Montelukast use during pregnancy: a multicentre, prospective, comparative study of infant outcomes.

Background: Montelukast (Singulair) is a selective leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma. Currently, there are limited prospective, comparative studies in the literature examining the safety of montelukast use in pregnancy.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether exposure to montelukast during pregnancy increases the rate of major malformations above the 1–3% baseline risk or the rate of other adverse effects.

Prenatal exposure to HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: effects on fetal and neonatal outcomes.

Background: Use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) is becoming increasingly common. However, a recent study based on a series of cases reported to FDA suggests possible teratogenic effects of statins on embryogenesis, such as limb defects and severe central nervous system anomalies.

Methods: In a prospective, observational cohort study with a comparison group to examine a fetal toxicity risk of statins, we followed 64 pregnant women taking statins, and 64 comparison group women without exposure to known teratogens.

Molecular mechanism of transcriptional repression of gelsolin in human breast cancer cells.

Loss of gelsolin, a tumor suppressor, is one of the most frequently occurring molecular defects in breast cancers of diverse etiologies and across at least three animal species: human, mouse, and rat. Our previous analysis of breast cancer cells demonstrated that the deficiency is not due to mutation of the gelsolin gene, but instead to epigenetic factors, including decreased transcription of the gene. The study described herein provides the first functional characterization of the human gelsolin promoter and reveals a mechanistic basis for the reduced gelsolin transcription.