The latest electronic edition of the journal Nature Genetics reports the discovery of a new gene responsible for congenital sideroblastic anemia, a rare disease, mainly characterized by the presence of ringed sideroblasts in the patients' bone marrow.

University of Pittsburgh-led researchers could provide new insight into how two common congenital circulatory problems—aortic arch deformity and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)—develop in humans, as reported in the June 15 edition of Developmental Biology.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are developing a spectral imaging system that could result in shorter operating times for infants undergoing surgery for Hirschsprung’s disease, according to a mouse study reported in the Journal of Biophotonics.

Gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are rare entities in an adult patient. Commonly they are located in the upper gastrointestinal system and present with intestinal symptoms such as bleeding, obstruction and/or perforation of the intestine.

Congenital syphilis is a major preventable public health problem in many developing countries, frequently causing stillbirths or neonatal death and disabling children who survive. Often undiagnosed or untreated, syphilis is passed from mother to child - even when mothers take part in prenatal programs to prevent the spread of HIV.