http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (AP) -- Imagine being pregnant and taking a simple blood test that lays bare the DNA of your fetus. And suppose that DNA could reveal not only medical conditions like Down syndrome, but also things like eye color and height. And the risk for developing depression or Alzheimer's disease. And the chances of being gay. http://phys.org/news227165349.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:29:19 EST news227165349 (AP) -- The results of the blood test revealed only a risk, but when she saw them, she still threw up. Now she had to find out for sure. http://phys.org/news227165164.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:26:30 EST news227165164 A less risky non-invasive procedure based on maternal DNA to diagnose Down syndrome could be generally available to pregnant women by 2013, a Cyprus researcher said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news218799786.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:43:18 EST news218799786 Scientists in Europe report they were able to diagnose Down syndrome prenatally by giving a simple blood test to pregnant women, an approach that might one day help them avoid the more extensive procedure used now to detect the condition. http://phys.org/news218641944.html Medicine & Health Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:52:44 EST news218641944 Latino siblings of children developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism may face their own challenges, including anxiety and lower school performance, according to a new study led by researchers with the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. http://phys.org/news217081154.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:40:02 EST news217081154 Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered that the genetic mechanism which destroys brain cells is responsible for early development of Alzheimer's Disease in people with Down Syndrome and for development of Alzheimer's Disease in general population – providing a potential new target for drugs that could forestall dementia in people with either condition. http://phys.org/news214061477.html Chemistry Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:32:33 EST news214061477 What pregnant women think about routine ultrasound tests for fetal abnormalities is largely ignored by the health profession says a Victoria University graduate who has completed some of New Zealand's only research into prenatal screening. http://phys.org/news211544480.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:21:36 EST news211544480  Very low birthweight Down syndrome infants are at higher risk for disorders of the heart and lungs than are very low birthweight infants who do not have a chromosomal variation, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network. http://phys.org/news209652029.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:50:01 EST news209652029 Physical defects in plants can be predicted based on chromosome imbalances, a finding that may shed light on how the addition or deletion of genes and the organization of the genome affects organisms, according to a study involving a Purdue University researcher. http://phys.org/news208006721.html Biology Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:38:59 EST news208006721 (PhysOrg.com) -- Biologist Barbara Mellone uses tiny cameras to study what happens when a dividing cell makes a mistake. http://phys.org/news204225494.html Biology Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:50:02 EST news204225494 Researchers at Children's National Medical Center have discovered that the two major types of signaling pathways activated during brain cell development -- the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway and the Notch pathway -- operate together to determine how many and which types of brain cells are created during growth and repair in developing and adult brains. This knowledge may help scientists design new ways to induce the brain to repair itself when these signals are interrupted, and indicate a need for further research to determine whether disruptions of these pathways in early brain development could lead to common neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities. http://phys.org/news203851860.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:50:01 EST news203851860 (PhysOrg.com) -- The Arizona Cognitive Test Battery, designed by UA psychologists Lynn Nadel and Jamie Edgin, can quickly and easily assess the cognitive abilities of persons with Down syndrome. It gives clinicians and other researchers a tool to help determine the life trajectory of those with the genetic disorder as well as aid in the development of treatments. http://phys.org/news202030492.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:35:19 EST news202030492 June 3, 2010 - Reducing a protein called beta-amyloid in young mice with a condition resembling Down syndrome improves their ability to learn, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. http://phys.org/news194806396.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:53:51 EST news194806396 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a mouse model of Down syndrome, pregnant and lactating mice that received additional choline had offspring that fared much better than those whose mothers did not receive choline, a new study finds. http://phys.org/news194716993.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:20:01 EST news194716993 A team of researchers has discovered that the protein that forms plaques in the brain in Alzheimer's disease also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome. The new findings in Down syndrome show that the toxic protein, known as amyloid-β, that causes Alzheimer's pathology in the brain also leads to distinctive cataracts in the eyes. The discovery is leading the researchers to develop an innovative eye test for early detection of Alzheimer's pathology in both disorders. http://phys.org/news193584068.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 May 2010 17:00:06 EST news193584068 Parents and doctors have known for a long time that children with Down syndrome tend to grow more slowly and are considerably shorter than most other children. But pediatricians needing to record growth milestones at regular office visits have an outdated set of growth charts based on data collected more than 25 years ago. Since that time, there have been major advances in the medical care of children with Down syndrome. In addition, the demographics of the general U.S. population have changed, and children are taller, but also more overweight. http://phys.org/news191173791.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:20:01 EST news191173791 Conventional wisdom among scientists for years has suggested that because individuals with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, the disorder most likely results from the presence of too many genes or proteins contained in that additional structure. http://phys.org/news188578960.html Chemistry Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:02:59 EST news188578960 Here's a question that's not being asked in the health-care debate: How much medical care do we want in our lives? It's something we should be discussing. http://phys.org/news187991077.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:50:02 EST news187991077 Between 5 and 10 percent of babies with Down syndrome develop a transient form of leukemia that usually resolves on its own. However, for reasons that haven't been clear, 20 to 30 percent of these babies progress to a more serious leukemia known as Down syndrome acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (DS-AMKL), which affects the blood progenitor cells that form red blood cells and platelets. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have found a gene regulator they believe to be a key player in DS-AMKL, advancing understanding of how the disease develops and how to treat it. http://phys.org/news186659918.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:59:01 EST news186659918 (AP) -- Three Google executives were convicted of privacy violations Wednesday in Italy because bullies posted a video online of an autistic boy being abused - a case closely watched due to its implications for Internet freedom. http://phys.org/news186217982.html Technology Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:13:27 EST news186217982 Women experiencing an early onset of menopause could develop dementia at a younger age. Research by Tonnie Coppus of Erasmus MC has indicated this. She studied women with Down Syndrome, who are known to have an early onset of menopause. The results of her research can be translated to apply to the general population. Her results will be published in the Journal of Alzheimer Disease today. http://phys.org/news183818395.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:10:01 EST news183818395 Nearly 20 years ago Huntington Potter kicked up a storm of controversy with the idea that Down syndrome and Alzheimer's were the same disease. Now the evidence is in: He was right. http://phys.org/news182845260.html Medicine & Health Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:14:12 EST news182845260 Inheritance of an extra copy of the gene- β -amyloid precursor protein, APP, in individuals with Down syndrome leads to the inevitable development of early onset Alzheimer's disease, known to be linked to the deposition of Amyloid β peptide or Aβ in the brain. However, a new study published online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies βCTF, a small protein found in APP, as a novel factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease related endosome abnormalities, which have also been tied previously to the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease. http://phys.org/news181837907.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:33:37 EST news181837907 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study, aimed at estimating the prevalence of Down Syndrome in newborns, children and teenagers in 10 areas of the U.S., has found an increase in prevalence of more than 30 percent over the last 24 years. http://phys.org/news178953188.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:20:02 EST news178953188 The addition of a "genetic sonogram" maximizes the accuracy of non-invasive testing for Down syndrome, said a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who was lead author of a landmark study in the current issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. http://phys.org/news177960758.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:04 EST news177960758 At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development. http://phys.org/news177777639.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:41:41 EST news177777639 New prenatal tests for Down syndrome are soon to be offered to all pregnant women across the United States, yet telling an expectant couple that their child will be born with Down syndrome is a task very few physicians are trained for, claims research published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. The study, which reviewed decades of surveys and interviews, offers several recommendations for how physicians can best deliver the news. http://phys.org/news173349204.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:38:57 EST news173349204 Matt Ziesel doesn't stray far from coach Dan McCamy on the sidelines during St. Joseph Benton High School's freshman football games. He likes to stay within earshot. http://phys.org/news172676449.html Medicine & Health Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:40:02 EST news172676449 An individual with Down syndrome and a male calico cat have one thing in common -- each has an extra chromosome. For animals, most instances of an extra chromosome result in birth defects or even death, but plants are another matter entirely. Many plants are able to survive the presence of an extra copy of their entire genome (known as polyploidy) and are often even more vigorous as a result. For plants, the process of polyploidy often results in a new species, making it an important mechanism in evolution. In fact, over 80% of plants may be a product of polyploidy. http://phys.org/news172162573.html Biology Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:10:02 EST news172162573 With new prenatal tests for Down syndrome on the horizon promising to be safer, more accurate, and available to women earlier in pregnancy, the medical community must come together and engage in dialogue about the impact of existing and expected tests, argues a new leading article published Online First by Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://phys.org/news172146115.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:40:01 EST news172146115