Aurora magazine

Bullous epidermolysis is a rare genetic disorder that causes the formation of bubbles and skin lesions. There is just a minimum trauma to trigger the process, making it impossible to lead a normal life. That is why the little ones who suffer are called "butterfly children": because their skin is as fragile as the butterfly wings. Today, however, there is a new hope.

For the first time a baby butterfly is good: two years after the end of the treatment, little Hassan can live a normal life. The news was announced in an article in the medical journal Nature. The merit is a series of interventions conducted by doctors from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who have operated within a European team.

In June 2015 Hassan arrives at the pediatric hospital in Bochum, Germany. He is 7 years old and suffers from junctal bullous epidermolysis. It is one of the most serious forms of the disease: in 40% of cases it kills before adolescence. There seems to be no hope for the baby, but doctors propose an experimental procedure to the parents. It is a combination of gene therapy and stem cells, developed by an Italian team.

The disease is caused by a defective version of the LAMB3 gene. Doctors use the baby's stem cells to convey the correct gene in the genome to take the place of the defective one. In this way they get healthy transgenic skin handkerchiefs, which gradually transplant to the baby. Two years after the last intervention, it's official: the therapy worked and Hassan is fine.

The case of little Hassan also revealed some obscure points of tissue regeneration. It was already known that the skin is renewed once every month. You did not know what to drive regeneration. It has come to light that there are few stem cells of long duration. Cells are continually renewed, creating new healthy cells to replace those deaths. The discovery will facilitate the processing of new treatments for many other incurable diseases today.

Source: lescienze.it

According to two studies, drugs for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could increase the risk of anomalies if they are pregnant. Their intake is due to a modest increase in perinatal and plancenter abnormalities. But the authors warn: the risks of untreated ADHD could be greater.

In some cases, medications are essential to controlling the symptoms of attention deficit. Only in this way can it be ensured that the mother pays due attention to her own health and that of the child. Conversely, untreated disorder could lead to increased stress and risky behaviors for the fetus as well.

Dr. Jacqueline M. Cohen points out that the risk rate caused by drugs does not justify abstinence from treatment. In fact, this is a small increase, especially if you consider the risks caused by some untreated forms of ADHD. The important thing is for the future mother to undergo constant screening to identify any complications for a while.

The second study was led by Dr. Nörby. The Swedish physician analyzed the data of 964,734 newborns, including 1591 exposed to prenatal ADHD drugs. Others 9475 were the children of women who used drugs before pregnancy, but not during. Data showed a higher rate of newborn infants in the first group. There have also emerged several cases of central nervous system disorders.

Compared to women with ADHD who did not undergo treatment, women who had continued to take the medications were healthier. There were fewer cases of obesity, nicotine abuse, or drugs. All the differences that contributed to a healthier pregnancy. Doctors then noted an increase in drug-related risk, but with a decrease in those related to other factors.

Source: medscape.com

Using biological therapies during pregnancy is dangerous for the baby? According to a study at the University of California in San Diego, the answer is no. Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases do not increase the risk that the child develops opportunistic infections.

Pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis are some of the best-known opportunistic infections. The researchers wanted to make sure that biological therapies did not make it easier for them to appear. The biological drugs, in fact, keep the immune system in check so as not to attack the organism itself. The fear was that the process exposed the fetus to more infections.

The study analyzes data collected from 2004 and 2016, covering more than 1,000 pregnancies. Scientists have analyzed data from pregnant women with autoimmune diseases treated with biological therapies. For each patient, they marked the drug intake dates, taking notice of any interruptions in pregnancy therapy.

The data included 502 pregnancies of women with rheumatoid arthritis subjected to biological therapies. Of the pregnancies analyzed, furthermore, 231 were women affected by the disease who had stopped the therapies. The control group, on the other hand, focused on 423 pregnancies.

After delivery, the researchers collected data on the rate of infant infections. They have focused on serious infections such as sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and others. There is thus a slight difference between the different groups. The infections affected: 4% of the children of those who did not stop the therapies; 2.6% of the children of women who had stopped the therapies; 2.1% of control group children.

The study shows that therapies do not significantly increase the risk of serious infections. True, however, there are still no studies on medium-sized infections.

Source: rheumatology.org

Moving one embryo at a time doubles the chance that the IVF cycle ends with a healthy baby. He grabs a study from the University of Colorado and Duke University.

Many women who turn to IVF choose to implant more embryos at a time. They hope to increase the chances of success and possibly reduce costs. Nevertheless, the scientific community strongly recommends the opposite.

In vitro fertilization techniques increase the chances of multiple pregnancies due to the above trend. In turn, twin parts expose the children to premature and underweight parts. That is why we should do everything to ensure that the womb reaches only one fetus at a time.

The researchers analyzed the health status of infants born with IVF using either fresh or cryoconvative oocytes. The data collected over 30,000 women who underwent in vitro fertilization between 2012 and 2014. From what has emerged, there are no significant differences between children born using fresh and frozen oocytes. On the other hand, multiple pregnancies have once again proved to be much more risky than single ones.

In a multiple pregnancy, 22.5% of IVF cycles with frozen oocytes and 31.9% of those with fresh oocytes occurred. A worrying trend, given also the lack of information on the risks of multiple pregnancy. Bringing two or more children into the womb is both a risk for the mother and the baby. The latter are more likely to be born before time and underweight.

Source: medscape.com