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In Pregnancy, Summer Heat Increases Risk Of Amniotic Fluid Level Deficiency, Ben-Gurion University Study Reveals
Pregnant women have a higher incidence of insufficient amniotic fluid levels (oligohydramnios) in the summer months due to dehydration, according to a study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
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Economic Crisis Heightens Financial Fallout For Bereaved
One in five people fall below the official poverty line following the death of their partner. "Hence the recent fall in the value of annuities, savings and investments means an even wider group of older people could face financial difficulties when their partner dies, whether these difficulties are short-lived or longer lasting," says researcher Anne Corden of the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York
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Salon Opinion Piece Questions Obama's Pick To Head Office Of Faith-Based And Community Partnerships
President Obama"s appointment of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS "took the pro-choice movement by surprise," Salon contributor Frances Kissling, a former president of Catholics for Choice, writes in an opinion piece. According to Kissling, abortion-rights supporters "want to know ... why the post, which includes oversight of the department"s faith-based grant-making in family planning, HIV and AIDS and in small-scale research into the effect of religion and spirituality on early sexual behavior, has gone to someone who both believes abortion should be illegal and opposes contraception." She adds that Kelley and CACG have "sought to narrow the interpretation of common ground on abortion to efforts to reduce the number of abortions by providing women who are already pregnant with economic support for continuing the pregnancy and making adoption easier."Kissling notes that the "HHS budget for family-planning services grants to faith-based and community groups is more than $20 million." She asks, "Can pro-family-planning religious groups expect a fair deal from a director who believes that birth control, even for married couples, is immoral? Will programs that provide contraception to adolescents get funded?" Kissling continues that Obama"s February executive order on the office directed it to work to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. She says of Kelley, "How can an opponent of the single most effective way to do both -- contraception -- lead that effort in HHS enthusiastically and effectively?"Kissling also notes Kelley"s accomplishments, writing that she "has much to offer in government -- but not at HHS." There are "10 other government agencies that have faith-based offices," and a "far less controversial placement could have been found at Labor, Housing and Urban Development, or the Department of Education," according to Kissling.Kissling continues that some leaders in the abortion-rights movement "have not yet commented on the Kelley appointment; most are still reeling from Dr. Tiller"s murder." However, "One hopes they will turn their attention to this appointment and demand a review of Kelley"s qualifications for this post," Kissling writes. She continues, "Pro-choice groups also contributed to the president"s election. They deserve appointees who agree with the platform on which the president ran. The pro-choice movement"s recommendations for pro-choice appointees to the faith-based office"s advisory council were ignored."Kissling adds that the "mission going forward must be to ensure that any additional staff members appointed to faith-based centers in Cabinet-level agencies reflect the pro-choice, pro-family-planning values of the administration." She concludes that as abortion-rights supporters "try to get to the bottom of the Kelley appointment, greater oversight of, and consultation on, future appointments need to be secured" (Kissling, Salon, 6/7).
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Risks Of Sharing Personal Genetic Information Online Need More Study, Stanford Bioethicists Say

With just $399 and a bit of saliva in a cup, consumers can learn about their genetic risk for diseases from breast cancer to diabetes. Now, thanks to social networking sites set up by personal genomics companies, they can also share that information with family, friends and even strangers on the Internet. Bonding over a similar genetic background sounds relatively harmless. But according to bioethicists from the Stanford University School of Medicine, sharing genetic information online raises a host of ethical questions. "Genetic information is unique in that it"s not only relevant for the individuals who receive the information, but also for their family members, their children and even their children"s children," said Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, PhD, senior research scholar at the school"s Center for Biomedical Ethics. Because genetic information applies to more than one person, issues of privacy and consent become complicated. "For example," Lee said, "if you receive information on your breast cancer risk and share it with others, you might also be sharing information about your daughter"s risk for breast cancer - even though she never consented to have that information shared." In cooperation with assistant professor of pediatrics and bioethicist LaVera Crawley, MD, MPH, Lee has been studying the potential implications of exchanging genetic information online. To fully understand the effects of sharing, the researchers say we need more data on who"s giving out information and how it"s being used. Their recommendations will be published in a special double-issue of the American Journal of Bioethics on June 5. "We want to understand how consumers interpret and act upon personal genetic information, and we want to know who they share it with," Lee said. To answer these questions, Lee and Crawley plan to use an approach called "social network analysis" with deep roots in the field of anthropology. "Social network analysis is a system of mapping how individuals are related to each other and how they form connections around certain institutions or ideas," said Lee, whose work was funded by a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute. "In this case, we want to see how people forge connections based on their genetic information." As the cost of DNA sequencing drops, the genetic testing industry is expanding rapidly. Lee estimates that nearly 100 companies around the world now provide some form of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Two of the largest companies, 23andMe and Navigenics, are based in Silicon Valley. In most cases, customers mail in a DNA sample for sequencing, and then get both raw data and an interpretation of their genetic profile. A few companies, including 23andMe, also let customers create a public profile and share their genetic data through a company-sponsored social networking site. For now, there aren"t any laws that govern the exchange of genetic information online. But as genetic analysis becomes cheaper and more widespread, more and more people will have access to their DNA code - and experts fear that consumers may share genetic data without realizing the potential implications for themselves and their families. "There"s stuff in there that we can"t interpret today, but we will be able to interpret in five years," said Russ Altman, MD, PhD, professor of genetics at Stanford and a scientific advisor for 23andMe, who was not involved in Lee and Crawley"s work. That means an unsuspecting consumer could share data that"s meaningless today, Altman said, but later reveals an elevated risk for a serious disease. "Personally, I"m not anxious to share my genome," Altman said. "The information affects my daughters, my son and my parents, who might not want to learn about their genetic profile. If I share my information with strangers, there"s a higher risk that it will get back to my family." In addition, both consumers and their health providers may have trouble interpreting data provided by personal genetics companies, Lee said. Estimates of disease risk are often based on small, unreplicated studies in the biomedical literature, but consumers may not understand how preliminary this data is. "Results depend on the number and type of markers that are used, as well as how robust their databases are," Lee said. "It"s important for there to be a greater oversight of this information to ensure that consumers understand what their results actually mean." Susan Ipaktchian Stanford University Medical Center


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