Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • Educational Assets
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Doctor Uncovers New Problems Linked to Zika Birth Defects

By Kenny Walter | November 18, 2016

Credit: Shutterstock

The Brazilian doctor who has been at the forefront of the fight against Zika for the past year has weighed in on some of the potential birth defects.

Dr. Vanessa van der Linden, the physician who was one of the first researchers linking Zika to microcephaly—a birth defect where infants are born with smaller and misshapen heads—has expressed concerns over many of her patients she has observed in the last year.

Van der Linden, a pediatric neurologist at the Barão de Lucena Hospital, in Recife, Brazil, said in a Science News for Students article that while microcephaly remains the most common symptom, she has observed a number of other symptoms including muscle spasms, extreme irritability, difficulty swallowing and the possibility of crying for 24 hours straight.

Another issue van der Linden observed is a deformity called arthrogryposis, which can leave a child with contractures or joints stuck in contorted positions.  This disease has shown up in babies both with and without microcephaly.

Van der Linden described much of her findings and observations during a Sept. 22 workshop hosted by the National Institute of Health in North Bethesda, Md.

In the article, Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and microbiologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, said some of the long-term impacts of Zika are still relatively unknown and symptoms including learning disabilities or developmental delays might emerge in the future.

Zika has become a growing concern in South America, the Caribbean and Florida.

Other symptoms observed include ear and eye problems in newborns.

In a Sept. 2 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every 10 of the 70 Zika-exposed infants with microcephaly also experienced some hearing loss. Another study shows of 29 Brazilian babies observed with microcephaly more than one in every three had some eye oddity.

Other scientists have begun to study how Zika could impact the brain.

Marco Onorati, a scientist at Yale University, said in the article that he and colleagues found that the virus can invade and kill two different brain cells in neuroepithelial stem cells and radial glial cells. 

Related Articles Read More >

For the first time, scientists grow beating human-pig hearts for 21 days
Open-source Boltz-2 can speed binding-affinity predictions 1,000-fold
Thermo Fisher’s new Orbitrap Excedion Pro targets complex biotherapeutics for drug development
FDA’s new ‘Elsa’ AI set to expedite clinical protocol reviews
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • Educational Assets
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE