Private clinics get Japan medical body's OK to do prenatal tests for chromosome irregularities
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology's (JSOG) executive board has decided to allow obstetrician-gynecologists who run private practices to conduct blood tests on pregnant women to detect possible chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome in their fetuses. Currently, 92 hospitals, mostly large ones, have ...
Down Syndrome competitor Lucas Barron to make Dakar Rally history
Lucas Barron will make history on Sunday when he lines up on the Dakar Rally starting line in Peru, becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to take part in the grueling race. The 25-year-old, who will be co-pilot for his father Jacques, will ...
Tokyo pageant celebrates beauty of people with mental and physical challenges
Fashion enthusiast Mana Yokoyama, wearing a light cream lace dress, strutted down the catwalk during a beauty pageant in Tokyo, hoping the experience would bring her a step closer to a fashion career. But while she's as determined as her nondisabled counterparts, the 24-year-old Yokoyama ...
Panel ends study on controversial prenatal blood test, clearing use by more hospitals
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology decided Saturday to end its clinical study of a controversial prenatal blood test that can identify potential abnormalities in a fetus, and make test more widely available. Around 90 designated hospitals in Japan are allowed to offer the ...
First baby with Down syndrome is Gerber's 'Spokesbaby' of the year
An 18-month-old boy with Down syndrome has been named by baby food maker Gerber as its "Spokesbaby" for 2018, the company said on Wednesday, an action hailed by advocates for people with the genetic condition. Lucas Warren of Dalton, Georgia, won Gerber's annual photo contest ...
More Japanese clinics to be cleared for new blood-based prenatal screening test
More medical institutions will soon be allowed to conduct blood-based prenatal screenings instead of amniotic fluid tests.
Compound normalizes brain structure, function in mice with Down syndrome, Kyoto researchers say
The findings could lead to the development of drugs to treat Down syndrome and other conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Easier prenatal blood test logs over 30,000 takers, 394 abortions since 2013 debut: survey
More than 30,000 women have taken the new, noninvasive prenatal test for chromosomal abnormalities linked to such disorders as Down syndrome in the nearly three years since it became available, a survey said Tuesday. The test, which is much less invasive than its predecessor, is ...
TV announcer Ryuen lobbying for Down syndrome children
A former TV Asahi Corp. announcer is working to raise awareness of Down syndrome in children. She has a 2-year-old boy with the condition. Freelance TV professional Airi Ryuen believes parents in Japan find it hard to obtain support. On March 21, she served as the ...
New prenatal test leads to survey on daily life for people with Down syndrome
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is conducting a comprehensive survey on the living conditions of people with Down syndrome amid controversy over a new prenatal testing method that helps detect possible chromosome abnormalities in fetuses. The new method, introduced in April 2013, is a ...
Parents of special-needs child move Osaka to improve admissions guidelines
Education authorities in the city of Osaka have pledged to review how schools handle applications for places from special-needs children after hearing that a public elementary school tried to turn away a local child with Down syndrome. New Zealander Steve Sasaki-Samuels, 37, and his wife, ...
Art from the margins of society
A show of brilliant color combinations, unusual shapes and a creative use of materials, "Art as a Haven of Happiness" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum showcases the work of artists with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Free of any fixed ideas or concepts ...
