Sentences with phrase «of microcephaly»

Brazil said on Friday the number of confirmed and suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil associated with the Zika virus has risen to 5,131 from 4,976 a week earlier.

The CDC said the precaution is in place «until we know more» about the dangers of sexual transmission of the mosquito - borne virus, which is linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly in newborns in Brazil.

Alterations in these cells, which are precursors of brain cells and become cortical neurons in embryos and fetuses, may be a cause of microcephaly in babies whose mothers have been infected by Zika.

This prospective study was conducted in Campina Grande, the second largest city in the state of Paraíba, which has reported the second highest prevalence of microcephaly at birth in Brazil.

Since ZIKV has been gradually established as a direct cause of central nervous system malformations, this study help to elucidate the etiological nature of the recently increasing number of microcephaly cases in Brazil.

Data from the Brazilian metropolis have confirmed this suspicion and, together with other studies, enable the researchers to estimate the absolute risk of microcephaly upon infection of the mother during pregnancy: approximately one out of 100 mothers infected during early pregnancy will bear a child with microcephaly.

Brazil is the country hit hardest by Zika, with thousands of cases of microcephaly reported so far.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, was requested by the Brazilian health ministry to investigate the causes of the microcephaly epidemic that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency earlier this year.

Researchers continued their studies on mice by administering inhibitors of protein - folding response in cortical progenitors and found that this inhibited the development of microcephaly in mice embryos infected with Zika virus.

In Brazil, the country hit hardest by the epidemic so far, there have been 6,906 suspected cases of microcephaly as of April 2, 2016.

Although Zika causes no harm in most people it infects, its possible role in clusters of microcephaly in babies and Guillain - Barré syndrome in adults led the World Health Organization on 1 February to declare that it is a «public health emergency of international concern.»

Though much of the concern in the media regarding the toxic effects of Zika virus has focused on brain findings of microcephaly, the researchers noted that there are a variety of brain abnormalities that can be found in fetuses exposed to the virus, including gray and white matter volume loss, brainstem abnormalities, calcifications, and a condition called ventriculomegaly, where the ventricles, or fluid filled spaces in the brain, are enlarged.

The Zika virus is still spreading through the Americas with information on its effects emerging, and a paper published in the journal Nature has reported experimental evidence for the first time that it can cause signs of microcephaly in mice.

«Among infants of mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy, the absence of microcephaly at birth does not rule out congenital Zika virus infection or the presence of Zika - related brain abnormalities,» according to a news release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But Zika wasn't linked to high rates of microcephaly until a Brazil outbreak in 2015 and 2016.

A high proportion of mothers of both microcephaly and non-microcephaly babies also tested positive for another mosquito - borne virus, dengue fever, as well as other infections such as herpes, rubella and toxoplasma.

«The rise of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders in the affected regions is extremely worrying,» he said.

Diagnosis of microcephaly by ultrasound is not always straightforward and can be complex.

But the outbreak last year caused a surge of microcephaly, a birth defect, and an increase in Guillain - Barré syndrome, which can lead to paralysis.

«Besides host factors [such as low immunity to the virus in affected communities], there are definitely some other unknown viral proteins or amino acids that may contribute to the complex pathogenesis of microcephaly — independently or synergistically,» says lead author Chen - Feng Qin, chair of the Department of Virology at the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology.

The MMWR update, co-authored by scientists from CDC and Colombia's ministry of health and national institute of health, offers «preliminary information» about 476 cases of microcephaly identified over the last 11 months.

Earlier this year, the country's tally of microcephaly cases seemed smaller than expected, given the reported rise in Zika infections.

The research team reported that evidence of microcephaly and related skull abnormalities was present in 70 percent of the infants studied, though often it was subtle.

Chan noted that there was «a particularly strong association in time and in space» between the arrival of the virus and the detection of microcephaly and other neurological disorders.

The findings — so far observed only in cells and minibrains grown in the lab — offer a possible explanation for the misshapen heads that are the hallmark of microcephaly, a condition that afflicts some babies infected with Zika.

In a 3 - D brain model, Zika virus activates immune receptor TLR3, which in turn inhibits brain cell development and survival, causing the organoids to shrink — an effect reminiscent of microcephaly.

«Studies of fetuses and babies with the telltale small brains and heads of microcephaly in Zika - affected areas have found abnormalities in the cortex, and Zika virus has been found in the fetal tissue,» says Guo - li Ming, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology, neuroscience, and psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins» Institute for Cell Engineering.

«For couples wanting to get pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant there is a different balance of risks because of the dangers of microcephaly and congenital Zika syndrome.

Brazilian officials suspect the country has thousands of microcephaly cases tied to Zika.

After Brazil began reporting increased prevalence of microcephaly last October, authorities in French Polynesia went back and analyzed their 2013 - 2014 Zika outbreak involving more than 30,000 people.

Based on that, we recommend using the term congenital Zika syndrome instead of microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, which involves a spectrum of changes, including other neurological and fetal development manifestations.

Health authorities, with support from PAHO and other agencies, are conducting research to clarify the cause, risk factors, and consequences of microcephaly.

Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO, said Monday that the explosive growth of microcephaly cases in Brazil constitutes an «extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world.»

In May, the first case of microcephaly linked to a locally acquired Zika infection in the United States was confirmed.

In Brazil, the worst hit country, there have been 131,643 confirmed cases, 219,280 suspected cases, and 2,542 instances of microcephaly and other central nervous system birth defects.

Satuation of the environment with pesticides, including the drinking water, in this particular area of northeastern Brazil needs to be studied as a cause of microcephaly as well:

The finding strengthens the evidence that a mother's Zika infection during pregnancy raises her baby's risk of microcephaly and other brain malformations.

Among cases of microcephaly reported in Colombia so far this year, four babies had laboratory evidence of a Zika virus infection.

«The committee advised that the cluster of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public threat to other parts of world,» Chan explained.

Studies of fetuses and babies with the signs of microcephaly have found abnormalities in the cortex, Ming said.

In their follow up modelling study they reported Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy led to higher than expected rates of microcephaly.

Since the Zika epidemic began last spring, it's believed there have been more than 5,600 suspected or confirmed cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the World Health Organization reported Friday.

Since October, Brazil has reported more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly in areas with Zika circulation.

It claimed that a pesticide being used to kill mosquitoes was linked to the cases of microcephaly, not the Zika virus itself.

However, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain - Barré syndrome which can be a fatal condition.»

In April, the CDC confirmed that Zika is a cause of microcephaly, a condition in which the head is born abnormally small.