The objective of this study was to determine if exposure to divalent cations, Cd(2+), Ni(2+), and Co(2+) would lead to malformations in Xenopus laevis embryos, and whether addition of Mg(2+) and Zn(2+); separately and in combination, would reduce their toxicity and teratogenicity on the embryos of Xenopus laevis as assessed by 96-h FETAX tests. Results indicate that exposure to Cd(2+), Ni(2+) o...

INTRODUCTION The bioethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice, complemented by ethics committee evaluation, define conduct of clinical trials of anti-epileptic medications (AEM). BACKGROUND INFORMATION Increased teratogenicity for offspring of women with epilepsy is presented in both lay and scientific literature. SPECIFIC DRUGS--OLDER GENERATION: Teratogenicity...

More than half of all pregnant women take prescription medications, raising concerns about fetal safety. Medical databases routinely collecting data from large populations are potentially valuable resources for cohort studies addressing teratogenicity of drugs. These include electronic medical records, administrative databases, population health registries, and teratogenicity information servic...

Teratogens, substances that may cause fetal abnormalities during development, are responsible for a significant number of birth defects. Animal models used to predict teratogenicity often do not faithfully correlate to human response. Here, we seek to develop a more predictive developmental toxicity model based on an in vitro method that utilizes both human embryonic stem (hES) cells and metabo...