Commentary Voloshyn Taras, MD PhD Assistant Professor Kozyavkin International Rehabilitation Clinic, Truskavets, Ukraine Karen Skjei, MD Associate Professor University of Texas-Austin, Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas Infantile spasms (IS) or as they are currently termed epileptic spasms (ES), are characterized by a brief contraction followed by flexor, extensor, or mixed movements. The incidence of IS ranges from 2 to 3.5 in 10,000 live births, with onset during the first year of ...

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes microcephaly, whereas other related pathogenic flaviviruses do not. To reach the fetal brain, a virus must be transported from the maternal to the fetal circulation, which requires crossing of the placental barrier. Studies demonstrate that mammalian cell-derived ZIKV, but not two other globally relevant flaviviruses, efficiently infects fetal endothelial cells, a key component of the placental barrier, because only ZIKV can efficiently use the cell-surface receptor AXL.