Aurora magazine

Columbia University's Dr. Kimberly Noble team studied the effects of poverty on immature brains. He has thus felt that growing in a poor environment can actually affect the way the brain develops. We talk of poverty in itself, not of nutrition, of the language used in the social context, of family stability. Pure and simple indigence.

In the early 2000s, Kimberly Noble and Martha Farah noted that poor children tend to have worst academic outcomes. They then started looking for the neurocognitive causes behind the phenomenon, in order to demonstrate a possible correlation between socioeconomic status and academic performance. It was the first time someone had the problem.

In 2005 Noble and Farah recruited 60 children from Philadelphia's public schools. They give them a series of cognitive tests, each connected to a specific brain circuit. The results of lower-grade children were worse than those of upper class children. Next magnetic resonances also revealed that certain areas of the brain were less developed.

In 2015, a new Noble study, conducted on 1,099 children and teens, confirmed what was discovered in 2005. The scientist is now organizing a new study, which will last for 5 years and will involve more than 1,000 poor families. Half of them will receive $ 4000 dollars a year, the other half will receive only $ 240. If the above findings were true, the study should record significant differences between the children in the first and second groups.
The discovery has very important political implications. If there was really a correlation between poverty and neurocognitive development, it would be even more important for politicians to ensure a minimum level of assistance for the indigent families. It should not only affect the dignity of the individual adult individual, but also the future of those who are still children.

Source: theguardian.com

Ultrasounds have an essential role in prenatal diagnosis. They allow you to detect malformations and anomalies, some of which can be treated if taken in time. If accompanied by an expert eye, ultrasounds allow you to detect many of these anomalies from the first trimester.

Ultrasound can identify most of the major structural fetal anomalies. Prenatal diagnosis allows for a safer delivery, providing mother and child with the necessary assistance. Parents have the time to arrange their childbirth in a staffed facility and ad hoc machinery. Where necessary, doctors may also arrange for surgery immediately after delivery or even in the uterus.

The first screening with ultrasound is usually between 11th and 14th week. It is also the time when nuclease translucency is measured and tests for Down's syndrome are performed. On this occasion it is good practice to subject the fetus to an anatomical control by ultrasound. These reveal a possible multiple pregnancy and evaluate the physical condition of the fetus.

The second screening with ultrasound is the most important for detecting structural anomalies. It takes place in the second quarter, usually between the 18th and the 20th week. If the first analysis is used to identify the most obvious anomalies, the second one confirms the presence and identification of minor ones.

If the nuclide translucency was found to be abnormal, it is likely that the second screening will reveal a number of structural anomalies. In such situations, however, doctors recommend ultrasound before the 18th week.

Source: contemporaryobgyn.modernmedicine.com

The Apulia Region has allocated € 800,000 in assisted procreation. Those who will resort to treatment in 2017 will only have to pay the ticket, as long as they contact the agreed clinics. The measure aims to shorten the times foreseen by the Ministry of Health.

The Government has included Assisted Fertilization among the Lea, or the essential levels of assistance. Citizens will then be able to access therapies free of charge or paying the ticket. In order for the measure to be operational at national level, a Ministerial Decree on Maximum Rates is required. Puglia has therefore decided to speed up the process, at least in its own borders.

The Region has a fund for support for assisted procreation. The fund amounts to 800,000 euros for first-cycle cycles. Instead, 700 thousand are those for second and third level interventions, such as in vitro fertilization. To this money are added the contributions paid to the couple by the Region: 400 euros for each first level treatment, 1000 for each second and third treatment. There are maximum 2 paths funded for each pair.
Before the initiative comes to an end, an agreement is needed with the Ministry of Health and the Economy. It is necessary to verify that the Region has complied with the 2016/2018 operational plan.

Agreed structures will be 6 throughout the Region. In Bari will be the pma center of the Santa Maria care center and the center of San Luca. At Bisceglie there will be Momofertilife srl. For those in the area of ​​Brindisi, there are the Salus center and the center of Progenia, located at the citadel of the research. In Taranto there is the playground and andrology Crea srl.

Source: repubblica.it

Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of Oregon Health and Science University, modified a human embryo without errors. It is the first time that it happens and opens the door to the use of Crispr for the fight against genetic diseases. However, many are concerned about the risk of eugenic drift.

The Crispr gene-editing process makes changes to permanent and, above all, inheritable DNA. The Chinese scientists had carried out 3 experiments, but the embryonic cells had not made the changes homogeneously. There was therefore the risk of creating genetic transmissible anomalies in future generations.

The Kazakh scientist team used Crispr with the "germiline engineering" technique. In contrast to the Chinese, researchers inject Crispr at the same time as in vitro fertilization. In this way they have obtained dozens of embryos, which they have developed for a few days. They have not implanted anybody in the uterus, but the ethical problem is still present.

The United States National Academy of Sciences has stated that it supports the use of Crispr for medical purposes only. In February 2017 he therefore asked to regulate the use of the technique, so that it can only be used to deal with hereditary illnesses. For this reason, Congress has also banned embryos being modified.

Source: lastampa.it