PHAR 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Rubella Virus, Phenytoin, Ace Inhibitor

• School: McGill University
• Department: Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Course: PHAR 300
• Professor: Edith Zorychta

Document Summary

Describes birth defects which are the leading cause of infant mortality. 3% of babies born in canada every year have a major malformation. From the greek word teras or teratos which means monster Most birth defects are of unknown cause. Known causes are drugs, metabolic factors, hereditary diseases, birth trauma, maternal infection, etc. Both could act together to cause a birth defect. Clark fraser did experiments with mice to find out the cause of incidence of malformation in the palate of mice. There are pressures moving the palate from normal to cleft. Timing of when palate closes and environmental influences work together to influence the cleft palate. There are genetic strain differences with an increase in cortisone. Infections: cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, rubella virus, varicella virus. Maternal and metabolic imbalance: cretinism, diabetes, folic acid deficiency. Drugs and environmental chemicals: androgens, ace inhibitors, cancer chemotherapeutics, coumarin anticoagulants, diethylstilbestrol, diphenylhydantoin, ethanol, mercury, misoprostol, penicillamine, retinoids, tetracyclines, thalidomide, toluene abuse, trimethadione, valproic acid.