español (SITTE) y Servicio de Información Telefónica para la Embarazada (SITE): Resultados del año 2003

Resultados de otras actividades del ECEMCHere is presented a summary of inquiries made to our teratology information services, SITTE (for health professionals) and SITE (for the general population), during the year 2003. A total of 4,607 calls to the SITE and 1,257 to the SITTE were received during this year. As in previous years, most of these questions were about risk of pharmacological treatment on embrionary/fetal development. We show the evolution of calls along the time, by type of question, by Spanish regions and within the last five years, regarding the ethnicity of women who called to our TIS, considering the increase in the number of immigrants residents in Spain. Finally, we make a brief analysis to the evolution of number calls to de SITTE according to the medical specialityEste trabajo ha sido realizado gracias a las ayudas recibidas de las Comunidades Autónomas (Andalucía, Aragón, Principado de Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra), del Instituto de Salud Carlos III, de la Fundación 1000 y del Ministerio de Asuntos SocialesN

Chronic carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy: Presentation of a case

Epidemiología y Teratología: Resultados de estudios sobre los datos del ECEMCHere we present a case of chronic carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning during pregnancy. The pregnant women suffered from headache, vomiting, dizziness…since the very beginning, which were considered symptoms of her pregnancy. The sudden death of a couple of birds 24 hours after they were located in her kitchen, put the physician on the scent, and when the appropriate analyses were made the CO chronic intoxication was confirmed. We would like to call the attention that the symptoms of the carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy could be easily confused with the typical gestation symptoms. Thus, a deep analysis of the maternal characteristics and circumstances should be always done to disregard all the potential risk factors, even for those symptoms that could be attributed to the pregnancy, because the risk for the embryo and fetus could be highly different.N

Antipsychotics and pregnancy: a review of the literature and experience in the ECEMC

Teratología ClínicaThe antipsychotic drugs are medications about which a considerable number of telephone calls are received in our teratology information services (SITTE and SITE). We present a review of the literature about the use of this group of drugs during pregnancy. On the other hand, in order to assess the experience in the CIAC, we have studied the intake of antipsychotics in the ECEMC and the queries made on these medications to both teratology information services. Our results show that the intake of antipsychotics during pregnancy is low. However, the number of queries about this type of drugs is increasing, both in the SITTE and in the SITE, probably because of the concern they generate due to the lack of clear information about their use during pregnancy.N

Four small supernumerary marker chromosomes derived from chromosomes 6, 8, 11 and 12 in a patient with minimal clinical abnormalities: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Small supernumerary marker chromosomes are still a problem in cytogenetic diagnostic and genetic counseling. This holds especially true for the rare cases with multiple small supernumerary marker chromosomes. Most such cases are reported to be clinically severely affected due to the chromosomal imbalances induced by the presence of small supernumerary marker chromosomes. Here we report the first case of a patient having four different small supernumerary marker chromosomes which, apart from slight developmental retardation in youth and non-malignant hyperpigmentation, presented no other clinical signs.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Our patient was a 30-year-old Caucasian man, delivered by caesarean section because of macrosomy. At birth he presented with bilateral cryptorchidism but no other birth defects. At age of around two years he showed psychomotor delay and a bilateral convergent strabismus. Later he had slight learning difficulties, with normal social behavior and now lives an independent life as an adult. Apart from hypogenitalism, he has multiple hyperpigmented nevi all over his body, short feet with pes cavus and claw toes. At age of 30 years, cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic analysis revealed a karyotype of 50,XY,+min(6)(:p11.1-> q11.1:),+min(8)(:p11.1->q11.1:),+min(11)(:p11.11->q11:),+min(12)(:p11.2~12->q10:), leading overall to a small partial trisomy in 12p11.1~12.1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Including this case, four single case reports are available in the literature with a karyotype 50,XN,+4mar. For prenatally detected multiple small supernumerary marker chromosomes in particular we learn from this case that such a cytogenetic condition may be correlated with a positive clinical outcome.</p