Congenital abnormalities and teratology Flashcards
What is meiosis?
- a form of cell division
- 4 cells are formed with half the number of normal chromosomes
- all 4 cells are genetically unique
- only occurs in germ cells, those that give rise to gametes (sex cells)
Following meiosis how many chromosomes do the spermatozoa and oocyte have?
- 23 chromosomes, not a pair though so they are haploid
- possess half the normal 46 chromosomes (2 pairs of 23 chromosomes)
- normal genotype contains 45X in female and 45Y in males
What does teratology mean?
- teratology comes from greek for monster
- relates to birth defects
- teratogens can cause birth defects
What does congenital abnormalities, also called birth defects, congenital disorders, congenital anomalies and congenital malformations mean?
- structural or functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life
- congenital disorders, or congenital malformations, these conditions develop prenatally and may be identified before or at birth, or later in life
What are teratogens?
- any agent that causes an abnormality following foetal exposure during pregnancy
- medications are a common form of this
There are 4 types of birth defects:
1 - malformation
2 - disruption
3 - deformation
4 - dysplasia
What does malformation mean?
- abnormal development of organs or body regions (intrinsic through the embryo process)
- heart and neural defects
There are 4 types of birth defects:
1 - malformation
2 - disruption
3 - deformation
4 - dysplasia
What does disruption mean?
- interference of the normal development of organs or body regions – external factors such as a teratogens
There are 4 types of birth defects:
1 - malformation
2 - disruption
3 - deformation
4 - dysplasia
What does deformation mean?
- abnormal form, shape or position of a body part (cleft lip)
There are 4 types of birth defects:
1 - malformation
2 - disruption
3 - deformation
4 - dysplasia
What does dysplasia mean?
- morphologic outcome of abnormal cellular organisation in tissues
Any disturbance that may cause birth defects in development during embryology can change and be weighted differently depending on what?
1 - stage of embryonic development
2 -ethnicity
3 - gender
4 - if it occurs in meioses or mitosis
1 - stage of embryonic development
What % of all neonatal deaths are due to congenital abnormalities?
1 - 5%
2 - 12.5%
3 - 25%
4 - 30%
2 - 12.5%
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. What are the 3 time points on the figure below?
1 - 0-12, 13-26, >27 weeks
2 - 0-3, 13-26, >27 weeks
3 - 0-3, 3-8, >27 weeks
4 - 0-3, 3-8, >8 weeks
4 - 0-3, 3-8, >8 weeks
- 1st period in black = 0-3 weeks
- 2nd period in pink = 3-8 weeks
- 3rd period in purple = 8-38 weeks
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. The 3 periods can be seen in the image below. What are the 3 main disturbances that may occur?
1 - teratogens, genetic, environmental
2 - epigenetic, genetic, environmental
3 - teratogens, epigenetic, environmental
4 - lifestyle, genetic, environmental
1 - teratogens, genetic, environmental
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. The 3 periods can be seen in the image below. The 3 main disturbances that may occur are:
1 - teratogens
2 - genetic
3 - environmental
If there are any disturbances between weeks 0-3 are likely to result in what?
- death of embryo or have no effect at all
- ONE OR THE OTHER
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. The 3 periods can be seen in the image below. The 3 main disturbances that may occur are:
1 - teratogens
2 - genetic
3 - environmental
If there are any disturbances between weeks 3-8 are likely to result in what?
- congenital malformations and/or deformation
- most sensitive time-point for major changes
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. The 3 periods can be seen in the image below. The 3 main disturbances that may occur are:
1 - teratogens
2 - genetic
3 - environmental
If there are any disturbances between weeks 8-38 are likely to result in what?
- growth and maturation
- can lead to congenital abnormalities
The average gestational period is around 38 weeks. This 38 week period can be split into 3 clinical periods where a disturbance in foetal development will have a weighting on how much the disturbance would impact upon the embryo and/or foetus. The 3 periods can be seen in the image below. The 3 main disturbances that may occur are:
1 - teratogens
2 - genetic
3 - environmental
Of the 3 time points in the figure below what is the critical period that can have the largest effect on the embryo and foetal development should there be any disturbances?
- weeks 3-8
What are the 3 main causes of congenital abnormalities?
1 - genetics (chromosomal, non-disjunction, mutations)
2 - viral
3 - teratogens (environmental, chemicals, drugs/medications, alcohol)
What is non-disjunction in meiosis?
- failure of the chromosomes to separate during anaphase of meiosis
- produces daughter cells with abnormal numbers of chromosomes
What does aneuploidy mean?
1 - more than 2 sets of chromosomes
2 - missing or having one or more extra chromosome
3 - missing or having one or more autosomal chromosome
4 - missing or having one or more sex chromosome
- 2 - missing or having one or more extra chromosome
- missing = hypodiploid (45 chromosomes)
- extra = hyperdiploid (47 chromosomes)
Monosomy and trisomy can both be caused by chromosome non-disjunction during meiosis. What does monosomy and trisomy mean?
- monosomy = missing one chromosome = 44X or 44Y
- trisomy = an extra chromosome is present = 47X or 47Y
Monosomy and trisomy can both be caused by chromosome non-disjunction during meiosis. Is monosomy (1 less chromosome) or trisomy (an extra chromosome) more lethal?
- monosomy
- no genetic information is very dangerous
Chromosomal non-disjunction can cause aneuploidy, missing or having one or more extra chromosome and polyploidy. What is polyploidy?
1 - more than 2 sets of chromosomes
2 - missing or having one or more extra chromosome
3 - missing or having one or more autosomal chromosome
4 - missing or having one or more sex chromosome
1 - more than 2 sets of chromosomes
- can be triploidy = 3 sets of chromosomes in a cell (69 in total)
- can be tetraploidy = 4 sets of chromosomes in a cell (92 in total)
Chromosomal non-disjunction can cause aneuploidy, missing or having one or more extra chromosome and polyploidy, which is when one cell contains more than 2 sets of chromosomes, causing:
- can be triploidy = 3 sets of chromosomes in a cell (69 in total)
- can be tetraploidy = 4 sets of chromosomes in a cell (92 in total)
Is this dangerous?
- yes either can cause miscarriage
In addition to chromosome non-disconjunction, gaining (trisomy) or losing a chromosome (monosomy), chromosomes can also be re-arranged. Robertsonian translocation is the most common form of chromosomal translocation. What happens in this situation?
1 - X and Y chromosomes joint together
2 - autosomal chromosomes joint together
3 - two chromosomes join together in an abnormal way
3 - two chromosomes join together in an abnormal way
- short arms of the chromosome are generally lost
In addition to chromosome non-disconjunction, gaining (trisomy) or losing a chromosome (monosomy), chromosomes can also be re-arranged. Robertsonian translocation is the most common form of chromosomal translocation, where two chromosomes join together in an abnormal way. Generally the short arms of the chromosome are lost. Which chromosomes are most affected by this?
1 - 1 and 6
2 - 13 and 18
3 - 14 and 21
4 - 18 and 21
3 - 14 and 21 translocation increases the risk of down syndrome