Aurora magazine

The number of couples who go to the United States to practice assisted fecundation is growing. This is revealed by a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Compared to the US, "tourists of reproduction" are more likely to use donated oocytes and exploit prenatal screenings.

The study analyzes the data of more than 1 million assisted fertilization cycles, conducted between 2006 and 2013. Over this period, the number of foreign couples has risen from 1.2% to a total of 2, 8%. In 2013 foreign couples practicing assisted fertilization in the United States were nearly 5,400.

Foreigners have looked for treatments not available in their countries, exploiting certain technologies far more than the US themselves. 42% of non-residents' cycles have predicted the use of oocytes donated, compared with 10.6% of US cycles. In addition, foreigners have asked for surrogate mothers 8 times more than residents (12.4% versus 1.6%). The pre-implant genetic testing rate was also 4 times higher than that of the residents (19.1% vs. 5.3%).

The foreign patients examined came from 147 countries around the world. 50% of Canadian and British patients have used oocytes donated, probably due to certain legal restrictions in their countries. The percentage rises to 90% in the case of Japanese patients.

Source: gatech.edu

Autistic people with a rare genetic mutation tend to have a lower QI. This is what emerges from a study led by Matthew Jensen of the State University of Pennsylvania.

About 40% of those who suffer from condition also have intellectual disabilities. It is therefore difficult to distinguish autogenous genes from those that influence intelligence. Researchers were looking for genetic mutations of the genus common to people with autism. They have thus identified a common anomaly in these patients, but rare in other people.

Jensen and colleagues measured the intellectual quotient and made the DNA test of 2,300 autistic children. Of these, approximately 288 had a genetic mutation at the level of a single letter, not present in parents or brothers. In addition, 81 were devoid of a large piece of DNA. Children with these mutations had a much lower intellectual intellect than average.

Among the examined children, 397 had an intellectual rating above the average. The DNA test showed that almost none of them had the mutations in question. In addition, many of them did not even have the genetic mutations most commonly associated with autism. This means that these anomalies may cause a more severe form of autism, linked to intellectional deficits.

The discovery confirms the results of some previous studies, including one of 2014 conducted by Professor Mark Daly. The study showed that autistic children with low QI had a higher rate of genetic mutations.

Source: spectrumnews.org

With gestational diabetes is meant that form of diabetes diagnosed for the first time in pregnancy. In some cases, the disease develops with gestation, in others it is an unrecognized form. It is estimated that you are interested about 7% of pregnancies and is a danger to both the mother and the child.

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of maternal and fetal complications. For this reason, it is essential that women adhere to strict rules and be under medical supervision. In particular, it is important to act on elements of a woman's lifestyle, such as nutrition and physical activity. The disease is also linked to a number of bad habits.

The factors that determine the appearance of this form of diabetes are both genetic and environmental. Some women are genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes mellitus, which facilitates the onset of the disease. However, women's age and weight are also crucial: too much overweight or obese women are much more at risk. Even the presence of a recent polycystic ovary syndrome can be a risk factor.

This type of diabetes does not give any particular symptoms. The most obvious are: unjustified increase in thirsty diuresis; unjustified weight loss; recurrent cysts; vision problems. In the event that the future mom has symptoms of this kind, it is good that he undergoes a series of specific tests. As they say, however, better to prevent it from curing.

Prevention of Gestational Diabetes Begins Before Pregnancy. It is important that those who want to become mom increase physical activity and give a simple sugar cut. In the case of obesity, one should try to lose as much weight as possible before conceiving. Slimming should also make it easier to get pregnant.

Professor Alanna Kulchak Rahm has analyzed the results of a 2016 study that involved 1,241 teenagers. The researchers asked the kids for their opinion about DNA testing for genetic disease diagnosis. Since many diseases only appear in adulthood, when should these tests be performed? Because? There have been several responses.

The boys had to choose the disease for which genetic testing exists, but it only occurs in adulthood. Their task was therefore to explain whether it would be best to test teenagers or wait to grow. About half of the respondents said DNA testing would be postponed until adulthood. It is the same opinion promoted by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG).

Secondly, the young protagonists of the study, there is a substantial difference between preventable diseases and untreatable diseases. In the case of ovarian cancer or other susceptible diseases, more than 50% believe that the test should be done as soon as possible. In the case of diseases such as Alzheimer or Huntington, more than 60% think it is preferable to postpone.

The researchers did not find significant links between the views of the boys and the demographic factors. They also tested the actual knowledge of the boys on the subject, including limitations and availability of genetic tests. The results will help to improve the availability of DNA testing available today.
Source: ashg.org