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Michigan Report Shows Decline In Teen Pregnancy, Improvement In Prenatal Care
Michigan from 1992 to 2007 experienced improvements in rates of teenage pregnancies, smoking among pregnant women, and six other indicators of maternal and infant health, though there was an increase in out-of-wedlock births and low-birthweight infants, according to a Michigan League for Human Services report issued Tuesday, the Detroit News reports. The report, titled "Right Start in Michigan," examined statistics in eight categories that affect the health of newborns. The findings track trends for the state as a whole and for its 83 counties and 69 communities with populations greater than 25,000 (Jun, Detroit News, 6/30). According to the report, teen births and repeat births decreased by more than 25% statewide (AP/9and10news.com, 6/30). The decline in teen births was more pronounced in urban areas (Lavey, Lansing State Journal, 6/30). The report also found that the rate of women who received no or late prenatal care dropped by 15%, while the rate of premature births declined by 9%. In addition, smoking by pregnant women decreased by more than one-third. However, out-of-wedlock births increased by 10%, and the percentage of low-birthweight infants rose by 10% (AP/9and10news.com, 6/30).State budget cuts are expected to affect assistance programs for teen and low-income women with children, according to the Lansing State Journal. Marcus Cheatham, assistant deputy health officer for Ingham County, Mich., said, "I"m really worried that we"re going to lose the gains we"ve made in this state" (Lansing State Journal, 6/30).

Redefining How A Chronic Auto-Immune Disease Is Diagnosed
New research from Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience (JHN) may redefine how Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) is diagnosed. Eduardo De Sousa, M.D., assistant professor of Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Electrodiagnostic Neuromuscular Lab at JHN, led the study which looked at the number of demyelinating features that are needed to differentiate between CIDP, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig"s disease) and diabetic neuropathy. His research suggests a minimum number of three demyelinating features can be used to positively identify CIDP in a patient. CIDP is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. It affects about 50,000 people in the United States. The study, available in the current edition of the Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular Disease, may help doctors more effectively diagnose and treat CIDP.
News of the day
Needs Of Bottle Feeding Mums Neglected
The needs of mothers who bottle feed are being neglected, potentially risking the health of their babies, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Diagnostics

Genomic Medicine Institute Adds Seven Additional Illumina Genome Analyzers To Expand Capacity For Asian 100 Genome Project

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced that the Genomic Medicine Institute (GMI) at Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea, purchased seven additional Illumina Genome AnalyzerIIx sequencing systems, expanding the capacity of their recently established Asian Genome Center to 10 Illumina sequencing systems. "GMI"s decision to add seven additional Genome Analyzers is further validation that our sequencing platform is delivering leading performance with its unmatched rate of daily output, ease of use and proven paired-end sequencing capabilities," said Tim Orpin, general manager of Illumina"s Asia Pacific Region. Dr. Jeong-Sun Seo, director of the Genomic Medicine Institute, and his team, have completed a deep sequencing project of the Korean genome and the work was published online in Nature July 8, 2009. "This publication demonstrates the global competitiveness of GMI"s technological capabilities and provides a practical example of Korean bio-medical excellence," said Dr. Seo. GMI is the second largest Genome Center in Asia and the largest center that focuses exclusively on human genome analysis and its clinical application in Asia. As part of the Asian 100 Genome Project, GMI plans to complete the whole genome analysis of 100 Asian individuals by 2012 and establish an Asian Genome Database with comprehensive genome information specifically targeting Asian populations. About the Illumina Genome Analyzer Designed for facilities of all sizes, the Illumina Genome Analyzer has been adopted across genome centers worldwide, plus individual research labs, core and service facilities, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Generating over 20 Gigabases of sequence data, the Genome Analyzer offers the highest rate of daily output and the simplest and most user-friendly workflow. The Genome Analyzer also offers the broadest set of supported applications, including those used to profile and discover novel transcripts, to create a high-resolution genome-wide map of DNA-protein binding sites and to sequence entire human genomes to greater than 30x coverage. For more information about the Genome Analyzer and to read what customers are doing with Illumina"s sequencing technology, please visit http://www.illumina.com/sequencing. Illumina


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