BACKGROUND Little is known about fetal outcome after Listeria monocytogenes septicemia in the first trimester of pregnancy. CASE A primigravida with L. monocytogenes septicemia at 9 weeks gestation was treated with amoxicillin. At 40 weeks gestation a healthy female infant was born. CONCLUSION This case shows that fetal outcome can be normal after appropriate treatment of maternal L. monocy...

T-box genes are conserved in all animal species. We have identified two members of the T-box gene family from the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Zf-tbr1 and zf-tbx3 share high amino acid identity with human, murine, chick and Xenopus orthologs and are expressed in specific regions during zebrafish development.

We present an infant with heterochromia of the irides and a motility disorder of the oesophagus. The association between Hirschsprung's disease and heterochromia of the irides has been reported in the past and has been explained by the common origin during embryogenesis of the parasympathetic ganglion cells and the stroma of the iris.

Swarming or collective motion of living entities is one of the most common and spectacular manifestations of living systems that have been extensively studied in recent years. A number of general principles have been established. The interactions at the level of cells are quite different from those among individual animals, therefore the study of collective motion of cells is likely to reveal s...

In April 2011, researchers from diverse background met at the Gulbenkian Institute (Oeiras, Portugal) to discuss the emerging input of biophysics into the field of developmental biology. The scope of the workshop was to bring together scientists working in different model systems and to discuss some of the most recent advances towards understanding how physical forces affect embryonic developme...

In spite of their varied appearances, insects share a common body plan whose layout is established by patterning genes during embryogenesis. We understand in great molecular detail how the Drosophila embryo patterns its segments. However, Drosophila has a type of embryogenesis that is highly derived and varies extensively as compared to most insects. Therefore, the study of other insects is inv...

Cell migration is required for many physiological processes, including wound repair and embryogenesis, and relies on precisely orchestrated events that are regulated in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. Most traditional approaches for studying migration, such as genetic methods or the use of chemical inhibitors, do not offer insight into these important components of protein functio...

DNA methylation is one of several epigenetic mechanisms that play a regulatory role in genome programming and imprinting during embryogenesis. Aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases associated with aging, including cancer and cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Evidence is accumulating that dietary factors in utero modulate disease risk in...

Recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between cell size and the behaviors of the cytoskeletal division machinery during embryogenesis, giving insight into how a core cellular process is modulated over the course of development.