Judith G. Hall

Trends in Twinning Rates

Most developed countries have good data on twinning and multiple birth rates. In this study, researchers in France and Italy used data from civil birth registries to review twinning rates during the past century in 19 developed countries (mostly in Europe and not including the U.S.). Twinning rates remained relatively constant through …

Folic Acid Fortification in Canada

In 1998, folic acid fortification of white flour, enriched pasta, and cornmeal became mandatory in Canada. The goal of fortification was to increase folic acid intake among women of childbearing age and thereby help prevent neural-tube defects (NTDs) in their offspring. Data from nearly 2 million live births, stillbirths, and pregnancy terminations in seven Canadian provinces …

Paternal Age and Birth Defects

Advanced maternal age is associated with chromosomal abnormalities, and advanced paternal age is associated with de novo mutations. Researchers used

Epigenetic Effects: A New Way of Explaining Phenotypic Differences in Monozygotic Twins

Monozygotic (MZ) twins often have a discordance of phenotypic features, but the reason for such differences is not understood. One possible explanation is epigenetic effects, which include changes in the expression of specific genes but not in their actual nucleotide sequence. In this type of epigenesis, methyl groups attaching to specific …

Mortality in Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia is the most common dwarfing condition, and many natural history and quality-of-life studies have been undertaken because of the relatively large number of affected individuals. However, few studies have assessed risk for death in adults. To compare mortality patterns between individuals with achondroplasia and the …

Growth Hormone Therapy in Girls with Turner Syndrome

Growth hormone (GH) therapy is standard treatment for girls with Turner syndrome. However, despite great enthusiasm about GH, a controlled study of

Pregnancy in Women with Turner's Syndrome

Denmark maintains a registry of women with the genetic disorder Turners syndrome (TS). Researchers used the registry data to assess fertility in 410

Genome-Wide Association Study Begins to Tease Out Pathways for Childhood Asthma

Genome-wide association studies are used to identify genes that influence complex diseases. In this study, researchers genotyped nearly 600,000 single

Down Syndrome: Changes in Survival During the Past 20 Years

Two recent articles highlight how much has been learned about Down syndrome during the last 20 years, as well as how much additional research is

GI Abnormalities Are Common in Down Syndrome

To determine the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities in infants with Down syndrome, investigators analyzed a large population-based sample