Gene detector to prevent child deafness in China

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Gene detector to prevent child deafness in China

The 21 performers who danced the One Thousand Hands Buddha are admired by the Chinese people because they succeeded in spite of being deaf. Unknown to most who watched, 18 of the dancers became deaf because of inappropriate use of antibiotics.

In China, more than 1 million children become deaf due to misuse of antibiotics such as streptomycin, kanamycin and gentamicin, according to the Chinese Medical Association. But a gene detector, which can identify genes related to deafness, is expected to turn the tide on this problem.

China's State Food and Drug Administration had approved the detector for clinical use. The device will be made available for hospitals across the country, said Cheng Jing, chief technology officer of National Engineering Research Center for Beijing Biochip Technology or CapitalBio Corporation.

"Due to lack of proper equipment, doctors could not tell which patients may become deaf because of the antibiotics they prescribe. Many tragedies will be prevented by use of the device," Cheng said Wednesday.

The device detects nine mutations of four genes, which are responsible for most cases of deafness among the Chinese. Cheng says that a test by the device takes about five hours and costs 500 yuan (76.3 U.S. dollars). "Conventional methods are way more expensive and take at least three days."

The detector can also provide valuable information for both parents-to-be and new parents to prevent deafness in their babies as early as possible, Cheng said. About 30,000 babies are born deaf each year in China.

"We are getting approvals from commercial and medical authorities. The device will gradually become available in most hospitals in China in the coming years. As demand rises, it will become even cheaper in the future," Cheng said.

China has 1.8 million deaf children, 60 percent of them lost their hearing because of drug misuse, Yang Zhiyin, head of the behavioral medicine branch of the Chinese Medical Association told China Daily in January.
 
Miss-Delectable said:
Gene detector to prevent child deafness in China

The 21 performers who danced the One Thousand Hands Buddha are admired by the Chinese people because they succeeded in spite of being deaf. Unknown to most who watched, 18 of the dancers became deaf because of inappropriate use of antibiotics.

In China, more than 1 million children become deaf due to misuse of antibiotics such as streptomycin, kanamycin and gentamicin, according to the Chinese Medical Association. But a gene detector, which can identify genes related to deafness, is expected to turn the tide on this problem.

China's State Food and Drug Administration had approved the detector for clinical use. The device will be made available for hospitals across the country, said Cheng Jing, chief technology officer of National Engineering Research Center for Beijing Biochip Technology or CapitalBio Corporation.

"Due to lack of proper equipment, doctors could not tell which patients may become deaf because of the antibiotics they prescribe. Many tragedies will be prevented by use of the device," Cheng said Wednesday.

The device detects nine mutations of four genes, which are responsible for most cases of deafness among the Chinese. Cheng says that a test by the device takes about five hours and costs 500 yuan (76.3 U.S. dollars). "Conventional methods are way more expensive and take at least three days."

The detector can also provide valuable information for both parents-to-be and new parents to prevent deafness in their babies as early as possible, Cheng said. About 30,000 babies are born deaf each year in China.

"We are getting approvals from commercial and medical authorities. The device will gradually become available in most hospitals in China in the coming years. As demand rises, it will become even cheaper in the future," Cheng said.

China has 1.8 million deaf children, 60 percent of them lost their hearing because of drug misuse, Yang Zhiyin, head of the behavioral medicine branch of the Chinese Medical Association told China Daily in January.
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I hope they are not talking about abortion in the bolded paragraph.
 
There are more than 100 identified genes now. The device tests 4 genes. Many syndromes are not matched to a specific gene location yet; thus no gene tests exist. It'll take a long time before the genetics of deafness are discovered and understood. It may not even happen because some syndromes are "orphan diseases"--too rare to get funding for research.
 
sallylou said:
There are more than 100 identified genes now. The device tests 4 genes. Many syndromes are not matched to a specific gene location yet; thus no gene tests exist. It'll take a long time before the genetics of deafness are discovered and understood. It may not even happen because some syndromes are "orphan diseases"--too rare to get funding for research.
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That's my understanding, too. This company is obviously a bunch of racketeers marketing themselves through the press. Nice attempt to exploit the fear of deafness among parents. It's a classic, and never goes wrong.
 
From my experience, when I was in China, many of my relatives and people I met were surprised that I am deaf and can speak as such they don't know anyone oral deafie like me. I think Cochlear Implant is kinda rare in China. It's probably only the rich can afford it.
 
The genetic tests that allegedly determine predisposition to illness are dubious. See:

http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/gpm.html

Right now, the genetic tests are only for a specific gene. Even when a test is available, the expensive test may rule out one gene but that's of limited value.

The privacy implications and potential discrimination are huge risks. That alone makes many people unwilling to test.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
But I bet a lot parents will abort their-baby if they knew it could be deaf! You're allowed to have only one baby in China , and parents will not want to a HOH or deaf baby!
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that actually isn't really totally true...well it is according to a spokesperson of the Committee on the One-Child Policy said approximately 35.9% of China's population is currently subject to the one-child restriction...there are a lot of loopholes if the parent doesn't have any siblings, if both parents don't have siblings, if you live in an urban area or rural area if the child isn't born IN china, if one parent wasn't born in china, if a child has multiple disabilities, etc
 
It's an obscurely worded article, but I took it to mean that this "gene detector" is going to identify individuals that are susceptible to becoming deaf as a result of taking certain antibiotics. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But... who knows what they're really up to? The part Botts highlighted is particularly dubious in meaning.
 
sallylou said:
There are more than 100 identified genes now. The device tests 4 genes. Many syndromes are not matched to a specific gene location yet; thus no gene tests exist. It'll take a long time before the genetics of deafness are discovered and understood. It may not even happen because some syndromes are "orphan diseases"--too rare to get funding for research.
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Not to mention which, they appear to mistaking the prevalence and incidence of genetic deafness as higher than it actually is. The same mistake A.G. Bell made when deciding that deaf should not marry to prevent genetic trasmission.
 
AliciaM said:
that actually isn't really totally true...well it is according to a spokesperson of the Committee on the One-Child Policy said approximately 35.9% of China's population is currently subject to the one-child restriction...there are a lot of loopholes if the parent doesn't have any siblings, if both parents don't have siblings, if you live in an urban area or rural area if the child isn't born IN china, if one parent wasn't born in china, if a child has multiple disabilities, etc
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I looked that up , I kept hearing on the news you can have only one baby.
I was surprise to see the headline written like this! :
"How many children are the people in china alowed to have"
 
TWA said:
It's an obscurely worded article, but I took it to mean that this "gene detector" is going to identify individuals that are susceptible to becoming deaf as a result of taking certain antibiotics. I find absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But... who knows what they're really up to? The part Botts highlighted is particularly dubious in meaning.
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I'm the one who turned this story into English. I'm sorry it sounded obscure, the original Chinese report was almost incomprehensible. But Chinese readers have a knack of understanding the incomprehensible.

I didn't have time to get very thorough on the highlighted part when I wrote it. But I did some research after seeing your concerns. Here are what experts told me about the measures:

1. Pre-marriage counseling for couples who are both deaf. Avoiding spouse with the same deaf gene can reduce the risk of having deaf babies.

2. Identifying babies who are born with normal hearing but have very high risk of becoming deaf in the future:
a. identify newborns who will become deaf after taking certain antibiotics
b. start hearing recovery treatment early on for deafness caused by mutation GJB2
c. maintain the hearing of newborns with LVAS by early treatment

3. Pre-marriage/pregnancy counseling for the general public. More than 6 pct of Chinese have deaf genes. The test can inform them on the risk of having deaf children.
 
ref: #1. above.

That's assuming deaf couples don't want a deaf baby.

If China didn't have such a restrictive one-baby-per-family law, there would be less pressure on couples to seek a "perfect" baby.

It's assumed by many that "special needs" babies require more material support, and therefore could be more of a social "burden." So, the government steps in with social engineering via medical, cough, cough, research.

This smells too much like eugenics.

Just my opinion.
 
This form of "eugenics" is practiced in the US, as well: Prevention of Tay–Sachs disease.
For Preventing Tay–Sachs disease, three main approaches have been used to prevent or reduce the incidence of Tay–Sachs disease in those who are at high risk:
  1. Prenatal diagnosis. If both parents are identified as carriers, prenatal genetic testing can determine whether the fetus has inherited a defective copy of the gene from both parents. Couples may be willing to terminate the pregnancy, although abortion may raise ethical issues.[1] Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which can be performed after the 10th week of gestation, is the most common form of prenatal diagnosis. Both CVS and amniocentesis present developmental risks to the fetus that have to be balanced with the possible benefits, especially in cases where the carrier status of only one parent is known.[2]
  2. Mate selection. In Orthodox Jewish circles, the organization Dor Yeshorim carries out an anonymous screening program so that couples who are likely to conceive a child with Tay–Sachs or another genetic disorder can avoid marriage.[3] Nomi Stone of Dartmouth College describes this approach. "Orthodox Jewish high school students are given blood tests to determine if they have the Tay–Sachs gene. Instead of receiving direct results as to their carrier status, each person is given a six-digit identification number. Couples can call a hotline, if both are carriers, they will be deemed 'incompatible.' Individuals are not told they are carriers directly to avoid possibility of stigmatization or discrimination. If the information were released, carriers could potentially become unmarriageable within the community."[4] Anonymous testing eliminates the stigma of carriership while decreasing the rate of homozygosity in this population. Stone notes that this approach, while effective within a confined population such as Hasidic or Orthodox Jews, may not be effective in the general population.[4]
  3. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis. By retrieving the mother's eggs for in vitro fertilization and conceiving a child outside the womb, it is possible to test the embryo prior to implantation. Only healthy embryos are selected for transfer into the mother's womb. In addition to Tay–Sachs disease, PGD has been used to prevent cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Huntington's disease, and other genetic disorders.[5] However this method is expensive. It requires invasive medical technologies, and is beyond the financial means of most couples.
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