Newborn screening

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for newborns. As individuals, we have a right to filter the informational input received even from the time of birth from the health care establishment. Our genetic makeup, while profound and revealing, may be so dramatically life altering that some may choose to live without knowing it at all. At this stage, WGS interpretation is still being explored and represents an area of science that the public may be wary about. This leads to the idea of WGS for newborns. Should states adopt universal WGS in addition to standard…

at another crossroad with privacy rights vs. modern scientific medicine and technology by American poet, fiction writer, and journalist Susan Scutti article The Government Owns Your DNA. What Are They Doing With It? Scutti’s Newsweek article is one of many articles published on genetic testing for newborns in the United States. Genetic testing for neonates dates back to the 1960s when President Kennedy signed…

It is the desire of parents to give birth to healthy, happy newborns. Unfortunately, just because a baby is born looking completely healthy that does not mean that the child has no underlying health issues. Thankfully, newborn state screening is performed in the hospital shortly after birth. This test can detect several potential health issues that a newborn may have. This screening provides a public service as it can alert parents to conditions that the child might need to seek treatment for.…

I believe that genetic screening of newborns should be done on all newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers newborn-screening tests one of the greatest public health achievements to reducing morbidity and mortality of newborns (CDC, 2011) . Although mandatory screening tests can vary by state, all states screen for at least 26 genetic and endocrine disorders that “saves at least 3,400 additional newborns each year”(CDC, 2011). The March of Dimes (MOD) recommends…

Newborn genetic screening is one of several tests that are done on newborn babies. The purpose of newborn genetic screening is to screen newborns as a preventive measure. The newborn is screened to help the parents know if the newborn is at risks for certain medical conditions. The test varies from state to state, however, all states must test for 29 disorders. Phenylketonuria and Congenital hypothyroidism are the top two disorders doctors look out for the most. Phenylketonuria also known as…

inclusion of the whole genome sequencing into the newborn screening program. The WGS has been relatively successful in providing researchers with a more accurate conclusion of potential metabolic and genetic disorders of the newborns screened (Blackmann, 2015). This information as you have mentioned can be vital in creating early treatment plans for parents to consider for their child. However, due the WGS being a relatively new phenomenon it still presents a host of risk. Researchers have found…

sanitation to immunizations to genetic screening, the communities’ health and wellbeing has seen drastic improvements in the last sixty years. Throughout history, high death tolls have been attributable to infectious…

Universal Newborn Hearing Screenings Over 50 years ago, audiologists, educators, parents, and medical personnel recognized and stressed the importance of early identification of hearing loss among infants. The understanding for a need for early identification of a child’s hearing loss has led us to the modern technology and assessment of hearing for newborns, most commonly referred to as the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS). In the United States, as of 2007, over 90% of newborns are…

United States. However, the progression of prostate cancer is typically slow and does not metastasize all that often. Due to this, treatments can typically be life saving and prostate cancer deaths have declined ~35% from 1997 to 2007. This can partially be explained by lifestyle changes, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgical treatment; however, large scale screening using prostate specific antigen (PSA) has to account for a substantial impact on the incidence and…

there was never any need for food or water while he was being created by Frankenstein. Like a newborn baby, the monster needs to find sustenance to keep himself alive. “I felt tormented by hunger and thirst. This aroused me from my nearly dormant state, and I ate some berries which I found hanging on the trees, or lying on the ground” (24-27). The monster uses berries to satisfy his hunger and the stream to satisfy his thirst. “I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with…