PubMed · 15083842
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C Ward Kischer. 2003. When does human life begin? The final answer.. https://doi.org/10.1080/20508549.2003.11877691
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OBJECTIVE: To control the birth of thalassemic children in Southern China. STUDY DESIGN: DNA-based diagnosis was offered on fetal tissues in pregnancies when beta-globin gene mutations were identifiable in both parents using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot (RDB) assay. An automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system was used to analyze fetal hemoglobin in pregnancies when mutation was unidentified in at least one parent. Fetal samplings were collected by chorionic villi sampling (CVS) in the first trimester, and by amniocentesis or cordocentesis in the second trimester. Maternal contamination of fetal DNA was ruled out by short tandem repeats (STR) analysis. RESULTS: Five hundered and forty-five fetuses of 540 at-risk pregnancies were performed prenatal diagnosis. Out of 540 fetuses tested by DNA analysis, 150 were found to be normal, 257 were carriers, whereas 133 were affected. Out of five fetuses diagnosed by HPLC, one fetus was affected and four were unaffected. Totally, 133 pregnancies with affected fetuses, except for one twin pregnancy, were voluntarily terminated, leading to a marked reduction of severe beta-thalassemia in this region. CONCLUSIONS: Our prenatal diagnosis strategy proved to be highly effective. DNA- and HPLC-based testing could enable prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia in all at-risk pregnancies.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate sexual violence and its impact on reproductive health in unmarried young women seeking abortion in China. METHODS: A total of 2002 participants were surveyed by questionnaire, gynecologic examination, and laboratory tests for sexually transmitted disease (STD). RESULTS: Overall, 14% of participants had experienced sexual violence and 43.4% were diagnosed with STD. Among victims of sexual abuse, 8.6% had their first sexual encounter when they were younger than 18 years; 42.7% had had 2 or more sexual partners; and 21.6% never used contraception. Multivariate analysis revealed that sexual abuse, multiple sexual partners, sexual activity before the age of 18 years, and not using contraception were important indicators of the presence of STD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sexual abuse is high in China; and among unmarried young women seeking abortion, those who experience sexual abuse are at significantly increased risk for STD.