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Deafness is the most common sensory disability in humans, influencing all aspects of life, However, early diagnosis of hearing impairment and initiating the rehabilitation process are of great importance to enable the development of language and communication as soon as possible. We examined the differences in attitudes towards performing prenatal invasive tests and pregnancy terminations in Jewish and Muslim women in Israel due to deafness. Overall, 953 Israeli women, aged 18–46 years with a mean age of 32.0 (SD = 7.12), were enrolled. Of those, 68.7% were city dwellers and 31.3% were village dwellers, and 60.2% were Muslim women and 39.8% were Jewish women. All participants had a child with a hearing impairment or deafness. The group with no genetic hearing loss performed more prenatal invasive tests and pregnancy terminations than those with genetic hearing loss in both ethnic groups. Jewish women performed more invasive prenatal tests and, consequently, a pregnancy termination. Secular Jewish women more frequently underwent pregnancy terminations due to fetal deafness. Further genetic counseling and information concerning IVF and PGD procedures should be provided to the Muslim population.

A ground glass opacity (GGO) lung lesion may represent early stage adenocarcinoma, which has an excellent prognosis upon prompt surgical resection. However, GGO lesions have broad differential diagnoses, including both benign and malignant lesions. Our objective was to study telomere length and telomerase activity in patients with suspected lung cancer in which GGO was the predominant radiographic feature. Knowledge of telomere biology may help distinguish malignant from benign radiographic lesions and guide risk assessment of these lesions. Peripheral blood samples were taken from 22 patients with suspected adenocarcinoma with the GGO radiographic presentation. Multidisciplinary discussion confirmed the need for surgery in all cases. We used an age and gender‐matched group without known lung disease as a control. Telomere length and aggregates were assessed by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (QFISH) and quantitative PCR. Cell senescence was evaluated by senescence‐associated heterochromatin foci. Subjects with GGO lesions had a higher percentage of lymphocytes with shorter telomeres (Q‐FISH, P = 0.003). Furthermore, relative telomere length was also reduced among the GGO cases (qPCR, P < 0.05). Increased senescence was observed in the GGO group compared to controls (P < 0.001), with significant correlation between the senescence‐associated heterochromatin foci and aggregate formation (r = −0.7 and r = −0.44 for cases and controls, respectively). In conclusion, patients with resectable early adenocarcinoma demonstrate abnormal telomere length and cell senescence in peripheral blood leukocytes compared to control subjects. Abnormal telomere biology in the peripheral blood may increase suspicion of early adenocarcinoma among patients with GGO lesions.

Second trimester maternal serum biochemical markers, introduced between 1990 and 1995, were supplemented with new ultrasound methods at 14–16 weeks and first trimester biochemical markers between 1995 and 2000. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Down syndrome (DS) prevention program among the Israeli Jewish population between 1990 and 2000. We collected data on the total number of prenatal tests performed on Israeli Jewish women, DS cases detected prenatally and DS livebirths in Israel during these years. We also studied the use of the newer screening tests in 1990, 1992, and 2000. Between 1990 and 1995, use of chromosomal studies for DS in this population increased from 11.3% to 21.6% and the percentage of cases detected prenatally from 53% to 70%. However, between 1996 and 2000, even with the new screening methods, the utilization rate remained similar (20.7% and 19.8%, respectively) and the percentage detected prenatally decreased to 61% in 2000. The total cost per case detected increased from $47,971 in 1990 to $75,229 in 1992, and to $190,171 in 2000. Between 1990 and 1995, improvement in the percentage of cases detected prenatally was associated with a significant increase in the amniocentesis rate—both are attributed to the introduction of second trimester maternal serum biochemical marker tests. Unexpectedly, the introduction between 1995 and 2000 of new genetic methods to assess the DS risk did not improve the percentage detected or reduce the amniocentesis rate, and was accompanied by an increased cost per case detected. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]