Downsyndrome.com

Recent investigations have supported the ability of persons with Down syndrome to continue learning language on into adulthood. The importance of intervention to increase communicative competence is evident–what is not known is the effectiveness of such intervention. The authors report here on a series of case studies that investigated a language intervention that targeted syntax for adults with Down syndrome.

The intervention used a hybrid approach combining naturalistic intervention contexts with structured elicitations of targets. Three adults with Down syndrome, ranging in age …

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

[Read more →]

NEW YORK — Xenomics, Inc. (OTCBB: XNOM), a developer of next-generation medical DNA technologies, announced today that the Company’s progress in developing new prenatal testing solutions have been featured in a television news report produced and aired by NY1, the award-winning Time Warner New York-based 24-hour news network. The report, filed by NY1 reporter Cheryl Wills in the network’s Health and Fitness segment, details the advantages in safety of the Company’s revolutionary, non-invasive prenatal tests to detect fetal genetic abnormalities early in pregnancies.

The NY1 television report features an interview with Xenomics’ CEO, Dr. Randy White. Interested investors may view the video report in its entirety by visiting http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/ny1_video.html. It may be necessary to refresh your browser to launch the video.

The news segment reviews some of the current tests for detecting fetal genetic abnormalities during pregnancy and notes shortcomings of existing tests, including the common yet widely feared amniocentesis, which requires insertion of a nine-inch-long needle into the mother’s uterus to extract amniotic fluid samples. The invasive amniocentesis procedure carries with it a risk of infection, miscarriage or injury to the mother or fetus. The report explains the advantages of the Xenomics’ test, including the technology’s complete elimination of risk to the mother or child, and the ability to test significantly earlier — at only seven weeks into the pregnancy, instead of the 15 to 22 weeks required for amniocentesis.

Xenomics’ prenatal tests are based upon the Company’s patented Trans-renal DNA (Tr-DNA) technology platform. Xenomics scientists, led by Dr. Samuil Umansky, were the first to prove that DNA passes through the kidneys and is excreted in the patient’s urine. Because Xenomics’ Tr-DNA test uses urine specimens instead of blood, as required for most exiting DNA tests, it is significantly safer and easier to collect. Blood is potentially infectious and is widely considered to be a biological hazard to health care workers, while urine is not.

In the report, Dr. White is quoted explaining some of the advantages of the Xenomics’ innovations: "The beauty of our tests is that DNA from the fetus passes through the placenta into the mother’s bloodstream and out into her urine where we are able to harvest it." The Xenomics Tr-DNA test uses a simple urine sample from the mother to generate information about the genetic profile of the unborn child. It also produces results significantly faster and is expected to be a fraction of the price of existing test procedures.

Xenomics has extended its discovery of Tr-DNA into the creation of a proprietary technology platform that they are currently using to create a new generation of Tr-DNA diagnostic tests for a range of serious diseases, including AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as the prenatal testing covered in the NY1 television news report.

About Xenomics, Inc.

Xenomics is a molecular diagnostic company that focuses on the development of DNA-based tests using trans-renal DNA (Tr-DNA). Xenomics’ patented technology uses safe and simple urine collection and can be applied to a broad range of applications, including prenatal testing, tumor detection and monitoring, tissue transplantation, infectious disease detection, genetic testing for forensic identity determination, drug development, and research to counter bioterrorism. Scientists from Xenomics were the first to report that fragments of DNA from normal cell death cross the kidney barrier and can be detected in urine. The Company believes that its technology will open significant new markets in the molecular diagnostics field. Xenomics has three issued U.S. patents covering different applications of the technology for molecular diagnostics and genetic testing and a pending European patent for the same applications. The Company has organized a joint venture to conduct research on infectious disease detection with the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (Instituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive "Lazarus Spallanzani") in Rome, in the form of a new R&D company called SpaXen Italia, S.R.L. For more information, please visit http://xenomics.com. For more investor-specific information, including daily and historical Company stock quote data and recent news releases, please visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics. To read or download the Company’s Investor Fact Sheet visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/factsheet.html. To view an online video about Xenomics technology and products, visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/video.html. A TV news report about the Company’s next-generation prenatal tests can be viewed at http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/xenomics/ny1_video.html

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are forward looking. Such statements are indicated by words such as "expect," "might," "should," "anticipate" and similar words indicating uncertainty in facts and figures. Although Xenomics believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. As discussed in the periodic reports of Xenomics, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of the following factors, among others: uncertainties associated with product development, the risk that Xenomics will not obtain approval to market its products, the risk that Xenomics’ technology will not gain market acceptance, the risks associated with dependence upon key personnel, and the need for additional financing.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

[Read more →]

According to "Jordan Times", people with Down syndrome do not have equal opportunities in education due to financial constraints, according to participants at the first regional conference on Down Syndrome, which began this week. To solve this problem, …

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

[Read more →]

Clupper, Elisa

Intervention in School & Clinic

03-01-2005

The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

Byline: Clupper, Elisa
Volume: 40
Number: 4
ISSN: 10534512
Publication Date: 03-01-2005
Page: 250
Section: BOOKS AND MORE
Type: Periodical
Language: English

BOOKS The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles by Joan E Guthrie Medlen. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 2002. 352 pp., $19.95 paperback (Available from Woodbine House, 800-843-7323; http://www.woodbinehouse. com)

The Down Syndrome …

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

[Read more →]

Clupper, Elisa

Intervention in School & Clinic

03-01-2005

Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents

Byline: Clupper, Elisa
Volume: 40
Number: 4
ISSN: 10534512
Publication Date: 03-01-2005
Page: 250
Section: BOOKS AND MORE
Type: Periodical
Language: English

Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents by D C. Van Dyke, Philip Mattheis, Susan Schoon Eberly, and Janet Williams. (Eds.). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 1995. 395pp., $14.95 paperback. (Available from Woodbine House, 800-843-7323; …

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

[Read more →]

PHOENIX, ARIZ. — About one-quarter of a diverse group of pregnant women would not consider a pregnancy termination for a fetus with Down syndrome, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Pacific Coast Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

The prospective study of 1,038 pregnant women who were participating in research at the University of California, San Francisco, department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences showed that 24% said they would not consider a termination if testing showed the fetus had Down syndrome.

Among the 76% of women who said they would consider an abortion under such circumstances, half said they would do so only in the first trimester, 36% said they would do so only in the first or second trimester, and 14% said they would at any point in the pregnancy, said lead author Lee A. Learman, M.D., of the UCSF department.

The women were interviewed before 20 weeks’ gestation and were of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

When asked about their attitudes regarding abortion in general, 23% said that they thought abortion should be available only in cases of rape or incest, and 8% said abortion should not be available under any circumstances.

Seventy-two percent of the women answered yes to the question of whether they would ever consider having an abortion, and 52% reported that they had had an abortion in the past.

With adjustment for various factors, women were more likely to consider an abortion if they were older, had a previous abortion, or expressed distrust in the health care system. Conversely, they were less likely to consider an abortion if they had at least two prior births, were married, were fatalistic about the outcome of their pregnancy, or were not white.

"The overarching goal of the project is to help understand the tradeoffs involved in screening and testing strategies and to help patients make decisions that are consistent with their personal values and feelings," Dr. Learman said.

In a commentary on the study, Anita Nelson, M.D., medical director of Women’s Health Care Programs at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., brought up the possibility that patients’ actions may not always be consistent with their declared beliefs. Dr. Learman agreed, saying his lab is working on research to track discrepancies between actions and beliefs.

Dr. Nelson added that efforts to better prepare women for the many possible outcomes of a pregnancy should also extend to the preconception period to prevent unrealistic expectations.

"When women expect perfect outcomes, we can find ourselves in a bit of a legal jam, and it’s therefore important to lay on the table all the risks of pregnancy while all options are still open–including the option to not become pregnant," she said during the meeting.

BY NANCY A. MELVILLE

Contributing Writer

COPYRIGHT 2005 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

[Read more →]

The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles by Joan E. Guthrie Medlen. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 2002. 352 pp., $19.95 paperback (Available from Woodbine House, 800-843-7323; http://www.woodbinehouse.com)

The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook is an in-depth analysis of nutrition and Down syndrome. The book discusses relevant relationships between eating behaviors …

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

[Read more →]

Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents by D. C. Van Dyke, Philip Mattheis, Susan Schoon Eberly, and Janet Williams. (Eds.). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, 1995. 395pp., $14.95 paperback. (Available from Woodbine House, 800-843-7323; http://www.woodbinehouse.com)

Good medical care is very important when living with Down syndrome. Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome provides relevant medical and practical information regarding this chromosal disorder. The authors discuss making appropriate decisions …

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

[Read more →]