Downsyndrome.com

FOREIGN CURRENCY SPOTLIGHT

Moving News

* THE United States dollar generally weakened against the euro and the

yen in the last two weeks as traders fretted over a multitude of bearish

factors. The latest US consumer confidence numbers were lower than

expected while jobless claims rose higher than expected, reducing the

chances of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates in the near term.

Concerns over oil prices that were hovering near record highs also

dampened the dollar, due to fears that it would cool US economic growth,

as it is the world’s biggest oil consumer. Meanwhile, positive news flow

such as the index of manufacturing of Chicago climbing to a 16- year high

in May provided some support to the dollar.

* The euro, on the other hand, was strengthening after Bundesbank

president Axel Weber said Germany’s economy would sustain a recovery even

after a drop in business confidence.

* The yen was also firmer after Japanese imports climbed to a record

high in May, suggesting that its economic growth was accelerating.

Besides, Japanese household spending also rose at a record pace, fuelling

bullish sentiments for the yen.

* The Singapore dollar strengthened as its government ended some

restrictions on foreign ownership of its currency, allowing overseas

companies to keep proceeds from stock and bond sales denominated in

Singapore dollar. Previously, Singapore companies abroad were required to

convert their funds into other currencies.

Technical Insight

USD/JPY

Technical Picture

The dollar has been fluctuating in a choppy manner against the yen. It

has weakened back after earlier rallies and has now pulled back below the

downtrend line (112.67 and declining) again after marking a recent high of

114.88, coinciding with the 50.0% FR (of the down-move from 125.69 to

105.19) of 115.44. In fact, it has also broken its recently established

up-trend line (112.06). Currently, the dollar is supported above the 23.6%

FR support at 110.03. Should this support give way, the dollar would test

the next immediate support of 105.19 en route to 103.42, the recent low.

Outlook

Indicator-wise, the technical picture is mixed. In such a choppy trading

environment, taking position without having a strong view is relatively

dangerous. Hence, for prudent traders, staying sidelined is preferred for

now.

EUR/USD

Technical Picture

The euro could be in the midst of swinging towards its neckline resistance

of 1.234. Technically, one should expect significant selling pressure when

the euro approaches this resistance, especially since the level is also

close to the 23.6% FR (of an up-move from 1.076 to 1.293) of 1.242.

However, on the indicators front, the technical tone is rather supportive.

Outlook

While the technical indicators are improving, the euro’s underlying

trend remains negative. Hence, selling into resistance levels could be

relatively a lower risk strategy compared to taking long positions.

USD/SGD

Technical picture

While the US dollar has retraced from its recent high of 1.731, and

breached the neckline (of a `double-bottom’ pattern) support at 1.719, it

is still generally in a rising mode. However, the dollar’s degree of

ascent is weakening as the currency has breached its immediate up- trend

line. Currently, the dollar is still holding above its lower up- trend line

(1.694 and rising) support. Having said that, the sustainability of the

underlying upswing is still in doubt as it has yet to convincingly clear a

cluster of overhead resistance levels on the way up.

Outlook

Generally, the technical indicators are still supportive except for Slow

Stochastic, which shows that the upside momentum is weakening. Together

with a cluster of resistance points on the upside, selling into strength

could be a better strategy for traders.

COMMODITY AND FUTURES SPOTLIGHT

Moving News

* On the international front, crude oil and gold prices rose after the

third terrorist attack this month against foreign workers in Saudi Arabia

left 22 dead over the weekend, raising concerns of even higher fuel costs

ahead that may slow global economy growth.

* The KLCI broke momentarily below the 800-psychological support before

closing feebly above that level. Fears of skyrocketing oil prices and the

imminent hike of interest rates in the US were the two major factors that

have triggered a major sell down of equities in the region, including

Malaysia. Besides, the upcoming Euro 2004 games are expected to draw some

sizeable liquidity from the market in gaming bets, likely leading to

lacklustre market volume ahead.

* The CPO price continued its downtrend as funds sold down on the

commodity following a similar trend in soybean oil, as fears over a

slowdown in Chinese imports persisted. CPO futures took a dive on

expectations of a weak export estimate for May, while the weakening

soybean oil price also put extra selling pressure on the futures market.

[Read more →]

Byline: Burt Constable Libertyville grad beats odds with grit, grades Michael Novy is a person who knows who he is and what he can do. He’s the Libertyville High School kid with Down syndrome and an IQ of 52 who will graduate Friday as a National Honor Society member with a lofty grade point average of 3.586 out of 4.

His secret to success? Says Michael, "I never, never, ever give up, ever." Lots of teenagers leave high school with diplomas but no clue about who they really are, or what they are capable of doing with their lives. Michael Novy knows who he is and …

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

[Read more →]

KISSIMMEE. FLA. — With first-trimester testing becoming more widely accepted to assess risk for Down syndrome, physicians should not screen in both first and second trimesters unless the findings are integrated and presented during the second trimester as a unified result, speakers said at a meeting sponsored by the American College of Medical Genetics.

"A screening test should not be followed by another screening test; it should be followed by a diagnostic test," Dr. Alan E. Donnenfeld said. "We’re going to tell [the patient] the risk is increased or decreased and let her decide if she wants to pursue prenatal diagnosis. Diagnostic tests give you answers."

Chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis can tell with almost 100% certainty whether the fetus has a chromosomal abnormality. Screening cannot, said Dr. Donnenfeld of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Drexel University, Philadelphia.

Sequential screening increases both the false-positive rate, with its associated anxiety and concern, and the amniocentesis rate, with the risk of iatrogenic pregnancy loss. It produces only marginal improvement in the detection rate and can result in conflicting risk estimates, causing confusion for the physician and patient.

"Sequential screening is undesirable in a public health program and can cause needless distress to individuals," said Dr. Nicholas J. Wald, professor and head of the Centre for Environmental and Preventive Medicine at Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, London, and lead researcher on the Serum, Urine, and Ultrasound Screening Study (SURUSS), which investigated integrated prenatal screening for Down syndrome.

Although screening does not detect all Down syndrome pregnancies, using an integrated screen is one way to increase the detection rate. Screenings are done during the first and second trimesters but presented as a single combined risk result. First- and second-trimester screenings offer similar detection rates; when they are used together, however, their predictive power increases and their false-positive rate declines, Dr. Wald said.

In SURUSS, which enrolled 47,000 women, the integrated test had a 93% detection rate with a 5% false-positive rate. At a four-site demonstration project, the integrated test had a 91% detection rate.

If for some reason sequential screens were ordered and first-trimester results were given, Dr. Donnenfeld said, the second result should be combined using the following formula: Take the age-related risk and divide it by the first-trimester risk. Then take that number and multiply it by the second-trimester risk. That number would provide a practical means of determining the actual risk. "You cannot interpret the second-trimester screening as if the first never happened," Dr. Donnenfeld said.

He described a 33-year-old patient whose first-trimester screening indicated a low risk of 1 in 1,133 births. The patient felt relieved until the obstetrician performed a second-trimester screening. That quad test indicated a risk of 1 in 44, a 25-fold difference in risk. The patient became angry and hostile.

Even if both screening tests are negative, physicians are not home free. If the patient delivers a baby with Down syndrome, the family will be upset that the laboratory and/or the sonographer got it wrong twice, he said.

Reimbursement also becomes an issue with sequential screening. It doubles the cost, and insurers resist paying for the second screen.

Second-trimester screening remains the standard of care. If the patient elects first-trimester screening or an integrated score, physicians should document what was offered and the patient’s decision. Physicians should not routinely order a second-trimester screen if results of the first screen have been reported to the patient. Patients should continue to be offered second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein testing to screen for neural tube defects.

BY DEBRA WOOD

Contributing Writer

COPYRIGHT 2004 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

[Read more →]