IVF Babies May be More Prone to Childhood Cancers

IVF babies, those children who were conceived via in vitro fertilization, seem to experience an increased risk for childhood cancer versus babies conceived naturally, wrote WebMD, citing Swedish research. The new study is believed to be the first of its kind to indicate a scientifically strong link, said the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, reported WebMD.

According to the study’s lead author, childhood cancer is considered rare and the increase seen is small to moderate, potentially linked to the infertility, said WebMD. “There is an increased risk for cancer in children born via IVF, but it’s rather small,” researcher Bengt Kallen, MD, PhD, a retired professor of embryology and head of the Tornblad Institute, University of Lund, Lund, Germany, told WebMD. “The estimate that we give is that the risk increases 40 percent, but the estimate has, of course, a degree of uncertainty,” Dr. Kallen added. The study appears in the journal Pediatrics.

The team researched 26,692 Swedish children born via IVF from 1982 to 2005, using the Swedish Cancer Registry, said WebMD. The group compared the IVF children who had cancer versus those conceived naturally, noted WebMD, which added that the emerging study compliments information from a prior study by the same team, which looked at some 17,000 children. The prior study showed the same results; however, the emerging study indicates a stronger link.

After accounting for a series of variables—maternal age, pregnancy instances, miscarriages, body mass index—53 cases of cancer were seen in the IVF children, an increase over the 38 that would have been statistically probable in the general population, said WebMD. Cancers included leukemia and cancers of the central nervous system and eye, as well as other solid tumors and Langerhans histiocytosis, a condition in which the body experiences an excess of a specific white blood cell, wrote WebMD. While experts disagree on this condition being a cancer, when the incidences of this condition—six cases—were removed, there still existed an increased risk of 34 percent, added WebMD.

IVF babies were 1.4 times—40 percent—likelier to experience cancer in the follow-up period, which ended in 2006, said WebMD.

Last month we wrote that the risk of birth defects seems to be twice as high in babies conceived via fertility treatment, versus babies conceived naturally, according to French scientists. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment includes a variety of infertility treatment methods such as vitro fertilization (IVF) in which an egg is fertilized by sperm in a lab, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Earlier this year we wrote, citing Reuters, that women who undergo IVF or ICSI and who become pregnant, experience an increased risk of giving birth to a stillborn baby, according to Danish scientists. In 2008, we wrote that Chinese researchers reported that the use of IVF or ICSI to conceive appears to increase the odds of Y-chromosome defects or “microdeletions” in male offspring, meaning that chromosomal defects, or deletions, could result in defective sperm production and possibly hypospadias, a congenital malformation of the male sex organs in which the urinary outlet, or urethra, does not open through the glans of the penis, but develops on the penis’ underside.

Test predicts success of second IVF

A test that predicts the success of second attempts at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment with 1000 times more accuracy than the existing approach has been developed.

Experts believe the patented test could help couples decide if it is worth another try at IVF after an initial failure.

About three quarters of IVF treatments fail to produce a pregnancy.

Currently, age is used as the starting point for advising patients on the likely outcome of IVF.

A woman of 38 might be told she has a 33 per cent chance of becoming pregnant with IVF but the odds are lengthened if she is low on eggs.

The new test is said to be 1000 times more accurate than age-based guidelines.

However, since it relies on data from a first IVF treatment cycle, it can only be used to predict the success or failure of a second treatment.

The procedure, developed by Dr Mylene Yao and a team of researchers at Stanford University, California, effectively turns the initial cycle into a prognostic test.

Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists concluded: "Our findings show that the first IVF cycle can provide quantitative, customised prediction of the live birth probability in a subsequent cycle.

"This concept is radically different from the current paradigm, in which age is a major predictor."

Stanford University holds a patent on the test and a spin out company called Univfy has been formed to develop and market it.

The scientists analysed data from 1676 IVF treatments performed at Stanford between 2003 and 2006 and identified 52 factors that influenced a woman's chances of having a baby.

As well as age, they included levels of certain hormones, the number and quality of eggs, and embryo characteristics.

A computer model was developed that used the information to sort patients into different sub-groups according to their subsequent IVF success.

In 60 per cent of cases the model's predictions varied significantly from those based on age alone - and more than half of these showed an improved chance of having a baby.

The findings indicated that relying on age alone "may provide misleading live birth outcome probabilities for a large portion of patients", said the researchers.

Co-author Dr Lynn Westphal, from Stanford's Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Centre, said a woman's decision to repeat IVF was influenced by a number of factors including cost and the chances of becoming pregnant.

"Many patients, even if they have insurance coverage, will drop out - either because they don't understand what their odds are or they find it's a very emotionally challenging experience to go through."

Indian Rupee finally gets its symbol

Finally, the Rupee will have a symbol like the Dollar ($) or the Euro (€) or the Pound (£). The Cabinet today finalised the design for the Rupee.

IIT post-graduate Uday kumar's entry has been selected out of five shortlisted designs as the new symbol for the Indian Rupee.

The government had organised a symbol design competition with a prize money of Rs 2.5 lakh. Five designs were shortlisted from a competition and all new notes will bear the design finally approved.

The growing influence of the Indian economy in the global space is said to have prompted this move that will result in the Indian rupee joining the select club of global currencies like the US dollar, the British Pound, European Euro and Japanese Yen that have unique symbols.

The abbreviation for the Indian Rupee, 'Re' or 'Rs' is used by India's neighbours Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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Germany green lights gene testing

Embryos created during in vitro fertilisation can be screened for genetic defects before being implanted in the womb, a landmark German court ruling says.

The Federal Supreme Court in Leipzig on Tuesday ruled in support of a Berlin gynecologist who had carried out screening on embryos for three different couples and implanted only those that were healthy. The embryos with hereditary genetic defects were left to die off.

The high court's ruling upheld a decision by a Berlin state court that the doctor's action did not violate German laws for the protection of embryos.

The 47-year-old doctor, who was not identified by the court, brought the case to court himself in 2006 to clarify the legal situation. He was first acquitted by a regional court in Berlin, but the city's state prosecutor appealed.

'The accused, a gynecologist who focuses on fertility treatment, has been acquitted of the allegation of threefold violation of the embryo protection law,' the court said in its verdict, ruling that in vitro fertilisation, without any restrictions, is allowed.

The doctor had treated three couples between 2005 and 2006 who could not get pregnant naturally. In all three cases, one of the partners carried the risk of a congenital genetic illness that would have 'very likely led to a miscarriage, the death of the newborn right after the delivery or the birth of a critically ill child,' the court wrote.

Judge Clemens Basdorf told German news agency DAPD that the examination of IVF embryos should be legal 'if there is a danger of grave genetic defects for the desired children of the patients.'

Boeing's 787, as innovative inside as outside

Oh sure, Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner is made of composite materials and it's super fuel efficient, but unless you own an airline, the only thing you care about is how comfortable it is. Boeing knows this, and has striven to give passengers an experience unlike any other airplane.
The aerospace company decided an all-new airplane needs an all-new interior and went all-out to make the 787's interior as innovative as its airframe, aerodynamics and engines. From the air you breath to the turbulence you (won't) feel to the windows you look through, the passenger experience promises to provide something new at every stage of your flight.
"When you go inside a 787 mockup, you get this 'wow!'" said airline analyst Scott Hamilton, who got to see a demo interior at Boeing's facility near Seattle.
You know the 787 is something different the moment you step inside.
Boeing wastes no time giving passengers a new experience. As soon as you board the Dreamliner, you're greeted by an open area just inside the door. The ceiling resembles a skylight, complete with blue LED lighting that mimics the sky.
"They've designed this kind of lounge area instead of coming in next to a galley," Hamilton says. "It really gives you a welcoming area instead of entering into somebody's kitchen."
Of course, it's up to the airlines buying the planes to decide what you see, and some of them may well modify the boarding area and other features of the plane. But even if they muck it up completely, there's still a lot of "wow" in the 787 cabin.
The onboard lighting is one of the coolest features.
Anyone who has flown across more than a couple of time zones knows how difficult it is to sleep, and to be awakened with the flick of a switch that floods the cabin in fluorescent white light. Boeing's LEDs allow the crew to adjust the lighting to match different phases of the flight.
The light is fairly standard during boarding and while cruising. During meals it is adjusted to warmer tones. Once you're done eating and want to tilt the seat back and relax, the cabin can be bathed in a relaxing lavender hue. When it's time to sleep, the lights are turned way down.
But it's how the crew wakes you that's the best part of the Dreamliner's lighting.
Instead of flicking the lights on and flooding the cabin in light, the cabin will brighten slowly, with the light transitioning from the purples and oranges of a sunrise to yellows, and eventually white against a blue sky. Boeing's thought is mimicking the light schedule of your destination, some of the dreaded jet lag can be alleviated
Sleep time brings up another innovation.
Gone is that dreaded moment when, after you finally fall asleep, that passenger in the window seat raises the shade to make sure the Pacific Ocean is still there and fills the cabin with sunlight. The windows of the 787 don't have shades. They use an electrochromic dimmable system.
You can let in all the light you want -- or none at all -- at the flick of a switch. Of course, the crew has a master switch, so when it's time to sleep, that guy in the window seat can only get just enough light to confirm the Pacific hasn't gone anywhere without bothering everybody else.
He'll have a better view, too. The 787's windows are 65 percent bigger than the windows in other planes. Boeing made them taller, so kids and NBA players can enjoy the same view as the average passenger.
Boeing spent a lot of time focusing on how passengers perceive the cabin.
Let's face it: you're sitting in a tube. It's only so big -- the fuselage is 18 feet 11 inches wide -- and there's only so much space you can use. Things are always a little more spacious in first class, but Boeing wanted to make sure even those of us crammed into coach feel like we have more room.
To do that, Boeing's designers gave the 787 an open, airy design. It's another reason for the skylight-like lighting.
"The upper ceiling designs are arched in such a fashion that you get a much more open feeling than you do in a typical wide-body airplane," Hamilton says.
Even the overhead bins have been redesigned.
To accommodate the trend of more carry-on bags due to baggage fees and the unwillingness of some passengers to part with their luggage, Boeing made the bins about 30 percent bigger. They're easier to load because they lower when opened and tuck away when raised. That should be a big help for people who don't understand what a carry-on should be and make it easier for the rest of us to stash our stuff and get out of the aisle.
The composite structure of the 787 means the Dreamliner is lighter and more aerodynamic, which is a boon for airlines. But the composite construction means the airframe isn't prone to corrosion like aluminum. That means the crew can increase the humidity of the cabin, reducing that parched feeling you have after a long flight.
And thanks again to the composite fuselage, the interior cabin pressure can be increased. This means the cabin will be pressurized to an altitude of 6,000 feet instead of the typical 8,000 feet. These combined factors should make breathing much more comfortable and lead to fewer headaches, fatigue and other health issues common to many passengers.
Another factor that often leads to headaches and general annoyance is noise, especially if you're sitting behind the engines. The new serrated engine nacelles on the 787 make the plane quieter -- both for passengers and those who live in the plane's flight path. Even the fan blades inside the engine are designed to be quieter.
One of the more innovative passenger comfort systems on the 787 is the computer-controlled turbulence-reduction system.
Boeing claims the Smoother Ride Technology will provide an eight-fold reduction in the number of people experiencing motion sickness. Sensors throughout the airplane detect subtle changes in air pressure indicative of turbulence and direct the fly-by-wire flight controls to move flaperons on the wings to counter the vertical motion. It won't eliminate all the bumps, but Boeing says it will work especially well on the moderate turbulence that causes most airsickness.
All of this technology puts the 787 well ahead of the competition, Hamilton says. He points out that if you only know the standard airline interior, you won't feel like you're missing anything. But even the most modern of interiors in other airplanes doesn't compare.
"Airbus had done a complete makeover of the A320 interior in 2007," Hamilton says. "But it's a conventional looking interior. It's very good, but having been inside the 787, you just get that 'wow' factor."
And the new interiors will make the airlines happy as well. From the windows to the bathrooms and everything in between, the 787 interior is designed to be easier to clean and cheaper to repair or replace.
The Dreamliner is two years overdue and Boeing has lost orders because of those delays. But Hamilton and others say once the flight test is finished and the first loads of passengers have flown on the new airplane, most of the bad memories should be erased.
He says there are likely to be a few more hiccups between now and then, but is confident both the airlines and the flying public will appreciate the new design.
"Boeing is going to have a real winner on its hands," he says.
We'll find out in nine months. That's when Japan's All Nippon Airways starts service with the first passenger carrying 787.