Recently a patient with advanced lung disease asked me my opinion on stem cell treatment for lung disease. They had attended a seminar about the benefits of stem cell transplant for a variety of medical conditions, including COPD. According to the patient, this presentation was given by a physician who operates centers that provide autologousContinueContinue reading “Stem Cell Therapy – Buyer Beware”
Tag Archives: genetics
We have the results of the prenatal genetic screening back…
Suppose you are expecting a baby and the obstetrician or genetic counselor tells you that they detected your future child possesses a gene which is associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This neuromuscular disease with its severe progressive muscle weakness doesn’t usually begin to exhibit itself until after age 40. It’s earlyContinueContinue reading “We have the results of the prenatal genetic screening back…”
New and improved prenatal screening: do expecting parents understand what these tests mean?
“It’s your pregnancy. Demand the accuracy of the MaterniT21 PLUS test.” “No confusion. Just simple, clear results.” So reads Sequenom Laboratories’ website, speaking to prospective parents and health care providers. The MaterniT21 test is marketed as a noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) screening for trisomies 21 (Down syndrome), 18 (Edwards syndrome) and 13 (Patu syndrome) byContinueContinue reading “New and improved prenatal screening: do expecting parents understand what these tests mean?”
Ethics and Policy 