| New study links birth defects with fertility treatments |
| 16 February 2007 - by MacKenna Roberts |
| Contrary to some earlier findings, a large Canadian study links an increase in birth defects with babies born through fertility treatments. According to the results of the study, which was presented at a Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting in San Francisco, the overall risk appears minimal - less...[Read More] |
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| FDA approves breast cancer recurrence test |
| 16 February 2007 - by Zulehkha Waheed |
| The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a genetic test that can give women with breast cancer an estimate of whether the disease is likely to return within five to ten years. The MammaPrint test - made by Dutch company Agendia - relies on an intricate computer...[Read More] |
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| Scientists reverse Rett syndrome symptoms in mice |
| 16 February 2007 - by BioNews |
| By Dr Laura Bell New research recently published in the journal Science provides hope for the treatment of Rett syndrome, a rare but severe childhood neurological disorder. Nearly 10,000 children in the UK are affected by Rett syndrome which, in its early stages, has similar symptoms to autism. The condition...[Read More] |
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| Newborn babies to be screened for rare metabolic disorder |
| 19 February 2007 - by Antony Blackburn-Starza |
| All newborn babies in England will be offered screening for the rare metabolic disorder Medium Chain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCADD). MCADD is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that is caused by a lack of an enzyme that converts fat into energy, affecting blood sugar levels. The...[Read More] |
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| HGC backs hybrid embryo research |
| 19 February 2007 - by Khadija Ibrahim |
| The Human Genetics Commission (HGC) has given its backing to the creation of animal-human hybrid and chimera embryos for research purposes. The Government advisory body made the announcement at their most recent plenary meeting, in response to the current debate about whether research that involves the mixing...[Read More] |
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| IVF success improved by ultrasound embryo transfer |
| 19 February 2007 - by Katy Sinclair |
| IVF is more likely to be successful if embryos are transferred with the use of ultrasound, rather than the traditional clinical touch method. A new review study has found that the ultrasound method gives women a 32 per cent chance of viable pregnancy as compared to 25...[Read More] |
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| Key type 2 diabetes genes identified |
| 19 February 2007 - by Dr Laura Bell |
| Recent research published online in the journal Nature has mapped the most important genes involved in increasing people's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. These genes could account for up to 70 per cent of the genetic risk of developing the disorder. Type 2 diabetes affects...[Read More] |
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| Budget demands tighten restrictions on access to IVF treatment |
| 19 February 2007 - by MacKenna Roberts |
| UK MPs have questioned the restrictive lower age limit policies practised by increasing numbers of NHS healthcare providers, which prevent women accessing IVF until they are in their late thirties - when chances for the treatment's success dramatically decrease to an average of 15 per cent. Meanwhile, some...[Read More] |
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| US teenagers trace their sperm donor father |
| 19 February 2007 - by Antony Blackburn-Starza |
| Six US teenagers conceived from the same sperm donor have been put in contact with their biological father through the US Donor Sibling Registry website. Their father, Mr Jeffrey Harrison - or 'Donor 150' - 'nearly choked on his coffee' as he read an article in the New York...[Read More] |
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