Politics
Friday March 21, 2003
ADVANCES IN FETAL SCREENING IMPLY MORE ABORTIONS
Defective embryo search and destroy efforts now more efficient
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LONDON, March 21, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new prenatal test reveals which genes are "switched on" in the placenta, enabling doctors to identify Down's Syndrome and other conditions better than ever before. The tests are being described as "safer and less invasive" -- although that is not true for the unborn child unfortunate enough to be diagnosed.
"While DNA is the genetic blueprint, RNA will tell you which genes are actually being expressed," says team leader Dennis Lo at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "And many diseases, genetic or otherwise, might be associated with abnormalities in RNA expression."
Meanwhile new research in the UK, published in The Lancet, says a new quadruple blood test has only a 7% false-positive rate, compared to 14% using the age of the mother as a reason to screen for birth defects.
Prof. Nicholas Wald told the BBC: "Our results, from a routine screening service, confirm the value of early second trimester serum screening over screening by use of maternal age alone, in contradiction to recent opinion, and lend support to the decision of the UK government to offer serum screening to all pregnant women.
For the Hong Kong research visit Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, or:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993510
For the new "accurate" quadruple blood test for Down's:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2828735.stm
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